Snail Games hopes to score big with their new MMO, Black Gold Online. Set in a world in conflict between naturalists and steam punk factions and classes, the game is designed to provide an entertaining brand of PvP with clockwork contraptions face off against dragons.
Each faction has three unique races (humans being on both sides), six unique classes for each faction, and plenty of variety. The mechanics of the game can use both tab targeting, and cross hair targeting, which brings in additional elements. Mounted combat, a side factor, if included at all in most MMO games, is emphasized. Flying steam punk gyrocopters face off against dragon riding.
The graphics of the closed beta are amazingly detailed, but show no hindrance to the game play on the computers it was being shown on at E3. Playing a dwarf, ground combat was smooth, but when I got up on my gyrocopter (dwarves being in the steam punk faction), the game turned into something all together different, as I fired away at PvE enemies from the sky.
The only minor quibble I had was a pause needed to loot enemies. With the combat being so fast and furious, the pauses were a bit disruptive. However, it made me discover a unique mechanic not used in almost any other MMO - coins have weight. This simple change will make things a lot more complicated as weight management will have to be calculated as the game goes onward.
Another thing that may hinder the game is the selection of a completely different world than our own, and the conflict generated between the 'naturalists' and the steampunk factions. This has been done, theoretically, in another MMO: Rift. However, the mechanics and gameplay are a lot different than that game, with a much heavier influence of steampunk than the equivalent Rift faction.
Open beta arrives Friday, June 20th. Sign up on http://blackgoldonline.com to get in and try it out for yourself, The game is planned for release by the holiday season.
Senshudo's interview at E3 with Snail Games:
Latest trailer: