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{{Title|''Titan'' (canceled game)}}
{{Title|''Titan'' (canceled game)}}
[[File:MMO.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Screenshot mock-up, with ''[[Wikipedia:World of Warcraft|World of Warcraft]]'' HUD superimposed.]]
[[File:MMO_Interface_Prototype_1.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Screenshot mock-up, with ''[[Wikipedia:World of Warcraft|World of Warcraft]]'' HUD superimposed.]]
[[File:MMO_Interface_Prototype_2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Another interface prototype.]]
{{Quote|Ensemble has been wanting to make an MMO for a long time. That was in production for a long time. The Halo IP was a great IP to launch an MMO with. Microsoft... hasn't had the best track record with those. <br>And we worked on it for a long time--we had staffed up an almost-40 person team. And then there was some reorganization at Microsoft, and the new bosses thought it wasn't the best idea anymore. It had actually been green-lit, and then it got cancelled after that.|Dave Pottinger<ref name="shacknews">[http://www.shacknews.com/article/55941/age-of-empires-dev-ensemble '''Shack News''': ''Age of Empires Dev Ensemble Speaks Out on Studio Closure, Microsoft, and the Cancelled Halo MMO'']</ref>}}
{{Quote|Ensemble has been wanting to make an MMO for a long time. That was in production for a long time. The Halo IP was a great IP to launch an MMO with. Microsoft... hasn't had the best track record with those. <br>And we worked on it for a long time--we had staffed up an almost-40 person team. And then there was some reorganization at Microsoft, and the new bosses thought it wasn't the best idea anymore. It had actually been green-lit, and then it got cancelled after that.|Dave Pottinger<ref name="shacknews">[http://www.shacknews.com/article/55941/age-of-empires-dev-ensemble '''Shack News''': ''Age of Empires Dev Ensemble Speaks Out on Studio Closure, Microsoft, and the Cancelled Halo MMO'']</ref>}}
'''Titan''' was the codename for a canceled ''Halo'' [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)]] developed by [[Ensemble Studios]] between [[2004]] and [[2007]].<ref name="interview1">[http://www.incgamers.com/Interviews/264/windstorms-dusty-monk-interview---part-one/2 '''IncGamers''': ''Windstorm's Dusty Monk Interview - Part One - Page 2''] (Dusty Monk: ''"For two years, before we all moved onto Halo Wars, we were working on an MMO prototype, and it was codenamed Titan."'')</ref> Following the project's cancellation in 2007, Ensemble Studios focused all of its resources into developing ''[[Halo Wars]]''.
'''Titan''' was the codename for a canceled ''Halo'' [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)]] developed by [[Ensemble Studios]] between [[2004]] and [[2007]].<ref name="interview1">[http://www.incgamers.com/Interviews/264/windstorms-dusty-monk-interview---part-one/2 '''IncGamers''': ''Windstorm's Dusty Monk Interview - Part One - Page 2''] (Dusty Monk: ''"For two years, before we all moved onto Halo Wars, we were working on an MMO prototype, and it was codenamed Titan."'')</ref> Following the project's cancellation in 2007, Ensemble Studios focused all of its resources into developing ''[[Halo Wars]]''.
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==Concept art==
==Concept art==
The descriptions in the following sections are based on the gallery of images and, as such, might not be entirely accurate. This concept was an exploration of what would and wouldn't work in the game, so many of these ideas would not reach the final product had it been completed.<ref name="robf2">[https://twitter.com/xemu/status/1151681062541713410 '''Twitter''': ''Rob Fermier's response''] - ''BTW most of that concept art is exploration of what does, and doesn't work, in the game.  It would definitely be a mistake to assume that it'd all end up in a shipping version of the game exactly like that.''</ref>
During the game's development, a number of concepts were produced by Ensemble Studios. The full concept art gallery can be viewed [[Titan (canceled game)/Concept art|here]].


===Classes===
==Screenshots==
{| style="border-collapse: collapse; border:1px solid #000; background:#F0F0F0;" width="100%" border="1" valign="top" align="center"
In 2008, user "goneisgone" uploaded an album of images of the ''Titan'' prototype to a Flickr gallery. These images are archived below, and can also be found [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30784486@N04/sets/72157607452469273/ here].
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
===World===
====Assault====
<gallery>
[[File:HaloMMO25.jpg|right|160px]]
File:MMO_AlienDesert_1.jpg|Alien Desert
Assault was intended to be a human class.
File:MMO_AlienDesert_2.jpg|Alien Desert
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_AlienDesert_3.jpg|Alien Desert
====Forerunner====
File:MMO_AlienJungle_1.jpg|Alien Jungle
Forerunners were intended to be a playable class.
File:MMO_AlienJungle_1.jpg|Alien Jungle
<center><gallery>
File:MMO_AlienJungle_2.jpg|Alien Jungle
File:Forerunner Soldier.sized.jpg
File:MMO_AlienJungle_3.jpg|Alien Jungle
File:ForerunnerMMO.jpg
File:MMO_AlienJungle_4.jpg|Alien Jungle
</gallery></center>
File:MMO_AlienJungle_5.jpg|Alien Jungle
|-
File:MMO_BlueBase_1.jpg|Blue Base
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_BlueBase_2.jpg|Blue Base
File:MMO_BlueBase_3.jpg|Blue Base
File:MMO_BlueBase_4.jpg|Blue Base
File:MMO_Canyon_1.jpg|Canyon
File:MMO_Canyon_2.jpg|Canyon
File:MMO_Canyon_3.jpg|Canyon
File:MMO_SciFiCity_1.jpg|Sci-Fi City
File:MMO_SciFiCity_2.jpg|Sci-Fi City
File:MMO_SciFiCity_3.jpg|Sci-Fi City
</gallery>


====Marine====
===Weapons===
Marine was intended to be a human class.
<gallery>
<center><gallery>
File:MMO_BruteShots.jpg|Brute Shots
File:HaloMMO Marines (class).jpg
File:MMO_Carbines.jpg|Carbines
File:HaloMMO Marines (class) 2.jpg
File:MMO_PlasmaRifles_1.jpg|Plasma Rifles
</gallery></center>
File:MMO_PlasmaRifles_2.jpg|Plasma Rifles
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_HardlightStaffs.jpg|Hardlight Staffs
====Mimic====
</gallery>
A Mimic was an unknown female humanoid creature. Their name and concept art implies that the Mimic could shapeshift into various forms.
<center><gallery>
File:Mimic Heads.jpg
File:Mimic Lineup.jpg
</gallery></center>
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====PSI====
PSIs were an intended class. It is unknown what their role was though they appear to be humans with some level of augmentations.
<center><gallery>
File:PSI Recruits.sized.jpg
File:PSI Progressions.jpg
</gallery></center>
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Rogue====
The Rogue was intended to be a human class. One may presume that these individuals were designed to have expertise in stealth combat [[Wikipedia:Thief (character class)|as in other role-playing games]].
<center><gallery>
File:Rogue class.jpg
File:MMORogueConcept.jpg
</gallery></center>
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px;" colspan="2" |
====Spy====
[[File:HaloMMO Spy (class).jpg|right|160px]]
The Spy was intended to be a human class . One may presume that these individuals were designed to have expertise in espionage.
|
|}
 
===Species===
{| style="border-collapse: collapse; border:1px solid #000; background:#F0F0F0;" width="100%" border="1" valign="top" align="center"
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Demons====
Demons were an unknown alien race.
<center><gallery>
File:Demons.jpg
File:Demon Gals.jpg
</gallery></center>
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Diggerz====
[[File:Diggerz.jpg|right|160px]]
Diggerz were an extra-terrestrial animal species. It appeared to be an armored, bioluminescent biped with clawed forearms that served to improve digging capabilities, hence its name.
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Jaggmaw Sailtail====
[[File:Jaggmaw.jpg|right|160px]]
The Jaggmaw Sailtail was an animal used for transporting characters around on their backs. It bore a notable physical resemblance to the [[Blind Wolf]], a species that was cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Mob====
[[File:Mob.sized.jpg|right|160px]]
The Mob appear to have been intended to be a new species. The creature bears a strong resemblance to Earth's boars.
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Sentients====
[[File:Sentients.jpg|right|160px]]
The Sentients appear to have been a new species. They appear to have been a humanoid species with mechanical attributes, such as reverse jointed limbs and visors for faces.
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Sigma====
Sigmas were apparently a new species of extraterrestrials that were intended to appear in ''Titan''. Some of the Sigmas seen in concept art are decidedly human in appearance, while others have more distinct alien features. Not much is known about them other than the male and female genders each had a distinctive physical appearance.
<center><gallery>
File:Sigma.sized.jpg
File:Sigma2.jpg
File:Sigma3.jpg
File:Sigma Lineup.jpg
</gallery></center>
|}


===Vehicles===
===Vehicles===
{| style="border-collapse: collapse; border:1px solid #000; background:#F0F0F0;" width="100%" border="1" valign="top" align="center"
<gallery>
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_Aardvark_1.jpg|Aardvark
====Aardvark====
File:MMO_Aardvark_2.jpg|Aardvark
[[File:Aardvarck.jpg|right|160px]]
File:MMO_Aardvark_3.jpg|Aardvark
The Aardvark was a human vehicle intended to be featured in the cancelled Halo MMO. It resembles the [[Wolverine]] from Ensemble's later ''Halo Wars''.
File:MMO_Aardvark_4.jpg|Aardvark
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_Aardvark_5.jpg|Aardvark
====Warthog====
</gallery>
[[File:Titan - 2 Tickets to the Gun Show.jpg|right|160px]][[File:HaloMMO3.jpg|right|160px]]
"2 Tickets to the Gun Show" was the developer name of a vehicle intended for inclusion in the untitled Halo MMO. A variant of the Warthog, it was apparently to be used by law enforcement, as evidenced by the word "POLICE" printed backwards on the hood of the vehicle. As can be seen in the concept art, there appear to be two seats mounted on the back of the vehicle, each with its own turret. This brings the passenger capacity of "2 Tickets to the Gun Show" to four.
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |


====Grackle====
===Armor===
[[File:Grackle.jpg|right|160px]]
<gallery>
The Grackle was a human motorcycle, which was going to be featured in the untitled Halo MMO
File:MMO_MarineArmorTest_1.jpg|Marine Armor Test
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_MarineArmorTest_2.jpg|Marine Armor Test
====Rhino====
File:MMO_MarineArmorTest_3.jpg|Marine Armor Test
[[File:Rhino aircraft.jpg|right|160px]]
File:MMO_MarineArmorTest_4.jpg|Marine Armor Test
The Rhino was a human vehicle, intended to be featured in the canceled Halo MMO. It was intended to be used as a gunship. It bears a notable resemblance to the [[Pelican]] dropship, though with added missiles, rotary machine guns or autocannons, a thruster over its tail section, and enlarged wings with built-in ducted-air fans. It may have been the conceptual inspiration of the [[Sparrowhawk]], a craft that ultimately filled a similar role in ''Halo Wars''.
File:MMO_PowerArmor_1.jpg|Power Armor
|-
File:MMO_PowerArmor_2.jpg|Power Armor
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
File:MMO_GreenSciFiArmor_1.jpg|Green Sci Fi Armor
====Runner-class transport====
File:MMO_GreenSciFiArmor_2.jpg|Green Sci Fi Armor
[[File:Runner-class ship.jpg|right|160px]]
</gallery>
The ''Runner''-class transport was a Covenant naval vessel designed to transport the [[Hierarchs]], known to be featured in ''Titan''. One such ''Runner''-class ship was known as the ''Throne Warden''. It was completely manned by the Sangheili, and had a limited planet-to-planet travel distance, with no system-to-system slipspace drives.
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Scorpion tanks====
Two Scorpion tank variants were intended for the cancelled Halo MMO. Both variants had more of a stylized design that caused the tank to closer resemble the animal from which the tank's moniker derives. The "Lash" Scorpion sports a brown/yellow color scheme and a longer "tail" whereas the "Venom" Scorpion sports a grey/blue color scheme and a shorter "tail".
<center><gallery>
File:Lash.jpg|Scorpion (Lash)
File:Venom tank.jpg|Scorpion (Venom)
</gallery></center>
|-
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Forerunner Warthog-like vehicle====
An unknown Forerunner Warthog-like vehicle was set to appear, depicted in several concept art. It is similar in appearance to the aforementioned Aardvark.
<center><gallery>
File:MMO - Forerunner vehicle 1.jpg
File:MMO - Forerunner vehicle 2.jpg
</gallery></center>
| valign="top" style="padding: 0 4px 0 6px; width:50%;" |
====Covenant aircraft====
This Covenant aircraft was set to appear in the game. It would seemingly serve as a mobile aircraft platform, for deploying Banshee units. This concept art was also utilized during the production of ''Halo Wars''.<ref>[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/O4LNv '''Artstation''' - ''Halo Wars, Ed Lee Art'']</ref>
<center><gallery>
File:MMO - Platform aircraft.jpg
</gallery></center>
|}
===Equipment===
====Forerunner combat armor====
The Forerunner combat armor was an armored suit in the game. The armor was designed for Forerunner use but due to humans and Forerunners being the same in ''Titan'', the armor could also be worn by humans.
<center><gallery>
File:Forerunner Armor2.jpg|
File:Forerunner Psion Armor.jpg|
File:Forerunner Suits.sized.jpg|
File:Forerunner Armor.jpg|
</gallery></center>


====Mjolnir combat armor====
===Characters===
These unknown Mjolnir armor models were variations of MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor for Spartans in the game. They superficially resemble the [[Mark VI]], albeit with anime- or manga-like stylization. Several variations were designed, one of which had a chainsaw in place of the left hand.
<gallery>
<center><gallery>
File:MMO_PsionFemale_1.jpg|Psion Female
File:MMO Armour 00.jpg
File:MMO_PsionFemale_2.jpg|Psion Female
File:MMO Armour 01.jpg
File:MMO_Rogue_1.jpg|Rogue
File:MMO Armour 02.jpg
File:MMO_Rogue_2.jpg|Rogue
File:MMO Armour 03.jpg
File:MMO_Rogue_3.jpg|Rogue
File:MMO Armour 05.jpg
</gallery>
File:MMO Armour 06.jpg
</gallery></center>


==Gallery==
===Visual effects===
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:HaloMMO22.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_1.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO24.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_2.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO-Concept-01.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_3.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO-Concept-02.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_4.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO-Concept-03.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_5.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO-Concept-04.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_6.jpg|Prototype effects
File:HaloMMO-Concept-05.jpg|
File:MMO_PrototypeEffects_7.jpg|Prototype effects
File:F11.jpg|Concept art of a Forerunner city.
File:F33.jpg|A close-up of a Forerunner structure.
File:MMO2.png|Concept art of an unknown Flood form being analyzed by a Forerunner monitor.
File:MMO - Species.jpg|Concept art showing the species of the MMO.
File:MMO Covenant.jpg|Concept art of Covenant species for the MMO.
File:Psion Female.jpg|Concept art showing a female character showing off her Psion (or mana) abilities
File:MMO - Spirit.jpg|The Covenant [[Spirit]] dropship
File:Titan concept env 01.jpg|
File:Titan concept env 01A.jpg|
File:Titan concept env 01B.jpg|
File:Titan concept env 02.jpg|
File:MMO - Forerunner city.jpg|
File:Titan concept env 03.jpg|
File:Titan concept env 04.jpg|
File:HaloMMO.jpg|
File:HaloMMO6.jpg|
File:HaloMMO23.jpg|
File:HaloMMO28.jpg|
File:HaloMMO5.jpg|
File:HaloMMO20.jpg|
File:HaloMMO14.jpg|
File:HaloMMO2.jpg|
File:HaloMMO9.jpg|
File:HaloMMO21.jpg
</gallery>
</gallery>


Revision as of 08:40, September 14, 2019

Screenshot mock-up, with World of Warcraft HUD superimposed.
Another interface prototype.

"Ensemble has been wanting to make an MMO for a long time. That was in production for a long time. The Halo IP was a great IP to launch an MMO with. Microsoft... hasn't had the best track record with those.
And we worked on it for a long time--we had staffed up an almost-40 person team. And then there was some reorganization at Microsoft, and the new bosses thought it wasn't the best idea anymore. It had actually been green-lit, and then it got cancelled after that."
— Dave Pottinger[1]

Titan was the codename for a canceled Halo massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Ensemble Studios between 2004 and 2007.[2] Following the project's cancellation in 2007, Ensemble Studios focused all of its resources into developing Halo Wars.

Overview

Titan was a prototype game developed to compete against Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft. The project was internally cancelled in mid-to-late 2007 with no formal announcement of its development by Microsoft.[3] The game was to have been set in the Forerunner-era.[4]

Around 40 staff in three teams worked on Titan while other Ensemble's staff focused on developing Halo Wars, though one team remained on the project for six months.[1][3] During the early stages of Titan's development, Ensemble took inspiration from World of Warcraft's general structure and gameplay.[5] The project was said to be radically different in the later stages, exploring then-novel concepts and gameplay additions such as "heroic stylized artform" and cover system (later used in Star Wars: The Old Republic), and public quests (later used in Warhammer: Online). Instead of mana points as used in World of Warcraft, a character's special ability energy was referred to as psion.[6]

By the time of the project's cancellation in 2007, Ensemble had a server infrastructure for the game, a World of Warcraft-scale gameplay zone and many of the vehicle and gunplay mechanics in a playable state.[7]

Concept art

During the game's development, a number of concepts were produced by Ensemble Studios. The full concept art gallery can be viewed here.

Screenshots

In 2008, user "goneisgone" uploaded an album of images of the Titan prototype to a Flickr gallery. These images are archived below, and can also be found here.

World

  • Alien Desert

    Alien Desert

  • Alien Desert

    Alien Desert

  • Alien Desert

    Alien Desert

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Alien Jungle

    Alien Jungle

  • Blue Base

    Blue Base

  • Blue Base

    Blue Base

  • Blue Base

    Blue Base

  • Blue Base

    Blue Base

  • Canyon

    Canyon

  • Canyon

    Canyon

  • Canyon

    Canyon

  • Sci-Fi City

    Sci-Fi City

  • Sci-Fi City

    Sci-Fi City

  • Sci-Fi City

    Sci-Fi City

Weapons

  • Brute Shots

    Brute Shots

  • Carbines

    Carbines

  • Plasma Rifles

    Plasma Rifles

  • Plasma Rifles

    Plasma Rifles

  • Hardlight Staffs

    Hardlight Staffs

Vehicles

  • Aardvark

    Aardvark

  • Aardvark

    Aardvark

  • Aardvark

    Aardvark

  • Aardvark

    Aardvark

  • Aardvark

    Aardvark

Armor

  • Marine Armor Test

    Marine Armor Test

  • Marine Armor Test

    Marine Armor Test

  • Marine Armor Test

    Marine Armor Test

  • Marine Armor Test

    Marine Armor Test

  • Power Armor

    Power Armor

  • Power Armor

    Power Armor

  • Green Sci Fi Armor

    Green Sci Fi Armor

  • Green Sci Fi Armor

    Green Sci Fi Armor

Characters

  • Psion Female

    Psion Female

  • Psion Female

    Psion Female

  • Rogue

    Rogue

  • Rogue

    Rogue

  • Rogue

    Rogue

Visual effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

  • Prototype effects

    Prototype effects

Sources

  1. ^ a b Shack News: Age of Empires Dev Ensemble Speaks Out on Studio Closure, Microsoft, and the Cancelled Halo MMO
  2. ^ IncGamers: Windstorm's Dusty Monk Interview - Part One - Page 2 (Dusty Monk: "For two years, before we all moved onto Halo Wars, we were working on an MMO prototype, and it was codenamed Titan.")
  3. ^ a b Gamasutra: Exclusive: Ensemble Studios' Canceled Project Was Halo MMO
  4. ^ Twitter: Graeme Devine's response - It’s long canceled along with Ensemble, was set in the age of the Forerunners.
  5. ^ IncGamers: Windstorm's Dusty Monk Interview - Part One - Page 3 (Dusty Monk: "We weren't necessarily making WoW in space, but we were certainly adopting a lot of the things that we saw working in World of Warcraft and then putting it in a sci-fi genre.")
  6. ^ Gamasutra: Exclusive: Ensemble Studios' Canceled Project Was Halo MMO (Michael Zenke: "The character pane shows a health bar and 'mana' -- or Psion, as is referred to in this title... The upper right icons are for basic character functions.")
  7. ^ Twitter: Rob Fermier's response - There was a lot more than just concept art - we had a server infrastructure, a built out WoW-scale zone, lots of vehicle & gunplay mechanics adapted to MMO scale. Mind you this was all back in 2007 so at the time much of that territory was still unexplored.

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