For those Sci-Fi buffs among you who are looking to sink their teeth into a good futuristic MMORPG, Kevin Balentine, Marketing and PR Manager of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, is here to talk about the many pros of their upcoming game based on the Stargate TV series in Stargate Worlds.

Co-developed with the big time film and television media company MGM, Stargate Worlds takes a look into the early seasons of the TV series, with five playable races so far included in the roster. Aside from the typical humans, players will be able to play the role of the friendly Asgards, as well as the evil symbiotic alien race, the Goa'uld. Sadly, the god-like Oris won't be making an appearance in the game since they were only recently featured in season nine of the TV series.

Balentine also mentioned that the game will concentrate on selling itself to a majority of gamers on "average" systems, with the Unreal Engine 3.0 being the basis where the game will be building itself on. One of the biggest hurdles encountered was its fusion with the BigWorld technology, which was the infrastructure of the game that they were particularly proud of implementing successfully.

A lot of the elements in the TV series will definitely be seen in the MMORPG - from the races and locations to even the gate technology which the series takes its name from. Balentine explains how Stargate Worlds will be making use of the concept of gate technology in-game:

Gate technology seems almost made for MMO's. In a standard MMO you might get a quest to kill ten wolves, you travel this great distance to kill the wolves only to find out that you have to go back there to kill something else. The gate compresses all that walking and can put the player nearly to where the action is.

There has been no definite schedule for the beta so far, but fans of the series can expect to see it sometime next year.

There's this MMO game called Citizen Zero from Australian developer Micro Forte that has been in development for more than seven years now. The company mentioned that the game is to sport middleware BigWorld Technology, the same software that powers Stargate Worlds.

Sadly, Micro Forte just announced that it is abandoning the project altogether without explaining why. The last thing known about Citizen Zero is that it's "deep in development hell," as reported by gaming site IGN back in 2004. The head of Micro Forte studios Steve Wang commented that there's something fans can look forward to from them.

Although we were sad to stop working on Citizen Zero, we are extremely excited about the progress of our spy project. We are at an exciting crossroads where many new game-play styles and experiences have become possible in virtual world environments.

Wang added that the spy project is an MMO as well but deals more with the genre's social aspect. The company's lead designer shared also shared this:

We're not giving too much away at this stage. Obviously our new project is a spy-themed MMO, but it incorporates new game-play elements and technologies that we are really looking forward to delivering to the public.

So goodbye Citizen Zero, hello spy-themed MMO.

Slipgate Ironworks and Interzone Entertainment have both announced that they will be using the BigWorld Technology Suite for their respective upcoming MMO titles. The BigWorld Technology Suite is billed as "the complete MMOG solution," providing all of the difficult technology required to produce an engaging next-generation MMOG.

Slipgate Ironworks is the new game development company formed in 2005 by id Software co-founder John Romero. "The BigWorld solution enables a streamlined production period which brings our game to market sooner," said Romero. "We are extremely pleased with the technology offering and support BigWorld is providing on this MMO."

Interzone Entertainment COO Robert Spencer commented, "BigWorld is clearly leading the field, with a proven technology and tools solution that allows us to hit the ground running. With the BigWorld Technology already in place, we are free to concentrate on what we do best, develop compelling worlds with innovative and exciting gameplay."

Both Slipgate and Interzone have yet to release details on their upcoming games.

Hangzhou-based online games developer Cpegasus Network Technologies has just announced today that the BigWorld Technology Suite will be their game development platform of choice for their upcoming MMO title. Cpegasus joins Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and others who use BigWorld as their development platform.

The Bigworld Technology Suite - which is comprised of BigWorld Server Software, Content Creation Pipeline, 3D Client Engine Package, Live Management Tools & Instrumentation - is billed as the only complete MMOG solution, providing all of the difficult technology required to produce an engaging next-generation MMOG.

Cpegasus' general manager Jiang Zhuqiang was clearly excited about their latest step forward.

We have spent six months carefully evaluating the available engines for next-gen developers, and finally we decided to use the most professional MMOG solution in the world. That is the BigWorld Technology Suite which is the most complete engine for MMOG development.

"Through using BigWorld's solution, we can largely save time and cost which can now be used in other areas of our development," he added. "At the same time, BigWorld provides us with substantial support and training, which will also ensure the success of our project."

Whenever the company Vivox is mentioned, VP of Product Management and Marketing Monty Sharma almost always comes to mind. He's always actively campaigning for their VOIP gaming technology and to be frank about it, the service is indeed innovative and impressive. We came across the guy again today through an interview by gaming site MMORPG and as always, he always has something new and interesting to say.

Sharma initially reflected on how the in-game voice service change the game. "As we've all learned the hard way, typing and combat don't mix - it's a good way to die. And being able to talk freely improves strategy because your guild can discuss the plan of attack in detail without being tied to the keyboard for IM."

He then went on to  enumerate rival companies like Ventrilo and TeamSpeak and emphasized that the main difference between them is that Vivox requires no separate application to run and no credentials and server addresses to negotiate.

As of now, MMOs such as Fallen Earth and EVE Online use the Vivox technology. However, Sharma reveals that they are most excited about their partnership with BigWorld. "We have integrated our voice services into BigWorld's suite of game development tools. Game developers using the BigWorld Technology Suite can now have access to a pre-implemented and tested voice solution," the official said.

Lastly, Sharma would like to remind everyone that the Vivox technology can actually be used even if the player is not in the game. He even mentioned an example of that feature's benefits - "Imagine that your guild is about to plan a raid and you need to have an important strategy meeting, but you are stuck in your car commuting, or your corporation is under attack, and you need to get a message to all of the members whether they are in the game or not. You shouldn't be left out just because you are not running the game."

The 2007 Online Game Development Conference (OGDC) was announced last month by Evergreen Events, and it's going to be focused on connecting everyone to come up with creative and technical solutions in developing online games. While the event hasn't happened yet (it's set on May 10 and 11 of next year in Seattle), we already have a couple of updates on the upcoming conference.

Firstly, IBM and BigWorld Technology are going to be two major sponsors. The CEO of the latter company believes that online games are growing to become opportunities for game developers. This conference will allow them to learn more about the industry and gain a solid network of the major players in the field. There's also going to be a chance for people to speak out in front of the bigwigs in online gaming development. It's going to be a great opportunity for some of you guys to present your ideas and be recognized for them.

If you're interested, online registration will open on October 16. And if you sign up before March 2 of next year, you'd be able to save US $ 300 and buy tickets for only US $ 195. You might even win a VIP pass if you sign up within this week. To register and learn more about the event, click the Read link below.