Warhammer 40K MMO Will Cost At Least $50 Million

[Extasii]

My participation in this game hinges on how they do the Imperial Guard.

My Idea: You control a squad, with one heroic character. Damage taken reduces your squad population, reducing damage.

Its actually an interesting idea. It would make them basically a DPS class thats damage is based entirely on HP. Instead of multiple classes, you could just modify your squad, which would determine your abilities and stats. Higher levels equal better equipment choices.

I donKt know... I like it.

This, but play it as kind of a Third-person-shooter with the option to switch to different members of your squad. It could be played as a near-Tribes style battle, lobbies being joined depending on which race you want to play. Squads have different numbers of units based on unit power relative to the table-top game. Piloting vehicles will be an option based on your squad's performance on the battlefield, starting as small squad skirmishes and possibly ending up with Basilisk shelling a field while Chaos Rhinos are spattering larger squads of Imp. Guards.

 

[Yokai]

I'm looking forward to this, but after seeing how people get during TOR's development, I can only imagine how they'll critique this game pre-release. It occurred to me that, as awesome as 40k is, there's some lore reasons it might struggle with a wider audience. One is how gender-specific everything is. Female Space Marines are impossible and I've never seen a female Ork. Eldar might have the closest to gender equality, but I'm not super-familiar with them. In a genre where even the slightest limitation for "lore reasons" is met with hostility, some aspects of character creation might not go over well with players unfamiliar with 40k's galaxy. This is one IP where you simply can't make compromises on certain things (like female Marines).

What they will do, if they think this over properly, is allow male humans to become Space Marines and female humans to become Sisters of Battle. That would maintain decent game balance without fiddling with the lore too much. I'm pretty sure they mentioned that you don't start out as a Marine or Sororitas, so it would work fine.

As for orks--hell, I don't know. Maybe you'll be able to choose between a gretchin and a nob or something.

 

[warboss5]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I predict a good $50 million hole in the THQ books by the end of the fiscal quarter in which this is released.

Firstly, and most importantly, the 40K universe is not a place where the actions of a single person can make that big of a difference. With the exception of the Inquisition, how often do you hear about single, mortal beings making that big of an impact? You don't. What you DO hear about is massive armies fighting other equally massive armies in meat grinder military actions that take generations to resolve.

Secondly, the 40K universe is all about the idea that anyone can die at any movement for any reason. Being a perpetually regenerating immortal guardsman kinda destroys the whole concept.

Finally, WAR's faceplant out of the gate has already shown us that there isn't a big enough built in Games Workshop audience to support a whole new MMO. And yes, I know there are more 40K players in the US than Fantasy, but they have all spent countless money and man hours putting together, painting, and playing with personalized armies, do you REALLY think they are going to want to invest all over again in who new genre of entertainment?

My prediction, people will play it, but it won't carve out anywhere near the nitch that THQ is hoping it will.

 

[rsvp42]

Female Space Marines are impossible and I've never seen a female Ork.

The Sisters of Battle don't count?

They're not genetically augmented by a Primarch's gene-seed, not do they have all the crazy surgical modifications that Space Marines go through:

First and foremost, a potential Space Marine recruit must be male, as the gene-seed and the developing Space Marine organ zygotes are compatible only with male hormones and genetics.

(from: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Space_Marine)

Obviously there are women in the 40k galaxy--Inquisitors, Sisters of Battle, Imperial Guard to some extent--but that would mean that specific classes would need to be made to accommodate those roles (except for Guard, which doesn't need to split based on gender). If you want to do it right, that is.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how they do Imperial Guard. I really like AccursedTheory's idea of a character being squad, although some tweaks would need to be made. If it isn't possible then maybe the actual character classes are Commissar or other CO/NCO that have various guardsmen as minions?

It would make IG interesting I think, as well as keeping with the 'flashlights' fluff.

As for heroes... Sergeant classes could allow for stances (dig in, tactical advance), Commisars would give stat boosts (Execute for more DPS, rousing speeches for more defense), and honor guards could have smaller squads, but more special equipment.

Seriously, THQ, this shit is solid gold.

NOTE: Mechanicum. Please tell me the Titans in the trailer were NPCs. I can easily see THAT getting out of hand.

 

[The Apothecarry]

1. It doesn't matter which factions work together or not. You don't see anyone complain about it.
2. Enough Warhammer 40K fans will play it, myself included, to keep it online.
3. As long as the primary factions (Space Marine, Chaos, Tyrannid, Eldar, Ork, Imperial Guard) exist in separate areas, there's no reason to complain.
4. You can pilot a fucking Titan.
5. Players will get to see their dream hero/villain come to life, which is EXACTLY what WoW allows players to do.

 

[Death_Korps_Kommissar]

It could work.
They'll have to bust their ass to innovate some decent, non-shity ranged combat, I mean Tau and Guard thrive on it.
Also there will have to be more than two factions.
Maybe:
Imperium
Guard
Marines and any other they add

Chaos
Chaos Marines
Traitor Guard
Maybe orks in the same situation as the first dawn of war

Xenos
Eldar
Tau

I duno about nids and necrons though. They are fairly independent and also pretty samey.

 

[illas]

It occurred to me that, as awesome as 40k is, there's some lore reasons it might struggle with a wider audience. One is how gender-specific everything is. Female Space Marines are impossible and I've never seen a female Ork. Eldar might have the closest to gender equality, but I'm not super-familiar with them. In a genre where even the slightest limitation for "lore reasons" is met with hostility, some aspects of character creation might not go over well with players unfamiliar with 40k's galaxy. This is one IP where you simply can't make compromises on certain things (like female Marines).

I'd still play the pants off it, but I don't know how others would see it.

I have to agree with you regarding compromising the IP. Games Workshop's lore is just too idiosyncratic to dilute by diversification for the sake of gameplay or character customization. The specificity and depth of the gameworld are significant parts of it's appeal.

Furthermore, almost every army is enemies with everyone else (Imperial Guard + Space Marines aside). I'd hate to see an "Order" vs "Chaos" 2 faction structure a la the recent Warhammer Fantasy MMO... which was in itself, an imitation of WoWs Horde vs Alliance. Massive interstellar Free-for-all, please THQ.

By Morkai's fangs there had better be Space Wolves in it!
If not, I'm off to get drunk on ale. It's what Russ would want.

Agreed! I'm actually building up a Space Wolves force right now. Though admittedly, it's just a personal hobby and a chance to hone my painting skills, as I don't know many folks that play it.

As for finding enemies/lambs to the slaughter/friends to play against, GW stores tend to run games nights once or twice per week and are typically happy to point you in the direction of Fantasy/40k clubs full of friendly and eager model-makers, army-tinkerers and dice-rollers.

 

[White_Hawk]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I predict a good $50 million hole in the THQ books by the end of the fiscal quarter in which this is released.

Firstly, and most importantly, the 40K universe is not a place where the actions of a single person can make that big of a difference. With the exception of the Inquisition, how often do you hear about single, mortal beings making that big of an impact? You don't. What you DO hear about is massive armies fighting other equally massive armies in meat grinder military actions that take generations to resolve.

Secondly, the 40K universe is all about the idea that anyone can die at any movement for any reason. Being a perpetually regenerating immortal guardsman kinda destroys the whole concept.

Finally, WAR's faceplant out of the gate has already shown us that there isn't a big enough built in Games Workshop audience to support a whole new MMO. And yes, I know there are more 40K players in the US than Fantasy, but they have all spent countless money and man hours putting together, painting, and playing with personalized armies, do you REALLY think they are going to want to invest all over again in who new genre of entertainment?

My prediction, people will play it, but it won't carve out anywhere near the nitch that THQ is hoping it will.

I would beg to differ.
surely if you had been a fan for a long a mount of time and built up a collection, you would jump at a chance to fight with/against all your freinds online, with your own charicter?
i know i would. oh, and hoe many people play Dawn of war? and how many of those would want to buy this?
its like the transition between warcraft 3 and wow. only this would be between DOW and 40k DM (dark millenium).
please tell me otherwise.

 

[The Apothecarry]

As for giving an option to play female Space Marines, couldn't it just be handwaved by saying they're Adepta Sororitas? I know they're not the same, but it would allow people to play as women in power armor.

Nobody saw female Orcs, Goblins, or Taurens in Warcraft III but they sure as hell surfaced in WoW. Think of how much fire an MMO would come under if a race was restricted to one gender. What's fun without messing up a bit of lore here and there?

 

[IBlackKiteI]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I predict a good $50 million hole in the THQ books by the end of the fiscal quarter in which this is released.

Firstly, and most importantly, the 40K universe is not a place where the actions of a single person can make that big of a difference. With the exception of the Inquisition, how often do you hear about single, mortal beings making that big of an impact? You don't. What you DO hear about is massive armies fighting other equally massive armies in meat grinder military actions that take generations to resolve.

Secondly, the 40K universe is all about the idea that anyone can die at any movement for any reason. Being a perpetually regenerating immortal guardsman kinda destroys the whole concept.

Finally, WAR's faceplant out of the gate has already shown us that there isn't a big enough built in Games Workshop audience to support a whole new MMO. And yes, I know there are more 40K players in the US than Fantasy, but they have all spent countless money and man hours putting together, painting, and playing with personalized armies, do you REALLY think they are going to want to invest all over again in who new genre of entertainment?

My prediction, people will play it, but it won't carve out anywhere near the nitch that THQ is hoping it will.

Well said, though these are just a few of many reasons why this thing will most likely flop.

I said in an earlier post that an MMORPG would not fit 40k, but an MMOFPS done properly could be almost perfect.
I'm actually dumbfounded as to why they don't do that, why not create that feeling of constant war, death and destruction rather than something that's been done dozens of times before but in a different setting?

I'm pretty sure they mentioned that you don't start out as a Marine or Sororitas, so it would work fine.

That's actually worse then having the option to start as a Space Marine.

That pretty much says right there that the new players will be hugely inferior, while playing for long enough will make you a freaking demigod.
Also, Guardsmen don't just serve for a while become and suddenly become Space Marines, so that screws up not only with the gameplay and the players themselves, but the lore as well.

 

[illas]

4. You can pilot a fucking Titan.

Wow, just wow. Forget a new MMO; if Games Workshop spend £50 million on a Disneyland-style Titan ride they will have entirely justified the investment.

 

[cfehunter]

The only way I can see them pulling this off is by doing it in an isolated corner of the 40K universe.

An imperial crusade would be a good choice.
Imperial army (Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Sisters of Battle) vs the united forces of chaos?

Limiting considering the subject matter I know. But acheivable.

Doing the full universe with all the different Adeptus Astraties chapters, Chaos cults, Tyranid Hives, Eldar craftworlds, Orks and various other races and sub-factions is an impossible task. No matter how much money gets thrown at it.
Besides the incredible workload it would fragment the player base into oblivion, and with the lore as rigid and set as it is grouping most races into two or three factions would be impossible.

I want to believe, but i don't see it.

 

[rsvp42]

I'm looking forward to this, but after seeing how people get during TOR's development, I can only imagine how they'll critique this game pre-release. It occurred to me that, as awesome as 40k is, there's some lore reasons it might struggle with a wider audience. One is how gender-specific everything is. Female Space Marines are impossible and I've never seen a female Ork. Eldar might have the closest to gender equality, but I'm not super-familiar with them. In a genre where even the slightest limitation for "lore reasons" is met with hostility, some aspects of character creation might not go over well with players unfamiliar with 40k's galaxy. This is one IP where you simply can't make compromises on certain things (like female Marines).

What they will do, if they think this over properly, is allow male humans to become Space Marines and female humans to become Sisters of Battle. That would maintain decent game balance without fiddling with the lore too much. I'm pretty sure they mentioned that you don't start out as a Marine or Sororitas, so it would work fine.

As for orks--hell, I don't know. Maybe you'll be able to choose between a gretchin and a nob or something.

There's definitely ways to make it work. Personally, I have no problem with them making separate classes based on gender or simply taking gender out of the equation for certain races. I'd rather see Sisters have their own abilities and balance. But if they had to, I'd accept them being mirrors of Marines. It's a tough choice though. WH40k isn't really a balanced galaxy. The imbalances between the races in terms of power and numbers are part of what make it compelling, but it might not translate perfectly into an MMO setting.

I don't envy the devs. This is a tough IP to deal with, but they'll get serious nerd cred if they can pull it off well enough.

 

[E-Penguin]

as long as we don't have the ultra smurf's as the only playable marines it is fine.

I think the only space marine chapter there will be the Black Templars. That's at least what PC Gamer told me.

 

[JaredXE]

Ugh, did they have to put a picture of Papa Smurf as representative of 40K?

That said, yay 40K MMO! Though is it just me, or does $50 Million seem a bit on the small side for an MMO?

 

[Karma168]

From what i remember off an article a few months back there are 3 factions: imperium & chaos with the orks as a 3rd. imperium is split into space marines and guard and maybe soritas/psychers. Chaos will have similar races(?) with their psychers probably able to summon daemons.

Other alien races are included but as NPC characters (at least for now, may change in any expansions)

for gameplay check out the E3 trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt5e2OX9FUk

Edit: oh and yeah i think you get to choose your chapter/regiment. Could be a guild system built into that.

 

[Dwarfman]

My participation in this game hinges on how they do the Imperial Guard.

Yep! I say we all get to play as tanks. An example character list could mention the following -

Leman Russ - Standard fighting character; good offense, excellent defence, moderate speed

Chimera - Fast assault character; moderate offense, good defence, excellent speed, special ability to send out a squad of guardsmen

Basilisk - Artillery character; Excellent offense, moderate defense, good speed

 

[DefunctTheory]

As for giving an option to play female Space Marines, couldn't it just be handwaved by saying they're Adepta Sororitas? I know they're not the same, but it would allow people to play as women in power armor.

Nobody saw female Orcs, Goblins, or Taurens in Warcraft III but they sure as hell surfaced in WoW. Think of how much fire an MMO would come under if a race was restricted to one gender. What's fun without messing up a bit of lore here and there?

Unlike Warcraft, W40K is very specific. There are absolutely no female orcs or Space Marines, just as there is no Brotherhood of Silence, and no Adepta Broitas.

According to fluffy, its not just improbable or against the norm, its IMPOSSIBLE.

EDIT: I've been awake for over a day. Can't seem to remember names.

 

[Outcast107]

As for giving an option to play female Space Marines, couldn't it just be handwaved by saying they're Adepta Sororitas? I know they're not the same, but it would allow people to play as women in power armor.

Nobody saw female Orcs, Goblins, or Taurens in Warcraft III but they sure as hell surfaced in WoW. Think of how much fire an MMO would come under if a race was restricted to one gender. What's fun without messing up a bit of lore here and there?

Because Orks CAN NOT have females. Its fine for orcs..goblins, and Taurens cause their wasn't any lore saying their can't be.