New World (video game)

New World is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Amazon Game Studios set to be released on August 31, 2021. The game was previously scheduled to release in May 2020, but was delayed to its current date. Set in the mid-1600s, players colonize a fictional land modeled after colonial America in the Atlantic Ocean. The game will be using a buy-to-play business model, meaning there will be no monthly mandatory subscription fee.
Gameplay.
Character creation.
"New World" is a MMO sandbox game in a Amazon Lumberyard-engine created world within the Microsoft Windows Personal computer platform. Prior to entering the game, a player chooses a default geographical Earth location "Region" to achieve their best game latency connectivity and a game server "World" to begin the game playing solo. The choice of an agreed upon common server is important to allow grouping-up with real world friends. Next, a player creates a character's appearance and names their character. The game allows a player to control a character or avatar within a game world in third- or first-person view. The player's "New World" character starts the game by arriving on a beach. The character enters the game starting as a "level one" in experience gained. The character's maximum obtainable experience level is 60.
General.
The players may form groups of up to five members, join one of three factions ("Marauders", "Syndicate", and "Covenant"), utilize node resources, craft items, gain control over settlements, quest, just explore the sandbox, fight other players, or monsters.
The gameplay involves no auto-locked targeting attacks (tab equals next targeting), and therefore, a steady hand at aiming is required. With each level, the hostile mobs are programmed with ever-increasing complexity and strength sequences of attacking behavior skill sets that will require the player to counter using their mana, stamina, and health with timed attacks, dodges, weapon blocks, retreats, or crawling stealth. The weapon skill tree choices are currently for bow, hammer, hatchet, fire staff, life staff, musket rifle, spear, sword/shield, and ice gauntlet.
As in every MMO, the character levels up personal attribute skills. There are "Constitution", "Focus", "Intelligence", "Strength", and "Dexterity". Diminishing returns scale as an attribute's skill level increases. The player's character also levels up weapon and trade skills. The trade skills are divided into the three categories of "Crafting" ("Weaponsmithing", "Armoring", "Engineering", "Jewelcrafting", "Arcana", "Cooking", and "Furnishing"), "Refining" ("Smelter", "Woodworking", "Leatherworking", "Weaving", and "Stonecutting"), and "Gathering" ("Logging", "Mining", "Harvesting", and "Tracking and Skinning"). There is also a "Camping" skill ("Wilderness Survival").
Three quick travel methods exist. Although no fast speed mounts are available, there is a set of skills under the life staff tree for intermittent forward speed boosts. The player may dodge or climb most environmental objects or use the life staff to cross large aerial spaces.
The economy centers around gold coins. The player can dispose of unwanted items through a trader between players in exchange for gold coins, they can "salvage" (dismantle) the items for resources, they can discard the item on to the unsecured ground, or they can make a direct transfer to another player. Characters that die cannot drop items, but with each combat encounter, use, or death, the player's items undergo damage. The damage can be repaired with repair items and gold coins.
The player may purchase personal housing and erect "Furnishings" to achieve aesthetic and utility bonuses, as well as, obtain a means for fast traveling to the settlement site.
The game mechanics offer with-questing pvp combat and without-questing. Before leaving a safe-zone settlement, players have the option either or not to set the flagged-state which activates after leaving the settlement and then a cooldown period.
Synopsis.
Setting.
The game is set on a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean known as Aeternum Island.
Development.
In the September 2016, at TwitchCon, Amazon Game Studios revealed its first three PC games: "Breakaway", "Crucible", and "New World".
On March 31, 2018, Amazon Game Studios announced that the development of the game "Breakaway" had been put into hiatus status, and that they now would be focusing on its other titles, such as "New World" and "Crucible".
On September 21, 2020, the "New World" developers announced an end to the game's most recent non-NDA beta-testing gameplay and feedback.
On October 9, 2020, Relentless Studios announced the cancellation of "Crucible", citing the inability to see a sustained future as the reason for cancellation. The studio shifted to aid development of "New World" instead.
On February 16, 2021, it was announced that the game is set to release on August 31, 2021.