"We will pick up development where PI left off." That right there told me the game will be further developed by the marketing department to convert gameplay into CS items, and a lot of them, throw it out there and see if anyone takes the bait! Thats what happened to Allods online, and I dont see much of a difference here with this game myself! Could I be wrong, sure, but as it looks without the original coding team to further the game, they will bring in people to adjust existing code to revolve around a heavy CS and then slap it on the community to see who will bite. Buyer beware I say!
They're kinda doing similar with The Chronicles of Spellborn as well
But that game was already eligible for Cash Shop status given the fact the only way to pay the sub to it once upon a time was with Acclaim Coins.
Oh yeah true GamerAeon. I remember when that fell through. To bad for that game, it had potential as well!
> Heatwave's next trick should be resurrecting the dead and buried (Tabula Rasa)
There are some famous words about beating dead horse…
Tabula Rasa is 100% RIP.
> The company that was the original dev team for G&H was the original dev team for STO, nuff said.
I’ve taken part in both betas.
STO is just totally wrong made game, in only hope that Star Trek fans will buy it. I think it will die quite soon and will be forgotten, like any other video game released same day as top hit 100M+ budget movie.
1st major mistake was - they merged TWO different games (space combat & ground combat) in one MMO title. Most successful companies struggle to make just one combat to be successful. I think no one will manage two.
Gods & Heroes, in beta stage, was interesting, and probably playable, but were in need of many fixes to game play and game mechanic. I do not speak about cosmetic changes. They had really interesting idea about game play design, but implementation had some major flaws.
"We will pick up development where PI left off." That right there told me the game will be further developed by the marketing department to convert gameplay into CS items, and a lot of them, throw it out there and see if anyone takes the bait! Thats what happened to Allods online, and I dont see much of a difference here with this game myself! Could I be wrong, sure, but as it looks without the original coding team to further the game, they will bring in people to adjust existing code to revolve around a heavy CS and then slap it on the community to see who will bite. Buyer beware I say!
Paranoid much? Anyways, I'm gonna wait and see before judging, it seems they are really looking to get into developing this game, that while in beta, was pretty dang fun, though it wasn't ready to be in that phase yet, before being dropped.
I was in beta before it was shut down and my experience was.... 1) It was a great looking game. 2) It had quite a number of performance problems. 3) Didn't experience enough gameplay to really get an idea as to what to expect from it. 4) Did I mention it was a great looking game?
In a ways, I am surprised we haven't seen this done before with other games that never made it to release. GnH had a lot going for it - familiar yet standout setting, stunning art direction, some interesting ideas (collectible minion system). I'm glad to see Heatwave picking it up.
I think its smart that the initial plan is to get it to a "shippable" state and then iterate on the game's systems and content before actually shipping it. From what I understood, Perpetual had it almost 'content complete' but just needed to squash the bugs and drastically improve performance. The biggest problem games have faced (Vanguard, AoC, and WAR) have been performance issues. The other major problem for these games was that their most exciting content could be experienced within the first few weeks of gameplay.
I agree with what you wrote. I also was in beta. The game was a good looking game and I was REALLY looking forward to it based on the Roman God theme. I also liked the idea of the Minions. The starter area felt like an easy to understand starter area. I wasn't able to get far enough along before they pulled the plug. I do remember some performance issues. I never expected to see this project resurrected. I hope they are able to show us something before the end of the year as we get closer to Star Wars Online.
Credentials aside, this is what made me take notice:
"What this means is there isn’t a lot of tolerance amongst MMO players for a flawed experience and you have to make the game right. New MMOs have to have something new with a reasonable barrier to entry to draw players in. The core mechanics have to be rock solid, compelling, and fun to play for a long time. The world has to be immersive and interesting. The storytelling and characters have to be provocative. The production values have to be top notch across the board. If you can accomplish this you will find an audience - and if you treat them right they’ll become your dedicated customers."
This guy nailed it on the head. I don't know much about this game, but I'm going to start reading up on it. Any developer that is going to use the above approach to their game's development is worth keeping an eye on, imo.
(Though I'm sure that most developers start out this way, and then reality kicks in. Yeah. I'm a cynic.)
This really excites me. I was in the beta as well. I don't think anyone would complain about the graphics. There was some performance issues, but overall I enjoyed the time I spent testing. I thought this game had amazing potential and I was sad to see it die.
It was inevitable that G+H would be resurrected at some point, and for purely business reasons. When PI tanked, and the investors lined up to get what the they could, one of the few things PI had of any value was the 85% finished G+H MMO. Whomever was overseeing the liquidation of company assets, or who ever ended up with rights to the IP, sold it to these guys. Probably for a very reasonable price.
You also can't let something like unfinished MMO sit on the shelf for too long, because hardware and video options and code change over time, so I am half surprised an announcement like this didn't come along earlier.
From an EX-Internal Beta tester's standpoint, this game had huge potential. This was going to be my game of choice before being canceled back in 07. It was the one game that encouraged exploration. Anymore remember the hundreds of easter eggs in the game? Or the pretty decent combat with fatalities? The fact that a monster could pick you up and rip your head off and send you flying? The one downfall in beta, besides bugs, was they made the Gods less worthy and almost turned them into quest givers that really played no part . I hope Heatwave extends on this. GL and I will definitely be biting at a CB spot if they have it.
Here are some memories for some of you "vets" that were also IT testers:
1. To get into towns, you talked to the smurf people.
2. People spending half there testing time climbing around the starter island.
3. You could zone into a zone the climb or walk around the zone line to an empty zone.
4. BINKY!!!! <--- (which is who I hope they got back)
5. Low levels instances that had high level mobs.
I loved this game for a ton of reasons. It never made it to release then but did have huge potential. Zones were huge and the armor looked badass. I also liked how one of their easter eggs was a set of armor that you had to search for each peice by I believe answering riddles. All in all, if you liked just exploration and lore, this game is for you. And someone please go over to Earth Eternal and tell Andrew to re-apply to this company. Wouldn't be the same without him.
Schubert definitely had a solid set of answers -- actions speak louder than words though.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
Schubert definitely had a solid set of answers -- actions speak louder than words though.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
Those new fangled features you're looking for were introduced in 1997, the question was about graphics and combat gameplay, not about crafting and economy.
Hope this is good...on a side note...I like Star Trek Online but it definitely could be a hell of a lot better....so if they do a great job taking over for Perpetual on "Gods and Heroes"...it would kinda make me sad that they couldn't have taken over STO as well. Just thinking.
I am most pleased they do not plan to change the core of the game. I found it to be a solid and inventive experience
when it was in production before. It would be a great shame if too much is altered now. The visual experience is en par with every game back then. I doubt it needs much more than a spit and polish now.
However I am pleased with their outlook. I simply can't wait to get back into beta.
Schubert definitely had a solid set of answers -- actions speak louder than words though.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
Those new fangled features you're looking for were introduced in 1997, the question was about graphics and combat gameplay, not about crafting and economy.
G&H had no PvP and no crafting systems at the point they were going to launch it. It was pure PvE questing, with the minions and gods being the most unique attributes. Grappling attacks were interesting, but they are still push button and watch the animation.
G&H was too small and would have faired about as well as Vanguard if it had actually come out in 2007 / 08.
Schubert answered about graphics because that's all he can talk positively about. If G&H is going to launch in any major way, it will need a lot of work and additions to the systems it currently contains. Perpetual promised a lot - separate starting areas for every class, more customisable character development - but ended up with a single starting area and a return to skill trees.
After being in late alpha and the beta I am SOOOOOOO glad GnH is coming back. I loved that game and I still think about it to this day. I am really hoping this one turns out like the old one was going to...!
I am excited the game is back on. I was in the beta and played for a good amount of time. There were alot of bugs and performance issues but after they announced the closing they released one last patch. I didn't get to play too long after that but all my minion issues I had were fixed and several Quest bugs.
Sounds like they really want to get moving on the game. I hope they have a list of the beta testers from back then and send out invites. I sure would love to get back in and help the game move forward.
I only got to beta the game for about a week before it shut down. It didn't seem right that a company could bring a game so close to release and then close it down.
It did need some work. Now I guess it would fit in since STO and the new Star Wars mmo will both have henchmen.
I am glad to see this one coming back. I was in the closed beta for a few months and felt the game was going in the right direction. There were still many issues in the game but I really like it as a whole. If they can get it out in about a year it will have a good following and not feel dated. The game play was fun and the graphics were very immersive and consistant. I hope they can get it rolling and in the market place polished and in a timely manner. If not it will be just another unresolved mmo.
Nice interview, looks like I wont have too much to worry about. Glad they plan to keep the soul of the game intact, because the core game was nice. I sure do miss beta testing this game.
"If they keep going it seems to me 1-1.5 years is truly the maximum player usually stay"
That was the main point in my original post. And you disagree on that?
Interesting. Than I'd like to know how long you stay with your MMO usually before you try another one? That there is a minority that keeps playing is out of debate. Gauss approximation curve. But if I'm wrong and really just stepped into a minority with those I know I'd like to know.
Played: Pretty much any fantasy MMO, some did not even make it to release ... Favorites: UO, EQ2, Vanguard, Wurm Online, Salem, ESO, Creativerse Playing: ESO, Creativerse, Guild Wars 2 Anticipating: (sigh) ... maybe Ashes of Creation
I was in Beta and my impression was generally positive. It ahd flaws, but it was playable and enjoyable. I haven't played that much, because it was shut down, but my first impressions suggested that game could be big. I hope these new guys can manage to produce something decent out of it. They have a solid base to build upon, thats for sure.
Comments
As soon as I saw this game was going to be raised from the dead....the only thing I thought was "it's gonna be another F2P cash shop nightmare"
They're kinda doing similar with The Chronicles of Spellborn as well
But that game was already eligible for Cash Shop status given the fact the only way to pay the sub to it once upon a time was with Acclaim Coins.
Oh yeah true GamerAeon. I remember when that fell through. To bad for that game, it had potential as well!
> Heatwave's next trick should be resurrecting the dead and buried (Tabula Rasa)
There are some famous words about beating dead horse…
Tabula Rasa is 100% RIP.
> The company that was the original dev team for G&H was the original dev team for STO, nuff said.
I’ve taken part in both betas.
STO is just totally wrong made game, in only hope that Star Trek fans will buy it. I think it will die quite soon and will be forgotten, like any other video game released same day as top hit 100M+ budget movie.
1st major mistake was - they merged TWO different games (space combat & ground combat) in one MMO title. Most successful companies struggle to make just one combat to be successful. I think no one will manage two.
Gods & Heroes, in beta stage, was interesting, and probably playable, but were in need of many fixes to game play and game mechanic. I do not speak about cosmetic changes. They had really interesting idea about game play design, but implementation had some major flaws.
Paranoid much? Anyways, I'm gonna wait and see before judging, it seems they are really looking to get into developing this game, that while in beta, was pretty dang fun, though it wasn't ready to be in that phase yet, before being dropped.
I'll give em a chance
I agree with what you wrote. I also was in beta. The game was a good looking game and I was REALLY looking forward to it based on the Roman God theme. I also liked the idea of the Minions. The starter area felt like an easy to understand starter area. I wasn't able to get far enough along before they pulled the plug. I do remember some performance issues. I never expected to see this project resurrected. I hope they are able to show us something before the end of the year as we get closer to Star Wars Online.
There Is Always Hope!
Credentials aside, this is what made me take notice:
"What this means is there isn’t a lot of tolerance amongst MMO players for a flawed experience and you have to make the game right. New MMOs have to have something new with a reasonable barrier to entry to draw players in. The core mechanics have to be rock solid, compelling, and fun to play for a long time. The world has to be immersive and interesting. The storytelling and characters have to be provocative. The production values have to be top notch across the board. If you can accomplish this you will find an audience - and if you treat them right they’ll become your dedicated customers."
This guy nailed it on the head. I don't know much about this game, but I'm going to start reading up on it. Any developer that is going to use the above approach to their game's development is worth keeping an eye on, imo.
(Though I'm sure that most developers start out this way, and then reality kicks in. Yeah. I'm a cynic.)
This really excites me. I was in the beta as well. I don't think anyone would complain about the graphics. There was some performance issues, but overall I enjoyed the time I spent testing. I thought this game had amazing potential and I was sad to see it die.
It was inevitable that G+H would be resurrected at some point, and for purely business reasons. When PI tanked, and the investors lined up to get what the they could, one of the few things PI had of any value was the 85% finished G+H MMO. Whomever was overseeing the liquidation of company assets, or who ever ended up with rights to the IP, sold it to these guys. Probably for a very reasonable price.
You also can't let something like unfinished MMO sit on the shelf for too long, because hardware and video options and code change over time, so I am half surprised an announcement like this didn't come along earlier.
Who knows, maybe it will end up being good.....
I was in beta and was very happy with it. Im excited to get another crack at it.
From an EX-Internal Beta tester's standpoint, this game had huge potential. This was going to be my game of choice before being canceled back in 07. It was the one game that encouraged exploration. Anymore remember the hundreds of easter eggs in the game? Or the pretty decent combat with fatalities? The fact that a monster could pick you up and rip your head off and send you flying? The one downfall in beta, besides bugs, was they made the Gods less worthy and almost turned them into quest givers that really played no part . I hope Heatwave extends on this. GL and I will definitely be biting at a CB spot if they have it.
Here are some memories for some of you "vets" that were also IT testers:
1. To get into towns, you talked to the smurf people.
2. People spending half there testing time climbing around the starter island.
3. You could zone into a zone the climb or walk around the zone line to an empty zone.
4. BINKY!!!! <--- (which is who I hope they got back)
5. Low levels instances that had high level mobs.
I loved this game for a ton of reasons. It never made it to release then but did have huge potential. Zones were huge and the armor looked badass. I also liked how one of their easter eggs was a set of armor that you had to search for each peice by I believe answering riddles. All in all, if you liked just exploration and lore, this game is for you. And someone please go over to Earth Eternal and tell Andrew to re-apply to this company. Wouldn't be the same without him.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
Those new fangled features you're looking for were introduced in 1997, the question was about graphics and combat gameplay, not about crafting and economy.
hopefully "shippable" doesn't mean half-baked when they release the game
Hope this is good...on a side note...I like Star Trek Online but it definitely could be a hell of a lot better....so if they do a great job taking over for Perpetual on "Gods and Heroes"...it would kinda make me sad that they couldn't have taken over STO as well. Just thinking.
I am most pleased they do not plan to change the core of the game. I found it to be a solid and inventive experience
when it was in production before. It would be a great shame if too much is altered now. The visual experience is en par with every game back then. I doubt it needs much more than a spit and polish now.
However I am pleased with their outlook. I simply can't wait to get back into beta.
MMORPG.com:
How do you plan to bring the game “up to date” with the expectations of gamers in 2010 as opposed to 2007?
Tim Schubert:
Gods & Heroes has aged surprisingly well and still feels and looks great. While there are some things we need to do to make sure it meets modern day expectations it is in really good shape. You’ll have to stay tuned to discover our specific plans, though!
I didnt think that the answers were as consistently solid as others, I supposed. This is an example whereby the game, in it's current state, doesnt have any robust player-driven crafting, merchandising or economy staples. The question posed was the right question, but the answer is hollow and allusive. But then again, providing lofty positive generalizations around features that are non-existent are par for the course for developers, and certainly ring true by using the most recent mmorpg to hit the market as an example.
Those new fangled features you're looking for were introduced in 1997, the question was about graphics and combat gameplay, not about crafting and economy.
G&H had no PvP and no crafting systems at the point they were going to launch it. It was pure PvE questing, with the minions and gods being the most unique attributes. Grappling attacks were interesting, but they are still push button and watch the animation.
G&H was too small and would have faired about as well as Vanguard if it had actually come out in 2007 / 08.
Schubert answered about graphics because that's all he can talk positively about. If G&H is going to launch in any major way, it will need a lot of work and additions to the systems it currently contains. Perpetual promised a lot - separate starting areas for every class, more customisable character development - but ended up with a single starting area and a return to skill trees.
After being in late alpha and the beta I am SOOOOOOO glad GnH is coming back. I loved that game and I still think about it to this day. I am really hoping this one turns out like the old one was going to...!
I just remember issues with mobs spawning in beta. It ran decent for me.
I'll def give it a try. Love the classic mythology.
I am excited the game is back on. I was in the beta and played for a good amount of time. There were alot of bugs and performance issues but after they announced the closing they released one last patch. I didn't get to play too long after that but all my minion issues I had were fixed and several Quest bugs.
Sounds like they really want to get moving on the game. I hope they have a list of the beta testers from back then and send out invites. I sure would love to get back in and help the game move forward.
I only got to beta the game for about a week before it shut down. It didn't seem right that a company could bring a game so close to release and then close it down.
It did need some work. Now I guess it would fit in since STO and the new Star Wars mmo will both have henchmen.
I am glad to see this one coming back. I was in the closed beta for a few months and felt the game was going in the right direction. There were still many issues in the game but I really like it as a whole. If they can get it out in about a year it will have a good following and not feel dated. The game play was fun and the graphics were very immersive and consistant. I hope they can get it rolling and in the market place polished and in a timely manner. If not it will be just another unresolved mmo.
Nice interview, looks like I wont have too much to worry about. Glad they plan to keep the soul of the game intact, because the core game was nice. I sure do miss beta testing this game.
"If they keep going it seems to me 1-1.5 years is truly the maximum player usually stay"
That was the main point in my original post. And you disagree on that?
Interesting. Than I'd like to know how long you stay with your MMO usually before you try another one? That there is a minority that keeps playing is out of debate. Gauss approximation curve. But if I'm wrong and really just stepped into a minority with those I know I'd like to know.
Played: Pretty much any fantasy MMO, some did not even make it to release ...
Favorites: UO, EQ2, Vanguard, Wurm Online, Salem, ESO, Creativerse
Playing: ESO, Creativerse, Guild Wars 2
Anticipating: (sigh) ... maybe Ashes of Creation
I was in Beta and my impression was generally positive. It ahd flaws, but it was playable and enjoyable. I haven't played that much, because it was shut down, but my first impressions suggested that game could be big. I hope these new guys can manage to produce something decent out of it. They have a solid base to build upon, thats for sure.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
Last thing I was expecting was an article on G&H.
I'm excited though, for this.
[Playing] SW:ToR
[Played] AoC, WoW, Rift, EQ 1, 2, SWG, DAoC, WAR, GW1, EVE, PotBS.
[Watching] GW2, Archage