Wahammer 40K MMORPG Revealed

Well holy sh*t, this announcement blew my socks off today.

Warhammer 40K MMORPG announced

If there is any game that would be able to draw me back into the MMORPG scene, it will be this one. The long countdown until this game is released begins today for me.

Bah. I even thought about posting this in "Games and Platforms" but thought against it seeing as how we have the new fourm policy about placing threads in the correct area

No, looks like you were right in the first place. Stick with your instincts - you have been vindicated

Baggz wrote:

No, looks like you were right in the first place. Stick with your instincts - you have been vindicated ;)

[Mr. Burns]Exxxxxcellent[/Mr. Burns]

As I was saying in the other thread, the thought of playing an Imperial Inquisitor with a power sword is enough to make me pay a monthly fee again to play a game. I have high hopes for this title and will be watching it oh so closely.

I'mready!I'mready!I'mready!I'mready!I'mready!
/Spongebob

Dr._J wrote:

As I was saying in the other thread, the thought of playing an Imperial Inquisitor with a power sword is enough to make me pay a monthly fee again to play a game. I have high hopes for this title and will be watching it oh so closely.

Same.
The appeal for me is starting off as a Space Marine recruit and working my way up the ranks to Chapter Champion... Or as a lowly Slugga Boy, part of an ongoing WAAGH, and working my way up to Nob while gettin betta 'n betta bitz.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it, too.
Good find, Doc.

Man with this coming out and Hellgate London I think WoW might have to be shelved for a while so I can get my fix. This is awesome news.

I played 40k since the Rogue Trader days and one of my very best friends had worked with Games Workshop for over 15 years before he passed away last year.

With such a past I can not help but look forward to this title.

Um, I hate to be the bearer of less than stellar news.

Vigil is really close to Sigil =P

Kelly Flock is ex-SOE if I remember right. He was a long time producer of EQ, I think. For some reason I just remember long internet rants from him years ago.

Also, Joe Madieura is a fantastic artist from Battle Chasers and IIRC Soul Saga. Its fantastic art, but a history of extremely late and unfinished projects.

That is awesome! I want to be a squat! Oh yeah... they don't exist anymore. I'll have a hard time choosing which spacemarine chapter to be a part of so hopefully you can make your own variant. I'm all giddy with anticipation of farming genestealers in a spacehulk!

I hope they do chaos right too.

*drool*

some wiki info for people new to Warhammer 40k

As much as I love Warhammer 40K, the PC games have always been hit or miss. Usually miss. The only really good one before Dawn of War was Space Hulk. And the EQ guy being involved is definitely a bad sign.

Still, I'll be waiting and watching because if it's done right, it will be incredibly awesome. Warhammer 40K is such an adult universe, even if DoW cartooned it up a bit. Still, given the track record I'm not holding my breath that it will be done right.

Well, at least 40K players are used to nerfs, as our squat friend pointed out.

Actually, SSI's Chaos Gate kicked ass. It was, from what I understand, X-Com 40K. Turn-based, very groovy.

This is the best news I've heard in oh so long. I'll have to agree that being a Ordo Xenos Inquisitor with a kick-ass power sword appeals to every part of me, not just the child.

Being a tank commander for the IG and running a Baneblade also has a certain appeal...

I'll be watching this like a hawk.

I'd be happy if they focused on a different angle for an MMOG set in the WH40K universe.. rather than another stab at "EQ in Space" I'd like them to focus more on engaging Combat and small-medium sized skirmishes with either PVE or PVP opponents.

Instead of praying that "Guilds" act like Space or Chaos Marine Chapters focus your entire online experience around combat and the tactic and planning of said combat engagement... sorta force people into the whole "Chapter" experience.

This is one game that I think would suffer if they try and make these huge sprawling worlds where people are running around zapping space rats

TheGameguru wrote:

I'd be happy if they focused on a different angle for an MMOG set in the WH40K universe.. rather than another stab at "EQ in Space" I'd like them to focus more on engaging Combat and small-medium sized skirmishes with either PVE or PVP opponents.

Instead of praying that "Guilds" act like Space or Chaos Marine Chapters focus your entire online experience around combat and the tactic and planning of said combat engagement... sorta force people into the whole "Chapter" experience.

This is one game that I think would suffer if they try and make these huge sprawling worlds where people are running around zapping space rats

Agreed. There's no way they could capture the vastness of this universe in any meaningful way.

Try to emulate the Dawn of War games from the perspective of a single unit, aka what gameguru said.

I'm really hoping they surprise me just a little. Wether it is a game like planetside, or an rts like shattered galaxy, or maybe something between the two. What I do not want is SWG/WoW turned WH 40K.

Being warhammer 40k I'm expecting some merciless PvP'n action though. Unless they do some kind of massive PvE like server vs something. I'd love to play through some of the campaigns mentioned in the fluff.

I'm interested in a good sci-fi MMO, and I too will say that Gameguru's on the right track.

I was looking in a Gamespot article linked from Penny-Arcade to see if there was any indication that they were gonna try something more original than "EQ in Space". All I found was a bunch of marketing spin that doesn't really say anything at all:

GS(Gamespot): Could either THQ or Games Workshop comment on the type of massively multiplayer online game they'd like to create for the Warhammer 40,000 universe? Should we expect to see something perhaps more action-oriented or more strategy-oriented to reflect the tabletop game roots of the property?

AJ: The Warhammer 40,000 universe is a big place, with many exciting stories to unfold. It remains to be seen which themes are explored in the MMO (or indeed in any other up-and-coming games from THQ), but rest assured, they will be big ones! It may be worth pointing out that our goal is to ensure that whatever interactive products are created based on Games Workshop properties, that they, on the one hand, delight and enthrall our existing fan base and, on the other, give a wonderful opportunity for a whole new customer base to experience our worlds.

GS: Obviously, the current massively multiplayer online landscape is very competitive--Brian Farrell stated last June that, at the time, working on a game that would be "something competitive [with World of Warcraft]...would be misguided for anyone, including THQ." Tell us how THQ and Games Workshop intend to tackle the task of bringing a new massively multiplayer online game into this market.

KF: We think World of Warcraft has done a great job of establishing the MMO market. We have seen tremendous growth in the space over the past five or so years. That said, we believe there is plenty of opportunity that lies ahead both in terms of developing innovative new gameplay mechanics and continuing to expand the user base. Combine that with the built-in popularity and richness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and we feel very confident in our competitive position.

AJ: Actually, I think Kelly says it all here--we believe very strongly that the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property delivers opportunities for unique and innovative gameplay in the MMO space, and the fact that WOW has grown the marketplace can only be a good thing for all of us.

TheGameguru wrote:

This is one game that I think would suffer if they try and make these huge sprawling worlds where people are running around zapping space rats

Excellent point. This is one IP I think that will not fit with the "traditional" MMORPG gameplay style. It would certainly seem odd that a newly initiated Space Marine would have to hunt down and kill 10 rats to turn the tails into the chapter master to get a helmet that boosts their intelligence by +1, or a belt that has extra item storage

The WH40K universe has a wealth of background material to draw from so the developers do not have to start from scratch with creating races, classes, weapons, armor, etc. Let us hope that they can marry the already established IP with a different take on the MMOG gameplay to give us something new and exciting.

It certainly is going to be fun to speculate on this title over the next few years

They could make PvP the ONLY way to advance. I just can't see Space Marines whacking rats.

It's very weird that there's going to be two Warhammer games at once. This seems -- not intelligent. I realize (now) that Warhammer and Warhammer:40k are different, but I didn't know that before. I'm pretty geeky, so if I was confused, I can see people buying and activating the wrong Warhammer game....

Malor wrote:

They could make PvP the ONLY way to advance. I just can't see Space Marines whacking rats.

It's very weird that there's going to be two Warhammer games at once. This seems -- not intelligent. I realize (now) that Warhammer and Warhammer:40k are different, but I didn't know that before. I'm pretty geeky, so if I was confused, I can see people buying and activating the wrong Warhammer game....

I would suspect given development timeframes we are at least 3 if not 4-5 years away from a WH40K MMOG.. and probably ~1 year from the WH MMOG. So I think that issue wont be much of a problem.

40k seems like it could have an amazing combat system for a futuristic mmo. The range vs melee is already part of the gameplay, they even did it great in dawn of war.
As for what type of mmo personally I think the first one that can offer the pvp bliz pretended to offer in BG's of epic warcraft battles is going to be a homerun. Marine vs Ork scenarios with actual strategy that dont boil down QWCTF remade would have me hooked.
as an aside im not sure if the warhammer fantasy will fill that hole. Their dev video about pvp and how it effected the game world was interesting but some actual footage of the instanced BG they were playing looked like same crap. The entire game from what I could figure out was based around holding a relic 1 player could carry for points for your team and at one point the strategy was to run and hide. They will need to put more effort into hide n go seek for me to pay online to play it.

Malor wrote:

They could make PvP the ONLY way to advance. I just can't see Space Marines whacking rats.

It's very weird that there's going to be two Warhammer games at once. This seems -- not intelligent. I realize (now) that Warhammer and Warhammer:40k are different, but I didn't know that before. I'm pretty geeky, so if I was confused, I can see people buying and activating the wrong Warhammer game....

Have to remember that both Warhammer 40k and Warhammer have built in fan base that know the difference between the two.

jowner wrote:

QWCTF

Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time...a long time.

Here is my admittedly rushed initial thoughts on what I'd like to see this game sorta like :

Day 1:

Awesome.. slick.. super friendly.. and extensive "tutorial".. (steal from Conan) So that your initial experience with WH40K online is strictly a single player game. (certainly once you "advance" a character beyond the initial stages all your Alts have the option to skip this)

This will accomplish getting people trained with how the game works.. developing some Hybrid FPS (I see WH40K adopting a Hellfire:London pseudo stat based FPS based combat) skills.. and the various tactical and squad based roles they may end up taking. (Heavy Gunner, Scout, Medic, Field Ops, Psyker?, Pilot, etc..)

Your then dropped into the rear guard of your "faction" typically your home base so to speak. From there you can engage with the various NPC's in the base and other Players that are perhaps relaxing in their various "Chapter" HQ's or the public areas. You can either immediatly hit the "Missions" area which will drop you and others into PVE based scenarios where you assaulting largely static based encounters with other random people that will be playing. Here teamwork and organization dont matter as much as they will later on.. but certainly in these "instances" you will have objectives that while optional will require you to work with other players.. this allows both solo play and team play to get developed. The more you play these types of "missions" the better your character advances. I would imagine there will have to be some NPC AI here to flesh out the roles a bit and give Field Medics someone or something to heal..

Eventually your player will be able to leave the "home world" and take missions in more distant locations (planets, space hulks, etc..) where you may end up face to face with PVP type scenarios against the opposing faction(s). This will be the meat of the game.. here your character can advance through skill gain and more importantly "fame" Fame bringing your character access to better weapons..armor.. skills.. relics.. and unlocking harder "instances"

Day 60 and on..

As players group up and form their own "Guilds"/"Chapters" the various GM's can work with other GM's in planning "missions" for their players.. Heres where I believe the most work will have to be done.. you'll need some sort of quasi PVE/PVP type areas that are both static and dynamic at the same time.. perhaps factions oppose each other in these missions so as they not only combat each other but they combat PVE "spawns" This way even groups of 5 players feel like they are part of a "bigger" war.

Just imagine how cool it would be to get sent on a mission with 10 of your squadmates where you are supposed to clear out a space hulk but really don't know what to expect once you get on the thing. You are noobs and start doing the recon of the hulk, plinking a bad guy here and there, when suddenly the PvP kicks in and a squad of genestealers or chaos marines shows up. Everyone panics because they are level 50 Uber and you are level 5 generic space marines. So you try to hold the line while calling for reinforcements, and after a minute or two of desperate fighting a squad of level 40 Terminators shows up to help turn the tide. The new players don't get slaughtered by the more experienced (although there would certainly be casualties), and they get to see what they are working towards (higher level units) in action, up close and personal. It would be great if the server could try to 'auto-balance' engagements at least for the first couple of minutes of a fight.

The game would really shine if it could make this sort of thing unpredictable and difficult to 'game the system'. Right now in any MMORPG you go into an instance and you pretty much know what to expect. Going into a scary space hulk or chaos infested drop zone with minimal recon and the chance for anything to happen makes for exciting gameplay. With the opportunity to call for help (and get it in a timely fashion often enough to not get pwned constantly), you wouldn't be too scared to sign up for the cool missions. Plus the penalties for death should be minimal due to the cloning technology present in this universe. Perhaps you're reconstituted back at base but have to wait for a drop pod for a couple minutes to get back in the fight, or you just have to go on to another mission.

Death has to be a big part of this game. After all, the WH40K universe isn't about surviving, it's about getting sent to your doom by the powers-that-be to further your faction's goals. Your life as a soldier doesn't mean anything, and the game should reflect that without losing the fun.

Unknown Soldier wrote:

Death has to be a big part of this game. After all, the WH40K universe isn't about surviving, it's about getting sent to your doom by the powers-that-be to further your faction's goals. Your life as a soldier doesn't mean anything, and the game should reflect that without losing the fun.

So maybe they'll make good use of permi death? That would be something, eh? This could be interesting if they tie it to the Spacemarine's geneseed...

Man I will be so upset if they don't get creative, and just rest on the license to carry it.

I'd love to see the concept of "perma-death" get resurrected with this game.. with great heroism and reward should come the inevitable risk that you may eventually meet your maker.. with added power and skill that makes you that much harder to kill by lesser experience players should come the risk that if you are killed something permanent happens to your character. With the concept of geneseed perhaps once your character is killed for good.. you do at least get to start back up again with one of your "descendent's" with perhaps a significant leg up on a complete newb character.

It probably won't happen as cloning is quite common in the 40k universe, at least for Space Marines it is.

I like your ideas for the game, Guru. I hope they do something like that.