By
Garrett Fuller, Industry Relations



Earthrise is a game that has definitely appeared on the radar of many
MMOG players. The apocalyptic, futuristic theme pits players against
one another with no factions standing in the way. Remember how hardcore
Ultima Online was? Well Earthrise hopes to bring back the player
killers, criminals, and powerful guilds that came from that type of
game play. This past year at GDC, we href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/27155" target="_blank">spoke
to the team and got the
chance to find out about the game’s hardcore approach to a
sandbox environment. The team at Masthead Studios met with us
at
Leipzig this summer to explain a little more about what is going on
with Earthrise and why players should be paying attention.

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Earthrise
will be a hardcore PvP game from the very start.

Right now the game remains in pre-alpha development and the team is
working hard to implement many game features. Developers can currently
run around environments with an avatar to test out combat and explore
certain areas in the world. The team continues to work on combat
abilities, crafting, and AI, all of which they see as critical points
to Earthrise’s experience.



In regards to crafting, the best loot in the game will be crafted by
players. They want players to actively seek out resources to make their
own power armor and weapons.  Working on an in depth crafting
system, they do not simply want players grinding for loot. They want
the payers to be making their equipment themselves. The team mentioned
that there will be plenty of PvE in the game with heavy boss battles as
well, but remain true to their vision of crafting and the role it will
have for players.



We got the chance to hear about a new zone in the game called
“The Nest.” This game zone is set up for the
criminals and rebels as a hide out from the authorities. If you decide
you want to be a player killer href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/34720" target="_blank">from
the start, you will immediately be marked as a
criminal. Safe zones will be tough to enter and you’ll soon
be outcast. This can be hard on the players who make this choice in
game. The Masthead team is putting in The Nest as a place for the
criminals. It may be tough to enter and survive in, but with many
sandbox games eventually player will police each other. The Nest offers
the rebel players a home, even if it is a dangerous one.

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Crafting
will play a very vital role in the equipment progression of players.

The Masthead team truly hopes that players will establish their own
areas of control on the Island. Half of the game space will be set up
for players to battle it out over territories. Though it seems like a
rough environment, think of the space battles that go on in EVE Online.
If these zones begin an open warfare environment, you will see player
groups rise to the top and fight it out for control.



Overall, Earthrise is still in early development, but the game design
ideas are exciting to players who like a more hardcore open world. I
asked the team if they considered nerfing any of the game features or
hardcore experience that the game promises. They said,
“Never.” They want players to enjoy the sandbox and
fight it out with each other. That is what they are aiming for. Be on
the lookout for more from Earthrise as they expect to be feature
complete by early 2009. The team was also nice enough to provide
screenshots to give you a look at some of the zones you’ll be
fighting over. Thanks again to the Masthead team for taking time to
speak with us at Leipzig.