Every Thing You Need to Know About RAW – Sandbox MMORP Game:

Gamers prefer MMORP games over others. With MMORP games moving towards realism and scalability, the entertainment quotient is also on the rise. One such game which has created ripples in the gaming industry just with its trailer launch is RAW. It is currently raising backers and funds through Kickstarter, but the developers have raised a storm with the videos and glimpses of the game which they have offered.

In gaming terms, as per the videos and screen grabs of the game, it can put oldies like Secondlife to shame. The developers claim that they have taken inspiration from GTA, Rust, and Arma life, but what makes it so unique? Is it really worthy of the storm that it is creating? Or is it just a storm in a teacup? We will today lay bare every detail of this open-world survival game to help you understand more. 

Let us first start with the basics.

 

What is RAW?

RAW in the simplest terms is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The premise of the game is an Island with nothing but vegetation present. The players have to first start by choosing a governor who can then develop the city and facilitates its expansion. True to its name, during the initial stage, the game is completely raw.

The game involves all the facets of life; like work, trade and commerce, governance, procuring of resources and interacting with other players. The game developers claim that the graphics will be as good as GTA V, which has intrigued quite a few gamers. With its scalability and realism, it has been able to garner a lot of attention.

The essence of the game is to simulate real-life as closely as possible but on a massive wide-scale to help players, play their roles with complete authenticity. While the concept has been touched in GTA games to a certain extent but it still remains underexplored. The scale at which RAW has captured the essence of role-playing is unprecedented. That is why; RAW has been able to garner so much attention.

Who’s behind it?

Killer Whale games are developing RAW. In their own words, it is a company with a small team of game developers. However, the website states that they are much more obsessed with realism and details than any other company. With already 2 years into the development, the company is serious about developing and releasing it. They have a realistic approach and have claimed that it can take up to 12 months for early access.

The company claims that the inspiration to create this game will be Arma Life and Rust. They are aware of the challenges due to the scale which they are trying to achieve. The company has a newsletter and a journal to gather patrons and keep them informed about the game.

The approach of the developers in recognizing the challenges and the problems provides them with an edge. The developers are not overpromising anything and have a realistic approach towards game development. While the developers might be new, but the detailed Kickstarter plan certainly inspires a lot of trust and confidence in their abilities.

GamePlay:

Since; you are familiar with the premise of the game, let us look into the nitty-gritty to understand what provides it with an edge. We will go into the different aspects of gameplay to help you understand why it is so unique and why it has been able to capture the attention of the gaming community.

 Real-Life Simulation:

As a player in the game, you are a citizen of an island. You have to lead a normal life by doing things like getting a job, finding transport, buying land, or constructing a home or starting a business. The game has provided complete freedom in almost all respects. You can decide to stay within the confines of the law or live as an outlaw. If you want to explore the game, you can even have fun with your in-game buddies. The options are virtually endless, like in real life.

The game starts with you as a citizen on the island with nothing but vegetation. You have to appoint a governor who will form a team and govern the city. The Gov will then try to maintain law and order to create a habitable city. As a citizen, you can do your bit to build a city or lead a normal life. You can even run for the mayor or get a job. As we said above, the possibilities are endless. We will not delve deeper into the various aspects of the game that provide it with the realism for which it has become famous.

 Real estate:

One of the game’s aspects which have significant prominence is the real estate. You will have the option to buy real estate anywhere on the island. There are different real estate options for residential applications, commercial applications, and production applications. You have to not only buy the land but also construct the building on that land. The moment you progress in the game, you will have the option to interact with other players.

The construction of a building involves buying resources from the stores in town and/or hiring others with the right transport vehicles to have the supplies delivered. As you progress, you will have to indulge in real-life tasks like protecting your property with a security system. These acts foster realism in the game which takes a center-stage in every aspect of the game.

 Governance:

The game is big on quality of life. The mayor, along with the team, will be responsible for handling issues like taxation, modernization of buildings, and construction of infrastructure. Again, instead of just making things appear out of thin air, the mayor and his team will have to procure resources and buy them from the ports or corporations for the infrastructure. They will have to look at the cost of the resources and construction as well.

There will be a spate of state infrastructures like hospitals, public garages, prisons, police stations, and more. Each of these buildings will open up new avenues for players to interact with each other and to bag job and business opportunities accordingly.

For example, after the police station is ready, you can apply to become a police officer. Also, the mayor will require upgrading the building from time to time as the city expands, and the police station requires more space to employ more officers. Such modernization levels will continue throughout the game and will create more opportunities for players.

The interaction between the law and the criminal world will remain fluid. Both sides will be controlled by players rather than just having a prebuilt sequence in them. That is why; the fluid situation will surely keep things interesting.

The governance aspect further simulates real-life situations like stocking the police station with ammunition and supplies from time to time. It is the job of the mayor and the government to ensure that the essential supplies in state buildings are present in ample quantities. Any supply chain glitch can impact the law and order situation in the city and also have an impact on the digital life of other players.

As governance is an issue which touches the lives of all the citizens in the game, it can have a ripple effect. That is why the realism which the game offers is unprecedented. Nothing relies on prebuilt sequences but rather real fluid situations and the impact of situations on the digital life of players.

With seemingly endless possibilities, governance is just a single aspect of the game. Brace up as we go into other aspects of the game and the scale of this game begins to dawn on you.

 Town:

Every aspect of the players and game revolves around the town being built. The game developers have clearly stated that across the map, there can be multiple towns. As a result, the scale of the game is huge keeping in mind the interest of the gaming community. Each town will have its mayor, shops, hospitals, state buildings, and private buildings.

The game goes a step further and facilitates you to interact and use every building in the town. It means that each store, residential construction, or a manufacturing facility is 100% functional. You can enter and use buildings like supermarkets, manufacturing facilities, parking lots, etc. The game developers have envisaged a game which relies on the actions of the players to create fluidity.

An example highlighted by the game developers is that if you leave your vehicle in the no parking zone or on the road, it will be towed away in a few minutes. Another player will tow the car having that job. The town provides ample opportunities for the players to bag a job or start a business. The realism mimics the increase in traffic as the population grows and also the inclusion of more buildings as the town develops.

The developers have showcased how they have taken inspiration from real-life US towns to create realistic simulations in the game. To be honest, if the graphics and the trailer are anything to go by, they can certainly match if not better the graphics of GTA V, which is a huge achievement.

 Trade and commerce:

Trade and commerce is the cornerstone of this game. It is multi-faceted, which means that you will have as many opportunities as in the real world to make a living. You can start a business, work for one, or apply for a state job.

The business system simulates real business processes like maintaining the supply chain, demand-supply variance, and so on. In fact, your business can become unprofitable, and it can go bankrupt as well. You will have to even pay taxes like in the real world. The government determines the tax rate. As you can see, the developers aim to create a parallel digital world in which you can lead a normal life of your choice.

You can hire other players to work for your business depending on the skills and the resources that they have. Another facet which helps you gauge the depth of this game is the illegal business activity in which you can indulge. If the police department of the city is understaffed or weak, you can get away with that activity. On the other hand, if the mayor and government are spending heavily on bulking up the police department, they will eventually catch you, and you will face the law.

With all aspects of trade and commerce included like supply chain management, demand, and supply equation, taxation, legal and illegal business activity, the complete business spectrum is covered in the game. It provides you with the level of dynamism which is not seen in any other role-playing game currently.

 Environment and Vegetation:

The city has a playable area of 400 km. It provides you with plenty of options to indulge in business or get a job or buy the land which you want. The island will have different types of vegetation to mimic the real surrounding. In fact, the core eco-system consists of a large island surrounded by other smaller islands. The game developers have clearly stated that during the initial stages of the game, these smaller islands will not be accessible until the government constructs bridges to these islands. 

The variation in vegetation makes them similar to real-life regions, which is why the game looks much more realistic. The game developers have introduced different topographic features in different parts of the island. They call these biomes. A part of the island can feature a biome consisting of Rocky Mountains whereas another biome can feature a salt lake or a tropical island. This variation can help you migrate to a biome which you prefer.

The vegetation variation and the graphics are a part of the game that developers plan to improve drastically in the future to make it even more realistic. However, in the current form, as seen in the trailer, it will not give you much to complain about.

 Multiplayer gaming:

The last aspect of the game, which makes it more special is multiplayer gaming. Whether you come across a thief, burglar, police officer or a businessman, behind all of these are real players. According to the developers, the capacity of each server will be up to 200 players. This limit will not only help them provide a glitch-free experience but also make it fun and interactive for everyone to dawn upon their digital roles and interact with others.

One thing which you would have realized by now is that the game covers every aspect of modern-day living. The game provides you with the larger than life scenario in the digital form. When you take into account that multiples of servers will be operational 24/7, you will realize the real scale of the game. With realism and dynamism at the core, the raw playgame will create a revolution in the MMORP genre.

The current stage of development:

I’m sure by now; you are intrigued about the current status of the game. According to the developers, the early access to the backers will be offered in 6 months to 12 months. Currently, they are amidst a Kickstarter campaign. They have garnered enough backing for map development, integration of various modes of transport and other systems like electric and communication system. They have even covered the milestone to integrate metabolism and disease system. Their next milestones include things like character customization, advanced weapon systems, and so on.

The main reasons why many gamers have so much confidence in the development team is because of the detailed milestones which they have articulated. From the milestones, it is clear that they understand the level of work which is staring them and challenging nature of the work.

What are the challenges facing RAW?

The challenges facing the RAW playgame are plenty. These include:

1. The developers have shown an inclination that after the Kickstarter campaign, there will be a campaign on Indie Gogo. That is why; many of the backers think that the developers are in it only for money. While there is no evidence for the same but there is a notion developing about the same. While it might be just hearsay but it is up to the developers to quell these rumors in the bud.

2. One of the main challenges facing the development team is the scale of the project. In their own words, since they are a small team of developers, they will have to pull off a miracle to complete the game in time. Fortunately, the developers understand this and are seeking funding keeping this in mind. If they can indeed meet all the milestones, they can scale up their team, which will help them overcome this challenge.

3. The developers have no prior track record of delivery. That is why their communication will become utmost important. Only when they can keep the backers in the gaming community in the loop, they can win over their trust. If there are consistent glitches or unprecedented delays time and again, their credibility will take a beating which can work against them.

4. Lastly, in this fast-changing gaming industry, there is always a challenge that someone with deeper pockets might rival them. The game development team plans on converting this to their advantage. They clearly state in their Kickstarter campaign that even if another company launches a similar game before them, they will be able to outdo them. They plan on studying the competitors and surpassing them in terms of experience which they offer.

There is no denying that the development-team of RAW faces some daunting challenges but the sheer scale of their project provides them the incentive to overcome them. As they have already invested over two years in the project, there is a high probability that they might go ahead and make sure that the game sees the light of the day.

So, as a gamer, RAW certainly provides you with a unique proposition of experience in a parallel world like never before. It will help you indulge in every experience of modern-day life in the digital world. With such a large scale, it will surely revolutionize the MMORP gaming genre and set unprecedented standards for rival developers. Once the game comes out, the sheer curiosity which it has generated through the Kickstarter campaign can make it an instant hit. Do keep your eyes on killer whale games because they might deliver a blockbuster genre-changing game!