Earthrise Interview

Masthead Studios’ George Petrov and Nikolay Stoyanov were on hand at GDC, so Ten Ton Hammer took the opportunity to learn more about their post-apocalyptic MMORPG Earthrise.

When it comes to combat the team is looking to build very dynamic battles for players. The view of the game is set in third person and works to give players a good view of the field of combat. They really want to enhance skill-based battles. Players should be on an equal field as far as all things go; it is the skill of a player that will make the biggest difference. One thing that will not happen is killing players within the safe haven cities. Players who break these rules will become criminals and not be able to enter these safe zones. This system works similar to the old system used in Ultima Online. Player killers were not allowed near the towns and were hunted as criminals when they got close. Earthrise looks to keep this same style of play to keep players safe within the cities.

Earthrise is definitely a game to keep on the radar. With fast combat and a skill based system, it will have a lot of options for players. The game is nearing its alpha phase of development and the team is shooting for a 2009 release in the U.S. and Europe. Though it is early yet, games that use a sandbox model are always exciting to see.