Play Nice Together

At a time when many developers are creating online versions of games that barely differ from their retail counterparts, Multitude Inc. is preparing to unleash a whole new type of online gaming onto the Internet.

Designed to be played as a collaborative action game, its first title, FireTeam, requires participants to work together in teams of four to eight players in order to defeat a variety of enemy teams within a wide range of stories and settings. To give players a sense of being in a real combat situation, the game uses true line of site and a targeting feature that provides an accuracy rating based on the player's location from a selected object. Once fully operational, Multitude plans to have up to 100 simultaneous players in a single session. Founded by industry veteran Ned Lerner and game designer Art Min, Multitude's goal in building games is to fill a void it sees in Internet gaming and to elevate multiplayer gaming to a truly social experience. The first step in accomplishing this is to engage players in "collaborative play" by enabling them to communicate and act within a dynamic environment, and by creating an opportunity for them to bond through the collective experience.

Although the early version GameSpot played had only two characters - Commando and Heavy Gunner - Multitude plans to have six types of characters to choose from, each with his own special abilities and characteristics. An easy-to-use building block, like level builder, will also be available when the game is released.

In addition to the unique gameplay, the top-down, third-person perspective game incorporates the use of voice into the game, which allows players to quickly bark orders and comments to other team members instead of typing them. Being able to communicate instantaneously with team members is an integral part of successfully fending off opponents. Although Multitude has not decided on a pricing model for FireTeam, it may consider offering players a headset with the purchase of the game, which may be offered over the Internet, at a retail outlet, or both. The game is set to go into a limited beta test in about two months and scheduled to be available in the fall.