Imperator First Look

[WayAbvPar]

Link ruthlessly stolen from Lum's blog

I am going to need more info before I make a decision, but for now, it sounds kind of silly to me. I also can't believe that with all the various factions written into the backstory that there is no PvP.

[schild]

...a non-PvP-based MMORPG that's basically about futuristic Romans fighting Mayan robots, in space...

Right, so lemme get this straight. Nero, wearing the standard issue futuristic v-neck silver jumpsuit will fiddle while the Biodome burns?

I'll look at it again in a year. It's way to early to even pretend it exists.

[AlteredOne]

Roman orgies with Amazon warrior chicks!  The only way this will fly, is if Mythic hires some experts on '70s camp (maybe including John Waters), feeds them a lot of shrooms, and turns Imperator into a cross between Leisure Suit Caesar and Anarchy Online.  The world's first X-rated space MMO might gain a certain niche audience.

[kaid]

Okay thats just fucking weird. I think I will hold off thinking about this game at all until it is alot farther down the pipeline than it is.

kaid

[Lanei]

It's a beautiful future, mainly because you don't exist.

To the gamespy writer:  Your misanthropy is showing.

[HaemishM]

Hmmm, sci-fi, with romans, and 3 of the 4 typical MMOG archetypes.

Let me know when there's something new on the horizon.

[schild]

Just like every other MMOG (including Horizons), someone at Mythic is thinking "Jesus fuck, these people don't realize how cool our pve is. It's going to totally take them by surprise [when they realize that the autoattack is tied to the tilde]."

[Shannow]

coughcoughearth&beyondcoughcough

Bring on the spaceworms!

[Slayerik]

I read up to the part where he starts talking about Mayans being in this. I feel like I'm in a bad dream involving my years of history classes and Total War games.

[AlteredOne]

As a guy with a history degree, this sort of thing makes me very uncomfortable.  Next think you know, Mel Gibson will buy a controlling interest in an MMO, and we'll be treated to "evil redcoats in space" (notice all of his villains are British, or speak with a Brit accent), featuring quests where our women are raped and killed by Lord Fondleroy, forcing us to seek revenge.

But I guess Romans and Mayans are sufficiently ancient, to avoid any current political associations.

[SurfD]

I dont know, Myans and Azetcs in space fighting the Romans COULD work in an alternate history telling.

After all, if the Roman Republic never fell, AND gave up their expansionist tendancies after conquering most of Europe, then the Conquistadors would never have existed, and therefore would probably never have wiped out the natives with their unintended viral warefare.

As to the Myans being evil as fuck, i have no idea what they are basing that off of, except perhaps their history of ritual sacrifice (or was that the Aztecs?  I am a little bit fuzzy on how much mixing of the two different groups is going on here).

[kaid]

It just strikes me as a game concept thought up after a marathon all night session of watching the history channel while drinking heavily. I don't know what they expect their target market is but I just don't see a whole lot of interest for something like this.

kaid

[Reg]

Actually the Roman/Aztec alternate history thing has been done. I read a science fiction book with that premise years ago. I don't remember the author or title though.

[NewGuy]

I'm really sorry. Lum is cool and everything and Mythic has proven they can deliver. But the whole idea of Imperator make me cringe.

Mayans - IN SPACE! Right. Marc Jacobs must have been smoking something heavy. Developing your own IP is a noble (and profitable) goal, but that hinges on the IP in question not beeing downright silly. The success of DAOC has nothing to do with the Arthurian IP and everything to do with that it is enough of generic fantasy setting to suit many people.

Please please kill this freak quickly and go develop something worthwhile.

[UnSub]

I'll give you that the IP is a weird mix of both space opera and fantasy elements, but how often does a backstory really matter in a mmog? It'll still be full of people going "Lvl 7 Cestus lfg" and "where's teh spawn?". And it's alternate history - alternate history is almost always a bit stupid.

It'll be the gameplay that actually counts. Wait until beta before summarily dismissing the game.

[Shannow]

Yeah um how geeky do you look debating the merits of an alternative timeline with Mayans in space.

Im sure we will get to rip this game later for its absolutely uninspired gameplay.

[Viin]

Taken from MMORPG.COM:

Mythic aims to redefine the way you look at combat

The downside of E3 is that everyone has so much to see that they cannot usually get more than a cursory glance at each title. MMORPG.com was in a unique position when it came to Mythic’s second major release Imperator. We had just been down to Fairfax to see the game and released this preview. With scarcely more than a month between the two viewings, we decided not to waste your time with the basics we had already told you. Instead, I had a long chat with Mike Lescault, one of the designers behind Imperator, about one of the most important aspects of the game: combat. Today, in our first in-depth look at an aspect of the game, we hone in on combat and how Mythic hopes to perfect the mechanic that has always been such a hot-button topic in MMORPGs.

Imperator is set in a sci-fi alternate earth reality where Rome never fell and the republic is locked in an inter-stellar war with the Mayans – who left Terra (Earth) years before, leaving a plague in their wake. This setting immediately differentiates the game from most others. It is not fantasy in any way. The characters look realistic; there are no wizards or magicians – only people. Although some games obviously leap into a similar setting – namely Star Wars Galaxies – this change alone provides them with comparatively uncharted waters to explore and create something new in.

The first thing players notice in Imperator is that there is no auto-combat. If you wish to attack an enemy, you need to select an attack. As you fight, you lose energy and gain focus based on what feats you choose. The various combat moves work off one, or both of these things. This combination ensures players need to pay attention and strategize their combat. For example, do they wish to work the whole fight and build up to one giant pay off move that zaps all their focus or would they prefer to play it safe, and use more, but smaller moves that use only a portion of their hard-earned focus?

Another goal of the development team is to do away with the artificial nature of MMORPG combat where you are told what happened, and thus what to do next. They have augmented text spew like “your target is hamstrung” with the visual animation of a limping enemy. This client-to-player feedback is key. First, it keeps your attention on the battle instead of a chat box, and second it draws you into the experience in a special way. When a player has to watch their opponent to decide what to do next, it makes the player feel as if they are actually fighting rather than simply playing a game. This system, made possible through their use of animation blending (for the limping walk, or other indicators) promises to provide Imperator with greatly immersive combat experience.

One buzzword I heard a lot at E3 this year was “state-based combat”. Of all the incarnations on display, Imperator’s take on this concept intrigued me most. A state is short for the state-of-being that a character or monster is in. For example, a monster can be stunned, knocked down, hamstrung, etc. In Imperator, you cannot simply jump to the end – a knock down – but rather must push the creature along the scale through teamwork. A good group in Imperator will utilize the strengths of each member to drive an enemy further along a scale of states, and then capitalize on their outcome. In a theoretical example, a trooper could knock the enemy into a stunned state where they keep fighting, but are a bit off-kilter. This provides the gunner with the chance to blind him, at which point he stops fighting entirely. Perhaps then, the trooper can drive him to fear, where he runs around willy-nilly, before the gunner again hits him and knocks him off his feat. At this point, the entire group is able to jump in, kick and stomp to inflict a lot of damage on the prone enemy.

Another interesting aspect of the combat system is how it makes groups actually behave like groups. Some players will have feats that key off states that they alone cannot drive the monster into. This in no way diminishes the viability of solo play, but rather enhances group play. First and foremost, Imperator has been designed to be friendly to solo players. This system merely ads an extra layer of spice for those that do team up. Good coordination is key. The best groups in Imperator promise to be those that talk and plan, rather than just those who can inflict the maximum DPS in a mindless flurry of button mashing.

We also discussed how they hope to make each class in Imperator feel different in combat. The difference between a light tank and a heavy tank is far too often simply mathematical. The light tank stands still, hits fast and takes more damage. The heavy tank also stands still, hits slow, and takes less damage. While these basic concepts remain in Imperator, the necessity of different play styles for different classes augments them. The heavy tank will remain the damage sponge, as he endeavors to keep the attention of the monster squarely on him. Yet, the light tank type class has feats that make them move around. For example, they might begin with an in close blast, followed by a semi-far away shotgun shot, etc. This creates a sort of pinball class that plays and feels a lot different from their heavier brothers. For once, the choice of class has a direct impact on the style of play. This promises to enhance reliability, as it turns each class into their own unique play experience. It also means that while the game is still an RPG, there are definitely elements of player skill to consider.

As with every discussion of game mechanics of a game that has not yet hit beta - this is all subject to change. However, it does sound like a deep and exciting system that should entertain the masses and hopefully put the focus on the game, rather than the mechanics that support it. Generally, I was quite impressed by what I heard.

Overall, the most impressive aspect of Imperator – and the reason it was runner-up in our E3 Awards for Best of Show – is that they employed no E3 smokescreen. Their game was available in their booth for people to play. There was no contrived E3 demo, just the game standing on its own two feet. Obviously, we did not have a chance to play eight hours, advance our character and see the combat system from all sides, but the basics of it were definitely there. The game also appeared infinitely more polished than it had just a month before. The animations were smooth, the combat fluid and the controls crisp. I was shocked at the rate of change – and only in a month. If they continue to excel at such a pace over the next year of development, Mythic has another hit on their hands.

Discuss.

[Pococurante]

Sounds like a lot of what gamers ask for and few customers can actually do...   It sounds interesting.

And props to Mythic for actually showing a product.

[Nija]

Incredible, another PVE only EQ clone. I'm can't fucking contain my excitement. 

[Viin]

One of the other articles talked about being able to fight other players in the Colosseum .. what that entails: I donno. (Heck, if you could be a gladiator and win money/stuff from that, that alone might be fun).

[Pococurante]

I like chained special attacks as long as they're not too special-purpose.  I'm too slow/lazy to chain four attacks each of which is predicated on minute percentage chance to proc.

Still though as someone who's ratio of solo to group play is at least 3 to 1 I'm a bit leery about how solo-friendly a Mythic product will actually be.  CoH and WoW skirtch my itch in that department just fine and I'm absolutely delighted the "MOG overachievers" (sheesh was an oxymoron) are trickling out of WoW while their sub numbers continue to rocket upwards.

No mention of crafts.  Will crafting as a playstyle in Imperator will be just as uninspired and the domain of guild mules as it was in DAOC?  Ok strong words perhaps, but will it be more in the spirit of UO?  I really dislike a system where everyone can be a fully self-sufficient crafter.

[raydeen]

Romans vs. Mayans? 

I liked it better when it was Incas vs. Spaniards!

http://www.vintage-sierra.com/other/incav1.html

Not a MMOG, but a weird and cool game. One of the few I ever actually completed.

[Paelos]

Is it twitch? No? Then it's not revolutionary. I pass.

[Viin]

No mention of crafts.  Will crafting as a playstyle in Imperator will be just as uninspired and the domain of guild mules as it was in DAOC?  Ok strong words perhaps, but will it be more in the spirit of UO?  I really dislike a system where everyone can be a fully self-sufficient crafter.

MMORPG.com had another article previous to this, which I will quote some select sections here.. (note, the article is easier to read and includes some screenshots)

Economy & Crafting
The game promises a player-based economy, and a world where money exists, but they do not emphasize it. This seems a touch paradoxical. Players are expected to get that next big item, not by mindless bashing of mobs for money, but through the completion of Life Events and other quests. This then raises the question of where, or even if, crafting fits into Imperator Online. It does. Anyone can be a crafter if that is his or her choice. Raw materials are gathered through combat – there shall be no mining or lumberjacking – and used in a system where not much has been revealed.

Yay? Sounds like the self-sufficient model you are talking about. But maybe they will restrict the number of crafting abilities you can have on a single character. Graphics:

Mythic built Imperator Online off the Dark Age of Camelot engine. That may sound scary to some, but it essentially means that DAoC and the years that the tools of the game had to develop were the launching point for Imperator. In fact, rather than holding Imperator back, it should actually accelerate both its development and that of Dark Age of Camelot.

In talking to Matt Shaw, their Director of Technology, he was quite excited about two major changes. The first is EmotionFX, an animation system used in Imperator Online. During the section on combat, I pointed out that a player would limp if his leg were hurt. EmotionFX allows that. It takes as many as fifteen animations (a cap, but not a real limit that will ever be used) and blends them into one. What does this mean? A limping run, your head turning as a player walks by, etc. All of this makes the game look and feel more varied and alive.

The second is that Imperator also features extremely realistic lighting. The entire system has been overhauled to provide Imperator with realistic and attractive lighting. A new material system has ensured that each object in the world takes light correctly. Shaders will decorate everything in Imperator, as opposed to only basic things like water in DAoC. There is also far more use of specular and normal maps.

PvP and the End Game:

The End-Games
Mythic aims to create multiple end game choices for players. They will not reveal all the details, but did state their desire for several dramatically different forms of high-end content. A political career was the one concrete example provided. They would not discuss how this works, but did explain that they are aware of potential abuses and problems inherent in any political system.

A gladiatorial system is another possibility. Mark Jacobs did point out one very neat point when discussing this and PvP in general. What is the number one complaint people have with Dark Age of Camelot? It is often the balance issues. The reason? It is very hard to make things work in PvE that also work in PvP. The solution? Create a totally independent system for PvP, from PvE. They did not elaborate further, but did state that if PvP is part of Imperator Online it will operate and be balanced as a separate system, with no reliance or impact on the rest of the game.

The multi-pronged approach to end-games follows Mythic's general philosophy with Imperator to provide a very focused, but option-filled game experience. As mentioned, Imperator Online is not an open-ended sandbox game. It is very content driven, and to an extent, Mythic will define the play experience. The trick for them will be to ensure there are enough options to entertain the masses. With what they have discussed, it seems like there will be.

And on skills and advancement and classes:

Imperator Online has taken a rather unique approach to character progression in terms of mechanics. The game is both level and skill based, with a cap of one-hundred, and fans of Dark Age of Camelot should be familiar with the concept of five base choices that branch out as you advance, in this case at level ten. Each base class has two or three classes that you can choose to evolve into. All information in this section is still under discussion at Mythic and may well change. Originally, I was presented with four base classes, and since the trip that has changed to five. Here is what we know as of today:

    * Technical Class: Uses technology to help others in their group.
    * Biomed Class: They are the healer/cleric types.
    * Ranged Class: The ranged class uses guns and other projectiles to engage enemies from afar.
    * Melee Class: The tanks, they uses hand-to-hand weapons.
    * Unspecified Other Class: The fifth class was quite hush-hush, but we did learn that it would be based heavily on research into quantum physics and be more akin to a "magic" class. Although, it should be noted, there is no "magic" in Imperator Online.

Beyond this, each one branches into two or three additonal class choices at level ten. These are as follows (again, the names are unconfirmed):

    * Technical Class:
          o Engineer: This is a form of pet class. Their technological creations help their allies. One example is that you can deploy a generator to help everyone recharge.
          o Robotisist: This is a pet and nuking class. They build things like a robot with a turret that will shoot enemies
    * Biomed Class:
          o The names of the two cleric-type classes that branch off this are unknown. What is known is that one is skewed towards offense and the other defense.
    * Ranged Class:
          o Sniper: These people wear light armor and are slow-moving, but do high damage. They also have traps and other toys.
          o Commando: This is more a hybrid class that has some elements of melee and some of range.
          o Grenadier: This is the heavy tank from afar. His description immediately makes me think of the heavy-suit in Tribes. They are largely stationary when in combat.
    * Melee Class:
          o Skirmisher: These are position melee reliant, fast, black-ops type people. Typically, in combat, you will play this character darting all over the place to inflict maximum damage.
          o Shock Trooper: This person does high damage, extended melee attacks and tends to be a little less close than other melee classes. Instead, he is at his best when he is just a bit away from the enemy.
          o Protector: The traditional tank. This person has a special shield that blocks extremely well head on. He is your damage-sponge.
    * Quantum Theory Class:
          o There are no details to be gleaned here yet, save the previously mentioned fact that they will be heavily based in quantum physics research.

The most interesting aspect of their system is how they weave a skill and class system together. Essentially, you need to reach a level to "unlock" a skill. Once unlocked, it is usage-based advancement. This combines the guided and balanced game play of a class system with the logical evolution of a skill system. The entire concept sounds very nice.

Looks like the Quantum Theory class will be the nano guys from AO. And races:

    *  Human: This is the stock jack-of-all-trades human race. Customization will be full, and should let you make a character of any real human race.
    * Ingenii: No concept art is yet available for these, but they are a highly beautiful, intelligent race. They are an ideal.
    * Artificial: Yes, you can play a robot. This race is made in their own image, but clearly not human. They are mechanical.

I hope this much text doesn't give anyone a brain tumor. If so, I apologize in advance  ...  I know this really nice brain surgeon ..

[Viin]

Is it twitch? No? Then it's not revolutionary. I pass.

I don't think it needs to be twitch to be revolutionary. Heck, I'd like to see the gameplay that Full Spectrum Warrior provides be integrated into an MMO. That's not twitch but it certainly takes tactical skill. Also, "revolutionary" != "fun". "Fun" = "fun".

[HaemishM]

I don't know, it sounds like a mish-mash of SWG special attacks and CoH no-auto attack combat, with some of Guild Wars and CoH's state animations. I think this is fine, but the state animation thing doesn't really do much for me if the combat is as fast-paced as say Guild Wars or most other MMOG's. This is one instance where slowing down combat would be better, because the state-based animation gets really unnoticeable in large fights in GW especially if there are lots of magical particle effects being tossed around.

The possibility of PVP being added is nice, but it sounds like it'll be at the end of a long series of PVE things, so can't really be touted as a feature, only a side benefit.

Nothing in there tells me I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME.

[WindupAtheist]

Gayass.

[Furiously]

I don't know, it sounds like a mish-mash of SWG special attacks and CoH no-auto attack combat, with some of Guild Wars and CoH's state animations. I think this is fine, but the state animation thing doesn't really do much for me if the combat is as fast-paced as say Guild Wars or most other MMOG's. This is one instance where slowing down combat would be better, because the state-based animation gets really unnoticeable in large fights in GW especially if there are lots of magical particle effects being tossed around.

The possibility of PVP being added is nice, but it sounds like it'll be at the end of a long series of PVE things, so can't really be touted as a feature, only a side benefit.

Nothing in there tells me I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME.

Lum demands it - therefor I will.  Even though the bastard didn't return my phonecall when I offered to take him out for a drink when he visited Seattle last year.

[eldaec]

Quantum people would have to be cc.

If only because Mythic still believe collision detection is superstitious nonsense, and if you can't block, surely you need cc.

[AOFanboi]

* Ingenii: No concept art is yet available for these, but they are a highly beautiful, intelligent race. They are an ideal.

So, elves in space it is, then. *sigh*

*Goes back to rubber-banding between mission locations*

[Daydreamer]

Mythic doesn't have much experience in PvE gameplay.

ROFL.  And everything in DAoC leading up to RvR is what then?

[Rasix]

Mythic doesn't have much experience in PvE gameplay.

ROFL.  And everything in DAoC leading up to RvR is what then?

Spriggarn flavored Excel.

[Nija]

Mythic doesn't have much experience in PvE gameplay.

ROFL.  And everything in DAoC leading up to RvR is what then?

Awful?

[Yegolev]

Yes, I know.  But funny.

[Trippy]

I didn't read anyting in the GameSpy (which didn't have much gameplay content) and MMORPG.com articles (which I hate as a site since they require cookies but I made an exception this time) that got me excited about the game, though I admit I'm kind of prejudice against MUD-combat based Sci-Fi MMORPGs since the whole concept of standing still and firing a shot off in between picking your nose is a turn off. I can handle this sort of thing in games with swords but when guns are involved I get really annoyed.

The specifics will sound familiar to you. There will be a fighter type, which will encompass various roles: melee attacker, tank, and ranged damage-dealer; also, a scout type, who specializes in stealth technology, and various forms of infiltration; a healer, of course, who keeps the other characters buffed, and in fighting condition; and finally, a "weird" type, who's privy to the myriad (meta)physical forces that compose the universe.

Yes it sounds way too familiar. In fact, why have classes, or at least D&D-derived classes, at all? Here was a perfect opportunity to differentiate the game from the others out there now and will be coming out in 2006 and Mythic failed to do so.

One buzzword I heard a lot at E3 this year was “state-based combat”. Of all the incarnations on display, Imperator’s take on this concept intrigued me most. A state is short for the state-of-being that a character or monster is in. For example, a monster can be stunned, knocked down, hamstrung, etc. In Imperator, you cannot simply jump to the end – a knock down – but rather must push the creature along the scale through teamwork. A good group in Imperator will utilize the strengths of each member to drive an enemy further along a scale of states, and then capitalize on their outcome. In a theoretical example, a trooper could knock the enemy into a stunned state where they keep fighting, but are a bit off-kilter. This provides the gunner with the chance to blind him, at which point he stops fighting entirely. Perhaps then, the trooper can drive him to fear, where he runs around willy-nilly, before the gunner again hits him and knocks him off his feat. At this point, the entire group is able to jump in, kick and stomp to inflict a lot of damage on the prone enemy.

This sounds like a more immersive version of FF XI's skill chains and EQ II's Heroic Opportunities. Same basic priniciple -- chain together a distinct set of attacks to do maximum damage (and apparently some status conditions) but at least this one makes more sense compared to EQ II's seemingly arbitrary system (FF XI's sort of makes sense if you understand how the elements are linked together).

Another interesting aspect of the combat system is how it makes groups actually behave like groups. Some players will have feats that key off states that they alone cannot drive the monster into. This in no way diminishes the viability of solo play, but rather enhances group play.

How nice, just like FF XI and EQ II.

The first thing players notice in Imperator is that there is no auto-combat. If you wish to attack an enemy, you need to select an attack. As you fight, you lose energy and gain focus based on what feats you choose. The various combat moves work off one, or both of these things. This combination ensures players need to pay attention and strategize their combat. For example, do they wish to work the whole fight and build up to one giant pay off move that zaps all their focus or would they prefer to play it safe, and use more, but smaller moves that use only a portion of their hard-earned focus?

Except that the number crunchers will very quickly figure out what the optimum strategy is for a given set of skills.

The most interesting aspect of their system is how they weave a skill and class system together. Essentially, you need to reach a level to "unlock" a skill. Once unlocked, it is usage-based advancement. This combines the guided and balanced game play of a class system with the logical evolution of a skill system. The entire concept sounds very nice.

If the effectiveness of the skills are capped by your level then this is no different than the CoH system. If the usage is not capped by level then that's a little more interesting though of course UO had that as well (and no fixed classes either).

Mythic built Imperator Online off the Dark Age of Camelot engine. That may sound scary to some, but it essentially means that DAoC and the years that the tools of the game had to develop were the launching point for Imperator. In fact, rather than holding Imperator back, it should actually accelerate both its development and that of Dark Age of Camelot.

Mythic needs to come out with a new trailer. The one on GameSpy is from 2004 and the graphics in there are very blah.

Edit: fixed typo