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Dev Discusses Upcoming Spy-MMO, The Agency

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-could-tell-you-but-then-i'd-have-to-gank-you dept.

Kheldon writes "The MMO Gamer recently sat down with Lorien Gremore, lead producer on SOE's upcoming spy-shooter MMO, The Agency. They discussed various aspects of its development, such as the 'stickiness' of session-based games, striking a balance between FPS and MMO players, and whether or not The Agency even falls under the definition of a traditional MMO at all. 'You might be in Prague, and experiencing play with a lot of different other players; you might have come in at your field office and gone out into the city, encountering many other players doing missions that you are also doing,' Gremore said. She added that the game's areas are large enough to have 'lots of different people in them, collecting intel, engaging in public combat, all of those types of things. These areas are big enough that there’s shops, there’s secret spaces, photos to be taken of suspicious objects, things like that. They’re all out there in the world. We’re really trying to create a balance, where you’re encountering a lot of social situations, chances to get into groups with other people, just by merit of the fact that you guys are doing the same sorts of things in the same sorts of places.'"

17 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, still isn't out by JazzXP · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I remember seeing a trailer for this a couple of years ago. I assumed it had already come out without any hype around it. I guess like most games, they've released a trailer way too early. I think it hurts sales doing this too. Build up hype, people get excited assuming it's coming out soon, then something else comes out in the mean time and then you're over the hype. Seems to doubly apply to MMO's. At least to me anyway. Was super pumped for Jumpgate, now I'm not sure if I'll get it or not.

  2. Oh, the boring grind awaits.. by BarMonger · · Score: 5, Funny

    For your next mission, I want you to collect 12 pictures of supermarkets, 14 mysterious hats and a lost 'spys briefcase'..

    Intel gathering MMO? Really?

    1. Re:Oh, the boring grind awaits.. by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Funny

      To add to realism, if you're spotted taking pictures of a bus or a policeman by accident, you're arrested, lose all of your kit, and have a very intimate dialogue with a 23st trucker named Jim.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    2. Re:Oh, the boring grind awaits.. by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Oh great, now that you've mentioned OCD I have to say it out loud exactly 15 times or something terrible will happen.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Looks full of fail by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We've got this idea for a game see, and it's about spies, but rather than come up with any truly compelling gameplay we're just going have a really big world and put it online.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:Looks full of fail by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sounds about right.

      I'd like to see an MMO that's like a cross between Hitman and The Ship, only without the pants-on-head stupid that plagued both of them.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    2. Re:Looks full of fail by craagz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Can we become a double-spy and leak intel to the bad guys? That would really create a storm in a tea cup!

      --
      My Blog | Badsh
  4. Ingame news by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

    "John Ubuli, Fictiana's prime minister, was assassinated tonight. Apparently 12502 assassins entered the embassy simultaneously screaming 'LEEEEROY JEEenkins!'"

    1. Re:Ingame news by cjfs · · Score: 5, Funny

      "John Ubuli, Fictiana's prime minister, was assassinated tonight. Apparently 12502 assassins entered the embassy simultaneously screaming 'LEEEEROY JEEenkins!'"

      Looting was cut short when the intruders realized the zone wasn't instanced and the pm was on a 5min respawn timer.

    2. Re:Ingame news by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Prior to entering the embassy, the group had agreed that the leader would share expensive items on a fair basis. This ended up with the master taking everything for himself, with many of the other players taking their issues up with the HR department. Common phrases used in missives were "OMGWTF NINJA LOOT I AM RPRTIN U ASSHOLE!!" and "I'm never grouping with you again, and I'm telling everyone in Trade that you are a douche."

      The leader didn't seem phased; He had all of the loot. Suckers.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  5. Too early to say by Necroloth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm not gonna knock the game yet... it has an interesting twist to the normal beat-em-up mmo's so will wait and see how they implement it. As it's an mmo, you will always have the grind factor etc so will just have to weigh up the good points.Some ideas that come to mind are:

    (*) it would be cool to be travelling the world disguised as normal npc so other players may not be able to tell you're a player unless they have higher skill and so you never know how many people may be after the same target.

    (*) You could be in rival spy-assassin companies and build company/player reputation.

    (*) Being able to use sniper weapons, cameras etc like an FPS

    (*) Ability for espionage, infiltrating rival companies or sabotaging their objective etc

  6. Seems like a structural issue waiting to happen... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    MMOs, historically, haven't really been able to do anything about the problem that, in game, everyone wants to be the protagonist; but every protagonist needs extras.

    Something involving spies seems much more problematic than usual in that regard. Meet another PC? Oh, now what are the odds that he is a spy, no matter how clever his cover?

  7. Re:Seems like a structural issue waiting to happen by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Funny

    So basically it's like meeting an American in Europe?

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  8. Re:Seems like a structural issue waiting to happen by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey, we aren't all spies. A few of us actually do work for the state department, for real.

  9. Re:Spy MMO? by cjfs · · Score: 4, Funny

    You thought grinding xp by combat was bad, wait until you see stealth grinding.

    Follow 20 different sewer rats for 1min each without being seen.

  10. What's the point of being a spy? by srothroc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why should we care about being a spy in a game where everyone is a spy? Part of the fun in the idea of being a spy is that you do neat stuff while masquerading as a normal person... among normal people. If everyone's a spy, it's kind of boring, sort of like playing a Hitman game where everyone is the Hitman...

    --
    http://www.tenjou.net/
  11. First in-game screenshot... by MRe_nl · · Score: 3, Funny

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Spy_vs_spy.gif

    --
    "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"