Will Darkfall be important to the genre?

I totally agree with Vidarr ; important to the niche, not to the market.

Since every single hardcore aspect trumpeted completely repels me, I don't much about the innovations side... but even if it is in fact just an old school MMO with current generation graphics then that still sounds like a lucrative little makret to tap.

I don't like the WorldIV article finale though ; biggest playerbase & profitability ever is hardly the MMOs industry's "feudal dark ages", and I'm skeptical that reviving features previously eliminated by natural selection constitutes shiny new thinking.

I doubt their claim to being innovative is having open-PvP.

It seems the detractors of the game are upset, for some reason, that the game isn't actually vaporware. Or are angry about the open-PvP full-loot nature of the ruleset. However, there are things to be happy about, a complete non-combat player can, within a city, begin a life of a crafter. With a 100% player-based economy where EVERY item is craftable and every item is lootable on death there will be a HUGE need for crafters. Fame and fortune will come to those non-combat players, as much or moreso than the combat-oriented players.

Another things to be hopeful about is seeing a skill-based progression system in another game. Alternatives to levels and classes should be in the marketplace, even if they are niche, for players to have a breadth of choices. Just EVE alone isn't enough.

Finally, if this game makes even a small profit it will give hope to maybe hundreds of small teams wondering if the days of a startup in this genre are dead and gone. Innovation comes from small teams taking big risks with different-than-the-norm ideas to hopefully make a place for themselves in the market. Stagnation comes from 1 proven model and clone after clone after clone trying to capture a piece of that pie.

What if you didn't work hard for what you had on you, would it be easier to swallow then? These types of games don't have levels separating n00bs from "twitchy ADD" kids with tons of time on their hands. They also don't have endless dungeon raids to obtain precious gear. They do have a local swordsmith with a ton of similar swords you can get on the cheap, however.