Stargate SG-1 MMOG Announced.

[HaemishM]

That trailer was a joke. You're releasing this year and you can't be arsed to include SOME gameplay? Something with a HUD or anything that gives some flavor for what players will be facing when they play the game? You hae 30 seconds with at least one half of your potential audience (Stargate fans being this half, MMOG fans being the other half), and all you do is fluff them with stupid cinematics?

Epic fail.

[tazelbain]

Ditto.  Plus it makes it look like Asgard are playable.  That would fun but continuity raping, like Jedi in SWG.

[ajax34i]

It's interesting that in the TV series or even the original movie, although the teams were military teams, none of the missions they showed were military in nature.  I mean, teams of 4 people with small arms, and objectives including rescue, diplomacy, or recon.  No batallions, no heavy armor, no bombardments, none of that stuff, and I'd expect it in a MMO where a guild could reach 40-60 people, and where the group size might be limited to 4, but raid size might be 20-40-80.  And, where the missions would be purely military "go to P4X-236, kill 40 goa'uld, bring me their dead symbiotes as proof, and I'll give you $30."

Oh yeah, what's the galactic currency?  Naquadah coins?

[Venkman]

If I was in a spaceship, I'd gladly do that. JTL kept me in SWG for three months by itself. I'm just that easy to please

[Stormwaltz]

Plus it makes it look like Asgard are playable.  That would fun but continuity raping, like Jedi in SWG.

GameSpot article says: "...players choose from seven archetypes--Jaffa, Goa'uld, Asgard, and human soldier, scientist, archeologist, and commando..."

Also, RvR: "There will be two factions in the game at launch. One side will feature the Asgard, Free Jaffa, and humans; the other side has the Goa'uld, Loyal Jaffa, and humans."

[tazelbain]

The game will take place in the earlier seasons of the show, before the Atlantis expedition and before the Ori story arc

Whats wrong with just saying "alternate continuity"?  And for a fan such as myself, it would make more sense to explain the differences between the show and the MMOG.  And if the iconic stuff was still there, i'd would love it.  But as long as they cling to following the show, I can't help but nitpick it.  For example, Asgard is the pet class.  That was never in the show.  Plus there was only a hand full of Asgard who had contact.  Now we are going to have thousands of Asgard working with the Tau'ri to fight the Goa'uld.  That destroys the Protected Planets Treaty which is a central plot point of the era the MMOG is set in.

[Morat20]

Ditto.  Plus it makes it look like Asgard are playable.  That would fun but continuity raping, like Jedi in SWG.

Asgard are a pet race -- use drones, basically. Can also call down Orbital strikes (Gould can do the same, and use servants). Looks like Asgard took the Tok'ra slot.

The implication that Gould can switch bodies is interesting, although I bet it's not supported enough to be really useful (like infiltration. Could you imagine a game like EVE with that sort of possibility? Your best bud for months turns out to be a snakehead?).

I'm really interested in what the playstyle will be. I'm hoping twitchier, especially given the inclusion of a sniper class (the Commando).

[UnSub]

The game will take place in the earlier seasons of the show, before the Atlantis expedition and before the Ori story arc

Whats wrong with just saying "alternate continuity"? 

This would have been a better option. When you sandwich new events between known events with these kind of IPs, there is a very, very good chance you are going to destroy / violate some existing point of continuity.

Much better to either put it after Atlantis (and stipulate that area is off limits) or to set it in an entirely alternate reality.

[tmp]

I dunno. The CGI wasn't first-rate Assassin's Creed or anything. But if they're going for sweeping worlds, large fast-action conflicts, and don't want to limit their audience to just those who upgrade sometime this year, I found the graphics believable for supporting older rigs. But I also agree this is rather telling for an 08 offering.

It's running on Unreal Engine 3 so i wouldn't hold my breath expecting much tolerance for low-end hardware. But i must say it's bit of eyebrow raiser when people put AC versus UE3 graphics as some sort of old vs new comparison. Perhaps the impression comes from how the artists utilized the tools given? (realism in one case, more of stylization in the other)

[Venkman]

Yea, sorry, I keep forgetting I need to stipulate that style vs raw tech thing. The style seemed "low tech" to me, in a WoW-esque like way. I honestly have no idea how the actual technology works/scales whatever, though of course that is important.

[SnakeCharmer]

I'm trying to remain optomistic that since the video was CGI'd, that the game will look much better.  The screenies they've released have a very WoWish artistic quality to them.  Very bright, very neony. 

At least it's not brown.

[eldaec]

If I was in a spaceship, I'd gladly do that. JTL kept me in SWG for three months by itself. I'm just that easy to please

Don't be daft. There will not be spaceships.

The gaming gods appear to have decreed that there will be no spaceships ever again.



8 years, 4 months and still counting.

[ajax34i]

But, but, there's been a lot of spaceship action going on in the Atlantis series recently.  Heh, at one point in the last? episode I was expecting to see an EVE-style blob, with large ships packed in and pointing in all directions, but fortunately they were all lined up.  Truth be told, the gates are more of a civilian convenience (ease of travel) rather than any sort of military device (if you want firepower you bring ships).

Anyway.

[DarkSign]

"We come in peace... Wait, no we don't"

If this 'joke' says anything about the quality of the game I think it's safe to say it's gonna suck. I mean...come on.

[SnakeCharmer]

Yeah.  I've got no problem with cheesy.  But that was just bad.

[Venkman]

I'd rather have good game play than funny voice overs. That didn't bother me because a) I don't expect it was for anything other than a hastily-hacked together trailer; and, b) I can't think of any MMO that is "funny" anyway, except maybe parts of WoW.

[Morat20]

I'd rather have good game play than funny voice overs. That didn't bother me because a) I don't expect it was for anything other than a hastily-hacked together trailer; and, b) I can't think of any MMO that is "funny" anyway, except maybe parts of WoW.

I think the SG-1 team is in the Stormwind barracks. There's a Jackson, Carter, and O'Neill there at least.

[ajax34i]

I'd rather have good game play than funny voice overs.

The characters in the shows spend most of their time talking, messing around with tech, or trying to save each other from various bugs, diseases, poisons, traps, etc.  When watching the shows, the fun isn't in the combat.  The MMO game will be all about combat, however, but the weapons aren't balanced (most kill or stun in one shot, 100% success rate) or varied enough, vehicles are rarely used, and space combat would involve capital ships (like EVE).  I have no clue how they can manage to put the spirit of the shows into the game, but that would be what I'd consider good gameplay.

[Ratman_tf]

I'd rather have good game play than funny voice overs.

The characters in the shows spend most of their time talking, messing around with tech, or trying to save each other from various bugs, diseases, poisons, traps, etc.  When watching the shows, the fun isn't in the combat.  The MMO game will be all about combat, however, but the weapons aren't balanced (most kill or stun in one shot, 100% success rate) or varied enough, vehicles are rarely used, and space combat would involve capital ships (like EVE).  I have no clue how they can manage to put the spirit of the shows into the game, but that would be what I'd consider good gameplay.

Call me a pessimist, but I think this game is gonna SWG, and give us something new to bitch about and poke fun at for years...

[Venkman]

I'd rather have good game play than funny voice overs.

The characters in the shows spend most of their time talking, messing around with tech, or trying to save each other from various bugs, diseases, poisons, traps, etc.  When watching the shows, the fun isn't in the combat.  The MMO game will be all about combat, however, but the weapons aren't balanced (most kill or stun in one shot, 100% success rate) or varied enough, vehicles are rarely used, and space combat would involve capital ships (like EVE).  I have no clue how they can manage to put the spirit of the shows into the game, but that would be what I'd consider good gameplay.

I agree. But that works for the TV medium. That wouldn't probably work as a static-environment persistent world. People watch TV to consume content, whereas they play games to do things. Unless they get those writers to do 10x the amount of work to create hundreds of compelling dialog trees that need to be read and have accountable outcome that results in XP growth, SG:W is going to be like every other MMO: get in, have adventures and action, meet people. And action in any sci-fi game connotes weapons, vehicles, etc, which implies enemies and conquest and all the stuff we usually do.

Whether it fits the IP or is thrust upon it

[kenrio]

the trailer don't use the game engine !! why ? this engine sucks ?
Somebody knows this engine ?

[Ratman_tf]

the trailer don't use the game engine !! why ? this engine sucks ?
Somebody knows this engine ?

[kenrio]

lol oki this is the probleme of this game   

[Draegan]

 

--

I never really watched the show.  But if the game is well made, I always look forward to a new entry into the genre.  Don't know much about it but we'll see.

[SnakeCharmer]

Riiiiiise...

Looks like CME got themselves a publsiher....FireSky, which is a division of CME.  That owns CME, or something.  And Handcranked Games, and Superstition Studios, and something called Project Ascension.

Still looking at a Fall 2008 release.  Beta isn't quite announced, although they have hinted at it starting soon on the forums.

My hype meter is all over the range for this game, from ZOMGZOMGZOMGIWANTTOPLAYNOW to /snore.

And now for a psuedo press release whereby they state completely original goals and ambitions.

FireSky, a new video game publisher dedicated to improving how gamers play and interact online, announced today that it would publish Stargate Worlds, a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) based on MGM’s  award-winning Stargate franchise. FireSky will also publish other unannounced titles as it paves the way for SNAP games.

FireSky is pioneering the development and publishing of games for Social Networks At Play™ (SNAPs), a unified theory of online gaming that combines social interaction, economies and game play across a variety of titles. The FireSky team calls this evolution "Project: Ascension." This project – currently under wraps – will bring gamers together in new and unprecedented ways.

"We don’t intend to be another garden-variety games publisher," said FireSky CEO Tim Jenson. "We are focused on publishing high quality social gaming experiences online. As the industry moves online, more and more people will be turning to games as a way to spend time with friends. With a few notable exceptions, game developers and publishers haven’t done a great job of marrying quality games with social experiences. Project: Ascension and SNAP games will change that dynamic forever."

FireSky Senior Vice President of Product Development, Rod Nakamoto, has launched more than 80 titles over his 25-year career in game development. Mr. Nakamoto leads FireSky’s four internal development studios and oversees the progress on Project: Ascension.

"There is a degree of pressure to play a title after the fun factor has gone, simply because the investment is too great," explained Mr. Nakamoto. "Gamers who invest time building characters, making friends and gathering resources typically have no ability to transfer this investment to a new experience. We’re working on a new set of ideals that will push online gaming past these barriers and into an era of portability."

Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations Joe Ybarra, a 25-year veteran of the video game industry and one of the founding members of Electronic Arts, is heading up FireSky’s publishing operations. Mr. Ybarra has extensive experience publishing products worldwide, handling licensed material and managing business development with third-party developers.

"From a business perspective, publishing is the logical next step for FireSky," said Mr. Ybarra. "We’ve got the chops to do it and we’re assembling a great team here in the desert. I can’t wait to get our flagship up and running to show off our operation."

FireSky, a subsidiary of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, currently has four studios working on a variety of interactive titles.

"It’s almost time for us to lift the veil and show the world some of the unique projects we’re working on in addition to Stargate Worlds," said Mr. Jenson. "Our studios are filled with talented game designers, world builders and engineers and we’ll be announcing several products over the course of the summer and fall that will lay the foundation for SNAP games and Project: Ascension. We have projects that span a variety of game genres as well as proven and emerging business models."

[Jerrith]

CME was really a bit too Stargate focused for all the other projects that are being worked on.  I think Firesky is a bit less focused and should work better as a brand.  :)  The site has some amusing bits of text in various places, and hey, I made it on, playing Rock Band on the Company History page. :)

[ahoythematey]

Is this game going to deal with ascension at all?  I always felt that it was a cool idea until it became Jackson's own version of 1up mushrooms.

[SnakeCharmer]

FYI, CME has announced beta registration.

Register for their forums here.
Register for beta here.

Friends and family beta has started, other invites to go out soon.

[Sky]

Someone already took my username, dammit.

[TripleDES]

Someone already took my username, dammit.

[Reg]

I got "Reg" but the activation code for the community ID took 24 hours to show and I still haven't got the activation for the forums.

[TripleDES]

Activation mail was sent very fast for me. If the user IDs are serial, then there's already over 35000 sign ups.

Do I need to be registered on the forums to be eligible for the beta?

[Reg]

I don't think so. As far as I could tell there was no link between the beta request ID and the forums. Unless they do something crafty by looking at the email addresses we used to register.

[SnakeCharmer]

Do I need to be registered on the forums to be eligible for the beta?

Probably couldn't hurt.

[SnakeCharmer]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise from the grave...

Cool little blurb on G4TV last night....

Looks nice!

http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/previews/26750/All_Access_Stargate_Worlds.html