Imagine a world...
...without boundaries. Where you can build, design, modify, amass a mighty host, engage in battles of massive scale, and help guide a civilization to heights unknowable. From the humblest of villages, to the most unassailable of empires, many shall rise, many shall fall, but only one team shall win.
The concept of Universe is unmitigated, boundless expansion. It permits a team of players to embark on a quest to dominate the galaxy. This end can be achieved in a number of ways. The most important concept, however, is that the world is player-made. There is very little that is set and fixed. Unlike large MMOs with a fixed, known map, the map of a Universe session is random. Unlike RTS games, however, where the map is discarded in mere hours at the most, a Universe "map" will persist for years while players endeavor to conquer the massive space provided to them.
The scope of Universe spans from hunter-gatherer to inter-galactic civilization -- in real space, in real time. The game encourages cooperation to a point, yet also requires players to compete with other teams in order to achieve greater advancement. In many ways, it is a combination of five genres at once --
- Real-Time Strategy: Coordinate the construction and command the logistics and strategy of potentially vast armies (millions of units) against equally vast player-controlled opposing forces.
- First-Person Shooter: On the front lines of the battlefield, you command your units and vehicles to crush the opposing army from a first-person perspective.
- Simulation: Using your skills, you can build enormous cities to bring glory to your culture, and support your growing civilization.
- Craft: Rebuild the world as you see fit -- blow up hills, fill in valleys -- move entire oceans...or even solar systems.
- MMO: Do all this and more with vast teams of players, governed as you see fit.
Of course, no illusions concerning this being an easy task are held. Working with teams of three is difficult -- let alone teams of hundreds. With the cooperation of your teammates, however, the Universe is your oyster. Conquer your enemies and reshape the worlds as you see fit.
Is this all there is to Universe?
Not entirely. A lot of work related to UI, player interaction, resource use, and how to build a dynamic object system has been done. However, the concept is, indeed, still in a relatively young phase.
