Hunt The THING: Hunt The THING in the media

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

With all the publicity, I figured it might be nice having an oversight of news articles that referenced the release of ROCKtropia's Hunt The THING.

Should you find any that we missed, feel free to post them here :)

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

Desctructoid:

Hunt The Thing is an MMO based on, yep, you guessed it

This is one of those announcements that's simply too out of left field not to post. Partnering with Universal Pictures, NEVERDIE Studios has made a free, "movie-length" massively multiplayer online game based on the impending The Thing prequel.
Hunt The Thing is built using CryEngine 2 and allows you to play as a scientist or a soldier. Yes, there's even blood samples. In order to try this out, you'll need to download NEVERDIE's ROCKtropia Virtual World, which acts as a hub. Might just be worth a look.
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http://www.destructoid.com/hunt-the-thing-is-an-mmo-based-on-yep-you-guessed-it-212013.phtml

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

MMORPG:

NeverDie Announces Hunt: The Thing

Posted Sep 23, 2011 by Suzie Ford

NeverDie Studios, developers of Rocktropia, has announced that it has released a movie tie-in MMO based on the Universal Studios film, "The Thing". The game is called Hunt The THING. The movie is slated to be released in mid-October.

Hunt The THING will allow fans to immerse themselves into the terrifying world of The Thing just before the new film arrives to tell the story of what exactly happened at the doomed Thule international research station in Antarctica. After downloading the free-to-play MMOG Hunt The THING, fans will be immediately thrust into a virtual Antarctic world where they are tasked with uncovering the mystery and ultimately hunting down The Thing.
Read the full press release here or check out the official Hunt The THING website.

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http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm/loadNews/22001

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

MMOSite

Movie-Based MMOG Hunt The Thing Launches

NEVERDIE Studios, creators of the ROCKtropia Virtual World, a sophisticated, next-gen, cash prize--based game world with mythology drawn from pop culture, today announced the release of Hunt The THING. This new movie-length massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) event is inspired by Universal Pictures' upcoming thriller The Thing, which opens in theatres nationwide on October 14, 2011. The game was developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing.

Hunt The THING exists as an experience within NEVERDIE Studios' ROCKtropia, a vibrant, digital hangout where players can socialize and congregate with millions of other players worldwide. Players can go on missions; win coveted virtual prizes with high cash values; buy, sell and trade virtual goods in a $100 million-plus marketplace; listen to live music; play games; and even travel through space to other MMOGs. Additionally, Hunt The THING will be featured at ROCKtropia's Hyperplex movie theater. Once players enter the theater, they will be transported to the Antarctic, and their Hunt The Thing adventure will begin.

Hunt The THING will allow fans to immerse themselves into the terrifying world of The Thing just before the new film arrives to tell the story of what exactly happened at the doomed Thule international research station in Antarctica. After downloading the free-to-play MMOG Hunt The THING, fans will be immediately thrust into a virtual Antarctic world where they are tasked with uncovering the mystery and ultimately hunting down The Thing. Whether they choose to play as a scientist or soldier, each of whom possess unique skill sets and upgrade paths, players will need to explore abandoned bases, decipher clues, take blood samples, secure gear, gather weapons, fight friends and enemies alike, and survive the many dangers presented by the world’s most inhospitable and uninhabitable continent.

"Hunt The THING is truly the first massively multiplayer game experience of its kind," said Jon "NEVERDIE" Jacobs. "It brings together the depth of the classic MMORPG and the edge-of-your-seat excitement of the new feature film The Thing for a true movie-length MMOG that you can experience quickly, but also enjoy for extended periods of time."

Hunt The THING will offer players numerous opportunities to win exclusive and highly collectible in-game virtual prizes. These include a collector’s edition flame thrower; a variety of automatic weapons and Antarctic survival gear; and, for those who are skilled enough to defeat The Thing, a combat helicopter that allows players to continue their adventures after the film is released on October 14. Players who complete the final Hunt The THING mission may enter expert mode for an opportunity to win even more valuable prizes.

Powered by the award-winning CryEngine 2, Hunt The THING will present players with an incredibly harsh environment alongside a mesmerizing storyline that weaves together elements from John Carpenter's 1982 feature film, the upcoming companion piece and the previously released The Thing game. Hunt The THING takes place within NEVERDIE Studios' ROCKtropia Virtual World, which allows players to utilize the same avatar within multiple game spaces and carry over friends, skills and gear from game to game.

Hunt the THING is now available for PC download at www.HuntTheThing.com. There are no fees or subscriptions required. Fans of The Thing can download the game and immediately embark upon their mission to hunt down and destroy one of the most terrifying movie monsters ever conceived!
Full Size
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http://news.mmosite.com/content/2011-09-23/movie_based_mmog_hunt_the_thing_launches.shtml

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

Skewed and Reviewed

Hunt The THING MMORPG Interview

Recently I got to speak with Jon Jacob at Neverdie Studios about their new free to play, MMORPG Hunt The Thing. The game is based on the movie due in theaters October 14th. I want to thank Jon and Brandon for arranging the interview.

How did the idea for the game come about and what is the background and setting for the game and how close does it follow the new and previous film?
We were discussing with Universal the possibility of using ROCKtropia as a backdrop for Movie length MMO’s and The THING stood out as a perfect fit. Our Platform Entropia universe features the Cryengine2 which is an amzing graphics engine for creating stunning Landscapes and the Antarctic is such a powerful setting. We chose to draw our inspiration primarily from both John Carpenters’ The THING and the upcoming prequal, but our story is set on our Virtual World ROCKtropia which exists in a parallel Universe so we are not Locked into the specific storylines of the movie.

Is it opened ended or story-based gameplay?
The main adventure is story based, you are recruited to hunt down The THING, it’s a very tight adventure that can be completed in a couple of hours if your good, perhaps longer if you don’t watch your back. But once you have completed the initial story, you can take on tougher challenges in an open ended scenario.

What sort of graphics engine is the game using and what does it allow players to do that is new to the genre?
The Cryengine2 is a superb engine and with destructibles and new audio elements we are really bringing a solid FPS feel to the MMO genre, the initial reaction to Hunt The THING from the ROCKtropia player base has been overwhelmingly positive, I think that for those gamers that love FPS games like Crysis, the delights of an MMO like ROCKtropia may have just become more tempting,

How will players gain experience and level?
Almost every action you take in Hunt The THING gives you experience, all of which has an impact on your Professional levels, so you can expect to gain a fair amount of combat and healing skills on this adventure!

How will player deaths be handled in the game?
When You die you revive at the nearest revival terminal which typically puts you back along the path, you don’t actually lose any experience but you may have wasted some valuable ammo.

How will missions and tasks be assigned?
The moment you enter Hunt The THING you are given the choice between two Mission paths Soldier or Scientist, from there you will be given the next mission all the way to the conclusion.

How is player vs. player going to be handled?
Well since this is a free to play adventure inside an MMO with a micro transaction economy, you need to be super careful with Your free Ammo, if you blow too much, then you are going to have to visit the Supply Dump and try to pick up enough free oil barrels to trade for ammo, but the supply dump is a PVP combat Zone, so You are gonna have to fight for it. When you are ready for your final showdown with The THING, you are also going to be in a PVP combat zone so you are going to need to make alliances to survive.

How is leveling and new powers dealt with in game?
If you are lucky you may Loot a powerful weapon from one of the Mobs, if it is too powerful for you to use, you can either sell it to another player or you can start skilling up to get the maximum effect. After you complete Hunt The THING you can acquire some SIB Weapons (Skill increase Bonus) to train with. But you don’t have to go through any grinding to Complete Hunt The THING. That is purely optional if you decide you want to enter expert mode or explore ROCKtropia or the rest of the Universe.

The scope of the game sounds amazing. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game?
Our biggest challenge was to have the game have the same vibe as the film, so far the feedback on that level has been very positive. The other great challenge was to balance the game so that new users and experienced ROCKtropia players could enjoy it equally.

How is combat handled in game and what weapons will players be able to use?
Its an FPS style combat System and the missions reward you with automatic weapons and of course a prized Flamethrower and if you get infected by The THING you will grow a tentacle! There are also Very Powerful and valuable Weapons you can loot as prizes.

Do you plan guilds and commerce?
Yes You can Join Gangs, Guilds, Groups, companies, no doubt you will meet people ready to enlist you as soon as you arrive and the commerce system is simply mind blowing, go check out the in world auction when you reach the 3rd base camp, there is an enormous amount of player 2 player trade, with plenty of opportunity to make money.

Get in on the action at Hunt The THING
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http://sknr.net/2011/10/10/64820/

NotAdmin · Oct 21, 2011

Handheld Heroes

Interview: Jon Jacobs of Neverdie Studios

Recently we had a chance to try out The Thing via Entropia Universe, a movie tie-in to coincide with The Thing, in theaters October 14th. We asked Neverdie Studios’ Jon Jacobs a few quick questions about the game and his thoughts behind it. His answers read a little more like a press release to me, but nevertheless we appreciate his taking the time to answer my questions.

Are you going to be clearing up the issues with the Entropia launcher? I attempted to load the game several times to try it out but was unable to do so due to technical issues that I was unable to solve through several different means. I would hope you would aim for a much cleaner experience, especially with an ambitious project such as this one.

The Entropia Universe Platform is always working to smooth the registration and download process. In general it has come a long way especially for such an ambitious platform, but once in a while someone still hits a snag.

Why did you choose to go with an MMO rather than a stand-alone title? The Thing’s original video game adaptation was certainly passable — you could have tried to outdo it!

NEVERDIE Studios’ Virtual World ROCKtropia is a Pop Culture MMO and our main focus is adding more fun things for your avatar to do there. We thought that offering our existing players the chance to go to the Virtual Hyperplex Movie Theatre to literally step inside the movie The THING, would be a really exciting and memorable event, while at the same time we wanted to offer the THING fans who are unfamiliar with ROCKtropia the chance to download Hunt The THING as a stand alone title with an MMO component. So you could say we created a stand alone title within an MMO. Also We definitely didn’t want to try to outdo the original The THING game, we prefer to pay tribute to all that has gone before and add to The THING Universe.

If this bid is successful, are you thinking of expanding into other film arenas? Perhaps we could see more integrated campaigns with successful film franchises?

That is something we are really excited about and Universal definitely recognized that now is the first time it’s really possible to create a world class MMO to engage fans and create anticipation during the build up to a Theatrical release. I’m looking forward to taking it further with each new title.

Has there been talks of bringing this kind of experience to a console, where socialization could play a bigger role? Xbox Live and PlayStation Network users would eat this up.

It’s definitely on the cards to take ROCKtropia across multiple Platforms in the future, It would just be mind boggling for PC, Mobile, Xbox and PlayStation users to all converge inside a Virtual Movie Event, that would be huge.

If you could take any upcoming IP and turn it into an MMO, what would it be?

There’s so many, but 47 Ronin comes to mind immediately, the Samurai Lore is so rich, it’s perfect for a Movie Length MMO and if proves popular we could keep expanding on it.
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http://handheldheroes.net/2011/10/interview-jon-jacobs-of-neverdie-studios/

Tass · Oct 21, 2011

New Gamer Nation

Interview: Jon Jacobs, Founder of Neverdie Studios

Posted by Pilot

Recently, New Gamer Nation had the chance to talk to Founder of Neverdie Studios, Jon Jacbobs. Neverdie Studios is the creator of ROCKtropia which is “a richly detailed alternate reality with mythology drawn from pop culture. ROCKtropia’s wild landscapes and urban centers provide the backdrop for movie inspired MMOG’s and Iconic artist attractions.” Jon Jacobs latest project titled “Hunt The Thing” revolves around a new MMO within the existing ROCKtropia space. This project is centered around “The Thing” universe and comes out around the same time as upcoming film “The Thing” but as you will soon find out there is more here than just a movie based game. ”Hunt the Thing” will blend the horror genre with an MMO experience giving gamers an experience unlike any other. Without further ado we present Mr. Jon Jacobs.

NGN: What was so appealing about “The Thing” universe that made this a good fit for ROCKtropia?
JJ: The Thing represents the absolute best combination of elements for a fit with ROCKtropia. mainly that thereare two antagonists in The THING, The Monster and the Environment. And both of these play toROCKtropia’s strengths. Utilizing the Cryengine2 we are able to make you feel the Chill in the Antarctic, we are able to heighten the sense of dread and adventure by creating a vast and inhospitable environment that you can truly get lost in. And most importantly The THING is one of the great cinematic monsters, it is both an Alien and Your Best friend rolled into one terrifying creature that literally freaks you out when you see it and of course the best possible defense against it is a Flame Thrower, what gamer can resist torching a monster like that.
NGN: What was the biggest challenge when trying to translate the film into the MMO area?
JJ: The Greatest challenges were capturing the cinematic integrity of the Movie, which was achieved by our Lead level designer Todd Verdeyen, he is very much a Virtual Cinematogrpaher, with a great eye for lighting. I think when you step inside Hunt The THING you really feel you have stepped inside the Movie, not just any antarctic enviroment. Next was to balance the gameplay in such a way that it would work both as a solo adventure or as a multi-player experience and also provide a challenge to very Experienced ROCKtropia Avatars as well as Complete noobs. This was accomplished by Michael Ray who wrote the Script for the game, he stuck very closely to The THING storyline, he made everyone who lands in the Antarctic feel like a Rookie. We stripped everyone of the advantages of Pre-existing high Powered weapons and tools and forced them to rely on free starter Weapons and skill alone. This really leveled the playing field and created an immersive experience for everyone.
NGN: What elements of the film were you set on keeping in the area?
JJ: The amazing Score, The sound design, The antarctic lighting and the paranoia, these were priority. Also we Stuck to the Exact Design of the THE THING itself.
NGN: What is the biggest challenge that gamers will face while playing “Hunt The Thing”?
JJ: I think many gamers are used to blasting through Ammo like there’s no tomorrow. ROCKtropia features a Real Cash economy, so You must ration your Free Ammo, you have to think intelligently; how am I going to survive this, how can I keep from getting my truck blown up, can I really trust the players around me?. Also they are going to be stunned by their own Avatar, there is so much depth to them, so many ways to develop skills. Ultimately however it is going to be about working together with friends or strangers to actually defeat the THING and escape, the reward for which is a helicopter which is priceless to anew player as it opens up the entire antarcitc for exploration and also it can be exported to ROCKtropia, where further adventure awaits.
NGN: Horror movies rely on tension and mystery to engage audiences, how will a game with so many players playing at the same time accomplish this task?
JJ: The moment you arrive, the way you are treated by the NPC’s that you meet, you feel both a tension and urgency that is maintained throughout the narrative, the music, the mood and the missions you are faced with create an air of mystery, that is very compelling, the fact that you are surrounded by other people trying to accomplish the mission at the same time as you doesn’t lessen the tension it actually increases it because you don’t know who to trust, so you want to stay ahead of them and also the fact that PVP factors into the gameplay ensures that you keep your guard up.
NGN: What lessons have you learned from ROCKtropia that you feel have proved usefull in the development of “The Thing”?
JJ: ROCKtropia is an Evolving Virtual world MMO with infinite possibilities and a Solid economy. We decided we didn’t want to force anyone to try to get to grips with The ROCKtropia mythology to enjoy Hunt The THING. We wanted it to be as easy as going to the movies and we wanted to provide for free the gear players need to enjoy and complete the storyline without having to Spend money. Also we felt that we wanted to create an intense Experience that you can feel satisfied with after completing in just a couple of hours more like a Movie vs an MMO, where you always have another level to get to.
NGN: Does the underlying story of “Hunt the Thing” retell the story of the movie or is this a new adventure? What are the main differences?
JJ: It is a new adventure, we in no way wanted to provide any spoilers for the Movie, our adventure takes place in a parralell Universe, it follows the same premise, but the outcome is unpredicatable. I think this important too, because as a player you want to feel that you can create your own destiny.
NGN: What kind of collaborative efforts were necessary when working with the license? Did you have free reign? How did Universal Studios receive your ideas?
JJ: We worked very closely with Universal with many brainstorming sessions, it was very important to them that we complimented the movie, but that we could also satisfy the gaming community, they really encouraged innovation, they were incredibly receptive and encouraging. We really enjoyed the process and we have the greatest respect for the filmmakers and we wanted to compliment their efforts.
NGN: What kind of experience should players expect when approaching “Hunt The Thing”? Will prior knowledge of “The Thing” universe give players a greater understanding of the story?
JJ: I like the idea, that players go into it as they would a movie, set aside a couple of hours and allow yourself to be transported. I truly think that you will feel like you are inside the Movie, but you are not following a storyline that you are familiar with so you will not know what is around each corner. This is an opportunity to allow your own imagination run wild, to test your survival skills and ultimately to have fun.
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http://www.newgamernation.com/?p=1742

Amber Knightley · Oct 21, 2011

http://www.neverdie.com/press/9105-hunt-thing-web-articles.html
http://www.neverdie.com/press/9420-electric-playground-hunt-thing-feature.html

NotAdmin · Nov 3, 2011

Neverdie's tie-in MMO to The Thing's prequel film will be holding a Halloween event, and has a trailer to celebrate.

From Halloween (31 October, obvious information fans), players of Hunt The Thing will be able to win "one-of-a-kind props used during the making of the Universal thriller The Thing; Collector’s Edition DVDs of John Carpenter’s original 1982 film; as well as in-game rewards, such as Flamethrowers and Armor". Which doesn't sound too shabby.
The trailer doesn't have much to do with the above, however. Instead it's a waltz through some snowy in-game footage that encourages you to trust no-one (especially not dogs).

Hunt The Thing is free to play, at the following site.
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http://www.incgamers.com/News/29493/hunt-the-things-trailer

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