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[Interview] General: Undead Labs Wants to Change Your Perception of a Zombie MMO

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

Last week it was announced that Undead Labs, creators of the cult hit zombie sandbox RPG State of Decay, had signed a multi-year and multi-title deal with Microsoft Studios. When Jeff Strain, former lead at Blizzard and Cofounder of ArenaNet announced the formation of Undead Labs, it was with the sole purpose of creating the best zombie-based games on the market. While some folks claim they’re sick of the Walking Dead, there certainly seems to be no sign of zombies’ decay anytime soon.

Read more of Bill Murphy's Undead Labs Wants to Change Your Perception of a Zombie MMO.

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Comments

  • NephaeriusNephaerius Member UncommonPosts: 1,671
    Oh god I am so excited.  State of Decay is such a good game and runs so well on PC.  Best game I ever paid for Early Access on Steam. Wish they could've got multiplayer working in the current game because it would have been awesome.  Can't see what their multiplayer efforts turn out in the future after releasing such a high quality first title.
     

    Steam: Neph

  • SnarlingWolfSnarlingWolf Member Posts: 2,697

    That was a lot of text for no information at all.

     

    It could be summed up as him saying "It will be an MMO that isn't like MMOs and we won't call it an MMO."

  • Azaron_NightbladeAzaron_Nightblade Member EpicPosts: 4,829
    Sounds interesting, I'm curious to see what they'll come up with.

    My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)

    https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956
    Originally posted by Nephaerius
    Oh god I am so excited.  State of Decay is such a good game and runs so well on PC.  Best game I ever paid for Early Access on Steam. Wish they could've got multiplayer working in the current game because it would have been awesome.  Can't see what their multiplayer efforts turn out in the future after releasing such a high quality first title.
     

    glad to hear your review.

    i hesitated because at the time- they didnt have a mouse/keypad  control. did they ever get one applied to the game?

    i may try it out.

  • describabledescribable Member UncommonPosts: 407

    microsoft studios are the worst to sign this kinda deal with... just look at their background in MMO's or...

     

    ask Cyptic (Marvel Universe Online) or Level 5 (TLFO)

     

     

    most likely it won't end up as an MMO... or close to one. I doubt it'll end up with multiplayer, i think the studios will force them onto single player with "maybe"  co-op entity. Not a MMO. Not going to happen with this... surprised it uses the Crytek 3 engine though, thought it'd look better

    "nothing actually matters, we're just slightly evolved monkeys clinging to a dying piece of rock hurtling through space waiting for our eventual death." - Frankie Boyle, Mock The Week

  • AirVengeanceAirVengeance Member Posts: 6

    "Taking the same old experience and just replicating it isn’t what we’re about"

     

    isn't this game another DayZ/minecraft clone?

  • DamonVileDamonVile Member UncommonPosts: 4,818

    I avoided state of decay because it was single player and those types of games need to be at least co-op for me to want to play. If they could somehow not turn this into the typical pvp gank fest that all these games seem to end up they really would have a unique zombie game.

    There are lots of pvp survival games with zombies as a gimik. I'd like to see one where they're the actual threat you're trying to survive from.

  • SephrosSephros Member UncommonPosts: 429
    Avoiding state of decay due to sp only, only let yourself down. Sense when do games need to be multiplayer to be enjoyable??

    Error: No Keyboard Detected!
    Press F1 to continue......

  • DeadlyneDeadlyne Member UncommonPosts: 232
    Originally posted by Sephros
    Avoiding state of decay due to sp only, only let yourself down. Sense when do games need to be multiplayer to be enjoyable??

    Since that guy decided that's the kind of game he likes?  You can't argue that someone's preference is wrong, its their personal preference.

    Just to question the philosophy. Army of Socrates.

    image
  • RemyVorenderRemyVorender Member RarePosts: 4,006
    Maybe I should give the game more of a chance. I made it through the first hour or so but it really felt plan to generic. I think its the 3rd person view that kills it for me.

    Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!

  • GardavsshadeGardavsshade Member UncommonPosts: 907

    Zombie MMO? Maybe for some, but not for me. I am not interested in Zombie anything, nor post apocalyptic games/MMOs, real life will be upon us soon enough and we are already eating/breathing enough radiation as it is.

    I play MMOs to escape reality, not to wallow in it. I want my MMOs in some ways realistic, yes, but realistic for the Middle Ages, or for Middle Earth, or for 10,00bc, or for a future that is fiction, not possible fact.

    There is nothing any Dev Team can do to make me want a Zombie MMO. I bet I'm not the only one that feels that way or they wouldn't have phrased it that way to try and change our minds.

    I wish this new MMO the best of luck, for the Players that enjoy this kind of setting, and for the Devs who worked hard to make it.

  • ITPalgITPalg Member UncommonPosts: 314

    I can imagine a true zombie MMOG that introduces new players to the game with a scripted newbie experience:

     

    Meeting a grizzled survivalist vet; he shows you the ropes; gives you basic survival gear.

     

    You go out on runs, facing some zombies here and there along with NPC people, where he gives you warnings on trust.

     

    At the end of the tutorial, both of you are searching a room when a zombie horde starts coming through the door. The vet tries to hold back the door while the vet yells at you to "go!". As you hesitantly run through the other side out another exit, the horde breaks in, vet on the ground, he screams at you to "remember what you learned!". Cut to a cut scene extreme close up of eye suddenly opening with a gasping sound. The eye has reflections of trees in it. The camera pulls back to see your character laying on the ground in a makeshift shelter in the wilderness, campfire smoldering. Camera releases to the game UI. 

     

    You now have basic fire-making skill, building skill, etc, ala Wurm Online. True roaming hordes exist on rare occasions or spawned by GMs, unlike any zombie mmog out there, which could be a large group event. The game would be built from the ground up to support reasons to work together (fortifications, fortifying abandoned towns, etc).

     

    To copy an idea from Trials of Ascension and that zombie Source mod thing I can't remember the name of, you get x number of life counters, with voice overs when one is taken off of like, "Phew that was a close one", and then when you run out of them, you turn into a zombie yourself (losing your gear) with movement limitations but stronger, or you can let the game take over your movements to hide yourself in a group of zombies.

     

    Once that zombie is destroyed, welcome to a new character.

     

    twitch.tv/itpaladin
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  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    I really enjoyed my play through of SoD.  It's almost like a GTA game, but with zombies of course.  I'm curious to see what their "MMO" like game will turn out to be.  As long as it's more than just a co-op version of SoD but not a FFA pvp game like DayZ either. 

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • XandramasXandramas Member Posts: 73
    I think state of decay if expanded upon would make a fantastic mmorpg. With perma death and your stronghold upgrades, found equipment and resources are the things that stay.
  • IsomanIsoman Member UncommonPosts: 31
    Originally posted by ITPalg

    I can imagine a true zombie MMOG that introduces new players to the game with a scripted newbie experience:

     

    Meeting a grizzled survivalist vet; he shows you the ropes; gives you basic survival gear.

     

    You go out on runs, facing some zombies here and there along with NPC people, where he gives you warnings on trust.

     

    At the end of the tutorial, both of you are searching a room when a zombie horde starts coming through the door. The vet tries to hold back the door while the vet yells at you to "go!". As you hesitantly run through the other side out another exit, the horde breaks in, vet on the ground, he screams at you to "remember what you learned!". Cut to a cut scene extreme close up of eye suddenly opening with a gasping sound. The eye has reflections of trees in it. The camera pulls back to see your character laying on the ground in a makeshift shelter in the wilderness, campfire smoldering. Camera releases to the game UI. 

     

    You now have basic fire-making skill, building skill, etc, ala Wurm Online. True roaming hordes exist on rare occasions or spawned by GMs, unlike any zombie mmog out there, which could be a large group event. The game would be built from the ground up to support reasons to work together (fortifications, fortifying abandoned towns, etc).

     

    To copy an idea from Trials of Ascension and that zombie Source mod thing I can't remember the name of, you get x number of life counters, with voice overs when one is taken off of like, "Phew that was a close one", and then when you run out of them, you turn into a zombie yourself (losing your gear) with movement limitations but stronger, or you can let the game take over your movements to hide yourself in a group of zombies.

     

    Once that zombie is destroyed, welcome to a new character.

     

     

    Interesting, but I feel no developer would implement perma death in an MMO, or whatever they want to call it. Real risk in an MMO? I can hear the backlash now.

  • atuerstaratuerstar Member Posts: 234
    Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

    That was a lot of text for no information at all.

     

    It could be summed up as him saying "It will be an MMO that isn't like MMOs and we won't call it an MMO."

    Yep.

     

    Pure puff piece.

  • SamhaelSamhael Member RarePosts: 1,534
    It's awesome! Because we totally haven't had an overabundance of zombie-filled books/movies/games over the last couple of years. This MMO will be great because we totally will still be looking forward to zombies when. zzzzzzzzzz
  • MumboJumboMumboJumbo Member UncommonPosts: 3,219
    Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

    That was a lot of text for no information at all.

     

    It could be summed up as him saying "It will be an MMO that isn't like MMOs and we won't call it an MMO."

    Lots of respect to Mr. Strain etc. But why can't they say "WHAT" it actually is.

    I get a good idea of what DayZ is:

    1. Perma-death PvP

    2. Survival

    3. Any corner could result in death

    etc. It's got the mind-set of "rambo: first blood" about it. I still don't really know what undead labs are aiming at: "night of the living dead torchlight in the dark gameplay"?

  • tawesstawess Member EpicPosts: 4,227

    Microsoft + MMO... This.. Will not end well.

     

    The difference here is you will be the zombie... =P

    This have been a good conversation

  • FlyByKnightFlyByKnight Member EpicPosts: 3,967
    Did somebody really start a company to make game(S) about a beaten to death genre though?
    "As far as the forum code of conduct, I would think it's a bit outdated and in need of a refre *CLOSED*" 

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • vbatheryvbathery Member UncommonPosts: 17
    Sounds like it my be GW1 but with Zombies lol.
  • JJ82JJ82 Member UncommonPosts: 1,258
    Originally posted by describable

    microsoft studios are the worst to sign this kinda deal with... just look at their background in MMO's or...

     

    ask Cyptic (Marvel Universe Online) or Level 5 (TLFO)

     Don't forget about Asherons Call 2...MS had complete control over the design of it, worst mistake in the history of Turbine.

    Anyway, I didn't think State of Decay was all that great and this article revealed no actual information about their upcoming game so.........meh.

    "People who tell you you’re awesome are useless. No, dangerous.

    They are worse than useless because you want to believe them. They will defend you against critiques that are valid. They will seduce you into believing you are done learning, or into thinking that your work is better than it actually is." ~Raph Koster
    http://www.raphkoster.com/2013/10/14/on-getting-criticism/

  • JupstoJupsto Member UncommonPosts: 2,075

    state of decay is a decent game, its not perfect but it does have alot of cool ideas.

    I think thier mmo could be interesting, look forward to finding out more. I'm glad it wont be a traditional mmo but I hope its not like dayz

    My blog: image

  • Aldous.HuxleyAldous.Huxley Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 418
    Eventually, all games will be MMOs.
  • DrakynnDrakynn Member Posts: 2,030
    Originally posted by Consensus

    state of decay is a decent game, its not perfect but it does have alot of cool ideas.

    I think thier mmo could be interesting, look forward to finding out more. I'm glad it wont be a traditional mmo but I hope its not like dayz

    What you say about State of Decay is true,it lacks just about any polish and has some dodgy mechanics but it's fun as hell and they don't ask that much for it.
    It's very well done given it's budget.

    I'm very interested in what they do with an MMO version.

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