Some behind the scenes drama of what happened to Dark Millennium Online

[Defenestratus]

http://savingyouthepain.tumblr.com/post/37277054750/dmo-making-the-wrong-game

How it begins...

I spent almost a year as the lead writer of Dark Millennium Online, the 40K MMO, at Vigil Games in Austin. As is typical with a new job, I spent the first 3 or 4 months getting up to speed and learning how the company worked. After I had settled in, playtested the game on an ongoing basis, and done a bunch of writing, a feeling began to grow inside me. The more I thought about it, the more I felt we were making the wrong game.

[inquisitorsog]

MMOs: a limited fan base of people willing to sink a huge chunk of their spare time into a single computer game.
40k: a limited fan base of people willing to sink a huge chunk of their spare time into a single tabletop hobby game.
MMO * 40k = even smaller fan base.

I don't know how they thought it would ever happen. Someone was smoking from the crack pipe. A FPS or at most an openworlder ala GTA or Elder Scrolls is really their best bet. Single player + Match based PvP avoids a HUGE number of pit falls relating to game economy, advancement, yada yada.

[jgebi]

hate what happened to the game it should have been so good, but I like the idea of lots of little games

[Wildcard]

Whatever they will make out of the 40k franchise, i hope that it will not be as overlooked as space marine was.. Too many stupid things and stuff that was left out that has been marked for the todays standard..

Still kinda sad not to see 40k mmo, even though i would not probably have any time anymore playing it..

Oh how the years have passed fast, it feels like Dawn of War was only yesterday <3

[Maine]

hate what happened to the game it should have been so good, but I like the idea of lots of little games

It never could have been good. Wrong concepts, wrong genre, outdated ideas way too late for the marketplace, and that's not even before getting into wrong company and wrong leadership to make it happen.

This game was doomed to failure from early on.

[miteyheroes]

I enjoyed Final Liberation. They should make more games like that.

Also, Shadow of the Horned Rat. Fun!

[Psychosplodge]

Drama? on the internet? who'd have thought?

I still think they should make an inquisitor RPG using the fallout three engine...

[Wildcard]

Of the games out now, gears of wars mechanics would be the best base. Only improvement needed in the basics would be the tuning of the melee combat. Even to two buttons, attack and counter, linked well these would make good and movie like close combat experience.¨

Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see barrage plasma cannons and space marines that eat plasma to the face like no other. Oh, and not to forget the general roles and well established power levels of each and every weapon...

And there aren't many space marine operatives that work alone in the universe. Wheres my coop for team play (Space Marine-game rant)..

There's so much to be drawn to make perfect gaming experience and a continuing series from 40k-genre, i do hope it will not be so badly abused in the future.

[ajefferism]

Of the games out now, gears of wars mechanics would be the best base. Only improvement needed in the basics would be the tuning of the melee combat. Even to two buttons, attack and counter, linked well these would make good and movie like close combat experience.¨

Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see barrage plasma cannons and space marines that eat plasma to the face like no other. Oh, and not to forget the general roles and well established power levels of each and every weapon...

And there aren't many space marine operatives that work alone in the universe. Wheres my coop for team play (Space Marine-game rant)..

There's so much to be drawn to make perfect gaming experience and a continuing series from 40k-genre, i do hope it will not be so badly abused in the future.

Space Marine was a fun shooter, took elements from Gears of war (shooting) and elements from God of War (close combat). My only complaint was that the multiplayer was a little simple, it could have used more game types and maps.

I think a Deathwatch-themed sequel with the same game mechanics would be awesome. It would have 4 player coop modes and you could pick whatever chapter you wanted your space marine to be, as well as marine type (tactical, assault, devastator, scout, chaplain, librarian etc). You could make it quasi RPGish is where each marine type has special abilities to help the group that they can level up through campaign and coop. ie. tactical is basic balanced warrior, assault is close combat focused, devastator is heavy weapons but slow, scout can be stealthy, chaplain is the "cleric" healer, librarian is the "wizard" magic user. You could have these same specialties in regular online multiplayer too and level them up like modern warfare etc...

Oh btw, the multiplayer game needs vehicles like landspeeders, rhinos, predators, stormraven and land speeders. Something like Halo or Warhawk where theres a limit on the board what vehicles there are. Can imagine how awesome it would be to have 3-4 people hopping into a landraider: one person drives, a player for each lascannon sponson, and another player for a top assault cannon or multimelta turret.

what do you guys think?

[flekkzo]

I could really imagine a Knights of the old republic but you play an inquisitor instead. It would be 40k enough for fans to love it, but general enough for anyone to play it as long as it is good. KotOR had the added bonus of Star Wars behind it, but their other similar games have done well too.

I could also imagine a strategy game on a HUGE scale using 40k. Not enough of that stuff coming my way:)

[Psychosplodge]

We certainly don't need another brown first/3rd person shooter...

[Kawauso]

We certainly don't need another brown first/3rd person shooter...

Is that really still a problem in gaming? It's been years since I've played a brown FPS...

Besides, all of the diorama shots and artwork and what have you from 40k are rarely brown.

I certainly wouldn't mind another take at something like Space Marine with a better story and a more detailed world that feels big and 'lived-in'. As first tries go, I certainly don't think Space Marine was bad.

[Psychosplodge]

I found it very repetitive, the brown is normally a result of the annually churned out stuff, corner cutting, which is what you'd get if they were doing a new one every twelve months.
As I said, I'd much sooner see an RPG of some sort.

[Defenestratus]

Personally I'm very much looking forwards to the Space Marine sequel. I still play it from time to time.

When I'm having a crappy day at work, I have a save point that is right at the point where you get the jump pack and thunder hammer.

I run around pwning orks with my subwoofer turned up and whatever had been bothering me at work - is no longer an issue :P

[pgarfunkle]

Yeah I really hoping that we get some sort of sequel to Space Marine as I really enjoyed it especially as it was a bit different from the annual installments of COD and Battlefield.

[Wildeybeast]

Yeah I really hoping that we get some sort of sequel to Space Marine as I really enjoyed it especially as it was a bit different from the annual installments of COD and Battlefield.

My mate in the industry informs me that a sequel is unlikely. It sold much better than they expected, but they invested very little time and marketing in it in the first place. The multiplayer has died something of a death as well. There doesn't seem to be much of an appetite either from THQ for it. There certainly won't be anything until they have finished Dark Millennium.