MMORPG.com News Manager Keith Cross files this report on what he learned about some of the game features in the upcoming MMORPG Otherlands developed in Singapore by RealU.

Today, we begin part two of our look at the Otherland MMO based on the novels by Tad Williams. Before I get started talking about the game’s features I do have to present a few words of caution. As stated in part one, the game is just finishing pre-production, the developers estimate that it is 15 percent complete, and still at least two years from launch. This means that despite their enthusiasm, the guys at RealU weren’t able to give us a whole lot in the way of specific details for several reasons. The big reason is that they’ve seen the folly of the many MMO developers that have come before them and announced details too early, only to disappoint players when the game changed or evolved or didn’t meet players’ expectations at the end. Another big reason they wouldn’t tell us much is fear of being ripped off. At this stage they feel that they have a handful of ideas that are unique or revolutionary in the MMO market. If they start talking about those ideas while they’re still two years out, there is the very real possibility that someone else will like the idea and put it into another game. For example, you won’t see me writing about Otherland’s economic system in this article, because all I have in my notes is that they couldn’t talk about it, and that they think the game’s economic system could be one of their most revolutionary features. Other than that, they weren’t ready to talk about it.

Read the article here.

I'll be the first to admit I'm an Otherland (books) fan and eagerly awaiting more info on the game, however... this article didn't actually say much of anything IMO.

We'll just have to wait for the devs to get further along so they can get some real info out.

Interesting that they didn't really want to go into a combat discussion even if it's not the central focus of the game.

A lot can happen in two years.  They could end up scrapping everything and launching a Tron clone, which might not be a bad idea for an mmo now that I think about it.

There was almost zero combat in the books, it would be a very refreshing change  to launch a game with minimal combat in this day and age.

As I recall, the heroes in the books spent a vast amount of time legging it!

The Thargor playground world (called "the middle realms") is pretty much a sandbox UO type game only in a fairly realistic VR sim, Keyboards in this future world are almost non-existent. The net interfaces are optic-nerve bypass or for the rich; more or less thought controlled. So the heroes are pretty much "inside" the net.

Ach, if I didn't keep having horrific visions of our planet 70 years from now, I'd almost certainly volunteer my brain to be whacked into the cryogenics laboratory freezer now :P

Being born 90 years too early ftl......or not as the case may be!

Hmmm a mmo with almost no combat...... seems interesting I'll keep my eye on this one.

An MMORPG with little to no combat... anyone remember Seed?   Wonderful back story, great art design, but ultimately didn't make for much of a game.  I sure hope this can pull it off.  I'd love to get into an MMO that's more about narrative and interaction than just another skin on the same old click/grind formula.

As one poster said in a prior thread, it is just 2nd life in a different setting.  Can you say BORING?

Hmm, it probably will be extremely good or equally horrible. I don't think this concept here has any middle ground. If it can be done with some combat, exploration and such, possibly depending on the world, perhaps like .hack was.

I could have a blast with creating viruses and infiltrating strongholds and systems, but there really does need to be some combat. A lot of people love combat, myself included, but it shouldn't necessarily be the only way to advance, nor the best way. Actually if someone wanted to solely advance their skills by combat, it should leave them inadequate compared to others who experience the full game.

I'm definitely going to keep tabs on this game and hope something great comes of it, but after being burned by other MMOs, i'm still taking the approach of wait and see and don't expect too much, lol.