I am always skeptical of developers new to the MMO market trying to tackle a MMO with a major IP. Untill Mythic, most of the Warhammer computer games have been mediocre and I blame that on Games Workshop for thier choice of development teams allowed to make games based on the warhammer IP.
I cannot express how much I want WH 40K to be all that I have ever dreamed of in a MMO. I am sure my expectations will be too high. In any case, having passion about something isnt bad is it?
Well, the fate of Warhammer 40K MMO is in the hands of Austin, Texas-based Vigil Games. I dropped by thier website and they had more information in thier press release than what is listed on the press release that is the topic of this thread. I'll highlight some of the new information.
THQ AND GAMES WORKSHOP GROUP PLC ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE WARHAMMER® 40,000™ LICENSING AGREEMENT
Renewal Agreement Expanded to Include All Online Rights Including MMO
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 1, 2007 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Games Workshop (LSE: GAW – News) for the Warhammer® 40,000™ franchise through 2013. The agreement serves to both extend and expand upon THQ’s previous agreement with Games Workshop for the Warhammer 40,000 license, which encompassed interactive rights to console and handheld systems, as well as Windows PC. Additional rights under the newly announced agreement include wireless devices and all online rights, including massively multiplayer (MMO) games. It also includes the same rights to Games Workshop’s Gorkamorka and Necromunda properties.
THQ also announced that its Austin, Texas based studio, Vigil Games, is in development on the first MMO based on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.
THQ’s critically acclaimed Warhammer®: 40,000™: Dawn of War™ franchise now boasts more than 2 million units in sales worldwide with the release of hybrid expansion Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War™ – Dark Crusade™ last fall. The franchise has received numerous accolades since its 2004 debut, including Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice Awards, in addition to selection as an Official World Cyber Games title in 2005 and 2006.
“Our success in creating Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War as a category leading Real-Time Strategy experience for PC gamers is just the beginning,” said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. “The Warhammer 40,000 universe provides a richness of worlds, characters and stories and level of depth that translates perfectly to interactive experiences across multiple genres and systems. We see a lot of opportunity to build new and different games based on Games Workshop’s fantastic property in the coming years, beginning with our newly announced MMO.”
“We are delighted to be able to announce the extension of our very successful partnership with THQ,” said Andy Jones, Head of Group Legal and Licensing for Games Workshop. “By creating such vibrant and ground-breaking games based on our long-established worlds, stories and characters, THQ can introduce the Warhammer 40,000 Intellectual Property to a whole new audience, while providing our existing Hobbyists with an exciting new way to interact with the dark and gothic universe which they already know and love.”
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) today announced the acquisition of Vigil Games. Based in Austin, Texas, the team at Vigil will be led by David Adams, previously creator/director of several projects for NCSoft and famed comic artist Joe Madureira, best known for his work on Marvel Comic's Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned comic series Battle Chasers. Vigil is currently working on new content for next-gen scheduled for release in 2008.
"The team at Vigil is comprised of some of the most talented designers, artists and technologists in the industry," said Jack Sorensen, executive vice president of worldwide studios, THQ. "This acquisition is part of our Studio System strategy, which is designed to foster a singular vision and unique culture at each of our studios. Our system allows us to leverage resources across our entire development organization to the benefit of each of our studios."
"When evaluating publisher opportunities, our goal was to find a partner that provided unmatched global marketing and sales expertise," said David Adams, General Manager, Vigil Games. "We were pleased to learn that THQ's value proposition to developers doesn't stop there. Our team will also benefit from the company's unique Studio System approach and development outsourcing program."
Vigil's first project -- a totally original property for next-gen systems -- is expected to be announced later this year.
OK, we learned that WH 40K has been in development for over year! Possibly released next year? That is ambitious. We also learned that other games are planned. Interesting stuff!
This really could be awesome ! Can't wait for them to actually announce what kind of game and features this will end up being, but I think everyone will agree the potential is immense and that its probably gonna end up gory :P
People keep calling this a MMORPG but they seem to be careful about differentiating between MMORPGs and MMOGs in the article. It could be that this will be an MMOFPS or a MMO strategy game, which would make a great deal of sense given THQ's history of strategy-based games.
Whatever the game ends up being, we can be sure that Games Workshop will cancel the game if it looks like it isn't developing well
and it will be interesting to see how they can make an MMO from an IP that's primarily shoot-em-up (with some melee)
maybe Fallen Earth can show us if a FPS-MMO can break the mold
with all the factions available in DoW: Dark Crusade that don't even cover the sub-factions things could either get very interesting or very complicated
hmm.... Space Marines+Eldar+Tau -vs- Chaos+Orcs+Necrons
am I missing anyone?
and with the RISK-like campaign of Dark Crusade - do you think they'd have it planetary like SWG where you have more than one world to play on?
too soon to say for sure i know, but its fun to dream
This really could be awesome ! Can't wait for them to actually announce what kind of game and features this will end up being, but I think everyone will agree the potential is immense and that its probably gonna end up gory :P
People keep calling this a MMORPG but they seem to be careful about differentiating between MMORPGs and MMOGs in the article. It could be that this will be an MMOFPS or a MMO strategy game, which would make a great deal of sense given THQ's history of strategy-based games.
Whatever the game ends up being, we can be sure that Games Workshop will cancel the game if it looks like it isn't developing well
so something more like Counterstrike than WoW or Everquest?
anyone remember Space Hulk?
oh! that's another race ....what was it.... Tyranids?
It's hard to imagine a 40k MMOG that wasn't based on multiple planets, but I guess if it was set on the right one there would be enough to keep people interested. I think moving between planets is something 40k fans would expect and be very disappointed were it not a part of such a large scale game.
Also, if the original game comes with a handful of planets to move between, expansions which added more planets wouldn't feel quite as 'tacked on' as they might have otherwise
I'm really interested in hearing how they'll handle the demand for major units (Terminators/Dreadnoughts) though. I think the only practical way of doing it would be through a 'career path' which by the selection of certain skills made you advance toward a specific unit. Start as a Space Marine, advance through ranks as a melee (or tank) class and eventually end up upgraded to a Dreadnought - how cool would that be? Likewise, create a Marine who focusses on healing and eventually upgrade to a Librarian (I'm focussing on SM here because that's who I know most about, but you could have the same thing with Orks where instead of a ending up as a Dread, you get to control a Killa Kan or something).
They would need to allow FPS style control over vehicles, which you would sacrifice if you wanted to be a more powerful individual unit (while a Dread might fit inside an APC, you wouldn't be able to actually drive one in that form!).
Man, I'm getting really carried away with this stuff already and I'm not even a hardcore fan
Does anyone have a link that explains the differences between the different Warhammer-universes? Warhammer 40K = Sci-fi , WAR (Warhammer Online) = medieval?
couldn't you only become a dreadnaught after death?
and terminators could used - however i would forsee a lengthy unlock like the original Jedi holo-grind of SWG xD
if librarian's were used it would be interesting (as a gaming experiment) to have it where only random players could become the psycher classes, because they were born with the gift and others weren't (though i can see people just trashing a character and making a new one if it wasn't a psycher)
or some quest to overcome the "red thirst" to become a blood angel
i kinda wish i knew more about the game (tabletop universe) so i could give some real info on lore and whatnot :P
Stop thinking of this like the level grind crap that is the current MMO genre.
If you want to restrict things cause they are rare, restrict them.. don't put in a system that overtime will lead to them being the only population (can we say SWG and Jedi anyone?).
If they go the FPS route, which seems more likely considering their lack of RPG in all official comments about it so far, it would be best to use an expendable certificate system.
Player A is a Space Marine, he's a grunt when he spawns and during that gameplay session as he racks up points from killing and capturing objects, he earns "skill points" which when he dies he can spend on upgrading himself to something else. Ie, a Laser Canon instead of a Bolt Pistol, or become a Terminator or Dreadnaught. But when he spends the points that drops his skill point total down again for that session, so he must rack up more points to spend on kit should he die again and not want to be a normal grunt again. And you can cap the number of top end units a guild or race can have at any one time, so a guild can't have more than two Dreadnaughts in play at one time.
Vehicles could be set to a limit be, you can't have more than two Rhinos on that planet at any one time, yet no charge to aquire one, other than perhaps controlling a vehicle spawn point on that planet first.
It's not rocket science to make a good solid game out of this, you just have to ignore the license when you design the systems, then balance according to the license afterwards, ie restrict rare stuff.
but it was a lengthy unlock (hologrind) to become a terminator (i don't think players would ever be able to become a dreadnaught)
there were several battle-honours that were needed before they were awarded a terminator suit (if i can find my codex i'll put more detail into that)
did anyone ever play Chaos Gate? it was turn-based - like a digital version of the table-top - your troops could earn battle honours and after enough of them were obtained they could be upgraded to Terminators
so whether it be mastering a certain number of jobs to become a jedi
or obtaining a certain number of battle honours to become a terminator
they would/should both be rare on the feild and wouldn't be an overnight thing (it would take quite a bit of effort to become a terminator)
depending on how they let you choose factions do you think they would have specific armor for faction-only, or could you pick and choose armor peices
would you see someone with an Ultramarine helm, dark angel shoulders, and a blood angel powerfist? or when you equipped those several armor (and weapon) peices would they all auto-color to whatever space marine faction you chose
I think that it's probably more likely that players won't be a real part of a space marine chapter, but more of an independant character. Not that I think it would be a bad thing to be a Blood Angel or whatever, but from an MMO standpoint, it would probably be too restrictive to have players forced to choose a chapter (provided they decide to play as a space marine).
Not to mention that they would have to make entire armour sets, advancement systems, planets/cities, etc. for each chapter of space marines, plus the same level of content for every other faction (provided they allow other factions to be played, and frankly they would be killing thier own game if they didn't).
I imagine that it will be more of a "rep" system like in WoW and other MMOs, where you don't actually belong to a specific chapter but you can work for them and curry favour from one you like - maybe eventually earning chapter specific armour sets or heroic weapons or something.
Personally I'm more interested to see how they do the Chaos with their inability to stray far from the Eye of Chaos in the lore. And the problem or Orkish interplanetary travel. Not to mention the Eldar homeworlds. Seems like the Tau will be the only really straight forward race from a lore point of view.
Well, it will certainly be interesting to see how they deal with all these problems and where they go from here.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge 40K fan. Still have a hardbound copy of the original Rouge Trader book from the mid 80s. Followed through with Adeptus Titanica, Space Hulk, Space Marine, and all the additions up through Necromunda. I have whole squads from back in the days when they used to use real lead in the lead Citadel miniatures.
Sadly though, I think this game is doomed. I'm thinking there is a 75% chance it won't even launch, but even if it does, it will disappoint far more than it will deliver for the 40K purist. Its doomed, because the entire theme of the 40K universe is that the individual meansnothing. Everything is sacrificed in the name of (pick your Imperium, Wraithship, Hive, Hulk, or Chaos god here).
Perfect ground for turn based strategy, and realtime strategy.
Adequate for a peer-to-peer conventional FPS, if its contained in a Hulk, or smallish action.
Baaaaaddd for any sort of perpetual, massive, 24/7 online game, for these reasons:
1) The reason 40K can't work like Planetside is that 40K is more massive than any "massive" game could ever realistically approximate. Planetside is much too small scale, compared with a true 40K universe. This is a time when entire species are rallying millions of soldiers in total war, and the weapons that are empolyed can kill thousands in mere moments. This is a time when cities are so large they reach into space, Titans reach the clouds, and entire generations of Adeptus work on battleships for the fleet. The technology simply doesn't exist to pull it off in the sort of grandness we see in White Dwarf, and described in the lore. I mean, CCP are database specialists, and even they can't sustain a 5,000 system galaxy with battles numbering in the 100s, in a comparatively low speed, low detail combat engine, without the nodes lagging and crashing. How is THQ going to make 40K battles look and feel authentic, with the 100 story Titans, the huge layout of troops, with detailed HTH, earth shattering explosions everywhere, with a myriad of uniquely rendered and animated races under special rules? They can't, unless they decide to scale back what 40K is about....and a lot, too. So much so, that I doubt anyone who is a 40K fan would be happy to call it an accurate depiction of the 40K they know.
2) The reason 40K can't work like conventional MMORPGs is that 40K is so impersonal, you can't give achievers, killers, social types, and explorers much to do in the game world. Ever wonder why there was never a WH40K roleplaying game? By that token, ever wonder why 40K was done in Epic scale, and not Warhammer? Because the theme of WH40K isn't about individual acts of bravery. Its about collective acts of sacrifice. WH40K isn't about distinguishing yourself. Its about purging every individual distinction of any note out of your society (be you Ork, Space Marine, Tyrannid, Eldar, etc.), for the sake of base survival. There can be no houses, trophies, legacy, furniture, dancing, emotes, guilds, advancement, or fame in a 40K universe, and still have it be 40K; because every race, and every member of each race is just another piece of flesh getting shoveled into the breech courtesy of a higher authority that is beyond question, or revolt. If you survive, then they'll keep on shovelling you into the breech until you don't survive, then you'll be replaced. Training is programmed into you. The time of legendary types, like the Primarchs, is pretty much over. Seeing as how the big hook of games like WoW is that they cater to the individual's desire to do heroic deeds, for heroic treasures, heroic wealth, and heroic fame, what can a 40K world offer a hero but a bunk he shares with 1,000 others just like him, a uniform he shares with 1,000 others like him, with no thoughts other than to shoot a bolter?
There are some things that are just better off not made into subscription based MMOs. 40K is one of them. I think the desire here is more in line with socking a public with a $50 price tag, and $15 bill each month, than to bring a 40K perpetual galaxy to fruition. Because to be quite honest, the 40K universe is so boring between battles, that the only thing worth playing are the battles.
So then, why not just play the battles on Dawn of War, and forget about the perpetual, 24/7 game universe?
__________________________ "Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it." --Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints." --Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls." --Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
I'm not so sure I agree with you Beatnik. Although I agree with you about the uniformity and annonyminity of the WH40K universe, I still think that they can pull this off and remain more or less true to the lore. There are plenty of heroes in WH40K other than the primarchs, and those are just the ones that are mentioned in the Codexs or in White Dwarf or the novels. Hypothetically there could be any number of heroes in the universe that could be conceptualized as having been a player.
For instance, just look at the Black Templars space marine chapter. Every member is the hero of their home planet before they are recruited. Those heroes aren't just nobodies. They are HEROES. Every single Black Orc in the universe had to have been around for a long time and killed tons of enemies to make it to that status, every Chaos Marine is 10,000 years old, all the tyranid hive minds are ancient, not to mention every terminator, every eldar, every dreadnaut (well, they're dead, but still), etc, etc. My point is, that just like the WH mmo that's coming out (WAR), the players don't play as the Joe Shmoe people in the universe, they have NPCs and mobs to do that. The players play as the heroes. The legendary ones. And WH40K has plenty of those to go around.
As far as CCP and handling a 5000 system galaxy, the problem is really the playerbase all being on one server with EVE, not really the size of the galaxie. I can only assume that the WH40K mmo would be more of a normal server-player size in the tune of a couple thousand per server instead of the 25k and up that is on EVE at any one time.
And for the scope of the universe, well, I have to agree with you there, but who knows what the art and game directors will come up with. Perhaps they will figure out some way to make it SEEM vast even if it really isn't as huge as we'd all like. I'm thinking something like the SWG planetary system. Who knows.
Besides, the game probably won't be out for at least another few years, and perhaps they will have the capability to pull off some of this more massive scale stuff by then. Just look at games from 2004 and compare to some of the stuff coming out now (Unreal Tournament 2004 compared to Unreal Tournament 2007 for example).
Anyway, I'm going to keep a positive outlook on this and hope that the devs working on this can come up with a way to pull this off. Besides, making a game based on an already existing francise is going to piss off a few of the hardline purists, but by no means does that mean that it's going to fail.
Theres many people who want a 40k MMO. I think its a great idea. Hopefully its planetside-esq. I think a MMOFPS would be the perfect thing for this game.
Somehow I get the feel that this game is going to be Necromunda (or Gorkamorka) mmog. The scale of things and the Gang system would be more suitable for mmog. Full WH40K mmog with everything included sounds impossible to do well.
Planetside sucked balls. You boarded a transport with a team of idiots who none of which knew the damned first thing about teamwork.
"I want to be the sniper!"
"No! I wanna be the sniper! Wahhh!"
"Whose the medic?"
"What's a medic?"
"Whose the slicer?"
"The what?
I am a big fan of the WH40K table top game and hope that the MMO conversion turns out well. Dwarves and elves and orcs with magic and blasters. Oh my!!
I also wonder about the influence of Kelly Flock. When Sony bought back SOE they fired the existing CEO and sent Flock to be the hatchet man. Flock was also chief of 989 Studios. I may seem paranoid, but I dont have much faith in this guy and his track record of jumping from company to company. If anyone has any good info to share, please fill me in.
Comments
I am always skeptical of developers new to the MMO market trying to tackle a MMO with a major IP. Untill Mythic, most of the Warhammer computer games have been mediocre and I blame that on Games Workshop for thier choice of development teams allowed to make games based on the warhammer IP.
I cannot express how much I want WH 40K to be all that I have ever dreamed of in a MMO. I am sure my expectations will be too high. In any case, having passion about something isnt bad is it?
Well, the fate of Warhammer 40K MMO is in the hands of Austin, Texas-based Vigil Games. I dropped by thier website and they had more information in thier press release than what is listed on the press release that is the topic of this thread. I'll highlight some of the new information.
THQ AND GAMES WORKSHOP GROUP PLC ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE WARHAMMER® 40,000™ LICENSING AGREEMENT
Renewal Agreement Expanded to Include All Online Rights Including MMO
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 1, 2007 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Games Workshop (LSE: GAW – News) for the Warhammer® 40,000™ franchise through 2013. The agreement serves to both extend and expand upon THQ’s previous agreement with Games Workshop for the Warhammer 40,000 license, which encompassed interactive rights to console and handheld systems, as well as Windows PC. Additional rights under the newly announced agreement include wireless devices and all online rights, including massively multiplayer (MMO) games. It also includes the same rights to Games Workshop’s Gorkamorka and Necromunda properties.
THQ also announced that its Austin, Texas based studio, Vigil Games, is in development on the first MMO based on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.
THQ’s critically acclaimed Warhammer®: 40,000™: Dawn of War™ franchise now boasts more than 2 million units in sales worldwide with the release of hybrid expansion Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War™ – Dark Crusade™ last fall. The franchise has received numerous accolades since its 2004 debut, including Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice Awards, in addition to selection as an Official World Cyber Games title in 2005 and 2006.
“Our success in creating Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War as a category leading Real-Time Strategy experience for PC gamers is just the beginning,” said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. “The Warhammer 40,000 universe provides a richness of worlds, characters and stories and level of depth that translates perfectly to interactive experiences across multiple genres and systems. We see a lot of opportunity to build new and different games based on Games Workshop’s fantastic property in the coming years, beginning with our newly announced MMO.”
“We are delighted to be able to announce the extension of our very successful partnership with THQ,” said Andy Jones, Head of Group Legal and Licensing for Games Workshop. “By creating such vibrant and ground-breaking games based on our long-established worlds, stories and characters, THQ can introduce the Warhammer 40,000 Intellectual Property to a whole new audience, while providing our existing Hobbyists with an exciting new way to interact with the dark and gothic universe which they already know and love.”
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- THQ Inc. (Nasdaq: THQI) today announced the acquisition of Vigil Games. Based in Austin, Texas, the team at Vigil will be led by David Adams, previously creator/director of several projects for NCSoft and famed comic artist Joe Madureira, best known for his work on Marvel Comic's Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned comic series Battle Chasers. Vigil is currently working on new content for next-gen scheduled for release in 2008.
"The team at Vigil is comprised of some of the most talented designers, artists and technologists in the industry," said Jack Sorensen, executive vice president of worldwide studios, THQ. "This acquisition is part of our Studio System strategy, which is designed to foster a singular vision and unique culture at each of our studios. Our system allows us to leverage resources across our entire development organization to the benefit of each of our studios."
"When evaluating publisher opportunities, our goal was to find a partner that provided unmatched global marketing and sales expertise," said David Adams, General Manager, Vigil Games. "We were pleased to learn that THQ's value proposition to developers doesn't stop there. Our team will also benefit from the company's unique Studio System approach and development outsourcing program."
Vigil's first project -- a totally original property for next-gen systems -- is expected to be announced later this year.
OK, we learned that WH 40K has been in development for over year! Possibly released next year? That is ambitious. We also learned that other games are planned. Interesting stuff!
Whatever the game ends up being, we can be sure that Games Workshop will cancel the game if it looks like it isn't developing well
Bring back the Squats!
I hope it is more than just playing imperials. I like spacemarines, but I also want to be an ork, or maybe an eldar from time to time.
and it will be interesting to see how they can make an MMO from an IP that's primarily shoot-em-up (with some melee)
maybe Fallen Earth can show us if a FPS-MMO can break the mold
with all the factions available in DoW: Dark Crusade that don't even cover the sub-factions things could either get very interesting or very complicated
hmm.... Space Marines+Eldar+Tau -vs- Chaos+Orcs+Necrons
am I missing anyone?
and with the RISK-like campaign of Dark Crusade - do you think they'd have it planetary like SWG where you have more than one world to play on?
too soon to say for sure i know, but its fun to dream
www.dawnofwargame.com/screenshots/screens/8.jpg
www.dawnofwargame.com/screenshots/screens/14.jpg
www.dawnofwargame.com/screenshots/screens/12.jpg
i'm sure i don't know what you mean :P
those dreadnaughts sure are violent
so something more like Counterstrike than WoW or Everquest?
anyone remember Space Hulk?
oh! that's another race ....what was it.... Tyranids?
yup: us.games-workshop.com/games/40K/default.htm
the list:
Daemonhunters, Imperial Guard, and the Witch Hunters all seem to be part of the "good" side
"good" 6 (7 if you say Dark Angels are not the same as Space Marines)
"evil" 5
maybe games workshop would make a new "evil" race for the MMO if they dont make a new one in the meantime
It's hard to imagine a 40k MMOG that wasn't based on multiple planets, but I guess if it was set on the right one there would be enough to keep people interested. I think moving between planets is something 40k fans would expect and be very disappointed were it not a part of such a large scale game.
Also, if the original game comes with a handful of planets to move between, expansions which added more planets wouldn't feel quite as 'tacked on' as they might have otherwise
I'm really interested in hearing how they'll handle the demand for major units (Terminators/Dreadnoughts) though. I think the only practical way of doing it would be through a 'career path' which by the selection of certain skills made you advance toward a specific unit. Start as a Space Marine, advance through ranks as a melee (or tank) class and eventually end up upgraded to a Dreadnought - how cool would that be? Likewise, create a Marine who focusses on healing and eventually upgrade to a Librarian (I'm focussing on SM here because that's who I know most about, but you could have the same thing with Orks where instead of a ending up as a Dread, you get to control a Killa Kan or something).
They would need to allow FPS style control over vehicles, which you would sacrifice if you wanted to be a more powerful individual unit (while a Dread might fit inside an APC, you wouldn't be able to actually drive one in that form!).
Man, I'm getting really carried away with this stuff already and I'm not even a hardcore fan
Hell, it could be Barbie Super Pony Dressup Online: WH40K Edition, so long as I could be a Harlequin, I'd be there.
Edit: The original Harlequins from back in the 80's, not the watered down version they have now.
Does anyone have a link that explains the differences between the different Warhammer-universes?
Warhammer 40K = Sci-fi , WAR (Warhammer Online) = medieval?
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166560.html?tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot
It's an interview with some of the guys responsible for bringing this to light from Gamespot.
==
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Final Fantasy 7
and terminators could used - however i would forsee a lengthy unlock like the original Jedi holo-grind of SWG xD
if librarian's were used it would be interesting (as a gaming experiment) to have it where only random players could become the psycher classes, because they were born with the gift and others weren't (though i can see people just trashing a character and making a new one if it wasn't a psycher)
or some quest to overcome the "red thirst" to become a blood angel
i kinda wish i knew more about the game (tabletop universe) so i could give some real info on lore and whatnot :P
Stop thinking of this like the level grind crap that is the current MMO genre.
If you want to restrict things cause they are rare, restrict them.. don't put in a system that overtime will lead to them being the only population (can we say SWG and Jedi anyone?).
If they go the FPS route, which seems more likely considering their lack of RPG in all official comments about it so far, it would be best to use an expendable certificate system.
Player A is a Space Marine, he's a grunt when he spawns and during that gameplay session as he racks up points from killing and capturing objects, he earns "skill points" which when he dies he can spend on upgrading himself to something else. Ie, a Laser Canon instead of a Bolt Pistol, or become a Terminator or Dreadnaught. But when he spends the points that drops his skill point total down again for that session, so he must rack up more points to spend on kit should he die again and not want to be a normal grunt again. And you can cap the number of top end units a guild or race can have at any one time, so a guild can't have more than two Dreadnaughts in play at one time.
Vehicles could be set to a limit be, you can't have more than two Rhinos on that planet at any one time, yet no charge to aquire one, other than perhaps controlling a vehicle spawn point on that planet first.
It's not rocket science to make a good solid game out of this, you just have to ignore the license when you design the systems, then balance according to the license afterwards, ie restrict rare stuff.
there were several battle-honours that were needed before they were awarded a terminator suit (if i can find my codex i'll put more detail into that)
did anyone ever play Chaos Gate? it was turn-based - like a digital version of the table-top - your troops could earn battle honours and after enough of them were obtained they could be upgraded to Terminators
so whether it be mastering a certain number of jobs to become a jedi
or obtaining a certain number of battle honours to become a terminator
they would/should both be rare on the feild and wouldn't be an overnight thing (it would take quite a bit of effort to become a terminator)
depending on how they let you choose factions do you think they would have specific armor for faction-only, or could you pick and choose armor peices
would you see someone with an Ultramarine helm, dark angel shoulders, and a blood angel powerfist? or when you equipped those several armor (and weapon) peices would they all auto-color to whatever space marine faction you chose
Not to mention that they would have to make entire armour sets, advancement systems, planets/cities, etc. for each chapter of space marines, plus the same level of content for every other faction (provided they allow other factions to be played, and frankly they would be killing thier own game if they didn't).
I imagine that it will be more of a "rep" system like in WoW and other MMOs, where you don't actually belong to a specific chapter but you can work for them and curry favour from one you like - maybe eventually earning chapter specific armour sets or heroic weapons or something.
Personally I'm more interested to see how they do the Chaos with their inability to stray far from the Eye of Chaos in the lore. And the problem or Orkish interplanetary travel. Not to mention the Eldar homeworlds. Seems like the Tau will be the only really straight forward race from a lore point of view.
Well, it will certainly be interesting to see how they deal with all these problems and where they go from here.
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A great man inspires men with what he can do. A great leader inspires men with what THEY can do.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge 40K fan. Still have a hardbound copy of the original Rouge Trader book from the mid 80s. Followed through with Adeptus Titanica, Space Hulk, Space Marine, and all the additions up through Necromunda. I have whole squads from back in the days when they used to use real lead in the lead Citadel miniatures.
Sadly though, I think this game is doomed. I'm thinking there is a 75% chance it won't even launch, but even if it does, it will disappoint far more than it will deliver for the 40K purist. Its doomed, because the entire theme of the 40K universe is that the individual means nothing. Everything is sacrificed in the name of (pick your Imperium, Wraithship, Hive, Hulk, or Chaos god here).
Perfect ground for turn based strategy, and realtime strategy.
Adequate for a peer-to-peer conventional FPS, if its contained in a Hulk, or smallish action.
Baaaaaddd for any sort of perpetual, massive, 24/7 online game, for these reasons:
1) The reason 40K can't work like Planetside is that 40K is more massive than any "massive" game could ever realistically approximate. Planetside is much too small scale, compared with a true 40K universe. This is a time when entire species are rallying millions of soldiers in total war, and the weapons that are empolyed can kill thousands in mere moments. This is a time when cities are so large they reach into space, Titans reach the clouds, and entire generations of Adeptus work on battleships for the fleet. The technology simply doesn't exist to pull it off in the sort of grandness we see in White Dwarf, and described in the lore. I mean, CCP are database specialists, and even they can't sustain a 5,000 system galaxy with battles numbering in the 100s, in a comparatively low speed, low detail combat engine, without the nodes lagging and crashing. How is THQ going to make 40K battles look and feel authentic, with the 100 story Titans, the huge layout of troops, with detailed HTH, earth shattering explosions everywhere, with a myriad of uniquely rendered and animated races under special rules? They can't, unless they decide to scale back what 40K is about....and a lot, too. So much so, that I doubt anyone who is a 40K fan would be happy to call it an accurate depiction of the 40K they know.
2) The reason 40K can't work like conventional MMORPGs is that 40K is so impersonal, you can't give achievers, killers, social types, and explorers much to do in the game world. Ever wonder why there was never a WH40K roleplaying game? By that token, ever wonder why 40K was done in Epic scale, and not Warhammer? Because the theme of WH40K isn't about individual acts of bravery. Its about collective acts of sacrifice. WH40K isn't about distinguishing yourself. Its about purging every individual distinction of any note out of your society (be you Ork, Space Marine, Tyrannid, Eldar, etc.), for the sake of base survival. There can be no houses, trophies, legacy, furniture, dancing, emotes, guilds, advancement, or fame in a 40K universe, and still have it be 40K; because every race, and every member of each race is just another piece of flesh getting shoveled into the breech courtesy of a higher authority that is beyond question, or revolt. If you survive, then they'll keep on shovelling you into the breech until you don't survive, then you'll be replaced. Training is programmed into you. The time of legendary types, like the Primarchs, is pretty much over. Seeing as how the big hook of games like WoW is that they cater to the individual's desire to do heroic deeds, for heroic treasures, heroic wealth, and heroic fame, what can a 40K world offer a hero but a bunk he shares with 1,000 others just like him, a uniform he shares with 1,000 others like him, with no thoughts other than to shoot a bolter?
There are some things that are just better off not made into subscription based MMOs. 40K is one of them. I think the desire here is more in line with socking a public with a $50 price tag, and $15 bill each month, than to bring a 40K perpetual galaxy to fruition. Because to be quite honest, the 40K universe is so boring between battles, that the only thing worth playing are the battles.
So then, why not just play the battles on Dawn of War, and forget about the perpetual, 24/7 game universe?
__________________________
"Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it."
--Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints."
--Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls."
--Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
it would probably also be based mostly on PvP fights over territory than PvE questing
standing back and looking at the whole picture rather than points on the map
i don't think this would be one of those MMOs where solo content is available
sorry to skim over it Beat ^^; i'll read the rest tomorrow
For instance, just look at the Black Templars space marine chapter. Every member is the hero of their home planet before they are recruited. Those heroes aren't just nobodies. They are HEROES. Every single Black Orc in the universe had to have been around for a long time and killed tons of enemies to make it to that status, every Chaos Marine is 10,000 years old, all the tyranid hive minds are ancient, not to mention every terminator, every eldar, every dreadnaut (well, they're dead, but still), etc, etc. My point is, that just like the WH mmo that's coming out (WAR), the players don't play as the Joe Shmoe people in the universe, they have NPCs and mobs to do that. The players play as the heroes. The legendary ones. And WH40K has plenty of those to go around.
As far as CCP and handling a 5000 system galaxy, the problem is really the playerbase all being on one server with EVE, not really the size of the galaxie. I can only assume that the WH40K mmo would be more of a normal server-player size in the tune of a couple thousand per server instead of the 25k and up that is on EVE at any one time.
And for the scope of the universe, well, I have to agree with you there, but who knows what the art and game directors will come up with. Perhaps they will figure out some way to make it SEEM vast even if it really isn't as huge as we'd all like. I'm thinking something like the SWG planetary system. Who knows.
Besides, the game probably won't be out for at least another few years, and perhaps they will have the capability to pull off some of this more massive scale stuff by then. Just look at games from 2004 and compare to some of the stuff coming out now (Unreal Tournament 2004 compared to Unreal Tournament 2007 for example).
Anyway, I'm going to keep a positive outlook on this and hope that the devs working on this can come up with a way to pull this off. Besides, making a game based on an already existing francise is going to piss off a few of the hardline purists, but by no means does that mean that it's going to fail.
==
A great man inspires men with what he can do. A great leader inspires men with what THEY can do.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
not just a pretty one
Theres many people who want a 40k MMO. I think its a great idea. Hopefully its planetside-esq. I think a MMOFPS would be the perfect thing for this game.
Archon @ Warhammer Alliance
Planetside sucked balls. You boarded a transport with a team of idiots who none of which knew the damned first thing about teamwork.
"I want to be the sniper!"
"No! I wanna be the sniper! Wahhh!"
"Whose the medic?"
"What's a medic?"
"Whose the slicer?"
"The what?
I am a big fan of the WH40K table top game and hope that the MMO conversion turns out well. Dwarves and elves and orcs with magic and blasters. Oh my!!
I also wonder about the influence of Kelly Flock. When Sony bought back SOE they fired the existing CEO and sent Flock to be the hatchet man. Flock was also chief of 989 Studios. I may seem paranoid, but I dont have much faith in this guy and his track record of jumping from company to company. If anyone has any good info to share, please fill me in.
Oh thank you gods of war!
I think I might have found my new MMO project.
I've loved WH40K on and off for 15+ years. Dawn of War series was amazing.
I can't wait to start seeing more info on this. This is the only version they should have done.
I long to see thousands of MMO player space marines battling it out in the grimm future of war!
I think Sigil will do fine, BUT PLEASE DONT GIVE THE GAME TO SOE TO PUBLISH IT.
EQ2 ruined
Vanguard ruined
SWG ruined
Planetside ruined
Seriously please Sigil dont ruin this game by allowing such a loser company taking care of it