Yeah

I predict kiddies, but I wanna give the game a shot before shooting it down.

Heh, it'd be awesome if there was a server where you had to log in using your game name, character name, and password to create an EE account.

Wow, this kind of integrates parts of every single IRE game. Atavians, Taurians, vampires, humans not existing. Runs the gamut.

Hmmm. I'll definitely join the mailing list to give the Alpha and Beta a shot.

This looks pretty awesome, and the art is really well done. Who are the artists?

I'd love to play Alpha and Beta, if for no other reason than that it should be only intelligent people. And which IRE game has no humans? Imperian has 3 flavours, IRC.

Psssh. They have to be called human to be human.

Wow, nice. I wonder how complex combat will be.
Btw, pretty website.

IRE? Making a graphical MMO?

AHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAHA... HAHAHAHAAA!!

I expect this to be nothing like any existing IRE MUD. There is no way that you can immersively roleplay in a 3D situation without a massive library of emotes and a highly customizable character. Due to the massive artistic and programming effort required to create this, we are likely going to end up with a system that features no geometric differentiation between members of the same race and gender and minimal texture editing. Costumes will be static images layered on top of existing model geometry, with no (costly) effort to make realistic-looking, if static, fabric and armor. The exception to this will be gloves, boots, shoulder pads and robes, which will have a few modifications to the base mesh to add some volume. The Raptorian posted on the site looks like it has a base model with a new skin on it + shoulderpads + helmet. To further sink the graphics, it's all cartoony. Much harder to immerse yourself in a cartoon world. Extra bonus? All the races are furries. Way to chop off a massive chunk of your playerbase that doesn't like furries. (We exist.)

The standard IRE combat system will be unusable in its current state, as it is far too complicated for people to manage afflictions, wound levels, cures, and their actual offense without a complicated system. As such, the complicated skill lists will be whittled down to just a few skills that can be easily managed from an action bar, afflictions will be temporary and not extremely crippling, and cures will be both optional and cheap.

The free-to-play, perks-to-buy system will probably be another pseudo-credits thing. Unless a game is retardedly popular, nobody pays big bucks for "small improvements" to a character, so I figure that there will be some sort of pseudo-credit system that will accelerate character development or add special abilities. Still, free to play is a good thing.

One of the more popular (but expensive) features of IRE games has been the custom player housing, and if groves are made cheap enough, people will buy them. New furniture or decorations could be a gold or credit sink. Unfortunately, unless there are actual mechanical benefits to using these groves as something other than storage, they will primarily be used for cybersex and the creation of small, isolationist communities of the few hardcore RPers out there.

Secondary classes are nothing new, post-apocalyptic worlds are nothing new, "hey look ancient mythology was based on real events" is nothing new, the four base classes are nothing new. The only thing this game really has going for it is "free to play" and "look, we made 4 other games in a totally different genre that people like, so this one must be good too! It worked for Blizzard!", which aren't strong selling points.

Oh yeah, and here's the other thing.

Unless you're doing something massively groundbreaking (your website doesn't say you are), don't make another freaking MMO. The market is oversaturated and this product will not stand out, guaranteeing it a small playerbase and minimal profit. Judging by a random "MMORPG / MMOG Top 50 Games" list, there's 207 small MMOs out there. Even with the whole IRE leverage thing, you will not be able to climb up to the top of the list with a generic product.

I'm still signing up for the mailing list out of curiosity, but I have no faith that this will go anywhere unless it is brilliantly executed. Unfortunately, in the current MMO market that is hypersaturated with decent, though small and not commercially successful MMOs, you can't rely on the existing corporate strategy of running games that aren't very good but look stellar in comparison to the three thousand other, shitty games in the same category.

Rant over.

Looks wonderful. I'll sure as anything be looking to play. I'm really impressed by how it looks so far, but I think I agree with some of Blastron's views. I just don't like that it's "the real world."

Where can we report typos on the site?

Psh, norse gods were Asgaurd, egyptian gods were goa'uld and weren't strong enough to kill them, only the replicators gave the Asgaurd a run for their money.

This game looks interesting thus-far I'll be looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

Well combat can only be so complex with an MMORPG, don't expect 300 afflictions you need a system to save you from, like Lusti. Still there most likely will be some... Come on cleric class!

It does look a bit too fury for my normal tastes, but with IRE behind this game (if they don't totally outsource it or something, like what Lucas Arts did for their Galactic Battlegrounds, though, I shouldn't speak, collaboration actually made that into a playable game verses what normal filth they had on the RTS front, then again considering I generally like all of IRE’s games… that example is sort of backward.) hrm where was I? Oh yes, with IRE people helping this game along I'll be eagerly awaiting it, as long as it's graphic settings don't explode my computer.

Un-high graphics setting possibilities and a cleric class, I don't ask for much. Oh and viable party combat that isn't always PvP, hrm, and viable PvP at certain times, and adequate PK restraints.

..nerd

Is it going to be the same sort of format as other IRE games, IE free to play but its funded by buying credits and stuff like that?

You can't get immersed in a cartoony world? I'm sorry. Plenty of people get immersed in WoW, even if they don't go on from that to actual RP. Realistic graphics would make it harder for me to feel immersed, because then you require a much higher suspension of disbelief.

What a pointless post. If you don't like, don't play it. It isn't like you will be losing out on this.

They havent fully decided about the details, but it will definitely be free to play and pay for bonuses.



You are right in everything you say. Its not what IRE are aiming for with this game. Its a light hearted fun MMO. Its not gritty and involved like the MUDs and its not going to be, Matt has made that clear in everything he ever said about it.



Don't know about variable graphics settings but its low requirements anyway to play. Opening classes are Mage, Warrior, Sneak and Druid. But you can learn skills from other classes, so its not fixed.



It won't be MAC compatible initially. Matt has said if its successful, Mac support might be a possiblilty. Even though its play in the browser, there will be a small 10MBish download and it will only work on Windows.

Actually, this smacks of the general methodology of the "korean" mmo. Ultimately, as long as he gets a stable player base (just like Achaea or any of the other IRE's) I'm guessing he'll be making money. Obviously he's not throwing out specific statistics in terms of needing X people buying at least Y amount of stuff a month to profit, but with the mininum amount of creationary cost it's probably not a huge problem. Ultimately, the niche these games fill is the "I don't want to get involved in Lusternia right now because I'll be in for four hours, I've finished Oblivion, what can I do with my bit of free time... ahah, I can log onto Earth Eternal."

Viewing this game as something like a polished massively funded, ground-breaking effort is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Take it for what it is, and yeah if it's not worth it to you, don't play. In my personal opinion, I'd rather play this than Rappelz or such, because it's made in America and I'm sure the customer service will be a little easier to get ahold of.

As the game appears to be aimed specifically at an online subcommunity that I am not terribly fond of, chances are that I will not try the game. That said, it is an interesting experiment, and I'd love to see how it turns out

I've been introduced to other graphical Pay-for-Perks games out there (and am playing a few atm), generally there are artifact-type items (useable and/or wearable) in the game you can pay for just like Lusternia's Arti-runes.

Someone help me out here, I remember an interview with.. Estarra? a few months ago that was linked to where it was mentioned that IRE had bought the rights to make an online game from some authors book? Is that what this is, and if so does anyone remember where that link is? Or the title of said book and/or series of books.

No the Author is Raymond E Feist and its the Midkemia Books. That license is being used to make the next IRE MUD which is midkemia http://midkemia.ire-community.com/

Earth Eternal is IRE's own creation.