The New Space Race: Four MMOGs Taking Gamers into Outer Space in 2009

[Ralsu]

In the first great space race, world super powers competed to achieve milestones in space exploration. Fifty years later, the world as a whole (those of us with broadband anyway) is gearing up for a new space race. At stake this time is which space-themed MMOG can get a foothold in a market dominated by fantasy games. Ten Ton Hammer's Danny "Ralsu" Gourley offers his predictions for Jumpgate Evolution, Star Trek Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Stargate Worlds:

BioWare, the force (tee hee) behind Star Wars: The Old Republic (SW:TOR or TOR), is famous for making quality games that deliver compelling plots. From Baldur's Gate to Knights of the Old Republic to Neverwinter Nights to Mass Effect, BioWare produces hits, so the potential for TOR is high.

Read the full editorial to find out who Ralsu thinks will win The New Space Race.

[Xebek]

Well its about damn time we have some big name sci-fi MMOs lined up! I've had enough of Orcs and Elves...

My hype-o-meter is reading Star Wars: The Old Republic and Jumpgate Evolution being the two the watch, I knocked JGE at first but I've since changed my mind about it... Its action combat nothing new to MMOs but they are offering it at a huge level... Could get messy

[Sardu]

Excellent write up Ralsu. For the most part I can see your predictions being spot on, though I have a feeling that Jumpgate: Evolution might be the surprise hit of the bunch (vs. TOR which, if a hit, will likely surprise no one )

For what it's worth, JG:E isn't as new of a franchise as you might think. In fact, the original Jumpgate predates Eve by a couple of years. Mind you, the original never did become a huge success, but then again it also points to NetDevil having more MMO experience (and a longer running live title) than just Auto Assault. I think even Cody's pointed out at one point or another that NetDevil is actually one of the few developers with as much experience launching and running an MMO.

Taking those things into account doesn't necessarily mean that they have a sure-fire hit on their hands, or that when compared to the heavyweight IPs NetDevil is going up against it won't be an uphill battle. At the same time the game has caught a lot of people's attention already, and even sites like Kotaku who normally cringe at the very mention of an MMO have had nothing but good things to say about it thus far.

Like I said though, I think you have a good eye for decent games so can see exactly where you're coming from with your predictions which I do agree with. The above added info re: JG:E is as much a reflection of my own hopes for the title's success as they are simply an attempt to give you a bit more info to work with.

[Takk]

Thank you for this thoughtful commentary, Ralsu.

A famous IP can also be a disadvantage, from the grantor meddling to protect the IP, to over-hyped expectations of the fans. After feeling burned by a few recent MMO's I'm of the opinion that the technical aspects (programming, engine, etc) and game design are more crucial to a game being enjoyable and sustainable than IP origin and built-in fan base. Of those you've mentioned, I'm looking forward to Jumpgate Evolution the most. You are probably correct in stating that it won't need as many subscribers as Star Trek or Star Wars for it to be profitable and successful.

[Kralle]

Crusades is also a SiFi game in the early stages.

Would be worth to check into it as well, no restriction of a IP or some such.

• Seamless planetary-to-space and beyond travel.
• Flexible Tier-based skill system.
• Versatile "Be What You Want to Be" Role Playing with an open ended Storyline.
• Vast Array of Conquest and Immersion potential in a persistently expanding Universe.
• Spherical (non-linear) World Maps.
• Player-built and run Outposts, Cities, Planets and Trade Routes.
• 8 Races, with 6 combat classes, 5 support classes, and 10 professions (subject to change).
• PvE anywhere and PvP on specific continents and out of Homeworld Solar Systems.
• Unlimited Exploration Potential.
• Extensive Crafting System.
• 13 Vehicle types, ranging from Anti-Grav Boards to Battle-Cruisers and Carriers.
• "Pay to Play" Standard & Enhanced Subscription Tiers.

[Morons]

It seems that mostly you getting comments about JGE. I have played EVE for 5 years, have played WoW, Anarchy Online, Lotro, AoC (free month) SWG before and after the patch [It seem to be an very patchy game - and I would of liked to see an compleate overhaul with proper development strategy, as this is one of few "sand-boxed" MMO's out there (like EVE). I left EVE eventually because of the DOGS tail, Waging the Dog in the end. If CCP can clean up the RL GANgS hogging the ingame Aliances. the Game might be more playable. I suggest splitting at first the PVE from the PVP onto different servers. Resulting in real clone with seperate development paths.]
About JGE, I have only Hopes that it is at least 50% of what EVE deliveres, and maybe a bit of Freelancer feel. I hope its properly sandboxed with PVE quests scaling without being boring copies of an lower level quest.

I cant wait as I need to have Sci-Fi on standby if the Grinding and leveling of the other MMO's WoW, Lotro, ect... become to much!

[Ralsu]

Originally Posted by Morons

It seems that mostly you getting comments about JGE.

Yes, this has been pretty interesting. I wish JGE all the luck in the world. If that game garners even a small but loyal following, it will be a blast.

[Shayalyn]

It is surprising that JGE is the game most folks here are commenting on. I really haven't seen it register in a very big way on the MMOG scene, but maybe I just don't know where to look.

Ralsu's observations pretty much align with my own when it comes to the sci-fi games. My take is based mostly on the commercial appeal I see each game having. When it comes to JGE, I really do wish the best for NetDevil. I think that team learned a great deal from Auto Assault, and I hope to see those hard-learned lessons put to good use in JGE. I just don't think the game will have nearly the same mass appeal as SWTOR or STO, though.

Then again, it does my heart good to see developers going after an ideal rather than a bottom line. Instead of trying to please a Blizzard-sized group of gamers, JGE is aimed at a smaller, dedicated group. It's those types of games you really want to cheer for. Or at least I do.

[zenojin]

JGE has my bet. I don't know about the others mentioned but I have been closely following ND's JGE and feel it has the better dev team. they have a real good philosophy about game dev where they take chucks of the game and focus on that till it's fun. They have also said from the start that it plans to have the game in a good running state for beta to avoid pissing off the players. Beta is going to be for tweaking and for feedback and not for working out all the buggy game play. So with this approach they have my vote.

But aside from the dev's the game has a unique game engine that makes the origanal JG really fun to dogfight in. It's called the Dancer Engine. What the Dancer Engine is basically is real Newtonian physics for space flight with some drag added so it's easier to dogfight in. It works great and has been many a Si-Fi fan's dream to have a decent space game with real Newton physics.

The rest of the game looks amazing. Check out Jumpgate Evolution wikia for more info.

[Mikes]

Nice article, Ralsu.

Of the four, I'm pretty much wetting myself over TOR, and of the other three... I'm actually pretty interested in JGE. Star Trek has zero interest for me and neither has Star Gate.

Also:

What have I accomplished? I have pissed off a lot more Stargate fans than I had previously

lol, rep for you, sir