Face of Mankind screens #4

Face of Mankind is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) within a persistent world. Thousands of players throughout the world can compete in this realistic and futuristic world of the 24th century. It combines an epic story-driven mission system over years with a complex economic system which can also affect the story deeply. Although roleplaying takes a large part, Face of Mankind is not like usual RPG´s. You have control over a very intuitive interface like known from famous realtime shooters, where you are able to explore the game world easily without learning through pages of a manual. The cutting edge graphics engine will present you a world of 5 huge cities on earth and several distant colonies in outer space. As a player you are part of an epic evolving storyline. Choose to join one out of 10 organizations to find your future. Be a soldier for the F.D.C. or a law enforcer of the L.E.D. and fight for right and order or to climb on higher ranks! Decide to be a part of a clan and find your way beyond the law! Or join one of the companies as a trader, miner or producer to control the complex economic system behind this astonishing world! Basic Draft and genre: The game environment is a futuristic world, partly on Earth and on distant colonies in outer space. The player will play with a few thousand players together at the same moment, also known as Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). The aim of the game is individual for every kind of player, however, will be mainly the construction of an epic figure in the majority. Story conception: The game will be equipped with a continuing plot. Every player can determine the behaviour and surviving of his character himself. There will be a few important story-carrying characters within the game, which are also taken over by human players. This is a key part of the game and thus makes it so unique. However, every player can go his own way. By constant events in the game world he must often adapt his behavior. Whether he hides things and is lying and cheating through his life is left to him as well as being a hero. The plot will take place in original scenes on Earth (as there are New York, Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo) as well as on colonies beyond the solar system. In the colonies there is a constant battle with a hostile species and a constant fight for raw materials. The story will be based so that many small story threads melt in a big, epic story frame. Game elements: There will be the following 3 important game elements: - role playing - action - economic strategy Role playing: The construction of his or her character will be a central task for the player. He or she must find their way in the game world, communicate with other players and can take over tasks, not only to earn money but also to contribute his part to the story. These missions can be of completely different nature; from soldier to salesman up to the mercenary or agent everyone will take part. The player will find his or her missions in his Recon Interface, which can be found in their ComLog. It is free to you to join the organization you want. To find out more about this part, go on reading the chapter First steps into the world of Face of Mankind! Action: Battles will happen on the colonies or, however, within conflicts between clans, as a policeman on earth or also as a bodyguard. If a player is killed, he begins either the game from the start and has nothing then or can reproduce himself. In both cases it will last at least 3 days. A day in the game will not be so long like a real day, the exact time is not fixed yet. The reproduction of a player can happen only if a gene image was taken from him before. This costs money and can be executed regularly. Then the player awakes at his start place, this will be his own flat. Because this is a very important game element, refinements are carried out here constantly. Anyway, senseless slaughtering is prevented. Go on reading here if you´d like to find out more about Face of Mankind´s mission system! Economic Strategy: The player can trade with everything having a value, because a money exchange is possible all the time. From the serious shop (accessible via market terminals in every city or colony) as far as the smuggling with weapons or intoxication preparations, which increase force or protection briefly, everything will be possible. The illegal component makes the game more complex and more exciting. Moreover, there is a complex economic system. Players who joined one of the 4 companies will have control over it. On the colonies raw materials are diminished. Dismantling places are available for it. Raw materials can then be produced into material groups (e.g., metals, synthetic materials or chemicals). The production of goods can only take place on earth in manufacturing plants. The production of every product will need different raw materials or material groups. So, for example, the production of a small MediKit needs cellulose, synthetic materials and chemicals in different amounts. Raw materials can also be acquired directly on the colonies. In a raw material exchange all offers are available. The transportation requires more time and depends on the distance of the colony from earth. But the dismantling of very rare raw materials will only be possible on far away colonies. To learn more aboute the complex economic system, read the chapter The Economic System! Operation and Interface: The player moves intuitively in the 1st person perspective, like the movement in a 3D Shooter. Movement elements can be jumping, crawling, sitting or running. The surroundings are freely passable in every case and can always be viewed around with your mouse. In addition there will be special postures which represent the state of mind. The player can change the clothes if he carries them in his bag. The carrying of objects is limited and depends on the size of the bag. Movement speed is thereby limited, too. The worlds transporter systems (also known as Vortex Gates) will exist in different regions and make a nearly timeless travelling possible. This always happens separately. The player enters the gate and can then choose his destination. According to distance this will cost him credits of different amounts. For example, a short journey within the same city costs nothing and a trip to one of the colonies quite a lot. Therefore tactics will also play a big role. Around the screen border the players´s Inventory and ComLog are eligible for selection. In the inventory there are the objects you own. An exchange with other players is possible. The ComLog is a multitalent. You will be able to do all communication (chat, notification across distances, cursing and exclamations) and information exchange with it. It is a data memory just like a bank terminal. Money exchange is possible with the ComLog. If there are pieces of news this is indicated accoustically and optically in the upper right corner of the screen. The communication can take place in 3 variants: 1. Chat with all players in a certain vicinity 2. Exchange of news using the ComLog 3. Exclamations like cursing, cries of joy, sighing etc. In the game menu one can change game attitudes and log off from the game. Game attitudes are in example allocation of the keys, mouse sensitivity etc. Release of Face of Mankind is planned for January 2004.