Gods and Heroes: GDC Hands-On Preview

Stradden

While attending GDC in San Francisco, Jon Wood had the opportunity to drop by the Perpetual Entertainment studios. While there, he had a hands-on opportunity with their upcoming MMORPG, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.

One of the great things, to me, about the Game Developer's Conference this year was that it was held in San Francisco. Not only is San Fran a great place to visit, but it is also the home of Perpetual Entertainment, the people who are bringing us the historically-based MMORPG, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.

On Tuesday last, I had the opportunity to not only tour Perpetual's studio, but also to get some hands-on time with Gods & Heroes. That being said, let's start with the cosmetic side of the game. How does it look? Well, I have to be honest when I say that it looks great. On top of the graphics, which are competitive with this new generation of MMOs, it's the animations that really set this game apart. Combat, for example, doesn't feel repetitive as your character not only acts to attack his opponent, but he also moves as not to be hit. I was pleasantly surprised when I killed an opponent and noticed that not only had I reduced his hit points to zero, but that I'd also literally buried my sword to the hilt in his gut. Mobs also get their own love, with special attacks that come with special animations. I watched, helpless, as one of the tiny goblin-esque creatures that I was fighting somersaulted under me, knocking me over, at which point I found myself with the creature on my back, pummeling me by jumping up and down. The animations weren't clumsy either, and the overall effect was quite real. If you're the kind of MMORPG gamer that enjoys graphical quality and interest, you're definitely going to want to at least give this new title a look.

Read the whole article here.

vingvega

The game actually looks interesting.  I may give the beta a shot.  But will it be able to compete with WAR and AOC?  Have to see, have to see.

xauss

this is shaping up to be a very good title with something for everyone. great combat, beautiful period architecture and feel, history, mythology rich, great pvp questing raids, and plenty for pvpers - FFAPVP servers, arena ladders and rewards, and contested zones when new factions are released

Javamancer

Yeah this is looking really interesting.  This is my second most anticipated MMO in development, after AoC, and it's scheduled to be released several months earlier.  Hopefully it's as fun as the videos suggest.

Bzrk

Amazing! 132 different minions you can choose from.

I read on the official forums that Egyptians and Barbarians are propably going to be in future expansions.

Anyway, looking forward to this game

Polrpg

Originally posted by Javamancer

Yeah this is looking really interesting.  This is my second most anticipated MMO in development, after AoC, and it's scheduled to be released several months earlier.  Hopefully it's as fun as the videos suggest.

 I think exactely like you.

sololoco

I was begining to like this game until I saw the word "instance".  Forget it, I hate games that have instances where other's aren't there unless by group.  That's why I didn't like Guild Wars and why I won't take to this one either.

checkthis500

Actually every single MMO out there has some form of instancing.  To say "I saw the word instance, so I'm not touching it" is kind of naive.  That means you'll probably never play another MMO as long as you live.



This game is looking damn good compared to how it did look.  I saw it last year and wouldn't have given it a second glance, but now it looks like a really well-made game.

Azanth

This and WAR are the two games I'm most looking forward to. I really like that these titles are really trying to add something new to the genre, not just making "WoW/EQ with better graphics".

xauss

Originally posted by sololoco


I was begining to like this game until I saw the word "instance".  Forget it, I hate games that have instances where other's aren't there unless by group.  That's why I didn't like Guild Wars and why I won't take to this one either.

theres a difference between an instanced game and a game that uses instances. GW and DDO are really instanced games where so much of a players time is spent within an instance that it stops becoming a MMOworld and becomes a series of encounters.

most (not all) MMO's use instances, we have seen descriptions from gaming sites of one of GnH's instances, that enables encounters including large scale warfare here...

IGN "The possibility for some very interesting instanced zones is clear. Large groups can be split and told to take care of several objectives in battle. Objective based instances are definitely going to need some organization to complete successfully, especially when it comes to killing off the Telchine gods. The question is how far Perpetual will go with this in the first retail release. They certainly have a lot of ideas, but making it happen technically is another thing. On Archimedes Island, players will have to storm a beach, defeat enemies in the area and then disable Archimedes mirrors on two bluffs that are burning ships trying to land. Once those ships can land, a base will be set up by NPCs at which point Greek armies will begin attacking at timed intervals. If groups want to keep the camp, they'll need to split their attentions from defending and completing some of the farther objectives. There's also some issue as to how larger multi-group parties might interact with each other in areas such as this. Whether there would be an overall commander watching the battlefield and giving orders or if it would be a more organic approach where players would have to figure out their own strategy on the fly."

however, although there will be a liberal use of quest and raid related instancing, GnH remains a gameworld where players will spend most of their time killing mobs, hanging out at the baths, visiting arenas etc...

netboyz

Forget it.  This game has already jumped the shark.

 

Bzrk

Er...why? This is one of the most promissing games out there.

Groto

I would love to get into the beta of this. I agree with the above poster that looks like a game that is not just a WOW re-work. I am playing the beta of LOTRO now and it's actually pretty good. I already pre-ordered it, but I am interested enough in this title to take a serious look.

As far as instancing, most games have some form of instancing. In LOTRO they took it to a unique level where if a town is on fire, then you see it burnt if you ever go back, while others see it still on fire if they have not completed the quest. That is an example of an instance that doesnt fall under the normal. I happen on the other hand to love instances.

Sometimes you just wanna blow stuff up!

-Savij

Ruffoz

What was this word again?...



oh yeah..



This is looking amazing!



Really looking forward to this game

Dathmar

Nice one....looks good.

Although this preview mentions the gods of Olympus ?

Isn't this Rome Rising ?

Not Greece Rising

beauxaj

Originally posted by Dathmar

Nice one....looks good.

Although this preview mentions the gods of Olympus ?

Isn't this Rome Rising ?

Not Greece Rising

They appear to be using the Roman Gods for the most part. Jupiter, Pluto, Juno etc.

 

daeandor

I am not sure if I would call this an instanced game.  Instancing your home or "basecamp" is a lot different than instancing zones in which you fight.  I have been keeping an eye on this for some time as my favorite era is roman times.  I am a Rome: Total War fanatic, so we shall see what I can do with this one.  I am sure that I will try it since it isn't a WoW, EQ, or other "clone" at first look.  I've already tried to get into beta, but don't think it has panned out.

Bzrk

Originally posted by Dathmar

Nice one....looks good.

Although this preview mentions the gods of Olympus ?

Isn't this Rome Rising ?

Not Greece Rising

Yes, the previewer got it wrong.



I can imagine it gets confusing sometimes, but a bit bit more research couldn't hurt either though.

_Shadowmage

sounds like a great idea for a single-player game.

But 10,000 demi-gods running around - lol - you will feel soooo special.

Thanks but no thanks.

Salvatoris

This is kind of a bummer.  The camp system they have talked so much about is really just visual interface for managing your character and minions... I thought most of this game sounded a lot like guild wars, but the prospect of well done housing, even if you pack it away when it isn't in use, gave me some hope that this would be more of a real, in-depth MMO and not another multiplayer RPG in disguise. 

The combat animations look pretty cool, but I doubt this is going to have the kind of persistent world and player interdependence  that I need in an MMO.

slingblade25

Its all comes down to fun.If the game is fun they will play !

parmenion

Originally posted by Bzrk

Originally posted by Dathmar

Nice one....looks good.

Although this preview mentions the gods of Olympus ?

Isn't this Rome Rising ?

Not Greece Rising

Yes, the previewer got it wrong.



I can imagine it gets confusing sometimes, but a bit bit more research couldn't hurt either though.There's no conflict broadly speaking...



Mars=Ares the greek and roman god of war.

Mercury=Hermes the greek and roman messenger of the gods.

Jupiter=Zeus the greek and roman king of the gods.

Juno=Hera the greek and roman queen of the gods.

etc etc



Rome pretty much appropriated the greecian gods and built in some of their own astrology just as they later appropriated christianity. Religeons evolve to combine and adopt a great many belief systems over their histories, look at easter bunnies and easter eggs, they have nothing to do with chistianity their roots are in spring fertility rites, just as christmas trees etc is to do with the winter solstice and druidic nature roots.

BillTanner

It's a common misconception that the Romans just appropriated a bunch of Greek gods and changed the names.  Romans simply viewed "gods" differently.  Early Roman gods were thought of as spirits, responsible to very specific details of life and the world.  What was of the most importance in worship was knowing and tracking the complicated beauracratic relationships of these gods and appeasing the right ones.  They did not live lives in parallel with mortals, as the Greek gods did.  Over time, as tastes changed, the Romans wanted more out of their gods, so they could feel civilized and worldly, and there was very little actual mythology in the Roman pantheon.  So they borrowed a lot of the Greek and Etruscan stories, and aligned them with the appropriate gods that seemed to match.  Zeus and Juno were just as important in early Rome, and Juno was very much influenced by Etruria, not Greece, though much later she was identified with Hera.  This pragmatic borrowing, called 'syncretizing', was what made it easy for Rome to assimilate the myths and gods and rituals of a hundred different religions over the many years of their reign.



Anyways, way off topic.  This game looks pretty amazing.  I wasn't really going to give it much of a chance, but they seem to be getting their stuff together and I think I want to try it, as long as its not some WOW clone. 

kashaun

Originally posted by Salvatoris


This is kind of a bummer.  The camp system they have talked so much about is really just visual interface for managing your character and minions... I thought most of this game sounded a lot like guild wars, but the prospect of well done housing, even if you pack it away when it isn't in use, gave me some hope that this would be more of a real, in-depth MMO and not another multiplayer RPG in disguise. 
The combat animations look pretty cool, but I doubt this is going to have the kind of persistent world and player interdependence  that I need in an MMO.

They have some pretty gutsy plans on the table, so some concerns I can understand, since I have them myself. Still not a lot of detail about the social aspect of the game beyond the bath houses and grouping, but they plan on adding other nations at times, and eventually have them vie for control over certain territories. Something like a world campaign on some rts games.

Darule

I must say that graphic wise, this game looks amazing. the details are quite impressive. I also like the idea of having several minions and etc. This is my most anticipated game so far. hopefully by time of release, this game won't disappoint me.

kishe

Like said above...as single player the storyline would work well but with 10000 children of god, destined to save the world are put in same room...it kinda loses its fancy.