Exploring Espionage: A Look at The Agency

By Tony "RadarX" Jones

Pack up your exploding toothpaste and grappling hook wristwatch, because SOE’s The Agency is in full swing. Ten Ton Hammer got a special preview on Friday where Lead Designer Hal Milton and Design Director Matt Wilson walked us through what they’ve been working on and took a number of our questions.

If you somehow missed the announcement from SOE’s Gamer Day back in June, The Agency is an over the top spy themed First Person Shooter (FPS) perspective MMO being developed by SOE Seattle. Looking to break the normal mold players can expect to live the life of a secret agent in an action packed dynamic environment filled with classic villains, amazing gadgets, and an incredible random gunplay. Being designed for both the Playstation 3 and the PC, gamers from both platforms can battle each other for world domination by their particular agency.

href="http://tth.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album348&id=UniteTeam_courtyard&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> src="http://media.tentonhammer.com/tth/gallery/albums/album348/UniteTeam_courtyard.thumb.jpg"
style="margin: 5px; padding: 5px;" border="0">

Follow the chick
in leather? Ok!

The preview started out with Hal Milton explaining exactly what niche The Agency was looking to fill. He stated they are looking to put players in a “persistent online world” meaning something is always going on even when you aren’t around. The experience doesn’t just end when you logoff, the world continues to move and evolve. A “serendipitous interaction” between players and the game will extend life beyond the leaderboards and the ordinary.

Hal next moved into a few examples of the type of gameplay we can expect to see such as tactical combat. Any fan of FPS games love nothing more than zip lining from a helicopter and kicking in a rooftop door while tossing grenades. This type of violent (meaning FUN!) combat will be available for those who like to open cans with a sledgehammer. For others who prefer stealth or playing Splinter Cell, a number of missions will exist where your goal is to break and steal intelligence.

A very interesting aspect of what you’ll be doing in The Agency was vehicular missions, which sounded like they are instances where players can race against each other or attempt to accomplish certain goals. While many aren’t racing fans, how friggin cool would it be to race a spy car with rocket launchers, machine guns, and oil slicks? This will prove to be an amazing feature if they can work it out.

How many times have you made an alternate character just because you were bored with yours, or just wanted to see how some other abilties work? This game will provide what Hal referred to as “you are what you wear.” Your skills will be advanced by what outfit you are currently wearing. If you want to get better at shooting put on a combat outfit and go find some bad guys. If you prefer the support role, put on your support outfit and build some turrets to help your team.

A unique aspect Hal seemed to put a lot of emphasis on was the use of Operatives. Operatives, or “living loot” as SOE called them, are collected by completing missions and have special skills to help. Recruiting them will allow you to do things such as build gadgets and gather intelligence. The persistent online world comment he made earlier was reemphasized by his mention that updates on the work they are doing could be provided via email or even text message. If nothing else, it’s difficult to say they aren’t thinking outside the box.

A question came up regarding Player vs Player content, and The Agency is anticipating player demands by having matches available which you can join immediately. Stating their policy of “fun now, no waiting” It sounded very similar to what we see with World of Warcraft Battlegrounds/Arena minus the really long queues. As time goes on, I’m sure we’ll hear more about what they have in store but it seems there are plans to have a robust system at launch.

Unfortunately we had a lot more questions but time began to run short and our inside look was over. Overall it seems SOE Seattle has a handle on what they are doing and quite a talented group of people running the show. The reception to this game by attendees has been very positive so we can expect great things in the future. Thanks to SOE for giving us an inside look, and be sure to keep an eye out for this mold breaking MMO some time next year.