3D iPhone MMO (+ Mac/PC) in Development

[daveyoung]

This has been an exciting summer! A new baby for me, born on 9/11/09, and the release of my third solo game (Arcana: Spell Duel) on 9/12/09. I'm quite proud of both

It also marks the time when I decide to get a team together to work on a game that we've been wanting to make for a long time. The timing is perfect. I'm between updates for Arcana and CastleGuard2. Working alone is great sometimes, but you really miss having some help when companies like Gameloft are cranking out really nice and well-polished titles. My art skills are somewhere between non-existent and horrendous after all, and I've had a rough time getting by on my own. It's time to raise that bar, a thousandfold.

It is therefore my pleasure to announce:

New 3D iPhone MMO in Development
A new MMO with the working title 'Gryphon' is currently in development. This MMO is being built from the ground up as a cross-platform MMO. This is not the "text and pictures" style game that is prevalent in the App Store now, but a full 3D real time online game: with everything you would expect from (yesterday's) and today's Massively Multiplayer Online games, and more.

• massive areas to explore
• quests
• immersive and strategic combat
• brilliant spells and spell effects
• skill-based character system
• full array of stats and leveling to create a unique character
• online chat and emotes
• diverse crafting: perfect for casual play or long term play investment
• property ownership
• thousands of inventory items
• build your own section of the world and influence the main story
• unique gameplay elements not found anywhere else
• staged releases, with new features being added with each new release

A key differentiator for Gryphon is that it is being developed from scratch with an iPhone client and casual gameplay in mind. So, while you can play at home on your Mac or PC, you can also play using your iPhone using 3G or WiFi, your iPod Touch using WiFi, or even your favorite web browser! There will be additional platforms developed in the future. This cross-platform design will let you take the game as seriously as you want to, wherever you want to!

The development team is using a rapid prototype and development release cycle which will facilitate an organic growth model in response to user demands and overall story arc vision. This means frequent releases and content updates focusing on key gameplay features in a manageable way, giving the players something new to look forward to each release.

Who is the team behind Gryphon?
They are a motley band of foolhardy gamers and Indie developers who have created a secret club and handshake to do something which moves quickly and sweepingly into your daily life. Small, but powerful. Like Yoda. If forced to answer the question "What is the game going to be like", they might say something like this: "Our unofficial Gameplay Influences are games like Asheron's Call and World of Warcraft, and the art team is heavily influenced by brands such as Lego, Dr Seuss, and the Muppets.. which are trademarked and copyrighted of their respective owners, of course."

What is the Story of Gryphon?
Rumor has it that the design team has accidentally discovered an interdimensional window to a parallel universe and is focused on recording and making drawings of the things they see going on there, which serve as inspiration for the game. There's no telling when the window will close, so this is a very busy time indeed!

One thing is clear. This story has never been told, and it's going to take quite some time and many episodes to do it. You..the player.. will have a part to play in it

As in the thread for my previous game Arcana: Spell Duel, I will keep this thread fresh with updates and screenshots and info as we progress.

Right now we are about at the point where we're deciding what will go into the initial release and plotting out the map to get to initial release in early November. The World/Story Team and the Art Team are about formed up, and the Development Team is close behind.

[emp]

Sounss amazing. Any guess to the date of release or BETA release?

[dragmor]

wow that sounds crazy

[CaseyLay]

HAHAHAHAHA You're baby was born on 9/11!
I would be laughing my ass off if you had twins.

[weedeatinflyincougar]

will it have single player?
any screenshots/videos at this point? if not, how soon will you be able to post some?

[JoshCM]

this sounds pretty interesting! it sounds like you haven't started it yet and plan to release in November? Or did I read that wrong?
Anyway - looking forward to it!

[Aldex Oun]

Well if you guys are looking for Beta testers, count me in .

[JoshCM]

Will it really look like a combination of Lego, Dr. Seuss and the Muppets?
I'd like to see a photoshop mashup of that!

[SoCal_Sponger]

sounds good dave, I'd be very interested in an MMO from you (and now your team)!

[daveyoung]

Yes, it has begun, if unofficially. If you are familiar with any of my previous games, you could maybe put together that I've been developing RPG elements all year... combat, weapons, quests, NPCs, spells, special effects, networking code, etc.

So I actually have quite a bit prototyped already. The initial release will contain a core amount of gameplay (focused around online PvP probably), and we're using a short development cycle for each subsequent release. My previous experience with Indie dev teams is that sometimes life gets in the way, so it's best to keep it going in short bursts.

Our first development cycle starts October 1st, and will be focused on the set of features that can be finished for a November release. In the meantime, we're designing and planning while the world team is peeping into the alternate universe. I've got a clean codebase up and running, and realtime multiplayer engine is up and running.

I *will* put up a screenie/vid soon.. it will be a hoot to watch a game being built from square one to a finished product, like I did right here for Arcana. Fun for us anyway