The Daily Grind: What are your expectations of The Secret World?
by James Egan 
Sep 7th 2009 at 8:00AM
Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, The Secret World
Massively was on the ground at the Penny Arcade Expo over the weekend, and one of the games we saw that really has some promise is The Secret World. It's quite a departure from the fantasy genre in MMOs, with elements of horror, mysteries and conspiracies, hidden knowledge sought by secret societies... ok, we can say no more. But it's killing us that we can't talk about it quite yet. We've seen the gameplay but Funcom will unleash unspeakable occult forces upon us, like lawyers, if we spill what we know. Of course we'll have a feature story on The Secret World up on Massively soon -- but in the meantime, we want to ask what you think about the impending arrival of horror to the MMO scene.
Funcom is clearly trying to set the tone for the game with their latest trailer, which might have given us clues about the kinds of things we'll see in TSW. But as we all know, a cinematic isn't always the best representation of a game title. So do you think The Secret World will be a dark, mature title? Or will it be Cthulhu-lite? Sound off and let us know about your expectations of The Secret World!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Steve said on 8:02AM 9-07-2009
I think that it will end up being a game with an interesting backstory and great premise, that is butchered into a run-of-the-will fetch/kill MMO. It is, after all, failcom.
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torak said on 8:15AM 9-07-2009
After I research it a bit to find out more about it...IF I decide to play it (after making an informed buy decision)
I pretty much expect it to
A) be in a technically playable state when it launches (good luck with that, right?)
B) be fun and interesting to play (again, like the above post already noted, the odds of getting anything but another kill task collector are pretty slim to none)
So it's pretty unlikely I will expect anything but another poorly launched run of the mill kill 10 rats grinder with a fancy new skin.
I hope I'm wrong and they make something fantastic...but the odds are really stacked against it.
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Dravi said on 8:26AM 9-07-2009
I am hoping that there will be no fetch and kill missions in such an MMORPG. I would hope that every mission is tied into the storyline and are based around assassination and find information missions which involve more interaction with the scenary. I am not expecting to 'fight' all the time in such an MMORPG.
I am not really expecting to see 'zones' full of mobs to attack. I am not really expecting 'equipment' with stats on it, although gadgetry could play a part.
I am expecting quite a lot of phasing technology like that employed in WoTLK by Blizzard so that actions within a zone can change that zone for you in the future. So that each player can push along their own storyline and change the way the world appears to them. Perhaps the sharding reminiscent of Champions Online where the world can change for groups that have completed certain missions.
I would expect that such an MMORPG would be more RPG then the Hack'n'Slash of fantasy based MMOs. More immersive then a fantasy genre...perhaps no shout, no /ooc, no zone wide communication and you can only talk to people near you or to people on the telephone (Tells/Whispers).
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Chris said on 3:31PM 9-07-2009
See, here's where you make your mistake. You're still under the misguided delusion that these games are RPGs. They're not, not anymore. They are avatar chat rooms.
The RPG element left MMOs years ago by and large. More and more the community has become diverse and the RPG player of old has been diminished in percentage and so the developers have taken to catering to those new customers to the detriment of their RPG elements.
Oneta said on 9:20AM 9-07-2009
No no no there still are RPers playing. The matrix online had many, and they are all now looking for another post modern game to play.
Oneta said on 9:17AM 9-07-2009
How can you make a discussion on what most of you know nothing about?
The viral campaign has been going on for many years now, and if it is any indication to the level of puzzle and immersion the actual game will have it may grab a nice niche and the players left in the cold after the Matrix.
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Streamweaver said on 9:28AM 9-07-2009
As a developer the Funcom brand seems to be about taking a good idea and making a mediocre MMO that takes a year post launch to even work right. Why would anyone be excited about anything Funcom does?
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Withy said on 10:20AM 9-07-2009
Oh ye, I forgot how Funcom has only made crap in the past. Thanks for reminding me...
pogger said on 9:29PM 9-07-2009
And "as a developer", your winning brand is... ?
Moral of the story... people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Wisdomandlore said on 9:43AM 9-07-2009
I would hope it's more a three-way PvPvE game...a struggle between the three factions and the horrors that have taken over the world. If the factions ignore the NPC element for each other, the NPCs can take over valuable resources, locations, whatever. Missions are all tied into the story, either uncovering the game's secrets or attacking the other factions. None of the typical grind-focused "[Verb] [Number] [Noun]" quests. Players could work their way up in the organization and hand out missions and even gear, etc. The game should also be skill based, not level based.
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Myria said on 10:20AM 9-07-2009
Why would anyone have any expectations whatsoever about a game we know nearly nothing whatsoever about from a company whose recent history in no way inspires confidence or, frankly, any reason to take much interest in what they're doing?
What expectations should we have, anyway?
That it'll be something totally new?
Yeah, haven't heard that one before.
That it'll be like the trailers?
Only if by that you mean it won't be very interesting or make much sense.
That -- Oh my god! -- it's not fantasy and that means it'll be great?
Yeah, right, whatever.
That the first zone or three will be will be polished and the rest a steaming turd?
This is pretty much the only thing you can be sure of right now.
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Syntax said on 11:30AM 9-08-2009
I'm in agreement with Myria.
Why should we have any expectations whatsoever of something that practically doesn't exist?
Nothing that's been shown so far looks like a game. The cinematics are nice but that's all. Do they hint at gameplay? Am I going to be meander about my daily digital life and suddenly be attacked by some random mob I didn't know was there? What are the missions or quests going to look like: Go get some milk from the corner store, but be careful! Something could happen! /spooky noises.
At this point, there's nothing but hype and I have no expectations that makes for a good game.
Havok said on 10:21AM 9-07-2009
Something new and different. I don't know why everybody downs on Funcom. Its really not that bad. I guess nerd-rage needs an outlet though.
Speaking of nerd-rage, its 'Cthulhu' not Cthulu. Just fyi.
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cityofwhitestone said on 10:33AM 9-07-2009
Definitely one to watch as more of the game gets revealed, but there's no specific details so discussion about game specifics is pretty moot.
I like the dark tone.
I like the talk of a skill based system.
I've never played a Funcom game, but I am a little hesitant given their track record.
Most importantly, I want to see the trailers fleshed out into a full length movie. Damn those were really well made with outstanding animation and amazing direction/production.
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Dravi said on 10:46AM 9-07-2009
A nice group dynamic would be counter missions in a group, since the game is horror, conspiracy based it would be nice if you were in a group that some group members were actively doing things to the detriment of some of the players. Without any of it being apparent to the group.
Not in the case of a player not doing their job, but say for instance running an instance where some group members have the quest, free the prisoner. One or two members of the group could have the quest, silence the prisoner. They are given options at times that the other players are not aware of that go towards that aim. Such as, "You notice a small plaque on the side of the wall, you deduce that the plaque will unlock the room adjacent to the prisoner. Do you use the plaque?" The character can pick the choice "no" nothing happens in game to give away what has happened to other players, but now they cannot get to a room that helps them release the prisoner.
Things like that, but perhaps better written, would be nice, it would mean people would always have the idea that other people are playing for their own agenda and cannot be trusted. add that dark conspiracy feeling.
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niakori said on 10:53AM 9-07-2009
I see a lot of people still showing their AoC burns, but my experience with Funcom is limited to it's Tornquist adventure games and AO after the launch fixes, so I guess I'm optimistic of the tSW's outcome.
Of course, I've been following this game for awhile and participated in all ARGs thus far. This seems like the niche game I've been waiting for, and if not... there's always WoD :)
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Chain Trap said on 10:54AM 9-07-2009
Well, in complete opposition to the majority, I have hope that this might provide an interesting twist on the regular MMO fare. Sure, it's likely to have lots of FedEx and 10rat quest types; grind is a pre-req for most avatar driven MMOs these days - but I'd expect to see heavy use of instancing and story to try and keep it a little fresh. I'm hoping for a game that parallels and is inspired by White Wolf's RPG Hunter:The Reckoning.
As to Funcom, well, their track record on launches is not the best, but AO turned into one of the most interesting and interactive of MMOs after it got over its initial clusterfek launch. One thing that FC have always been strong on is developing background and story, so I'd hope to see this carry over into TSW.
Of course, giving it the benefit of the doubt now does offer the unparallelled opportunity for disappointment later - but i'm just a glass-half-full kinda person.
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Kevin said on 10:59AM 9-07-2009
I am very interested in this game. I hope it will be kinda like a survival horror only on a larger scale, but Funcom have a lot of hate to overcome. Why have they not released any game play footage...
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HackJack said on 11:06AM 9-07-2009
I'm actually glad so many people already bash the game! TSW doesn't need whiny teens anyway...
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M said on 11:14AM 9-07-2009
Virtually nothing is really known about this yet, hopefully some real info will be published soon.
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