It looks as if Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is in “show don’t tell” mode for its much-maligned 247 extraction test mode, as Visionary Realms offered up a sunny pre-alpha test report that talks up the immediately felt benefits of both the extraction game and the shift in art style in terms of the game’s production.
“We are still gathering tester data on the game mode specifically, but have found it incredibly useful for fast-tracking updates, feedback, and fixes,” the studio claims. “The benefit of this is production at a pace we have not been able to achieve previously. This test mode, in addition to the art change, has allowed for solid forward momentum to be made to the MMORPG.”
The post then goes on to list several updates made to 247, including the addition of states and statuses like poison or bleed, the launch of the Paladin class along with other class updates, an extension of the extraction timer to two hours, and “more crafting and gathering updates than we could even list here.”
To further illustrate the studio’s work cadence, Visionary Realms put out a production tracker that lets players keep an eye on development of 247, which features a chart of completed items and a running set of patch notes. The studio promises to keep the tracker up-to-date on a weekly basis, letting non-testers watch development unfold.
