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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: franciscourant on Fri, 05 March 2021, 18:59:44
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Many people have been waiting after them, they're (slowly) coming to fruition. The independent MMOs currently in development promise innovative mechanics (extremely large-scale battles, polymorphing, single shard servers, etc.) and also old-school features. 12 indie MMORPGs seem more promising / popular, and I've made a list with them, here it is:
Dual Universe [Beta]
Setting: Science-Fiction || Focus: PvP || Budget: ~$25M* || Engine: Unigine 2
- Single shard persistent universe shared by all the players
- Voxel-based universe: player-made cities, stations and warships
- Space warfare: pirate ships, coordinated attacks, skirmishes
- Player-controlled global economy: mine, craft, build, optimize, barter and trade
Gloria Victis [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Realistic || Focus: PvP || Budget: ~$4M* || Engine: Unity 5
- Skill-based combat mechanics à la Mount and Blade
- Class-less system with diversified equipment
- Open world with housing, territory control and sieges
- Complex crafting system: leatherworking, armorsmithing, weapon forging
Crowfall [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: PvP || Budget: $38M || Engine: Unity 5
- Spiritual successor to Shadowbane
- Player-created worlds with parcels of terrain and pre-fab building pieces
- GvG/RvR campaigns that guilds or factions can win
- Deep crafting system inspired by Star Wars: Galaxies
Camelot Unchained [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: RvR || Budget: ~$20M || Engine: Unchained
- Spiritual successor to Dark Age of Camelot
- Large-scale RvR battles and sieges with more than a thousand players
- Open world with islands that players can move to strategically reshape the world
- Block-by-block construction with server-side stability and destruction
Valiance Online [Beta]
Setting: Superhero || Focus: PvE/PvP || Budget: $? || Engine: Unity 5
- Spiritual successor to City of Heroes
- Players are heroes and villains who battle using superhuman powers and advanced technology
- An open world environment tied to character choices
- Players run stores and a decentralized market system
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen [Pre-Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: PvE || Budget: $? || Engine: Unity 5
- Spiritual successor to EverQuest
- Deeply social: dungeons require teamwork and group strategy
- Thrilling climbing system
- Perception system: the world reveals its secrets through the environment
Ashes of Creation [Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: PvP/PvE || Budget: ~$30M* || Engine: Unreal 4
- Nodes system: player participation influences the type of content in the surrounding areas
- Open world housing: players have the ability to survey and develop land anywhere in the world
- Castle sieges with hundreds of players with many moving parts
- Harsh, unforgiving and stunning environment
Star Citizen [Alpha]
Setting: Science-Fiction || Focus: PvP || Budget: $348M || Engine: Lumberyard
- Spiritual successor to Freelancer
- Procedurally generated and handcrafted stunning worlds
- Open world PvP with high speed dog fights with multi-crew ships or intense FPS warfare
- Exploration: hidden outpost, abandoned ships and beautiful sunsets
Project Gorgon [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: PvE || Budget: +$1M || Engine: Unity 5
- Exploration: many hidden secrets awaiting discovery
- Ambitious skill-based leveling system allowing the player to combine skills
- Old-school MMO with innovative ideas, such as morphing into animals
- 16 combat skills, 71 trade skills, 11 beasts skills
Corepunk [Alpha]
Setting: Cyberpunk || Focus: PvE/PvP || Budget: $? || Unity 5
- Seamless open world with top-down view and fog of war
- Explore the world, participate in trading, complete dungeons, or engage in PvP battles
- Day / night cycles as well as weather conditions
- Flexible character customization with a wide variety of builds
Mortal Online 2 [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus: PvP || Budget: $? || Engine: Unreal 4
- Open and realistic sandbox world
- True, real-time combat where outcomes are decided by skill rather than levels or gear
- Legendary crafters trading across the globe, famous warriors studying the art of combat
- Individual reputation: people will recognize you by the impact you've made on the world
Rise Online [Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || Focus PvP/PvE || Budget: $? || Engine: Unreal 4
- Spiritual successor to Knight Online
- Full PvP-based maps and events
- PvE content like missions, creatures and bosses that take several groups to defeat
- An endless war between two kingdoms
Cross post. *Personal estimate, may be inaccurate
Feel free to suggest improvements to this post!
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This post reads like a projection report, I like it! Thanks for this.
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Thanks, I appreciate the comment! :)
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That's a really cool compilation. It seems like you have these games broken down into pretty specific features and design choices that are innovative. Can you talk about some of the existing MMO's that are on your radar and what they do well or are missing? I've been spending a decent amount of time on guild wars 2 recently and I've been pretty content with it, but these games look pretty crazy.
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Star Citizen has been in "Alpha" for nearly a decade now lol
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That's a really cool compilation. It seems like you have these games broken down into pretty specific features and design choices that are innovative. Can you talk about some of the existing MMO's that are on your radar and what they do well or are missing? I've been spending a decent amount of time on guild wars 2 recently and I've been pretty content with it, but these games look pretty crazy.
Thank you! I'm not playing any games right now as my laptop isn't meant for gaming, and the last mainstream MMO I've played was Rappelz a long time ago. So I'm not well placed to talk about them. But I enjoy watching some PvP action from time to time of Guild Wars 2, EVE Online, ESO, TERA and Albion Online. I think that one of the best ways to learn more about each existing MMO is to read the players' reviews on Steam and Metacritic.
Star Citizen has been in "Alpha" for nearly a decade now lol
Yea it's been a long time. And I wouldn't be surprised that they do not leave Alpha before a while since a "feature complete" product seems pretty far away.