We interviewed Manticore Games, the studio behind Core, a new free platform for creating games on PC that will have an open alpha.
In 2016 Manticore Games was founded by Frederic Descamps and Jordan Maynard with the mission of creating competitive experiences in real time that resembled those titles that they enjoyed playing. Being fans of the mod community that exists on the Internet and after designing a tool that allowed them to receive feedback from players and apply it to their game almost immediately, they ended up realizing that they were no longer building a game, but a service. That's how Core was born, a free title that presents an open alpha as long as players can try it and understand its different approach. After interviewing its creators we can explain first hand what Core consists of and what its main keys are.
A complete creation tool with Unreal Engine
As in other similar games like Dreams, Core is divided into two main parts: creation and game. The Manticore Games title stands out for the ease of use of its tools and the speed of its publication. During the interview we were able to see live how to create an online multiplayer title and publish it in a few minutes. All of this is thanks to the resources found within Core, which would normally take weeks to design, such as scenarios, parts of buildings, objects, weapons and much more. By having everything available in a wide catalog, we just have to select what we want to use and place it in our own game.
"We want to break down all the barriers that video game development has and make it possible for everyone who wants to create a game to do so. Our idea is to democratize the creation of games ”.
At this point some of you may be thinking that the creation options are limited if we can only use previously created elements. Even so, in the demo they taught us how you can customize everything with the aim of making each game unique and if we really want our creation to stand out above others we have the necessary tools to do it. On the other hand, from Manticore Games they assured us that a large part of the elements that were available in the Core demo had been created by the community. Thus, items such as the Portal pistol or anything that users decide to create from scratch or in reference to other games or cultural works can be viewed and used.
Therefore, while users cannot upload their own textures or 3D models, they can take existing pieces and adjust them in size, scale and color, as well as merge them with other pieces. The idea is that, eventually, Core will host a large library of its own elements, levels and game systems that users can take advantage of to design their own creations in detail.
Just to give you an example, even though we can't show you on video, the Core director was able to create a first-person shooter in a few minutes. He started by selecting a desert map and adding various pre-created elements: buildings, stone arches, bridges, roofing, and more until the area was quite complete. After that, he distributed various weapons such as sniper rifles, shotguns and grenades throughout the area in order to invite another member of the study to join. It only took a few seconds to publish the game on the Core platform and the companion was easily accessible. There they faced each other and we could see in motion a title that, despite being simple, worked well.
Play alone or in multiplayer mode on multiple titles
In Core we can create a wide range of different titles: shooters, battle royale, MOBA, single player games, etc., or at least that's what Manticore Games promise us. For now we have not been able to see the complexity that these works can reach and if they can really be considered "complete games" and not just limited and simple experiences. It is something like what happens with Dreams, a work by Media Molecule in which we find a wide range of creations but the vast majority are small mini-games that serve more to show the potential of the tools of the title than to make great works appear.
This is a situation that can change over time and the arrival of new creators and players, something that Core intends to achieve with the striking appearance that the creations and characters of the game present, thanks to the Unreal Egine engine. After creating our own avatar, we will be able to access an extensive library of games that are elaborated with the previously mentioned process. To refine our search we can select the genre we are looking for, access a section of highlighted creations or even search by author, since those who dedicate time and effort to game design will soon be highlighted.
We can play alone or cooperatively with friends through a simple system that allows us to advance through portals to move from one game to another. Thus, avoiding time wasted returning to the menu, loading another title and others and the process is greatly facilitated through the control of our own avatar and the advance between creations.
As we indicated, for now we have not been able to see many Core games running, so it is still early to determine the complexity that they can reach or if there will be bugs or problems when trying to advance from one to another, especially when the network of the game is saturated by the arrival of a large number of users, for example.
Create an avatar and buy skins and aesthetic elements
As it is a free game, we do not miss the occasion of the call to ask the Manticore Games team where they will get the income to keep the game active after its launch. The answer is in the cosmetic items and the customization options of our avatars. As in other games like Fortnite (which has a very similar appearance to Core due to using the same graphics engine), we can design our protagonist in detail and dress him with different elements such as clothing, helmets, backpacks, in addition to equipping him of complete skins.
This is where Core will add internal purchases, but from Manticore they assure us that they will regulate it as long as it does not become a pay-to-win or there are no loot boxes, but that we can simply acquire special aspects or elements through in-game currencies and others for real money. In addition, they have thought of a system so that in-game content creators can design their own skins and sell them to interested users in order to generate some income of their own.
Financial compensation for players and moderation of creations
It is not yet entirely clear how this system will work. Users won't be able to sell games directly to Core, at least for now. Even so, they will be able to monetize certain content such as cosmetic items or seasonal passes in the game. The Manticore team assures that they are looking for the most effective way to develop this system effectively and that the creators feel that their time and effort are rewarded.
For now, they draw parallels with Twitch, a free to use and consume streaming platform that provides income to streamers through donations, subscriptions, custom emotes, and more. Something similar will happen in Core, but we will have to wait for the game to open and definitively to check it.
On the other hand, we asked those responsible for the title how they plan to regulate and moderate the content that comes from Core. Since it is a tool that allows us to publish our creations directly and without the need to cross a barrier, it is not strange to think that many users will take advantage of the occasion to expose disrespectful creations or make hurtful comments towards certain groups, for example. At Manticore they promise to be vigilant in order to eliminate all the content that is not appropriate and they trust that the community itself ends up self-regulating and is respectful and healthy.
Definitely…
Core is a different work that will allow us to create PC games for free, easily and publish them in a matter of minutes. Its open alpha is already available so that all those interested in creating or enjoying games already created by others can do so. For all that we have seen, Manticore Games have managed to make a title that will attract the attention of users for its colorful appearance, its ease of use, being able to cooperatively play creations and the fact that it is free, among other parameters.
Only time will tell if Core will become what its creators intend it to be: "The YouTube of video games" and a way to "democratize the creation of games" and avoid the great economic and time costs of making a work. right from the start. Thanks to Core, all those who dreamed of creating a video game will now be able to do so and if the imagination of users has no limits, neither will the creations that appear in the platform's catalog.
