Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Questions by Cody “Micajah” Bye, Managing Editor
Answers by Vizual F/X’s Michael Daniel (Project Lead / Creator) and Daniel ‘FatalFX’ McMillan (Community Director)

Although science fiction genre-based MMORPGs have been few and far between, the last few months have seen an onslaught of announcements and news coming out about a number of sci-fi MMOGs – from Star Wars to Stargate – so much that the market is getting crowded rather quickly. Despite all that, the developers at Vizual F/X Studios have decided to try their hand at a sci-fi MMOG and are eagerly working on their first title, which they have dubbed Crusades (not to be confused with the medieval version with knights and the Holy Land). To learn more about Crusades, the Ten Ton Hammer staff sat down with Michael Daniel and Daniel McMillan to get all the juicy details about this game. Sit back, relax, and learn a bit about the next wave of science fiction online gaming!

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This isn't your medieval crusades - this is sci-fi baby.

Ten Ton Hammer: To start, can you give gamers a brief description of Crusades? What’s the game about and why should players be interested?

Vizual F/X: We believe that an endless immersive universe designed for a player’s explorative nature presents endless real estate for new discoveries, adventure, and opportunities to build and lose empires.  Go where you want to go, do what you’re willing to risk. Play the game to whatever mood you’re in – be as reckless or conservative as you like.  Horde wealth or squander it.  Play the hero or the villain and let it play out like real life and let everyone else decide.

Ten Ton Hammer: In the opening comments on your official website, you talk about sci-fi visionaries like Rodenberry and Kubrick and how they introduced the world to true intergalactic adventurers. How are you going to use their example to create a truly epic science fiction universe?

Vizual F/X: Our development team is working very hard to push the immersive “suspension of disbelief” qualities of an epic space adventure through implementing cutting edge design style with the latest advancements in technology.  Our team consists of designers who are very passionate about the massive multiplayer online role playing experience that Crusades is bringing to life.  We have played most of the known MMOs on the market, and are applying that expertise to build a universal sci-fi MMO in a class all its own.

A set of armor from Crusades.

Ten Ton Hammer: What kind of options will players have when they initially create their characters? Will they be able to choose from a variety of different races, classes, physical appearances, and other integral MMOG options?

Vizual F/X: Initially, the first release, “Homeworld” will offer the first four of our eight races in a safe section of the known universe for players to choose from.  Players may choose from a variety of Professions in order to role play as a purebred or hybrid character.

In order to prepare for epic space exploration, it will be essential that players build an infrastructure that can economically and technologically enable survivability factor in potentially hostile (PvP enabled) space and planetary environments.  Sequential release updates will present additional new races, galaxies, solar systems, artifacts, and technologies for player discovery and advancement.

Ten Ton Hammer: One of the big attractions to Crusades is the seamless space-to-world travel system that you’ve discussed on your website. How did you achieve this system and how does it enhance the gameplay for the players?

Vizual F/X: We felt that many loading screens distract from the immersive qualities of a virtual world experience, and also felt that linear and flat world maps would not be as epic and exciting as global world maps would be for an epic space adventure.  In this way, we could also deliver endless possibilities and ever expanding real estate from which a large audience may build and run their own empires (or not).  So we found the talent and then purchased and built the technologies to achieve our goals.