Eric Heimburg and Sandra Powers both used to work on Asheron's Call (1 & 2), as well as Everquest II, Star Trek Online and other games.  The two have quietly and carefully been working on their own Indie MMO - Project: Gorgon. But they need your help to do it. Read on for more details from the press release.

Project: Gorgon is a 3D fantasy MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing game) for PC & Mac with a quirky, original feel. It freely mixes ideas from older MMOs, newer MMOs, and a whole bunch of new ideas never before seen in any MMO. It's designed for players who want to explore a deep world with complex game systems and a tight-knit community that is friendly enough to actually chat while they group. Think Asheron’s Call crossed with EverQuest crossed with the emergent gameplay of NetHack.

To make the world feel more immersive, Project: Gorgon revives some great ideas from older MMOs that have been forgotten. For instance, if you have items you don’t want, you can toss them on the ground – maybe somebody else will want them. If you sell something to a vendor, those items are available for other players to buy. If you’re on fire and near a lake, jump in the lake to put the fire out!

We’re also taking a cue from older MMOs and not holding your hand quite so much. There are tutorials, of course, but once you’re playing the game we don’t want to tell you exactly where to go – we want you to explore. The world is full of intricate game systems, connected in unusual ways. Project: Gorgon heavily rewards exploration. Go poke in corners, try out weird ideas, and see what you find!

At the same time, this is a thoroughly modern MMO with a robust combat system, quests, guilds, and all the other stuff you’ve come to expect from the genre.

Some of the Cool Features:

• Words of power
• Combat combos that change daily
• Programmable battle golems
• Player-created treasure hunts
• Player werewolves subject to the real-life lunar cycle
• NPCs with fun interactions
• Permanent curses as death penalties

Read more and make your pledge to support Project: Gorgon at their Kickstarter Page. Definitely one of the more interesting Indie MMOs out there, and their budget isn't sky-high either!  We hope to talk more with Eric and Sandra soon.

"At the same time, this is a thoroughly modern MMO with a robust combat system, quests, guilds, and all the other stuff you’ve come to expect from the genre."

Sounded interesting at first, but you lost me there already, note the bold parts of the quote. I don't think we need another themepark, atleast I don't. I actually notice most people are (finally) getting burned out from the whole themepark ride MMO theme since GW2 dragged them through it yet again.

Give me a sandbox with the depth of EVE, skill-based and non-tab targetting combat where death means something (full loot has my vote on death penalty), political warfare between players and not static NPC factions, and the immersion level of a good RPG.

In other words, an EVE+Darkfall+Skyrim MMO.

Originally posted by Ausare
I highly doubt themepark is dead. Poorly designed cash grabs are.

It is not dead but the market is over-saturated with them.

I wish them luck on their endeavour.

From what I read on the official site, it appears they are trying to cater to all areas of the genre in their game...not quite a sandbox, but not quite a themepark.  It'll be interesting to see how it plays out although I wish they would go one direction or the other.

They didn't just begin working on this, they have been working on it for roughly 3 years now.  Also, Sandra(Srand) worked on AC1(extensively) and AC2, while Eric was never involved with AC1, only AC2.

lol yeah I believe someone named bbbb42 over everyone else.

Anyways, this is the third or fourth mmo kickstarter page I've been to.  Sadly I've never felt compelled to donate.  Why?  Because hardly anything good is offered.  The 500 dollar reward is interesting, and 3 months of gold is likely only a 5 dollar savings over what they plan at release.

Instead, they should be offering cool gear that levels with you, unique stuff so that it remains as good as the top tier stuff even at max level and looks awesome and identifies you as someone who backed the game. 

Or extra skill points that no one else can get, ever.  Or just other special perks.  Faster xp/crafting, bigger stash, unique combat pets, etc.  I see better rewards when I look at pre-order bonuses of mmos honestly.

Originally posted by raapnaap

"At the same time, this is a thoroughly modern MMO with a robust combat system, quests, guilds, and all the other stuff you’ve come to expect from the genre."

 

Sounded interesting at first, but you lost me there already, note the bold parts of the quote. I don't think we need another themepark, atleast I don't. I actually notice most people are (finally) getting burned out from the whole themepark ride MMO theme since GW2 dragged them through it yet again.

 

Give me a sandbox with the depth of EVE, skill-based and non-tab targetting combat where death means something (full loot has my vote on death penalty), political warfare between players and not static NPC factions, and the immersion level of a good RPG.

 

In other words, an EVE+Darkfall+Skyrim MMO.

 

Exactly, we have enough themeparks.  Funding another is pouring money down an endless hole.

The no hand holding is a huge must for me in gaming,it is why i keep going back to FFXI even though that game has ahd it's design ruined.

Also xp for questing is just ridiculous and unreal.You are suppose to be experiencing a game world not looking around for make believe question marks or arrows.

I should not become a more experience Axe weilding player just because some NPC had me go kill 10 rats.As a matter of fact that quest shoudl have SEVERAL reasons ,NONE related to xp.I should be doing it for a rank and fame with that faction and that NPC,i should be doing it perhaps for any kind of drop to make something.Perhaps i am killin g them so that npc can return to his house,then after doing so,he shoudl return to his house.Then a new line of quests open up.I should never be given 10k xp for doing it.

There is actually a ton of ideas never tapped and pretty obvious reason why,all the games are copying the simpleton design of Wow and Eq2.

FFXI is the game that did systems different,that game gave us a blueprint on how to be creative instead of just copying.EVERYTHING was done different from crafting to combat to questing.

Myself i would not copy one idea from any otehr game,i would look at FFXI and use those ideas to becoem creative and introduce one of the MANY untapped ideas not yet seen.

Buying land plots is one when going into the housing ideas.ECO systems for the land/creatures/nodes.Real death[ from aging] and family trees.

The game should have a policing system,to allow open pvp.So you kill a player guards and roaming bounty hunters are always on the lookout for you.This should also be realistic,so i would need to inform guards and bounty hunters,it should not be automated like some invisible message system told them.

One of the best ideas i have only seen in FFXI is to have the real game creatures attack the towns/cities outposts.This again was a blueprint shown to us by FFXI,there is no reason developers cannot expand and do it much better.

This actually looks interesting. It seems like hybrid to me. So I'm not sure why all the crying about "Oh no not another themepark, noone wants that"   Actually almost everyone does or they wouldn't keep buying them (and you don't buy it just because nothing else is available, if you do you are the only one to blame)... IMO Gone are the days of nothing to do (in an MMO) but what you pretend to be doing, wanna make it up as you go along, go play with your kids (don't have kids, your nephews/neices, kid cousins) outside.

And as far as the comments about UI, I am curious if this is just placeholder and that and the animations all would change when funded.

WHat they are shooting for gameplay wise is right off the kickstater page:

"It's designed for players who want to explore a deep world with complex game systems and a tight-knit community that is friendly enough to actually chat while they group. Think Asheron’s Call crossed with EverQuest crossed with the emergent gameplay of NetHack."

It has potential as long as they keep the AC2 aspects out of it IMO.

I will follow the production and if it keeps looking promising, I may donate.

Originally posted by Kaynos1972
What i want is a game with the mechanic of asheron's call but with modern graphics.

That is either solved by:

1. Turbine waking the f%ck up and remaking AC properly or ...

2. Indie-developers like this one manage to get more money when making their game. Purdy graphics, animations, sounds, etc are exactly what money pays for. No money = no pretty games.

Originally posted by BillMurphy

Read more and make your pledge to support Project: Gorgon at their Kickstarter Page. Definitely one of the more interesting Indie MMOs out there, and their budget isn't sky-high either!  We hope to talk more with Eric and Sandra soon.

 

If you're going to help people beg for money, perhaps you should add a disclaimer to protect your sites ass, such as "MMORPG.COM is not responsible if you are stupid enough to hand people your money and they run away with it.".

Originally posted by OG_Zorvan

Originally posted by BillMurphy

Read more and make your pledge to support Project: Gorgon at their Kickstarter Page. Definitely one of the more interesting Indie MMOs out there, and their budget isn't sky-high either!  We hope to talk more with Eric and Sandra soon.

 

If you're going to help people beg for money, perhaps you should add a disclaimer to protect your sites ass, such as "MMORPG.COM is not responsible if you are stupid enough to hand people your money and they run away with it.".

Or we could just not try anything out of the norm and keep accepting the same regurgitated crap that the big studios keep coming out with.

The only way the genre will change is with an indie that has a strong showing, and some good ideas.  Again, unles your a big studio, the investors aren't gonna want to go with anything that's too far outside the box from the WoW model.  As such, indie studios have a hard time coming up with the capital to pull if off. 

There's nothing wrong with asking gamers to invest(not beg, as you not so eloquently put it) in ideas they've been requesting for some time now and the big studios have shown they are unwilling to adopt.

I donated, it was my choice and when the project falters I can blame myself for not giving enough.  That's how you take responsibility for your actions and the dollars you spend.

Anyway, I love the lycanthropy and player focused event creation.  Both these ideas have been present in betas I've been involved in and never came about, probably from a lack of direct support.  Like "Kahn Online", which would have been a pioneering world creationg mmo, but the devs didnt get paid and it shut down a week into open beta.  Letting us, the gamer decide where industry money goes would completely revolutionize the industry, but of course that's not what Mircosoft or EA want.

Lets celebrate these guys for trying to give us a better experience, not shit on them for possibly wasting our DONATIONS.  If youre scared or can't afford it, don't donate.