General Discussion

MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood had the opportunity to talk to Eric Slick, the Technology Director for Simutronics, about the progress of their upcoming MMORPG, Hero's Journey.

Hero's Journey is the name of a game that you probably haven't heard too much about recently. If that is the case, let me give you a refresher course. Hero's Journey is the MMORPG currently under development by Simutronics. That name probably sounds familiar to MMORPG fans, and with good cause. In the last year, they have been frequently in the news, not for the game itself, but for the technology that drives it.

At the Game Developers Conference in 2006, Simutronics first displayed their game's engine as a separate, marketable product. Throughout the year, we have heard announcements that the Hero Engine would be used by companies like: Stray Bullet Games, Virgin Games, and Bioware Austin. With news about the engine's success continuing to flow out of Simutronics, many had started to wonder about the future of the Hero's Journey and whether it would be pushed into oblivion in favor of their popular technology. As it turns out, it hasn't.

Read the whole article here.

Originally posted by Settingsun
Vaperware. They haven't even starting adding quests in yet? So its not coming out this year.
The sold the engine to people who will be making mmos going against theirs.

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Originally posted by BountyGreg

We know for sure that Bioware is working on a sci-fi MMO for example.

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Really? Where is that press release.

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Originally posted by BountyGreg
Loads of rumors say so...

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So, it went from "We know for sure that Bioware is working on a sci-fi MMO for example." to "Loads of rumors say so..."

In conclusion, we know nothing about what Bioware is doing and assuming it's a Star Wars MMO is just a fantasy for SWG haters.

 It's vaporware until they prove otherwise.  The above article says nothing new.  It is just Eric's word that things are progressing in spite of the resources and time spent marketing the HeroEngine.  Other than that, there was nothing new in the article.  It was just a rehash of features we were told about a year or more ago.  Not one new point. 

  Hero's Journey didn't progress when it was being produced by Tom Zelinski for years. It progressed a little while Melissa Myers (who has left Simutronics) was producer.  It hasn't progressed at all with Eric Slick as producer. 

 10 years!  If that isn't a record for vaporware, it's pretty darn close.  What have they done of any substance since being chosen best of show at E3 in 2005 by MMORPG.com?  That's over a year and a half ago.  That certainly deserves a vaporware suggestion.

  In fact, Eric's other project, www.christiangaming.com , has updates just about as frequently as Hero's Journey, which is supposedly his real job.

  If they want to lose the moniker of vaporware, the people at Hero's Journey need to produce, not just claim to be producing.  Results not words.   

Actually it's been more then a rumor and almost say for sure I've read it just after GDC that they worked on a Sci-Fi title. Since I didn't find the source anymore, I didn't bother to mention it. Anyway, it has nothing to do with SWG haters, I still  love SWG as much as when it released, eventho it changed a lot. Added to this, from rumors on developer forums, BioWare actually works on a X360 MMO, so go figure. Loads of rumors find their way out, and rumors often start from something.

So if you're up to search the Web, go find the 100% right answer. I don't remember ever being wrong when it came up to things like this tho.

The only one who could tell for sure, are the producers, and they probably won't tell you.