In the words of Duplex' Marko Dieckmann, "a September release of Face of Mankind is not going to happen." Dieckmann has posted an update on the progress of Face of Mankind at the FoM Portal. Here's what he has to say:
At the moment we are in the middle of our final Closed Beta stage. Many features, such as the NPC system, are continously being tweaked and expanded until we and our beta testers are satisfied with the results. We will not rush Face of Mankind's development. Many MMOG developers have made this mistake in the past, and we are determined not to do so.
During beta testing we have redesigned many major features, such as the mission system, to make it work better for large amounts of players. Also, we have introduced a new level of player freedom, never before known in the massively multiplayer gaming community. Since we are trying to improve the role-playing factor of massively multiplayer games, we don't fear taking the risks involved in introducing these unique concepts.
Let me get a little more detailed, since I know you guys don't like it when developers beat around the bush. We are currently preparing the final server cluster for Open Beta. Since we're going for the "One Universe, One Destiny" design, this needs a lot of care, and thus, time. We must be able to handle many thousands of players logged in simultaneously. Quick ping times, stability and technical reliability over time are the key factors, and that's why we have chosen to cooperate with a well known provider.
When the server cluster is ready and being tested in closed beta, we will reveal our partners and we will also be able to set a final date for the start of Open Beta. A follow up statement including further details will be released within the next 3 weeks. Thanks in advance for your continued patience and understanding.
The best lines, in this writer's opinion: "We will not rush Face of Mankind's development. Many MMOG developers have made this mistake in the past, and we are determined not to do so."
While a delay may dismay the FoM faithful, it's nice to see someone bucking the we-can-always-patch-it-after-release trend that has plagued the genre. Let's just hope it's a true commitment rather than lip service. Cheers, Marko.
You may read the post at the Face of Mankind Portal site.
