Press Kit E3 2001 TECHNICAL DATA
Name : DuelField
Type of Game : Turn based Online Strategy Game
Publisher: SISMOPLAY
Minimum configuration : Entry Level PC Required
Game diffusion : Free downloads as well as distribution through the press and international partners.
Number of Players : Internet makes it possible for a large number of players to simultaneously take part in one on one duels. The number of potential adversaries is unlimited.
Graphics : Pre-rendered 3D graphics for optimum quality visuals.
Background : Heroic-Fantasy Universe. Players embody a Deity. The game's objective is to control as many creatures as possible and to have them fight against other Deities creatures. The foes gain experience and strength from every battle fought.
Creature pool : There will be more than 300 creatures to choose from, among them Trolls, Lizard Men, Goblins. All original races have also been included, for example, Sectopods and Zephyrs. Every creature has it's own set of abilities and magical powers. They're linked to one of 6 Elements : Earth, Water, Fire, Nature, Air and Limbo.
Estimated game duration : Between 10 and 30 minutes. The length of a duel varies according to the type of rules the adversaries have decided to implement at the beginning of the game( number of creatures involved, number of points used as wager, type of magical powers allowed).
Game play Innovation : Players don't have to spend long hours on the game before having the feeling that they actually evolve.
Community tools : An IRC-like system makes it possible for opponents to chat during a duel. Special onsite portals allow players to swap, sell and buy creatures. Other virtual meeting places will serve as forums where players can interact and voice their opinion on specific aspects of the game.
Release date: Q4 2001
SISMOPLAY
Sismoplay is located in Lyon, FRANCE at the confluence of two rivers, le Rhône and la Saône, immersed in a stream of innovative projects and ideas. The nucleus of this never resting cell is composed of 8 collaborators.
They're all from different backgrounds but share a mutual desire: To conquer the vast territories of the Online Gaming Continent.
SISMO Suggests the seismic tremors felt when one is under the spell of a game.
PLAY Evokes pleasure; fun in it's purest, most spontaneous form.
The etymology of the word SISMOPLAY can be summed up in the following way: The combination of these 2 elements in a unique binary structure reflects the synergy found at the core of the Sismo-Team.
At Sismoplay we want gamers to get a real idea of what our games are all about before they pay a single penny playing them. That is why DuelField, our upcoming title, will be available at no cost; the software being completely free. Players will be able to play it online for free as well, allowing them to get familiar with the basic rules and unique gameplay through an hands-on approach. Free access although will only be available in "friendly mode" not adding results to the general game stats and providing only limited admittance to community chat rooms, portals and forums. In order to play in "challenge mode", getting ranked in the stats and be allowed to use the game's advanced features, players will have to subscribe to DuelField. An aggressive pricing policy will ensure that the vast majority canplay the game.
The software will be downloadable from many web portals.
It will also be included on various Sismoplay partners CD Roms found in the press and in software bundle CDs. This will make it possible for gamers that don't have a high speed Internet connection to install the game on their computer without having to spend too much time and money in the process.
At Sismoplay we put a great a deal of effort making sure that our games look as good as they're fun to play with. This has lead us to go for a technology that can yield an impressive graphic output while not restricting players for technological reasons.
Most games on the market, especially online ones, require powerful pc's equipped with recent 3D video cards and fast CPUs. DuelField uses pre-rendered 3D graphics thus ensuring smooth and superb animations on older and entry level machines.
Alias Wave Front's Mayatm software was used for modeling texturing and animation of characters, backgrounds and special effects. To give a lifelike feel to the different creatures found in the game we've relied on the latest 16 camera Vicontm motion capture system.
We want to make the experience of online gaming a truly stimulating one, for all, while building a solid and lively gaming community.
SISMOTEAM
HENRY ARCAN 31 years old, Chairman. He is the founder of CUCUMBER, one of the very first Minitel community BBS's. He was chief executive at ATIG SA for 3 years, during which he helped that company grow as a leader on the restaurant management software market. He's the Sismo-team's coach as well as the financial guru.
Manuel BEVAND 24 years old, Lead Designer. He has been a professional trading card game player for many years. He has travelled the world for the sake of strategy games. He's a former community admin at Infonie, a major French ISP. He conceives the games environment and background. He designs the general ergonomics while giving gameplay a major role.
Pierre Loïc HERVE 31 years old, R&D Director. He has worked on game ports from and to many platforms as well as developing a crowd simulator VR module for IBM. Pierre has to make sure that program architecture and security are set to meet the highest standards.
Laetitia PIERRE 27 years old, Artistic Director. Laetitia is a multidisciplinary artist with a great deal of knowledge about the heroic fantasy genre. She gives life and shape to DuelField's graphic environment, putting extra care in each of her drawings and animations to ensure that every detail is perfect.
Charles DUPUY 29 years old, International Marketing Director. He was born in the US. He worked as a project manager in Canada. He puts his understanding of the North American market to the use of fellow Eurosimopeans. His goal is to establish SISMOPLAY has a major online game publisher through high visibility and key partnerships.
Céline VARENNE 23 years old, Public Relations. Celine has managed to quickly build a solid network of contacts. Before joining Sismoplay she was in charge of public relations at Etranges Libellules, a renowned development studio. She truly is Sismoplay's ambassador to the world.
BACKGROUND
There is no need for lengthy explanations when it comes to the meaning of the word "DuelField". The Field is the mythical realm where the Great Deities fight each other. In their quest for total universe domination they rely on hordes of dutiful creatures to carry out their confrontational deeds. This struggle has it's origin buried deep in the past, in a time when there was only one Entity.
The Heroic-Fantasy universe has been tremendously fertile through the ages, spawning a huge number of creatures. DuelField was conceived in the same mould. But we have decided to add, to this universe, our own personal touch. In the process we've made it a bit more complex thus making it even more interesting for the players.
The search for a perfect balance between the heroicfantasy world and outstanding graphics has lead us to adopt a solution that yields an extremely high quality visual output. We are indeed talking about 3D but have taken great care in avoiding mishaps usually linked to the use of this technology.
DuelField's graphics are characterized by unsurpassed seamless animation and by high definition textures that allow the game to meet the highest gamers expectations without having to rely on high end hardware to play it. Pre rendered 3D graphics will give the owners of entry level machines the chance to enter the world of superbly crafted cinematics. Gamers don't have to worry about the need to possess the latest PC configuration to be able to indulge in their favourite intellectual sport.
Just a tiny reminder: DuelField is an Online Strategy game. As a player you embody one of the fighting Deities. You send your servants to fight the creatures of other Deities. According to an old saying " The more Trolls you slain the merrier you get". In other words the more fights a Deity gets into, the quicker it's creatures will gain power and experience points. But in order to manipulate it's servants at will, a Deity needs to acquire enough control points. About twenty creatures will be handed out to a Deity at Earth, Water, Fire, Nature, Air and Limbo are the six Elements from which all DuelField entities can have sprouted from; the creatures as well as the Deities. The player has to choose one of the Elements, to which he will identify with all through his Duels in the Field. This choice determines the type of relationship that will exist between a Deity and it's servants.
Every Duel takes place according to a set of rules that allows players to get into a friendly skirmish or to engage in a deadly battle. The end of a Duel comes when one of the Deities as seen it's fleet of servants annihilated. Both players have their squad of creatures on the Field at the beginning of a Duel. They try to use, in the most efficient way, their alters and servants abilities while relying on tactics to outmatch their opponents. Alters are the manifestation of the Deities supernatural powers in the form of various modified natural phenomena like firestorms, giant bee swarms, lava rain, ice orbs and many more. Their purpose is to have a direct impact on the creatures on the Field, whether to help or to disadvantage them; once again according to the elements used by both duelling Deities.
Deities that manage to win many Duels will see their creatures become stronger and more powerful over a short period of time. In the game's final version more than 300 creatures will be available. Each one has a different evolutions throughout it's life as a servant. For every evolution the creature changes appearance and gains new abilities. There will be 15 races to choose from; ranging from all time favourites like Trolls, Elves and Goblins to more exotic ones like the Sectopods (some say that they are the result of unnatural experiments involving a crab and a nuclear submarine). Demons of all kinds as well as Dragons will also be part of the ride.
The winner is rewarded by a number of experience and control points. They will be redistributed among the creatures according to the Deities will. Players can decide to use one or many creatures as wager, adding to the game's excitement.
Deities, as ferocious as they might be, still like to have fun, chat and talk about game strategy. This social behaviour as led us to elaborate a series of virtual spaces dedicated to the DuelField community. A voting system will be implemented so that players can voice their opinion about specific aspects of the game and eventually have them changed if required. Stats will be available to all to ensure that everybody is aware of the evolution of The Ultimate Saga.
Deities with similar goals and aspirations will ultimately get together, tie closer links and gather into a Pantheon; a form of brotherhood through which they promote their shared craving for victory. The year 2001 will see the unfolding of a new chapter in the world of online gaming.
All year round, events will lead you through what will be known as the DuelField ERA.
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