The Sci-Fi MMO: The Past
In the first of a three part series, MMORPG.com's Bill Murphy explores the Sci-Fi subgenre of MMOs and looks into its past at games both that made and and those that haven't been so lucky.
Editorial By William Murphy on February 17, 2010
Fantasy has long since dominated the RPG and MMORPG markets, being the standard setting of role-playing games on paper, on consoles, and on PCs for decades now. But that doesn't mean Science Fiction has to be the second fiddle forever. With big name IPs such as Star Trek and Star Wars on the scene (the latter of which is working on MMO number two), and new games like Fallen Earth and Global Agenda making an impact, Science Fiction is becoming just as prominent as its medieval cousin in the gaming scene.
With that in mind, let's take a look back at the history of the Sci-Fi MMO, its current landscape, and the future that lies before it. For the purpose of this article, I'm only going to delve into the subscription based games and those that have left an indelible impression, unless special consideration is warranted. If I leave a game out, whether through ignorance or intention, feel free to call me out on it on the forums.
advertisement The first generation of graphical MMORPGs was bereft of any real Sci-Fi example. A game like Meridian 59 does seem to have the title of a more science fiction based setting, but as fans of the 1996 relic will tell you it was more along the typical swords and sorcery motif. After the original "Big Three" MMOs (Everquest, Asheron's Call, and Ultima Online) which are traditionally considered the catalyst for the online-gaming boom, the second generation brought with it the first truly Science-Fiction offering.
Anarchy Online can lay claim to a lot of firsts in the MMORPG genre, launching in the summer of 2001. Not only was Funcom's game the first to feature a Sci-Fi setting, but it was also the first to offer free-trials and eventually in-game advertising. Though the game was troubled at launch due to a number of stability and account issues that tarnished the public's perception, Anarchy Online is still alive and kicking today and has since maintained a very active subscriber-base. AO paved the way for future Sci-Fi, despite its early troubles, with several gameplay innovations such as mission terminals that offered players dynamically created missions. An additional bit of trivia for Anarchy Online? It was one of the first MMOs offered via digital distribution as well as having a retail box on store shelves.
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Later in the same year, NetDevil quietly launched Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative. Sporting a joystick-supported control interface, the original Jumpgate was the first massive online space flight simulator. A precursor to CCP's sleeper hit EVE Online, NetDevil's offering allowed players to pilot their own ship across a galaxy of over 150 sectors making their mark on the universe by mining, manufacturing, trading, and gunning down the ships of NPCs and other players. Never quite a hit, Jumpgate is surprisingly still alive and kicking today with a free trial ready for those who missed the game in its admittedly short-lived heyday. Jumpgate itself might have been a prime example of a niche product, but it had enough of a following to convince NetDevil to begin work on a sequel. But we'll get to that game a little later on.
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Before I move on, there is one console game worth mentioning that was actually released before both Jumpgate and Anarchy Online, though some may argue that it's not quite what one would call an MMORPG. Phantasy Star Online released for the Sega Dreamcast in Japan on November 21st, 2000 (and then early 2001 for the North American and European releases). Relying heavily on instancing and randomly-generated dungeons, PSO played similarly to many Roguelikes that PC gamers have been playing online for years. The main difference is that PSO sported a Japanese Anime-infused Science Fiction art style, even if the gameplay was little more than a slight variation from Diablo and other games of that ilk. Still, I suppose it had lasers, guns, lightsabers, and took place partially in space... so we have to call it Sci-Fi, right? I'll let you all debate whether or not it was a true MMO though. I just think it deserved special mention.
I'm going to skip around a bit now, instead of keeping on a straight trajectory through the timeline. Mainly because I want to save the end of "The Past" for the fallen brethren that have been left behind in battle. EVE Online came onto the scene in May of 2003, amid little to no fanfare. Back then no one could have predicted this little Icelandic-made gem would explode into the several hundred-thousand subscriber strong phenomenon it is today. Inspired by the classic PC space-trading game Elite, EVE Online is a perfect example of a developer using Sci-Fi not just as a replacement setting for Fantasy, but as a way to try new and different things in MMO design. Where other games with a Sci-Fi setting have floundered, EVE has flourished.
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I am Saddened that Planetside Gets only a passing mention. It has been alive for nearly as long as eve, albeit not with the same number of players, It also has done a better job at remaing in peoples minds, when you meet another gamer, you dont ask them about there eve character, the world is too big for that, players to seperated for it, but they will sympathize for that knife you put in a sniper's back. and the hour long Gen Holds at the bottom of tech plants. Every fps i play gets measured against planetside, and so far, i havent found any that equal the amount of fun it delivered.
I too hold very fond memories of PlanetSide, I've been searching for an FPS that could deliver as much as that game did for years, but I always end up back where I started. Nothing ever released has really compared to it. Here's hoping a sequel is made or an MMO FPS that can live up to it.
I find it interesting how many people equate a Sci-Fi MMO with "ground combat should be a FPS."
Me, I find space combat done best with a joystick in one hand, a thruster in another, and a keyboard in the last hand. Erm, yeah. ;-)
Where is the line between a Sci-Fi, Sci-Fantasy, Sci-shooter, and Sci-RPG MMO? Personally, I want a space game like Elite/Privateer/Wing Commander/etc., a ground arena like SWG in the Pre-CU (or, at worst, CU stage), a house or ship to show off trophies... and, honestly, a lightsaber in one hand, blaster in the other with a cool looking armor or robe. A hovering BFG remote over the shoulder is optional.
But, aye. I want to play Sci-Fi MMOs. Whole reason I tried the MMO scence occured when I was playing KOTOR I: standing on Dantoonie, I thought "hey, there are MMOs now. Wouldn't it be awesome to play something like this... only wider... and goes on for more than just a few hours? More epic? More meaningful?"
Oh, and fark the holy trinity of fantasy warfare. I like the skill systems.
I love Sci-Fi MMOs they are my favorite! I hope developers continue to give us some more options in the future!
SEED born may 2 2006
died sept 28 2006
ENTROPY PROJECT
the biggest mistake that developers make here is making these games too shallow and focusing way too much on hack and blast and not making a game players want to play (stop playing console games! it makes you make a crappy MMO!)
in a space game I want to be able to craft mine and transport,, I want to be able to fly and cooperate with my group I DO not want to die every 2 minutes! wounding ships is much more fun and exciting other players can repair them consumables like oxygen coolant fuel (like for afterburners) I want to be able to "red line" ships push them past what is "supost to be possible for dramatic effect not just push button spells
how about a universe similar to star ship troopers have semi safe areas where players can mine and craft and explore even teraform,,, and other areas like battle fronts where life is more risky haul missiles and ammo to the front lines,, orbital bombardment,, drop assaut troops on a desolate rock rescue wounded and shuttle them to hospital ships tow wrecked carriers back to dry docks or scrap yards,, lay mine fields, not to menton try to discover info about the alien enemy and their intentions.
With the failure of star trek online to make a good game and fallen earth to be missing too many core physics engines (like water) I am currently a nomad / refugee I am looking for my next MMO yo spend my money on,, I am alot more selective and wary now as developers time and time again have lied to me/us and made yet another hack and blast shallow environment that you quickly get bored of (I was bored of STO within hours)
oh and its usually a BAD sign when a developer anounces a release date before beta even gets going.
planetside ruined itself by going off on some acid indused alternate dimenton tangent
what they SHOULD have been was star ship troopers and actually went into space and conquered... oh ummm,,, PLANETS!
I kind of enjoyed some parts of planetside but i wouldnt call it an MMO it was a persistant first person shooter but it didnt have much when it came to depth (yet again)
I actually might be interested in a REMAKE if they went in the direction of space marines the aircraft were prety fun liked the tanks and some of the weapon systems were really slick but they need MORE DEPTH like a better world system and missons resource gathering,, crafting,, and a much larger and intuitive univers full of planets to explore and conquer and defend some planets or moons you would want for their stratigic location others for resources and others could be for industry or troop generation planets and moons and astroids would have a fantastic yet believeable enviroments from total vacume to arctic to desert to jungle
a good remake of this title might actually get sony off my black list.
I miss Earth and Beyond. I really enjoyed it. (I know there's an emulator but I can never get that stuff to work)
Planetside was fun for awhile, good FPS mmo but no spaceships.
One MMORTS that had a sci-fi feel was Shattered Galaxy, I enjoyed that one quite a bit. Still play it from time to time.
I didn't see any mention of Mankind(may have missed it). It was an empire building sci-fi MMO , I think it's still active.
Not going to mention SWG becuase that's just a can of worms I'd like to leave behind.
I'm glad PSO got a mention. That game (and Diablo II) are what hooked me to online gaming. To this day, I still will pop out my old PSO game every now and then and have a co-op split-screen romp.
Another game that should have been mentioned in the flop pile, is Hellgate: London. That was the MORPG that tried the truly ambitious feet of bridging sci-fi with traditional fantasy. Its just too bad they were too ambitious. Their epic fail was heard around the world, and definitely left a mark on the MORPG industry. It also left a mark on many of the players--like me--when we bought into the ambition and purchased lifetime subs. Thats a huge dent that can never be buffed out of my wallet.
I have always been a great fan of sci-fi games, though it is only in recent years I have been able to put a finger on it. Perhaps because I like science.
I was with EVE when it launched. Not because I am a firm fanboy, as I left the game again after about three months, only to return after another three months. At that time the player base had grinded enough liquid currency for market mechanism to kick in, and making enough to go around became much easier.
I have had some odd experiences when browsing for alternate sci-fi MMOs. When I went to the Earth & Beyond homepage they had just announced the games closure, and later when I was looking at Star Wars Galaxies they had just released the NGE. I had wanted to play SWG earlier but had waited for the Jump to Lightspeed expansion, as what makes Star Wars tick for me are games like X-Wing and Tie Fighter. Jedi's are better people than me, and I lost all interest in KotOR then moment I was forced to be one. (Not saying it was a bad game, but I truly lost interest). Anyhow, I had apparently waited too long and the SWG train had passed (and gotten derailed further down the track).
I remember with fondness how those two events (closure of E&B and the NGE) brought certain batches of "emigrants" to EVE. Perhaps it is true that these population boosts plays a big role in why EVE succeeded. If Star Trek falls on its face we might see a third immigration soon.
If CCP manages to pull off Planetary Interaction, Incarna and Dust within a foreseeable future, I will be hard pressed to find an alternate sci-fi MMO.
EDIT: Well, a Warhammer 40k will get my interest.
I still remember tribes II... look that game up.... Tribes is what led me to planetside. However brief that experience was. (my computer was not up to the challenge at that time)
Currently j6 monthly subscription goes to Eve Online. The reason is nostalgia I suppose. I was in love with Tradewars 2002 when I was a kid. (Wtf is this eve inspired by elite crap all about?) A small BBS application that allowed you to move around a universe with other pilots.. The map was in your head for the most part.
I still telnet into lamdamoo and telnet servers that offer Tradewars from time to time on my iphone during my lunch break. I weep for these classic games. They never get any recognition.
IMHO, the issue is mainly the focus of so many companies on fantasy and games that completely resemble one another. Very little differentiates most of these fantasy MMOs from one another aside from graphics / art styles and maybe some minor ruleset change. Play one, you basically played them all with very little exception.
For every Sci-Fi title that launches something in the order of 10 or more fantasy grinders roll out.
In any other genre it is the opposite. Excellent titles like Mass Effect(s), Fallout, Call of Duties, Battlefields, DoW's, Half Lifes, Team Fortress, Borderlands ... dominate gaming.
The occasional fantasy RPG pops up now and then but they are far and few between and generally are far, far superior to their MMO relatives. fantasy can make almost no inroad into FPS and RTS is dominated by contemp/Historical and Sci-Fi these days.
IMHO, no one has really had the resources and put a real effort into making a full scale Sci-Fi MMO. We keep getting these bits and pieces games.
Tabula Rasa was nowhere near the scope it needed to be. Same with Anarchy which was little more then EQ with guns, Auto Assault, Star Trek...all of these games did not have enough scope of play. SWG was just plagued by bad management & design concepts since day ONE of development.
I'd agree with this statement if I felt that CCP was actually doing something other then blowing smoke. You'd think someone for CCP would leak something by now... I hate the wait.
I think aot of the issuer with some of these games come down to gameplay and player rigs. If u dont have a gaming platform and your internet lags a bit in wow its no big deal. But when your playin a fps where every1 is ranged and combat controls are twitch based you cant lag for more the .5 sec or bam your prob dead. Not too mention the problems that come with programming a shooter are tenfold compared to point-and-click dice roll with animations u get in so many mmos. lets face it, even beyond depth tabla rasa just wasnt a fun game to play, least not for me anyway. I do however have home for the future when technology and mmos shooters intersect to provide me with some kickass fun
A very innovative sci-fi title that was not mentioned is Neocron—launched in 2002 and still running, albeit on life-support.
Tribes was a good old game.
I played a couple of these MMOs, Nothing's really taken me into its world and sent me on a fun ride however.
I did play the beta of a little game called Neocron, but once it opened its gates upto the entire community it got overcrowded and a bit crazy. which i dont like to say, keeping it small is obviously counter productive of any MMO but that's how i felt.
I just long for a true to form Cyberpunk game as in the old Pen and paper game.
Now, if only i could win the lottery and fund the dream!.
Elite....now that was one heck of a game. Loved it, loved it!!
Sci-fi settings (books, games, etc) have an inherent problem of needing more setup than fantasy. Even before WOW you could easily start a fantasy game because most people were familiar with concepts like swords, knights, wizards, trolls, castles, etc. Knights wore armor, trolls were big strong and ugly, and so on. You could jump right into it. But in sci-fi there are questions like "Is there FTL travel?" "Are there aliens? If so what are they like?" "How closely are you going to follow the laws of science?" Without an IP like Star Trek you have to explain that the only FTL is through artificial wormholes or really big ships (the kind players will never own because they're too big), the only aliens are the Fri'd*3fg who look like 2 lobsters crossed with an elephant, and there's no artificial gravity so you'll "fly" around stations. Oh since there's no air in space there won't be any sound during starfighter dog fights (and we get to save money developing them).
Basically there's so much more a sci-fi setting has to address and that can turn away players. Meanwhile fantasy is easy to explain so it's simpler and easier to get started.
I agree with all of the above. It's not just scifi mmo's that have a short life span either. Think of all the scifi tv shows that got canceled really quickly hell they tried to cancel Star Trek after the first season. It was thanks to a letter writing campaign that it still exists. I think it's because of what is said by Alverent. It takes time to set down all the back story of a SciFi setting and so you have to be willing to learn about and investigate the world around you. I doubt most mmo players are willing to do that it would require way to much reading of quest text and actually listening to whats going on around you.
We need Cyberpunk already!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk
I think a good story teller sees those story loopholes you speak of and attempts to plug them before launch... Sure Fantasy has a foundation in historic periods, it's certainly believable, it might even seem that they have an unfair advantage because of that foundation.
I disagree. I think that these fantasy storytellers (developers) have just as difficult of a time reinventing the wheel (so to speak) as the Sci-fi developers do in creating a clean slate. Fantasy can be considered stale.
The Scientific models have yet to reach full potential. There are theories yet to be discovered. As a developer, your only limited by your thinktank.
Honestly....
You forgot Entropia Universe. Its been alive since 2003, has hosted the largest virtual sales of any online game in history, and has updated its original client to CryEngine 2. The community is still quite alive, and the developers have since spunoff subsidiary companies to continue independent planet development, while they themselves have become a licensed European bank!
All this while being distrubuted according to the free to play, digital download marketing tactic.
I guess this article wasnt about all MMO's though. Just about those you can buy on the shelf at Best Buy.
As long as it's not 3rd edition. Stick with 2020!
As long as it's not 3rd edition. Stick with 2020!
Hell yeah dude!
I have to disagree. We still see a lot of "cookie cutter" fantasy settings and games (remember I'm not just limiting this to MMORPGs). Someone can set up a fantasy RPG pretty easily even if it's a custom world. Working from a clean slate is much harder than putting a few "unique" twists on your standard fantasy setting.
Sci-fi has the other problem of becoming obsolete. With fantasy you know the laws of physics are being broken and don't care. SF is suppose to (by many people's expectations) follow it more closely. Remember some of the 50s SF films where chemically fueled rockets can go to another star system in a trail of smoke? Today it seems hokey. Fantasy books that are just as old don't have that problem.
I guess its a matter of prospective then. I see Sci-Fi as being a potentially vast realm of unexplained and unproven science. As a Sci-fi developer, your only limited by your idea's.
I see fantasy as a dead horse that has been beaten many times over with the current models that are out there, The reason people continue to play the most popular MMO's is for A. Lack of a better story B. Some sense of Community.
If I was a fantasy developer, I'd scrap magic all together and develop a fantasy world based loosely around time periods with our own world. The magic of the period would be scientific discovery, thus combining fantasy and sci-fi. Wouldn't that be entertaining.
I second the mention of Neocron. Definitely far ahead of its time. Unfortunately, it was/is terribly mismanaged by the publisher.
Yes it does. Reminds me of a cross between steampunk and alchemy along the lines of Jeckel and Hyde or the Invisible Man.
Yes it does. Reminds me of a cross between steampunk and alchemy along the lines of Jeckel and Hyde or the Invisible Man.
Can you imagine though... Steampunk would be an ideal setting for this... Wolfman's, Jeckels, Invisible Men, Submarine cities... old stories that come to life...
I agree with Jackelo.
Sci-Fi is a pretty much untapped resource.
That's why I suggested Cyberpunk, I loved the old Pen and paper game, it's all there to be made into a game, plenty of background and hell loads of potential.
Time for a a new direction, time to put down that sword and pick up a hellbringer .666 revolver and shoot something :P
Planetside is the one MMO I wish I would have played.
Out of all the MMO's I've attempted to try. Planetside was one of the few I enjoyed the the most. My computer just couldn't handle the high detail I was looking for and I'm unfortunately a visual whore.
Earth and Beyond, I miss you ;; Please come back.....please?
I miss Earth & Beyond a lot. I played the crap out of that game from phase 4 beta through to the day they shut it down. If it was reopened in an official capacity today, with no upgrades, right where they left off, I would pick it up and start playing it again in a heartbeat... So much potential, squandered by EA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwGbLVdQBig
My first journey into the MMO world started with my first steps as a newly minted Psi-Monk in the city of Neocron. So much potential yet so little follow through.
If they were to bring back E&B I would jump on it. That game was incredible, just too far ahead of it's time. Or if they were to bring back pre-NGE (or even better, pre-CU) SWG.
What I want most is if they made a Shadowrun MMO. I'm just afraid, though, that Microsoft will find some way to ruin it, like Cryptic did with Star Trek and SOE with Star Wars. I know WoW is the most popular MMO by far but why does everyone seem to see the need to copy their point and click, button mashing ways??
I think EVE is great but I can't stay entertained by it long enough to get skills. If missions would advance skills then the game would be much better but as it is, I can create a character, and then log in for 10 minutes a day to plug in new skills, come back in 2 years and actually be able to do something fun :-p If I spend 8-10 hours playing I should be rewarded with something other than some ISK and maybe an implant which will take .3% off the time to learn skills :-p
The makers of the now defunct Matrix Online might not agree. Though to be honest the actual design decision of putting a strange and unfamiliar combat system in place of what moviegoers remember as a world filled with action might have been Monolith Productions' biggest pratfall. The game did sport an impressive continuation of the films' storyline with characters such as Morpheus making frequent appearances. It just never really struck a chord with players or fans of the films and after an unsuccessful attempt to resurrect interest, Sony Online Entertainment (who had acquired the game from Sega) shut down The Matrix Online on July 31st, 2009.
I've got to say as a long time player and BETA tester of MXO that the above statement is completely wrong... The combat system pre-SOE was awsome and included bullettime and awsome animations. It was the first combat system in a AAA MMO that required more than for the player to click a button to attack (which is all the rave now). The serves were packed before SOE took over and changed pretty much every aspect of the game (NGE anyone). Monolith didn't sell the game because it was doing badly it sold it becvause SOE made them an offer they couldn't refuse, besides the fact that they were a little in the dark on how to run an MMO in the long run this being their first). After SOE made the game a generic MMO with a Matrix skin the population began to decline so what did they do? They cut the Dev team down to 5 people...The general concensus of the playerbase was SOE bought MXO to pad their Station Access subscription plan (they barely had enough AAA games to make it worth the price at the time).
None of the money made from the game after the first year SOE took over went back into the game (except for what they paid the skeleton dev team), it all went to SOE's other projects. So basically SOE purchased the game to make a money grab and milked the game for what it was worth without putting any development or money back into it. And after it outlived it's usefulness they cut the devteam down to one for about the last year of it's life (rarebit), and amazingly Rarebit was able to add more content in that last year on his own than SOE did the whole time they owned the game.
While I hope to see more Sci-Fi MMO titles in the future, I am actually not going to play anything unless it does something special and unique.
I think one of the challenges Sci-Fi has over Fanstasy is that there tends to be a 'spacecraft' element.. and nothing else. Your a ship.. not a person. Ya.. you have a small little avatar in the corner when you talk, but for me that never quite did it.. I don't feel connected in the same was as a virtual 'flesh & blood' character.
The games that appeal to me have both. Ships.. I can walk around in.. and station I can walk around in.. and planets I can explore.
SWG still gives me that.. but I've done most of everything I want to do over 4 years (late commer to MMOs) and my ships are done and my houses are decorated and my toons are levelled up. SWG has kept me in the 'end game' for about three years now with no interruptions.. and thats saying a lot for the depth of its systems. Still.. the SWG dev team is too small.. updates are too slow.. the code seems old and hard to alter.. and the playerbase is stable, but no hope of growth.
STO has the engine it needs to appeal to space & ground pounders like myself. It could use more 'social' MMO tools.. and they should expand the ship interiors sooner rather than later.. but it has the core basics right now, at launch. Not even the mighty LA/SOE had space flight/fighting on launch day.. it took some time to hack into the game.
If a 3rd Sci-Fi MMO came about.. that had a mixture of ground and space.. I might give it a try also. EvE does not have that mix.. but if it gets it... I would happily re-subscribe to try it out. There is something that I need as a gamer..that connection to my characters.. that spaceships alone don't provide.
But neither does characters alone either. I don't play fantasy anymore (CoH, WoW) not because its fantasy-based (or hero base for CoH) but because just 1 game system, no real crafting system, no real housing system.. does not appeal to me in the same way.
Like a lot of you, I'd love to make my own sci-fi MMO based on what I like.. anyone got a few million dollars to donate?
I was interested in what games were considered Science Fiction. I read the article and was surprised to see very few of the games mentioned had anything to do with science. Just because a game is set in the future doesn't make it sci-fi. Star Wars is the best example. If you watch all 6 star wars movies you won't find any science at all. Star Wars is fantasy.
Can you imagine though... Steampunk would be an ideal setting for this... Wolfman's, Jeckels, Invisible Men, Submarine cities... old stories that come to life...
Are you guys saying something along the lines of an Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura style mmo or something with less magic? I didn't get far in that game, but I loved what I saw. It was about half Steampunk and half magic.
I, too, would love to play a steampunk style mmo. Closest I've found was Neosteam, but the steampunk there, from what I saw, was less a part of the game system and more just a small influence on the art style...a very small part.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecha
This has generally been untouched as far as i know of, excluding the gundam mmo (which closed like 3 years ago) in japan and the mecha shooter Exteel.
The past....there it goes.....wait what was the question?
Oh, Arcanum. Buggy as hell, but what an amazing game from Troika. God rest that developer's soul. I would have loved for that game to take off and become a franchise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecha
This has generally been untouched as far as i know of, excluding the gundam mmo (which closed like 3 years ago) in japan and the mecha shooter Exteel.
Well they've got something similar to Mecha in the works
http://www.perpetuum-online.com/
and
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/438/Perpetuum.html
Might not have the depth but its a start anyway. We will see how it goes,
Well they've got something similar to Mecha in the works
http://www.perpetuum-online.com/
and
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/438/Perpetuum.html
Might not have the depth but its a start anyway. We will see how it goes,
Yeah I have heard about this, but the problem is the western style mechs just aren't cutting it out for me, it looks like the wind can topple them over. I'm imagining something more Armored Core like maybe or idk. But these chicken legged walkers..there just..bleh.
City of Heroes is awesome. That is all.
Why hasn't anyone tapped the mechwarrior concept.
i swear to god you could port all things in EVE to mechwarriors, have the same mechs do the same thing as the ships in EVE but now you have to code an actual background. I think it could be done.
I'm surprised no one has done it.
Cryomatrix
I've read a few posts/articles around the web concerning this very idea, I think that would be sick as hell..but didn't the mechwarrior franchise die? Don't think any games are gonna come out for it anymore now that they canceled mechwarrior 5.
What about Mimesis?!
When I look back at all the pnp rpgs I have played over the years very few where fantasy. Sure the first one I played 20 years ago was fantasy (Drakar och Demoner) but after that it has been a long string of non-fantasy games. Not all sci-fi (there where for example a western game we played for a fair amount of time) but very little fantasy.
And it's just not taste but based on what where on the market in sweden back then. There where only 2-3 fantasy games but a lot of non fantasy.
So to say that fantasy are the standard in pnp rpgs I find false.
Yup, Planetside keeps coming back to mind for me. Such a simple gameplay environment, such an awesome gameplay experience. It proves that what developers need to do is stop trying to make the game for the players, and just give the players the ways to make the game.
How far we have come, Phantasy Star Online released in 2000 “Relying heavily on instancing and randomly-generated dungeons”. It seems that the new crop of SF MMO’s; STO, GA and STOR will be doing exactly the same half baked effort to be a true online world.
Earth and Beyond, was another EA game that did not live up to the expected profit margin, so straight to the bin.
CoX could be called a SF game, but it is a supers, so that’s streaching it, loved the game though.
How can a contribution like this one miss Neocron?
Yup, Planetside keeps coming back to mind for me. Such a simple gameplay environment, such an awesome gameplay experience. It proves that what developers need to do is stop trying to make the game for the players, and just give the players the ways to make the game.
I loved Planetside, it was the one game where you could really play massive online battles with or without vehicles, and where teamplay really mattered. It was fun to just log in for an hour or so, you didn't need to spent ages leveling just to be able to do something. Would love to play a new game like that......
Hellgate London had it's charms. Found it too repetitive though.
Eh, Perpetuum Online which has already been noted, is such alike EVE (example 1, 2 and 3) that you could claim they are trespassing on CCPs intellectual property.
I just wish they would develop Planetside 2. Planetside is still The best mmofps (or action game) ever made even if it still lacks all the basics we are used to in other games, like meaningful guild stuff, crafting etc.
And of course, why the hell did they shut down Earth and Beyond?
Interesting article for someone who doesn't know the history of Sci-Fi MMOs, good read.
We need more of them... Mechwarrior MMO (one can dream)
What about Earthrise? It will be out far sooner than SWTOR, and is more similar to EVE.
I am glad this article mentions Earth & Beyond which launched on September 24, 2002 only a year behind Jumpgate and before Eve-Online. It was the first sci-fi game with a deep compelling storyline that had to be discovered.
In another first, Earth and Beyond was the first popular online game that was deliberately allowed to die by its owner who never added any additional content. Who was that owner you ask? None other than EA who bought out this game's developer, Westwood Studios, a few months before launch.
I miss Earth & Beyond as well.
Or Shattered Galaxy?
Regarding a Mechwarrior MMO, there was always Battletech 3025, which EA canned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcq6tGgxzEQ&feature=related
After playing most of the big name MMO's since UO was released I'd have to say AO was and currently is the deepest and most varied of the group.
Those of you asking for cyberpunk, AO has elements of that. Implants, decks and nano's as well as all sorts of guns and melee weapons. It was the first to do mission instancing and did it right in my opinion.
It's personal preference of course but after playing many MMO's I'm drawn to the ones with the steeper learning curve and with lots of options aka AO, Eve, WW2 Online etc..
" Anarchy Online can lay claim to a lot of firsts in the MMORPG genre, launching in the summer of 2001. Not only was Funcom's game the first to feature a Sci-Fi setting, but it was also the first to offer free-trials and eventually in-game advertising."
Yeah, free trials and advertising are the best you could mention as far as "firsts" for AO.
You forgot to mention Funcom created instancing tech for Anarchy Online, which every modern mmo afterwards has used. Anyone who bitches about instances in their games can send a note of thanks to Funcom for developing it. Anarchy Online was the first to have randomly created missions which paved the way for the random mission systems used in Star Wars Galaxies and other games afterwards. Anarchy Online was also the first mmo to have what we now call Collector Editions with it's "Special Edition" in 2002 which came with art and a soundtrack cd.
Original post by Jon Wood...
Earth & Beyond was launched in September of 2002, and closed in September of 2004. With of the briefest live periods of any online offering, E&B was an ambitious title that never quite gathered enough of a following to please its publisher, EA Games. What's sad, as any former player will tell you, is that the game was actually pretty impressive. The first to offer both space flight as well as traditional avatar exploration (though admittedly the latter of which was limited most to space stations), E&B was rather ahead of its time and received many positive reviews from critics. For whatever reason though the game was never really a barnstormer, and unlike EVE it was never given enough time to gain steam.
I was in the beta and later a subscriber. What I can tell you is that EA had just bought Westwood Studios at this time. Westwood, famous for its C&C games, was now doing an MMO. At one point in the beta, they brought down the servers for a patch.... to ensure the EA logo remained onscreen for 10 seconds. Seriously.
EA didn't support Earth & Beyond. The content patches were fewer than they are in WoW. There was little advertising for the game. No posters, cardboard standees, magazine ads, etc. When I went to buy my retail copy the store clerk at Software Etc hadn't even heard of the game. Almost like EA just wanted to milk this for some money and had every intention of killing it eventually. After all, this was Westwood's baby not EA's.
Not only was the game nice to look at, you could land on some planets, but it had a great way to advance. Many companies spin "innovation" but E&B really came up with something. The cap was lvl 150, broken up into 50 combat, trade and exploration levels. You kill stuff you gain Combat xp. Just expore the universe or break down loot to learn the recipe you get Explore xp. Sell or create items and you get Trade xp. Get to an overall level and you do a mission to upgrade your ship and get promoted. So your Terran Enforcer goes from Commander to Captain, you get a new rank plus a bigger flashier ship.
Of all the MMO's I've played E&B is the one I miss the most.
I also enjoyed E&B at launch. And I appreciate and empathsize with all the nastalgia about Earth & Beyond in this thread. But it wasn't just a perfect game that was killed by EA. It had serious design issues. The killer for me was no autopilot to fly between star systems (like EvE has). Seriously, you had to steer your ship every step of the way. This got to be boring very quickly and drove many potential players away early on--including me and my friends. But I know that EA neglected the game, and issues like that could have been resolved quickly if the developers were better supported by EA.
How about a Sci-fi MMO - ABOUT the past? Setting? Planet earth in the far future. Sometime in the late 2100's, world war broke out nearly wiped out humanity. All records of history pre 2100 are lost. Life, as it always does...survived.
Humanity has rebuilt itself...and, as always...war is about to grip the earth in combat again...but this time? its time itself that is in danger. With the controversial advent of physical time travel there began to be discussions. With the population once decimated, people are now infertile and cloning is our only option.
At first it was talks about exploring...just to write the history books that had been lost after humanities self destructive world war 3. The Observers, as they are called, refuse to interfere with anything or anyone. They only wish to learn from history...and try to use what they've learned to prevent war in their own time.
But then there were those who wished to go back and heal humanity and prevent the wars. Their goal is to preserve the human genetic diversity that was lost...bring forward enough good DNA to prevent the forced inbreeding and eventual loss of fertility we suffered. With this in mind they also don't hestitate to fix anything they can. Preserve extinct species, germs, etc while trying to alter the timeline such that the Earth's natural resources are more intact.
A second faction is bent on power and greed. They have back through history and changed events from the beggining of the human record in order to bring about their own ends. They don't hestitate to destroy anything in order to plunder the riches and knowledge of the past. They don't care if they alter the past such that the future from whence they spring no longer exists. The only force keeping them in check is the 3rd faction.
The 3rd faction is the only thing standing between the other two faction's tampering. Using clandestine detective work and maybe a few high powered pistols, they try to preserve the timeline from the other faction's tampering.
The setting of the game then is Here on earth. The storyline is our history. The world is already created and so is 95% of the storyline. Costumes, art, music, architecture, foods, etc are already created. Not only could you explore this planet during any one of the major historical timelines, but you will learn and participate in actual history (crap, can education be fun!?) and deal with consequences of actions (a moral to the story? WTH).
-Participate in Napoleans battles...stop the enemy factions from interfering with the discoveries of Lewis and Clark. Etc etc.
-In order to save your experience, you must return to a module that will store your memories for your replacement clone. If you die without that storage, your between your last save and now is lost. Your items are lost (but recoverable)
-Don't go down a timeline and make choices that alters time such that you cannot return to the future!
-Get all the future gadgetry/weaponry of a futuristic setting but take it anywhere in the past - but be discreet about it. While visiting your own timeline, participate in full scale conflicts using the latest and greatest technologies.
Anyway. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I liked AO, it was a good game :) I hope in the future we'll have a "Worlds of Starcraft" MMO. I would love to see that, it has a good set up for a RvRvR war like Dark Age of Camelot, just taking over entire worlds instead of Keeps :)
Actually space sim players have a 4th arm to manage food/drinks while playing because we don't get off that much from the pilot seat :)
When I first heard about SWG I had hopes it would be a mix of Dark force and X-Wing vs Tie-fighter.
You can guess I was very disappointed both with the hotkey ground combat and the bad flight sim. But crafting was really great, socialization top noch and it was the only MMO who was able to bring non fighters to the genre, from crafter to entertainer.
I wish someday a studio would create a FPS ground based combat system, with a decent space sim and an economy as in Privateer 2 the darkening or Elite. A topping of pre-CU SWG crafting and entertainer system would be most welcome.
Hey Hey
To bad most people think that starwars is sci-fi ><.
Sci-Fi will be a harder sell, at its heart it is meant to challenge the reader , to deal with new and alien idea's , that clash with their world views. District 9 was one of the best true science fiction moves in a while , not becouse of the special effects , but it allowed us a Diffrent view of humanity, they would have not reached the same audience if it was about human refuges and how we treat fellow humans.
All of that being said, i would really enjoy a rifts mmo, and am thinking of getting a console for dust 514. At the end of the day however think we will see more fantasy mmo's with a sci-fi skin, becouse people are very comfortable with what they all ready have.
Welcome Home
Rev
Did I blink and miss a point in there someplace?
I did particularly enjoy the whitewash of Anarchy Online though...describing a game that lost 90% of it's customers in 3 months and never recovered most of them as "a very active subscriber base" lol. AO's launch was the defining example of "launch failure" and remains so. Most of their "innovation" didn't work for years.
Don't forget the futuristic "Imperator" that Mythic postponed indefinately....
Sci-FI could be done well in a number of ways...SWG was crippled by some very bad early decisions and abysmal management...
Tabula Rasa and Auto Assault were both stable, enjoyable and playable games that could have been saved and kept around by better/more long-term oriented operating companies.
Planetside was an awesome game, and Phantasy Star Online was great too, but I have very fond memories of Earth and Beyond. That game was never given a fair run.
However, it's not so much the Sc i-Fi setting itself that drew me in to those games, it was the fact they felt different from the cookie cutter template we've see so often in MMO's.
As a current subscriber to Champions Online it's disappointing to see that developers are not trying to push the boundaries and do something different. And having been in the beta for Star Trek Online, it is just another clone of the standard MMO template. The industry seems in desperate need of a shakeup in some areas because reskinning the same old game play is going to eventually hurt the genre.
There's more to it than them failing because people didn't like them.
MMo's suffer from alot of things, for one they aren't given enough time for the fan base to truly develop. And part of the reason they don't develop is because of the business model they use. Subscriptions suck and limit how many players you get. Another part is that they push the boundaries of system specifications most of the time. And again many would be players are left out of the loop.
I think they just need to hang around for awhile longer and change their business model a bit. This would give people time to catch up. That or develop it from the beginning with all that in mind.
I bet a dollar to a dime that if Anarchy Online could update their graphics a little they would have a ton more players that would pay for the box. And I'd be willing to bet that if SWG dropped their subscription model and only charged for the box that they would be filled to near capacity.
I still play PS, was surprised it and Neocron didn't get much of a mention.
Only up and coming SF game I'm looking at is Infinity, looks absolutely awsome. If it has what is planned all the big devs houses will be throwing money at him to get their hands on it and the engine.
While I don't disagree with your article, I don't totally agree either.
SWG is not a total failure. As a long time palyer, 5 years no break even throug the CU and the NGE, SWG is thriving more than it has since the PreCU.
That does not mean I agree with the production decisions that have been made with regard to SWG by LA / SOE.
SWG still has more content and playability than any of the new MMOs coming out. That includes crafting and PVP. In addition to free roaming game space on planets SWG also have space flight and PVP space combat.
I'm afraid that the new KOTOR and STO are way under developed in reality when compared to publish dates and marketing statements.
Tabula Rasa.......best damn game i ever played....NC soft should be knee capped for canceling that one. They should have made it free to play with a cash shop to support it it eventually could have overpowered WoW with little difficulty for me. Given the choice between playing EVE and Tabula Rasa id choose....EVE .....but still it'd be close. :)
"I spit on you NC Soft"
Amen to that. I have eagerly hoped for a true successor to Planetside and nothing out there has come close (hint to developers 32 v 32 or 64 v 64 is not massive). The adrenaline rush of skmming the trees with my Galaxy for a low level bd drop, gen holds, full on base assaults and defences was a blast.
I've always said that if someone would merge Eve with Planetside (and hopefully some small fighter combat in space against the huge ships) I'd never leave home again. I don't think CCP is going to that with Dust given that its console versus PC, but I suppose one can dream.
If they added that other stuff to a Planetside 2 it would kill it. The whole beauty of PS was being able to log in for the very first time and be competitive. Sure you couldn't do everything and you didn't have access to command stuff, but you could take a specialization and still kick some butt.
One of the biggest problems I find in the traditional mmo structure is the pointless grind because you need that next tier of gear to do the next raid to get that next tier of gear etc. Would you rather do yet another Balrog run/Plane of Fear or whatever your standard end game dungeon is in your traditional MMO for the eightieth time because you haven't had that drop yet, or your guild hasn't gotten all of their epic armour, or would you rather hop in find yourself instantly deep in the you know what and be in for a fight not caring about needing that next tier of whatever and just having fun?
I don't remember it being that buggy, of course that was several years ago. Sure was a heck of a lot of fun though. Great blending of fantasy and industry.
In NCSoft's defense, they gave the Tabula Rasa devs a year to get their act together. They did not. "Best damn game" you ever played? Really? A perfect example of "to each their own".
very nice article, and thanks for reminding me about how much I miss playing Earth and Beyond.
Arcanum is great, and I would love to play a steampunk style mmo.
Well in that case, I guess you are in luck.
Try googling Planetside Next :)
Amen to that. I have eagerly hoped for a true successor to Planetside and nothing out there has come close (hint to developers 32 v 32 or 64 v 64 is not massive). The adrenaline rush of skmming the trees with my Galaxy for a low level bd drop, gen holds, full on base assaults and defences was a blast.
I've always said that if someone would merge Eve with Planetside (and hopefully some small fighter combat in space against the huge ships) I'd never leave home again. I don't think CCP is going to that with Dust given that its console versus PC, but I suppose one can dream.
Planetside for live brothers! I really miss that game. Ever since Core Combat, it just hasn't felt the same. I can't play it anymore... too few people, no real battles raging across the continent... also think EVE Online is fantastic, and I'm curious to see what CCP does with Dust. I might just play EVE and Dust 514 at the same time lol. Not a big fan of console games though... if only they would release it on PC :(
I'm surprised there was no mention of Jumpgate: Evolution.
No Mention of Neocron?
That game came out years ago and is still going - sort of
http://ng.neocron.com/
Its definately a sci-fi - cyber punk game
Didn't play E&B for long but it seemed rather cool, have played some neocron and i loved the apartments in that game :)
But the game i still play and enjoy is anarchy online, i have 3 accounts active :)
Amen! Some bright spark really should develop William Gibson styled MMO :D
I think part of the problem with a SCI-FI MMO is the game play. Everyone sitting around and shooting is a bit boring when compared to the wild running for position, kiting, luring, etc that the melee oriented fantasy style brings. That or you give it FPS mechanics which will turn off a lot of players (But attract those that don't like traditional MMO controls).
Someone mentioned earlier that Star Wars is Fantasy, and that's not entirely true. However the most popular Star Wars archetype is certainly fantasy: A Jedi fights in Melee and uses spells. Giving them a laser sword and calling magic 'The Force' doesn't change what it is.
This is the challenge developers face. They need engaging gameplay without just using 'space graphics' and far future/post-apocalyptic fluff. I'd love to see a Shadowrun or Rifts style game, And while I like Warhammer 40k and there are rumors for a MMO developed on it, 40k is also fantasy with guns. In space.
Uh it did have autopilot, you click on Waypoint A and then Waypoint Z and you fly right to it with no further input needed from you. Could interrupt the flight if you wanted to stop for whatever reason too. Only way you manually controlled your ship was when you were moving sublight in an area (like running around a zone after hopping off your mount in other mmos). This is how my jenquai defender helped newbies get some explore levels, I'd group up with them and then we'd fly around the galaxy doing some trade routes for quick cash. They were basically auto-following me most of the trip.
Any mmo without support will fail. EA just seemed to just not care about E&B, so just tried to recover some capital.