Project Lore

A Look At A Trio Of Upcoming MMORPGs

In a role reversal from this past E3, Activision decided to sit out the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo, allowing Blizzard - a developer that had a convention dedicated to themselves two weeks ago - to attend the show.  As you might expect the big B didn't hold anything back at BlizzCon.  Blizzard's modest space at PAX was used to showcase the company's upcoming trio of titles by allowing thousands of fans the chance to stand in lengthy lines.  Sound familiar?

Since Blizzard didn't offer us anything new - you can check out our Worgen or Goblin thoughts or the entire BlizzCon 2009 archive - I decided to mosey around PAX.  During my trip around the plague infested Washington Convention Center I managed to spend some quality time with a pair of upcoming MMORPGs, and some cozy time with the developers for a third.

Global Agenda - I didn't actually remember the name Global Agenda until I heard the company's barker - the shoutcaster on the microphone - drop the line "Global Agenda - the game with No Elves."  It was then that I remembered the hilarious teaser video, to bad the title's name didn't stick with me.

Global Agenda can easily be described as a Team Fortress 2 MMORPG, but there is more to it than that.  The game features four distinct classes, Robotic (engineer), Medic (healer), Recon (stealth), Assault (tank), customizable payloads and skill trees, multiple objectives per map, multiple map types, PvE, PvP, a "raid" system, loot, crafting Alliances/Agencies (guilds), and other staples of the MMORPG genre.  Unfortunately the things that set it apart from our familiar grounds are still being worked out.

Much of my prodding for details on aspects like guild battles, PvE play, and meta game mechanics were unanswered, glossed over or deflected. A Hi-Rez Studios rep did explain that the company is working on the core gameplay mechanics before polishing off the final details.  As far as I can tell the gameplay mechanics are well polished, so I can't wait to hear about the features that set Global Agenda apart from the rest of the pack.

Global Agenda is expected to launch by the end of 2009 for an undisclosed subscription rate.  Hit the link above to apply for the upcoming Open Beta.

Star Trek Online - Being a bit of a Star Trek fan - yes, nerd all over - I have been following Star Trek Online's development for some time, mostly because of the drama.  I was ecstatic when Cryptic took over the development, not because I have been a huge fan of past work, but because I knew I could trust the company to actually release something.

The development team had both aspects of the game on display, ship-to-ship and Away Team combat, and both looked fantastic.  Graphically the game isn't much different than the just released Champions Online, but the two titles vary dramatically in playstyles.  Your standard earth-based battles are done entirely in squads, when grouping with other players or not.  Being the Captain of a ship means you are never alone.  That goes for outer space combat as well, where you Bridge Commanders offer access to special abilities during those hairy moments.

Combat for both modes is very Star Trek-ish.  Away team skirmishes thrust players, along with the separately trained bridge commanders, into the thick of battle, guns blazing and/or judo chops flying.  Ship combat is complete with forward and rear arsenals with overlapping fields of fire.  It may seem like a small detail, but being able to unleash three weapons at once upon a Bird of Prey causing it to explode, and then the ship's warp core taking out the downed bird's wingmen (wingklingon?) is not something to scoff at.  In fact, it is a downright badass tactical move.  Impress your friends!

The twin demos only showed off the title's combat mechanics, but the handy developer did chat me up about the title's other offerings.  Like Champions Online, Star Trek Online will come with tons of character creation options, to the point that you can make your own alien.  Players will be able to customize each ship they command, and select which bridge commander they chose to take on board.  If a commander doesn't quite fit all your needs then he can be used as a teacher, training the officers you are more comfortable with in his or her expertise.  Lastly, I was told about the mission structure.  Quests will come in all flavors, but the pinnacle will be "episodes."  These quest chains will have players traveling all over the sectors, encountering nasty beasts, wayward wanderers, contemplating the Prime Directive and other minor philosophical issues in 30-45 minute chains.  These can be interrupted and returned to later, in case you are wondering.

As surprised as I was by Global Agenda, Star Trek Online shocked me even more.  It's shaping up to be an incredibly attractive and deep sci-fi MMORPG with trade, economics, politics, PvP, PvE, space combat and ground combat.  Consider yourself an MMORPG player and a Star Trek buff?  Then prepare yourself for STO's early 2010 release.

Cryptic is also taking beta applications.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - This is the MMORPG that I have probably been following the most (but not full force by any means), and yet we know very little about it.  PAX 2009's live demonstrations of The Old Republic didn't really change that either.  The three cheery, well spoken and well rehearsed developers went over the basics of the title, timeline, setting, fully voiced, before diving into anything new.

BioWare thankfully didn't stick to rehashing old trailers and highlighting old news.  We got our first taste of the Trooper class in action, a first look at higher level combat and a glimpse at force powers in use by a Sith Warrior (dual wield!).  All of the action played out exactly as one might expect these iconic Star Wars characters to battle.  Troopers used a collection of munitions to take out groups of bad guys, including fire bombs and sticky grenades, mixed in with old-fashioned blasting.  The Sith Warrior was able to parry and deflect incoming laser fire passively, and in fluid animation, while tossing out Force Chokes and Force Lightning to anyone stupid enough to come nearby.  We also learned that we "will not see one duplicate mission."  The two factions do not share certain quests, and neither do the classes.  Sounds like a lot of story, and voice acting, is being fleshed out.  And perhaps the biggest revelation, "The Old Republic will have /dance."

BioWare continues to keep many aspects of TOR close to its collective chest, yet what we do know still draws questions.  What does the party UI look like (none was shown during the group session demoed)?  Will we be able to skip through the chat dialogue, in party and out of party?  And, will BioWare's demo team stop dieing during presentations?  Nevertheless, TOR remains one of a few AAA MMORPG titles coming...eventually.

There were a few more MMORPGs on display in some fashion, but these are the only three that I spent a considerable amount of time on.  Each title had it's own charm, and I'd love to play all three at least a titch.  If only we had 28 hour days. Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming MMORPG offerings? Which one might pull you away from WoW?