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The Game Archaeologist and the Girdle of Anarchy: The history
"The future in your hands," Funcom promised gamers in the early days of the new decade. As the MMORPG genre slowly took shape and grew in popularity, game studios were still babes in the woods, feeling out this brave and complex new world without a standard handbook to guide them to success. EverQuest focused on large group content and raids, Dark Age of Camelot featured Realm vs. Realm conflict, and RuneScape brought the MMO to the browser. Everyone desperately hoped he had the next big hook that would reel in gamers by the thousands, especially Norwegian developer Funcom, which made headlines in 1999 with its highly acclaimed adventure The Longest Journey. Funcom took one look at the small but expanding MMO market, got together in a group huddle, and said, "You know what guys? This fantasy thing, it's everywhere. Let's do something different. Let's drill for sci-fi gold. And let's throw in robots, cuddly rodents, randomly generated missions and a bitter rivalry between factions. Geronimo!"* (*Quote fabricated by author.) And thus, almost a decade ago, Anarchy Online hit the industry like a sack of broken features. It wasn't the stellar debut Funcom desired, but the game endured and went on to carve itself out a workable plot of land. This month, The Game Archaeologist trades in his rugged leather attire for space armor and a high-powered laser rifle. The year is 29475, and the place is Babylon 5. Er, Rubi-Ka.
This week on the MMO Report
We can't always get the warm security of the familiar, and this week the MMO Report drives that home with a special guest host. Yes, Casey Schreiner is off for the week, which leaves Blair Herter to fill in on a summary of the week's important MMO news. And going into a weekend with two major conventions that promises to be filled with news, it's probably for the best that you have a roundup of what you should be angry about before it happens. This week's edition covers the newest information to come out of The Secret World, the massive brouhaha that Final Fantasy XIV stirred up with the open beta and fatigue system, and ongoing woes of Realtime Worlds. There's also the Guild Wars 2 necromancer reveal, the announcement of The Bible Online, and the usual dip inside of the mailbag. If you can steel yourself against separation anxiety, you can find the newest episode with its guest host past the cut. As always, stay tuned for a new installment each week from G4tv and Massively.com.
The Secret World much less secret with new trailer
Funcom has offered up the biggest peek yet into The Secret World with the latest trailer. Check it out for lots of gameplay footage, behind-the-scenes commentary and a look at the Templar faction's starting hub, London. As a bonus, you'll also learn how swallowing flies can give you magical powers. %Gallery-100576% %Gallery-100575%
New Secret World video sends you back... to the future! [Updated]
If you've been wondering why we haven't heard much about The Secret World lately, it's because the Illuminati control every word that the media says. Well, that, and Funcom's been working on a groovy video to show off their newly-revealed London hub. London is the headquarters of the Templars, and new players associated with that faction will be sent there straight away. Executive Producer Ragnar Tørnquist explains that London is a bit unique of the three starter hubs in that it's the oldest, most steeped in legend, and where members of all three factions come to fight and frolic. Funcom also discussed a special aspect of the new player experience. A mysterious figure known as The Fallen King sends them into a vision of their future, where players can get a taste of advanced combat right off the bat. Combat and grouping mechanics are a key part of The Secret World, which is why Funcom wants players to start learning earlier rather than later. You can watch the full seven-and-a-half minute trailer after the jump! [Editor's Note: Reader Agent Brutal tipped us off to a glorious batch of TSW screenshots posted to AgentLethal.com -- we've included them here as well!] %Gallery-100596%
A look at Gamescom 2010: Part two
As promised earlier this week, we present part two of our video series documenting Gamescom 2010 from the good people at Maverick Media. In this one, we have a look at Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, TERA, End of Nations, The Secret World's amazing booth and Ben before his morning coffee and makeup. If you enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humor of the first video, you'll certainly love this second video found just after the jump. So check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Secret World reveals London: "Biggest hub in the game"
The team behind The Secret World has revealed more information on one of the game's key areas, and Lead Developer Ragnar Tornquist says it's the "biggest hub in the game." London is home base for the Templar faction, and while members will have access to more areas than others, it looks to be a fascinating area for all players to explore. On the surface there are some entertaining -- albeit dangerous -- events to participate in, such as dance competitions and fight clubs, but as you explore you'll find something a bit darker. In keeping with the basic story, the barrier between this world and the next is thin in London, and inter-faction bickering can become the least of your worries pretty quickly. Check out the full story on IGN. [via IGN]
Final round of The Secret World questions revealed
Funcom has been making fans of The Secret World very happy lately, thanks to the community Q&A with Ragnar Tournquist. Senior Assistant Community Manager Glen "Famine" Swan rounded up a list of questions asked by fans, got answers, and released the list by thirds on the TSW forums. The third and final round of questions went out on the forums yesterday and they were met with an enthusiastic response from fans. These questions addressed bosses, GM involvement, transitions between zones, plans for the future and more. However, the answer that sparked the most discussion was the one surrounding the concept of corpse running -- it sounds like it's definitely going to be a part of the game. Check out the full blog post for the final Q&A session.
Ragnar Tornquist reveals more of The Secret World
The tantalizing bits of information continue to flow this week from the horror-laden streets of The Secret World for those souls interested in this dark MMO full of secret societies and mythical monsters. In the second installment of the community Q and A with the game's Director, Ragnar Tornquist, players are treated to another tasty batch of information on both PvP and PvE elements, as well as things like normal MMO-style classes (tip: better change your thinking about classes now) and how gear will work in the world. While there are many things that are still only being hinted at due to the complex (and still in-development) plans for the game, it's still an interesting glimpse into just what the development team is looking towards building into The Secret World. If your questions weren't answered this week, don't worry -- there's still another installment coming next Wednesday that will offer even more tasty tidbits of information on this anticipated MMO. In the meantime, you can check out our first look from GDC and spend some time sharpening up those puzzle-solving and zombie-killing skills. You're going to need them.
The Secret World Q&A with Ragnar Tornquist
Funcom Senior Assistant Community Manager Glen "Famine" Swan has dropped a gem of a post on the official forums for the forthcoming MMORPG known as The Secret World. The development team has been collecting questions from the community for some time, and the answers are being rolled out in a series of Q&A-style posts. Game Director Ragnar Tornquist fields the questions for this first installment, and talks about a wide range of topics including social events, open versus linear game design, and magical variety in the game world. "There's going to be tons of variety in terms of what kind of magic players can learn and how they can use it – both in terms of visuals and gameplay – and that also goes for the magic weapons players get to wield. But it's still magic of our world, not a world of elves and dwarves and dragons (well, um, sort of), and it'll feel as such. There's voodoo, illusionism, demonology - magics that belong in the darkest corners of Earth, not in some high fantasy world," Tornquist says. Check out the full session over at the official forums.
The Secret World's giant monsters won't be a secret for long
Funcom has released a new gameplay trailer for The Secret World. The trailer shows off some of the many enemies players will face -- including giant crab monsters, zombies and a squid ... thing -- as well as some of the characters they will meet. As we noted in our impressions of the game earlier this week, The Secret World sets itself apart from most MMOs, using real-world settings and characters. Strange as it seems, even with all this new gameplay footage and information, we still don't know an awful lot about what's actually going on in the game. The only hint we have from the trailer is a reference to "something from the bottomless deep rising to devour us all." Whatever is happening, at least there are plenty of monsters to kill, right?
Funcom teases new Secret World trailer
We here at Massively aren't ashamed to admit that we're looking forward to The Secret World. Between our sit-down with Ragnar Tornquist at GDC10 and the juicy bits of into slowly making their way out of the game's unofficial web sites, we're, to put it mildly, stoked. GameTrailers.com has just fed the fire by unveiling the new trailer for Funcom's forthcoming MMORPG, which looks to be a modern riff on Lovecraft-ian horror mythology mixed with a little conspiracy theory. The new trailer features a healthy dose of story-based voiceover, glimpses of combat gameplay, and oh yeah, player characters shooting fire from their hands and hacking away with samurai swords. If this footage is any indication, the game will make its mark with a unique combination of class-less progression and atmospheric visuals. That said, don't take our word for it. As the trailer says, "go on kid, saddle up. The end of the world waits for no man." Hit the jump to check it out. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
Impressions: The Secret World
During GDC, I saw Ragnar Tornquist demonstrate his upcoming Funcom MMO, The Secret World. I should note that I'm not well versed in MMOs, and my experience doesn't extend far beyond a scant few hours with the trial version of World of Warcraft (and many, many hours with Phantasy Star Online and Diablo II, if you count those). As such, I had my doubts about being the best candidate to catch an early glimpse of Funcom's latest project. After seeing the game in action and learning more about its direction, however, I started to think otherwise. As someone who typically avoids MMOs, it's interesting to see one that abandons the traditional fantasy and sci-fi trappings of the genre. As a gamer accustomed to lavish, story-driven console games, it's wonderful to see an MMO focusing on narrative (with fully voiced cutscenes, no less). No leveling, no specific character classes -- no Orcs? In short, what really struck me about The Secret World is how different it is. %Gallery-88728%
GDC10: A first glimpse at The Secret World
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/An_in_depth_look_into_the_gameplay_of_The_Secret_World'; I bet you thought we were done with news from GDC 2010, right? Well, not exactly. The embargo on our demo of The Secret World lifts today and we're oh-so eager to tell you all about what we saw. While Creative Director Ragnar Tørnquist's team at Funcom has been doing an excellent job of teasing us with just enough information to keep us excited (although they'll deny the websites are from them), there are still many aspects of the game we have yet to discover. This GDC demo doesn't even scratch the surface on what we can expect from the released game, but it gives us quite a bit more to chew on until that time comes. Follow along after the jump for our impressions of what we saw in the game's combat, in-game cinematics, storyline and a brief Q&A with Ragnar himself. Plus, be sure to check out the screenshot and concept art galleries below for some gorgeous eye candy.%Gallery-72395%%Gallery-72399%
GDC10: Massively's picks for the best of GDC
GDC 2010 has come and gone and as we recover from the insanity a bit, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on our favorites from last week. Although the Game Developer's Conference isn't usually made to be as flashy as E3 or PAX, it is mostly catered towards students looking to break into the industry, panels and summits interesting to only other developers and a few demos. This in mind, we compiled a short list of what made the biggest impact on us, pertaining to MMOs. Although there were plenty of other exciting demos, booths and panels, we're keeping these awards strictly to MMO-related topics. Follow along after the jump for our complete list.
Funcom Community Managers talk about upcoming projects
Julie and Fran of the No Prisoners, No Mercy podcast had some special guests on their most recent show, to the delight of the Funcom fans in their audience. Funcom Community Managers Glen "Famine" Swan and Oliver Kunz visited the podcast to discuss The Secret World as well as Rise of the Godslayer, the upcoming expansion for Age of Conan. The duo talked about their responsibilities within Funcom, and gave some details about what they're working on these days. Rise of the Godslayer, of course, is the big project. With five new regions, a new race, twelve new factions, and all the bells and whistles that go with them, Swan promised that the expansion won't disappoint fans. They also gave an overview of The Secret World as well as their other upcoming project, Pets vs. Monsters. It sounds like a good time was had by all -- the podcast is fun and informative, and definitely worth listening to. For even more information, keep an eye out for our interview with Ragnar Tornquist at GDC later this week as well!
Interview with The Secret World's Martin Bruusgaard
Looking forward to The Secret World? Funcom has been great lately about giving us bits of information to tide us over, and the latest news is no exception. TSWOnline.de recently chatted with Martin Bruusgaard, Lead Designer for The Secret World. Bruusgaard delved further into the game, expanding on small details we already know, such as the Lovecraftian influence of the game, and the (slowly) marauding zombies. While Lovecraft, zombies, and Kingsmouth are known elements, things don't stop there. Kingsmouth is just a tiny sample of game regions all around the world that are available to play, and zombies are just the tip of the iceberg: "We've based the population in every region on myths and urban legends in that particular country, which gives us a huge spectrum of scary monstrosities to play with." Bruusgaard has plenty more to say, both about in-game events and some promotional things we might be able to look forward to. The full interview is well worth a read. For more news on The Secret World, keep an eye out for our interview with Ragnar Tornquist at GDC this week as well!
The Secret World's secrets spilled by Funcom's Ragnar Tornquist
In an interview with IGN, Funcom's Ragnar Tornquist has shed some light on the perpetually foggy MMO, The Secret World. The interview focuses on several facets of the game, including its realistic settings, enemy design and how The Secret World compares to Funcom's most recent MMO, Age of Conan. Perhaps the most interesting part of the discussion is just how much content the company has planned for The Secret World; we believe the scientific term is "quite a bit." According to Tornquist, the team has planned "several years' worth" of content for the game. "It'll take us years and years to reveal everything about our game world," said Tornquist, "which is a good thing, because it's an MMO." He added that Funcom expects that game to last for "a very, very long time." Like, as long as the government has kept the fake moon landing covered up? [Via Massively] %Gallery-49441%
Tornquist gives more juicy details on The Secret World
To date, the development team of The Secret World has almost been a secret society unto itself. We've heard whispers and tantalizing tidbits that have piqued our curiosity, seen teaser sites, and caught the occasional tweet from the front lines. Now, the floodgates are starting to open, and more details are coming to light for those craving information. An interview with Ragnar Tornquist has just gone up on IGN and it is chock-full of tasty details about what players can expect from The Secret World. Along with the interview, there's also a pile of eerie concept art illustrating some of the many different monsters we'll see in the game -- from brain-munching zombies to mutated boss monsters. There's also some great news on how the development is going, owing in part to the work already done for Age of Conan. So if you've been hungry for more details and a sneak-peek into more of the terrible things that await us as we take steps into The Secret World, then you'll want to head over to IGN and check out the full interview. It looks like Tornquist and the team at Funcom are creating a fascinating modern-day monster of an MMO for us to enjoy.
ARG! The Secret World community uncovers hidden 'Monster Blog'
Let us never say that Funcom doesn't know how to run a good Alternate Reality Game, or ARG. The community surrounding the upcoming modern-day MMO has discovered a personal blog named Monsters of Maine. How, you might be wondering? Through the oft-maligned Twitter, that's how. If you're willing to sift through a 50+ page thread over on The Secret World's official forums, you'll find a transcript of a the Twitter conversations between the fictional people of Kingsmouth. Yep, this community pretty much rocks. So what's the blog all about? Well, it's run by a user named Cryptoinvestigator -- who's revealed via that Twitter convo as Tyler Freeborn, a "crazy" who believes all sorts of evil things are taking place. One of his more ominous blog posts reads, "The Pale Men will return. Not today, not tomorrow - but soon. I can FEEL them. I can smell them." Several of his other posts contain some really awesome peeks into what we can only assume are pieces of game lore and screenshots cloaked in ARG craziness. The most recent post by Freeborn says he's got evidence to prove his claims, so we'll be keeping an eye out for that. Hmm, we can feel ourselves becoming more obsessed with this by the minute.
The Digital Continuum: 'Meh' to MMOs?
While the MMO genre appears to be growing at a decent pace (at least for Blizzard) there's still plenty of room for growth. World of Warcraft clones can attract only so many interested players and turning to classic niche designs such as the sandbox MMO ala Fallen Earth won't do anything to pique the interest of people who otherwise have no interest in the genre. So what will appeal to someone who has never felt a desire to play a game both massively and multiplayer?
