This article is based on an interview from "Rock, Paper, Shotgun", so head over there if you want to know more.
Like City of Steam, Shadowrun Online is going to be a free to play browser based MMO, which means a low barrier of entry for anyone interested in jumping in.
The game is based on the pen and paper role playing game of the same name (just Shadowrun, not the "Online" part, in case you were wondering).
 |
| Not sure what Sam Fisher is doing here... |
The Shadowrun universe is a cyberpunk setting with a twist. Set in the year 2073 (putting it within spitting distance of Anno 2070, then!) Earth has become populated with Elves, Dwarves and Trolls, which are a result of genetic mutations.
Aside from the presence of these fantasy freaks, the world has also seen the emergence of magic, so you have a fireball to go with your Elf (but do you have a plan to go with that fireball?).
The result is an interesting setting that features spellcasting Elves, who can also wield assault rifles, and Dwarven martial arts experts that dabble in computer hacking.
As for Shadowrun Online itself, the game is going to a "tactical action RPG", with focus on the RPG elements and character development.
The developers, "Cliffhanger", are also working on "Jagged Alliance Online", and Shadowrun Online is going to share some mechanics from that game, so expect plenty of focus on tactical combat choices and isometric viewpoints.
 |
| The parallel to Jagged Alliance is pretty clear |
The combat is going to be wrapped in missions that will have various different objectives, from sneaking into restricted areas, to retrieving valuable objects, taking out supernatural monsters and more.
The missions are going to be divided into two main categories. One type will be "action missions", which will be the ones where you're actually moving around a location, shooting Trolls and hacking computers.
The other type of missions will be "legwork missions". These are missions that you can attempt to complete by using your accumulated skills and they will be more of a dice roll to see if you succeed or fail, instead of actually playing out the mission. These types of missions will be used to unlock further actions missions or maybe change current action missions, for example by letting you bring rifles into a mission that you would not normally be able to use them in.
One of the interesting things that Cliffhanger is talking about wanting to do, is let players affect the evolving storyline of Shadowrun Online. Some missions may allow players to complete an objective for either party A or party B. If the majority of people complete the quest for party B, then that is going to be the canon for how the world evolves and how the story develops.
Cliffhanger is also trying to listen to the desires of the fan community, and they have been listening to input and feedback on their forums, in an attempt to give players a game that fills the fans wishes as best as possible.
It's always nice to see a developer take an active interest in the fan community and use their feedback constructively, so kudos to Cliffhanger for doing this.
 |
| The Shadowrun FPS was... not great |
According to Cliffhanger the game is still a year out from beta, so it's early days yet.
In my younger days, I actually spent quite some time playing the pen and paper Shadowrun game, so it's a franchise that is pretty close to my heart. Sadly we have not really been blessed with much in the way of great Shadowrun video games, so here is hoping that Shadowrun Online turns out well.
Subscribe in a reader
No comments:
Post a Comment