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Black Prophecy not playable on console at release says Reakktor CEO Kirk Lenke
One of the sci-fi MMOs we're hearing more about is Black Prophecy from Reakktor Media, a ship-oriented space combat game. Nolvadex from Gamesource recently interviewed Reakktor Media's CEO Kirk Lenke. He gives some basic info about the game's backstory and some of the options available to players, as well as the company's choice to build Black Prophecy on the Gamebryo graphics engine. Lenke states that Reakktor plans to bring a few features to Black Prophecy that should be familiar to Neocron players. He says, "Features that have been successful in Neocron will also be ported to Black Prophecy as much as they fit into the game play and render technically possible, such as the mentioned clan system." Lenke also specifically addresses the fact that Black Prophecy will not be available on console at release: "Originally it was planned to release Black Prophecy for PC and Xbox 360, but the console version has been stopped by our former mother company, 10tacle Studios, in the past. The release of a console version in the near future seems quite unrealistic now as the porting to the Xbox 360 is much more difficult to accomplish as it would have been in the beginning of the development," Lenke says. "Nonetheless a console release of Black Prophecy is not completely ruled out," adds Lenke.
Earthrise lead technical artist Ed Mattinian discusses visual influences
The Bulgaria-based developer Masthead Studios is hard at work on their first massively multiplayer online game Earthrise, a title that's equal parts sci-fi and post-apocalyptic. Nolvadex from the Italian MMO news site Gamesource spoke with the game's lead technical artist Ed Mattinian about the look of Earthrise. Mattinian discusses balancing form with function when it comes to how technology is depicted in the game, trying to create a futuristic world that's not simply cold and sterile. He says, "I'd say that technological products have their own beauty to them. It's all about function and how that 'product' -- be it a weapon, a craft, or a teleporter - is designed for its function. That's the beauty that we're looking for."
Eskil Steenberg on developing the Love MMO solo
Massively multiplayer online games are the result of millions of dollars of investment and the collective efforts of a large team of developers to produce... right? Not according to Eskil Steenberg, who has the distinction of being the only individual we've heard of who's developing an MMO by himself, titled Love. No doubt this is a Herculean task before Steenberg, but Love is by all indications rather far along in development, particularly in light of the video footage we've seen in the past. Steenberg recently did an interview with GameSource, discussing aspects of Love ranging from his motivations to take on a project of this scale by himself to the tools he's using to make his game concepts a reality. Eskil Steenberg will be in attendance at this month's Game Developers Conference, so it's a safe bet you can expect to hear more about Love at Massively in the coming weeks.
Atlantica Online's lead producer sits down with GameSource.it
Our friends across the pond at GameSource.it recently had the chance to sit down and chat with Kim Tae Gon, the lead producer on Atlantica Online, and ask him some questions about what made Atlantica so special in the MMO market.Kim gladly laid out his enthusiasm for the game's main selling point, the turn-based strategic combat system. Atlantica uses a turn-based system, rather than the standard real-time systems found in almost all MMOs, to let combat progress with the player making decisions with his character and other units, rather than simply their own character. The system's history is complex, being originally derived from Luminary: The Rise of the GoonZu, Tae Gon's previous title, and ideas presented in the Korean game Gersang. Out of both of these titles, and with a renewed emphasis on combat rather than strategic control of territories, came Atlantica's combat system.For the full interview, check out GameSource's website as they ask Tae Gon on his favorite mercenary in Atlantica, how the economic crisis has hit their company, and how Tae Gon and his team work to overcome the western market's stigma of free-to-play titles.
The Chronicles of Spellborn interview explains game's unique aspects
The Chronicles of Spellborn is a game we've been hearing more about lately. We recently noticed an interview by Nolvadex at the Italian gaming site Gamesource with The Chronicles of Spellborn's lead community manager Pierre-Yves "Mirage" Deslandes. Mirage discusses a relatively smooth European launch for the title and some of the complexities of their publishing deals, insofar as they affect the European market. The challenges of balancing PvE and PvP content in the game comes up, and Mirage also addresses why The Chronicles of Spellborn shipped without an auction house, stressing that a marketplace is indeed on the way. In terms of building upon the game's combat systems, Netherlands-based developer Spellborn NV doesn't plan to make any major changes to the game's combat system, which Mirage states is the trademark and backbone of The Chronicles of Spellborn. Adding greater depth to what's presently offered instead of simply adding more races and classes to the game is clearly a priority for the developers.
Fallen Earth lead designer Lee Hammock on game's approach to genre
The post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game Fallen Earth has been getting more frequent mentions in the gaming press, earlier this month at Worlds in Motion and now at Italian gaming site Gamesource. Nolvadex from Gamesource recently caught up with Fallen Earth's lead designer Lee Hammock, who shared a bit about the inspiration that Icarus Studios has drawn from post-apocalyptic games and films. Their aim was to incorporate the best of these elements into a game that can stand on its own. In addition to discussing how Fallen Earth will balance content between PvE and PvP, Hammock addresses the competition the title is likely to get from the other post-apocalyptic MMO on the horizon, Earthrise. The two games are differentiated in ways beyond backstory Hammock says, such as Fallen Earth's 'use what works' approach to found objects and combat, specifically using "non-traditional weapons -- a parking meter or a baker's rolling pin for instance -- to provide more innovative combat and the sense of using whatever means necessary to stay alive." See the Gamesource interview with Lee Hammock for more on what Icarus Studios is doing with Fallen Earth.
