PAX 2010: FireFall Preview

Firefall is a new shooter based MMO being developed by Red 5 Studios for the PC. "Whats that? A PC Game? And an MMO to boot!? What type of insolent madness is this!?" Yes, its true. We don't normally cover a lot of PC games here at 4Player, but lets buck a trend together. It'll be a bonding experience, just you, me and this bottle of fine Brandy.

Firefall is a team based sci-fi shooter coming to us from the team lead of World of Warcraft, Mark Kern, and the lead designer of Tribes, Scott Youngblood, which takes place on a devastated Earth some 200 years into the future. Most of the action centers around a new type of clean energy called Crystite. Since this is basically the only resource left on earth, it is up to the player and his alliance to collect this prized possession which acts as the both the currency in the game, and the raw material from which all items are crafted. Of course nothing can ever be this easy, and the discovery of Crystite has also unleashed a violent natural force called The Meddling, a hostile energy storm which has engulfed most of the home planet. As if that wasn't enough, a group of aliens called The Chosen have arrived. Of course they want nothing more than to destroy humans because, well, that's what aliens do right?

The humans, however, are not without their defenses. Sure, they have holed themselves up in cities which can be constantly under attack, but we humans are resourceful creatures. Especially when it comes to ways in which to make things explode! The human players in the game are outfitted with Battleframes which act as class apertures, and allow the player to change classes as the situation demands it. Need something a little more secretive? Then simply switch out your assault Battleframe for a spy one and go right back into battle. This on-the-fly class changing works extremely well in frenzied battle situations when the ebb and flow can change rather quickly, and also adds an even greater dynamic component to the battlefield.

The outside dangers The Chosen provide are only one thing the player will have to worry about. The designers are also adding it player vs. player play in the form of different factions. This can be a really interesting component as players, who are usually against each other, may have to join forces to save a city that benefits them both. It can also lead some some exceptionally Machiavellian social engineering as players pit factions against each other to further their own gain. The designers are working to bring this all to a completely dynamic world where cities change hands and dynamic missions are abundant.

The game-demo I saw showed some pretty exciting team based action.  Two players were able to locate a nodule of Crystite in the game world and send out a signal to their entire army to let them know of the location and call in more backup.  The backup was required since not very long after that The Chosen attacked the position. It was then up to the players to transfer the resource while fighting off the alien attack.  During the fight, the devs were able to switch between both first and third person perspectives to get an optimal view of the battlefield.  It was a great touch and I wish more action games allowed for this seamless transfer of perspective.

Being an MMO your final question is probably about price. Firefall is a free-to-play MMO which will be using a micro-transaction model which allows players to buy optional enhancements. The designers were quick to stress, however, that there would be no way to “buy your way to the top” and they are working hard to ensure that there are no game winning abilities which can be purchased and allowing those with just the biggest wallet to be at the top of the ladder.

Firefall seemed to be a combination of Tribes and Planetside with a dash of Aliens thrown into the mix. But the cooperative play adds a layer of depth that might have been somewhat missing from those previous titles. The game is still heavy in development and currently accepting beta invites here.