Every now and then, when we talk to MMO development companies about some of the new things they're doing, we get that odd little sensation of rightness. That is, sometimes you hear of the ideas that are going into new MMORPGs, and boy does it make you want to play the game! This is definitely true of Rift: Planes of Telara (Rift), an incredibly ambitious (from a graphical and game play perspective) MMORPG currently being developed by Trion Worlds.
For those of you who don't know, Rift originally debuted at E3 2009 under the title "Heroes of Telara," but it has since changed that name to "Rift: Planes of Telara" to better reflect the theme of the game. In Rift, the two factions, the Guardians and the Defiant, are fighting a fierce war against invading planes of existence, known as "Rifts," which have suddenly begun to appear on Telara, leaking all sorts of baddies onto the planet. In addition to this, the Guardians and the Defiant are also fighting a particularly fierce civil war - with the Guardians staying loyal to their silent Gods, while the Defiant seek to defend Telara by their own strength alone. As an MMORPG, Rift has some incredibly ambitious plans, so whether you're interested in their stunning next-gen graphics, or their innovative "soul" class system, or even their unique take on the MMORPG genre as a whole, this is definitely one game you should be keeping an eye on.
We decided to catch up with Scott Hartsman, Creative Director of Trion, to get every little bit of new info on Rift that we could possibly get! In Part One, we talk with Scott about PvP in Rift, what really makes Rift a "social MMO," and we get a fresh perspective on the MMO genre as a whole. Tomorrow, in Part Two, we talk about Rift's innovative 'soul' system and how players will grow into heroes in Rift: Planes of Telara.