f13.net

Otherland depicts a near-future world where the net rules all, and virtual-reality headsets that turn it into a surround sensory experience are commonplace. Everything from shopping to games has become an all-consuming alternate reality played out by humans ("Citizens", inhabiting their "sim" avatars) and computer-controlled AIs called Puppets.

In this world, the ultimate status symbols and playthings of the super-rich are their own personal virtual realities, tailored to their interests and specifications. But these come at a human cost. Without giving too much of the books' plot away, a sinister secret cabal of net overlords is feeding on the consciousnesses of innocent humans, trapping them in virtual space to make their personal fantasies that little bit more real.

You start the game as one of those consciousnesses in a place called the Land of the Lost, a nightmare scenario which you're trying to escape. You'll run, be killed, and reborn in a "baby" state as a simple, low-rent sim (though we suspect the game won't be using that term, for obvious reasons) - a blank, featureless avatar that can be male, female or even neither.
'Otherland' Screenshot 2

Flight tubes shoot you between sections of the Mall and other virtual realities.

As you increase in power, you learn to manipulate the appearance and properties of yourself and the world around you, and you learn to work with the "code" that underlies and defines everything in the Otherland multiverse (well, it's one hell of a rationale for levelling up). Only then will you be able to take on a more defined appearance, and this could blend you in with your surroundings, or express your wildest imaginings.

On rebirth, you'll arrive in what Real U calls "a chunk of real estate", a virtual space that becomes your own and that you'll return to in order to rebuild yourself - from scratch, but via shortcuts - every time you "die" in Otherland. This is connected to the game's hub, a neon-edged, Bladerunner-style virtual shopping and entertainment complex called Lambda Mall.

I thought that book was unreadable and I have read all of Tad Williams' other stuff.

Odd.  I really like his Otherland books

They should have just based the game off of the Cyberpunk 2020 RPG.

I'd love to play a cyberpunk type mmo, but that article doesn't make it even sound interesting.

Yes. Otherland is my favorite all-time sci-fi/fantasy book series. Better than LotR, WoT, C.S. Lewis, Dune, etc.…

This has apparently progressed enough that another story was posted on the web about the game, complete with some what confusing video (http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/4466/article/tad-williams-otherland-is-getting-mmo-adaptation/). Not having read the book, I can't comment on what if any kind of gameplay is being displayed here.

EDIT: Also a website (http://otherland.gamigo.com/), and the game will be F2P.

Warner Bros. is heading to "Otherland," acquiring feature rights to Tad Williams' sci-fi book series and setting it up with Dan Lin to produce.

Studio has tapped John Scott III to script the film, based on the four books published by DAW-Penguin USA between 1996 and 2001 as "City of Golden Shadow," "River of Blue Fire," "Mountain of Black Glass" and "Sea of Silver Light."

Otherland fans... your time has come! We are now recruiting players to become a part of the Otherland Alpha Team. As an alpha tester, you will be asked to focus-test specific game elements, document your user experience and fill out in-depth surveys each week. Alpha testing is hard work, but if you think you have what it takes, fill out the application below and e-mail it to otherland@gamigo.de with the subject “ALPHA-RECRUIT-EN: <Real Name>”. Slots are limited and not everyone will be selected. Good luck!

Please Note:
All applicants MUST be 18 years of age or older. Proof of identity (passport / driver's license) is required. The signing of a strict Non-Disclosure Agreement is required, which states in legal language that the sharing of any information from the Alpha Test is punishable by law. Only those who accept these requirements will be considered.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION (http://www.mediafire.com/?ws6s52etocem8x1)

I don't know what's wrong with your system but I clicked on that link and got a mediafire download link for a doc file that was easily editable in notepad for pasting into an email. Sounds like you've screwed up your browser's file associations.

Even that is pretty  :uhrr:. Web forms, how do they work?!

I don't know. Either this game will be in development for 10+ years or they simply won't have anything that comes near the worlds those books draw for their readers.

Once upon a time, there was a version of schild that enjoyed the idea that indie teams (and by Indie, I mean people we've never heard of, certainly not BIG Publisher) were making MMOGs. That the investors who funded them were truly good people who wanted to create a better gaming world for us. Or something.

That schild was wrong. Indie MMOG devs are bad, will mostly bite off more than they can chew, and their investors are plum stupid. They are the Looney Tunes cast of the gaming industry and they need to fucking stop. People need to stop making MMOGs and Idea #4,837,918 in an online/social gaming variant. They need to go back to making fucking games. Maybe multiplayer, maybe not, whatever sort of game the design fits into. If you're designing an MMOG/Online/Social, just stop. You're going to fail. Unless you're the anomaly, but much like being that ugly dude that got Christina Hendricks - you're not the anomaly, he was. So, stop.

Otherland falls under the second paragraph here, not the first one.