Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online Interview
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The intrinsic need for loot and gear means no jettisoning of the usual systems of shopping and crafting though how they're going to be portrayed hasn't been explained yet. I asked John Mueller what Space Marine towns would look like, and his response was simple: (Space Marines don't have towns. It's not like our cities are specifically a '˜Space Marine town', it's more just like a settlement in the Imperium, instead of a branded area.) Artistically, how do they ensure that a generic settlement stays interesting and true to the fiction? (Everything is really old! That's what Games Workshop always say, whenever they put something in 40K, just make it look really old.)
As 40K's overlords, GW are protective of their invention: it wouldn't do for a tech priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus, servants of the Emperor and born from the ancient forge world of Mars to be wearing a funny hat. Space Marines wear power armour; necessity states you could end up looking like your friend if you play the same class. John explains how to get around this problem and still foster a sense of identity. (Character customisation is about progression, where you go and what you do in the world changes how you look. Space Marine armour is so heavily adorned, you can imagine how the progression might go: a marine who's been on campaigns will make all kinds of adjustments to his armour reflecting his experience.) I'm mentally accessorising my marine already: a nice Tyranid tooth necklace would bring out the red in my power armour.
You're not going to be working from scratch, either. The Imperium is the only confirmed race so far, but every starting option has players coming into the game as a hero there's no Space Marine toilet cleaning duty to earn your stripes. A good thing when you're up against genetically superior backsides. Mike quickly outlined a typical opening to a newly minted character: (There's scenarios that introduce you to your character class. We'll throw you into your very first instance, to get a feel for a very player directed experience. Then you'll go to your trainers and merchants, then drop down onto the over-world from orbit.) The team kept schtum on how travelling between worlds would work in-game, but planet-hopping is necessary to advance the Sargos sector in which the game is set is a big chunk of space.
