Surgeon Simulator dev reveals physics-based multiplayer game Worlds Adrift
A playground full of grappling hooks and flying ships.
Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread developer Bossa Studios has revealed its next project as Worlds Adrift.
While still in its embryonic stages, based on its trailer Worlds Adrift looks a little like a cel-shaded open-world massively multiplayer Bionic Commando. But then it also has ship-building and aircraft piloting, so it's not exactly clear what the focus is on.
Actually, it's not clear to the developer either. As such, Bossa is opening up its door to hear ideas from fans that may or may not get implemented in the final product. "We're entering uncharted territory, we're not sure if some of the things we're now capable of doing are any fun to play with, and if together they create a game anyone would like to play. After all, what good is a new idea if no one enjoys playing something built with it?" wrote Bossa's "gamer-in-chief" Henrique Olifiers on the game's development blog.
"As a player, you know better than anyone what's fun and what's not. We're opening up the development of Worlds Adrift so we can go on this journey together, and so you can help us craft the game we would all love to play."
Worlds Adrift's forum will open up in January, but there's already a newsletter you can sign up for to stay in the know as Bossa asks for feedback on this ambitious project.
There is one thing Bossa is very keen on with this upcoming game: physics will play a huge role in it. "We love physics in our games. Physics is what makes Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread tick: no two game sessions are alike, because a lot of weird and interesting stuff can happen, so gameplay possibilities abound. It was pretty disappointing when we found out it couldn't be done in multiplayer - or at least that's what everyone told us," Olifiers said.
"Think about it: from deathmatch arenas to MMORPGs, you don't really play with physics. There's no throwing a player against another to have both falling to the ground; no chopping down a tree to squash a passing-by creature; no having vehicles crash into parts that fly away and hit everyone around. No crumbling buildings with dangerous debris, no explosions throwing people in different directions... These kind of things don't exist on multiplayer games, your sword barely grazes your enemies when rampaging through a dungeon with friends."
"So we set our minds to try to crack this problem and see if we could somehow change the status quo," Olifiers continued. Step one in doing this was Bossa joining up with experimental technology developer Improbable to bring this physics-based multiplayer game to fruition. Now it just needs to sort out what exactly that game will be.
Based on the limited information gleaned so far, what would you like to see Bossa implement?
