For one day, media from around the world were invited by Gameforge to preview the MMORPG / RTS Kingdom Under Fire 2. The event took place yesterday, November 5, in a castle in Germany, the Burg Reichenstein .
Taken by a shuttle to the castle, we then cross the high doors of the castle, led by a troubadour and a flute player. In successive waves of twenty people, we are greeted by men in medieval armor.
In the lower courtyard, tents allow us to collect our badges, while we consume our first drinks. There are only two tents, there are a good hundred of us, which means that it takes a while to set up ... The drinks continue to turn: fruit juices and hot decoctions.
The troubadour tries his best to pass the time, putting on a little show in which he involves the spectators, with a princess in distress to be saved from the clutches of a nasty trick. It works rather well and the jester is perfectly at ease in front of his audience. He will return later in different roles, sometimes magician, sometimes juggler, the flute player having passed to the hurdy-gurdy.
Unexpectedly, a melee is organized, a fight with bladed weapons which turns out to be a rather impressive show of force.
Finally, we are all gathered in a large room where a conference is organized, summarizing the main features of the game, with various speakers from Gameforge (publisher) and Blueside (developer) commenting on slides and trailers, most of the information already being known to the general public. I will come back in the article dedicated to the information collected but, if you can not wait, they notably gave a brief overview of what will be the additions made after the launch (including the new class). The presentation is projected on televisions spread across the room, making it easy to see regardless of its placement.
The meal is served as a buffet. We chat with some spanish speakers we met earlier in the morning while waiting for the doors of the upper castle to open. It is only at the beginning of the afternoon that we can finally access the most important: the game! About twenty computers are at our disposal so that we can either take advantage of level 12 characters in a 4-player co-op mission, or go and explore the beginning solo. I tested both and, once again, I will give you my impressions in a separate article (we also had the opportunity to video capture our games, so follow our YouTube channel to make sure you don't miss a thing!).
At the same time, in the real world, for those who like to run around the corridors of the castle, a quest is organized, with different stages to be accomplished to discover all the hidden treasures. We must thus find a merchant who walks around with small vials (or, as it happened to us, wait for the merchant to find us), before having to give them to the alchemist who seals them with hot wax. Mini-games of skill make it possible to obtain a score which, if it is sufficient, will guarantee the services of the blacksmith to stamp a piece brought back from the highest tower. Birds are waiting for us in a backyard, with the possibility of taking them on our gloved hand.
During the afternoon, I had the opportunity to ask a few questions, having had an interview with several people from Gameforge. Then, around 18:00 p.m., I also took part in a question and answer session, this time with the developers. All the information revealed will be gathered in an article dedicated to these interviews.
Right after the questions / answers, dinner was served at the table, a banquet with little pigs presented on large platters, but not only! A soup whets the appetite, before being followed by an assortment of meats and vegetables. The dessert is a sort of square with red fruits. I, who had not had the opportunity to eat a lot at noon, this evening meal was overwhelming.
An exceptional lot is then offered to the draw among all the presents: a magnificent sword forged by the blacksmith, finished on site during the afternoon by the master craftsman. The object is magnificent ... but unfortunately I did not win it. After this surprise, the event ends in the flames of a fire eater around 20:30 p.m. On the other hand, we had to wait until 22 p.m. for the first shuttle to take us back to the hotel ... while for some the party was only just beginning, being scheduled to last until 00 a.m.! But I had been sleeping for a long time!
More pictures (Facebook gallery)
Thank you again to Gameforge for the invitation to this exceptional event! To find out more, you can find two other articles: my impressions of the game and everything I learned during the various interviews. You can also follow the accounts of our spanish speaking friends crossed during the event who will also provide coverage: @ shoopslev3lup (writing on Lev3lup.be), @LesPdudimanche, @ exserv85, and @_Nat_Ali.
