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The Daily Grind: How do you kill off your characters?
Indie sandbox Origins of Malu plans to feature a very unusual PvP mode: a permadeath PvP duel system. Characters who voluntarily duel under this system -- and lose -- will be erased from the game. Forever! Massively's staff roleplayers are divided on whether or not this feature will ever see much use, though. While most of us think it's an awesome system that will provide some spectacular entertainment, others of us have argued that it takes a lot of courage for MMO gamers, so used to investing time and money into their avatars, to kill off a character permanently. It won't be easy finding another roleplaying duelist who's both capable of putting up a good fight and willing to risk his own hide. Plus, wouldn't it be weird if every single RPer who wanted to off a toon did so in a gladiatorial duel to the death? There are so many other dramatic ways to end a character's story! And that brings us to today's Daily Grind: How do you kill off your characters? Do you go for climactic in-game events? Do you field "can I have ur stuff" requests? Do you delete silently and never look back to avoid future temptation? Or do you cancel your accounts and let your characters slumber peacefully, awaiting your someday return? 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!
Origins of Malu shows off combat and house-building in video interview
Seeing is believing, and folks want to see more of Origins of Malu, a promising upcoming sandbox MMORPG. In answer to this, Burning Dog Media has released an E3 video interview with Lead Developer Jason Mitchell interspersed with alpha footage highlighting a bit of combat as well as the house-building feature. Although some of the footage will look familiar from our exclusive E3 interview, there are added combat scenes and a brief demonstration of housing construction. Jason adds a few details about the twitch-based combat such as the ability to dodge and the charging feature for skills. At 3:28, viewers get their first glimpse of the beginnings of creating unique personal structures in game; creative types are going to have fun with the open functionality of construction by which you build literally from the ground up. Sounds promising, no? Go ahead and take a gander at the new footage after the break, and be sure to read our interview for more details. [Source: Burning Dog Media press release]
E3 2012: Origins of Malu brings player-created factions, housing, and exploration to the sandbox
It's hard to remain completely objective about Origins of Malu. The sci-fantasy title from Burning Dog Media is a project I've been watching personally for quite a while now, both because of its ambitious design goals and because of the sandbox affinity displayed by the dev team. At this week's E3, I finally got to put names with faces when I met with senior developer Jason Mitchell and programmer Chris Shaw. The pair had plenty of interesting tidbits to share, and despite the fact that I haven't put my hands on an Origins build yet, it remains very near the top of my most-anticipated-MMOs list. Join me after the cut for some chit-chat about action combat, player-created factions, PvP (yes there are safe zones), and more.
Some Assembly Required: Revisiting Origins of Malu
Many moons ago when the air just started to cool from summer's heat (aka, last September), Some Assembly Required had the opportunity to talk shop with a new outfit that is developing a promising new sandbox MMORPG, Origins of Malu. And you know me: Sandbox is the magic word! As skeptical as I knew I should be, I still came away from that interview with renewed hope that a game with some of the features for player-generated content could exist again. Back then, Burning Dog Media made the bold statement that it would absolutely release its flagship game in 2012, with a target of early 2012 to boot. But as the first quarter of the year quickly drew to a close with scant information available, it became pretty clear the game is still a ways off. In the realm of games, no news is not necessarily good news... and we definitely hit a drought in news. Now that drought has ended. In our second exclusive interview, we spoke with Michael Dunham, Producer, Jason Mitchell, Senior Developer, and Dave Cruikshank, Art Director, to learn what's been going on behind the scenes and get the scoop on more details about those very features that have sandbox lovers salivating.
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]
Third Origins of Malu race revealed
Origins of Malu has been flying under the radar of late, but the team at Burning Dog Media has just updated its website with the game's third playable race. On the surface, the Qulinta appear to be rather benign (if not cute and cuddly), but it would be a mistake to underestimate them on the battlefield. Burning Dog says that Qulinta undergo a stark transformation when threatened, one that manifests as an "ethereal ghost-like appearance with dark energy emanating from their bodies." The Qulinta people are known for their xenophobia, and they are one of the oldest races in the Origins mythos. You can read more about their history at the game's official website, but don't forget to look at the new concept art in the gallery below. %Gallery-134056%
New Origins of Malu video highlights story-based sandbox design
We've been looking forward to Origins of Malu for a while now, even though the sci-fantasy sandbox from Burning Dog Media has been kept pretty tightly under wraps. That's starting to change as the company ramps up its presence at various gaming outlets in anticipation of an Origins closed beta in the near future. Electric Playground has what amounts to the first official Origins trailer, and the clip features a good bit of in-game alpha footage as well as brief interview clips and commentary from lead designer Michael Dunham. During the course of the video, you'll get a taste of the world and its backstory, and Dunham describes Malu as a "gigantic network of portals around the universe [that are] linked through inter-dimensions." Dunham also explains a bit about the mechanical philosophy behind Origins, stating that "we wanted to build a story-based sandbox game where the user is able to do what they want to do from the beginning [...] it can't be just a complete free-for-all, but at the same time we don't want railroad tracks," he says. Journey past the cut for the full video.
Enter to win an Alienware MX14 laptop from Origins of Malu
Who doesn't love free things? We know we do! Burning Dog Media knows it, too. In order to promote its upcoming MMO, Origins of Malu, the company is giving away a shiny new Alienware MX14 gaming laptop. To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is head over to Origins of Malu's official Facebook page, like it, and register on the game's forums. It's as simple as that! So if you want a shot at winning a free laptop, get on over to the official Origins of Malu website. And while you're at it, be sure to head on over and check out our interview with the folks behind this promising upcoming sandbox title. We'll be keeping our eye on this one; we suggest you do the same.
Burning Dog announces cross-platform plans for Origins of Malu
We've got some more Origins of Malu news today courtesy of the team at Burning Dog Media. A new press release on the sandbox MMORPG's official website is touting a partnership with Dell and Alienware that will generate awareness of the sci-fi title as it heads into its beta phase and eyes a 2012 launch. The release also mentions cross-platform functionality, and though it doesn't elaborate, we contacted lead developer Michael Dunham for clarification. As it turns out, the Origins team is aiming for both PC and Mac clients, and some sort of mobile/tablet functionality is in the works as well. We'll keep you up to date on that as we learn more, and in the meantime you can head to the Origins website to read up on the game. Before you go, be sure and check out Massively's exclusive interview with the dev team.
Origins of Malu reveals Toljon race
What's new from the Origins of Malu crew? How about a new race, for starters. The sandbox title is gearing up for its beta period sometime during the next couple of months, and as a prelude, Burning Dog Media is starting to ramp up its information dissemination. Today's reveal centers on the Toljon, and though we don't get any gameplay info, there is quite a bit of lore related to the unique race. The Toljon are renowned for their approach to building civilizations, which feature "entire bridges and roadways being suspended off the ground, connecting areas otherwise separated by cliffs and canyons." The Toljon have even perfected a way to seed farmland high above the ground, and you can read all about this unusual people at the official Origins website.
Origins of Malu has more plans on the horizon
If you're a long-time fan of sandbox gameplay, Origins of Malu is most likely on your short list for games to watch. The developers are promising that the game will allow players to experience a true sandbox environment, and from their early discussion of the game, it's certainly promising thus far. Of course, the real verdict is going to come when the game goes live, but until then, the team at Burning Dog Media is planning more updates to keep players hooked. An earlier posting on the official Facebook page claims that there are two major announcements about the game coming this month as well as information about how PvP will work and exactly what the team is doing for it. There's also the promise of official forums on the site and developer videos, both chances for future players to get engaged in the development and refinement process. If you're following the sandbox field, this may be worth keeping an eye on. [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]
Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview
"This will be the world's best game ever ever ever!" -Michael Dunham. You tell 'em! Honestly, we have heard it before: MMORPG feature lists that promise what our sandbox-loving hearts desire. Try as we might, we cannot escape those sneaky tendrils of hope that find the chinks in our +10 jaded armor of cynicism as we read about the return of a true virtual where actions have consequences, personal choices dictate gameplay, and individuality is a matter of principle. Sadly, time and time again those hopes are dashed by titles that either cannot deliver on their promises or never even survive until launch. The same is true for the developers at Burning Dog Media; they too have ridden the roller coaster of sandbox dreams and harbored in their hearts a vision of their ultimate game if only they had the wherewithal to produce it. The difference between them and us is... they do! Welcome to issue #6 of Some Assembly Required -- an exclusive interview with Michael Dunham and Dave Cruikshank -- Lead Developer and Art Director of Burning Dog Media, respectively -- who are in the midst of developing the new sci-fi/fantasy MMORPG Origins of Malu. Originally called just Origins (the change was to help avoid confusion with other projects that were cropping up with similar titles), this game previously teased sandbox aficionados with a glimpse at some hope-stirring features. Today, we have the privilege of expounding on "coming soon" and revealing more features that not only are planned but are for the most part implemented. So why should we check out Origins of Malu? And what tantalizing tidbits of sandboxy goodness can we expect? Grab onto that hope and dive past the cut -- if you dare -- to see what Michael and Dave have to share.%Gallery-134056%
New Origins sandbox MMO wants your creature concepts
There's a new indie sandbox in town -- or at least in development -- and the team at Origins is looking for a few good fan submissions to help them populate the game. Actually the devs are looking for one good submission, but that didn't have quite the same ring to it. Anyway, the Origins website was recently updated with a new Create a Monster contest, and the lucky winner will get to see his design incorporated into the gameworld (and the lore) of Burning Dog's upcoming MMORPG. Submissions should be in the form of artwork, images, or text, and are limited to a single entry per person. You'll also need to like Origins on Facebook or follow the game's Twitter feed prior to submitting your work. The contest is currently accepting entries and it runs through September 14th, so don't delay if you think you've got what it takes to make your MMO mob concepts a reality.
Origins website hints at lofty sandbox goals
"Let's face it. MMO companies have found a cookie cutter formula," boasts the new Origins website. "It's time for something new." That something is a sandbox title shrouded in a fair bit of secrecy but bold enough to make some lofty claims as to its genre-changing design. The title is the brainchild of Burning Dog Media, a Canadian development firm founded by Michael Dunham and Dave Cruikshank. While specific gameplay details are left to our fertile imaginations, the newly revealed website does hint at a feature set downloaded directly from the minds of starving sandbox fans everywhere. No classes? Check. The ability to change the game world? Check. A conspicuous lack of scripted boss fights? Check. And would you believe mob AI that stalks players over a period of several days, waiting for the right time to attack? The world itself seems to be a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi, and the Origins website contains its share of screenshots, concept art, and bestiary info. [Thanks to James for the tip!]
