The Best MMO Demonstration Video You’ll See In A While

Indie developing at it's finest. Listening to Eskil speaking about his game on 1up's GDC podcasts, you can hear the love in his voice when he talks about how he love Love so very lovingly.

I'm getting this game, and i'm going to love* it ;) I like how the game world is a little bit more intimite with the 200 player limit. You'll probably get to know everyone in the server!

@Unmazen: Except he's been working on this since long before LBP or Fallout 3 ever showed their faces to the public

This looks awesome. Cant wait to check it out.

spline9

Sorry, but someone has to ask: what does "procedurally generated anything" mean?

Wow... just one person? That's amazing. I never heard of it before seeing the clip but it looks phenomenal. Kinda makes me think of a mashup of LBP and Fallout 3, with a PoP art style.

Unmazen

@beautifulbeast: Another way to think about it is to look at SPORE. The way creatures are created is procedurally generated. It's all rendered on the fly

@beautifulbeast:

Pretty much means being made on the fly by computer calculations. Similar to how animations and planets in Spore are generated. I always wondered why they didn't do this to create a vast and always changing world with MMO's. Honestly I'd love to see this used elsewhere, but for now I'm content at following this.

@beautifulbeast: Basically it means that none of the graphics "made" outside of the game. There's no maps, textures, models, etc. Everything is created inside the game using very complex mathematical algorithms. So instead of making a house in a 3d rendering program then importing that model into the game, he writes code so the game can create that house itself. Very brilliant stuff. It's the only way someone could produce a game like this single handedly, but they'd need to be amazingly smart.....and he is.

looks very promising. the creation and editing tools look awesome. you can tell someone has poured there heart and soul into this project which funnily enough is the best way 2 make games :)

tokens ^__^

Owen Nein

I haven't heard of this myself until now, but it certainly has my interest at this point. If the end product can live up to the claims of dynamic changes and good reaction to players then this will do better than Spore ever could.

bomb? I thought he said bong...

Owen Nein

@beautifulbeast:
means that it's generated by procedures?

but seriously it means on the fly generation or realtime graphics...still looks like shit..

James2432

@Asbestos_Underwear: I think you got it all wrong. It's just a tour to demonstrate some features of the game. More like a trailer rather than a walkthrough.

This looks like it may make for some awesome strategic gameplay! Looking good so far Eskil!

theobling

@Owen Nein:

the amount of smoke generated by either would probably be the same. so bomb, bong... whatever :P

Primebuster

If you need to cheat a lot to show players the interesting parts, it also means they will waste a lot of time playing what you consider the boring parts. not good. I want to have fun playing a game, not playing a game for hours waiting for the 5 minute fun part.

i liked how through the whole clip he wasnt over-selling it. he was just plonking objects down and was like 'yeah, thats pretty fun, anyway next thing.'

like he seemed really down to earth and didnt really care if folk didnt approve. almost had the attitude of 'well if you do like it, great, but if you dont, no worries.'

Primebuster

Its an intresting "game" made mostly for experimentation.You dont speak seriously if you think that Love is gonna sell in the videogaming public with monsters like WoW,Lotro,EVE etc.Additionaly there are no details about the core gameplay f.e.missions,pvp,battles or no battles,free roaming,skills etc.That's what i mean when i say that the game is mostly made for the love of his creator and nothing more.Just my 5 cents..

Love at first sight! Haven't heard of this one before. Looks really interesting. I like the graphic design. Wonder if the game needs a super PC to run tough, also the menus/icons seem really cryptic. May require a lot of time to get in deep with this one. Then again it's not ready. :) Need to start keeping taps on how the game comes together!

I hadn't heard of this game until watching that demo. Looks fantastic, especially after hearing it's being made by one person

lolgreg

Thought, 200 players on one server does not equal an MMO, it's equal an MO. There is a copple of 256Players online game who is not MMO's, This one won't be either.

@MugiMugi:

So?

No comment about how good the game looks?

"Wow, it's just one bloke making it?" - that sorta thing.

No. You'd rather criticise the game over a fucking word in an unspecified genre.

Not. Cool.

@Asbestos_Underwear: Then keep playing halo, not all games are made for people like you.

so how exactly should that be fun..?

It lost that semi-cel shaded look. Even better on the eyes.

PsycheE

@James2432:
Let's see what you can make all by yourself. If it looks anywhere's near that good then you can come back here trolling.

-itis

@Creasy: It actually looks terribly fun. Starsiege: Tribes was an awesome game back in the days, and this seems to play just like it except with far more complex gameplay.

Has a sort of Tron/Spore feel to it, but would folks pay a subscription fee to play it.

coolguyface

@Adnoz:
You cannot rate a game by its sugar coating. If most of the time is spend playing the boring part, then small gimmicks trying to redeem gameplay will not suffice.

So give us the demo of the "regular" experience. The stuff you do 90% of the time. If that is fun, I am sold.

We love Wii Love. Wee! Love!

(if only it was on the Wii this would work out beautifully..)

Did he just use binoculars to look TOWARD the sunrise??

I WILL NOT BE PLAYING THIS GAME FOR LACK OF REALISM

I read a small article on this aaaaages ago in Edge. it looked pretty. It still does, but it's clear to me that this guy is making a toy for himself that he realises may interest a small amount of others. He's right that it will but I don't see it being commercially successful. It'll have a nice cult following.

I don't have a clue what's happening in the game at all. You seem to be able to mould things how you like and into shapes that are not recognisable and that do things I don't understand. Way above my head, I'm not ashamed to admit.

I'm seeing the what, I'm seeing the how, but I'm not seeing the why.

@beautifulbeast:

Think of it as DNA. DNA describes something extremly complex in a relatively small amount of data.

This game, like Spore, gets a small amount of data, and from there, generates stuff. So instead of needing to place every polygon and patch of fur on a sheep, the computer calculates that.

Wahrheit

LOVE the idea. not 100% sure why it has to be MMO tho. looks like it could be an itersting lil single player game

This seems fantastic. I'm a little skeptical since the last man to preach the wonders of procedural verbs was Will Wright with Spore, but I don't think the disappointments of Spore were necessarily caused by the programming. As everyone else has said, it tried to be too many different kinds of games without giving each genre its proper polish, leaving me (though not everyone!) somewhat disappointed. Love's site's writeups, vague in a way I might have viewed as tantalizing, pre-Spore, still entice me despite my knowledge that I will never find what I really am searching for when I play these famously open-ended games: a cooler, less depressing version of real life with "save" and "load" buttons.

I'd give Love a shot, though.

@James2432: well, i think this looks simply amazing! its one of those games i could just sit around and admire the view, or take a screenshot and use as a wallpaper. different tastes iguess...

@Creasy: Yeah, I'd have to agree. The tech in this demo is cool, but it seems very Runescape meets generic FPS meets a beefed up Halo 3 Forge.

Just opinion -- it just has no appeal to me.

Teancum

@MugiMugi: He says right at the beginning that it's a 'not-very-massively-multiplayer-online... game'. He is quite aware of its limitations, and in fact that's part of the gameplay.

Looks amazing, the only thing i think sticks out is that while you can transform the world however you like, the bomb had no effect on the terrain.

Very cool indie idea but way to complex for the average gamer. Most gamers don't like the concept of thinking.

@crunks: I swear there's a Yo dawg joke in there somewhere...

@beautifulbeast: It means the object/concept isn't stored in the games files somewhere, but is (at least partially) generated by the game.
The state of the game usually influences aspects of the generation. Or you could also say, "It haz a randoms".

I think it looks great, and having read all the comments on Procedurally Generated graphics, it's all the more impressive..

But I'm not sure what the actual game part of it is. Maybe I need to rewatch the video with sound, but it seems like a game one could get bored of quickly..

samwise227

@Asbestos_Underwear:

Did it ever occur to you that:

a) This game is still under development and thus the "regular" experience isn't ready to be unveiled yet?

b) When a guy makes something this awesome all by himself, he can show whatever the fuck he wants to show?

dd528

@Owen Nein: Harold and Kumar much?

dd528

@Go Go Gadget: Thugmunk: I'm not sure the Wii can handle that much geometric deformation in real-time :(

;_; this.....is the MMO I've been waiting for all these years.

@spaz33: The main site says it should run on any modern laptop.

GPU requirements for the desktop is the 6-year-old Radeon 9800. Basically if it can do HL2, then you're good.

el_gordo

This needs to be demoed & talked about at TED.

@Novaheart: I know, bro. It's heart-breakingly beautiful, in a way. This guy isn't allowed to get in a car, or even cross any streets without a crossing guard present, until he finished this game.

He should also let some people on board to do some grunt work for him.

@Novaheart: I know, bro. It's heart-breakingly beautiful, in a way. This guy isn't allowed to get in a car, or even cross any streets without a crossing guard present, until he finished this game.

He should also let some people on board to do some grunt work for him.

@MugiMugi: Is there a standard which draws the line from Multiplayer to Massive Multiplayer?

I think all games with more than 32 Players is kinda massive. As long as you can't keep track of all players it's massive. Thou all games aren't Massive Online RPGs.

@MugiMugi: Is there a standard which draws the line from Multiplayer to Massive Multiplayer?

I think all games with more than 32 Players is kinda massive. As long as you can't keep track of all players it's massive. Thou all games aren't Massive Online RPGs.

@coolguyface:

This actually reminds of me Garry's Mod, for more than one reason.

PaperbagBoy

@coolguyface:

This actually reminds of me Garry's Mod, for more than one reason.

PaperbagBoy

Sounds like MMO should stand for Moderatley Multiplayer Online with only like 200 per server.

@Unmazen:

Sure makes "Bob's game" look bad.

Meeeh

@Go Go Gadget: Thugmunk:

Play with 200 people online, at any time! The only thing you need to do is enter their Wii friend code, for every single one of them!

Meeeh

really reminds me of Out of this World.

diagorus

@Meeeh:

Ugh, don't even talk about Bob's game...

concerning

@Creasy: Same reason things like Garry's Mod is fun I'd imagine.

It's got a nice pseudo-impressionist/PS1-throwback look. I'll be keeping an eye on this one now.

rapsodist

Wow. I've been waiting to see actual gameplay for this. What a rich system of cause and effect! With 200 players I wonder if it would play out a bit like a true first-person RTS...

@crunks: I've never been interested in an MMO before but I've been following this one for awhile. I keep trying to tell people who are into WoW about it but all I get in return are blank stares and shrugs, their loss.

for just one person to create, it's a awesome game! especially since it sounds pretty original

for just one person to create, it's a awesome game! especially since it sounds pretty original

I applaud whole heartedly.

This is something to watch indeed. I love the cryptic symbology also.

Anaxymander

I applaud whole heartedly.

This is something to watch indeed. I love the cryptic symbology also.

Anaxymander

Mission 1: Learn how to build stuff.

Mission 2: Construct a penis.

Toastbusters

@beautifulbeast:

People also failed to mention this entire game is going to be tiny. Like less then a couple megabytes tiny. Since technically the only files are gonna be complex math computations that created all the textures and objects, instead of individual files for each object.

Chaosquack

@elladion: Yes, it's different in that this game looks fun. After decades of quests and pvp, I'm ready for something a bit less WoW and a bit more Wurm.

mwoody

I've been following this game for awhile now, and I had, up until now, had the impression that it was going to be a non-violent game without enemies. Was I mistaken, or has the game had a change in direction?

@Asbestos_Underwear: Any trailer for any game shows you a smattering of the most enjoyable and enticing clips from the game. I have yet to see a trailer that just shows continuous gameplay. Your expectations seem to be ridiculous.

Additionally, in a game that is significantly about the user's ability to create things, he only needs to show you the basics. Building with Legos is fun. Watching someone build with Legos...not so much.

I think the dev's demo was a bit strange. He dove in head first into "what" without explaining "why". Still, it looks pretty interesting.

I hope this guy doesn't get bummed when only a few people sign on. It's very niche. Impressive, but still very limited appeal.

commentotron

I hope this guy doesn't get bummed when only a few people sign on. It's very niche. Impressive, but still very limited appeal.

commentotron

ive never felt so compelled to actually play an mmo type game before.

bl0ven

ive never felt so compelled to actually play an mmo type game before.

bl0ven

Gogo Area 5

Wolfgang Wozniak

D. Keeper, eat your heart out!!

And DeJaVu, I swear to god I have said that about this game...

First 2 minutes seem really interesting, but I gotta go to class.

@-itis: Maybe James shit smells like roses! Then he would be giving out a compliment!

unclebagel

@Stan64: Yes, actually. The term came into being to describe games with persistent worlds, and had nothing to do with the number of players.

Beran

@Asbestos_Underwear: I would like you to name one (fairly complex) game where you had access to advanced tools within 10 minutes.

You're a little too quick to judge, methinks.

Beran

@Asbestos_Underwear: Most pre-release gameplay demos I've seen have had bits taken from different levels throughout the game. His "cheats" simply allowed you to see later content without actually going to a black screen and pulling up a later "level."

Also, just because he calls the more "end-game" content "fun stuff" doesn't mean the earlier stuff is un-fun. It's just a playful term people use when referring to powerful things. You're trying WAY too hard to find something wrong with this preview.

@UltimatePancakeSensation: And the Concise & Relevant Analogy Award goes to YOU, sir! Good analogies (not to mention metaphors and allegories) are to be rewarded!

So, yeah, here's your, uh...Kudos Bucks(TM)? Good for one free, uh...smile? Regardless, good job. :)

@Meeeh:

First rule of Bob's game, don't speak of Bob's game.

CustomFirmware

@beautifulbeast: My only question would be that if it is generated by algorithms, how does everyone see the same thing? It is an MMO after all.

Quantum

@James2432: The way things look can easily be upgraded later since the engine is already capable of generating all the content. If the game takes off and he has more time/funding, all he has to do is write more advanced shaders and throw in better textures.

spannu

@Unmazen: The art is much more like Ico.

wazzzup16

@Freyar: ive been following it forever :( cant wait

Looks interesting i hope there will be a free trial to test out the thing

I have about a thousand positive things to say about this game, but I will give a little bit of constructive criticism instead because I would love to see Love come to fruition.

My main concern is that this extremely interesting game is unfortunately plagued by single-creator syndrome. Two major facets of this syndrome are:

- No one adding the "Yeah, but..." to your "Wouldn't it be cool if..." thoughts. (i.e. having to chat to your bomb to detonate it, interesting at first go, but certainly a clumsy interface for prolonged use).

- No one to tell you that what you perceive as easy interfaces and gameplay mechanics may come across as obtuse to the public. I've had to deal a lot with this issue in my work. Things I come up with naturally make sense to me, but that does not mean they're going to make sense to everyone else. I fear the learning curve on this seemingly simplistic game will be quite steep.

I highly recommend collaborating with at least one other person, possibly several, to give this phenomenal game the careful thought and crafting it deserves. Don't get sucked into the whole "one-man" gimmick, because in the end, no one will care if the game is not accessible.

Best of luck!

Thut

@Freyar: I pray that you are proved right, good sir.

@Quantum:
Algorithms that don't involve random numbers will generate the same thing no matter how many times you run them.

Case in point: The standard quadratic curve, y = x^2. It always makes the same shape (that funky U shape).

@Unmazen: I wasn't really impressed by the graphics at first view. I'm no snob, and do appreciate simple, yet effective artwork and gameplay and what not, but it just didn't seem like anything some huge team of people would willingly put out or even something that a distributor would let through in this day in age (appealing to the idiot masses who like shiny objects).

Anyway, I'm instantly more appreciative of the style now knowing that it has been done by a single man. Very impressive indeed.

madog

@Firkraag: I can remember back in days of Meridian 59 when 150 people on a server was HUGE

You-can-pick-a-screen-name-later

@GriefTroll: yes. 1000 x yes.

rewolf31

@HaigNC: No, I just critisize the headline on this site thats all, for the other part of the game, it's not for me so does it matter?

For some other post below yes you usualy say that the limit for an MMO is over 256 players, but dunno so mayn games out there say they are massively when you cannot even be more then 30 players in a single game, same no persistent world and so on, there is so much abuse on the word 'MMO' to sell the game and thats what I don't like.

@HaigNC: No, I just critisize the headline on this site thats all, for the other part of the game, it's not for me so does it matter?

For some other post below yes you usualy say that the limit for an MMO is over 256 players, but dunno so mayn games out there say they are massively when you cannot even be more then 30 players in a single game, same no persistent world and so on, there is so much abuse on the word 'MMO' to sell the game and thats what I don't like.

@Primebuster: and also he's not just pouring out a list of what you can do, its nice to know you don't know all the "features".

FireSketch

Or even more likely, the sever will send something called a "seed" for the client to use as input to the algorithm locally, thereby generating the same results as everyone else. Since the algorithms shouldn't be changing, just the inputs to them.

ProsperNobble

@5p.: Though what you're saying is true, I don't think that is really what's happening.

More than likely, the algorithms are run on the servers and updates are still streamed to the clients.

worsethannormal

@madog: Except saying that it's been done by one man is misleading. The world is procedurally created, so thechnically its been done by one man and a bunch of computers. Though that really doesn't change things. This project is still amazing. It looks original from top to bottom.

worsethannormal

Holy crap, wow. How is it that one guy can do something this amazing while many teams of 100 plus people fail miserably at making anything good? It boggles the mind, it truly does.

Its looks like a gmod clone. Its just a more fluent stable (lol) and specialized version of a gmod game.

duffdog7576