Ensemble Studios was Working on a Halo MMO - briefly
(hx) 05:13 PM CEST - Sep,23 2008
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Gamasutra
confirms that Age of Empires developer Ensemble Studios was developing a
Halo MMO. It appears that the Halo MMO project was likely internally cancelled
some time in mid-late 2007, without any formal announcement from Microsoft that
it was ever in development. The below UI mockup and concept/level screenshots
also date from the 2006-2007 period. Gamasutra had a chance to ask
Massively.com lead blogger Michael Zenke about the MMO-related elements in the
prototype UI screenshot. Here's a bit:
The character pane shows a health bar and 'mana' -- or Psion, as is referred to in this title... The upper right icons are for basic character functions. The one on the far left would most likely be inventory, represented by the outline of a man.
Moving right, I'd guess that's a 'talent tree' screen for customizing your character, most likely a powers menu (a brain to represent the Psion?), a titles or achievements screen represented by the trophy, and a support ticket system represented by the chat bubble icon.
There are many obvious tips of the hat here to the World of Warcraft interface. Simplicity and streamlined play appear to be the object of the game, but it's interesting to see so many strange icons on the hotbar.
From the choice of abilities, it's easy to surmise that that the game would have been some sort of melee/magic brawler. The upper bar has some similarities to the WoW UI modification Titan Panel - a favorite amongst players.
FYI, The Ensemble Studios Website has an official goodbye from the studios, following the recent revelation that Microsoft is closing it down. |
Updated:10:33 PM CET Jan,10
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