Huxley - A new MMO for both the PC and the X360

[Romier S]

I’ve seen a few previews for this new MMO at several websites but I didn’t pay them too much attention since actual gameplay information was very scarce. Gamespot recently posted a new “Live” demo of the game which shows off Huxley’s Unreal 3 powered graphics engine (and it’s gorgeous might I add) along with some real details as to how the game will play.

 

Huxley is currently scheduled for a PC and X360 release, though considering the props given to Nvidia in the demo I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Playstation 3 version as well. Anyone familiar with City of Heroes, Guild Wars, or World of Warcraft will have an idea of what to expect from the game in terms of how the you actually part and do missions. There will be centralized city “hub” areas (like the one in the demo) where players can meet, trade items, and form parties together. From there you can enter both instanced PVP and COOP story missions and build your character up over time. The unique thing about the game is that it is also an FPS much like Sony’s Planetside. Considering that it will be interesting to see what kind of classes the game will include and they will play off of each other in a group setting (if there even are classes). Nothing has been released as far as to what kind of character building changes you’ll be able to make unfortunately.

 

The game is definitely looking promising so far and I’m happy to see a new MMO coming to consoles (particularly Xbox Live).

 

I’ve gone ahead and uploaded the live demo to the server for your viewing pleasure. You can take a look at it here:

 

Huxley Live demo

 

You can read the Gamespot preview here:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/huxley/preview_6124990.html

 

You can take a look at screenshots here:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/huxley/preview_6124990.html

[Camp]

The "official" trailer I downloaded is an editing nightmare. Among the worst glimpses at a game I've ever seen. Hopefully, the trailer isn't representative of the game's design.

[Romier S]

Agreed Camp. The screenshots released for the game thus far do very little to represent the game well either. The live demo I posted above is really a whole other story though. It really looks fantastic so far, though there is still very little known about it's implementation online other than the basics I noted in my first post.

[Camp]

I'll be sure to download the live demo.

I really want to see an action MMO game work. Planetside was really cool but no fun for noobs to join in on.

[MrJames]

Some new screens...

 

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/676/676587p1.html

[bendak]

The Live Demo link is dead for me (just realized it was posted in June though)

 

This game has sparked my curiosity but I'm wary of MMO games, doubt I'll play one again after WoW. Too much of a time sucker. To give you an idea of what a time suck it is, my one character had two epic mounts...yeah one of them from a different faction. Self control and MMOs don't mix for me.

 

Of course if Huxley can cater to a casual player and not just a hardcore player (unlike WoW), it may be what I am looking for.

[Mark E]

I'm crossing fingers this'll be a new bit o' something.

 

Not that I'll need anything else when the WoW expansion comes out, but I gotta spend my MMO dollar somewhere

[Romier S]

Some new screenshots of the PC version of Huxley. Nothing new on the 360 version of the game, but the screenshots are definitely promising:

 

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[Camp]

I like the art direction. Love the use of the fog to give it a gritty look (especially to dull down the shiny normal maps).

 

That first image makes me think you can play as some sort of spider thing. The perspective in that shot makes it look like those are "your" arms.

 

I'm interested and hopefull for a June launch...we'll see.

[Derrik Draven]

This is due for June? Cool...

 

I've never played any mmo's. Just not my thing but, from the beginning I've had my eye on this game. My fingers are crossed that it turns out to be as good as it looks. Might pull me into the mmo world.

[JoeyN]

I've never played any mmo's

 

Welcome to the world of no sleep and 6-10 hour sessions. I didnt play MMO's then i tried FFXI on PS2 which i liked, but then i met COH which was so addicting i played all the time i wasnt at work or sleeping. Played WOW and Guild Wars, and then realized i needed to take it easy.

[secretvampire]

The unique thing about the game is that it is also an FPS much like Sony’s Planetside.

 

Interesting. I really loved Planetside for the couple of months I played it, but it got stale quickly. I have been hoping somebody would improve upon the idea much the same way WoW has improved upon hack-n-slash MMOs.

[Derrik Draven]

Welcome to the world of no sleep and 6-10 hour sessions

 

Damn...just what I need. I'm capable of this playing typical games, offline!!!!

 

...I need a career where I can just. play. games.

[Romier S]

Gamespy has a nice two part preview for Huxley that goes over a ton of gameplay details. You can read the full article here:

 

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/huxley/686013p1.html

 

At the center of Huxley's struggle are two distinct subspecies of humans-as-we-know-them-today: Sapiens, which are more or less like you and me, and Alternatives, which were more dramatically affected by the Nuclearite shower. They're at war with each other, but also with a wildcard faction known as Hybrids. As of now, we know that Sapiens and Alternatives will be playable races. As for Hybrids, well, all such inquiries to Webzen were met with coy glances, and vague comments. Make of that what you will.

 

Both of the playable races fall into two distinct sub-races. For the Sapiens, these are "One" and "Syn." The One are more or less identical to people like us, and according to Webzen, they will be able to make better use of equipment within the game. What does this mean? That they'll advance in weapon- or vehicle-piloting-skills faster than other races, as we understand it. The Syn, meanwhile, are the One's svelte, agile cousins. Their cold-hearted nature makes them more suited to covert operations, and given their enviable looks, you can bet that they'll be pretty popular with players.

 

 

"There are two different type of character development: vertical and horizontal. Characters become more skilled through the vertical development," Kang told us. "On the other hand, they could develop various gameplay styles through horizontal development." Here's how it works: your character will have a concrete level. The cap, when the game launches, will be 50, and you gain levels by acquiring experience. You gain experience, mainly, from playing through PvE content -- the various quests or tasks available to you as a member of your faction. Apart from the sort of gratification that's oh-so-important in MMOs, levels give you access to actual skills: things like the ability to double-jump, to equip better armor and weapons, and the like.

 

The second prong to Huxley's approach is the concept of "rank." Rank is much like level, except that you can only advance in this area by participating in PvP. This is the "horizontal development" that Kang was speaking about. He makes Huxley Studio's stance quite clear in this area: "As developers, we are putting more importance on horizontal development." So what does it earn you? Most importantly, early on your rank puts a hard cap on how high you can advance in level. So if you're mainly interested in shooting baby Hybrids, know that you'll eventually reach a plateau if you don't intersperse this with the occasional killing of actual players. Advancing in rank also grants you benefits in regards to meta-game functionality -- stuff like being able to form teams in PvP, give orders, arrange strikes, and the like.

 

Ultimately, though, Huxley is an FPS above all. It's much less about your character's game-given abilities and more about your reflexes and acumen for strategy.

[Romier S]

By the way, I didn't mention it when I posted that article but it has a new trailer for the game associated with it. It's really damn beautiful!

[MrJames]

New HD trailer...

 

http://xboxmovies.teamxbox.com/xbox-360-hires/2900/HuxleySapiens-vs-Alternatives-in-HD/

[Romier S]

Two new screenshots and an interview on Gamespot:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/huxley/news.html?sid=6147499&mode=recent

 

GS: The major question on most people's minds when you say "massively multiplayer online first-person shooter" is how can you keep the action manageable on such a massive scale? Will we see firefights with hundreds of people, or will the massively multiplayer part mainly be for neutral social areas where players can arrange themselves into smaller groups for instanced missions (a mission created just for a single group of players)?

 

KK: Gameplay in Huxley will take place both in one of the cities and in battle areas. In the cities there will be upward of 5,000 people who can be together at one time, while the battle areas will support several hundred. Of course there will be multiple battle areas in which people can challenge each other.

 

GS: What sorts of races are in the game? The screenshots so far show humans, as well as some really big humanoid figures, which we assume are some kind of genetic mutation.

 

KK: There are two different playable races in Huxley: alternatives and sapiens. Alternatives were created when a mysterious material known as nuclearites caused "allopatric speciation" of the human race. Unaffected humans became known as sapiens, while affected humans are alternatives. As time went on, the human evolution path was once again interfered with by fragments of the moon, known as lunarites. The sapiens were divided into the factions One and Syn, and the alternatives were divided into the factions Alteraver and Alternix.

 

Screens:

 

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[Romier S]

A couple of new shots. Very impressive:

 

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[Camp]

Very nice.

I hope some of the detail in those images carry over to the 360 version.

[Romier S]

Here's a new trailer for the PC version of Huxley available on Gametrailers:

 

Huxley HD Quicktime version

 

Huxley HD AMV version

 

It looks decent, but more run and gun than I expected. The screen tearing and framerate are problematic as hell, but this is the PC build we're talking about so hopefully the 360 version is a bit more stable. I'm holding out hope that the game ends up being good.

[Camp]

Yuck.

It's Unreal Tournament with a bland art style. I don't like where this is heading.

[Jon W H]

I like the art direction.

 

Yuck.

It's Unreal Tournament with a bland art style. I don't like where this is heading.

 

Make up your mind.

 

I dig it. It reminds me of Quake IV meets Gears of War meets Call of Duty 2/3. It's a futuristic setting, so the art direction isn't that far-fetched to me.

 

I'm looking forward to this. It could be a big hit despite the lack of hype/attention paid to it generally.

[Camp]

Make up your mind.

 

In my own defense, the game has changed quite a bit.

[Derrik Draven]

Is this still coming out? Where did you guys dig up any info on it?

[Jon W H]

http://www.huxleygame.com/

 

It's still in the works. IGN says "TBA 2007".