[PC/360] The Secret World MMOG Announced: I'm Pumped

[kronovan]

Wow, I haven't been this pumped about a MMO since Conan was announced. This games sounds very promising. I really liked AO in the post Shadow Lands era, so I'll probably enjoy this Funcom MMO as well. And It will probably release after I finally get my 360 so I'll have the option to play it on a console as well.
I highly recommend checking out the art work at the darkdaysarecoming.com website. The concept art sort of looks like a combination of Hunter:TR + Dark Watch + AO, with it being set in an alternate reality NY; or is it  a post-apocalyptic NY? Very cool!!

[Edited] Including the link to the article on the GT News page:

http://www.gamingtrend.com/News/news.php?NewsID=9101

[CeeKay]

cinematic from PAX.

[Hotfreak]

cinematic from PAX.

Did you know to search for this thread?  Sometimes you amaze me. 

[Pharaoh]

This has the potential to be an evolution in MMO's or a pretty Matrix clone.

[Arkon]

Cool trailer, tells me absolutely 0 about the game, but cool cinematic nonetheless. 

[Hotfreak]

Cool trailer, tells me absolutely 0 about the game, but cool cinematic nonetheless.  

nonsense!  it is very clearly a game about teenage girls with shotguns fighting demons in small town parks.

[Razgon]

So, will they actually release the Xbox version at the same time this time around, or will it be postphoned til "after launch" as Age of Conan?

[YellowKing]

I don't believe any MMO when it says it's coming out for the 360. There hasn't been a successful PC/console crossover MMO yet, despite all the promises we've heard over the years.

[Blackjack]

I'm an AoC fan, but given how horrific the AoC and (going way back) Anarchy Online launches were, I guess you have to hope "third time's the charm" as far as MMO launches go for them. 

[Razgon]

Really? How was AoC launch terrible? The game worked, and the first 20 levels were perfect. I dont count the missing late-mid level lack of content as something that can attributed to a "terrible launch", but more of poor design choices

[TheAtomicKid]

This looks like it could be cool as hell. And tbh, I root for funcom, because they don't quit when they start something.

But... it troubles me... they still support Anarchy Online, with at least some development, etc. And they're running Conan now too...

Unless they're growing the company somewhat, they've got to be getting a little thin on development talent. Or else they're multitasking their devs.. Dunno.

I just worry they won't have the resources to make a good go of it.

But a 'world of darkness' (figure of speech, not the white wolf game melieu), could be a very neat MMO.

*crosses fingers*

Atomic

[Harkonis]

I don't believe any MMO when it says it's coming out for the 360. There hasn't been a successful PC/console crossover MMO yet, despite all the promises we've heard over the years.

that's simply untrue.  FFXI did very well on PS2, especially in Japan.

[YellowKing]

that's simply untrue.  FFXI did very well on PS2, especially in Japan.

I forgot about FFXI, but it's still not what I would call a resounding success from a North American console perspective.

So we're 4, almost 5 years into the current console generation and we've got one moderately successful MMO you can play on a current console? That doesn't give me a great deal of encouragement. I don't know what the subscriber numbers are from a console perspective, but I'm guessing it's paltry compared to PC subscribers. We've seen far more console MMOs fail (Phantasy Star) or never come to light (MS's early MMO offering, the still yet to be seen Age of Conan, etc.) than we have seen successes.

[Misguided]

You're going to find out in the next 1-2 years, YK, what with The Agency, Champions, and others on the way.

This game has a MegaTen vibe going.

[PR_GMR]

I'm too excited about this game. It's my 2nd most highly awaited MMO after Guild Wars 2. I just totally dig the idea of a dark fantasy MMO set in our current era.

[Gryndyl]

Sorry. Been burned by Funcom twice now and any new MMO from them I'm going to view with extreme skepticism. They're great at coming up with good ideas then delivering steaming piles.

[Wargus]

Sorry. Been burned by Funcom twice now and any new MMO from them I'm going to view with extreme skepticism. They're great at coming up with good ideas then delivering steaming piles.

BINGO

I have a lot of respect for Funcom's imagination and world building, less so for their engine building.  AO was one of the worst launches ever for a game that managed to survive and it was obvious they learned nothing (or at least not the RIGHT things) from it for their release of AOC. 

So while this game LOOKS fantastic, if history is any lesson it will suck hard at release, circle the drain for a few months to a year and then slowly resurrect into a good game well after its engine is outdated and any novel mechanics are stolen by other MMOs.

[CeeKay]

it's been delayed, or as they say, 'months extended'.

[CeeKay]

looks like they've got some more viral marketing starting up.

[Razgon]

I'm going to love this game..I just know it... The whole atmosphere of the released stuff oozes eh..atmosphere to me, and I'm loving it

And, I'm glad they delayed it, rather than repeat past MMO's mistakes

[Blackjack]

I'm going to love this game..I just know it... The whole atmosphere of the released stuff oozes eh..atmosphere to me, and I'm loving it

And, I'm glad they delayed it, rather than repeat past MMO's mistakes

I hate to break it to you, but Funcom delayed Age of Conan's release date twice, and it didn't help at all.  

I assume it's not the same development team as AoC's, so perhaps it's unfair to paint them with the same brush. I had a fairly good time with AoC, but I did wait some months after launch before stepping into it. In retrospect, it's rather sad because AoC had probably the hugest pre-order sales and launch day player base of anything not named WoW -- for a time they went beserk adding extra servers to try to accommodate the demand. But all that dissolved away fairly quickly, and now it's going down to just two servers.

I think a better fate for The Secret World would be to start out quietly and build some word-of-mouth. Though that's at odds with the whole MMO-publishing-scheme of hype, hype, hype and desperately try to sell a zillion retail boxes while your MMO is new before it fades off the shelves, or off the Promo Pages at digital distributors.

[Razgon]

Aye, I agree completely

To be honest, I dont understand how any MMO is going to compete in any way with the established MMOs. We all know that no-one can match games like WoW, Everquest, LOTRO and the likes in terms of Content, due to the amount of time they've had to add it, and the same goes for polish.

But perhaps what you suggest is the right way- I dont know, I think WoW actually kills off a lot of new MMOs before they start, which is kinda sad for the industry

[Turtle]

If the gameplay goes in the direction I hope it goes, then this may be the first MMO I play in a long time, and that's only because it won't feel like an MMO, but more like a large scale co-op game with survival horror thrown in.

That promo about kingsmouth felt more like a horror adventure style game.

[Blackjack]

If the gameplay goes in the direction I hope it goes, then this may be the first MMO I play in a long time, and that's only because it won't feel like an MMO, but more like a large scale co-op game with survival horror thrown in.

That promo about kingsmouth felt more like a horror adventure style game.

Gamespot's Q&A has a bit more on it.

The Secret World Updated Q&A - Exclusive First Footage and The Town of Kingsmouth
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/thesecretworld/news.html?sid=6248845&tag=topslot;img;2&mode=previews

GS: What is the significance of Kingsmouth? How will this seemingly quiet little town exemplify what The Secret World is about?

RT: It's the perfect example of what's happening all over the gameworld: Dark days are coming. And no one in the know wants widespread panic, so part of what the players have to do is contain this darkness--prevent the truth from being broadcast beyond the borders of the secret world. Part of this is, of course, kicking zombie butt. But part of it is also following your secret society's storyline, exploring the island, digging into the lore, speaking with characters--finding out what's happened, how to stop it, and how that ties into similar events across the world. It's the starting point, but New England isn't the occult ground zero. It's just the beginning of a long descent into total darkness.

So while it's tempting to dismiss it as "Oh, The Secret World is L4D2 as an MMO," the town is presumably just one place in the game world, and not The Entire Game, per se.

[Wargus]

Must I remind everybody that this is Funcom?  Helloooo.... AO, AOC!  I'm just saying that I wouldn't get your hopes up.

[Razgon]

AoC is great actually, and has the best first 20 levels of any MMO, so I dont count that against them.

hopefully, they will have incorporated their past experiences into this game, and makes it perfect

[Wargus]

Yep, the first 20 levels are fantastic (the best intro area ever done I think), its the other 60 that suck.  My issue with funcom is they have great imagination and are fantastic at world design, they are horrible at execution.  They took a shoe in (first sci fi mmo) and tanked the release, and then a golden IP and tanked the game. 

The issue I have is they fired Gaute Godeger. I can't really argue with them, he was at the helm of both AO and AOC, that said, he was also the creative driver behind the company. Since creativity is all they really sold, I see this could be an issue with future games.

Don't get me wrong, I would love for this game to be fantastic.  I've really enjoyed the worlds Funcom has created (well, the parts that worked at least), so I'm crossing my fingers.  Still, I'm not going to expect much out of them, and I'd say get into beta before you buy it.

[CeeKay]

some concept art.  I kinda want to play the fedora wearing cross bearer.

[Razgon]

I want to play this game ever more badly than I want to play the new Starwars MMO whose name I never can remember...

[Wargus]

I'd like this game to work and I'd like it to portray as excellent a vision as they had in The Longest Journey.  We'll see. I'll apply for beta when it gets to that point. 

[Blackjack]

I'd argue that instead of creating another 80-level game (AoC) when they won't have near the time and resources to fill that many levels with fun content, consider doing a 50-level game (or 40, or 60, or whatever) with a denser "depth of content" throughout the levels. I've started to find more and more with MMOs a sort of inconsistency throughout the game, as if a bunch of teams worked parallel but apart, and so you end up with some sections fun and some sections not, some features polished and well thought out, and some features crude and unfinished.

Maybe the thing to do would be to stop doing so darn MUCH and do less but better. I wouldn't kvetch about an MMO that "ended too soon" if I had a good time all throughout its range. I'm not suggesting a 20-level Tortage/Secret World game, only that maybe cutting back on the sheer quantity ambition might result in a better "launch game."

[CeeKay]

a new teaser site.

[Razgon]

ha! loving it! thats just incredible... a bit ham-fisted at times, but rather good, actually

[CeeKay]

loads of info.

[CeeKay]

a new teaser trailer and screenshots.  phear teh sweater guy!

and some GDC impressions.  this thing is only in pre-alpha?

[Destructor]

And after reading the linked impressions, I have to say that this game sounds very, VERY cool. I want.

[Razgon]

Man, this will either crash and burn horribly, or be the next big thing!

And on the note of what it's like to be a character in The Secret World, take note of two interesting points: 1) There are no classes. 2) There are no levels.

Did that sink in just yet? The Secret World is trying to innovate a new kind of MMO gameplay. Characters are built upon two facets, the collection of powers and gear. And there are hundreds of powers to mix and match in the game and which can be purchased for points earned in battle and finishing quests. This way you can explore the kind of character you want to be without re-rolling your stats. Say you want to be a healer one night, then spec yourself out with your best match of healing powers. Or switch it up the next day and go for a more offensive front. The world is yours to explore and pull the powers you want to be successful. And as you collect more powerful gear, which becomes akin to leveling, your powers will scale with it

I like this! We've seen some of the ideas before, in guild wars for instance, but this looks very very interesting. I wonder what the pull will be then. In other games its levels, here it must be the gear?

Ragnar and Martin called the game a “field trip for min-maxers,” meaning that anyone trying to work out the best way to spec a build can really go to town with the seemingly endless combinations. And while technically a single player can collect every power, it's going to take a very long time. This way of building characters is aimed at breaking down the usual archetypes of DPS, healers and tanks. People will be able to innovate new ways of making themselves useful, though I'm sure some combinations of the classics will emerge.

If it works, it will be cool!

[Razgon]

latest video, with in-game footage!"

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gdc-10-the-secret/63665

[Blackjack]

Ten Ton Hammer got a Q&A answering some site members' questions:
Ragnar Tørnquist [creative director/senior producer] Answers Ten Ton Hammer Reader Questions for The Secret World
http://www.tentonhammer.com/tsw/interviews/vip

OneEyeRed asks: Could you go over how combat works to some extent for us?
 
Ragnar: In detail - no. But we've already talked about how players can equip seven active powers and seven passive powers before heading out to do missions and fight monsters, and that choice - from hundreds of available powers - is really the driving force behind the combat.

The mix of powers, both actives and passives, and the powers equipped by your team mates, is key, and these powers are designed to work together to create powerful 'combos'. This makes the system really unique and a ton of fun to play. [sounds a bit like the Fellowship combos in LOTRO-bj]

Also, since we don't have classes in The Secret World, you can buy and equip any powers you want, creating a totally unique hybrid character - if that's what you want - or a super focused one if you prefer to play an archetype like healer or tank. For example. It's a very flexible and very deep system that will hopefully keep players engaged for a long, long time.
  

Much of it is rather vague, "we can't talk about that yet" stuff, and a lot of questions are sort of "are you going to make the same screw-ups the AoC dev team did?" 

[CeeKay]

here's a community QA with Ragnar!

that is a cool name... if I ever have a kid I'll have to use it, no matter if it's a boy or a girl.