SOE's Next MMOG (for the PS3, oh noes): The Agency

[SnakeCharmer]

Ah, natch.  Thanks.

Skim reading ftl.

[Montague]

"Agent Bob, we need you to head down to that warehouse and take out those alien drug dealers. If you succeed, we'll give you a Celeron laptop with Windows 98. If you can talk five other agents into going with you, we'll give you a top of the line Alienware system. Matter of fact, make it a raid and take the entire second floor with you we'll give you a Cray III."

Sounds like a government operation to me.  

[JoeTF]

Well, it has to be soloable. Period.
But you need seamless transition to interesting group PvP.

Man, that game would rule as a sandbox, with player run Agencies struggling with never ending fight for world domination/destruction/salvation.  

[Sauced]

Based on watching the GT footage, the "bronze medal" thing is just a statement that it's probably all you'll be able to pull off solo at the appropriate level for the content.  There are multiple objectives (building supports with bombs on the same timer, for example) that are just plain hard to complete by yourself.  The guy does say that you can go back after leveling a bit and do better.

[Abelian75]

Based on watching the GT footage, the "bronze medal" thing is just a statement that it's probably all you'll be able to pull off solo at the appropriate level for the content.  There are multiple objectives (building supports with bombs on the same timer, for example) that are just plain hard to complete by yourself.  The guy does say that you can go back after leveling a bit and do better.

Aye, that's my reading.

[Venkman]

Oh ok, now it makes sense.

[tkinnun0]

Ok, so the innovation is that group content is mixed with the solo content and you can solo the group content once you've outlevelled it? Gotcha. 

[Sauced]

I didn't realize anyone called it innovation.

From the looks of it, the best case scenario is a mix of TF2 and CoX, which sounds sort of awesome.

[Venkman]

Ya know, it actually does sound pretty good, like they actually took a look at more than just the DIKU side of MMOs to make yet-another-MMO. While they talk about the PS3 limiting what they can on the screen icon-wise, I think that's the very best thing that could have happened to this project. Necessity, the mother of invention and all that. Having contextual access to certain abilities you chose before an FPS mission sounds a bit like COD4 actually, but with a GW-esque smattering of typing MMO convention.

I'm just happy this is for both PS3 and PC. On the one hand they would benefit their mothership by launching the PS3 version ahead of the PC, support HOME, all that stuff. But no the other, they probably have to do a lot more work to make this function on the PS3 than they do to make it work on a PC (both as a game as an extension of their infrastructure), so launching the PC version first recoups some of their loses ahead of time. But then that leads to the big question in my mind: hardware support.

The PS3 is still largely about Big Flashy Graphics. Someday it might not be, but it is right now. So will the Agency be designed for Big Flashy Graphics and therefore crush older PCs? Or will they be smart and have good legacy support and just do BFG for the PS3?

[schild]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

[Velorath]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

[schild]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

Here's a lesson: Don't ignore me.

Sucka.

[lamaros]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

Hmm, I don't get this post. I see you've quoted something, but it's all blank. Are you making some kind of subtle point Velorath?

[Venkman]

schild loves PS3. Unnaturally so. schild likes Agency. Velorath thinks schild likes Agency because it's on the PS3 he unnaturally loves.

[Velorath]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

Here's a lesson: Don't ignore me.

Sucka.

Let's wait for launch, or at least beta before you break out the champagne, lest someone mention the I am Legend thread.

[schild]

Hey, hey. I'm stoked about it. To Stoke, it is future tense. Could still suck.

[Velorath]

Hey, hey. I'm stoked about it. To Stoke, it is future tense. Could still suck.

Much like Wile E. Coyote must feel stoked every time he thinks he's about to catch the Road Runner, or when Charlie Brown thinks he's finally going to kick the football.

[schild]

When I started hitting pavement, I'll start worrying. Until then I've got my tiny umbrella and acme solutions to solve my problems.

[NiX]

If this is as good as it looks I may have to buy a PS3.

[Hoax]

Let's not forget it is Sony making a game for the Sony console.  We all know Schild is bad at Sony things. 

P.S.  First wii MMO will be the WoW killer.

[schild]

P.S.  First wii MMO will be the WoW killer.

Nintendo won't allow MMOGs on the Wii.

No patching is allowed, and they don't want any sort of named communication between players.

When they stop being fucking pussies, Pokemon will be the first MMOG. And it will rule all.

[Aez]

Beating a mission by yourself will likely yield a bronze medal, says SOE Seattle, which gives you access to more skills, gadgets, and operatives. In a group, however, you can get silver and gold medals, allowing access to more elite items.

How is this different from saying you can solo in Everquest but it's 10x time slower than grouping?

[Trippy]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

This is being made by the team that made MxO. This is going to be an epic fail.

[schild]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

This is being made by the team that made MxO. This is going to be an epic fail.

And who was MxO made by, what did a bunch of them do previously?

[Trippy]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

This is being made by the team that made MxO. This is going to be an epic fail.

And who was MxO made by, what did a bunch of them do previously?

Make crap? The people that worked on MxO are not the same that worked on, say, NoLF and then later F.E.A.R. Also I forgot that SOE Seattle includes all the ex-Mythica people.

[Dtrain]

MxO wasn't that bad. They just forgot a little thing called content is all.

Oh, what Brad McQuaid could have taught them - aside from which pill to take.  

Seriously though, it had a very robust library of clothing customizations, great combat animations (when they weren't screwing up,) and a very nice city map. Just kinda scary they thought repeating 4 missions over and over on the same set of enemies would be entertaining.

[Venkman]

I'll take the ex-Mythica people over a lot of other folks these days. At least they had some interesting ideas that looked actually fun.

Proof in the pudding of course. I don't have any sort of faith in anything not installed on my computer.

[Abelian75]

How is this different from saying you can solo in Everquest but it's 10x time slower than grouping?

Do you consider WoW the same as EQ in this regard?  You can't get the best rewards in WoW either without grouping.

If so, then I guess it isn't any different, but I hardly think the idea of giving greater reward for groups over solo players is that crazy.  The key is to ensure that soloing is still fun, and still gives a satisfying reward, even if it isn't the best one.

[tmp]

Must say it looks quite likeable. They aren't doing the 'tab to lock on' stuff from TR but appear to have regular aiming system from FPS, and between cinematics bits, the tricks you can pull off and the combination of sneaking/combat along with the graphics style that looks deliberately comic-like... it has some sort of Metal Gear Online feel to it. Jump in, grab mission to do either on your own or with others. Get ranking and rewards depending how well you do. Could dig it.

[Trippy]

I'll take the ex-Mythica people over a lot of other folks these days. At least they had some interesting ideas that looked actually fun.

Lots of MMORPGs look fun *on paper*. The fact that MS gave up on them is particularly telling since MS's MMORPG standards are so low.

[Trippy]

MxO wasn't that bad. They just forgot a little thing called content is all.

The technical infrastructure was absolutely horrid.

[Simond]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

Here's a lesson: Don't ignore me.

Sucka.

Let's wait for launch, or at least beta before you break out the champagne, lest someone mention the I am Legend thread.

Hmm...MMO with FPS-lite gameplay made by SOE that Schild is stoked about. Why does that sound familiar?

Oh yeah. That.

[cmlancas]

Oh, he went there. With a link and everything. 

[Venkman]

I bite my tongue on that any time schild gets excited about a new game/system from the 

I'll take the ex-Mythica people over a lot of other folks these days. At least they had some interesting ideas that looked actually fun.

Lots of MMORPGs look fun *on paper*. The fact that MS gave up on them is particularly telling since MS's MMORPG standards are so low.

Yea, that has already struck me as sorta wierd. Iirc, the excuse at the time it was because of their legal case with Mythic (DAoC). But to me if you truly believed in it, you'd work through something like that, ya know, maybe change the game name or something.

I use Mythica and AC2 as examples of MS not caring about MMOs. I think they do get the idea of lobby-based multiplayer achievement-based experiences. I just don't think they particularly care about persistent worlds. Which to me is a shame because if anyone can spend the money to focus a group on raw derivative quality, MS could (though not through their studio).

I don't use VG as that example though. No matter who you are or what you want, you beat feet from that trainwreck asafp.

[schild]

Guys, I've been kinda stoked about this for a while. :):)

Yes, but that seemed to be almost solely due to the fact that it was on the PS3, so we all ignored you.

Here's a lesson: Don't ignore me.

Sucka.

Let's wait for launch, or at least beta before you break out the champagne, lest someone mention the I am Legend thread.

Hmm...MMO with FPS-lite gameplay made by SOE that Schild is stoked about. Why does that sound familiar?

Oh yeah. That.

I bet this one has collision detection. Now shove it right up yer arse.