Developer Reakktor gave us a demonstration of its upcoming space flight MMO Black Prophecy at GC 2007 today, and even though the game is very early in development it's already one of the most beautiful titles we've ever laid eyes on. The scope of some of the environments that will serve as backdrop to your piloting is breath taking. But first, some details.
Reakktor has around 50 people who've been working on Black Prophecy for seven months. The MMO features both PvE and PvP play and supports up to 300 folks in one game. It is currently in development for PC, but Reakktor is looking for funding to bring the title to the Xbox 360, as well. Our demo today was played on a PC with a 360 controller.
Even though there is a lot of multiplayer action going on here, there is a deep storyline being written by sci-fi writer Michael Marrak that will be experienced in single-player and multiplayer missions. Pilots will enter mission events that are separate from the main space so as not to be bothered by other fliers.
Your fighter jet can be customized with modules that are purchasable from NPCs and other players, and key items are granted as mission awards. There are also 30 skills that can be developed over time. Clan support is included, and clans can develop their own space station and outfit it to their Black Prophecy Gold. Reakktor has developed its own clan server technology. Many ships will need to be manned by more than one pilot and will require a crew, so multiple players can help guide and navigate a large vessel.
We were shown a trailer that was essentially a tech demo, beginning with a camera panning around large, impressive space stations. Fighters zipped through an asteroid field as triumphant music swelled. Text punctuated the visuals: "An ancient secret, hidden from the eye of man for 1,000 years, will be revealed. Existence at the brink of extinction."
After the trailer Holger Nathrath, CEO of Reakktor, took the controls to show off the game's visuals. Black Prophecy Money is bursting with eye candy. Each fighter is made up of 20,000 polygons. Nathrath piloted his through an asteroid belt where each rock had a mirror-like reflective surface. Many missions will take place just outside of a planet's atmosphere, and one such planet was encircled by rings that were represented in 3D and could be flown through. Another planet, so large it blocked half of space, featured bodies of water that reflected light from the sun. The celestial bodies can be seen slowly rotating, Black Prophecy Gold and clouds cast shadows on the surface. The engine running all these beautiful vistas is Gamebryo 2.3, and no pixilation could be seen.
Of course, we'll see how well the game looks when there's actually gameplay and AI going on.
The game already has an engaging, orchestral and operatic soundtrack being mixed by a Hollywood engineer who worked on The Matrix Trilogy and I, Robot. The fanfare is similar to action movie soundtracks like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings in both timbre and quality.
Reakktor hopes to have a playable version of the game for us this fall, so stay tuned for more info on what might end up being the best-looking MMO around.
