Time:  18:08:02 CET  09:08:02 PST  12:08:02 EST  02:08:02 Seoul  01:08:02 Beijing
NEWS
NFS fans get their own MMO
Electronic Arts have released an in-game screenshot and a little more information about their upcoming free to download MMO game, Need For Speed: World Online.
By Raivo 'stormm' Streistermanis
Mar 2, 2009 11:25
Electronic Arts have released an in-game screenshot and a little more information about their upcoming free to download MMO game, Need For Speed: World Online.Yesterday, the official NFS Blog (via kotaku) posted a new in-game screenshot with a Porsche Carrera GT driving in an Autodrive mode through familiar places.
The PC only game which is set to be released later this year for the Asian market and a little later for the rest of the world, will be free of charge to download and will feature more vehicles and details than any other Need For Speed game thus far.
“Key to the concept of NFS World Online is the user interface which has been built from the ground up to take advantage of the PC architecture. Instead of a traditional console view of a game, we’re using a user-selectable gadget interface designed specifically for the PC. The system allows the gamer to choose which components of the interface they want to add to their game. The gadgets are really flexible and offer a wide range of display options: docked/undocked, floating in the game window or just sitting outside of the game space. A lot of gamers now have more than one monitor so you could keep the game window entirely clean and then have all the gadgets sit in the other monitor. We think it’s about time PC gamers had games that allowed them to arrange their information their way," Their comments on user customizable UI.
More info can be found in the FAQ.
The PC only game which is set to be released later this year for the Asian market and a little later for the rest of the world, will be free of charge to download and will feature more vehicles and details than any other Need For Speed game thus far.
“Key to the concept of NFS World Online is the user interface which has been built from the ground up to take advantage of the PC architecture. Instead of a traditional console view of a game, we’re using a user-selectable gadget interface designed specifically for the PC. The system allows the gamer to choose which components of the interface they want to add to their game. The gadgets are really flexible and offer a wide range of display options: docked/undocked, floating in the game window or just sitting outside of the game space. A lot of gamers now have more than one monitor so you could keep the game window entirely clean and then have all the gadgets sit in the other monitor. We think it’s about time PC gamers had games that allowed them to arrange their information their way," Their comments on user customizable UI.
More info can be found in the FAQ.
"With the game launching in Asia first does this mean we’ll just be getting a port in North America and Europe?
What you’ll see debuting in Taiwan over the next few months is a version of the game designed specifically for Asian audiences. Our North American and European versions will be tuned to the gaming styles and expectations of those players. We’re still very early in the design stages at the moment so we’ll reveal more details as the project progresses.
Didn’t you guys already try this with Motor City Online?
We tried an online game with American muscle cars on a subscription basis. Some of the experience and the things we learned about the community features will translate, but NFS World has some marked differences. The new game plays in an open-world environment with a huge number of cars and events. Modes such as Co-op, Team Events and presence of cops all provide a very different experience than Motor City Online delivered.
The screenshot you released for Need for Speed World looked very similar to an area in Carbon – is this just a “recycled” version of the older game?
We were impressed how quickly people noticed this when we released the screen; they clearly know our games well. It’s true that we’re using the city of Carbon (we’re actually merging it with the Most Wanted world too) but these games are two of the most popular and best loved games we’ve shipped, so we’re excited to bring our players back to those cities. We chose Most Wanted as a baseline for this game and have been working to significantly improve the look of both worlds. You’ll see Carbon in daylight and experience an entirely new atmosphere in Most Wanted. While the streets will be familiar, the uniquely customizable interface, game and player progression will be entirely new to Need for Speed.
Is the game really free or will it be a stripped down version of the overall experience? Will I be "nickel and dimed" when I want to upgrade my car to something better than an entry model?
The gameplay experience will be available for free. As I mentioned earlier we’re still hard at work on the designs but it’s safe to say that we’re working hard to ensure we create an interesting, engaging experience if you pay $0 or $5.
Are there cops?
Definitely! You can’t have an open world game without the police. We will be bringing back our pursuit gameplay from Most Wanted, Carbon and Undercover - we’ve spent some time innovating on co-op and team-based cop play as well.
Will this run on my PC? What are the min specs?
We plan to keep the min spec quite reasonable, our engineers are working hard to make sure the game runs well and looks great on the lower end machines... think close to the min specs for Carbon.
Can I play against users across the world, or just in my local region?
This is one of those topics we’ve not decided on yet. One of the key stages of launching any game like this is the Open and Closed Beta stages. This is where we test a lot of our design to make sure the game is a fun experience."
What you’ll see debuting in Taiwan over the next few months is a version of the game designed specifically for Asian audiences. Our North American and European versions will be tuned to the gaming styles and expectations of those players. We’re still very early in the design stages at the moment so we’ll reveal more details as the project progresses.
Didn’t you guys already try this with Motor City Online?
We tried an online game with American muscle cars on a subscription basis. Some of the experience and the things we learned about the community features will translate, but NFS World has some marked differences. The new game plays in an open-world environment with a huge number of cars and events. Modes such as Co-op, Team Events and presence of cops all provide a very different experience than Motor City Online delivered.
The screenshot you released for Need for Speed World looked very similar to an area in Carbon – is this just a “recycled” version of the older game?
We were impressed how quickly people noticed this when we released the screen; they clearly know our games well. It’s true that we’re using the city of Carbon (we’re actually merging it with the Most Wanted world too) but these games are two of the most popular and best loved games we’ve shipped, so we’re excited to bring our players back to those cities. We chose Most Wanted as a baseline for this game and have been working to significantly improve the look of both worlds. You’ll see Carbon in daylight and experience an entirely new atmosphere in Most Wanted. While the streets will be familiar, the uniquely customizable interface, game and player progression will be entirely new to Need for Speed.
Is the game really free or will it be a stripped down version of the overall experience? Will I be "nickel and dimed" when I want to upgrade my car to something better than an entry model?
The gameplay experience will be available for free. As I mentioned earlier we’re still hard at work on the designs but it’s safe to say that we’re working hard to ensure we create an interesting, engaging experience if you pay $0 or $5.
Are there cops?
Definitely! You can’t have an open world game without the police. We will be bringing back our pursuit gameplay from Most Wanted, Carbon and Undercover - we’ve spent some time innovating on co-op and team-based cop play as well.
Will this run on my PC? What are the min specs?
We plan to keep the min spec quite reasonable, our engineers are working hard to make sure the game runs well and looks great on the lower end machines... think close to the min specs for Carbon.
Can I play against users across the world, or just in my local region?
This is one of those topics we’ve not decided on yet. One of the key stages of launching any game like this is the Open and Closed Beta stages. This is where we test a lot of our design to make sure the game is a fun experience."
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The most important fact of the games !!!!
sounds great!
Cant wait to play this free version!
what a nice idea :)
Or some features will be =)