Mortal Online is a new fantasy MMO, presently in beta, from Sweden-based developer Star Vault. While Mortal Online is a game we haven't learned a great deal about so far at Massively, we have gathered a few things about the title. We know Mortal Online has an emphasis on PvP, with comparisons being made between this title and Darkfall, but it would be inaccurate to say it's only going to be a game that PvPers will enjoy. MO has a deep crafting system as well; in fact, all game items can be crafted by players. Star Vault is also dispensing with some of the conventions typical of fantasy MMOs in favor of new or different approaches: no levels or experience points; no quests or instances; first person view rather than third person; combat that requires manual aiming/targeting; no NPCs that drop items they couldn't possibly have -- bears won't drop golden coins, for example.
There's now some more info about the game in an interview at MMORPG.com with Mortal Online Creative Director Mats Persson. He explains some of the basic concepts behind the first-person sandbox of Mortal Online, and how it's "a niche skill-based fantasy game for a mature audience."
His talk with MMORPG.com's Jon Wood hits upon a number of aspects of the game like the first person point-of-view, how players will advance in Mortal Online, the title's combat system, and some impressive details about the depth of crafting in the game.
Persson says, "The sandbox crafting is definitely worth mentioning, as the weapon crafting alone has over 142 million possible combinations of grips, handles, blades, heads and materials - not counting bows or shields. The armour crafting has even more options."
Above all else, Persson emphasizes Star Vault's approach to Mortal Online as a game that doesn't aim to compete with larger MMOs, and as such they don't need to make compromises in terms of design principles just to gather a larger subscriber base. It's a game that will reward player skill, which they hope will find acceptance with a small but solid core playerbase and build from there.
The interview is a good early look at what type of game Mortal Online is intended to be. Check out MMORPG.com's interview with Star Vault Creative Director Mats Persson for more on Mortal Online.
