may the onslaught of Source based games begin...
Hot on the heels of the successful Half-Life 2 and the powerful Source engine that runs it the mod community and developers are working hard to exploit the capabilities of the blockbuster game.
Interesting gameplay mechanics require necessary headshots as the enemy will drop in pain from hits but will keep shooting and may even take your teammates/NPC (Non-Playable-Charcters) hostage. The Havok physics engine has been altered so as to allow object handling that dangles and pivots rather than floats/hovers (as in HL2) and when the situation presents itself it is possible to turn a table onto its side to use as cover in a gun fight.
Apparently Ritual is hoping to develop this game as a pro-active game relying on gamer's input and feedback evolving as the story unfolds.
Might & Magic: Dark Messiah hopes to fully utilize the HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature embedded in the Source engine. The developers at Arkane Studios, have oultined that three basic characters will be available and 40 different weapons in all; the warrior (equipped with swords/maces), the mage (spells and staff), and the assassin (stealth proficiencies with bows and daggers).
Online play will consist of campaign mode or a deathmatch and will have up to 32 players.
- Closest to release is SiN Episodes from Ritual Entertainment who finally found a "publisher" in Valve who are set to release the series of "episodes" via their Steam-content delivery system. Each episode will contain approximately 5-6 hours of gameplay. The original SiN appeared in 1998 and the franchise has "stalled" because of Ritual's desire for creative independence (hmmm.. no
wonder Valve likes em). They have spent 6 years creating the SiN universewhere the story is to be told thru downloadable episodes for about $20 each. The episodes are to evolve according to choices made in previous chapters as the Steam servers feed information back and forth between user and server tracking statistics and the storyline thereby sculpting the content.
Interesting gameplay mechanics require necessary headshots as the enemy will drop in pain from hits but will keep shooting and may even take your teammates/NPC (Non-Playable-Charcters) hostage. The Havok physics engine has been altered so as to allow object handling that dangles and pivots rather than floats/hovers (as in HL2) and when the situation presents itself it is possible to turn a table onto its side to use as cover in a gun fight.
Apparently Ritual is hoping to develop this game as a pro-active game relying on gamer's input and feedback evolving as the story unfolds.
Next up is more of a first person "slasher" and not shooter coming to us from the makers of the Might and Magic role playing series and Ubisoft using the Source engine as we explore dungeons and landscapes in the role of a bounty hunter type of character and "discover a genre defining combat system set in a darker and more sophisticated world of Might and Magic".
Might & Magic: Dark Messiah hopes to fully utilize the HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature embedded in the Source engine. The developers at Arkane Studios, have oultined that three basic characters will be available and 40 different weapons in all; the warrior (equipped with swords/maces), the mage (spells and staff), and the assassin (stealth proficiencies with bows and daggers).Online play will consist of campaign mode or a deathmatch and will have up to 32 players.
- Finally though it seems to be caught up in legal wranglings the Goldeneye Source Mod is being developed (bit-tech.net has preview) for those of us who miss the classic gameplay. 22 weapons and 15 maps are currently being worked on by a team of "enthusiasts" with the Source engine. I for one can't wait to get my hands on the "Moonraker Laser".
