Beta + Cancelled mmo Video Games

End of Nations is a canceled Free-To-Play Massively Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy game, which was later a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game, published by Trion Worlds and developed by Petroglyph Games from 2009 to 2013, exclusively for PC.

This project between Petroglyph and Trion Worlds was first mentionned in April 2009 by its publisher, as we can read on Gamespot:

(…) Trion World Network has announced that it has partnered with Petroglyph on an as-yet-to-be-named massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game.
Aside from talking up the Petroglyph team’s previous work on such titles as Command & Conquer and Dune II, Trion revealed no relevant gameplay details about the upcoming project. However, Petroglyph appears to be taking an ambitious approach to the project, with Trion CEO Lars Buttler saying of the game that it will be “the world’s first truly high-end MMORTS.”

The game was officially revealed in April 2010:

Trion’s MMORTS collaboration with Petroglyph is also expected to arrive for the PC next year. Titled End of Nations, the RTS features a persistent online world in which gamers can engage in solo or multiplayer combat with “thousands of other gamers across the gigantic battlefields.”
Details on Petroglyph’s latest effort remain light. However, Trion did note that players will be able to develop their own commanders and establish a headquarters. Gamers will also be able to unlock new vehicles, weapons, and technologies through combat, as well as crafting and researching.

Further details about its background emerged later:

We are introduced to the universe of End of Nations with a synopsis of the events leading up to the present conflict. 50 years into the future, a worldwide economic crisis and collapse has resulted in a cascade of shortages and conflicts. This coincided with the failure and dissolution of almost all of the world’s governments. As the world descended into anarchy, a savior emerged. The United Nations stepped in to restore order through aid and military force. The public reaction to this was initially enthusiastic. As the governments of the world had failed, the United Nations, now renamed the Order of Nations (ON), became the sole government of the world. To the shock and horror of the populace, this new government began to abduct people in the middle of the night and execute its citizens for asking questions. As a result of this oppression, resistance movements emerged.
When the game begins, the resistance has been underway for quite some time. The Liberation Front, led by American war hero General Alec Chase, and the Shadow Revolution, led by former Order of Nations assassin Monkh Erdene, are part of the Coalition, an alliance against the Order of Nations. The commander controls part of the Coalition forces sent to assault the Typhoon Cannon, a massive artillery turret, at the Order of Nations base at Widow’s Wall. The leader of the Order of Nations, General Sevastian Korvus, is also present, residing within the Typhoon Cannon. The assault on the Typhoon Cannon is successful. The cannon is destroyed and Korvus is killed. Yet, the allies bicker. With the destruction and collapse of the Typhoon Cannon, there is now a giant breach in Widow’s Wall. Alec Chase of the Liberation front wishes to advance further into the base, but Monhk Erdene of the Shadow Revolution counters that their coalition has captured the Siege Cortex and that further advance into the base is not part of the mission. Land battleships from the Order of Nations, known as Assault Panzers, approach from both sides of the breach outside the wall. General Chase asks Monkh to engage the enemy forces so that he can assault the inner base. Monkh apologizes to Chase, reiterates that it was not part of the mission, and the Shadow Revolution forces withdraw. Outflanked and without sufficient support, General Chase is forced to withdraw as well, sustaining casualties in the process. Allies no more, the Liberation Front and Shadow Revolution continue to fight the Order of Nations while also fighting and sabotaging each other for control of territories and influence over populaces. And thus the stage was set for further conflicts between the three factions.
Factions
There are three factions in End of Nations. Two of those are playable; the Liberation Front and the Shadow Revolution. The third faction is the unplayable computer controlled Order of Nations, the main antagonist of the game.
Liberation Front – Increasing chaos led the world leaders to give up control to the Order. The Lord Chancellor of England, Mary Dickinson, refused to give up control of her people. She decided to fight against this regime, and began distributing a digital pamphlet codenamed “The Sentinel”. She began to coordinate these dissidents. The Liberation Front believes that people should be free to elect their leaders and form their own governments. They will go to the grave to fight for this right. The Liberation Front has two classes: Spartan and Patriot, each with their own advantages and special abilities. The Spartan is all about heavy armor and point defense. The Patriot class is more of a support class, and with their support powers, they are able to greatly influence the battlefield.
Shadow Revolution – A few people believe that the new regime’s oppression of the people was far too violent. These dissidents were killed, including Donald Poole who oversaw the rule of Eastern Europe. His son, Robert Poole, and Sabal Dasgupta came together and secretly formed an army of their own known as the Shadow Revolution. As former members of the Order of Nations, they arm themselves with weapons and technology stolen from their former organization, along with knowledge of the inner workings of the Order. They are trying to realize Pierre Frenay’s vision of a firm but benevolent rule. The Shadow Revolution has two classes, the Wraith and Phantom classes, each having their own advantages, and special abilities. The Wraith class is all about fast hit-and-run tactics. The Phantom class is all about stealth tactics and ambushes.
Order of Nations – Perverted from one man’s dream of a peaceful world government, the Order of Nations rules the globe with violence, oppressing the masses and crushing any in their path. The Order possesses extremely advanced weapons systems, developed using siphoned off money and resources, in hopes of creating an army dedicated to establish a one world order. This army was advanced and powerful enough to overwhelm the militaries of the world’s nations and take control with ease. Order of Nations is the AI controlled, third faction in End of Nations. Order of Nations units can be seen in most PvE and some PvP maps. Order of Nations units and buildings have darker color scheme than Liberation Front or Shadow Revolution.

During its development at Petroglyph, the title was showed numerous times at the press, during E3 2010, Gamescom 2010 and E3 2011, and Gamespot was able to write several previews for the game:

PC / MAC

Urban Dominion (Global Gaming Innovations) [PC – Cancelled]

Daniel Nicaise

18-11-2022

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Urban Dominion (formerly Dominion) is a canceled Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter developed from 2002 to 2004 by Global Gaming Innovations (G2I), exclusively for PC. Announced in February 2003, Urban Dominion offered the possibility to play for three different teams in the United States of America from the 80’s:

Overview
It’s 1983 and the world has fallen into the turmoil of political unrest with the emergence of organized crime. The wealthy crime lord mob bosses now seek world Dominion and protection of their turf against the inner-city gang upstarts looking to take on their empire and move up in the world. Outnumbered and stretched beyond their capabilities, law enforcement agencies unite under a global need for peace and prosperity. In Urban Dominion, the three teams are equally matched and the persistent world domination is all that is sought. Choose from a team and take on the world.
It’s 7:00am on a Monday morning when you roll out of bed. It’s a war zone out there and you’re just a lonely Los Angeles police detective trying to survive. There are reports of increased mob activity and a possibility of an organized crime lord coming to your town. Yesterday, you arrested yet another upstart 17 year old crazy kid sporting gang colors. These gangs are out of control. You’re at your wits end and so is your government. NCC now reports that your teaming up with police departments globally to take on these crime syndicates. It’s time to bring peace to the world.
Scrapping by in high school finally had its toll on you, it’s time for a change. You decided to join a gang three years ago, and since then things have been growing into a capable organization. You can’t depend on the police for protection, so you survive by protecting yourself. Now it’s time to show the world what you can do.
Growing up in a mansion, just outside of New York, you’ve known nothing but crime. After owning the world for years, now it’s time to move in on the government. You’re ready to take on anything. It’s time to make an empire.
Urban Dominion Technology
Based off the Quake II engine, the Urban Dominion universe explodes with technology never before released to the public. Global Gaming Innovations has created the ability to have a MMOG FPS and Dominion is the proof. By being the exclusive first to present the art of MMOG development with Parallel Distributed Management System technology, G2I expects to bring to the Open Source Industry the best that any industry can offer in a MMOG FPS game.
Features
1st Person perspective, with option to switch to 3rd person
Powerful 3D game engine loosely based off Quake 2 engine.
3 Team-based Massive Multi-player Action
Support for Linux and Windows systems
Open Source Rendering Engine (released under GPL)
Quake 3 maps and model support for Mod makers
Server with 100% uptime
PDMS compatible technology
Global, per map, and Entire player history ranking.
Compatible Tie-ends for Parallel Distributed Management System backbone DLL (PDMS DLL is closed source and binary only available with purchase of full game).
Monthly subscription fee for MMOG play.
Persistent real world with capabilities far exceeding anything in the MMOG market.
Leveling in Urban Dominion
The way leveling is handled in Urban Dominion is as follows: Each player will have two separate histories in the game. One history will be the number of kills/deaths each player got per session, and the second will the number of kills/deaths each player gets per lifetime. Individuals will advance in player skill levels by acquiring skill points as they gain kills. The amount of skill points that the player gains will be affected by the level of their opponent that was killed and the method in which the individual kills the opponent. In other words, a player will get more skill points for killing a higher level opponent and/or killing with a melee weapon over a gun. Players will also acquire money as they get kills and this will work similarly to the way the skill point system works. This means that the amount of money acquired from kills will be affected by the skill level of the opponent killed and the manner in which they were killed.
When a player becomes proficient enough at the game to reach a certain skill level, things such as new maps, models, weapons, and mods become available for use. These mods and maps are where the official support comes into play. The game will be continuously developed both professionally and as an open source project. Thus, more aspects of the game will become available to the player as he/she plays and levels up.
The new game entities (weapons and models) will NOT be available for use in the older mod versions such that one can not get a sniper rifle from a higher level map and use it in a lower level map. This is to make the game fair for everyone and lets newer players get the same chance as the older ones. Urban Dominion is meant to be fast paced and very intensive, where everyone is equal in their chances to kill one another.
There are unique items throughout the game, and these items can only be weilded by one person at a time. It can be anything from a special weapon to a strong shard of armor. There is no item that will give invincibility, therefore it is always possible to kill anyone or to be killed. The unique items are dropped in the world when a player dies.
Teamplay in Urban Dominion
There will be three basic teams in Urban Dominion: law enforcement, mafia crime organizations, and inner-city gangs. Upon joining and chosing a model, the player will be moved into the category that the chosen model belongs to and be able to talk with other individuals that belong to the same category.
Players will also be able to form their own gangs, crime families, or vigilante groups. After forming a group with other players, individuals will be able to “clan chat” with only those in their gang, crime family, or law enforcement group. Forming your own personal gang will also have its benefits and drawbacks. Groups will share money in that individuals may gain a small percentage of money that other teammates acquire from kills. Groups will also share skill points in the same way, except that the individuals may lose skill points with each death of a teammate. This will encourage teamwork for those that create their own gangs, families, or vigilante groups.
Mods and Urban Dominion
This game is meant to be modified. As such, we have added as many capabilities to the engine as we’ve had time for just this fact. The engine supports MD2 (Quake 2) models, MD3 (Quake 3) models, and DPM (Dark Places Model) models, as well as .tga, .jpg, and .bmp textures. Basically, if it works in Quake 3, then chances are good that it will work in Urban Dominion. We also have plans for supporting MDS and MDL models (RTCW and Half Life respectively).
Quake 3 .bsp files are supported for map making, but the overbright feel in the lighting of Quake 3 is not duplicated. In Urban Dominion, the lighting has been modified for updated lighting techniques.
Vehicles
There will be vehicle support in the game upon release, but there will more than likely not be any vehicles already in the game at that time. However, anything from flying to sailing to driving vehicles are easily added, and a tutorial on this will follow release quickly.
Any modification that we accept and use as an officially supported and recognized modification will be used in the game. This will also be reciprocated by credits toward the monthly charges of using the MMOG aspect of the game (Parallel Distributed Management System account).
Maximum amount of players
We’re going to announce the maximum amount of players that are supported after the beta test has completed. We’re initially opening to 200 players, but this number will increase dramatically.

The following month, HomeLAN discussed with G2I’s co-founder Daron Shrode about the project:

HomeLAN – How did Global Gaming Innovations come to be formed?
Daron Shrode – (…) We thought about creating a game of our own my senior year… we had a unique technology idea that we were going to put in the game to make it cooler. That idea ended up being the Parallel Distributed Management System (PDMS) and we eventually decided to become a technology company to focus on the PDMS and market it as an inexpensive alternative to combat the problems that currently plague massive multiplayer online games. We obtained investor funding and the company officially opened its doors in June of 2002. We’re really looking forward to releasing this game, as it will be the first to implement our PDMS technology.
HomeLAN – What kind of playable characters will be available in the game?
Daron Shrode – At release, we intend to have five individual models for each team. The characters are direct representations of what the story dictates their needs to be.
HomeLAN – What sort of locations and settings will the game have?
Daron Shrode – The settings are based off the real world; every effort to enhance the gameplay and develop the story is being made. In other words, the cities and places will stem from how the story plays out. Initially we start with San Francisco, Miami, Tokyo and Kiev.
HomeLAN – How would you characterised the combat gameplay in Urban Dominion?
Daron Shrode – Well, it is an FPS so a lot of “run and gun” is at the core. There are going to be various options of gameplay to keep players interested. These include story development, Capture The Flag, Free For All, and mission-based play. The intention is to provide a mechanism for the player community to create its own story and produce it online.
HomeLAN – Why did you decide to use the Quake II engine as the basis for the game?
Daron Shrode – The Q2 engine is a GPL licensed engine, and thus the engine for Urban Dominion will be released under the GPL as well. Quake2 gives us more abilities than other engines. Its open sourced community is also quite large and sophisticated, therefore tapping into it is easier, and using the Q2 engine in Urban Dominion gives them some technical background from which to develop their modifications easily.
HomeLAN – What modifications are you making to the Quake II engine for its use in Urban Dominion?
Daron Shrode – The addition of our PDMS technology is the most significant modification. This technology is what gives Urban Dominion the capability to support a massive number of players. We’ve added Quake III map and model support, volumetric lighting, and volumetric fog.

However, shortly before entering its Beta phase, security hole was found, forcing the team to push back the date:

After a prolonged test in the secure transactions between the DLL that controls the API of the PDMS and the game Urban Dominion a security hole has been found. This bug could conceivably open the system to code not designed by Global Gaming Innovations and allow that code to be introduced into the processor and run with privileges in all iterations of the game. This means that if the system is distributed, the security could conceivably compromise every system where the software is installed. We find this hole to be most disturbing and because we will not introduce a product with a known security error, we are opting to delay the beta test until we feel the product is as secure as we know it can be.
Due to the fact that correcting this error entails rewriting large portions of the system, we are forced to delay the test. So with heavy hearts we must ask for patience and only offer our assurances that the product that will be shipped, and the beta will be to the best of our abilities, secure, stable, and mature. As we are working on this, we shall introduce further advancements into the game itself. This gives us the time to implement more for the game portion.

The title totally disappeared after this announcement, only to come back nearly an entire year later, with its beta test almost ready:

Announcing beta testing of Global Gaming Innovations’ Urban Dominion. Selected beta testers will receive an email notification with instructions soon. If you were not selected for the first phase, please be patient you may get selected for a future phase of our testing. If you have not yet signed up for the beta test, http://www.global-gaming.com/dominion/beta.php to apply.

Sadly, it was never materialized and Urban Dominion, alongside Global Gaming Innovations, vanished soon after. According to his LinkedIn profile, Daron Shrode left the company in December 2003 and has worked since for various company outside from the video game industry as an analyst and software developer.

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PC / MAC

Republic Dawn: Chronicles of the Seven [PC – Cancelled]

Daniel Nicaise

10-11-2022

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Republic Dawn: Chronicles of the Seven is a cancelled sci-fi futuristic Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter developed around 2004-2005 by Elixir Studios and Nicely Crafted Entertainment exclusively for the PC. It was supposed to be a sequel to the strategy game Republic: The Revolution, released in 2003.

Few information are currently available regarding this project. The game was announced by its developer in February 2005 with a press release containing some info about its background:

The Dawn of a New Republic.
“We, the governments of the Seven Republic, will defend the republic and our freedom with all force. We will put aside our differences to rebuild the life that we have lost. We will seek out the reasons for this loss and exact revenge on those responsible. This is the covenant of the Seven Republic, this is our task.”
-The Covenant of the Seven Republic
London, England 22 February 2005 Elixir Studios today announced that their much anticipated sequel to Republic: The Revolution, is underway as a joint venture with Cambridge based MMOG specialist Nicely Crafted Entertainment with the working title of “Republic Dawn: The Chronicles of the Seven”.
The game, due for release in 2007, is set around a rich storyline based in a distant galaxy and will give players access to a living, breathing universe created using Nicely Crafted’s proprietary AliceServer technology. Elixir will be providing their world-class graphical technology and both companies will be working on a new ground breaking Artificial Life engine.
“Teaming up with Elixir for Republic 2 is a fantastic way to start 2005. With Demis and his team’s experience in creating outstanding triple-A games, Republic 2 is going to provide great gameplay and visual experiences – offering players freedom and flexibility that is unparalleled in today’s MMOG marketplace”, commented Toby Simpson, managing director of Nicely Crafted. “With our server technology, we’re creating a world where hundreds of thousands of people will be able to take part in building a republic.”
“Nicely Crafted is at the forefront of MMOG gaming technology. I’m really excited that my vision of thousands of players building a Republic together is finally going to happen”, said Demis Hassabis, Elixir’s creative director. “This is the perfect way for Elixir to enter the MMOG arena.”
Republic Dawn is a vast MMOG first person space game based around an embryonic society devastated by a sudden attack. The players must rebuild the Republic facing tough political, economic and military decisions along the way. During this time a deep story of human struggle will be acted out with the players challenging every decision. With a progressive and immersive gaming environment of unique depth and detail, Republic Dawn promises to be a definitive MMO game.
Republic Dawn will allow players to dictate the future of mankind. Will they rise up as one in the name of revenge or will they let the already unstable Republic fall?

Shortly after, Computer Games Online managed to get an interview with Ben Simpson from Nicely Crafted:

Elixir Studios’ 2003 released debut game Republic: The Revolution was a ambitious and different look at an urban-political sim game. Now the company is teaming up with Time of Defiance developer Nicely Crafted Entertainment for Republic Dawn, a space based MMO “sequel” to the original game.
Computer Games – First, how did the idea for making a MMO sequel to Republic come about? Was it Elixir’s idea or Nicely Crafted?
Ben Simpson – Well both companies had separate long term visions for games that, when discussed were very similar, with further creative brainstorming it became obvious that both ideas would easily fit together and thus Republic Dawn was conceived.
Computer Games – From the brief description in the press release, it sounds like Republic Dawn is keeping some aspects of the original game in term of game-play goals. Is that a fair assessment?
Ben Simpson – Yes that is a fair assessment – In the Revolution you were tasked to overthrow a regime and establish a Republic. In Dawn the Republic already exists but will need to be maintained.
Computer Games – How will players compete against each other in the game? Are there a number of different people in the human empire that are fighting against each other for complete control?
Ben Simpson – Players can choose to PVP (Player Vs Player) in either combat or in business or to band together and tackle the games PVE (Player Vs Environment) aspects. It is completely feasible that players could come together, create a new political movement and ascend to the Senate and attempt to influence the running of the republic and therefore its actions…
Computer Games – What is the current status of the game’s progress and when will it be released?
Ben Simpson – The game is currently at an advanced design stage and work on a prototype is underway. We are aiming to release the title Q2 2007 with closed Alphas being available prior to the main release to ensure that specific aspects of the game are as refined as possible.

However, in April 2005, Elixir Studios shutted down following the cancellation of a two years development project with a “perceived financial high-risk” and the poor sales of both Republic: The Revolution and Evil Genius as stated by Gamesindustry.biz:

British independent developer Elixir Studios has announced that it has commenced winding down its operations after a key title was cancelled, but efforts continue to rescue some of the firm’s projects.
“The important thing to us is that we’re in control of our own destiny,” Elixir CEO Mark Hewitt told GamesIndustry.biz this morning. “We won’t just run up against a brick wall like some developers have. We’ll still have money in the bank when we close, we’ll treat our staff as they should be treated and help them to find new jobs.”
The closure of the studio should also have no bearing on Republic Dawn, the massively multiplayer title which was being co-developed by Elixir and Cambridge-based Nicely Crafted Entertainment, according to Hewitt.
“We were giving technical advice to them on their project, as opposed to any other support,” he explained. “We’ll still be able to provide that technical advice, and that project should be unaffected.”
“I’m very proud of what all the staff at Elixir have achieved and the games we produced,” Hassabis said in a statement this morning. “We gave it everything we had but ultimately it wasn’t quite enough. It seems that today’s games industry no longer has room for small independent developers wanting to work on innovative and original ideas. Perhaps there is no longer any need for them.”

After the closure of Elixir Studios, Demis Hassabis left the video game industry, becoming an entrepreneur and researcher in the Artificial Intelligence domain and joined the UK government as an advisor.

It wasn’t clear what happened to Republic Dawn after Nicely Crafted completely took over the project. The studio only released another game in 2011, Picaroon, just a few months after the servers of Time of Defiance were shutdown, which didn’t have a huge success. We can speculate that development didn’t go as planned, and the developers had to cancel the game and refocused on more economically viable projects.

If you know someone who worked on Republic Dawn: Chronicles of the Seven and could help us preserve more screenshots, footage or details, please let us know!

PC / MAC

Mindhack (Mindware Studios) [PC – Cancelled]

Daniel Nicaise

31-10-2022

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Mindhack is a cancelled Massive Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter developed by Mindware Studios around 2001-2002, exclusively for PC.

No information about Mindhack’s background are available at the moment. By looking at the few artworks and screenshots of the game, we can tell that it was set in a futuristic science fiction universe. The game was revealed in March 2002 with a short explanation of its concept on a dedicated website:

“Mindhack is an Online Action Game which combines popular and proven elements of first person action games with the principles of mass online games (massive socializing support, persistent character, etc.). The system of game rules is relatively straight forward while providing a great number of game types and many different ways players can enjoy the game.
Mindhack is not intended solely for hardcore players but also for mass-market players preferring the action genre. Players will be attracted by familiar action principles combined with many socializing elements which will allow them to interact with other players in ways not seen today in games of this type.”

Using a proprietary engine called MENG, it seems the game was showed at the Game Developers Conference 2002 in order to sign with a publisher, apparently without success, before falling into obscurity for a few years.

In 2006, following the future release of Mac and Linux versions of their first game, Cold War, Phoronix was able to interview programmer Patrik Rak. Mindhack was briefly mentionned about its cancellation:

“(…) The goal at that time was to develop a FPS based MMO game, but several month later we have concluded that the MMO market became so crowded that all but the best backed up of these project are necessarily going to bite the dust. So we quickly steered to more conventional waters of the third-person single player world, before any serious harm was done.”

According to former CEO Karel Papik, the technology primarly developed for Mindhack would later served as a basis for Cold War.

Mindhack wasn’t the only cancelled game from Mindware Studios. In 2006, the company had to axe Voodoo Nights and Unknown Heroes, both due to a lack of publishers interested in the projects.

If you know someone who worked on Mindhack and could help us preserve more screenshots, footage or details, please let us know!

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PC / MAC, Playstation 3 (PS3)

Ramayan 3392 A.D. [PS3,PC – Cancelled]

IGOR

22-07-2022

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In 2007 Sony announced that they will add a new MMO to its collection on MMOs released to that time (Everquest).
On 10th August 2007 Sony announced that they will be developing new MMO in partnership with Virgin Comics. Game will be based on Ramayan 3392 A.D. comics released under Virgin Comics. It is a futuristic reinterpretation of indian mythology.
Sony signed a multiyear cooperation with the team behind the comics.

Virgin Comics cofounder and CEO Sharad Devarajan explained that the game’s cultural roots will help bring a fresh perspective to the genre.”

Ramayan 3392 A.D. is based on the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana. The story follows a
battle between humans and demons in a post-apocalyptic world. The comic was written by
Shamik Dasgupta with illustrations by Abhishek Singh, and was based on a story by author
Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth (1998) director Shekhar Kapur.

Ramayan 3392 A.D. was aimed for 2010 release. Until today, the game hasn’t been released and on most sites can be found its status on release date only as TBD.