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Role Playing (Games) XBox (Games) Entertainment Games

Big World - Xbox's Secret MMORPG Weapon? 39

Posted by simoniker from the bigger-than-small-world dept.
Thanks to the TNL forum regulars for pointing to an Internet.com interview with Micro Forté CEO, John De Margheriti. This Australian company has an original, as yet unannounced Microsoft-published MMORPG for Xbox Live in development, and the CEO (overconfidently?) says "Our technology could very well be the killer app for the Xbox. I think the Xbox killer app is online games in general, and I hope that the BigWorld Technology will play a strong part in that." Interestingly, BigWorld Technology is being pitched as middleware for multiple MMORPG titles on PC and console, but no further deals have been announced apart from the Microsoft game. So.. revolutionary or 'just another MMO engine'? Update: 06/25 14:46 GMT by S : Here's a preview and some screenshots of Citizen Zero, Microforte's dormant PC MMO title that the Xbox game may be somewhat based on.
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Big World - Xbox's Secret MMORPG Weapon? More

Big World - Xbox's Secret MMORPG Weapon?

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  • Too bad (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Joshuah ( 82679 )
    Too bad for all those people with mods out there who cant play xbox live. id kinda be interested in a game like this, but im not about to go unmodding my system just to play it. maybe if xbox were $100 id consider getting another one just to play all the online games....

    • Re:Too bad (Score:4, Informative)

      by RaboKrabekian ( 461040 ) on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @09:06AM (#6293369) Journal
      Too bad for all those people with mods out there who cant play xbox live

      You can simply install a switch on your modchip to turn it off while you use XBox Live. It's not difficult to do at all.

      Just be careful not to go online with the modchip on, or your xbox will banned for all eternity.

      • If you happen to go online with a mod chip on, you can just change your serial number and play online with the mod chip off http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/restore-blank-s erial.php

  • Online Gaming is a fad (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Milktoast ( 3812 )
    I think the console world is just reliving the same sort of hype once surrounding PC online gaming. Only the problem is that consoles are even more difficult to get online than PC's are.

    I'm sure each console can support a handful of online only games (an everquest type, maybe a Quake 3), but I think the majority of users are quite happy with single-player experiences. If I want to chat on the internet - I don't see why you wouldn't go to the PC first.

    • Re:Online Gaming is a fad (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Westley ( 99238 ) on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @06:55AM (#6292703) Homepage
      Note that there's a difference between "not online gaming" and "single-player gaming". I mostly bought my console (a GameCube) for party games such as Super Smash Bros Melee - and I still believe that's the most entertaining type of game around (for me) even though I obviously enjoy Metroid Prime, Zelda etc.
    • Only the problem is that consoles are even more difficult to get online than PC's are.

      Not true at all. My getting online with the Xbox and the PS2 (not willing to buy a $30-40 adaptor to play one online GC game) took exactly these steps:

      1) Run Ethernet cable from router to console(s).
      2) Insert setup disc.
      3) Tell it to use automatic setup.
      4) Fill in demographic info (and credit card info with Xbox Live). 5) Done.

      With the PC (Windows - I'm a gamer), the first time I set up DSL, I had to:

      1) Order DS

      • I think you took the statement in the wrong way. I *think* he was getting at how games for consoles are mostly based on single player, and PC games are based on multiplayer. That is why people buy consoles IMO. So it will be harder to get a system that is primarily for single player play to the online market.

  • Main problem (Score:4, Insightful)

    by sixb0nes ( 679401 ) on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @07:27AM (#6292831)
    The main problem with MMO console games is that they are usually detached from other platforms, losing the player-base on other systems.

    Take Shadowbane & WWIIOL as examples. They both have Windows/MAC clients to connect to the same backend. If there was "just" a MAC client, the population would surely be lower purely based on the number of x86 boxen out there.

    Despite, many of my friends who own Live! will surely be happy with this announcement.

  • CEO opinion = worthless (Score:4, Insightful)

    by truffle ( 37924 ) on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @07:31AM (#6292848) Homepage

    I don't think I've ever met a CEO who wasn't snarky and overconfident.
    • How many CEOs have you been friends with? I mean, sure - it's easy to get some karma by taking hated group X and making a derogatory comment about them but I think your statement that the opinion of a CEO is worthless is a bit overstated. The CEO's job is to guide the company and help make profit - to that effect, their public statements must always be confident. You don't inspire your workers and you don't attract customers by second-guessing your product. What you mean to say is that the PR released by a
      • From my own point of view, I've known 5 'significant' [i.e. company valued over 1 mil] CEOs 'well' [i.e. professionally acquainted]. And I'll support the 'clueless' assertion. But the one that was only half-clueless made himself and his partners millionnaires :)

        To be a good CEO, you shouldn't micromanage, but being further from the trenches makes you precisely the wrong person to be evaluating technology.

        Which is why they invented CTOs. If a CTO has a positive statement on a tech, that should be valued

      • I'm pretty sure we agree, I was just more concise and more derogatory.

        I'm fine to revise my original statement to public statements by CEOs are worthless.

        As you state, a CEO needs to lead his company with a vision for success, and this includes basicly pitching his company's strengths and talents to anyone who will hear.

        We all know the MMORPG market is incredibly saturated (perhaps not on the X-box). To bother to make an MMORPG, or to try and finish off the MMORPG you started several years ago, you have

  • Irony. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @08:02AM (#6292981)
    "This Australian company has an original, as yet unannounced Microsoft-published MMORPG for Xbox Live in development"

    Ironically, Xbox Live isn't available in Australia yet.

    • Re:Irony. (Score:2, Funny)

      by Locky ( 608008 )
      Nor would it do much good to be, Unless Telstra and MS sign a deal saying that all content from Xbox Live will be free, Xbox Live will probably peak at about 11 users.

  • I'm impressed! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dot.Com.CEO ( 624226 ) * on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @08:42AM (#6293206)
    A CEO talks about a non-existant game, making exorbitant claims with absolutely nothing to back them up, no beta, hell, no alpha even, not even preliminary designs and we are told that this is the big hit that will make XBox users ecstatic. When they actually have something that people can play, please let us know, until then this is not news, it is CEO drivel.
  • I've seen Big World before, a fair while ago in an Aussie games mag, PC Power Play. But I can't find the issue or the CD with the movie on it. Bugger. Aussies can get X-Box live, they just have to import a US kit Oh Well Such is life. First Post! Crazy

  • Track Record (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kirijini ( 214824 ) <(kirijini) (at) (yahoo.com)> on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @09:32AM (#6293581)
    Micro Forte has developed or is developing the following games:
    America's Cup
    Bombs Away
    Demon Stalkers
    Fire King
    Nordice
    Enemy Infestation
    Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
    HotWheels: Bash Arena
    Citizen Zero

    Other than Fallout Tactics (the bastard child of the Fallout series) I've never heard of a single one of these. Which leads me to believe that they arn't exactly a AAA developer. I would not expect Microsoft to entrust its MMO technology to a small, almost unheard of developer.

    Sounds to me more like Micro Forte is desparately trying to hype its product. Look at their track record, though, and it becomes obvious that the chances of them creating a "killer app" is pretty damn low.
    • I think that's a very good point. The interesting thing is that, despite their track record, they got signed with Microsoft to do a first-party title. It's a little mystifying, considering their background.

      Actually, here's a preview of Citizen Zero [rpgfan.com], which is the former PC title that their Xbox game is likely to be at least partially based on.
    • Other than Fallout Tactics [ . . . ] I've never heard of a single one of these.


      America's Cup
      Bombs Away
      Demon Stalkers
      Fire King

      These were all Commodore 64 titles (some came out on other systems as well).

      I think Enemy Infestation was a weak tactical sim.

    • Find out more here [tpgi.com.au].

      I played Demon Stalkers and Fire King when I was a kid. Demon Stalkers was a gauntlet clone, but better. Fire King was a real role-playing game, but based on a significantly enhanced Demon Stalkers engine (levels could now be parallel to the current one, not jus t up or down, lots of new features, etc.). I still remember it as one of my favorite games. If I recall correctly, America's Cup was very well reguarded when it came out. Enemy Infestation was a dissapointment, but it was obvio

  • MMORPG tools - very crowded space (Score:4, Informative)

    by MightyTribble ( 126109 ) on Wednesday June 25, 2003 @09:44AM (#6293675)
    There are a few dozen startups all pitching their toolsets to console makers, seeking to be the 'official' MMORPG SDK for that platform, with all the attendant royalties such a placement would bring. I assume these guys are one of them, though I've not heard of them before.

    Anyway, what they all appear to have in common are a few very skilled programmers and an evangelical CEO who probably doesn't *quite* understand the technology, but knows how to talk to other CEOs. The CEO that gets the best 'buzz' and gets along the best with their target patron (be it Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony) will be the winner, irregardless of the merits of their particular technology.

  • I'm still waiting for an Xbox RTS. Someone port Myth or Starcraft or something similar. pretty please?
  • The Xbox is still hobbled by the fact that broadband adoption has stalled and that there are way too many users out there who think 56k is enough. When you consider how comparitively few people have broadband Internet access, then consider how few of those have Xboxes...I have no doubt that this killer app will be a killer dud.
    • Xbox Live sold more than 200,000 units in its first 2-3 months of availability (and beat out the PS2 network adapter during the same time period, despite the fact that the PS2 adapter has both dial-up and broadband compatibility). By definition, it can't be a "dud."
      • 200,000 of anything isn't a success. Doesn't matter if it outdid Sony and Nintendo - 200K is still a stellarly poor result when you look at the fact that there are 13 million Xboxen that have been sold.
  • This comment could very well be the killer feature for Slashdot. I think the Slashdot killer feature is comments in general, and I hope that the Post Comment Technology will play a strong part in that.

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