Funcom recently released the third CGI trailer for The Secret World, and it's creepy as hell. It shows that a simple visit to the pub can turn very dark, very quickly in the game. Luckily, monsters aren't the only ones with powers...

You can watch the latest trailer below. In case you missed the first two, we've posted them after the jump. Even if you have seen them already, they're all worth watching again. Funcom certainly knows how to set the mood for this upcoming modern day horror MMO.

Just last week, we got to see the latest developer blog post from The Secret World Lead Designer Joel Bylos, where he talks about some of the early steps that go into creating a compelling world that players want to explore. Of course, with so many interesting points being brought up in the blog post, that only made us want to ask more questions!

We reached out to Funcom to grab a ZAM exclusive Q&A with Bylos to see if we could get a few more insights relating to his latest blog post. Read on to find out more about what went into creating The Secret World's... world.

The Secret World is all about the things that go bump in the night, and those things include some pretty creepy creatures. Funcom just unveiled three new monsters that exist in The Secret World:

The Wendigo: The vile Wendigo of North America are said to be the vestiges of humans who turned to cannibalism. For their spite of humanity, they were outcast not just by their fellow man, but by life and the Earth herself.

Deep Ones: The Deep Ones are rarely seen by the light of day, even more rarely at the water's edge. The sea has kept its carnivorous secret, other than what is recalled in fisherman's tales or turn-of-the-century fictions.

The Ak'ab: They came to this island from the mysterious south, from the nightmare countries, on ships bearing the mark of the hideous sun. Sorcerers and necromancers commanded them, sent them forth onto these shores with bloody intent.

There are even more creatures already listed on the monsters page, so browse through all of them to see what you'll be facing when The Secret World launches.

Funcom has been focusing quite heavily on locations in The Secret World this month. So far they've unveiled Atlantic Island Park, the Accursed Woods and Innsmouth Academy. In addition to those reveals, Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos just wrote a blog entry about how they create the game's modern world.

So what's the location for today? Kingsmouth Lighthouse! As the all-seeing eye of the Illuminati, this place is pretty creepy. Author Sam Krieg has rented it out as a solitary place to cure his writer's block, but nothing is ever quite what it seems in The Secret World. Read all about the lighthouse after the jump!

"What makes a good MMORPG?"

I've decided to devote a bit of my time and a few articles to exploring this. In my last article, I talked about gameplay mechanics and combat, and in the one before I spoke of story and premise. Now I'll focus on character progression and the leveling process!

Ever wonder how Funcom comes up with all of the creepy locations for The Secret World? Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos has written an interesting dev blog entry that explains their process for creating the game's modern world.

After the writing and art teams identify the location's purpose and research how it fits into the real world setting, the content designer creates an overview design for the area with an emphasis on flow. "It’s a tricky thing to get right; some players prefer to be guided step by step through the content while others prefer complete freedom in how they approach things," he said.

Bylos gave examples of how different mission types require a different feeling of flow. They give a great preview of the various gameplay features you'll encounter in The Secret World. Here's his list:

• Action Missions: We tend to be fairly heavy handed here. Action missions will lead the player from point to point, dealing with enemies and obstacles along the way.
• Sabotage Missions: These are more open, but not completely freeform. Yes, we want players to use their skills and abilities to find the way into the pumping station, but we still tell them where the pumping station is!
• Investigation Missions: Here we tend to be completely freeform. We don’t guide players at all. We let them find the path with no attempt to guide them beyond the most subtle of clues.

In his next blog entry, Bylos will talk more about how the team builds The Secret World's physical environment using their world design tool.

Throughout the week, Funcom has revealed three new locations that players will visit in The Secret World: Atlantic Island Park, the Accursed Woods and Innsmouth Academy. While the lore surrounding these areas is certainly interesting, we want to know what they look like in-game. Funcom must have read our minds because they just posted three screenshots of the locations on the game's Facebook page!

In the above image, a character shoots at one of the "hideous things" you'll find in the Accursed Woods. You can view the screenshots for the abandoned amusement park and the Illuminati school after the jump. Click on any picture for a larger version, or check them all out in our gallery.

For the third day in a row, Funcom has revealed another location in The Secret World! Today their focus has turned to the Accursed Woods, which is filled with "hideous things" that will soon be making their presence known in the town of Kingsmouth. You can read the full description after the jump.

In case you missed them, be sure to check out the reveals for Atlantic Island Park and Innsmouth Academy. Funcom truly has a unique setting in place for the game, and it will be interesting to see how it all ties together once the MMO is released.

Funcom isn't showing off The Secret World at E3 this week, but that hasn't stopped them from sharing some interesting in-game locations with fans. Yesterday the team unveiled the Atlantic Island Park, and today they've posted details on Innsmouth Academy.

The academy is "considered one of the premier occult prep schools of the secret world," and it is attended by the children of secret worlders affiliated with the Illuminati. Keep reading after the jump for more details on this mysterious school.

"Once a place filled with screams of joy, now those screams have a different sound." That's the quote associated with The Secret World's Atlantic Island Park location, which was just revealed today by Funcom. The park has had a dark history of accidents since construction began in 1975, and it has remained abandoned since it shut down 30 years ago.

Read the park's description after the jump for an example of the important role that story plays in the game. Also, keep an eye on The Secret World Facebook page for a screenshot of the park later this week.