Face of Mankind
A player-driven MMOARPG set in a futuristic persistent world.
Face of Mankind was a massively multiplayer online action role-playing game, playable in both first- and third-person perspectives, set in a futuristic persistent world. Developed by the German studio Duplex Systems, the game prioritized roleplay and community through a faction system and player-driven politics. It has since been discontinued.
Players navigated a freeform universe made up of locations spread across multiple planets. Duplex staff initiated optional, major roleplaying storylines, while players in leadership positions could set a faction’s agenda, creating long-term political, economic, or military goals. These goals were broken into missions passed down through the faction hierarchy, generated and driven by players.
Character creation involved choosing one of eight factions, along with starting clothing and gender. Characters could communicate with nearby players or use in-game mail, while faction members had access to a faction-only chat from anywhere. Each faction had unique perks and roles—for example, EuroCore offered production discounts and served as one of three corporations. New characters could complete a tutorial covering movement, combat, and other basics. Afterward, ten starter objectives encouraged exploration of popular worlds and interaction with other players. New players were designated Trainees until they earned 10,000 experience and were promoted to Rank 1. Though no in-game new player protection existed, early recommended worlds were heavily patrolled by the Law Enforcement Department, discouraging griefing. Players were advised to always wear weapons and armor, and most factions kept stocks for arming newcomers.
The eight factions were: Law Enforcement Department (Global Dominion: Police), Freedom Defense Corps (Global Dominion: Military), Galactic Intelligence Service (Global Dominion: Secret Service), Colonization and Mining Guild (Corporation: Mining), Eurocore (Corporation: Production), Vortex Inc. (Corporation: Transport), The Brotherhood of the Shadows (Clan: Gangs), Mercenaries of the Blood (Clan: Mercenaries), Guardians of Mankind (Clan: Freedom Fighters and Diplomats), and the Civilian Faction (Normal Players).
Ongoing gameplay revolved around performing objectives, either solo or in groups. Solo objectives were automatically generated, while group objectives were created when starting a group.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Face of Mankind
- Developer
- Duplex Systems · Nexeon Technologies
- Publisher
- Nexeon Technologies
- Designer
- Marko Dieckmann
- Released
- 27 March 2006
- Genre
- MMO/Action RPG
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Face of Mankind was developed by German studio Duplex Systems and launched on 27 March 2006 after closed beta testing starting in April 2004 and two open beta phases. The game was set in a freeform universe with locations across various planets, where players could choose from eight factions—including corporations, military, police, and clans—each with unique perks and roles. Gameplay emphasized player-generated missions and political, economic, or military goals set by faction leaders, with major storylines run by Duplex staff being purely optional.
The game faced significant challenges early on. In May 2007, the official portal was hit by a series of DDoS attacks that made it unavailable throughout the month, cited as a factor in the game's eventual financial decline. The perpetrators were later arrested by Swedish authorities.
Face of Mankind: Rebirth, a planned revival, was cancelled in July 2008. The game officially shut down on 3 September 2015.
Reader's Guide
Face of Mankind is significant as an ambitious attempt to create a player-driven MMO where the community shaped the game world through faction politics and player-generated missions. Its emphasis on roleplay and a closed economy—where all revenue came from players—set it apart from many contemporaries. However, the game struggled with a small player base, as noted by PC Gamer's review score of 58 out of 100, which questioned whether making players responsible for content creation was genius or laziness. The game's legacy includes its innovative faction system and the eventual transition to a free-to-play model with premium subscriptions. The DDoS attacks in 2007 and subsequent loss of publisher support highlight the fragility of niche online games. The game's final iteration, Fall of the Dominion, was funded via Kickstarter but ultimately shut down in 2015, marking the end of a nearly decade-long development cycle.
Did You Know?
- The game's official portal was hit by DDoS attacks in May 2007, which were cited as a factor in its financial decline.
- Players could permanently lose their character if they ran out of both clones and Universal Credits to buy new clones.
- The game had a completely closed economy where all revenues came from players paying for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Face of Mankind?
Face of Mankind is a science fiction massively multiplayer online action role-playing game set in a persistent, multi-planet futuristic universe. It allowed players to experience the world from either a first-person or third-person perspective and emphasized roleplay and community interaction over pure combat.
Who developed and published Face of Mankind?
The game was created by the German studio Duplex Systems and initially published by Ojom until November 2007. It launched on 27 March 2006 and ran until its servers were shut down on 31 August 2015.
How did the faction and politics system work in Face of Mankind?
Players could join factions whose leadership roles let them set long-term agendas covering political and economic goals. Duplex staff also seeded optional, large-scale roleplaying storylines, but the day-to-day direction of each faction was driven by its elected or appointed player leaders.
What made Face of Mankind stand out among other MMOs?
Rather than relying on a single scripted narrative, the game built its world around player-driven politics, freeform exploration across multiple planets, and a faction system where community decisions shaped the persistent universe. This design made it a hub for deep roleplay and collaborative world-building.
Is Face of Mankind still playable?
No. The game was officially discontinued on 31 August 2015, and its servers have been permanently offline. No successor or reboot has been announced by Duplex Systems.
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