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News - Austin GDC '07: GAF's first look at Fallen Earth

Posted by Burk Frey at 10:15:04 PM EST on 9.7.2007.

At this year's Austin Game Developers Conference, GamesAreFun was able to go hands-on with Icarus Studios' new MMORPG, Fallen Earth. Lead Designer Lee Hammock showed us the world of the game and participated in a revealing Q&A session. Read on to learn what we dug up.

Scenario

Fallen Earth is set 150 years in the future in and around the remains of the post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon. Yes, you read that right. It seems that 100 years prior, the apocalypse was triggered by a combination of nuclear warfare and a deadly mutagenic bioweapon known as "Shiva." And now humanity is trying to etch out an existence using whatever is left. However, there's a twist – every player character in Fallen Earth is outfitted with a metal ID collar. The collars are a byproduct of being cloned by machines in the game world called "Life Pods." Functionally, these also serve as respawn points when a player is killed in-game. The problem is, you have no idea who you were cloned from, and part of your purpose is to find out.

Battling

To complement the unique scenario, Icarus Studios has introduced a fresh battle system unlike that of any other MMORPG. Aiming and shooting are handled FPS-style, with direct control over the reticule and a first-person perspective. No auto-spell or auto-aim. It looks and feels great. Third-person perspective is still an option; it's mostly useful for melee weapons.

Ah, the weapons. Melee weapons include rusty pipes (dual-wielded please), rebar, swords, pool cues, hockey sticks, hockey sticks with circular saws attached to the ends, spiked bats, and more. Ranged weapons include pistols, revolvers, crossbows, rifles, shotguns (pump, break-action, double barreled, you name it), assault rifles… on and on. Characters can hold 6 weapons at any one time.

Customization

But first, you need a character to hold them, don't you? Icarus Studios has implemented a deep yet intuitive character creation system. At the beginning of the game, you have access to a Life Pod to customize a new "clone" as you see fit. Just decide if you want a male or female clone, and then pick the rest:

-Head
-Skin color
-Skin tone
-Age
-Eye color
-Hair style
-War paint (this looks awesome)
-Stubble; facial hair (for men)
-Lipstick; eye shadow (for women)
-Body scale
-Piercing
-Tattoos
-Chest hair (for men)
-Belly piercing (for women)

As for wearables, there are 22 separate clothing slots. So if you want, say, a backpack or gloves, go for it. Of course, all that is nice, but fairly standard. So Icarus Studios went the extra mile with editable clothing – you can roll up your jeans, button or unbutton your shirt, turn you cap around, and more. Chances are your character is going to look unique.

Game world

Once we settled on a character design, the game threw us into the opening area, an underground lab. The lab serves to familiarize players with the controls, but only for a moment. As soon as we got a chance to meet our first NPC, horrible, mutated humanoids known as The Infected burst in from an adjoining room. They made short work of our NPC acquaintance, but we were able to fend them off with a handy lead pipe. Lee Hammock noted that the combat in Fallen Earth is meant to be fast and frantic, like an FPS. No minutes-long magical struggles in this MMO – the average fight between players last 9-12 seconds. However, even though the battle style is FPS-based, the actual stat and hit calculations are rooted in an RPG format. This system, as a whole, makes for a very fun and rewarding experience. Continuing in the underground lab, our character was able to make it to the surface after a few more rooms and several more Infected. This, then, is where the game introduces us to the world proper – the Grand Canyon.

Setting

It would be a severe understatement to say that the world of Fallen
Earth is large. It's enormous. The map is an accurate recreation of the Grand Canyon area in the Southwestern United States. The game map measures 83 km on a side – about 7000 square km in all – and takes several hours to cross on foot (don't worry, there are mounts. We'll get to that later). The beginning area is the arid brushland that the Grand Canyon is known for, but other locations open up along your journey. "Area 1," as the first location is known, is dotted with 20-30 towns... and it's only a small portion of the total map.

Game developments

As we began to explore the map, it became apparent that there are several distinct factions in the world of Fallen Earth. Two such factions are known as the Anarchists and the Enforcers. The Anarchists believe that the only way to prevent another apocalypse is to keep humanity from organizing, and thus, keep them from creating advanced weapons. The Enforcers believe that peace is better accomplished through strict, militaristic control. As you build up your character, you'll have a chance to align yourself with one of the factions.

There are other ways to customize your character, as well. There are no "classes" per se, as in traditional MMORPGs. However, players are given AP (Advancement Points) to allot towards certain characteristics:

-Charisma
-Coordination
-Dexterity
-Endurance
-Intelligence
-Perception
-Strength
-Willpower

These characteristics, in turn, affect skills like gun handling and
bargaining. Gun handling, for instance, is boosted through a combination of Dexterity and Perception. Further, Fallen Earth includes tradeskills based on the AP system:

-Armorcraft
-Ballistics
-Cooking
-Genetics
-Geology
-Medicine
-Nature
-Scavenging
-Science
-Teaching
-Weaponry

Armorcrafting and some other tradeskills give players the ability to, obviously, craft items. But the items can vary based on the faction you're aligned with – Enforcers, for instance, can craft SWAT and military-style armor. Hammock told us that, impressively, 95% of the items (armor, guns, et al) are player-craftable. 100% of the uber weapons for each faction and player type are craftable. Heck, if you have the right materials, even some mounts (like cars) are craftable. "It just takes time," says Hammock. All crafting is time-based. A decent rifle, for example, takes about two hours. During that time you're free to run missions, log off, whatever – but the wait keeps the game balanced. Cars, as mentioned, are craftable; other forms of transportation include horses, as well as buses running between a few of the larger towns.

Advanced gameplay

As players progress in Fallen Earth, they eventually get to fight for control of towns in PvP areas. Establish rule over a town, and the NPCs in that location will be forced to align themselves with your faction.

By this point in the story, you'll discover that – as a lingering result of the Shiva virus – your character is able to acquire certain beneficial mutations. The mutations are mostly minor, and Lee likens them to being "more like X-Files than X-Men." Claws, telepathy, and self-healing are all possibilities. However, he hints that the mutations can be deeper than they seem on the surface. Don't be surprised to learn that you can use your telepathy to infuriate others (causing them to attack) or to make others like you more... thereby increasing your influence in your faction. From our Q&A with Hammock, it's clear that Fallen Earth only gets better.

For one last treat, check below for the first screenshots from Fallen Earth, a GAF exclusive.



The screenshots aren't really indicative of our experience with the game, but they do show a bit of the game's style ("kinda like Mad Max," says Hammock with a chuckle). Fallen Earth is in late alpha right now, but the developers are hopeful to have the open beta ready within a few months.

GamesAreFun will be sure to keep you up to date on this promising MMORPG.

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