Huxley (video game)
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| Huxley: The Dystopia | |
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| Developer(s) | Webzen Games Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Webzen Games Inc., NHN through ijji |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | TBA |
| Genre(s) | Multiplayer FPS |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer, PvP, PvE. |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Rating Pending (RP) |
| System requirements |
Minimum (PC):[1]
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| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
Huxley (Korean: 헉슬리) is a multiplayer first-person shooter computer game with persistent player characters published by Webzen Games Inc.. It is being developed for both Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. Huxley initially was going to be cross platform, but according to statements made at the 2009 E3 Expo press conference that feature is currently excluded from development. [2] The contract to operate the game in China was sold to The9 for $35 million USD on February 12, 2007, considered the largest export transaction to date for a Korean-developed game.[3]
A trailer for the game was released in 2007 as a special DVD used to demonstrate LG LCD TVs.
In June 2009 NHN USA released the first English Closed Beta Test via its free games portal ijji.com. The initial test had a small number of users and was carried out over a space of two weeks. Keys for the test were made available through ijji(Globally) and FilePlanet(USA and Canada).
The second Closed Beta Test was initiated in late-July 2009 and lasted until the 12th of August. The second test allowed many more players to test the game. During the last two days of the test a high-volume stress test was carried out on to the servers where everyone with an ijji account was permitted to play the game during test hours.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In the near future, Nuclearites bombarded the world. Destructive earthquakes, massive tsunami and dramatic climate changes wreak havoc around the globe, isolating continents and driving the human race into chaos. Those who survive the destruction dream of tranquillity, but an eruption among the human race and the appearance of horrible mutants drives the world into further disorder. Racism and oppression cause rebellious uprisings and war that divide the landscape between two powers: Sapiens and Alternative. At the heart of the war emerges a powerful energy source called the Lunarites. The Lunarites were created by Huxley, a scientist and possible saviour.
Both factions seek glory and victory, fighting mercilessly for the Lunarites and their very existence.
The story was thought to be based on the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, hence the name, however Webzen has stated there are no tie-ins to the book's story saying it was just an inspiration.[4]
[edit] Races
[edit] Sapiens
Overcoming these hardships has crafted the Sapiens into an individualistic and hardy species. They are proud of their skill, and are also highly intelligent and resourceful. Their skill with weapons and equipment, including explosives and other ordnance, is nearly unmatched as a result of their existence in such a harsh environment. A common characteristic of Sapiens seem to be their almost fanatical devotion to the destruction of the Alternative race. In a recent demonstration of the game's instanced battles, a Sapien is overheard proclaiming "You can say what you want about us Sapiens, but I sure don't care much for the Alternative!"
Their excessive pride and belief in themselves as the superior class of Earth had caused the war. They had ignored and insulted virtually all other species as they grew and built their society. The suppression policy of Prime over other species alienated Andro; but after the war with the Alternative, they united once more to rule as the dominant species.
They keep their bloodlines pure, still proud of their heritage and confident of their superiority, especially after surviving the inhospitable environment and devastating disasters that racked the planet, and they are proud to be called allies and brothers after surviving such events.
[edit] Alternative
The Alternatives are, or were, humans who had contact with the Lunarites and underwent major mutations to their current state. They are generally taller than humans and more muscular, or at least larger in general body size, than humans. They have a completely different bone structure and internal organs as well. Much racism has arisen from their new mutations from the Humans (Sapiens) who treated them no better than slaves for the most part.
The Alternatives in the first Huxley trailer were equipped with unique weaponry. Vehicles included their large APCs, which had limited machine gun capability, against the Hybrids, and a mortar ability. A dropship was featured transferring six "jet bikes" into battle. The jet bikes were viewed as extremely fast, but not heavily armed, seen using only a machine gun but took down a large Hybrid easily.
Their armour was also unique, or at least much different from the Sapiens. The armour was large and bulky. Two small stubs protruded from the back, near the shoulder blades, and they glowed blue in various spots of the armour. The helmet is unusual, the entire front is made into sliding plates that pull back and become a form of neck brace when the helmet is deactivated. It is unclear how the other soldiers, aside from the one who opened his helmet, see out of them. Around the back of the rest are small capes (or skirts) that extend down to the ankles.
[edit] Gameplay
Little is known about Huxley's gameplay at the moment. Action is directed to be fast-paced, on par with games such as Unreal Tournament 2004,[citation needed] applied to a Massively Multiplayer Online Game setting. In a recent interview, Huxley's main producer Kijong Kang said that the cities in Huxley will be able to accommodate up to 5,000 (according to recent publications that number was increased to 10,000 since summer 2006) people, and the individual battles will support over a hundred players. The battles can be as small as 1 vs. 1 or as big as 60 vs. 60 players (120) and 100 vs. 100 in the PC version of the game. Games are hosted on a single player's computer rather than a dedicated server, making games this large highly improbable. Player vs. AI will allow up to 64 players of a given faction to play together.
Player vs. player battles will be available, as will be player vs. AI quests that the player can choose to take on. The 360 version of Huxley is said to include a single player campaign.[who?]
[edit] Leveling and experience
Although Webzen has not been specific, it can be inferred from the released information that Huxley's advancement system is actually separated into two parts. In the early part of the character advancement player system, players can shape their character in the style they like best. After that, players can then add depth to their characters. ‘Experiences’ and ‘Battle points’ are two elements of character advancement. ‘Experiences’ will affect the earlier part of character development and ‘Battle Points’ will affect the later part of a character’s development in a big way.
In the earlier part, by acquiring licenses, characters can have opportunities to use upgraded weapons and armor. In the later part of the game, players will concentrate on developing their characters to be more effective under any circumstance. One developer has stated, "We are planning to make the earlier part of character development relatively fast and the later part of development a bit slower but more abundant. This is because we decided that too much difference between characters abilities that affect combat result is not good for an FPS game."
Webzen has considered the fact that in most MMOGs the players at earlier levels have no chance of defeating those at the higher levels, and therefore they have adjusted the game to make skill more significant than long periods of playing the game and leveling up. Leveling up will give players advantages, such as more slots for upgrades and perhaps faster aiming, but a lower level player can still measure up to a higher one.
[edit] Vehicles
Huxley includes vehicles for both player-vs-player and player-vs-environment gameplay, as well as general transportation. Gameplay footage has shown several visually interesting SciFi vehicles, including an APC, an aircraft resembling UT2004's Raptor, a large energy based tank, and a small assault buggy. Vehicles are used in both combat and transportation.
Developer interviews have also stated that players can obtain motorcycles for personal transportation, and that they will mainly serve as status symbols for wealthy players and as a quicker mean of transportation through town.
[edit] Weapons
Huxley has nine different types of weapons. Each class specializes in three weapons, and also has the option of using four weapons of the other classes, although with less proficiency. The weapon types are as follows.
Enforcer
Shotgun: Fires a blast of pellets like a standard shotgun. It is arguably the most damaging weapon in the game.
Flinger: Similar to a grenade launcher, this gun fires a projectile that detonates after a certain distance.
Discharger (Flame): Similar to a flamethrower, this gun emits a stream of flames out of the end.
Discharger (Cryo): A modified discharger, it emits ice instead of fire, slowing the enemy down in their place. The tradeoff is that Cryo Dischargers generally do less damage than Flame dischargers.
Avenger
Machine Gun: A fully automatic weapon that partially bypasses opponents shields, making it an effective weapon against Enforcers.
Rocket Launcher: A standard rocket launcher. Fires projectiles that explode upon contact with a wall or a player, and cause splash damage.
Optical Rifle (Hitscan): An assault rifle that fires energy shots. When these shots hit an enemy, their position on the radar is sent to all players on your team, making it a great utility weapon. It also has a small splash damage effect.
Optical Rifle(Projectile): Same as the hitscan optical rifle, only it fires energy balls that fly through the air and have an increased splash damage range.
Phantom
Sniper Rifle: A standard sniper rifle with a scope. Getting a head shot is nearly always a guaranteed kill.
Regulator (Hitscan): A precision energy rifle that deals less damage than the Sniper Rifle, but fires significantly faster. You can also use it to regenerate your teammates' shields.
Regulator (Projectile): Same as the hitscan regulator, only it fires projectiles and also deals splash damage.
Inquisitor: A remote control rocket that can be controlled by the player. It is most useful for destroying enemy vehicles.
There are also several different modifications of each type of weapon. These usually have minor tradeoffs like doing more damage with a lower fire rate, or being more accurate with less damage.
[edit] Abilities
Abilities, or skills, can be used in battle to give a player to a tactical advantage. As a player levels up, they are rewarded with new and more powerful skills. The type of skills available to the player differs based on their class. Skills are used by being "equipped" to armour. The number of skills that can be equipped depends on the players level and the rank of the armour. This system is very similar in concept to Call of Duty 4's perk system.
There are two types of skills, active and passive. Passive skills are skills that act as buffs, or skills that activate automatically when a certain condition is met, examples of this include health regeneration, and the ability to drop a flash grenade when low on health. Active skills are activated manually by hitting the assigned key.
Here are some samples of abilities, provided by Huxley Evolved[1]
Enforcer
Sprint : Provides a quick boost of speed.
Head Shot Defence : For a period of time, you have increased defence against head shots.
Invulnerability : Protected from all physical damage for a period of time.
Avenger
Entice Rocket : Allows you to attract all rockets to a certain location.
Increased Precision : Your weapon has dramatically increased accuracy for amount of time.
Matched HP : You match the HP (Health Points) of your nearby enemy.
Phantom
Hologram : Creates a dummy image of your player to trick enemies.
Cloak : Become invisible to others (valuable to a sniper).
Powerful Sniper Shot : Increased damage with sniper rifles.
There are also miscellaneous abilities. It is currently unknown whether these skills will be available to all classes, or just certain ones.
[edit] Hosting
In June 2008, NHN USA announced that it had secured the rights to distribute Huxley via its ijji portal.[5][6]
[edit] References
- ^ "Minimum system requirements". June 13, 2009. http://www.huxleygame.com/huxley_system_requirements.php. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ Huxley Interview (Shacknews)
- ^ Webzen Inc. Webzen sells China rights for Huxley to The9 February 12, 2007.
- ^ Producer Kijong Kang talks about the online first-person shooter with amazing visuals and an unusual name (Yahoo Games)
- ^ News: Huxley gets publisher, dated for 2008 - ComputerAndVideoGames.com
- ^ Webzen and NHN USA executes Huxley licensing agreement for North America and Europe
