MechScape and the 4X Genre
Written by Xela & Ren

Hello MechScape Worlders. This week you can enjoy a joint editorial written by Xela and Ren on the fundamentals of MechScape's gameplay. Mod MMG said "We looked at seminal games like Master of Orion and Ascendancy, and look at worked in those games, and make MMO mechanics inspired by those mechanics" (source). The term eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation and eXtermination (4X) was coined as part of Master of Orion's advertising campaign and the 4X genre includes that game, Ascendancy and many others including Sid Meier's Civilization.

Background - The Signs that MS was different

The first sign that MechScape would be different from other MMORPGs was probably 19th of February 2008 when it was indicated that Jagex would be addressing the issue of the inherent grind mechanics of the MMORPG genre in their upcoming game (MechScape) at the "core design level" (source). This was followed up almost a year later on the 13th of February 2009 when Head of MechScape Henrique Olifiers told MechScape World that "It's a completely different game, from every possible perspective, not only from RuneScape but from other MMOGs out there. It's not a secret that sci-fi MMOGs are not the most successful if compared with fantasy settings, despite the genre being extremely popular for single-player games, TV, films and comics. There's surely a reason for this, and we believe we know what it is... But that's for another time!" (source).

In the interview between Head of PR Adam Tuckwell and MechScape World's own Laura (PoultryChamp) it was revealed that "Levelling in MMO's can be tedious and some games make levelling difficult in an attempt to cover for a lack of content. We are approaching game design in a totally new way, player progression will be unlike any other MMO currently on the market and we are sure that you and the other MechScape world followers will love it." (source)

They expanded on this at GDC explaining that "When the project was first conceived, the team started out by analyzing the current sci-fi MMOs and discovering why they weren't truly successful in the market. They discovered that these games were nothing more than fantasy mechanics dressed in a sci-fi wrapper. Having a set of skills that you level up through grinding is basically a fantasy mechanic. So from here they identified what game mechanics make a good sci-fi game, and they've developed most of these as completely unique features that have never been seen in any MMO before. Of course any real details on that are yet to be announced" (source).


So, tell me more about this 4X thing

MechScape could easily be defined by what it isn't: Not RuneScape in space, no grinding, no XP and levels, not as hardcore as Eve online, no incentive to RWT, etc. However, it is just as fascinating to define it by what it is: the first MMORPG based on the game mechanics of the classic sci-fi 4X strategy games. In 4X games the player typically starts with nothing more than a small village or single planetary colony but through application of the four principles this seed grows into a vast empire. A player begins by eXploring the territory surrounding their start point, before eXpanding into the uncovered areas and either eXploiting the natural resources therein (Lava Harvesters anyone?) or eXterminating the occupying forces.

You may wonder how this distinguishes 4X games from normal RTS games like Age of Empires or Red Alert, and admittedly the line is somewhat blurred as they are all part of the strategy genre. The key difference is the level of depth in the economy, research and diplomacy in comparison to importance of combat and warfare. As an example, this image shows an example tech tree for a 4X game called Civilization, one of the most popular 4X games that is widely credited with popularising the genre. No standard RTS game has the historical scope to go from the start of civilisation to the space age, let alone including "the wheel" as a researchable subject! Of course, some 4X games (and MechScape) are set in the future and so don't include such fundamental discoveries, but it's an example of just how deep and complex the technological system usually is in a 4X game.

The other defining feature of a 4X game is that it isn't totally focussed on combat and warfare. In RTS games, there are technologies and buildings but they lead to faster tanks or a new barracks building and the economic aspects of the game are present solely to sustain the expansion of armies and defences. Victory conditions are simplistic in RTSes - destroy all opponents or build an impenetrable wall of defences and then construct a wonder, a building that ends the game while giving you a lot of points.

So how could a 4X game translate to the MMORPG arena? Traditionally game developers have made 4X based MMOs like RTSes, MechScape is likely to be an MMORPG as it has been referred to as such in numerous news articles, Jagex job vacancies and in the CV's of Jagex employees (source). In terms of role playing they definitely seem to be trying to create a rich and vibrant world, with MechScape Associate Producer Alex Janaway commenting that "we have created a game universe that has a history of its own and a future that is...to be discovered! You know there are different species involved and for us it means we have to be mindful of how we develop each species. As their own story arcs develop, the challenge for me and the rest of the team is being able to manage those to ensure they interweave seamlessly. So having this multidimensional approach to storytelling is definitely a new experience for me" (source). They also keen on customisation, commenting that "we will offer gamers a very wide variety of customisation for their characters which we will continue to focus on in all our future products" (source).

It seems as if one of the crucial elements in this game is the four factions. The relationship between the player and the four factions and the four factions within themselves will be where we will probably see a lot of the 4X heritage shining through in the form of diplomacy and spacial expansion, and possibly in the story - "Throughout the game, players can choose their alliances, which shape the path of their adventure" (source). It is also possible that these choices will affect the wider game universe, as MechScape is described as being for "Somebody who wants more results from their actions within the game universe. So the game universe is very fluid; it changes based on how you react with other players and NPCS. It's very different from that perspective" (source).

The game's intriguing grind-less progression method may well be tied in with the common 4X mechanic of tech trees, as after all "it's not about grinding; it's about research" (source). However, how Jagex could implement a tech tree system yet still prevent older players getting too powerful in comparison to newer players remains to be seen. It's a problem in EVE online, where skills are trained along a tech tree in real time, sometimes running up to weeks for one level of research - newbies can never recover the time loss from starting later. Considering how much they emphasize how they are going down a different route to all other MMOs out there, from mechanics to player interaction (Source), it seems plausible that they've already come up with a novel solution to this problem if they decide to use tech trees.

Final thoughts
Moving away from the traditional Ultima paradigm of levelling and grinding to a 4X-inspired game is certainly a bold move, and it is sure to alienate some while bringing in others. It could be said to be a risky move, but on the other hand creating just another sci-fi MMORPG is surely no way to success. In the words of Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard "We're conscious of what's out there, and of things that haven't worked. But, I think we feel that ours is uniquely different. Alternatively, it may not work for those very factors". However, if Jagex's mission for MechScape was to make a game that was "not RuneScape in space" (source) then it seems like they'll pass the mission with flying colours.

So, how do you think elements of the 4X genre can be transferred to an MMORPG setting, and what do you think are the biggest pitfalls and opportunities for innovation?

Thanks for reading,

-Xela and Ren

MechScape and Community News

Interview with Andrew Gower by Bruce on Games:
Jagex Founder and Lead Developer Andrew Gower briefly discussed MechScape as part of a wider interview with Bruce on Games (Read more)


Jagex's MechScape Q&A
A reminder to everyone: This Thursday, August 27th, Jagex will be holding a live Q&A session on their forums about MechScape. The previous Q&A opened at 7:36pm British time. (Read more)

Update: The scheduled MechScape Q&A has now been cancelled as being premature. (Read more)

Paul speaks of MechScape
Jagex's Paul Gower said of MechScape that it is "a game that's not out for a while yet". (Read more)


Previous Issues:
MechScape Post #24: MechScape and its future competition
MechScape Post #23: Jagex's use of Social Networking Sites
MechScape Post #22: Basics of the Four Playable Species
MechScape Post #21: The Mecherican Dream
MechScape Post #20: Desert City Art Review and New Beginnings Review
MechScape Post #19: Cultural Differences: How they might affect MechScape
MechScape Post #18: The Economy of an MMORPG
MechScape Post #17: Influences on MechScape
MechScape Post #16: MechScape Moderation
MechScape Post #15: The MechScape Environment II
MechScape Post #14: The Community of MechScape


Footnotes
Contributors: Brenden, Ren (Content Research Team); Xela (Writing & Editing Team).
Disclaimer: The views expressed by members of staff do not necessarily represent the view of MechScape World.

interesting Article. But are you basically saying that the game will be more RTS then MMO?

Or maybe more specifically is it even possible to combine an mmo with an rts?

That's not what we're saying. MMO just means Massively Multiplayer Online and can be in the form of a Real Time Strategy (MMORTS), Role Playing Game (MMORPG), etc. Jagex seem to be attempting to base an MMORPG on the principles of a 4X strategy game, which is a genre which usually inspires MMORTS games not MMORPGs, so what Jagex is doing seems unique and innovative with all the risks and rewards associated with such ventures.

Interesting. I am quite a fan of the Civilization series even though I am no good of it. I have often thought that if JaGex followed the same sort of philosophy as the WoW factions the story of the game would've been severely hindered. If they did take a page from Civilization and implemented the ability to form cross-faction alliances this would be a huge step in the history of MMO's and is certainly one thing I don't think I have ever seen done before.

Story arcs for each faction sounds interesting. What I would like to know is if JaGex intends to have these arcs all merge together in one finale arc similar to what they are doing in RuneScape with the WSG series. Which I have to admit I don't particularly like because it sort of implements that the storyline of the game will eventually come to an end. I would much rather see all the factions story arc's stay independent at least until JaGex truly doesn't want to work on MechScape anymore.

Moving on to leveling:

"In the interview between Head of PR Adam Tuckwell and MechScape World's own Laura (PoultryChamp) it was revealed that Levelling in MMO's can be tedious and some games make levelling difficult in an attempt to cover for a lack of content. We are approaching game design in a totally new way, player progression will be unlike any other MMO currently on the market and we are sure that you and the other MechScape world followers will love it.""

And let it forever stay that way! I despise leveling/grinding and would much rather develop a character via engaging quests like in RuneScape which involve you in the story, unlike those rather dull and tedious ones on WoW.

Overall I enjoyed the article. Thanks for your research. :)

What if Jagex is actually trying to confuse us to think its like RTS with the 4X thing. Maybe it's related to the 4 races, for example like this:

Humans: Expansion
Pliigi: Exploitation
Unknown race 1: Extermination
Unknown race 2: Exploration

Or something like that...

Understand what I mean?

this is making me mad i havent waited 4 years for a strategy game if it has strategy in it sure but i wana be able to custimize my character mover around fight monster and bosses i dont wana conquer no villages. they said mechscape was going to be mmorpg

awesome, I hope to see some of this diplomacy, I can just imagine myself sitting in the councilor chair next to the pliigi emperor telling him not to trust the mortiga envoy.

Very interesting indeed though I would switch it a little:

Pliigi is to grow ( I think ) so they could be expansion
Humans are in most sci-fi cases, set as an exploratory culture so they would be Exploration
Mortiga (if it is a race) which means to kill would be Extermination
Unknown race would be of course Exploitation

Just wanted to fix them a little, I have no idea if the 4x are related to the races.

Um... Wow. It sounds interesting. So what I'm understanding is that they are going to blend a Massive-Multiplayer-Online-Roll-Playing-Game with a Massive-Multiplayer-Online-Real-Time-Strategy to get an awesome game called a Massive-Multiplayer-Online-Real-Time-Strategy-Roll-Playing-Game, or a MMORTSRPG? (Wow, I tried saying it out loud and man it sounded funny!) It sounds like it will be really fun, as long as it doesn't lean too much to one side. I don't think I'd want to play a game that was all about RTS, but I think a combo of both RTS and RPG would be really neat!

It seems as though every time I read another MSP, I want to play MS even more!

I would say a MMORPG or MMOAG with the type of advancement system as an RTS... I can see how this works...

I think this article is very insightful and opens up a new door of speculation. However, I think some of the posters here need to take a step back and realize that this is just speculation. We cannot say "omg I r teh get mad cuz jagex r liars cuz dey sed dey makz mm0 but dey makz teh rts"

Because, in an attempt to find something to grasp, you guys are labeling this all sorts of ways just so you can feel secure. Do not put labels on Mechscape yet. They have said that it's unique and never before seen mechanics, meaning if it was just an RTS with a bunch of people or something where you control a village, I think we would be able to catch a hint of that.

They could have taken the 4x principle and used it as an inspiration for mechanics, which means stop assuming you will just be controlling a village instead of actually roaming around with your character and doing stuff and killing things.


Which makes me all the more hyped and excited for this game: I want to find out the secret.

Well, one way you can look at it is that you have those RTS elements helping players wanting to work together as one team as an RPG. Like for instance, you are that one unit in that army in StarCraft II. Without working together as a team you are nothing but working together you are everything, a whole race.

Now, there are three races so you have different areas a race can work with eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation and eXtermination.

Exploration is simple. You need to know what is around you and where you can find the best resources and get exploiting it. Exploiting then works only if you can expand to encompass protection to that area or even expand to it. Sometime you might have a local population there or something that provides danger there. Then you might do extermination.

So you might have the Pliigi bordering some Humans. That humans want exploit some resources that is right next to a city on a planet. So, being how humans are, exterminate the Pliigi in that area to expand and encompass protection to that area. Then you exploit those resources to grow and become a stronger power.

One thing everyone might like is that Galactic Civilization (I & II) is a good example of what I am thinking about except you are one person out of those thousands and such. One problem is that is that very hardcore and you would need something to offset that for players which are not so hardcore so you have a mix of hardcore and softcore aspects. The technology tree might be an idea of what we could look forward to. Maybe not at all but it is an idea.

To be honest the message I'm getting from this post about the diplomacy system is not so much you will command who the factions attack and destroy it is more or less the fact that just because there are four different factions doesn't mean you can't interact and form guilds/leagues/squads/clans w/e with other races. This is something that World of Warcraft doesn't allow because it would ruin their PvP system. But it would seem that a PvP system on MechScape would be left to more skirmishes between groups of players then the full on factions themselves. Would play in to the storyline in an interesting manner. Perhaps JaGex does intent to take a page from the Blizzard book and implement reputations? (Ugh the reminds me of grinding. )

I know you probably made a typo, but I couldn't help pointing out that you said there are 3 races, when there are actually 4.

I think an example may be the best way to describe what I'm thinking about when I read this.

Say you have your little home planet Earth (if you choose to be human). They teach you how to play the game on Earth, like the tutorial, in RPG form. Then when you're ready to move on to new planets, it takes you into an eagle eye view of space, where you can choose how you want to interact with other places and people near you in RTS mode. Once you've chosen what you wanted to do, it brings you onto whatever new planet and the game becomes an RPG again, where you do what you chose earlier (comparing it to RuneScape, if you choose to fight your army is sent to the planet and you have battles, if you choose to explore you send colonists to the planet to "skill", ect). If there are rivalries between certain species, there would be more fighting than diplomacy between them, while going to a planet with the same species or friends would be a different story.

This is just what popped into my head when I read the article, they might combine the genres something like this.
I would like to see some kind of level progression in the game. You may not achieve levels through grinding but possibly how much you've interacted in the world? (maybe comparable to kill/death ratio in an FPS game) To stop people from grinding levels anyway, they would just make it very difficult to proceed unless you think out your moves carefully. Just some possibilities.

Or maaaaybe they have Jagex staff to play the 4 races and be the ones to control the grand scheme of things on the macro scale in a war between the 4 races. But how they can control, maneuver, or take action depends on us players in contributing resources, firepower, manpower and the works. Sounds neat huh?

4x and MMORPG seem to be somewhat contradictory to me, especially since the 4x games I have played (like Travian) all seem to be browser based, involving low-tech graphics. Perhaps you will control a player who is the king of his region, or you will play as one of the four races in order to contribute to your race 4x-ing (in that you don't necessarily make all the decisions as to what to expand, etc, you just fight for your army.

IDK, I am even more interested now to see what Jagex has come up with.

Dude! that sounds kinda cool.

YES!!! I AGREE 100% I didnt want a stratagy game... i was really hoping for something like runescape, world of warcraft (not for the game play, mainly for the fact that you can play as a character that advances through the levels and gets more powerful...)

I DONT WANT A STRATAGY GAME!!!! Jagex already has armies of glienor or whatever. thats kinda a stratagy game. I probably wont play it if that is how its gona be...

I dont want to sound like a little brat, but I couldn't stand a game like that...


Puppychow

Yes. It is a typo. I was thinking StarCraft and that has three races in it so easily typed down the wrong number.

I hate the term "grinding" because when I think of "Grinding levels" it just goes something like this:



And that's not why I play the game. This is the only type of grinding I wish to partake in:

^Lolz

I don't really know what to make of MS right now. I wish we knew more details, but I'm looking forward to the interview this Thursday. Hopefully they shed some light on us.

Guys don't forget the above mentioned post is just speculation it doesn't mean it's solidified in stone yet.

I love civilization games and I would love for Mechscape to be like that. They way I see it is you are in third person view (like runescape) and you go towards groups of the same species and ask them to build buildings, explore, fight and other stuff. When one of these groups does their thing you could choose to go with them and help. This makes what you choose to do the forefront of getting better in the game because choosing which building you make, which things you fight, which races you build alliances with would affect your outcome.

Nice read.

I'm sure MechScape will be unlike anything we've played before, but I'm confident in Jagex's ability to produce a great game.

omfg i really hope this isnt a MMORTS. Ive been waiting for a bloody MMORPG codenamed Mechscape....


Thanx for the read.

Yeah, I hope it isn't an RTS.

I'm personally bored reading more speculation, I think I should take a break until the game actuall comes out :S

Well that would be soon, I'd stick around to look at confirmed news, Never know when they may actually say something new. =D

Mod Paul confirmed they aren't going to release anything earth shattering until the game is released :P

Thanks for the post guys.

But seeing this is making it seem more like the galactic portion of Spore..

I have no idea what how MechScape is going to turn out, hopefully it will be what most of us want.

Wow this Article totally flipped my view on how Mechscape gameplay would be like... It sounds much more awesome than I previously thought!!

Very sweet idea for jagex to combine an MMOG with an RTS... I'm very interested in how this game is going to be like...I CAN'T WAIT

I can see 4 ways to mix strategy and rpg into a MMORPRTS. The first would be to have the typical strategy game like controls, where you arent a specific character, but I don't think thats very likely. The second would be where you are a single character, in charge of a colony, and it works somewhat like mescellenia where you tell people what to do and can help out but your still just 1 character. The 3rd would be where instead of leading a ton of ai, the rts comes in the form of working with all the other players of your species. The 4th would be to keep it like runescape, where your just a character is just you and the rts comes in the form of research and owning property like mechs/houses/ships and the battles being more complicated than runescape.

When you think about it, there's no game that's free of this. And should they be? In real life, if someone had been doing something longer than you, they have an advantage. Why should it be any different in virtual reality? Also, RuneScape is a good example of this as well - it's rare to find lower levels in the popular free-for-all Minigames, simply because they don't have a chance against the level 110+. In resource competition - namely mining - the person with the 90 mining is going to get the ore nearly every time against a level 40 that's been training a week or two.

The only "solution" is to have the newbie sand the elites running around in different places, so they aren't butting heads (with the newbies getting the skulls crushed). All the MMOs that I've played do this to varying degrees. RuneScape has Lumbridge and the GWD, the south Varrock mine and the mining guild - a fairly effective separation of skill levels.

I've never played EVE, but I fail to see how this could be a legitimate flaw in any game.

I am not entirely sure what to think about this. I personally don't like RTS games and that combined with a MMORPG seems like a recipe for newbie hell to me.

Newbie logs in, does tutorial, build/explores while under "newbie protection status" then wham! gets destroyed by players who started 1 week earlier.

The thing about this, is that in a regular MMORPG even if your character dies 100x, in the end you still have your character that you leveled up. If, on the other hand, your city/planet/colony/whatever gets nuked down to the stone age, you are left with nothing but scorched earth. :( Goodbye spaceship fleet, goodbye level 10 laboratories, goodbye every other thing you have lovingly built from scratch.

This is a big worry to me too - but I think Jagex have already thought this one through. It may be that you will be allowed to happily build away free from interference from higher level players. The quote below sort of hints at this... but I may be wrong!