For starters, it's made with out of pocket funds by a team of five people. Hence the name "Broke Ass Games."
The whole thing has been built using the Torque Engine and MMOkit. The project started before Garage Games release the Torque Shader engine and I'd assume that the team decided that they didn't want to spring another $200 for the indie license and Titas, the TSE version of MMOkit. They probably also didn't want to start all over with the new engine either.
Needless to say, this game is being watched very closely by the indie gaming community. Indie gamers place usually place gameplay and innovation over graphics so we're all very interested to see what the team has done with this idea. Also, there just aren't that many Indie MMOs. We have Sociolotron and Minions of Mirth, but that's about it. Some people count Dofus, but I don't really consider a game that cost three million dollars to make and indie title.
Obviously, 5 people working out of pocket are not going to make WoW or Vanguard. If you're a total graphics whore that's fine, but remember that this was done by a very small team on an almost non-existent budget. That's pretty damn impressive if you ask me.
I'm going to play this game made by a company whose name is BrokeAss which gets filtered on every forum they try to advertise, uses "Screenshotz" on their site that have huge text "Data was lost" and "I got an error" in the chatbar, has healthbars drawn in MS paint using a whole 1 color, is set an a post-modern world so war-torn that the only thing left is a huge desert with the 2 people playing it, and has a general forum with a whopping 80 topics.
This isn't an indie forum and these people aren't believers. I could talk about some of the more engrossing indie and freeware titles that are graphically "behind the times" like Dwarf Fortress, Defcon: Everbody Dies, and The Jeluvian Project, but why bother?
These guys are apparently happy with mainstream games and will happily devour whatever glistening horseshit the industry serves them. More than likely, they'll lay their money down for the same regurgitated games sprayed with glitter and then come to boards like this one to bitch about how bored they are and whine about the fact that there are no good games out. They aren't going to look back on the games that got them into gaming in the first place, let alone the great games that probably came out before that. They certainly aren't going to ask themselves what's really missing from the current crop of games. But most importantly, they aren't going to expand their search beyond Best Buy and Wal-Mart to find what it is they really want.
In short, it's no use arguing with fools. I just thought I'd clarify the situation of this game for those people who are being mislead as to what to expect.
screenie humping tard fest? Yeah basically.... This isn't an indie forum and these people aren't believers. I could talk about some of the more engrossing indie and freeware titles that are graphically "behind the times" like Dwarf Fortress, Defcon: Everbody Dies, and The Jeluvian Project, but why bother? These guys are apparently happy with mainstream games and will happily devour whatever glistening horseshit the industry serves them. More than likely, they'll lay their money down for the same regurgitated games sprayed with glitter and then come to boards like this one to bitch about how bored they are and whine about the fact that there are no good games out. They aren't going to look back on the games that got them into gaming in the first place, let alone the great games that probably came out before that. They certainly aren't going to ask themselves what's really missing from the current crop of games. But most importantly, they aren't going to expand their search beyond Best Buy and Wal-Mart to find what it is they really want. In short, it's no use arguing with fools. I just thought I'd clarify the situation of this game for those people who are being mislead as to what to expect.
Yea sure thanks for representing everyone on these forums... jeesus theres this thing caled "standards" most of us don't want to play total crap.. I'm sorry but ANYONE using 3D studio max can make superior graphics to that crap.
The most you can do is try to educate them and then call it good.
Ruin does support Shaders 3.0 via GLSL (my NVGF4 6800 GT OC loves it) and all the screens I've seen so far don't do it any justice.
But it is an indie beta, so it's nothing like the 1st day I got into StarWars Galaxies or EQ.
From Ruin Forums:
[quote]
We're not just the admins, we're the developers.
We're the product of thousands of games, movies, CNN, the clogging of the internet, the growth of the indie software industry and the mistakes of the video game and film industries.
We're not like you, we are you.
The only difference is that we are taking matters into our own hands and are "here to make some changes".
Sometimes an indie team will create something innovative outside of the corporate vacuum and then sell out, or inspire generations of knock-offs.
The game industry is mostly afraid to take risks.
They review market reports and previous winning products, add a spin to it and recycle the same old stuff (wow, same game but shaders, how genius!).
Indie software is all about taking risks.
Free from huge books called "standards", red tape and deadlines, a software developer is able to be infinitely creative, sometimes to the point of disaster (this is what the corporations are afraid of, they are business people, not gamers).
This indie team feels that asking the potential customers for help in design is the only way to make the product be accepted by the public and not some random, non-functioning or awkward application created by a crazy dev without a leash.
Pleasing today's gamers is nearly an impossible task.
From a developer's point of view online games like SWG and BF are nearly perfect and complete games.
Thousands and thousands of current gamers say these games "are the suck!" yet they still play them for hours and hours a day.
Basically we as gamers try to build the game we see as "the future of online gaming" and listen to other players every time they say "XXXXX is the suck!" and fix those features first in the hopes of shutting them up.
When the only complaints left are from players that obviously can't match their own socks and someone has to post them a link how, we as gamers can get on with actually playing (hunting pwnrz/newbs) and slow down on development.
That is a long time in coming for a game like Ruin Online, because for every feature we add (and the players request a lot), several bugs pop-up and we've been throwing in everything down to the kitchen sink.
It's a battle for features to get done, but once the battle is won, they still have to be used in the game world and deployed to the client.
That brings us to why we're here posting on the forums.
The more test/development help we get from the community (who is also the potential market) the faster Ruin Online gets done.
Since we are coming out of pocket and breaking our asses for all the players out there, the players putting in some extra elbow grease will help the completion of this game which is our only goal as developers (we're building this thing to play).
So, test that bug multiple times so you are sure, check if there is already a post about it, make that post, help other players so that the devs can work, and just generally put in the extra effort if you like where the game is going.
If you don't like where Ruin Online is headed, give constructive feedback or we can point you to the World of Warcraft site (<- there's the link to save time) and maybe it's more your style.
Pretty much everyone is welcome here (even the spam bots on occasion, but when the work is done if they're still around, I'm gunning for their owners).
Enjoy your stay and have fun, that's why this site is here.
I'm sorry but ANYONE using 3D studio max can make superior graphics to that crap.
Really? Go download Blender 3D or, if you don't like Blender's interface, Anim8or, and make me a character model that looks better in 2,000 polygons or less. I also expect it to be fully rigged with working walk, attack, and death animations.
You have two weeks, I would suggest you get started.
BTW, you can also use MilkShape 3D, 3D Studio Max, or Maya if you already have a registered copy and you feel more comfortable that way.
I guess you could also use the learning edition of Maya....
[quote][i]Originally posted by PWNFaceKilla[/i] [b] [/quote][/b][/quote]
Considering they seem to have the same "1337" attitude as yourself, as well as expecting other people to take them seriously when they don't themselves (brokeassgames), I'm sure it's a fine game for you and maybe some kiddies who can't pay for games yet. But I think I'll pass on this. There are real Indie developers out there who actually take what they are doing seriously and don't talk down to people just because they don't like their game.
The games that independent game companies like Broke Ass Games produce will hopefully help break the current mmorpg standards as far as innovation goes. They have no investors to answer to, and are only limited to their imagination. Only innovative ideas can come from a recipe like that. Kudos to indie game companies.
these independant game developers sound like wannabes. also sounds like the only people who play these games are other indie wannabes who need their ass kissed regaurdless of what sort of crap they manage to pull from their ass to better their self esteem.
reminds me of the morons who go on american idol and think theyre going to be the next best thing because everyone around them is too soft to criticize them and get shut down as soon as they open their mouthes.
rock on, giant gun david duchovny feather wristed avatar men! in the dark undgerground world of independant game developers.. may you succeed!
ps. i like run-on sentences
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
Indie doesn't have to mean no production values. I'm all about indie developers. But, in this day and age, with the assests available to them, there isn't much excuse for an indie team to not be able to put out a game with innovative gameplay, and still make it look decent. I'm not saying it has to look like Halflife 2, but man, those screens are just painful.
Those character models look like they were photoshopped together, and put into a screenshot of the environment.
If the gameplay is great, fine. Keep that, but scrap the graphics and start over. The concept art on the forums looked ok. Don't know where things went wrong with the character models ingame.
I enjoy a minimalist interface as much, if not more than most, but even I think that one is a bit... sparse.
I'm not saying it has to look like Halflife 2, but man, those screens are just painful.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by production values in this context since none of the developers are actually being paid. A lot of why the screens are so "painful" is because they're using the same engine that was used to make the first Tribes game way back in '99. Well, I think it was '99..... It was around the same time that Asheron's Call came out, so you have an idea of the limitations we're working with here.
Most Torque games deal with by using highly stylized artwork. Of note was a cell shaded third person action game that was done entirely in black and white. They were going for the Sin City look and totally nailed it! I believe that they went on to make Vigil: Blood Bitterness.
The majority of indies stick with hand drawn or pre-rendered 2D. Not only does this look better in most cases, but it's much easier for one person to handle. I can make some pretty cool artwork with unlimited Polygons, but when you limit me to 10,000 or less, it becomes much harder to make a character or object that is aesthetically pleasing.
Maybe if the team had made everything a bit more comic bookish and stylized it wouldn't be so bad.
As for being wannabes.... I don't want to make games for a living. There are a lot of us that enjoy making games as much as playing them. I'd rather tinker with gameplay than be forced to make clones for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most of us never try to sell what we make. We pass our stuff back and forth over forums or in blogs and are happy enough just trying out new things. Some of us use Flash or game authoring software, some of use code everything from the ground up, and some of us (like me) use a combination of both (freeware content editing with the actual game hardcoded). Why should I bust my ass and burn myself out for five years on a project that I don't really have any love for. Especially when other programming jobs still pay more. I'd rather do a new project that I'm interested in every two months and have something that I actually want to play. Even for career indies, it's all about the games.
If you really want to educate yourself about indie games, check out Manifesto Games. Most of the games you'll find here were made by people that worked in the mainstream games industry. The founder of the site actually formed the company because he was disillusioned with the industry and felt that we needed a strong independent development scene in order for gaming to continue to grow and evolve. It's hard to find fault with that belief.
Ok, so I downloaded the client, and gave the game a whirl, just to see it for myself.
The fact that I got blown up by some player with a what appeared to be a full set of armor and a rocket launcher within a few minutes of logging in did not bode well...
So, I wander around, and check out the local area. I'm in a desert of some sort, and there's some animals wandering about. A gazelle, which I decide to take a whack at with my fists. Initially, I wasn't seeming to do anything to it at all, and I thought maybe it was not attackable. Then after a few seconds of flailing uselessly at the poor critter, I finally began getting somewhere. After a bit of punching the crap out of the poor gazelle, I had it to about 50% health, when it begins to run away. Ah ha!, I think to myself, osmewhat realistic mob AI! Then I noticed the gazelle had ran off at another player that was just standing nearby watching, and began attacking the other player. The other player had no weapon that I could see with which he could have shot the mob, so I was somewhat confused to say the least. So much for fancy mob AI, though.
Undaunted, I run off towards some sort of oasis, with what looks like a building there. Perhaps I can find an NPC that will give me some sort of weapon to defend myself with, if only a pointy stick. As I ran towards the oasis, I saw off to my left another critter, a bugged Giraf(). I didn't stop to find out what it was exactly, but it's silhouette was decidedly giraffe shaped. I steer to my right as I approach the oasis, and it appears there's some sort of military instillation there, with a large gun turret hovering 5 or so feet off the ground. There were no npcs around that I could see. There was, however, a gorilla making a beeline for me. After recovering from the initial shock of seeing a gorilla in a post apocalyptic desert, I fled in terror, as I was mostly dead from the nice gentleman with the bazooka. As I crested the hill, I saw a rather panoramic view of, more blank desert. At that point, I exited the game. Sadly, exiting the game doesn't appear to shut down the app, I had to go into Task Manager, and manually end the program.
Now, someone in this thread mentioned how innovative the gameplay was. I can only assume they were referring to the combat controls, as beyond that, it was standard FPS fare. The left mouse button threw a left handed punch, right mouse button threw a right. Had I had a weapon in either hand, I assume it would have used those. But wait, it gets better!
L mouse button(LMB)+ shift would throw an elbow, same for RMB+shift. LMB+Shift+Ctrl did something else on the left, and of course, RMB+Shft+Ctrl did the same on the right. Then they took it one step further, because their combat goes to 11. You guessed it, LMB+Shft+Ctrl+Alt, and of course RMB+Shft+Ctrl+Alt. I don't remember what they did, but I imagine it was damned impressive, after pulling off that combo. There was also the same setup involving mouse button 3, which appeared to be movement related, as MB3+Shft+Ctrl+Alt did some sort of diving flip thing.
While I applaud the devs for trying something different, I can't say I really know what it was that was so different that they were going for. MMOFPS aren't exactly as prolific as your generic Elf and Dwarf Diku dungeon grind, but they do exist, and from what I've seen there was nothing here, aside from an overly complicated, and esoteric control scheme to seperate it from the likes of Planetside, FoM, Huxley, or Fury, other than having lower production values, and an apparent lack of the advancement features for your character.
Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe Indie doesn't have to mean no production values.
I'm not saying it has to look like Halflife 2, but man, those screens are just painful.
reply snipped for brevity
By production values I mean... production values. Having solid code, not having arms not attached to the bodies of npcs, decent scripting, writing for quests, that sort of thing. WoW had high production values, Vanguard did not, for want of an example. As I said, I don't expect an indie release to be on par with a multimillion dollar budget AAA title, but it needs to at least look like they tried.
I thought someone said it was being developed using the current Torque engine from GarageGames in one of the earlier posts. If it's using the Tribes1 engine, well, then that would explain the models, I suppose. Though, the models in the screens still look put together oddly.
As for the indie thing, I've been working on making my own cyberpunk MMO for a few years now. In all likelihood, no one other than myself will ever see it. I do it for my own personal satisfaction. Making the game I want to play, and all that. If I were to ever release it to the public, I would expect criticism. Some of it would be well thought out, and maybe even cause me to see things in a different light, or see something I missed. There'd also be a lot of "Your game suxxorz" coming from people that couldn't even make a window in Visual Studio.
As I said, I applaud what indie devs are doing, and I'm pretty stoked that bigger companies like GarageGames are getting behind the indie devs, and putting professional grade tools in their hands, so that their ideas can be fully realized. But I'm still going offer constructive, if somewhat humorous, criticism of any indie game, and would not only expect it for something I released to the public, but welcome it as well.
Are you working on the game as well, JS, or just an interested fan/observer?
Comments
So, basically, "Indie" now = crappy
Gotta be the laziest ppl on the planet.
For the last time, this isn't a mouse cursor driven lazy man's pwnfest.
It's still beta and raw but it has the next best combat system ever.
Since none of you know what the hell you are talking about, here's a video off their site.
Random Video
http://ruin-online.com/videos/beta4melee.wmv
No really I am.
There's a chat network that is part of the gameplay.
It explains that the "internet" has been down for some time and has repaired itself.
Put the energy drink down, turn the TV off, take a breath and read.
screenie humping tard fest?
Yeah basically....
This isn't an indie forum and these people aren't believers. I could talk about some of the more engrossing indie and freeware titles that are graphically "behind the times" like Dwarf Fortress, Defcon: Everbody Dies, and The Jeluvian Project, but why bother?
These guys are apparently happy with mainstream games and will happily devour whatever glistening horseshit the industry serves them. More than likely, they'll lay their money down for the same regurgitated games sprayed with glitter and then come to boards like this one to bitch about how bored they are and whine about the fact that there are no good games out. They aren't going to look back on the games that got them into gaming in the first place, let alone the great games that probably came out before that. They certainly aren't going to ask themselves what's really missing from the current crop of games. But most importantly, they aren't going to expand their search beyond Best Buy and Wal-Mart to find what it is they really want.
In short, it's no use arguing with fools. I just thought I'd clarify the situation of this game for those people who are being mislead as to what to expect.
Got to love people that use slang terms like Indie and expect people to grasp out of the ether what it means.
I do agree that graphics a game does not make, but it helps.
Yea sure thanks for representing everyone on these forums... jeesus theres this thing caled "standards" most of us don't want to play total crap.. I'm sorry but ANYONE using 3D studio max can make superior graphics to that crap.
Ruin does support Shaders 3.0 via GLSL (my NVGF4 6800 GT OC loves it) and all the screens I've seen so far don't do it any justice.
But it is an indie beta, so it's nothing like the 1st day I got into StarWars Galaxies or EQ.
From Ruin Forums:
[quote]
We're not just the admins, we're the developers.
We're the product of thousands of games, movies, CNN, the clogging of the internet, the growth of the indie software industry and the mistakes of the video game and film industries.
We're not like you, we are you.
The only difference is that we are taking matters into our own hands and are "here to make some changes".
Sometimes an indie team will create something innovative outside of the corporate vacuum and then sell out, or inspire generations of knock-offs.
The game industry is mostly afraid to take risks.
They review market reports and previous winning products, add a spin to it and recycle the same old stuff (wow, same game but shaders, how genius!).
Indie software is all about taking risks.
Free from huge books called "standards", red tape and deadlines, a software developer is able to be infinitely creative, sometimes to the point of disaster (this is what the corporations are afraid of, they are business people, not gamers).
This indie team feels that asking the potential customers for help in design is the only way to make the product be accepted by the public and not some random, non-functioning or awkward application created by a crazy dev without a leash.
Pleasing today's gamers is nearly an impossible task.
From a developer's point of view online games like SWG and BF are nearly perfect and complete games.
Thousands and thousands of current gamers say these games "are the suck!" yet they still play them for hours and hours a day.
Basically we as gamers try to build the game we see as "the future of online gaming" and listen to other players every time they say "XXXXX is the suck!" and fix those features first in the hopes of shutting them up.
When the only complaints left are from players that obviously can't match their own socks and someone has to post them a link how, we as gamers can get on with actually playing (hunting pwnrz/newbs) and slow down on development.
That is a long time in coming for a game like Ruin Online, because for every feature we add (and the players request a lot), several bugs pop-up and we've been throwing in everything down to the kitchen sink.
It's a battle for features to get done, but once the battle is won, they still have to be used in the game world and deployed to the client.
That brings us to why we're here posting on the forums.
The more test/development help we get from the community (who is also the potential market) the faster Ruin Online gets done.
Since we are coming out of pocket and breaking our asses for all the players out there, the players putting in some extra elbow grease will help the completion of this game which is our only goal as developers (we're building this thing to play).
So, test that bug multiple times so you are sure, check if there is already a post about it, make that post, help other players so that the devs can work, and just generally put in the extra effort if you like where the game is going.
If you don't like where Ruin Online is headed, give constructive feedback or we can point you to the World of Warcraft site (<- there's the link to save time) and maybe it's more your style.
Pretty much everyone is welcome here (even the spam bots on occasion, but when the work is done if they're still around, I'm gunning for their owners).
Enjoy your stay and have fun, that's why this site is here.
_________________
"Cry more newb!"
[/quote]
I'm sorry but ANYONE using 3D studio max can make superior graphics to that crap.
Really? Go download Blender 3D or, if you don't like Blender's interface, Anim8or, and make me a character model that looks better in 2,000 polygons or less. I also expect it to be fully rigged with working walk, attack, and death animations.
You have two weeks, I would suggest you get started.
BTW, you can also use MilkShape 3D, 3D Studio Max, or Maya if you already have a registered copy and you feel more comfortable that way.
I guess you could also use the learning edition of Maya....
[quote][i]Originally posted by PWNFaceKilla[/i] [b] [/quote][/b][/quote]
Considering they seem to have the same "1337" attitude as yourself, as well as expecting other people to take them seriously when they don't themselves (brokeassgames), I'm sure it's a fine game for you and maybe some kiddies who can't pay for games yet. But I think I'll pass on this. There are real Indie developers out there who actually take what they are doing seriously and don't talk down to people just because they don't like their game.
The games that independent game companies like Broke Ass Games produce will hopefully help break the current mmorpg standards as far as innovation goes. They have no investors to answer to, and are only limited to their imagination. Only innovative ideas can come from a recipe like that. Kudos to indie game companies.
these independant game developers sound like wannabes. also sounds like the only people who play these games are other indie wannabes who need their ass kissed regaurdless of what sort of crap they manage to pull from their ass to better their self esteem.
reminds me of the morons who go on american idol and think theyre going to be the next best thing because everyone around them is too soft to criticize them and get shut down as soon as they open their mouthes.
rock on, giant gun david duchovny feather wristed avatar men! in the dark undgerground world of independant game developers.. may you succeed!
ps. i like run-on sentences
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
Indie doesn't have to mean no production values. I'm all about indie developers. But, in this day and age, with the assests available to them, there isn't much excuse for an indie team to not be able to put out a game with innovative gameplay, and still make it look decent. I'm not saying it has to look like Halflife 2, but man, those screens are just painful.
Those character models look like they were photoshopped together, and put into a screenshot of the environment.
If the gameplay is great, fine. Keep that, but scrap the graphics and start over. The concept art on the forums looked ok. Don't know where things went wrong with the character models ingame.
I enjoy a minimalist interface as much, if not more than most, but even I think that one is a bit... sparse.
Indie doesn't have to mean no production values.
I'm not saying it has to look like Halflife 2, but man, those screens are just painful.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by production values in this context since none of the developers are actually being paid. A lot of why the screens are so "painful" is because they're using the same engine that was used to make the first Tribes game way back in '99. Well, I think it was '99..... It was around the same time that Asheron's Call came out, so you have an idea of the limitations we're working with here.
Most Torque games deal with by using highly stylized artwork. Of note was a cell shaded third person action game that was done entirely in black and white. They were going for the Sin City look and totally nailed it! I believe that they went on to make Vigil: Blood Bitterness.
The majority of indies stick with hand drawn or pre-rendered 2D. Not only does this look better in most cases, but it's much easier for one person to handle. I can make some pretty cool artwork with unlimited Polygons, but when you limit me to 10,000 or less, it becomes much harder to make a character or object that is aesthetically pleasing.
Maybe if the team had made everything a bit more comic bookish and stylized it wouldn't be so bad.
As for being wannabes.... I don't want to make games for a living. There are a lot of us that enjoy making games as much as playing them. I'd rather tinker with gameplay than be forced to make clones for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most of us never try to sell what we make. We pass our stuff back and forth over forums or in blogs and are happy enough just trying out new things. Some of us use Flash or game authoring software, some of use code everything from the ground up, and some of us (like me) use a combination of both (freeware content editing with the actual game hardcoded). Why should I bust my ass and burn myself out for five years on a project that I don't really have any love for. Especially when other programming jobs still pay more. I'd rather do a new project that I'm interested in every two months and have something that I actually want to play. Even for career indies, it's all about the games.
If you really want to educate yourself about indie games, check out Manifesto Games. Most of the games you'll find here were made by people that worked in the mainstream games industry. The founder of the site actually formed the company because he was disillusioned with the industry and felt that we needed a strong independent development scene in order for gaming to continue to grow and evolve. It's hard to find fault with that belief.
Ok, so I downloaded the client, and gave the game a whirl, just to see it for myself.
The fact that I got blown up by some player with a what appeared to be a full set of armor and a rocket launcher within a few minutes of logging in did not bode well...
So, I wander around, and check out the local area. I'm in a desert of some sort, and there's some animals wandering about. A gazelle, which I decide to take a whack at with my fists. Initially, I wasn't seeming to do anything to it at all, and I thought maybe it was not attackable. Then after a few seconds of flailing uselessly at the poor critter, I finally began getting somewhere. After a bit of punching the crap out of the poor gazelle, I had it to about 50% health, when it begins to run away. Ah ha!, I think to myself, osmewhat realistic mob AI! Then I noticed the gazelle had ran off at another player that was just standing nearby watching, and began attacking the other player. The other player had no weapon that I could see with which he could have shot the mob, so I was somewhat confused to say the least. So much for fancy mob AI, though.
Undaunted, I run off towards some sort of oasis, with what looks like a building there. Perhaps I can find an NPC that will give me some sort of weapon to defend myself with, if only a pointy stick. As I ran towards the oasis, I saw off to my left another critter, a bugged Giraf(). I didn't stop to find out what it was exactly, but it's silhouette was decidedly giraffe shaped. I steer to my right as I approach the oasis, and it appears there's some sort of military instillation there, with a large gun turret hovering 5 or so feet off the ground. There were no npcs around that I could see. There was, however, a gorilla making a beeline for me. After recovering from the initial shock of seeing a gorilla in a post apocalyptic desert, I fled in terror, as I was mostly dead from the nice gentleman with the bazooka. As I crested the hill, I saw a rather panoramic view of, more blank desert. At that point, I exited the game. Sadly, exiting the game doesn't appear to shut down the app, I had to go into Task Manager, and manually end the program.
Now, someone in this thread mentioned how innovative the gameplay was. I can only assume they were referring to the combat controls, as beyond that, it was standard FPS fare. The left mouse button threw a left handed punch, right mouse button threw a right. Had I had a weapon in either hand, I assume it would have used those. But wait, it gets better!
L mouse button(LMB)+ shift would throw an elbow, same for RMB+shift. LMB+Shift+Ctrl did something else on the left, and of course, RMB+Shft+Ctrl did the same on the right. Then they took it one step further, because their combat goes to 11. You guessed it, LMB+Shft+Ctrl+Alt, and of course RMB+Shft+Ctrl+Alt. I don't remember what they did, but I imagine it was damned impressive, after pulling off that combo. There was also the same setup involving mouse button 3, which appeared to be movement related, as MB3+Shft+Ctrl+Alt did some sort of diving flip thing.
While I applaud the devs for trying something different, I can't say I really know what it was that was so different that they were going for. MMOFPS aren't exactly as prolific as your generic Elf and Dwarf Diku dungeon grind, but they do exist, and from what I've seen there was nothing here, aside from an overly complicated, and esoteric control scheme to seperate it from the likes of Planetside, FoM, Huxley, or Fury, other than having lower production values, and an apparent lack of the advancement features for your character.
By production values I mean... production values. Having solid code, not having arms not attached to the bodies of npcs, decent scripting, writing for quests, that sort of thing. WoW had high production values, Vanguard did not, for want of an example. As I said, I don't expect an indie release to be on par with a multimillion dollar budget AAA title, but it needs to at least look like they tried.
I thought someone said it was being developed using the current Torque engine from GarageGames in one of the earlier posts. If it's using the Tribes1 engine, well, then that would explain the models, I suppose. Though, the models in the screens still look put together oddly.
As for the indie thing, I've been working on making my own cyberpunk MMO for a few years now. In all likelihood, no one other than myself will ever see it. I do it for my own personal satisfaction. Making the game I want to play, and all that. If I were to ever release it to the public, I would expect criticism. Some of it would be well thought out, and maybe even cause me to see things in a different light, or see something I missed. There'd also be a lot of "Your game suxxorz" coming from people that couldn't even make a window in Visual Studio.
As I said, I applaud what indie devs are doing, and I'm pretty stoked that bigger companies like GarageGames are getting behind the indie devs, and putting professional grade tools in their hands, so that their ideas can be fully realized. But I'm still going offer constructive, if somewhat humorous, criticism of any indie game, and would not only expect it for something I released to the public, but welcome it as well.
Are you working on the game as well, JS, or just an interested fan/observer?