Who wanted a new MMORPG for Christmas? Well, Corepunk isn’t getting here in time for this Christmas, but it’s now been officially announced to give you something to look forward to. The game’s Dutch studio, Artificial Core, is straight-up calling it a Unity-based MMORPG for PC, though it’s got the top-down viewport of Ultima Online and a bit of a Borderlands vibe to its concept art, though the overall visual effect is more like Torchlight or Diablo III. It appears to boast the modern trinity class mechanics, pre-set heroes with fluid class choice, multiple weapon specs and passives, solo and four-person dungeons, raids, “a camp system with advanced open world AI,” mounts, crafting and gathering, “special professions,” farming, guilds, and so on.
“Corepunk is an MMORPG with an open seamless world that allows for endless possibilities. You can explore the world, participate in trading, complete dungeons, or engage in PvP battles. Each aspect of the game will be incentivised. There will be a rating system to encourage each type of activity. […] Corepunk is a game with stylized graphics, a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and an eclectic fusion of genres – from cyberpunk to dark fantasy.”
And as for PvP? It looks as if there’s a karma system plus a way to toggle in and out of PvP mode; players flagged from ganking lowbies receive some pretty brutal penalties, including item loss and blockades from town.
“For the PvP inclined folk there will be Arenas and Battlegrounds. Furthermore, PvP in an open world combined with fog of war will provide a completely new gaming experience. […] When dying there’s a miserably small chance of losing loot from your inventory. But if the Karma system identifies you as a Player Killer, then upon death you’ll lose an artefact from your slot. […] For killing other players you’ll receive Honor Points, which you’ll be able to spend on better equipment, and Karma Points. The later are part of the Karma system that doesn’t allow you to kill weaker players with impunity.”
The business model hasn’t been announced yet, though the game’s FAQ claims the devs are “fundamentally against the Pay-to-Win model.” Open beta is planned for Q4 – of next year – though it’s apparently in alpha now with closed testing on the way.
