Divergence Online, pathway to the future
Josh Clark
Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Features
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Ethan Casner, head of Stainglass Llama Productions, has a vision of a different universe. He calls it Divergence, and true to its name, it breaks away entirely from the established genre. Unlike the typical MMO, Divergence mixes in elements of a first-person shooter (FPS). Companies have tried this idea in the past, but always built the framework around a traditional MMO. Casner explains, "We turned it around and started with an FPS core, and then started building MMO features into it, to retain the original twitch gameplay."
Divergence takes place in the year 2333. It explores a future where the human race has split into five different breeds, due to genetic enhancements and synthetics. It questions what truly defines humanity, in a time when entire personalities are able to be preserved and transferred to different organic or synthetic bodies in a digital form. Death is no longer a permanent condition, since a person can come back in another form.
Current MMO's are usually centered around completing quests, which grant the player experience points. Divergence is based mainly on what Casner calls "faction". Faction is the reputation you have with various groups according to your actions. As your faction grows in a specific group, more options will become available to you, whether it means rising in rank, gaining access to better equipment, or being able command more troops. Casner states, "You will get experience by proxy. You acquire it as you go after faction, essentially. So it's like a by-product you can also use to gain better skills."
In 2006, Casner was the sole proprietor of his company. He'd been promised $3 million in funding from an investor, and it seemed like everything was going according to plan. As time went on, Casner never received the necessary funds for his project. After his own funds were exhausted, he started selling shares of Stainglass Llama to investors.
Casner eventually decided it would be more realistic to make a prequel to Divergence, set roughly a century before the main story. Although it won't have as much detail as his original idea, the prequel will have all of the basic framework of the bigger game.
When will this title be released? It's hard to say. Nearly all of the Divergence team is based in the United Kingdom, and one of the top concept designers is located in Hong Kong. Casner continues to look for local programmers and 3D animators. Funding continues to be an issue, though. Unless a suitable investor is found, Casner says his plan is, "Whenever the bank account reaches zero, we're going to announce that we're going to launch. Until then, we're going to keep pumping money into it as often as I can get it."
The future of Divergence is still uncertain. New ideas always come with risk, a constant battle between originality and cost. As Casner tells it, "You can have either innovation and dirt-cheapness, or you can have security and a huge cookie-cutter game, essentially. It's tragic."
Is it too much to want a game that is not only inventive, but actually fun as well? A long road is still ahead, but maybe someday Casner's dream will revolutionize online gaming as we know it.
To learn more about Divergence Online go to www.divergence-online.com or contact Casner at Ethan@divergence-online.com.
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