The Agency: MMO

MMO's are a selling point when it comes to the PS3. Or at least, they will be.

Q: Does your Seattle studio have enough capacity to support "The Agency" and develop another game?

A: We're trying not to distract them.

Q: Does the realignment of your group, from Sony Pictures to Sony Computer Entertainment, mean that you're going to try boosting PlayStation 3's online network with your MMO [massively multiplayer online] games.

A: I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term — there's going to be some great ones on the PS3. You're not going to find "The Agency" on the [Xbox] 360.

Q: Have MMOs reached the mainstream yet?

A: I would say they're getting more mainstream. If I were characterizing it, I would say think of the video-gaming industry five years ago. That's kind of where I think we're at. ... Five years ago, do you think "Grand Theft Auto IV" would have done $500 million [in opening-week sales]? To me, video games are just reaching the real mass-market now. That is going to translate to the MMO side of the business.

Q: Do you think everything will be an MMO in the future?

A: I don't. I think it's just like in the single-player or low multiplayer; it's just about the individual games. We think there's a huge, hungry audience waiting for that to come to the MMO world. It doesn't mean everything's going to be an MMO. I'm sure there's always going to be single-player games.

Q: Where will MMOs be in 15 years?

A: Right now it's about 85 percent male. I think it's going to be 50-50. You're going to see a lot more big name brands in it, including ones we're building. These games are as big as hit movies are right now.
Click to expand...

Still need to get over the keyboard/mouse hurdle and maybe throw in some cross platform play.
 
Part of the issue is that the classic subscription based method of MMOs are reaching a level of saturation. Namely, there's many big powerhouse games that dominate that sector.

I'd like to see some more asynchronous MMOs. Where not only are there just classis that are somewhat different. Instead there's roles that take on drastically different interfaces when teaming up. For example, you could take on the role of a coordinator in The Agency, where instead of being a front line fighter you direct groups of NPC operatives or robotic drones around on an RTS style interface.
 
I'm looking forward to this game and watching it in the coming months. A recent 4-part GameTrailers interview showed some features and gameplay that have potential.
 
[quote name='NamPaehc']MMO's are a selling point when it comes to the PS3. Or at least, they will be.



Still need to get over the keyboard/mouse hurdle and maybe throw in some cross platform play.[/QUOTE]



The main obstacle was the Keyboard and mouse hurdle and you know that for an MMO, perhaps we could get cross platform play with PC gamers. But I think that both these obstacles have been conquered and could easily happen.
 
Has it ever been announced what type of payment structure this game is going to be (standard MMO monthly fee, Guild Wars model, or buy game then certain upgrades cost extra?) This is what determines if I will buy it or not.
 
They're still figuring that out. So far what I've heard is that it'll use some form of microtransactions, but a subscription fee isn't ruled out yet.

From a preview I read in a magazine one of the avenues of microtransactions is through the collectible operatives. The operatives are held much like cards, but they also level up as you send them on mission and complete them. One idea was to make available certain level 1 operatives for sale individually. These could only be levelled via play and the thus balancing things out a bit.
 
Im pretty sure they will package a six month subscription with the game if that is the route they go with their pricing model.
 
No micro-transactions after all.

While spending boatloads of cash on ritzy garments and top-of-the-line gadgetry may seem like a natural behavior for an international man or woman of mystery, gamers weren't keen to last month's announcement that Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming MMO The Agency would be riddled with character-customizing microtransactions. Fortunately, in a recent interview with Eurogamer, the game's developers set the record straight, ensuring that we won't be blowing all our real-world money on digital Emporio Armanis.

The developers explained that they had not enlisted the aid of virtual trading house Live Gamer to establish a microtransaction system, but rather to create a real-world auction house to allow players to trade and sell in-game items (much like the Everquest II Station Exchange). It seems your operatives will have to secure new attire the old fashioned way -- by viciously bonking an appropriately dressed underling, pulling him behind a curtain, and performing a sartorial quick change that would put even Hannah Montana to shame.
Click to expand...

Well looks like the two systems (in-game trading/RL Trading) were actually just the latter so that is good.
 
LiveGamer is terrible, btw. This coming from an EverQuest 2 player who tried to put up with their poor station exchange service.
 
Old demo shown at E3 again.

All the cool kids in the IGN office are pretty pumped about The Agency, an massive multiplayer online title coming to the PlayStation 3 and PC that will let you live out your spy dreams; so it was a little disappointing to meet the fine folks at Sony Online Entertainment this morning and find out that they'd be showing the same demo they've been showing for months.

Yup, I just saw the same demo Charles saw at CES and the same demo Marissa saw at ION.

Don't get me wrong, it still looked like a lot of fun. The demo starts with the players picking which spy agency they'd like to join -- U.N.I.T.E. is filled with slick James Bond types, while Paragon is a group of atypical hardass/shoot-first folks -- creating a character, and then moving into the U.N.I.T.E. base. You tour the secret weapons facility that's testing a bulletproof corset and a man-eating bed, and then proceed into the following/fighting/shooting/diffusing bomb mission that has already been detailed twice.

Aside from the demo, I personally found the aliasing stuff to be the coolest. Some of the missions you go on will require to undercover, and that means you take on an alias. You'll enter an area in your disguise and have an alias rating to worry about. As you go about your task onsite, the folks around you will begin to get suspicious and stare you down. As they do, your alias rating will begin to deteriorate. To stop the bleeding, you'll need to do something that they'd expect someone on site to do. If you're in a bar, take a drink. However taking too many can get you drunk. The ability to take on an alias is something that's exclusive to the stealth class. Combat and support are the other two units, but you can change your title whenever you want.

An SOE rep also mentioned during his presentation that will feature three types of missions to embark on -- 10 to 15-minute tasks, 20 to 35-minute missions, and hour-plus marathons -- that The Agency will be shooting for bi-weekly episodic content upon release, and that expansion packs will add locales, villains, and more.
Click to expand...
 
Nail in coffin, no cross-platform play.

Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming espionage MMO The Agency is not going to allow cross-platform play between the PC and the PS3, according to lead designer Hal Milton.

Speaking at SOE's annual Fan Faire in Las Vegas, Milton said, "There's no technological reason why you can't play cross-platform, but there’s a philosophical reason why design doesn’t want to do it. If we have to compromise one platform to support both, then we won't.

"A couple of members of our team gained a lot of experience working on Shadowrun, and no matter how well you fine-tune it, you end up with a player-base that's polarised," Milton said, referring to Microsoft's ill-fated cross-platform shooter for PC and Xbox 360.

"PC guys say, 'PS3 guys have aim assist and the controls nerfed for them'. And PS3 guys say, 'PC guys have a mouse and keyboard - it's all easier for them'. Even if it's not true.

"So what I would rather concentrate on is taking all that delicious persistent data and the community capabilities and try to find more interesting ways of putting that together," Milton added, and yes, he did describe persistent data as being "delicious".

When we quizzed him further on what kind of "interesting ways" he had in mind for combining the PC and PS3 player-bases, Milton said, "The community stuff's pretty easy - there's an economy, and there's chat. On the gameplay side, I can't talk about what we're planning. But there are metagame elements that allow us to say, 'Hey PS3 guys, the PC guys care more than you!' And they’ll be, 'No they don't! I'll show you!'"

During a Q&A session on The Agency, design director Matt Wilson also suggested that with a single account, you should be able to create characters on both PS3 and PC versions of the game. But as Milton confirmed, you will not be able to pick up on PS3 where you left off on the PC version or vice versa, and two different copies of the game will be required.

For more on The Agency - including an in-depth preview, and an interview with Milton and Wilson - visit the gamepage.
Click to expand...

Very weak if you ask me. Why not support a mouse/keyboard set then?
 
They WILL... They WON'T... They MIGHT... They MIGHT NOT...

Gah! So back and forth... They are still considering cross platform play.

Speaking to Gamasutra, executive producer Wilson (we are going to assume it is Matt Wilson) said that Sony Online Entertainment is still considering cross-platform play for their MMO The Agency, seemingly contradicting statements made earlier to Eurogamer by lead designer Hal Milton.

But if you read each of the original source articles, both Milton and Wilson states that it is entirely possible technologically to have cross-platform play. They even have very similar reservations; console certification process hampering updates and gameplay balance issues stemming from differences between PC mouse/keyboard and the PS3's controls. We are guessing SOE simply haven't finalized their plans yet.

Either way though, it was revealed that at least the game accounts will be both global and cross-compatible -- meaning that if you have a PS3 account, you can still play at a friend's house on their PC with your own account and vice versa. We'll keep you updated if there are any developments.
Click to expand...

The "console certification process hampering updates issue" is a decent one compared to the control input issues at least.
 
NVM!

On November 18th, PS3 Fanboy HQ received a tip that the PS3/PC online spy game, The Agency, had been reportedly canceled. GameFly listed the project as dead, but we doubted such an ambitious game would be killed by SOE. We did some further investigating.

According to SOE's Katie Hanson, there's no reason to believe that The Agency is canceled. Why GameFly would list the project as canceled is beyond. Perhaps ... there's foul play involved?! (cue dramatic music)

Evidence is presented, after the break.

EXHIBIT A
Dear L.,

We have removed The Agency (canceled) for PlayStation 3 from your GameQ. There are two possible reasons for this removal:
(1) For released titles, we no longer carry the game and do not know if or when we will acquire new copies.
(2) For unreleased titles, the game has been canceled by its publisher.

We apologize for any disappointment this may cause. If you have any questions, please contact us.
- GameFly Support

EXHIBIT B
Dear Katie,

Some retailers have been listing The Agency as a canceled project. I was wondering if you had any comment on the current situation of The Agency -- it's been a while! Is the project still alive and kickin'?
- Andrew

EXHIBIT C
Wow. It's still alive! Where did you see that information? Thanks for the heads up BTW!
- Katie, SOE
Click to expand...

Edit put in above^^^




Game is canceled according to Gamefly.

Could just be the PS3 version or something else entirely could be up.

I don't like the way they've been handling this one, and I didn't have much fate in SOE anyway. I wonder if they wanted to move the resources over the DC MMO or if they are pulling out MMO's on consoles but that could be reading to far.

"Dear ****,

We have removed The Agency (cancelled) for PlayStation 3 from your GameQ. There are two possible reasons for this removal:

(1) For released titles, we no longer carry the game and do not know if or when we will acquire new copies.

(2) For unreleased titles, the game has been cancelled by its publisher.

We apologize for any disappointment this may cause. If you have any questions, please contact us."
Click to expand...
 
New short little interview.

Following The Agency's unfortunate and incorrect "cancelation" by GameFly yesterday, SOE reached out and asked if we'd like to talk to the game's lead designer, Hal Milton. Considering the title had been dark for quite some time, it certainly seemed like an opportunity to ask a couple direct questions about the current development state of The Agency.

Joystiq: So, what's going on with your game? It keeps popping up on radar, but it appears like nothing seems to be going anywhere.

Lead Designer Hal Milton: (laughs) Well, it's going a lot of places in our studio. We announced the title rather early, showed some pre-alpha last January. It's really important that we did this. But, if we have the team in different places around the world talking about the game, how are they supposed to be working on the game?

So, you've got your heads down right now making the game?

Yeah, since we showed off some stuff in January, now our designers are fleshing out about six or seven locales. Working on Operative functionality, backstories, story lines. It's a lot of content. Between content and feature support, there's a lot of work to be done. We don't want to keep having hype sessions just showing movies and crap. We need to make the game and not just keeps promoting it. After we went dark in January, it's been a really, really, blessed thing.

We already know there won't be cross-platform gameplay and we've been told the game is still slated for both PC and PS3. Do you still plan to release them at the same time?

That one is something we're going to address as we get closer to release. Things can vary between the two platforms. We're still actively developing on both right now. Which is a challenge for the UI team because designing for a monitor is completely different than a television. (rapid-fire discussion about technical user interface issues) Any hardcore RPG or SRPG worth its salt has shown it can take complex menus and make them manageable on a console.

Has development of the PS3 version contributed to delays?

I wouldn't say that the PS3 contributed to delays. Frankly, in every interview, I haven't discussed release dates because we want [the game] to stand on its own, so we don't want to shoot for some arbitrary date for shelf space reasons.

So, when do we get to touch it?

(laughs) I'm thinking it's called "expeditions" or marketing things by this summer. I think people will be surprised at how much progress we've made in the last six to nine months.

How did you react to the GameFly incident?

Laughter. Amusement. These things are always goofy. They get information from one company or another and that led to GameFly controlling our fate. SOE is now part of SCEA, so when publishers change, mailings can get sent out wrong. If the message had come from an SCEA source, I'd have been crying about the cruelty of the world. It happens all the time. I love GameFly, I have a four disc subscription. I have to say, though, I'm glad people cared.
Click to expand...
 
RUMOR:

Sony is knee deep in massively multiplayer online games right now, with titles like MAG, The Agency, and DC Universe Online all set to be released within a year. It seems like gamers may be getting their hands on at least two of these games a bit earlier than expected though. An anonymous source, who attended the recent Sony event at Seattle, has told us that betas for both MAG and The Agency are due out 'soon' - as in 'E3 soon'.
Click to expand...

I would be suprised to see the Agency beta so early as it is slated for next year... But MAG, the sooner the better if you as me. They did mention the it would be playable by summer so Smoggy's E3 guess could be right.
 
The Agency detailed by Sony


May 13, 2:18 AM


.iconpanel a { text-decoration:none; color:#006699}; .iconpanel a:hover { text-decoration:none; color:#006699} 1 comment
ShareThis
Feed


The_Agency_logo_%5B%5D.jpg

Sony Online Entertainment today has revealed via press release details for their upcoming MMOFPS title The Agency.
The game has yet to be given a release date short of sometime in 2010 for PS3 and PC.
From the release:
The Agency is a fast-paced, action shooter set in an online persistent world—a modern setting of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal. Live the life of an elite agent in a world of superspies and rugged mercenaries, who use both high technology and low tactics to accomplish their missions and goals. Featuring cooperative and competitive play, The Agency is designed to provide instant action and long-term strategy for all fans of espionage, intrigue, and explosive gameplay on the PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) and PC.
• Live the Life of an Elite Agent: The Agency requires spy world skills in combat, stealth, and style. Players jet around the globe to exotic locales picking up intel, forming networks and taking out criminal masterminds for a multitude of unique missions with numerous goals. With gameplay ranging from sneaky infiltration to all out firefight assaults, there's something for every aspiring agent.

• Fun Now, No Waiting: The Agency blends the action of shooter gameplay with the persistence of an online virtual world. At any point, PS3 or PC players can jump right in and frag opponents in head-to-head combat or advance the ranks in a rich story packed with exciting missions.

• Mercenary or Spy - the Choice is Yours: Operate as a slick super spy or a gritty mercenary, administering arms deals, executing assassinations, managing espionage, counter intelligence, and more. Collect the right weaponry, gadgets, gear, attire and aliases to gain access to numerous locales and influence over the people within them.

• Put Operatives to work: Operatives are collectible non-player characters who provide the goods and services players desire, and the in-mission support to keep them alive. Operatives work 24/7 to help players concentrate on the mission at hand. Trade them with friends or sell them to the highest bidder.

• Build Your Own Agency: As players advance through the ranks of their faction, they'll also begin building their own Agencies. Players increase their power even further by creating Joint Agencies with others.
 
[quote name='bornrunnin31']Still waiting on a price strategy, but very interested.[/QUOTE]


I'm with you on that... might be fun, but I don't want to be ripped off.
 
[quote name='smiggity']Here we go Starkkat, first Gameplay footage (to my knowledge) about 14 minutes of it too. Looks sweet!

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/69548[/QUOTE]

Looks cool, mainly because it doesn't seem to play like a lot of MMO's. The way the missions/story works is interesting. Kind of like single chapters you can work through, which is something I think more MMO's are going to start going for.
 
So when's the last time we were updated on The Agency? I had heard rumors of it being canceled, and then haven't heard anything about it since then...does anyone know any better than I do?
 
[quote name='Tux.Bobble']So when's the last time we were updated on The Agency? I had heard rumors of it being canceled, and then haven't heard anything about it since then...does anyone know any better than I do?[/QUOTE]


Last I heard it was still on track. Though they had some departures from the dev team.
 
It's likely stalled and being reworked. They tend not to abandon projects fully. They're reworking things and trying to figure out the financial model as well as other gameplay aspects, along with getting it setup for the PS3 and PC.

I think Free Realms threw them for a loop when it launched successfully.
 
Info on the staff changes.

However, SOE flatly denied this, saying that “The Agency is not undergoing a reboot of any sorts – that is incorrect.” The spokesperson added that “the team in Seattle is still working diligently on this project and we’re looking forward to showing you new content in the future”.
Click to expand...
 
Great. I was really disappointed when I was under the impression it wasn't coming. The style of the game looked (looks, I guess!) great, if you ask me. I'm also looking forward to Borderlands. Is anyone who's interested in this, also interested in that? If so, we should hit up co-op when it comes out. I'll be GameFly'ing it, for sure.
 
It's still coming. I'm sure if you keep up in the news you can see that there were some layoffs that may have slowed this game and DC Universe. I played it when I worked at SOE and it was a lot of fun, but I can't say much more beyond that.
 
Don't they have another MMO going to come out that will be for the PS3 and PC that is like City of Heros?
 
[quote name='sendme']Don't they have another MMO going to come out that will be for the PS3 and PC that is like City of Heros?[/QUOTE]
They've got three MMOs for the PS3 (The Agency, DC Universe Online, and Free Realms) that they're showing off at E3.
 
My PS3 might get a lot more game time and less time as a BD player if they are all free to play.
 
[quote name='smiggity']Anyone watch the recent trailer? Did they turn this into a FPS??? It looks that way[/QUOTE]

No, there was a first person view before. Looks like they might have just cut that video in that way to sell the "action" portion of the title. You can see some third person in there too I believe.

>>>Oh and Joystiq says that is a PVP deathmath trailer.

>>>[quote name='sendme']My PS3 might get a lot more game time and less time as a BD player if they are all free to play.[/QUOTE]

Interview from last September. They hadn't nailed down their business model yet, but were leaning towards free to play but we will see...

n his response we were given a very strong impression that they are leaning towards the expansion-pack business model, as opposed to the traditional subscription fee although such matters hadn’t been solidified at that point over at Sony Online Entertainment.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='NamPaehc']No, there was a first person view before. Looks like they might have just cut that video in that way to sell the "action" portion of the title. You can see some third person in there too I believe.

>>>Oh and Joystiq says that is a PVP deathmath trailer.

>>>

Interview from last September. They hadn't nailed down their business model yet, but were leaning towards free to play but we will see...[/QUOTE]

Nice, hopefully PvP doesnt force you into FPS. I assume PvP is just a 1 on 1 deathmatch type thing, and it would be nice to play the "action" parts in TPS
 
So IGN has a preview up and they call it a FPS. Wouldnt be the first time they make a mistake since they have referenced Socom as a FPS several times. Still Im starting to think it may be FPS & maybe that is what is taking so long...I mean its been like 4 years
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top