New article from my favorite game magazine (Belgium)

[dyin]

Hey guys, I though it would be best to translate the article in english for you guys :lol:. There are some interesting things in it.



article:

Some people claim MMORPG's to be the next (r)evolutionary step for the RPG-genre. This could be true, but why does Oblivion make us drool? It's not just the pretty pictures... The South-Korean producer Webzen claims that mmo's are the way to go for shooters too.
A few years back we saw such an attempt called Planetside. It sure didn't have what it takes to cause much rumble in FPS-land. Webzen thinks Planetside just didn't reach for its full potential ( in those days partly caused by a lack of technology and hardware ). Webzen wants to prove this. The gameplay of Huxley promises to be much more than the conquering of territories Planetside offers. Countless MMORPG concepts will be translated to the FPS-genre. The battlefield of Huxley will be our own planet Earth. Try to find some cover in your closet, according to Webzen the near future will be plagued by some heavy meteorites. The spacedebris will cause some big tidlewaves, earthquakes and climat shifts, but this is nothing really new. However, there is an other consequence: the meteorites cause radioactiviy, and with it, mutations. The human race starts to fall apart in different sub-species. On one hand we have the Sapiens, on the other the Alternatives. Both fractions are 'blessed' to have a leader who claims them be superior (Hitler anyone?). Soon both sides start to make the world a better place by getting rid of the other fraction. Battle only intensifies with the discovery of 'Lunarite', a powerfull energy source delivered by meteorites. Knowing that the fraction with full controle of 'Lunarite' gets to rule the world gives the battlespirit a horrifying boost. The winner will acquire everlasting glory, the loser gets a place next to the dodo in the museum.
At the beginning of the game you will have to pick your race. Once you have chosen to be a Sapien or a Alternative, you'll be offered to specify your gender, face, hair and skin colour. You're wrong to think you will be dropped into battle after choosing your alter ego. Huxley offers a lot of MMORPG elements (e.g.: an area to to communicate and trade). Every race has its own mega-city where you could wander about for hours. I a city you can trade weapons and other items, buy a house, or accept a quest from one of the numerous NPC's. The quest's consists of objectives found in other fps games. Most of the time you will have to battle Hybrids, a third race in Huxley controlled by the game's AI. This will cause you to make a decision: Or you make temporary pact with the other race to kill the hybrids, or you take a chance and kill everything moving (aka: the 'let-god-sort-them-out methode). Hybrids aren't the only tough NPC-clients; there are religious groups, mutants, terrorists, ... Most of those rabble will be found ruling the underground cities (Tip: don't go wandering about on your own down there).
Beside quests you'll be offered to enlist for battle to fight for Lunarities. These PvP battles can be fought among hundreds of other players, and therefor will be an amzing display of firepower. The available weapons look really bombastic and wouldn't be misplaced in a Warhammer 40.000 game. The fact that you'll hit your target won't be determined by your tats, but your ability to aim. This doesn't mean there aren't any stats. Just like in a MMORPG you will be able to improve your abilities through stats (stats can be inproved by getting credits, the amount of kills, the times you have been shot dead, the losses or victories of your team, ... ). Trough stats you will be able to lift heavier weapons and drive vehicles. Players with a high rank will even be able to have there own APC-vehicle or helicopter to get to the battlefield. Noobies have to buy a ticket for public transport. Because the existence of your race depends on you winning battles, you will have to join teams and acquire a tactical mind. The things you do (or make other people do) won't only affect yourself, but also your race in the world. It is advised to join a squad (or create one), to improve chance of existance. Not a dime has been spared to visualise the game. Webzen licensed Unreal Engine 3.0, Epic's Hallucinating piece of programming art. Detailed reflections, HDR-lighting and a large amount of polygones make Huxley look brilliant. The biggest change to the engine is the MMOfunctionality (network code,...). Now it will be possible to join 5000 players on a server. If Webzen gets the game to attain a framerate greater than 1 frame every hour, we'll undoubtably be great fans.
Huxley should hit the stores at the end of 2006.

[Guyver]

Too.....much....to.......read...brain........faili ng.....

:shock: :? :? :? :?

[Landain]

Good read, Dyin!
This is what I am hoping for. If you want worldwide PvP without safezones, keep playing PS. If you want exclusive instances go play GuildWars.
I'm playing Huxley!--a mix of both.

[dyin]

the coolest parts of the article are:

1) they say "The gameplay of Huxley promises to be much more than the conquering of territories Planetside offers."

lets hope it is true

2) it confirms you being able to costumise your character.

3) Hybrids aren't the only tough NPC-clients; there are religious groups, mutants, terrorists, ... Most of those rabble will be found ruling the underground cities

I was afraid we had to kill hybrids all the time :lol:
I also didn't know there would be other cities except the mega-cities.

4) They say you will be able the fight against hundreds of players (no player cap the size bf2 has)

5) Players with a high rank will even be able to have there own APC-vehicle or helicopter to get to the battlefield

P.S: I hope I didn't make to many mistakes in the translation of the article
:lol:

[X@nder]

[quote="dyin"]
4) They say you will be able the fight against hundreds of players (no player cap the size bf2 has)
quote]

the thing about bf2 is, it has some crapping coding, if the coding was half good, it could of been a good and could of handled much more palyers, but cuase ea, wanted it out the door quicker, we lost out :(

[Lem3nt]

wow thats a awsome article gj man.

[MasterFlash]

Yeah, nice read.. thx :P

[b0unty hUnt3r]

did anyone miss what the article said? "Trough stats you will be able to lift heavier weapons and drive vehicles. Players with a high rank will even be able to have there own APC-vehicle or helicopter to get to the battlefield." umm yes id like a helicopter pls.. thank you

[Alec]

Awesome article, been sharing it with friends.

[syphonbyte]

Helicopter!?!? Despite my usual subtle style, I can't resist hopping in a helicopter and laying down some ownage.

[Guyver]

Um....

This has to be like year 2700 or whatever. How can there still be helicopters when clearly they have way faster an efficient hover technology?

Don't get me wrong certain helicopters are cool. But I don't like them for transport. I want a hover/jet/plane transport. One that will possibly work like a harrier.

[Backus]

this game takes place in the year 20XX not 2700 or what have you guyver...

[Guyver]

Hello we are in the year 2006 and the least humanity has to offer is an amphibious 50,000 dollar car. So youre telling me all this can happen in 99 years? A small bit likely as electricity has taken almost 300 years to master and beleive it or not we still have an energy crisis. So 2700 is pretty accurate. Even in this game they are still having an energy crisis and lunarite is supposed to fix it. So in 93 years from 2006 do I think 20__ this could happen? I highly doubt it.

[Mino]

its a game 0.o

[Guyver]

I know. I get carried away with logic alot.

[jking47]

You have to be like me, and forget about logic. It was made by the man to hold your mind back and not think about revoltiing against me *Looks around <.< >.>* I have been here to long, have to leave, they are here *Jumps away*

[Bourne]

Originally Posted by Guyver

Hello we are in the year 2006 and the least humanity has to offer is an amphibious 50,000 dollar car. So youre telling me all this can happen in 99 years? A small bit likely as electricity has taken almost 300 years to master and beleive it or not we still have an energy crisis. So 2700 is pretty accurate. Even in this game they are still having an energy crisis and lunarite is supposed to fix it. So in 93 years from 2006 do I think 20__ this could happen? I highly doubt it.

Think about Moore's Law. Technology increases quickly (at least for computers). I'm sure some cool stuff could be invented in a short amount of time if the right breakthrough in technology was made.

And maybe helicopters are the most efficient thing man has discovered for flight so far, but not the most advanced.

[Guyver]

Oh please if anything could and should advance our lives is the example given by a harrier jet. A harrier jet is a hovering jet that uses it's own exhaust for thrust upward. That means as long as the engine can run it requires no landing runway. It can just get up and go. Helicopter blades are too big. And they are extremly loud. If anything has advanced it would be our ideas on stealth. Bomber jets are equipted with special under armor that makes them invisible to radar. A helicopter is nothing but silent. Jets can improve to the point where it can be silent just enough to be acceptable for stealth high above us and near the ground. Giant blades chopping the air is something that is never avoidable as that would probably defy the laws of nature.

With the aquiring of lunarite, Prof. Huxley could probably make the worlds most powerful and most stealthy vehicle ever as lunarite is a very strong energy source. So hook up a cloaking sheild, a few lasers, inproved noise reduction technology, and of course a small ammount of lunarite. You have your self a vehicle capable of lasting forever.

The fact that lunarite can't do that is absurd as lunarite is something left behind by the nuclearites. This basically means that lunarites are natural nuclear reactors.