By now, Mythic Games' Dark Age of Camelot is a venerable game that has grown, matured, and remained popular since its smooth launch back in 2001. Though development continues on the game--Mythic has at least two more expansions currently in the works--the time has come for the developer to start showing off its next big thing, which is a science fiction-themed online RPG called Imperator. This next game will supposedly be a major departure from Dark Age, both in terms of setting and in terms of gameplay. And, according to Mythic's CEO Mark Jacobs, the company is "attempting to create a revolutionary product" with this next game. We hope to get a good, clear sense of the game at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo, but for now, here's a rundown of what we know about Imperator going into the event.

　　The premise of Imperator is that the Roman Empire never collapsed and eventually ushered in millennia of peace. However, now that spaceflight is a reality, and interstellar political relations are a reality, Rome's authority and power are once again on shaky ground. Players will enter into this tumultuous world and will have the opportunity to forge their own paths. "The experience defines the player," is the expression Mythic has been using to promote the game's open-ended structure. This means, presumably, that Imperator will not revolve around the sort of combat-focused gameplay that's at the center of most online RPGs. In fact, the game will not have a character class system but will instead incorporate a skill system that encourages players to engage in and naturally excel in whichever activities they're inclined toward. As well, Imperator is being designed for a broad audience, which consists of both those willing to invest many hours a day into the game and those who can't afford the time to play very frequently or intensively.

　　Since spaceflight between planets will be possible, we expect that the world of Imperator is going to be quite large and that the variety of locales will be significant. The first screenshots of Imperator don't reveal too much about the look of the game, though what we do get is a glimpse of a high-tech structure featuring some unmistakable Roman architecture. Mythic has previously assured us that Imperator won't just follow the conventions of science fiction but will instead introduce a variety of unique technology to give the world of the game its own, distinct identity.

　　We're very much looking forward to seeing Imperator at E3, since we're sure that the developers at Mythic must have a lot of creative ideas that just cannot be implemented in Dark Age of Camelot. The company has a lot of experience making successful, well-designed online games, and we hope to see that experience brought to bear when we finally get to take a look at Imperator. We'll have the details for you soon thereafter.