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Ok lets have some fun with this.  I am willing to bet 100 mmorpg credits that the Bioware MMO is not KOTOR.
I will raise that bet up another 100 mmorg credits that it will be a fantasy based mmo. Anyone in?

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Hell yeah I am in.

First of all, why would EA, a publishing company, allow one of their now owned companies to publish the game though anyone else when they can? Maybe because a publishing company owns the rights to a certain IP? *cough KOTOR cough*

Second of all. Why would EA fund a project to create a fantasy based MMORPG to compete with their own fantasy based MMORPG, Warhammer Online?

Riddle me this?


EDIT: Does anyone else think that perhaps there should be a Part 2 of this thread soon?

part 2?  Come one, we havent hit 50 pages yet.......

The Hero Engine is a PC MMO Engine, in it's specifications and brochure there is no mention of it's ability to run on consoles without serious modding. Therefore it is highly unlikely that Bioware Austin's MMO is for anything other than the PC. A franchise in the gaming industry is any established IP, it can be internal or external. For Bioware Jade Empire is just as much as franchise as Star Wars is.

So taking that and the below facts into consideration, it's either KOTOR Online or Jade Empire Online.

We know they want to make another Jade Empire game.

We know the MMO team is full of ex-KOTOR people.

We know someone approached LucasArts in 2005 about making another Star Wars MMO.

We know the MMO has been in development since Dec 2005.

We know the MMO is in a playable state.

I'm hoping for KOTOR Online, but we'll see, this hype is very good for them if it is, otherwise they are just going to disappoint a lot of people.

http://kotor.darksword.co.uk/index.php?topic=5.0

Originally posted by bobfish

The Hero Engine is a PC MMO Engine, in it's specifications and brochure there is no mention of it's ability to run on consoles without serious modding. Therefore it is highly unlikely that Bioware Austin's MMO is for anything other than the PC. A franchise in the gaming industry is any established IP, it can be internal or external. For Bioware Jade Empire is just as much as franchise as Star Wars is.

So taking that and the below facts into consideration, it's either KOTOR Online or Jade Empire Online.

We know they want to make another Jade Empire game.

We know the MMO team is full of ex-KOTOR people.

We know someone approached LucasArts in 2005 about making another Star Wars MMO.

We know the MMO has been in development since Dec 2005.

We know the MMO is in a playable state.

 

I'm hoping for KOTOR Online, but we'll see, this hype is very good for them if it is, otherwise they are just going to disappoint a lot of people.

http://kotor.darksword.co.uk/index.php?topic=5.0

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought I heard the MMO team in Austin is comprised of some people from SWG... not KOTOR.

LucasArts + Bioware = definately not something with Jade Empire

Originally posted by Mr_Peabody

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought I heard the MMO team in Austin is comprised of some people from SWG... not KOTOR.

The guy leading up the whole studio is the former Lead Designer for the original KOTOR game, he bought with him from Edmonton a few other people who worked on KOTOR too.

The ex-SOE employees they have (It's Austin, half the city has worked for SOE), have no officially been cited as SWG developers, BioWare refused to comment on that speculation, but it's a pretty strong rumor and likely true that at least some of them are former SWG devs. I know most of the SWG development team was incredibly pissed off with how the NGE was handled and didn't like the way LA forced them to do it, but perhaps they also didn't like the way SOE was doing things. Bioware's MMO plans are quite different from SWG, more WoW-ish, so who knows.

Originally posted by Staatsschutz

LucasArts + Bioware = definately not something with Jade Empire

Well, seeing as this press release about LA + BioWare has nothing linking it directly to the MMO, I see no reason to rule out the MMO as being another IP.

Especially as they are looking for Writers for BioWare Austin with FANTASY experience.

I know it's unlikely, but not completely out of the equation.

Originally posted by bobfish

 

Originally posted by Mr_Peabody

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought I heard the MMO team in Austin is comprised of some people from SWG... not KOTOR.

 

The guy leading up the whole studio is the former Lead Designer for the original KOTOR game, he bought with him from Edmonton a few other people who worked on KOTOR too.

The ex-SOE employees they have (It's Austin, half the city has worked for SOE), have no officially been cited as SWG developers, BioWare refused to comment on that speculation, but it's a pretty strong rumor and likely true that at least some of them are former SWG devs. I know most of the SWG development team was incredibly pissed off with how the NGE was handled and didn't like the way LA forced them to do it, but perhaps they also didn't like the way SOE was doing things. Bioware's MMO plans are quite different from SWG, more WoW-ish, so who knows.

As for the game being more Wowish, some of the bioware people have said they like the polish and completeness of Wow but they never said we want to make a game like that.

Originally posted by feldrin

 

Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel both worked SWG.

 

As for the game being more Wowish, some of the bioware people have said they like the polish and completeness of Wow but they never said we want to make a game like that.

In the 1up interview with Walton and Vogel last year, they said that a sandbox, player-driven game is not what they are working towards because it directly conflicts having a deep story (which is what they want). They also mentioned directed content (as per WoW, always ushering you to the next area).

Originally posted by darquenblade

 

Originally posted by feldrin

 

Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel both worked SWG.

 

As for the game being more Wowish, some of the bioware people have said they like the polish and completeness of Wow but they never said we want to make a game like that.

 

In the 1up interview with Walton and Vogel last year, they said that a sandbox, player-driven game is not what they are working towards because it directly conflicts having a deep story (which is what they want). They also mentioned directed content (as per WoW, always ushering you to the next area).

About a year ago one of the devs on from the new MMO team said he enjoyed the "elders game of SWG" as he put it . I'll see if I can find the thread if it maters. Of course that means little, but it does mean at least one person liked the classic play of SWG. I also hear there are some guys from UO on the team, and SWG was built around some of the concepts of UO.

Well, they want to bring their story-driven single player experience to an MMO.. whatever that means. But also they are using the Hero Engine, which main feature is a complex scripting system for NPC control and quests.

The engine is zonal too, they've ruled out player cities and other "world-changing" things too, not even sure how complex the economy will be.

However, they were all addicted to WoW at the time, so things may have changed since then. I'm still expecting something closer to Kotor or a NWN persistant world than SWG.

Interesting read.. Walton talking at GDC in Sept.

http://kotor.darksword.co.uk/index.php?topic=6.0

Originally posted by bobfish

Well, they want to bring their story-driven single player experience to an MMO.. whatever that means. But also they are using the Hero Engine, which main feature is a complex scripting system for NPC control and quests.

Is that a main feature of the Hero Engine, or HeroBlade itself (HeroBlade is the scripting language in question). I only ask this because I was under the impression that HeroBlade was designed specifically for Hero's Journey, and is not necessarily part of the Hero Engine.

Originally posted by tillamook

Originally posted by darquenblade

 

Originally posted by feldrin

 

Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel both worked SWG.

 

As for the game being more Wowish, some of the bioware people have said they like the polish and completeness of Wow but they never said we want to make a game like that.

 

In the 1up interview with Walton and Vogel last year, they said that a sandbox, player-driven game is not what they are working towards because it directly conflicts having a deep story (which is what they want). They also mentioned directed content (as per WoW, always ushering you to the next area).

About a year ago one of the devs on from the new MMO team said he enjoyed the "elders game of SWG" as he put it . I'll see if I can find the thread if it maters. Of course that means little, but it does mean at least one person liked the classic play of SWG. I also hear there are some guys from UO on the team, and SWG was built around some of the concepts of UO.

As much as I want a pre-CU style of game play in KOTOR, I don't think it's gonna happen for us. I think the best we can expect, is a game that allows for a "SOCIAL SANDBOX" that will allow us to build Player Cities and Play run businesses.

I think all aspects of the main game concept will be very similar to WOW. I don't like it...but, it's the world we live in.

Originally posted by darquenblade

Originally posted by bobfish

Well, they want to bring their story-driven single player experience to an MMO.. whatever that means. But also they are using the Hero Engine, which main feature is a complex scripting system for NPC control and quests.

Is that a main feature of the Hero Engine, or HeroBlade itself (HeroBlade is the scripting language in question). I only ask this because I was under the impression that HeroBlade was designed specifically for Hero's Journey, and is not necessarily part of the Hero Engine.

I don't know, if I can find where I saved the brochure to I will post it up for you all to see.

From the BioWare forums, 'Secret MMORPG' discussion thread... of course this doesn't prove anything but I tried hehe

I don't think that Bioware is going to make a WOW clone. Any company that wants a piece of the WOW pie is not going to get it with something like WOW. It will have to be different to get people to change games.

He's right, they aren't the same topic, one is discussing the contract, the other is discussing the game. :)

If it's not a Star Wars MMO, there is no logical reason for them to draw this out, simply stating it's not a Star Wars MMO wouldn't reveal any information about either thing, it would just stop false rumors. That they haven't done this seems to imply the rumors aren't false.

Originally posted by darquenblade

Is that a main feature of the Hero Engine, or HeroBlade itself (HeroBlade is the scripting language in question). I only ask this because I was under the impression that HeroBlade was designed specifically for Hero's Journey, and is not necessarily part of the Hero Engine.

Here are two brochures for the Hero Engine. Enjoy :)

http://kotor.darksword.co.uk/index.php?topic=7.0

Originally posted by bobfish

 

Originally posted by darquenblade

Is that a main feature of the Hero Engine, or HeroBlade itself (HeroBlade is the scripting language in question). I only ask this because I was under the impression that HeroBlade was designed specifically for Hero's Journey, and is not necessarily part of the Hero Engine.

 

Here are two brochures for the Hero Engine. Enjoy :)

http://kotor.darksword.co.uk/index.php?topic=7.0

not bad....I like the http://www.naturalmotion.com/euphoria.htm ENGINE better