Comings and Goings

Over a year ago I posted about an upcoming steampunk mmo called Gatheryn. They went into open beta the end of last summer but I doubt few really noticed. It was a huge disappointment and the few times I logged in, it was rare to see another player. The last official posting came last October and the game suddenly went offline with no further posts as to why or the status. So I guess this one is done. It was to be the first released mmo using the new HeroEngine, but I guess that honor will now go to SW:TOR.

I'm not losing hope yet for a steampunk mmo. Though still in very early, rough stages, I continue to follow AIR and also found out about Clockwork Symphony. At least there's still official activity there anyway.

Also way back when, I was in the Gods and Heroes beta--another one which went kablooie. Looks like it may see the light of day yet. Heatwave Interactive has obtained the rights and launched a new website. No information yet, but my beta experiences were pleasant enough that I will watch the progress of this one.

I also recently gave City of Eternals a try. If you have a Facebook account, you can just log right in. It's a vampire-themed game and nothing particularly fancy, but hey it's free.

Gatheryn - First to Use HeroEngine

A long while back, I followed the progress of an mmo in the works called Hero's Journey. What set this one apart at the time was that Simutronics, the company behind it, was also developing their own engine for it. So rather than being stuck within the confines of someone else's engine, they were building their own to make the game their way.

They started showing off their engine at tradeshows and even won some awards for it. Other companies started showing an interest in licensing it and Hero's Journey got put on the back burner as Simutronics' focus switched to the engine itself.

I actually forgot all about them until I heard Gatheryn, an mmo I mentioned a few weeks ago, will be the first on the market to use this new engine. Release is scheduled the first half of this year already, which I find pretty surprising. This has piqued my interest even more for Gatheryn. I'm really interested in seeing what sort of new things are in store with this engine.

Other mmo's that will be using this new engine include BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, Colony Studio's Universe Online, and some unnamed mmo planned by Stray Bullet Studios, the company currently running Shadowbane.

World of Gatheryn

I just caught word of a new multiplayer online world in the works called Gatheryn. The setting is Victorian era with elements of fantasy. Rather than what most consider to be a typical mmo, this seems to be a combination of mmo, virtual world, and Myst. There are lands to explore and quests which involve mini-games and puzzles, rather than slaughter. You will have a home which you will be able to furnish. But all is not peaceful, as the background story involves the struggle of the people to free themselves from the powerful overlord.

The screenshots so far are very nice. Although the information available is pretty limited right now, it definitely looks to be something quite different from anything else out there. I'm not a puzzle type person, but this has piqued my interest enough that I'll be keeping my eye out on this one.