The developer Darewise is currently working on the new action-MMO Project C. The game is primarily characterized by a dynamic and vibrant world shaped by player behavior.
The developer behind Project C is a relatively new studio comprised of many veterans from the video game industry. And they have big goals: Project C aims to provide players with unique gaming experiences, and their actions are intended to have a lasting impact on the game world.
From Publisher to Developer
Who are Darewise? If there is one thing that the people at Darewise do not lack, it is experience. Almost all developers from the core team previously worked on major AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed or Halo.
Initially, the studio was supposed to become a publisher, but the team pivoted and decided to use their accumulated development experience to make Project C a unique game.
What are Darewise known for? So far, there is only one game credited to Darewise. The survival-MMO Rokh, published by Darewise, went into early access on Steam over a year ago. In this MMO set on Mars, players must combat meteorites, cosmic radiation, hunger, and oxygen deprivation.
And while the early access version received a fairly devastating review from the US website Rock, Paper, Shotgun, the ratings on Steam are more balanced.
An MMO with a Lively World
What is Project C? Not much is known about the MMO project so far. Here is what is established:
- The setting will be a dystopian sci-fi future
- The genre is third-person action-MMO with “immersive sim” elements borrowed from games like Thief or Dishonored
- There will be both PvP and PvE content
- Player behavior will have a meaningful impact on the game world and its development
- Project C will utilize the cloud-based system SpatialOS from Improbable
The developers’ goal is to create a lively world: “We want it to be meaningful,” said Benjamin Charbit, the CEO of Darewise. According to him, the world should be regarded as a standalone character that can evolve without player intervention.
Permanent simulations and a system of AIs are intended to ensure that the world remains dynamic while being able to logically respond to player actions. The system should also encompass smaller elements of the world like plants and animals.
As an example, the CEO mentioned a possible ecosystem within the game:
- If players eradicate massive amounts of plants, it could lead to a significant decrease in populations of bees and other insects.
- If the plants spread unchecked, it could result in the emergence of massive aggressive bee colonies, making certain areas more dangerous.
Whether this example will actually be in the game is still undecided, but it is meant to illustrate that player actions would have consequences in both cases. Ecosystems and food chains would change over time and adapt to the given conditions.
The Players Have Control
What consequences will the decisions have? Player actions and their impact on the world will also affect the PvP and PvE elements of Project C.
For example, players can use smart strategic decisions to bring certain factions and races that fight among themselves within the game to their side. The simulations and AIs can help players gain advantages over their opponents, CEO Charbit claims. Conversely, it would also work in the other direction.
How is trolling handled? The team is aware that such a system could quickly be exploited by trolls and other troublemakers. These will be kept in check by targeted updates and an internal system that is only implemented when things go extremely wrong.
This system aims to integrate as organically as possible into the game world. Therefore, the developers want to work closely with the community from the alpha stage onward to find a good balance for the world.
Very Early Development Stage
The game doesn’t even have a proper name yet: Although many concepts and ideas presented by the CEO of Darewise sound intriguing, Project C is still in a very early development phase. In fact, there are currently only two artworks of the game.
Additionally, many statements from the CEO are extremely vague and apply to many already existing MMOs. So it remains to be seen how Project C will develop in the future.
