Monsters Take Center Stage At Skotos(Berkeley, California; Denver, Colorado — January 29, 2002) — Skotos Tech and Worlds Apart Productions, developers of innovative prose-based computer games, announced today that they are collaborating on the creation of a new multiplayer RPG title. With a slated release in early May, the as-yet-untitled game will turn fantasy roleplaying on its head by giving players the opportunity to play the roles of monsters. "It's fantasy roleplaying with a twist," says Shannon Appelcline, Skotos Tech's Director of Operations. "You take on the roles of orcs and trolls and dragons and vampires — the traditional villains of RPGS — and play the game from their perspective. You soon realize those invading human adventurers are a menace to your family and your lair and need to be taken care of. What's a monster to do? You're trying to live your simple monster life, and these so-called heroes are breaking down your doors and stealing your stuff. So, of course, something needs to be done about that and plenty of fun mayhem ensues." "We're planning some innovative features and gameplay possibilities," says Scott Martins, President of Worlds Apart and Lead Designer for the project. "Our goal is a highly customizable experience, with a wide variety of monster types and abilities. We're also supporting three very different styles of gameplay: fighting, building, and social climbing. The building-related gameplay is one of the aspects we're most excited about, because players will actually be able to dynamically extend the game world by creating their own unique lairs." The Monsters project builds on the five years of work Worlds Apart has put into its text game engine, which currently powers The Eternal City and other products in the works. The Eternal City has long been one of the top-ranked games at both Top MUD Sites and RPG Gateway Top 100 RPG Sites, and is renowned for both its detailed world simulation systems and its strength as a roleplaying environment. It is one of the very few text-based games in recent years to have been written up in PC Gamer magazine. The Eternal City became a member of the Skotos community in June 2001. "We'll be stepping up the integration of graphical elements in this new game," says Shannon Appelcline. "combining the broader accessibility of graphical interfaces with the powerful sense of immersion that only prose can provide." Transient windows, pop-up menus, on-screen maps, and dynamic buttons all continue to expand the usability and the immersion of Skotos' games. The Monsters title should take that trend to the next level in both character creation and gameplay. And the name of this new Monsters-based partnership between Skotos and Worlds Apart? "We're still working on that," says Shannon Appelcline. Watch for the beta release of That New Monster Game in May. ABOUT WORLDS APART PRODUCTIONS ABOUT SKOTOS TECH INC. For further information, please contact Worlds Apart Productions: Skotos Tech Inc.: |
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