THQ Not Actually Cancelling Dark Millennium Online or Anything Else, Thanks

[News Portal]

Rumours reported across the gaming internet over the weekend which stated that THQ was cancelling the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMO [app=7200]Dark Millennium Online[/app] have been thoroughly quashed in an official statement by THQ.

Read full article by Tim Colwill

[Artful-dodgeR]

While I'd absolutely LOVE a 40k MMO, I have a feeling SW:TOR ruined any chance of them being that successful.

The execution of it would have to be ****.

[Yurtles]

A lot of the shine will have come off SWTOR by 2014, I certainly can't see myself playing it 2 years from now.

[masternick13]

While I'd absolutely LOVE a 40k MMO, I have a feeling SW:TOR ruined any chance of them being that successful.

The execution of it would have to be ****.

SWTOR is very far from being the end of every other MMO like people seem to think it is

[c0mc0]

...kids' boxed games...

What on Earth is he talking about there?

[Nekosan]

While I'd absolutely LOVE a 40k MMO, I have a feeling SW:TOR ruined any chance of them being that successful.

The execution of it would have to be ****.

That's what they said about WAR and RIFT, call us when the population are well into the end game and we'll see.

[Marcus Dunn]

Yeah I would totally love a 40k MMO too - i just cant realistically see anyone pulling it off.

[Tim Colwill]

I think there's plenty of scope for a good 40K mmo! I wrote some thoughts about this a while back on a GW forum before DMO was announced:

A good approach would be to completely rework gameplay such that players did not control singular avatars. Rather, players were responsible for a coherent unit of troops which had the ability to level up and branch out into specialist fields.

For example a player could control a squad of Ork boyz. They would have the opportunity to specialise as they gain in experience and become a unit of say, Tankbustas, or accquire a vehicle and become Trukk boyz.

Using this approach it would be not only a radical departure from traditional MMO settings but also offer a much more cogent interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe. It would also provide an easy opportunity for players to engage in planet-wide conquest and warfare on a properly clan and army-like level.

I still think this would be sweet

EDIT: That or just turn Necromunda/Inquisitor into an MMO, it would have worked perfectly straight off the bat. Except there's no space marines in it, so it wouldn't sell, which would make it a horrible decision. Still! We can dream.

[Nekosan]

Yeah I would totally love a 40k MMO too - i just cant realistically see anyone pulling it off.

This ^

I badly want an MMO with the scale of EVE and the ability to do planetary drops etc with infantry, you could play as a rogue trader/military pilot or as the lowest imperial guardsman (or anything in between) but it just won't happen, I'm not really even following DMO simply because I KNOW that nobody can do the 40k universe justice and the games always end up campy or just ****.

To really be 40k it would have to be the most extensive game ever produced, not going to happen.

[Artful-dodgeR]

I think there's plenty of scope for a good 40K mmo! I wrote some thoughts about this a while back on a GW forum before DMO was announced:

A good approach would be to completely rework gameplay such that players did not control singular avatars. Rather, players were responsible for a coherent unit of troops which had the ability to level up and branch out into specialist fields.

For example a player could control a squad of Ork boyz. They would have the opportunity to specialise as they gain in experience and become a unit of say, Tankbustas, or accquire a vehicle and become Trukk boyz.

Using this approach it would be not only a radical departure from traditional MMO settings but also offer a much more cogent interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe. It would also provide an easy opportunity for players to engage in planet-wide conquest and warfare on a properly clan and army-like level.

I still think this would be sweet

That's f**king brilliant.

[Hobomaster]

I think there's plenty of scope for a good 40K mmo! I
EDIT: That or just turn Necromunda/Inquisitor into an MMO, it would have worked perfectly straight off the bat. Except there's no space marines in it, so it wouldn't sell, which would make it a horrible decision. Still! We can dream.

You could take Deathwatch marines in Inquisitor if I recall. So that would be a possibility. But Necromunda would have very little to associate it with the actual publicly recognised 40k IP.

[Nekosan]

I think there's plenty of scope for a good 40K mmo! I wrote some thoughts about this a while back on a GW forum before DMO was announced:

A good approach would be to completely rework gameplay such that players did not control singular avatars. Rather, players were responsible for a coherent unit of troops which had the ability to level up and branch out into specialist fields.

For example a player could control a squad of Ork boyz. They would have the opportunity to specialise as they gain in experience and become a unit of say, Tankbustas, or accquire a vehicle and become Trukk boyz.

Using this approach it would be not only a radical departure from traditional MMO settings but also offer a much more cogent interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe. It would also provide an easy opportunity for players to engage in planet-wide conquest and warfare on a properly clan and army-like level.

I still think this would be sweet

That's f**king brilliant.

I remember seeing an mmo a while back where one of the "races" was some sort of animal that was like 3 marsupalami or something like that, one would hold a shield and one the sword etc in combat, looked pretty cool.

I'm still wondering what format the game play is going to take tbh.

[revengous]

Yeah I would totally love a 40k MMO too - i just cant realistically see anyone pulling it off.

the day they actually get bolters right...

[Marcus Dunn]

There is absolutely no doubt that there is enough scope in 40k for an MMO - there's too much if anything. I really think though, that for a developer to pull it off, it would not only have to be insanely well made, but would have to be by players who absolutely understand the lore/theme.

What are the chances of having a company capable of a AAA style MMO AND that level of understanding in 40k? I mean - it's hard enough just having the former - whereas the latter care not for MMO's, they're engrossed in a table covered in fuzzy grass

It's like the toughest gaming market there is now - as in order to make a quality product, you need to invest absolute millions into the game, and no company is going to invest willy nilly into an inexperienced developer. I mean, look at SW:TOR with the weight of Bioware and EA's dollars behind it - even its future cant be predicted. It's all a buzz now, but the test of time is basically the next 6-12 months - with such a massive investment, can even TOR go the distance?

Imagine thinking that from a much smaller perspective? It's nice to think of a smaller company having a chance, but in order to be successful, god...it hurts the brain to think of what's required these days, particularly from a monetary point of view.

[Jimmah]

I think there's plenty of scope for a good 40K mmo! I wrote some thoughts about this a while back on a GW forum before DMO was announced:

A good approach would be to completely rework gameplay such that players did not control singular avatars. Rather, players were responsible for a coherent unit of troops which had the ability to level up and branch out into specialist fields.

For example a player could control a squad of Ork boyz. They would have the opportunity to specialise as they gain in experience and become a unit of say, Tankbustas, or accquire a vehicle and become Trukk boyz.

Using this approach it would be not only a radical departure from traditional MMO settings but also offer a much more cogent interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe. It would also provide an easy opportunity for players to engage in planet-wide conquest and warfare on a properly clan and army-like level.

I still think this would be sweet

EDIT: That or just turn Necromunda/Inquisitor into an MMO, it would have worked perfectly straight off the bat. Except there's no space marines in it, so it wouldn't sell, which would make it a horrible decision. Still! We can dream.

A friend and I had exactly the same conversation back when rumours of a 40k MMO were first floating around.

Our idea was to have a mix of solo & 'unit' mechanics based on race.

There are two ways you could approach this :

1.) Have a 'squad' for each race/faction as mentioned above - this could lead to major problems with fluff & the perception of fluff ability vs mechanical ability.

2.) Each race has 1+ 'main' hero choices (ie guard/inquisitor/psyker etc) which are then augmented via an additional squad mechanic.

For example you may choose to be play as a Space Marine which could further specialise into say tactical/assault/terminator roles and the squad you receive is based on that role.

It would certainly take a fair bit of creative design but I think it would be really enjoyable, especially in PvP.

Using the 'squad' in a companion format similar to SWTOR would be gold - just the thought of being able to outfit and run my own 40k squad.....*drool*

Jimmah