Cliffhanger Productions, the developers of the new Shadowrun Online MMO gave us a look today today at what their new “Guild wars” style of campaign would feature, as well as showing off two brand new, never before seen gameplay videos.
It’s been 5 years since the last Shadowrun game had us teleporting through walls and planting magical healing trees in nearby concrete, which while all good and fun, received less then glowing reviews. This time around, Co-founder Jan Wagner wants all fans to relax and know their voices have been heard. “The feedback has been really valuable for us and we dedicated a lot of our time trying to answer questions and discuss the great suggestions by the community.” He states. “People were looking for something more physical and closer to classic games, so we found a way to provide that and we also added a bunch of cool new goodies for backers”.
The game will feature an all new “Pay to Own” revenue model, much like the popular style which games like”Guild wars” have established. In a nutshell, the way it all works is you will first buy the game for regular price. Once you’ve done that, instead of asking for a monthly subscription fee, the player can then choose whether to purchase expansions and DLC of the sort. Cliffhanger has since stated that the first expansions will consist of new campaigns and additional cities.
In the two gameplay videos released today, the second video is where you’ll find a more detailed explanation of the game’s plot and overall mission style. MMO fans weary of the typical “kill X number of weak enemies” and “fetch items of no worth” can rejoice, as Shadowrun Online stresses that no matter what you may be doing, the mission goals will always stick to an ultimate player driven plot line. Cliffhanger also places a strong emphasis on players enjoying the game in the exact way that they want to. Co-op or pvp missions with friends are available, or single player campaign with hireable NPC runners to experiment with are thrown into the mix as well. Some missions also have a chance to feature a mode that the developers refer to as “legwork” where different runners can gather information on a specific target, and use it together to try and form their own unique strategy.
Co-founder Michael Paeck has also put in his opinion of the new model : “Cliffhanger is serious about listening to fans. The campaign model allows players to get a Retail Box version of Shadowrun Online or download and play it like any other classic single or co-op multiplayer game. So, however players choose to enjoy the game, they will still be part of the persistent and evolving world and player-driven story that makes Shadowrun Online special.”
More information on the Kickstarter Campaign is available here:
http://kck.st/NVE8QB
