dominus
Latest
The Daily Grind: Do you mourn games that never were?
With the sudden and unexpected shutdown of Dominus prior to its launch, the game joins a long line of titles canceled before ever seeing the light of day. Some of them were expansions or campaigns, like Guild Wars: Utopia; some were full games, like the various Ultima Online sequels planned over the years. But none of them ever saw general release. They existed only as test clients and unrealized screenshots. Obviously, it's difficult to feel the same sense of loss for these games. Star Wars Galaxies is gone now, but it was released and playable at one time. But for some people, the games that never really existed can be a little bit sadder. They weren't cut down in their prime; they were cut down before they even had a chance. So do you mourn games that never were? Do you reminisce about what could have been? Or do you save your sorrow for games that did get released and then faded away? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Pitchblack Games' Dominus abruptly shutting down
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. Sanya Weathers, Director of Community for Pitchblack Games' in-development sandbox title, Dominus, posted on the forums today to inform players that, effective immediately, Dominus is no more. Weathers states that the team "simply cannot deliver the game [players] deserve with the resources [the studio has]." She goes on to apologize vehemently, adding that the forum is now read-only, though the game's Facebook page will remain open long enough for players to say their last goodbyes. Sanya signs off by thanking the players for proving that "there is a market for a game like [Dominus]." She concludes, "I will miss you all, and I know we'll meet again." Here's to hoping. Best of luck to the folks over at Pitchblack; we look forward to your next endeavor.
HeroEngine licensing takes off thanks to SWTOR's success
The HeroEngine is making waves in MMO development circles these days, primarily as a result of BioWare's having used it to build Star Wars: The Old Republic. Idea Fabrik says thousands of would-be developers have licensed the tool suite in recent weeks. The firm has also seen a sharp increase in subscribers for its HeroCloud service offering, which is basically a hosted system for making online RPGs, FPS titles, and social/casual games. Idea Fabrik COO Neil Harris says the technology is now a proven commodity thanks to its widespread adoption. "We crossed a major milestone once large games built on HeroEngine proved that our server technology can handle a hugely successful game. This lowers the perceived risk of developers in adopting the HeroEngine platform," he said. The HeroEngine is also powering several indie sandbox titles, including Origins of Malu, The Repopulation, and Dominus. The engine was initially developed by Simutronics for a now-defunct MMO called Hero's Journey. [Source: Idea Fabrik press release]
Dominus reveals its bounty hunting mechanics
We're not sure what it is about bounty hunters that makes them cooler than cool, but there's no denying the appeal of a profession that characters like Boba Fett, John Marston, and Rick Deckard call their own. Dominus is hoping to capture some of that badassery in a bottle via its bounty hunting system, and a new update on the game's official website has all the details. In a nutshell, players are able to place bounties on four of their enemies at a time, and the only other consideration is the amount of money you're willing to put toward your revenge. Hunting a bounty involves accepting a contract via an NPC, and you'll be alerted as to your target's zone location if he's online. After you make the kill, you'll be paid on the spot, and any other players who accepted the same bounty contract will find it removed from their mission log. There's more, but you'll need to head to the Dominus website to read it.
Dominus December beta invites delayed [Updated]
Those of you itching for a three-faction PvP MMO with a sci-fi twist will have to endure the discomfort a bit longer. Dominus has announced a slight delay in its beta testing program due to a new game engine that is currently in need of some tweaking. "The content is basically fine. But the animations are borked, and the lighting is all off, and everything needs to be re-optimized," explains Pitchblack community manager Sanya Weathers on Dominus' official forums. The bad news is that those players who were promised a spot in the December wave of beta invites are out of luck for the time being. The good news is that the spots aren't going anywhere, and you'll be able to do your part in Dominus' testing phase when new player acceptances resume after the new year. [Update: We've corrected our erroneous references to Dominus' old title.]
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
In coming up with a follow-up list to my previous Upcoming MMO Contenders list, I found myself almost paralyzed by more choices than I could shake a wireless mouse at. Pointing at the sure bets is one thing, but narrowing down a field of dozens and dozens of interesting -- yet more far-flung -- prospects is far more difficult. It's one thing to have a good idea; it's another to say whether or not this game will actually make it to launch, and if it does, that it'll pull the idea off well. That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right. Deep breath -- let's give it a go!
Prime: Battle for Dominus undergoes a quick name change
There's a lot in a name, for MMOs as much as anything. You want your name to be recognizable, distinct, and perhaps most importantly something that isn't going to be mistaken for the name of a different game or product. Prime: Battle for Dominus has already been establishing buzz about itself, but its name was a bit cumbersome with the subtitle and a bit generic without it, so the game is shortening itself down to simply Dominus from here on out. Confirmed via an official tweet, the name change is hardly the first time that a game in production has undergone a shift in title (the most recent MMO example being RIFT and its multiple sobriquets). Nothing else appears to have changed for the title, although it's quite likely that the official site address will be changed and the current site will be used as a redirect. And it will be a lot easier to remember the name, since Dominus doesn't come up frequently in other conversations.
Prime releases web-based guild creation tool
It's been rather quiet at the Prime Battle for Dominus camp lately, and aside from last week's guest appearance by Warren Weems and John Kenison on our Massively Speaking podcast, we haven't heard any new info about the sci-fi title in some time. Happily, Pitchblack Games has just sent out a press release revealing the availability of a guild creation tool for its three-faction PvP game. The tool requires an account on the Prime website, and players may search for an existing guild or create their own. The creation process results in a unique section of the Prime site and also reserves the guild name in the game itself. [Source: Pitchblack Games press release]
