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In Development: The Secret World
Some of you will have heard of this project by Funcom, the development studio that brought us Anarchy Online, The Longest Journey, and the upcoming Age of Conan. The Secret World, from the sound of it, might be closer to the horror MMO that I was talking about here. From what's available on the website that's gathered together all the puzzle pieces, including some game concept artwork, it looks like TSW might be a Lovecraftian-type of world, which makes it more than welcome in my eyes.I'm getting tired of Fantasy and Space as MMO themes. It's time for something new. Barring a Western, or Gritty Cop Drama Environment, the Cthulhu Mythos seems a ripe and ready universe to base an MMO in. Think about it: it's both urban and provincial, outdoors and indoors, can handle both technology and some variation of magic, and the creature models will be outrageously creative.That's my best guess, anyway. Anyone else get a different take from it all?
Funcom unveils The Secret World MMO for Xbox 360, PC
We always were rubbish at poetry. Stunningly devoid of pointy ears, robots and glowing swords, Funcom's newly announced MMORPG, The Secret World, promises to take all things massive and multiplayer and thrust them into a contemporary setting. It sounds like a fish out of water story for the genre -- players themselves may even feel out of place after all those hours spent in World of Warcraft. The publisher aims to put players in realistic cities (on Earth) and have them uncover the game's sinister plot, eventually involving the eponymous secret world.With the secret world (accessible through a magical wardrobe, no doubt) being filled with monsters and magic, the game will need to be unique in its presentation there, lest it fall into the pit of clichés its trying so hard to avoid. Thankfully, the leadership and proven storytelling prowess of The Longest Journey's Ragnar Tørnquist should guard against that happening. "We always wanted a different kind of online world, something scary and contemporary, something deeper and closer to our reality," says the game's producer and director. "Our goal now is to create a detailed world where players feel empowered and part of something big, something mystical and epic."The Xbox 360 and PC game, which is currently in a "playable state", has not been given a release date yet. [Thanks, HaloBreaker]
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey to continue in episodic format
At last, someone has extended a gracious hand to the adventure gamers left hanging on the edge of a cliff since the conclusion of last year's Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. However, it may surprise you to learn that said heroic hand belongs to the Norwegian government. The powers that be have, via the Norwegian Film Fund, awarded Funcom with a grant for Dreamfall Chapters. The grant will partially finance the research and development of the base technology necessary to continue The Longest Journey saga in episodic and digitally distributed format.Funcom views the project as an opportunity to evolve their business model, as well as The Longest Journey brand. The press release announcing the project even implies that if the brand was to gain enough popularity, a Longest Journey MMO could be brought to life. Given the series' intricate, parallel worlds and the rich culture that permeates both, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.And neither does Dreamfall Chapters. The project is certainly aptly named -- it seems entirely appropriate to think of the forthcoming episodes as literal chapters torn out of an ongoing book. Those who appreciated Dreamfall (essentially an interactive film or novel), will likely find that a fitting analogy. The Longest Journey's author (as it were) and game designer, Ragnar Tørnquist, has confirmed to Joystiq that he will be writing the story and keeping a "vigilant eye" on the game's production. Though Dreamfall Chapters is currently set for online release only, Funcom is considering retail releases featuring combined chapters at a later date, both for consoles and PCs. No release date has been announced yet.
GDC: Ragnar Trnquist is awesome
I entered my meeting with Ragnar Tørnquist armed with an array of questions from self-professed Ragnar Tørnquist fanboy (and DS/Revolution Fanboy) Ludwig Kietzmann. By the time we were done playing with Dreamfall, it was apparent that Mr. Tørnquist was really cool and probably wouldn't mind making Ludwig's day with an autograph. He graciously agreed and asked what to write...
GDC: A meeting with Ragnar Tørnquist and Dreamfall
On Wednesday I had the pleasure of meeting with Ragnar Tørnquist, the creative director of Funcom, the lead designer of adventure gaming classic The Longest Journey and, it turns out, a loyal Joystiq reader ("every morning"). We met at the Hotel Montgomery a couple blocks from the convention center to take a look at his latest game, Dreamfall, a sequel (of sorts) to The Longest Journey.
