Posted December 31, 1969 by Matt Wetsel

Developers of Dark Age of Camelot Announce Next-Generation Massively Multiplayer Online Game

We recently got a chance to visit Mythic Entertainment's main office for a pre-E3 preview of their upcoming title, Imperator. In development since January 2004, Imperator is a sci-fi massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in a universe where the Roman Republic never fell and the Dark Ages never happened. In the near future, Rome has expanded into the galaxy, colonizing planets and moons to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. However, the Romans aren't the only ones who have defied history; the Mayan empire has survived as well. After building an enormous and influential civilization, the Mayans went on exodus, abandoned Earth, and sought to spread their populations even further than the Romans. Gone from Earth for countless years, they return unexpectedly with an armada intent on reclaiming the planet. After 100 years of intense fighting, the conflict between the Romans and Mayans sees no sign of ending, and that's where players come in.

Players begin the game as a Cadet in their final year at the Roman Academy, in transit to spend spring break celebrating graduation at a military base on the planet of Terranova. The festivities are cut short as the Mayans launch a full-scale attack on the base, shooting down the Cadets in the process. Crash-landing in the center of the base, players will be thrown headfirst into the conflict, and this is where Mythic hopes to create a truly unique MMO experience.

"Players nowadays, especially after almost ten years of massive multiplayer online games, don't want to start off in the same settings where they're going out as very weak, almost useless players, spending their time beating on rats. We wanted to take a very different approach," explains President and CEO of Mythic Entertainment, Mark Jacobs. "When you start this game, you're already considered a more advanced player. You're stronger, faster, and smarter than the average citizen. You have been chosen by the Roman Academy to participate in their program, which will then allow you to go in and choose other organizations, specialties and skills that should take you even further as your character progresses."

The Cadet phase on Terranova serves as the introduction of Imperator, designed to ease the player into the story and gameplay, but it's only one of five different planets. Each planet will have it's own unique look, feel, and story arc with an overall story being told throughout the game. We got to play an early demo of Terranova while visiting Mythic, and even with over a year in development left it looks as though Imperator is already capturing their vision.

As I started my journey into the world of Imperator, I had to pause to take everything in: ships flew overhead, I could hear gunfire in the distance, and the purple grass and pink sky made the entire world vibrant and surreal. Upon getting my first mission and exiting the base, I was greeted by a huge tower as Roman and Mayan soldiers chased each other and exchanged gunfire. It wasn't long before I was in the middle of a fight myself, and combat controls were both intuitive and easy to use. Characters can develop a wide range of attacks, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, to ensure that fights don't become point-and-click chores but instead challenge the player and encourage strategy and involvement. The emphasis here is options - there will usually be at least 2 ways to handle an enemy encounter, and every enemy will respond differently to every attack.

Missions themselves are divided into three tiers, designed to make sure players with limited time will have an idea of what they're getting themselves into. First tier missions are tailored to take about 30 minutes, second tier missions about 60 minutes, and the third tier is for "ultra missions." Players will always have access to mission lists and can choose any available mission at any time, and transportation within content areas will take players to 'hotspots' to keep the story and missions flowing. Likewise, transportation between planets will also be brief so that time isn't wasted getting from Point A to Point B just to join up on a mission with friends.

Perhaps the most interesting aspects of Imperator is it's "character-centric" approach to gameplay. Once off of Terranova, players will be lobbied by different organizations to lend their services and skills. The choices they make, both from large-scale situations like working for an organization to small-scale encounters with NPC's, will define their standing within Roman society and open up even more choices. Character development will also occur through "life events," as well as through the skills and abilities they choose to learn based on professions, which can be chosen on top of their base class. Professions include Ranged Damage, Melee Specialist, Tech, and an as-of-yet unannounced fourth profession. Characters will also gain skills by using different weapons and objects, and each character's story will develop alongside his or her skills and abilities. The sheer amount of decisions each player makes will ensure that every single player's experience with Imperator will be unique. As Jacobs puts it, "The foundation I?ve laid for Imperator can be summarized in one phrase: the experience defines the player."

Not only will each experience be unique, but they will also be geared towards what the player wants it to be. MMO games like Imperator are often updated and patched, but as changes are made it's difficult to please everyone. For example, some players are only interested in player vs player (PVP) gameplay, whereas others want nothing to do with it. Trying to balance one aspect of a game might unbalance others, but Mythic has created specific skills and skill trees designed for the type of combat players want to engage in; in other words, there will be PVP-only skills that, if patched or altered as is needed once the game goes live, it will only effect those players.

Imperator is being designed so that it will be an engaging experience whether you're going solo or constantly interacting with others. Player interaction will extend well beyond PVP as they participate in a political system where they'll take an active role in helping each other. Content will be instanced that will focus on both individuals and groups of players, and a system will be integrated to make sure that lower-level players can still play alongside higher-level characters so that no one will be prevented from interacting with one another.

Although there will be an economy in the game, there's a de-emphasis on money. Instead, success and mission choices will be currency, with rewards based on a player's performance rather than the amount of money they can horde. Organizations will reward players based on the type of work that they do, including everything from medical supplies to infiltration and espionage missions.

Imperator is scheduled for a Summer 2006 release, with beta testing starting earlier next year. In the meantime, check back with GamePlasma for even more coverage on Imperator at E3.