‘Island Forge,’ A Single Developer MMORPG on Kickstarter

Competing with the head honchos of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game’s world is a difficult task. ‘World of Warcraft’ and ‘Guild Wars 2′ are the two big names floating around and always in the discussion when it comes to MMOs. So it is difficult for a indie MMO to take flight. One of the aspects gamers consistently gripe about when discussing the problems of MMOs is the borrowed and reused ideas that have become stalwarts of the MMO genre. Nathan Baughman, a single developer, created Island Forge to change the notion that MMOs are out of the gamer’s control.

The basis of Island Forge is reliant on a single concept; player creation. Players are literally able to forge digital islands. On those digital islands players author their own stories for others to enjoy. A full-featured island editor is in place to make island creation easily accessible. These qualities makes the game’s growth reliant on the community of Island Forge players. The hope is to foster an enivornment full of committed players who have made personal investments into the world.

Gameplay is a ode to old-school rpgs. Players fight to gain resources, which are used to craft equipment, spells, etc. The users will take these tools and battle through other user’s invented quests. Players will then level up using a new HP/XP system developed specifically for Island Forge. Fortunately, for those of us who would prefer to quest alone, there is ample opportnunity for single player exploration. All those features are promised to those who would like take on multiple stories at their own pace.

Island Forge began funding on Kickstarter on August 14, 2012 and is currently at $625 of the $4,000 goal. Funding ends on September 13th, 2012. Give it a look and see if it is up your alley.