If you put a handful of gaming terms into a hat, and then pulled them out one by one and arranged them in order, you may have an idea of the description for the coming Deepworld. It's a 2D, steampunk, post-apocalyptic sandbox MMO, with Minecraft-style creation, and block graphics that open up to a diverse and vast game world. Deepworld is a game that sounds too good to deliver on its promise however the developers Bytebin (consisting of three guys who have plenty of experience in server architecture, but not as much experience in game development or design) understand they're delivering a lot.
However, the version they showed me at GDC last week certainly did not disappoint at the very least, as two of their characters wandering around the world together. Deepworld's graphics may not look amazing on the screen (they are... "stylistic", as some might argue), but you'll find charm in the world as you explore further. The game's beauty only revealed after a shelter was constructed with lighting fixtures and pools of light.
There's plenty of beauty in the various mechanics, however. One of the developers describe the game as "a game based on sort of scarcity," and that the word scarcity refers to all of the various resources in this originally barren world. You can find lava as you dig down. This generates steam, which can then be transferred into pipes and utilized to power technology. There is a crafting system however, unlike Minecraft (where items have to be found and built) The game basically provides a list of what's available to construct using the different resources you've collected.
The interface is attractive. You can design whatever you want using the cursor on Mac. While the iOS version is still in development ("There are some kinks in touch," Bytebin said), it will be possible to "draw" creations directly on the iPad's display.
The most significant issue with Deepworld probably isn't in the game itself, however: It's likely to be keeping the servers running. The title is subdivided into 1200x800 blocks "zones," and the devs are hoping to limit the zones to a set number of players (and possibly charge players to customize and save those zones). https://yurock.net/ However, there will be an element of meta-gaming in "improving the ecosystem" of each zone and it's easy to see that Bytebin could be in trouble, if the game turns out to be extremely popular in keeping its servers afloat.
Bytebin recognizes the need (and again, the team's experience is in managing large servers for large software companies and they're the chance of winning at least) We'll see how they do when the game is released for an open beta later on this year. Alpha is scheduled to take place "in the next few weeks," and there's a beta registration form for the game now. Deepworld looks really fascinating, and it's a title we will probably be proud to play available on Mac and iOS.
Log in to comment