At Gamescom 2018, our author Leya had the opportunity to play the new sandbox MMORPG New World. The preview from Amazon Game Studios reminded her of an adventure we used to play as children.
For a long time, it was a secret what the Amazon Game Studios was preparing with New World. Now we know it will be a sandbox MMORPG with survival elements.
At Gamescom, I was able to play a pre-alpha version of New World. In the meantime, I chatted with Patrick Gilmore, the head of Amazon Game Studios. He gave me deeper insights into the PvP MMO.
New World feels adventurous: Together with other testers, I went to a small outpost. Our goal was to attack and take over another outpost.
Of course, we had to prepare ourselves for that. At the beginning, we all had just a sword and old leather clothing. To overthrow the other outpost, we needed more than that. We set out into the wilderness to gather materials.
I upgraded my gear with a firearm and a stronger outfit.
The graphics are impressive in the pre-alpha
Graphics were impressive for a pre-alpha: We chopped trees with our axes into firewood and mined stones to build camps. It was impressive to see the trees fall and the logs tumble in front of me.
Overall, the graphics were strikingly good, and the area was adorned with deep shades, the grass swayed slightly in the wind. The movements of the characters were already astonishingly fluid; it simply felt good to run and explore the forest.
After we had our camps ready, we could march to the enemy outpost.
The adventure journey is a strong focus
Childhood memories come alive: I felt immediately transported back to my childhood. As a child, I would go out with my friends, armed with sticks and pots, to defeat some villain, usually the neighbor’s kids.
The feeling of embarking on the adventure I used to fantasize about flooded back while playing New World.
Especially when a huge bear came towards me and three other players. With our guns, we had to shoot the creature and deftly dodge its paw strikes. Once the bear was down, we could loot it, and the journey to the enemy camp continued.
I felt a bit sorry for the bear since it was just standing around in the forest, probably doing typical bear things, but this little adventure in between made me feel euphoric.
Fights are active and dynamic: In New World, there is no tab targeting. Here, battles are dynamic, and it is possible to move freely, dodge attacks with a roll, and freely aim at opponents. The fights feel action-packed, and the tools available fit the 17th-century setting.
Together, we set up explosive barrels at the enemy camp. We bombed down the gates, stormed the enemies, and took their outpost for ourselves!
A heroic moment. Even though I didn’t know any of the people I was in the room with, taking over the other stronghold made me feel proud of us and our teamwork.
Patrick Gilmore provided deeper insights into features and backgrounds
Patrick Gilmore is the head of Amazon Game Studios and presented us New World. During and after the demo, he explained some features to me in more detail.
Survival mechanics are mostly mild: Players will need to eat and drink. This gives them stamina, which will affect the speed of attacks. Players will not die if they do not consume food; they will only be weakened.
However, looting bodies will be possible in the event of a player’s death.
The focus is on MMO and not survival
The studio’s focus is on sandbox-MMO: The beginning of New World was a classic survival sandbox game, like Ark Survival Evolved. However, more and more MMO elements were added later.
While the core features still consist of survival, these are granted to the player more quickly. The studio’s focus is definitely on sandbox-MMO. New World is intended to be a game where a large mass of players meets and builds a civilization together.
New World is shaped by the 17th century; the mechanics support the experience
The inspiration comes from the 17th-century era: Before it was decided what genre New World would actually become, the theme was clear. Players are in the 17th century, at a time when people were just beginning to transition from melee weapons to guns and firearms.
The developers found the conflicts of that time exciting, as well as the territorial behaviors. The mechanics, such as survival and strong MMO elements, are meant to support the experience of this zeitgeist.
Particularly important was the experience of going on an adventure and discovering new areas.
The world had to be huge: Since the developers care about the adventure experience, they want to make New World as big as possible. The map is huge, and during the demo, we could only see a tiny excerpt of it.
It will also be an important element that enough players can engage in PvP in real-time.
Developers compare themselves with Eve Online: Even though New World is often compared with classic survival games, the developers want to go more towards Eve Online. The size of EVE and the experience of shared adventures are particularly inspiring for New World.
There will be no NPCs; players will create the quests: Players will have the chance to assign quests to each other. For example, one player could offer another gold if he obtains a certain resource. A solo player might find his destiny in New World by running errands for other players.
Players can consciously become criminals, but with consequences
Internally, the developers constantly discuss event mechanics: Patrick Gilmore did not want to reveal too much about events. But the team is continuously discussing the possibilities of integrating events into the game.
Players can decide to be criminals: It will be possible for a criminal to rob or murder other players. However, this player will also be marked as a criminal. If “good players” now kill him, there will be no consequences for them because they killed the
