14 DAY TRIAL // Dave Jones is boss of Realtime Worlds, a company that is developing a MMOG for the PC and the Xbox 360 called All Points Bulletin, to be published by Webzen. At the Game Developers Conference, he has showed off what he considers his games' best features.
APB is unusual mainly in its setting. There will be no orcs around and no spaceships flying overhead. Realtime Worlds has decided that the fantasy and sci-fi MMO market is already saturated and that players would love to play in a real-world setting. So, boots are now sneakers, lasers have quickly turned into AK-47's and Rayban glasses have taken over from night vision goggles. Although the exact setting and world of APB is not yet fully revealed, we do know it is going to be gang related and customization is going to be central to the experience and the setting.
Character presentation is more than the usual match-shirt-to-pants of games. Players can decide the length of their hair, the size of the veins that are crossing their hands and whether they'd like to sport a nice looking scar on their left cheek. Even though customization is the main concept here, all creations will look as close to real as possible. Jones even said "We've all seen Second Life" as a jab towards the popular and cartoonish virtual world. Characters will not be the only things that players can customize. Tattoos, decals and badges will be worn by members of the same gang to distinguish them from other players. Cars will feature customization levels like those usually found in racing games, both cosmetic and mechanical. And if this isn't enough for you, Jones said the in-game music is also yours to choose, as Realtime Worlds has signed a partnership with on-line music service last.fm to provide any track available.
Jones also declared that APB will be "grindless" in that there would be no levels to determine what areas you can access and what missions you can take. Interaction and teamplay will be the main draw of the game and not the grind time needed to get to level 70. Even so, Jones was careful to say he loved World of Warcraft, even though he thought APB would be more fun to play.
And if all the above is just not enough to get you excited, Jones showed off another interesting feature. Players can go around the game world carrying video cameras of sorts, that allow them to record and later upload whole sections of play from the camera's perspective.
With all this innovation being showed off, we have to admit a certain eagerness to see how it all works out. All Points Bulletin is slated for release later this year.