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Hyrrix
Fourty-two
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 282
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| MMORPGDot Feature: Mythica: Preview |
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<P>In anticipation of our interview with Matt Wilson, executive producer of Mythica, which is going online tomorrow, we present you an <A href="/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=733">introductory preview</A> of the game. This preview should present you with all the information you need to know to make yourself familiar with Microsoft's upcoming MMORPG. Here's a snip:</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><I>There will be two different types of Private Realms in Mythica: the linear modules and the playscape modules. The Linear modules are more straight-forward tasks, often shorter in duration than their playscape counterparts. Most of them can be finished in about an hour, thus offering a short-term goal for the more casual players. The playscape modules on the other hand will be much more complicated and extensive. It's in these private realms that the true spirit of single-player crpg's should come to life, as you'll have multiple goals and options to choose from.</I></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>Read the full article <A href="/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=733">here</A>!</P> |
Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:58 pm |
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Halsy
Village Leader
Joined: 18 May 2003
Posts: 84
Location: Toronto |
quote:
Not unlike other mmorpg's, Mythica is totally embedded in the Norse mythology
Out of curiosity, which other MOGs have a central theme based around the Norse mythos? A few have some elements, but I'd hardly say they were anywhere close to the central theme.
quote:
More information about the different classes can be found over here at the www.MythicaRealms.com fansite.
Thanks for the link, Hyrrix. We at the MR appreciate that, and we also appreciate all the hard work you guys do here as well. We have a growing, mature and considerate community. Feel free to drop by the boards and say hi and learn more about the game. The Devs frequent the boards and interact with everyone in regards to questions and sourcing ideas so it's a gerat place to get involved. Anyone hoping to be adopted for the earlier statges of beta will need to be involved early on as the Mythica fan sites will be the prime source for recruiting those testers.
quote:
According to the developers the public world space of Mythica itself will be huge enough to compete with other mmorpg's.
While I'd say that it's probably not as big as most MOG worlds out there, that's a good thing. Vast tracts of empty space are no fun no matter how pretty they are. The focus is Mythica is on the private, hand-crafted modules/quests (which all have multiple ways to be resolved).
quote:
A main storyline however, affecting the whole world at once, will be very low-profile as far as we can see for now.
The overarching theme is the prevention of Ragnarok.
quote:
Those looking for a cooperative mmorpg, with little to no PvP (there will be a dueling option)
There will most likely be PvP zones scattered throughout the various realms. There are also the Battle Plains of Asgard where people can go out and wail on each other.
quote:
Those looking for more innovation, more politics and more freedom, will mainly have to look elsewhere, I'm afraid.
No politics, but really, who wants a political simulator for a CRPG? Buy Republic or Civilization instead.  As for freedom, I supoose it depends on what you mean by that. No, Mythica isn't entirely freeform, but that's a plus to a lot of people-including yours truly.
A good game has solid rules and boundaries. Flexibility is nice but overly flexible generally results in miasma of confusion and half-baked gameplay because someone is afraid to set limits. SWG is a classic exampl of that. I applaud Raph Koster for trying, but it's clear he definitely tried to bite off more than he can chew. SWG might be a great game in 2 or 3 years when they've added a ton of content and the community has fomalized it's own rules and boundaries in the game, but for now it's just a mess.
Mythica on the other hand is very focused on what it's trying to achieve. It's not trying to be all things to all people. The classes are highly interdependent on each other-as a good RPG should be-they're no all balanced out to be relatively equal to each other. Each class will really excel and really suck at certain things. That's what an RPG is about...no man is an island. So when you couple the focus of Mythica, along with the hand-crafted quests and the classes designed as they are, it's definitely innovative, and it really represents the first 3rd generation MOG. That's the draw for me, and it's refreshing as hel.
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Tue Sep 16, 2003 7:27 pm |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Halsy
Out of curiosity, which other MOGs have a central theme based around the Norse mythos? A few have some elements, but I'd hardly say they were anywhere close to the central theme.
Well... if we wanted to be technical, I think most fantasy-based games have deep seedings in Norse Mythology  But honestly there is DAoC which I would say that has Norse Mythos as a central theme. I don't know of any other which uses Norse Mythology quite as much. But the text said "embedded" not "central", which could include any game that use the mythology even loosely, I believe.
quote:
Originally posted by Halsy
Mythica on the other hand is very focused on what it's trying to achieve. It's not trying to be all things to all people.
I agree. A simple, tight design might be the answer to a lot of problems as far as MMORPGs go. Each new title promises to be bigger, have more options and freedom, etc... A little tighter, simpler experience might do us some good.
That being said, this was my first taste of what Mythica promises to be, and I am personally not very convinced. What is this about becoming a god? What will happen when the game is filled with thousands of little gods doing quests together? What will be the hook that will keep players playing the game? I have a lot of trouble seeing it... Also, the whole thing seems much too combat-oriented for my own, personal taste... It's still early though, things may evolve (or blow out of proportion  ) before long.
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Tue Sep 16, 2003 8:21 pm |
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Hyrrix
Fourty-two
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 282
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It's good to see some discussion going on here. I hope you weren't all tha much disappointed with the preview. You should keep in mind that this is after all not meant for those who know pretty much everything there is to know already, but for those who are not familiar with the game. In fact, I mainly write those previews to make the MMORPGDot readers familiar with the game before confronting them with our interviews. I could of course work like most other magazines and ask in the interview itself to explain everything about the classes, races, private realms, etc all over again; but I think that's a dull way of wasting precious time. So I try to sum up most of the information that is available about the game so far.
quote:
Out of curiosity, which other MOGs have a central theme based around the Norse mythos? A few have some elements, but I'd hardly say they were anywhere close to the central theme.
True that, but there's the Midgard realm in DAoC (which is a large part of the game), there's the cancelled Midgard mmorpg by Funcom. Apart from that, there are quite a few mmorpg's who have quite some elements from that setting, even if small. Especially when compared to other game genres, Norse mythology seems to be very popular for mmorpg's.
About Mythica Realms: it's a great site you've got there. Since the official site didn't even seem to have the updated information on the last 4 of the classes, I used Mythica Realms quite a lot. And it's included in our daily sites-to-check-for-news list, don't worry.
quote:
While I'd say that it's probably not as big as most MOG worlds out there, that's a good thing. Vast tracts of empty space are no fun no matter how pretty they are. The focus is Mythica is on the private, hand-crafted modules/quests (which all have multiple ways to be resolved).
I absolutely agree. Altough I'm not a big fan of the concept of private instances (I find it to be against the nature of a mmorpg in a way), I can of course only applaud hand-crafted areas. Do not make the mistake to think that Mythica is the only mmorpg that has a completely hand-crafted enviroment however; even if they don't have private instances  (and I think AO Shadowlands is a great example of that)
quote:
The overarching theme is the prevention of Ragnarok.
Which doesn't mean that it won't be low-profile. Reading the interview I have here (I admit, I'm just teasing you for tomorrow) and reading the official information, other interviews, E3 reports, etc; it gives me the impression that the game focuses more on your own, personal storyline: your quest to become a god. I could be wrong here though?
quote:
There will most likely be PvP zones scattered throughout the various realms. There are also the Battle Plains of Asgard where people can go out and wail on each other.
I haven't read about the PvP zones actually? The official site only mentions the duelling option, as far as I can see.
Last but not least, I beg to differ completely with you on your last paragraphs of your post. I'm still looking for a mmorpg to bring me the ideal virtual world, to bring me working politics, working reputation systems, working combat tactics, strategies, diplomacy, intrigues, etc. However this doesn't mean I dislike other mmorpg's who choose another path. I think that we're clearly seeing two kinds of mmorpg's here: those who are going for more action and try to limit the player's freedom, thus as to reduce the negative experiences in current mmorpg's (grief play, level treadmill, camping, etc); and those who are going for more realism: player politics, player government, player justice, usually also skill-based with perma-death and less focus on combat. To me those genres can be like the difference between Diablo on the one hand and Planescape Torment on the other. (note that I didn't say Mythica is not innovative. However, private instances already exist, class-geared mmorpg's exist, hand-crafted quests exist... But a game doesn't have to be innovative to be good).
Ekim, I'd recommend you to look for some gameplay footage of Mythica. The main reason why I think this game will continue to be challenging will be the use of tactics in combat.
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Tue Sep 16, 2003 10:19 pm |
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Halsy
Village Leader
Joined: 18 May 2003
Posts: 84
Location: Toronto |
I thought DaoC's central theme was Camelot. Sure you could say that any fantasy game has Norse themes, but then you'd have to include every other mythos as an inspiration as well (Hindu, Roman, Greek, etc.)
I was merely trying to illustrate that the Norse theme is central to Mythica, unlike other MOGs out there.
quote:
Which doesn't mean that it won't be low-profile. Reading the interview I have here (I admit, I'm just teasing you for tomorrow) and reading the official information, other interviews, E3 reports, etc; it gives me the impression that the game focuses more on your own, personal storyline: your quest to become a god. I could be wrong here though?
Indeed it does. The Gods of old are notorius egomaniacs after all. However, you're still part of a pantheon and Odin is still the BGOC (Big God On Campus). Yes, you're trying to enlarge your own portfolio and acquire hoardes of worshippers. You're doing it all to try and ward off Ragnarok, because if you don't, that's the end of your existence as well.
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Do not make the mistake to think that Mythica is the only mmorpg that has a completely hand-crafted enviroment however
No, I was saying that one of the key focuses that makes Mythica intersting is that the private realms and playscapes are instances that are hand crafted. That's a huge step up from a lot of the "generated quests" you see in any other MOG. From the official site...
quote:
There’s much more than simply showing up and killing! Compared to the linear modules, playscape modules are more like slices of life in a complex world. In them, you’ll meet multiple factions with complex reactions to each other and to your party. There are multiple ways to interact with these factions and with the module itself through “levers,” our term for things you can do that elicit reactions.
In short, it's taking instancing to a whole new level. Think of them in terms as PnP modules that you'd play back in the day. That's pretty frickin' sweet.
quote:
I haven't read about the PvP zones actually? The official site only mentions the duelling option, as far as I can see
One of the devs posted it in our forums, can't find it atm though.
I think we'll be surprised and really pleased once we get in there.
[/quote]
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Midget Soothsayer robs bank. Small medium at large. Film at 11. |
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Wed Sep 17, 2003 2:28 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Halsy
I thought DaoC's central theme was Camelot. Sure you could say that any fantasy game has Norse themes, but then you'd have to include every other mythos as an inspiration as well (Hindu, Roman, Greek, etc.)
I was merely trying to illustrate that the Norse theme is central to Mythica, unlike other MOGs out there.
True, Mythica is probably the only MMO that is wholy focused on Norse Mythology as a central theme. The problem with DAoC is that it has 3 central themes, actually  But all three pool their inspiration from the Norse Mythology as a whole, with the Midgard realm relying more heavily on it. But even there the Norse Mythology was mainly used as a source of inspiration, I think.
@Hyrrix
I'll try to check it out. But as a rule I always try to not look at too much of any given game before it is quite close to launch, for many various reasons. I think that, so far, it's helped me get a little more out of games than if I had followed them closely. I tend to discover much more things on my own, wheras those who followed the game for a while already know too much about it sometimes. And they end feeling like they played the game for months already after only a couple of weeks of actual play...  I'd rather keep it fresh, it's still too early to even have an opinion... in my opinion
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Wed Sep 17, 2003 1:51 pm |
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FourPak
Village Dweller
Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 1
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I are confused.
Having played 9 other mmogs (UO, EQ, AC1, AO, DAoC, Neocron, E&B, AC2, SB) and reading everything on the Mythica site a couple times... I still don't "get" what the game is.
As far as I can tell, it's not a mmog as gamers understand the term, but rather it's a Single Player (or small group) Persistent RPG with instanced areas (like SWG and AO) and content updates as you advance.
Which is fine I spose but er... um... why would I play online and pay 12.95/mo for that?
For the content updates? (which could just as easily 'stream' off my hard drive as in normal solo rpgs).
For the grouping/chat/matching ability in the non-instanced open areas? (ala mIrc),
For the privilege of having my individual progress 'persistent' on some server (rather than my hd), maybe for ladders and for others who may want to group with me?
If the last two are the case, then Mythica is more of an MPOG, like Half-Life, except matching is done in a big graphical mmog-like Lobby.
I dunno, maybe Mythica's the best thing since sliced Orcs (mmm), but if the target audience (me!), with tons of mmog experience and even after taking time to read thru all the info, still can't figure out what the heck it is... ::shrug::
Maybe a review which is an -example- of a typical group of players playing over a weekend would help explain all the possible play combinations and different kinds of areas.
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Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:59 am |
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Benedikt
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 31
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[quote="FourPak"]I are confused.
Having played 9 other mmogs (UO, EQ, AC1, AO, DAoC, Neocron, E&B, AC2, SB) and reading everything on the Mythica site a couple times... I still don't "get" what the game is.
As far as I can tell, it's not a mmog as gamers understand the term, but rather it's a Single Player (or small group) Persistent RPG with instanced areas (like SWG and AO) and content updates as you advance.
Which is fine I spose but er... um... why would I play online and pay 12.95/mo for that?
For the content updates? (which could just as easily 'stream' off my hard drive as in normal solo rpgs).
For the grouping/chat/matching ability in the non-instanced open areas? (ala mIrc),
For the privilege of having my individual progress 'persistent' on some server (rather than my hd), maybe for ladders and for others who may want to group with me?
If the last two are the case, then Mythica is more of an MPOG, like Half-Life, except matching is done in a big graphical mmog-like Lobby.
I dunno, maybe Mythica's the best thing since sliced Orcs (mmm), but if the target audience (me!), with tons of mmog experience and even after taking time to read thru all the info, still can't figure out what the heck it is... ::shrug::
[b]Maybe a review which is an -example- of a typical group of players playing over a weekend would help explain all the possible play combinations and different kinds of areas.[/b][/quote]
i dont understand, why people everytime when read about private realms begin to say "this is not mmorpg, it is more of singleplayer rpg" - could u tell me what is difference between playing in private realm and playing in normal area in normal mmorpg xcept for that u will be not disturbed by ppl u dont wanna around u?
really - i can imagine only 3 types of interaction with other players during being in some area or private realm:
1. players i wanna kill with (=my group) - it is same in PR and normal area
2. players who i happen to meet - which i only say hello when they run around or they disturb me cause killing same mobs/doing same quest as i do (which is different in PR and i see it as plus)
3. players elsewhere in world i wanna chat with - which is same in PR and normal area
ben |
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Thu Sep 18, 2003 4:41 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by FourPak
As far as I can tell, it's not a mmog as gamers understand the term, but rather it's a Single Player (or small group) Persistent RPG with instanced areas (like SWG and AO) and content updates as you advance.
As I personally understand it, right now Mythica sounds a little bit like NWN sounded in the beginning of it's production. People meet up in a city or a large region where everyone ends up when logging in. They form groups, grab a quest, and head off to a specifically generated region that exists just for them (à la AO - SWG doesn't have "instanced" areas at all as of this moment).
Now, it's a good system in that it allows players to remove themselves from the larger, more grief-prone world. They can play whichever way they want without fearing to disturb anyone, and without fearing to be disturbed by anyone else either.
At the same time, if the Private Realms don't have very engaging quests,or adventures, or whatever else you want to call it, Mythica will not be very fun to play for a good portion of role-players out there. But it will certainly cater to those who enjoy more action-oriented types of games (such as Diablo, although I hate to bring that game up). But then Mythica will need to have plenty of action and combat (which apparently is central to the gameplay by design anyway), and a plethora of loot for achievers to seek out.
I may be way wrong, mind you, because I don't know a lot about the game. From what I read so far, I see this game as a more engaging, more fleshed out version of the more popular action-RPGs that play online right now.
quote:
Originally posted by FourPak
could u tell me what is difference between playing in private realm and playing in normal area in normal mmorpg xcept for that u will be not disturbed by ppl u dont wanna around u?
But maybe I want to be "disturbed" by people. Not the ones that I don't want around, as you said, but then again there are many different types of people too. I can't count how many times I have been in a hunting group that had been more or less ambushed by a pack of mobs we didn't see coming. Our group of 8 is decimated, only one person remains standing. And all of a sudden another group of friendly people charge to the rescue as they come up and see the heaps of dead bodies - our dead bodies - lying around! Mythica seems to completely remove that in the private realms.
See, I'm not saying that Mythica, or the PR system, is a bad idea, I'm saying that it removes a lot more than only undesirable elements from the gameplay, which you don't seem to ackowledge. I want to be able to meet people, friendly or not, out there in the wild. Some of the more interesting encounters I ever had in MMOs were meeting strangers on the road. I want to be a stranger to someone else too, a potential savior to those not as strong as I am...
The PR system still sounds to me like playing NWN, but with a central hub where you can meet people before heading out. I'm not criticising that, in fact I think it's a great idea. But the PR sub-game (if I can call it that) ceases to be a Massively Multiplayer experience while you are there. What really puts me off personally is the whole combat thing, which seems to take too much emphasis... but again it's way too early to tell! And that's also just according to my own taste.
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Thu Sep 18, 2003 1:37 pm |
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Benedikt
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 31
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[quote="Ekim"]But maybe I want to be "disturbed" by people. Not the ones that I don't want around, as you said, but then again there are many different types of people too. I can't count how many times I have been in a hunting group that had been more or less ambushed by a pack of mobs we didn't see coming. Our group of 8 is decimated, only one person remains standing. And all of a sudden another group of friendly people charge to the rescue as they come up and see the heaps of dead bodies - our dead bodies - lying around! Mythica seems to completely remove that in the private realms.[/quote]
1. it is not true, cause u can invite any1 to join u in PR
2. dont forget that PRs are only "areas in public area" - my guess so far is public areas:PRs cca 1:2 (maybe 1:3) (of course it is only my guess)
ben |
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Thu Sep 18, 2003 1:58 pm |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Benedikt
1. it is not true, cause u can invite any1 to join u in PR
I don't think you got what I was saying. Of course you can "invite" anyone in the PR. But you can't meet anyone that's not invited while you're in it... That was my whole argument.
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Fri Sep 19, 2003 3:49 pm |
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Benedikt
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 31
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[quote="Ekim"]
I don't think you got what I was saying. Of course you can "invite" anyone in the PR. But you can't meet anyone that's not invited while you're in it... That was my whole argument.[/quote]
I don't think you got what I was saying.
it was reaction to that part about friend comming to help your decimated party
ben |
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Fri Sep 19, 2003 4:16 pm |
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