Relic working on new MMOG

[Trippy]

From GameSpot: Relic working on new MMOG, RPG

Let the speculation begin!

[stray]

This may actually be more promising than Bioware.

[edit] Perhaps more promising than any other pvp games being announced as well. Lack of rpg experience or not.

[Nija]

So can they use the 40k license outside of the Dawn of War RTS games?

[Trippy]

It's not clear. Namco has the rights to non-MMO Warhammer games while Mythic/EA has the rights to the MMO game so licensing-wise they are separate things but I don't know if THQ's 40K license is similar to Namco's or if also includes the right to make a 40K MMO as well.

Edit: too many clears

[Scadente]

I doubt Games Workshop would splash both their big name licenses at once, so I doubt they have the rights. It would be like doing WoW and Universe of Starcraft at once, a bad business desicion. Relic are very much competent, Homeworld was a blast. And they show that they understand games and genres, an how to break/improve them. Interesting :)

[Trippy]

I doubt Games Workshop would splash both their big name licenses at once, so I doubt they have the rights. It would be like doing WoW and Universe of Starcraft at once, a bad business desicion.

Except that the WH MMO is supposed to be released in 2007 and if Relic started now at best they would be able to release in 2009 assuming they were able to complete an MMO in two years like Mythic is trying to do. So it's not like the two games would be released at the same time.

Relic are very much competent, Homeworld was a blast. And they show that they understand games and genres, an how to break/improve them. Interesting :)

Relic is very good at making RTSes and...that's it.

[CadetUmfer]

"Homeworld MMO plz kthx" and such.  No, seriously.

[penfold]

40k and it might be the only mmorpg i'll ever play. Nothing else on the horizon is remotely interesting. Dark Crusade would be a nice cheap excuse to put a bunch of races on one planet.

[Arthur_Parker]

If GW wanted a 40k mmorpg out before World of Starcraft...

[stray]

To hell with 40k. It's cool and all, but we don't need more elves and orcs.

Homeworld, otoh, has the potential to out-Eve Eve.

[lamaros]

Can they make a non RTS?

A homeworld MMO, without all the spreadsheeting of EVE, could seriously rock, though. Seriously.

[geldonyetich]

A homeworld MMO, without all the spreadsheeting of EVE, could seriously rock, though. Seriously.

"Ahem," says an oft overlooked indy game on the wings.

If it's an RPG they're making, it probably won't be Homeworld.  Either that, or it won't play like homeworld, which was a RTS.  Granted, a RTSRPG isn't entirely out of the question.

In addition to Homeworld, Relic has had their hands in Warhammer 40K, Company of Heroes, the Outfit, and Impossible Creatures.

[stray]

It can easily be Homeworld. That doesn't need to be an RTS.

I imagine a Homeworld mmo could resemble an rts from a large scale/command point of view though. Just like Eve does.

--

I don't think it matters if they lack rpg or mmo experience. What they bring to the table is far more important. They can pick up whatever they need to flesh out the rest. I'm convinced that MMO "expertise" is, for the most part, bullshit. The very thing that makes these games suck.

[Typhon]

it's not like any other predominantly-RTS game company has managed to create a successful MMO game in recent history.

[Venkman]

Homeworld MMO would be awesome, but I'd be afraid it's be something that tries to take on Eve, rather than something that hits a more mainstream crowd. It kills me, yearly, that nobody's made a space-simey Freespace 2 like control scheme in an MMO. SWG: JTL comes close, but with all of the SWG baggage. Vendetta Online is simply too, err, simple in control scheme, and Jumpgate just looks like two generations older than Freespace 2 (like Descent era).

I want Homeworld IP, but to sit in my spaceship, and have some passenger gunners like SWG: JTL YT-1300, with big capital ships and lasers, with Eve-like economy without the stuff that makes it so very niche, with pretty graphics, and that Yes soundtrack.

Go!

[lamaros]

It can easily be Homeworld. That doesn't need to be an RTS.

I imagine a Homeworld mmo could resemble an rts from a large scale/command point of view though. Just like Eve does.

--

I don't think it matters if they lack rpg or mmo experience. What they bring to the table is far more important. They can pick up whatever they need to flesh out the rest. I'm convinced that MMO "expertise" is, for the most part, bullshit. The very thing that makes these games suck.

I don't think it has to be too RTSish. One of the worst things about EVE is that the character system is so awful that there isn't enough base level connection with the universe, which leads to it feeling a bit like a sim. I think you could do a Homeworld MMO with a lot of similarities and have a better character system that would bring a lot of warmth to the 'genre'.

I mean think about it:

As far as Homeworld goes they pretty much have the PvE aspect down. It's not so hugely different from a RTS, especialy Homeworld's linear (call it Quest-like) single player game. You just have to change units to PC, give them generic types with limited skill choices, and rebalance the missions around them. Co-op fun for everyone.
PvP is not so different either. You can take the same approach to group PvP - which of course is one of the big things you'd expect in a space game. 1v1 is also just a balance thing.

I think Relic can do PvE side stuff well, and PvP stuff is just an extension of that with different balancing.

The big make of break for such a game would be in how well designed PCs are in respect to content generation. What would make the game different is a great system for players to create guilds/stations/etc of their own, and explore out into the universe away from PvE areas. In this area I think they could borrow a few things from EVE and do quite well. There has enough been done in this area in other MMOs to borrow from that they wouldn't really need to innovate, just implement well. And tie it in cohesivly with the PvE side.

Of course, I dont know how well Relic would handle the technical aspects of running a MMO. It seems to be a pretty hard thing to set up; though I don't really know enough about the issues involved to speculate.

I want Homeworld IP, but to sit in my spaceship, and have some passenger gunners like SWG: JTL YT-1300, with big capital ships and lasers, with Eve-like economy without the stuff that makes it so very niche

I *don't* want this. Passengers and Capital ships is going the Macro direction, and while it could be done very well (I can imagine loving it) it requires a lot of improvement on what is currently around if you want to do it without going down a rather boring Niche path. You want to keep players at a consistent level, and not requite constant dependance: having a big Frigate that requires 5 people to run would be too much of a logistical nightmare, or be OP. You want to keep the individual connected with the game world directly.

The EVE economy is not a system that I would ever want to emulate. Draw from, yes, but definatly improve on.

[geldonyetich]

it's not like any other predominantly-RTS game company has managed to create a successful MMO game in recent history.

Heh.

Well, I've always wanted a Master of Orion MMORPG that plays from the perspective of a single citizen.   One that doesn't turn out like Mankind did.  My point about Relic versus Homeworld wasn't saying they couldn't do one on that property just because it's an RPG, just that if they did do an RPG on Homeworld it's unlikely to play anything like the 3D RTS games that defined the series.

[Viin]

I think Relic can do PvE side stuff well, and PvP stuff is just an extension of that with different balancing.

You would think, but that's not usually how it turns out. PvE stuff is easy - you control the ropes. Once you start allowing PvP, all your carefully thought out rules are thrown out the window.

[stray]

Homeworld MMO would be awesome, but I'd be afraid it's be something that tries to take on Eve, rather than something that hits a more mainstream crowd.

What is mainstream exactly? Elves, orcs, and fire bolts? Or do you mean mainstream as in recognizable game brands?

Either way, it's strange. Outside of mmo's, elves and orcs aren't all the rage (in video games or in movies and literature). And as far as game brands go, Homeworld was a modest success. There was a good deal of players and servers back in the day, and it recieved multiple goty awards as well.

Anyways, I guess it doesn't matter. Who knows? Relic might just use an uncharacteristic setting, instead of sci fi (like they did with Company of Heroes).

[Venkman]

This just came up in the other thread. I won't copy/paste my reply :) Essentially though, the face of this genre is defined by EQ1 et al, but there's a lot more room to grow. It's easy to call WoW a success, but it was Tolkien>D&D>EQ1 that paved that way. It wouldn't be so big if D&D was based instead on formalizing the rules of play within a sci-fi setting.

Homeworld wasn't a huge brand, but Relic wouldn't be a company shooting for 7mil subscribers anyway. As such, they are less bound by convention than someone who is so big they have no choice but to shoot against WoW.

[CadetUmfer]

I want Homeworld IP, but to sit in my spaceship, and have some passenger gunners like SWG: JTL YT-1300, with big capital ships and lasers, with Eve-like economy without the stuff that makes it so very niche, with pretty graphics, and that Yes soundtrack.

Homeworld IP + Freelancer gameplay + MMO scale.  And hire me.

[stray]

This just came up in the other thread. I won't copy/paste my reply :) Essentially though, the face of this genre is defined by EQ1 et al, but there's a lot more room to grow. It's easy to call WoW a success, but it was Tolkien>D&D>EQ1 that paved that way. It wouldn't be so big if D&D was based instead on formalizing the rules of play within a sci-fi setting.

I think fantasy has about as much to do with WoW's success as Bugsy Seigel has to do with the popularity of Las Vegas.

[Chenghiz]

I want Homeworld IP, but to sit in my spaceship, and have some passenger gunners like SWG: JTL YT-1300, with big capital ships and lasers, with Eve-like economy without the stuff that makes it so very niche, with pretty graphics, and that Yes soundtrack.

Homeworld IP + Freelancer gameplay + MMO scale.  And hire me.

And sign me up. This could be good.

[Strazos]

A big NO on defiance.

[Arthur_Parker]

According to playfuls.com it's not homeworld.

Unfortunately, there's not much point in dreaming about a new Relic game based on the Homeworld universe, since that license now belongs to Vivendi / Sierra. But... who knows what the Canadians will come up with!

[Azazel]

Has Namco actually done anything at all with that 40k licence? I wouldn't be surprised if it's set to expire sometime shortly...

[Trippy]

Has Namco actually done anything at all with that 40k licence? I wouldn't be surprised if it's set to expire sometime shortly...

Warhammer license not 40K and they just released Mark of Chaos.