tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50789088700416024432024-03-13T11:54:18.574-07:00Impoverished Player ReviewsImpoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078908870041602443.post-85254932599715157552010-11-04T01:47:00.000-07:002010-11-04T01:48:19.180-07:00Know Your Role Play : Archetypes<font style="font-weight: bold;">Archetype. –noun<br />the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.</font><br /><br />Every good role playing system has them. No matter the type of persona you've envisioned yourself as, you're likely to fall into a set series of statistics, characteristics, and cliches. I have done my best to synthesis a sort of blanket title for the four major archetypes. The Sword, the Sneak, the Spell, and the Shield. An easier way to recall these four figures is the Four S System. And I have yet to find an effective series of multiplayer role playing mechanics to which these four figures do not apply.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEAhqjC5L0empRHGi4yJP0nfJLAIsirdcSoDLoojv9taYwxF7p0pPLiILE13t6SDU-1YAnTmIOJFVEx5CWRfBkZdEepteke-5Yk_Hqzbxhirmc7C44-Z3ysnN5dWBADY7zlWibdWqDTY/s1600/Sword+Final.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEAhqjC5L0empRHGi4yJP0nfJLAIsirdcSoDLoojv9taYwxF7p0pPLiILE13t6SDU-1YAnTmIOJFVEx5CWRfBkZdEepteke-5Yk_Hqzbxhirmc7C44-Z3ysnN5dWBADY7zlWibdWqDTY/s320/Sword+Final.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535302708064803538" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Sword;</span> Despite the name, this is your meat shield (not to be confused with a regular Shield, which will be described later). These are your fighters, soldiers, or more modernly, your Tanks. A Sword is designed specifically to hurt things and get in the way. They are designed to haul the most weight, and use the most force. Big armor, big blades, and big guns are essential to the Swords arsenal. Such cumbersome equipment will cause a noticeable lack in mobility, but this is made up for in the form of high health and protection benefits. Swords swing slowly, but hit hard, and are designed to soak up as much damage as they dish out.<br /><br />Swords are ideal for cutting through paper thin characters like the Sneak and Spell. The Sneak is at a terrible disadvantage against a Sword, as the Sneak is required to get within the Swords threat range in order to deal a series of small attacks, which will either irritate the Sword or simply be ignored. Swords and Spells are pretty much on even grounds, as the Spell has maneuverability in favor of armor, and deals with a series of ranged attacks that often ignore the Swords stronger defenses. In that respect, Spells and Swords work great together, but it can go either way when they're against one another. A proper Shield is designed specifically to block a Sword. Sharing a love for encumbering armor, the Shields' Buff / Debuff abilities put the Sword as the strategic under dog. When your attack plan consists of "stand-in-the-way-and-swing", it's easy to be outclassed by someone that can alter the playing field to the point that either you aren't swinging hard enough, fast enough, or accurate enough to land those critical blows. And chances are that the Shield will be accompanied by a Sneak or another Sword, as Shields thrive in groups.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoBHTPtD9MzDv16jQIcL3-bgUpqvY_h6eUKtHGfZcqubpKzXDBmzYQquKmf2wkUOqmdGNw1p_yGr8FVDG9Ijg7mBbeQWPXRxcK8hgROhVVt5SQKKiqkNUduNoasOD-_9fJ1uOZsqZvk0/s1600/Sneak+Final.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoBHTPtD9MzDv16jQIcL3-bgUpqvY_h6eUKtHGfZcqubpKzXDBmzYQquKmf2wkUOqmdGNw1p_yGr8FVDG9Ijg7mBbeQWPXRxcK8hgROhVVt5SQKKiqkNUduNoasOD-_9fJ1uOZsqZvk0/s320/Sneak+Final.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535303372617372530" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Sneak</span>; The Sneak is your stealth character. Your rogues, spies, and distributors of DPS (Damage Per Second). A Sneak gets in, causes a lot of havoc behind enemy lines, and gets out without anyone the wiser. They are fleet of feet and light of gear, allowing them to race circles around slower characters. They make the most of the smallest amount of equipment, sacrificing high damage output for multiple strike bursts. A Sneak doesn't trust armor to absorb the brunt of a massive damage attack. They instead rely upon not being anywhere nearby when the attack lands. Highly evasive and hard to keep track of, Sneaks make up for low health, defense, and damage by moving faster and striking often.<br /><br />Sneaks are infiltrators and saboteurs. They specialize in getting past their opponents defenses, and making surgical strikes on the least protected members of a party. Sneaks are favorable in taking down Spells, as they can shorten the distance between themselves and their targets, rendering many of the Spells abilities ineffectual. Spells aren't designed to last long in close quarters, where the Sneak excels. Sneaks can also take care of distracted Shields, but an attentive Shield can still cause a stalemate or come out on top. A Buffed Sneak is practically unparalleled, so a Sneak and Shield combination is favorable. A Debuffed Sneak can try to hide and wait out their penalties, but this only buys the Shield time to regroup and track them down. Swords can outlast Sneaks with sheer fortitude, ignoring thousands of tiny pin-prick attacks until they are able to land that one devastating blow the Sneak was too clumsy to avoid.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnreJMHZLi9yMaZu03HiANYltVKS27hvdLAjjlhWr4qU03pXNP8cxB6GmzRjpzS5tRosZW7WWyl1_i4uTSGUXmkiX6bvNIZG1zziW4WSPkhC2IpAGSroyvKn3C0CPluspE2uDH6f3qM3A/s1600/Spell+Final.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnreJMHZLi9yMaZu03HiANYltVKS27hvdLAjjlhWr4qU03pXNP8cxB6GmzRjpzS5tRosZW7WWyl1_i4uTSGUXmkiX6bvNIZG1zziW4WSPkhC2IpAGSroyvKn3C0CPluspE2uDH6f3qM3A/s320/Spell+Final.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535258367087896130" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Spell;</span> Spells are all about large damage over long distance. These are your wizards, snipers, and AoE (Area of Effect) specialists. A Spell changes the way their enemies approach the battlefield. Their lack of armor, weaponry, and over-all health makes them dependent upon seeing to it that their opponents never make it close enough to do harm. This can be done by altering the terrain around them, debilitating large groups at once or flat out decimating the biggest, baddest enemy that falls into their line of sight. This more often then not sends smaller enemies fleeing for cover or has them cowering at the back of their ranks. Not that it helps, in the long run...<br /><br />Spells are perfect for bringing characters design to tank to a grinding halt. Targets that rely on health and armor tend to neglect mobility and evasive actions, and Spells are apt at picking off slower moving targets. Seeing as Shields rely on cover and grouping, Spells tend to catch them in AoE. Being one of the least mobile classes with average health and buff/debuff potential also makes them a prime target to be taken out early from afar. If a Sword is able to withstand the brunt of a Spells abilities early on or find a blind spot to advance upon, the Spell will find little to no chance of regaining the upper hand. Spells are better off standing behind their own Swords at a safe distance, picking away at opponents that can't reach them. Sneaks have the uncanny knack of covering large distances quickly and being ignored by anybody between them and a Spell. Even though they are both lightly armored (or not armored at all in some instances), the Sneak has better short range potential. Spells just aren't designed to survive close combat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxOGD1UqLzfx0VyLdVh0zkPBqmt3Bbeobga3xOpyGEQ1xiQD_27N7jX7kiEuw_P7imw5v9AXFK3iFAdpnjry95ClBjcwKY14aWvSwsysk5yfu5gM_fzfE8iu3s3wV-DRRbVEajscf7fo/s1600/Shield+Final.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxOGD1UqLzfx0VyLdVh0zkPBqmt3Bbeobga3xOpyGEQ1xiQD_27N7jX7kiEuw_P7imw5v9AXFK3iFAdpnjry95ClBjcwKY14aWvSwsysk5yfu5gM_fzfE8iu3s3wV-DRRbVEajscf7fo/s320/Shield+Final.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535509481470858274" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Shield;</span> Shields are used for support. They are often your healers, medics, and Buff/Debuff characters. Their position at the back of most formation isn't always due to encumbering armor or low mobility. Rather, it's the fact that they are better suited for saving or protecting lives, rather then taking them. Low damage and average health also make them less ideal for leading others into battle. This is not to say that a Shield is useless at the front lines, just that there had better be more then just the Shield leading the charge. The ability to restore health and bolster the effectiveness of allies while hindering their enemies potential has them fitting into large groupings quite nicely.<br /><br />Shields are meant to block. They delay defeat long enough to earn a team a shot at victory. Shields were made to block Swords, relying on their buffering and rapid health recovery to wear down a Sword to the point that they are no longer able to strike. Though they are quick to recover, Shields had difficulty keeping up with the continual flurry of strikes the Sneak can dish out. They are also much slower then Sneaks. However, they rely less on damage and more on protection, able to drain what little health a lightly armored Sneak has. Working together, a Shield can bolster a Sword or Sneak beyond their natural potential, making them far worse threats then they originally were. Because they both tend to hang around the back of battles, Spells and Shields have little use for one another. And when pitted against one another, the Shield is often defeated before it has a chance to step out into the open, if it isn't currently cowering behind a buffed ally.<br /><br />There are admittedly role playing games out there that work without the Four S System. Most often, they are single player games that omit the Shield entirely, or simply carve it up into equal portions of Buff, Debuff, and recovery that are then spread out amidst the other three archetypes. Be it First Person Shooter, Real Time Strategy, or Role Playing, you are likely to see all four S archetypes in full swing, each doing their part to provide for a team, group, party, army, or what have you.<br /><br />There is also a fifth type of character that is less defined. Usually, they are a mash up of two or more archetypes, in an attempt to make something 'unique' from the originals. We'll save those character definitions for later scrutiny.Impoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078908870041602443.post-21629481752027394182010-10-30T07:19:00.000-07:002010-10-31T15:53:17.691-07:00City Of Heroes : My First TimeI've recently been given pause, to reflect upon my past experiences in gaming. I'm finding it frustratingly difficult to pinpoint my very first MMO interaction. Massive Multi-player On-Line interfacing has expanded in extraordinary leaps and bounds with the integration of on-line compatible systems into every DVD player, pocket phone, and bedside reading lamp. We've come a long way from our huddled masses, cloying about the high-school computer labs in secrecy, attempting to sneak a LAN connected game of WarCraft II in before lunch hour had rung to a close.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Yes, there was a WarCraft before we had a World there of. Three distinct and progressive iterations, each more astonishing and breathtaking then the last. Through them were forged a great many trends and staples of the RTS. They made popular the gimmicks of Fog of War, Tower Defense, and the necessity of the Actions Per Minute count. War was a <span style="font-style:italic;">thing</span>, and we <span style="font-style:italic;">Crafted</span> it.<br /><br />Though it would not be until many years later that I would have a computer all my own, and the excess earnings of youth with which to acquire a credit account and a <span style="font-style:italic;">real</span> MMO. One that required you play on a server, surrounded by fellow enthusiasts of the same genre. One that would immerse you in a unique world brimming with walks of every imaginable life form. One that had you willfully shelling out those few extra dollars, just for another month of access. And one that I could only dream of playing as it's on-going development was announced in my high-school days. City of Heroes.<br /><br />I had gotten it as an X-Mas present for December of 2005. I didn't even have a computer of my own, or a means to pay for the subscription, but I had wanted it so badly. Ranted and raved, and frothed at the bit to be able to just possess it. It wouldn't be until 2008 that I'd have a system capable of running it, or a credit card through which I could buy even a fleeting second of it's time. I'd toggle through the character selections, customizing an intricately costumed righter of wrongs. And when I was finally able to play, I discovered that I'd also been given access to it's counter-part. It had been produced while I'd waited all those years. City of Villains.<br /><br />Everyone loves a "good" villain. It can't be helped. For every hero I had customized and suited up, I'd imagined a Rogues Gallery with which to do just combat. Now, I was presented the opportunity to do unjust combat, and it made me giddy. Moreso, when I had discovered the variations on the superhero archetypes. Without a moral compass, villainous creations were capable of corrupting minds and bodies, of puppeteer crowds and stealing thoughts, and donning a twisted or intimidating appearance while doing so. I immediately set the parameters for a Mastermind.<br /><br />It's shell was gunmetal gray, tipped to the brink of all regulation size and weight scales. Hewn from layer upon layer of smoothed scrap metal, it's bulk was absurdly balanced upon skeletal robotic ostrich legs. Thick, tubular arms funneled into gargantuan riveted gauntlets. It had no face to speak of, merely a series of ever-watching scopes that indicated its facing. From orbital carrier, or through decisively placed underground tunnels, it would summon forth it's mechanical minions. It (being of complete unfeeling gender neutrality) was Mass Assembly, and I don't believe I've ever stopped loving it...<br /><br />It wasn't the sheer scale of customization options that I loved. It wasn't the changeable aesthetics, or the merrily whirring robot minions, or the attempts at typing computer speak in all caps through the community server chat to give my Mastermind depth. It wasn't any of those things that made me love my character. I loved my character because he <span style="font-style:italic;">was</span> a character. Every tiny detail I had poured into him made him one-of-a-kind. Through the customization of powers, body shape, and costume, I had made something special to me. It wasn't some human with slightly different hair color that got covered up by his armor to look like everyone else. It wasn't some exotic species that only came with four different head variations. It was something I had put thought and effort into. That made it whole. That made it a character, a role that I could play.<br /><br />I appreciated the amount to which I could customize my super powers. Minions weren't restricted to generic street thugs (though those were an option), and I was even able to go so far as to name each individual as my villainous career progressed. Because I can be an alliterative arse at times, I called my skirmish drones Amalgamation, Aggregation, and Accumulation. Attendant and Accompaniment were my repair drones. And Arsenal was my war machine (whom, I might point out, was only relatively smaller the Mass Assembly). After some forty levels of play, I even had a deployable regenerative pylon and hovering proximity mines. I was a giant robot, summoning medium-sized robots, deploying smaller robots from my body, and shooting lasers where ever I damn well pleased. I was a theme villain, and the game accommodated for me.<br /><br />Sadly, my youthful excess of earnings eventually dried up. When I left, the Rikti were well into their Second Invasion, and some secretive Time Police under the operative name of Oroboros had just appeared on the scene to muck around with history a little. From what I hear, heroes and villains now have the opportunity to go Rogue and add the anti prefix to their respective titles. I'm curious to see how the Cities of Heroes and Villains have gotten along without me. If I had the means to do so, I'd consider booting up the old Mass Assembly line and see how darkened my frenemy list has become. When you can manufacture your own minions, you seldom get lonely. Then again, a reboot might call for a Mark II model...Impoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078908870041602443.post-34640212124895779892010-07-06T23:11:00.000-07:002010-07-07T00:31:42.205-07:00Team Fortress 2 : Wish ListIt's been a while since I've actually written anything down. I've been inspired, however, by the recent Engineer update for Valves comical first-person shooter, Team Fortress 2. That, coupled with the Polycount class package contest, has gotten me thinking about potential alternate weapons / items for the nine malicious mercenaries.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Engineer : Now that the "final" class update is out, the Engineer is open for alterations to his shotgun, pistol, wrench, and buildings. With the 'shield' provided by the Engineers new Wrangler, I would like to see something in a stationary, buildable bunker. Whether it's a 'force field projector' or a giant slab of sheet metal, it should be twice the width of a sentry, to allow two people (the Engineer and one other) to use it as cover. This would replace the sentry as a defensive structure (that attacks for the Engineer) with a wall as an offensive structure (that protects players as they advance). It would, of course, need to be upgradable. Something starting around "chest" height (duck and cover!) that eventually provides full body cover (and has the potential of being shot through by friendlies). I'm thinking it would reduced damage from explosions, and recieve more damage from melee attacks...<br /><br />Demoman : Sticky bombs are a nice trap, but most of them are laid about carelessly and forgotten, or fired as a primary shot and set off before they have a chance to stick. So why not develope some smart proximity mines? Reduce the ammo capacity, give them a sensory range, increase the ammount of time it takes them to prime, and maybe, just -maybe-, remove the friendly fire safety. This way, Demomen can set and forget (hopefully warning their team in advance of their location before they are primed), and the explosives will do their own Spy checking without the player having to remember where they left their bombs.<br /><br />Heavy : Brass Knuckles. It can't get more simple then that. The Killing Gloves of Boxing already have a lowered fire rate, so it's hard to think of a draw back to wrapping your knuckles in cold iron. At the very least, it would increase damage. Though the Heavy may think it cowardly to punch itty-bitty men with anything more then his already massive ham hooks, I think he'd warm up to the idea if they were plated with a simple word or phrase (perhaps "SAND" and "VICH". Or, for the cartoony three fingers, "YOU DIE").<br /><br />Medic : There are many out there afraid of needles. Frankly, I don't blame them. Especially when the Medic has a gun that fires them rapidly at a high velocity. An even more intimidating and dreadful thought is a German physician charging at you with an oversized syringe*. Replacing the Medics bonesaw, this giant injector could be used to extract health from enemies it hits, and inject it back into allies at a much faster rate then the Medi-gun. It could have a filling gauge much like the Soldiers Buff Banner, with a taunt kill filling half the gauge. While administering the healthy dosage, however, both the Medic and the patient would be momentarily immobilized.<br /><br />Spy : It's hard to think of an adequate replacement for the Spys' backstabbing butterfly knife. Personally, I can't think of anything better suited then a straight razor* (like the barbers used to use, back in "The Day"). Now, stabbing someone in the back with a straight razor would prove to be difficult, if nigh implausable. So what if we gave the Spy a penchant for front slashing? Instead of 6x damage on a backstab, the straight razor would cause a critical hit and "bleeding damage" when striking from the front. I think this would make players less reliant on bumping into Spies in order to identify them.<br /><br />That's all that really comes to mind for the time being. Perhaps I'll be hit with another epiphany at a later date. Here's to hoping Valve catches wind of some of my suggestions. In the mean time, I'd like to hear back on just how "perfect" or "game breaking" these ideas come across as.<br /><br />*I realize that there are already skins made for these entries in the Polycount contest. I'm just not satisfied with the description of what these weapons can do.Impoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078908870041602443.post-72658792940540799032010-07-03T09:48:00.000-07:002010-07-03T14:03:05.256-07:00Impoverished Player Reviews : The PremiereA project eight months in the making. I really wish I were exaggerating, but even the events of a poor man can get in the way of creativity. This is the first in what I hope to be an on-going series of reviews. Reviews don't put bread ends on the table, though, so this project will take a back-burner on more then one occasion. Viewer support and patience is appreciated, as are your comments or criticisms. If you would like to see any changes, or have recommendations for RPGs, MMORPGs, or browser based games to review, I'm always looking to increase my list.<br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AYHrnxAA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><br /><br />Enjoy! And who knows. We might even run into each other on one random MMO or another.Impoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5078908870041602443.post-6244473719958537052009-11-17T19:36:00.000-08:002010-02-06T23:06:35.968-08:00Revised Review : Atlantica On-LineGood Oddening. I'm the Impoverished Player ; you get what I pay for.<br /><br />Now, what could I; a lowly, homely, hardly employable role playing enthusiast, offer you, the paying, er, -gaming- public? How about an in-depth review on what the world wide web has to offer in the way of cheap, inexpensive, and cost efficient MMORPGs? Well, in my search of inexpensive, nay, free MMORPGs, Korea seems to have show the most ambition.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Almost a decade ago, near the turn of the century, a fledgling Korean gaming corporation by the name of Intizen Co set its roots. A full five years after they opened for business, Intizen Co released their first title, GoonZu On-line, in January of 2004. This brought them funding of some $4 Million, and enough recognition for them to branch out into other areas such as Japan, Taiwan, etc. This -also- brought on the realization that their company was named after a centuries old philosophy about life and tea... so they changed it! Intizen went on to become nDoors within the same year that GoonZu On-Line was released, and dependent upon where you live, that's either nDoors Corporation, nDoors Entertainment, or nDoors Interactive.<br /><br />And what does any of this have to do with my current review? Well, seeing as GoonZu On-Line was only ever released overseas, and since I can't afford language tutoring, a proper translator, or plane tickets to fly there and try it out, I guess it's out of the question... although, nDoors Interactive has released three titles for us Western audience to enjoy... let's see... there's Atlantica On-Line, WonderKing On-Line, and Luminary : Rise of the GoonZu. Well! Let's have a look then, shall we?<br /><br />WonderKing : Oh... kay... side-scrolling, two-dimensional, chibi-formed, animesque, sequenced platform-er side-scrolling mass multiple... let's see what else we have...<br /><br />Luminary : ... Well, at least they were generous enough to allow us a third dimension, a-heh. I suppose that means-<br /><br />Atlantica : That. This. Is. Completely. Different?<br /><br />I don't just mean 'different' from the other nDoors releases. No, this is an entirely different medium for massive multiplayer role play! This is tactical, turn-based, timer-driven, multi-personal combat! You're not just one malformed otherworldly being with a skill tree and experience point counter. You're a small army... This hearkens to console role playing games like Konami's Genso Suikoden series, or more recently, Squarenix' Last Remnant. If mass unit micromanagement is your cup of Intizen, you're going to love this.<br /><br />This is also a good game for the history and / or geography buffs out there. The world is set in, well... the world. An alternate history world, to be exact. Having recently rubbed the pre-game basic commands tutorial out of your eyes, you find yourself an awakened Atlantian descendant in the new world. Which is actually the old world. Which is, actually, our world.<br /><br />You see, somewhere along time's twisty curvature, Atlantis discovered a life-altering material known as Oriharukon, which was powered by four crystals. Being the greedy power mongers that they were, the Atlantians horded this Oriharukon to themselves, eventually depleting their power crystals. This lead them out into the world to seek more, and brought about what are known as some of our 'nicer' desolate wastelands in the current day and age. With out a means to control the Oriharukon (jeez, that's fun to say), all of Atlantis simply blinked out of being...<br /><br />Of course, the Atlantians weren't polite enough to take the Oriharukon with them, so the duty of cleaning up after their past mistakes falls squarely on your shoulders. And... the shoulders of every other descendant that happens to wake up after a brief combat and unit interface tutorial...<br /><br />I 'guess' amidst the list of nasty things the Oriharukon is capable of (aside from turning everything it interacts with into deranged monstrous shells of their former selves) is the manipulation of time and space. I mean, sure, the geography bears a striking resemblance to our own (particularly if you want to visit places like the Tower of Pisa, Taj Mahal, or ancient Rome), and I suppose it's as accurate as it can be, given the conversion. I just find it amusing that I can run from Tokyo to Vancouver on an East to West route in a single day without having to change my boots. Yes. They recently added Vancouver, British Columbia to their world map, with what appears to be intent to release more of “Western Civilization”.<br /><br />The major inconsistency lies within which era each civilization currently lives. It kind of adds to the entire 'steam-punk lite' appeal it has, as you can take part in the rise of the Rome Empire, the independence of Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and the Industrial Revolution. You can also barter for goods and information with several historical figures, including Doctor Livingston, Julius Caesar, William Tell, and Charlie Chaplin. There's also these... robot... things... which can be discovered in Detroit City as... vending machines?<br /><br />The over all look of the game is very eye-catching. There's no cut-and-paste montage back-dropping, here, as every region does its best to stand out or show you something different. However, a lot of the edges are rather jagged. There's no first person mode, which really effects your ability to appreciate the architecture and wildlife in certain areas. The erratic 'special move' jerking camera motions make it difficult to manage your next move during combat within the fifteen to thirty second turn time limit, but thankfully that feature can be turned off. The only time I've ever really found myself in awe of the surroundings is when I'm visiting one of the many real world historical sites.<br /><br />Character customization doesn't have much to offer, but that's not too surprising given that a staple of MMORPG's is over-sized, vibrantly colored, mismatched armor that just covers everything up, anyways. Maybe nDoors developers realized this, or they just got lazy, because you can choose between blue or bland armor, four different facial expressions, three extremes of hair dye, and... an afro? So, you can't change your skin color, size, or proportions... but you can have an afro? An afro that, might I add, just gets covered up by your helmet, anyways (unless, again, you turn that feature off). Oh, this is a whole new delicious layer of chronological inconsistency.<br /><br />Who you are is also dictated by which weapon you carry. You've got your classic medieval molds for sword and shield, stave, bows, and long handled stabby things, as well as more modern weaponry like rifles... cannons? Heavy... metal... guitars... and is that... a chainsaw?! You mean to tell me, right out the gate, on this time skewered alternate earth, I can start off running around with a- oh, wait. It says in the fine print you have to have gotten at least one character up to level 100 already before playing with the power tools. Replay value!<br /><br />Most of the character customization comes in the form of your battle arrangement, anyway. Namely, who you choose to let into your little band of wrong-righters, and how you rank and file them. As you progress through the game, you will be able to hire additional mercenaries to stand with you on the three-by-three square grid of battle, to a maximum of nine units, including yourself. This is not to say that you can't put reserve mercenaries into dry storage, just that their may be an underlying 'fee' for such privileges. Your choice in mercenaries to hire is nearly quadruple that of your starting character, as there are specialized classes such as inventors, sailors, witches, and Spartans.<br /><br /><br />Getting around the world of Atlantica is pretty straight forward. Arrow keys or ASDW for movement, with a Q / E strafe. Simple shooter maneuvering. You also have the point and click option, which is essential for initiating combat. Possibly my favorite mode of transportation, however, is the auto-move command. You can select a location, NPC, or quest parameter from any menu, click auto-move, and your character jaunts off obliviously in pursuit of its goal on a predetermined path. Of course, if any monsters should happen to stumble into this predetermined path, you'll quickly have to commandeer your auto-piloted persona to veer around it. Doing so will prompt a message box, asking if you intended to do that and would like to reclaim control of your tireless troupe.<br /><br />If you -did- intend to waltz willy-nilly into the next "natural" abomination to cross your path, or clicked upon it with the cliche pointy-clicky sword, you'll be treated to a Final Fantasy shatter screen effect, and the realization that one world monster can equal anywhere from three to nine combat scene monsters. And seeing as your "world map" self engages in sporadically stabbing at the air or firing its weapon, you can't really step aside as another group of monsters wanders up to assist the first batch. This is what friends (and charm scrolls) are for. Once you are actually in combat, you can activate any of five randomly determined members of your party each fifteen to thirty second turn, based on action points and party size. You can select members with keys one through nine, or follow the activation order determined by the computer. Our stalwart settings, ASDF and QWERTY, act as quick keys for your actions. Targeting... is the tricky part.<br /><br />So far as I have found, you have to click upon the opponent or ally you want to use an ability on, be it beneficial spell or standardized attack. Given the slanted screen display, this can be difficult when the unit you want to select is smaller then the unit in front of it on screen. Even accidentally clicking a wing, tail, or other vestigial appendage can cause you to initiate an otherwise poorly planned move, with no way of taking it back. I found it easiest to pan the camera out as far as it will go, and then rotate it until you have an aerial view of everyone on the grid. You may also have to pan to the left and right when aiding another player, or being attacked by multiple groups. Get used to recognizing potential threats from afar...<br /><br />Of course, it wouldn't be much of a multiplayer game if you couldn't engage other players in bouts of sequential stratagem. Anything you could hope to accomplish alone can be done on a larger scale. A much larger scale. A player can join a party of three others, for a total of 27 allied combatants including mercenaries. Each party member can join a guild of up to 50 members, and take part in guild activities. These range from something as mundane as social crafting, to higher grade quests, to effecting the commerce and warfare of captured city. And a guild can join a nation of up to nine other guilds. An entire. Nation. That's five hundred players! This is quite possibly the largest social network I have found to date outside of world chat. And when you take into consideration what a little friendship can earn you...<br /><br />When questing with other players, you gain a significant amount of extra experience. A small amount is also pooled off to the side, and reward to the lowest level mercenary amidst you and your current allies. As you battle, you can increase your crafting skills dependent upon what your guild is attempting to build. As your craft skills increase, you can trade and learn new crafts from anyone in your social network. As you constantly grind away at one species of monsters, your knowledge of said species will increase. Where it can be located, what kind of loot it carries, what it's vital statistics are... and you'll earn more experience for killing that particular kind of critter. This information can also be traded to other players, which can come in handy if they are a higher level then you, and slaughtered some unforeseen future enemy.<br /><br />Now, I know at this point, you're probably tired of my yammering, and rubbing your knuckles in anticipation of the price tag attached to all of this. Well, I hate to disappoint my viewers... but it's free. All of it. Every day of every week of every month for as many years as they can get away with it financially. Everything I've mentioned game play wise is absolutely free. It's the 'special features' that cost extra. Basic conversion is five real dollars for five hundred non-refundable Gcoins. The bargains don't really begin until your spending fifty to one-hundred dollars. Spending fifty dollars nets you an additional five dollars worth of coins on top of what you purchased, where as one-hundred dollars offers an additional twenty dollars worth. This may seem like a significant deal, but you have to consider what you're paying for. Your average shop item costs (amusingly enough) anywhere from 499 Gcoin for 1/17 odds you'll get what you want, to upwards of 3,899 Gcoin for a complete, 90-day active, guaranteed scroll package. And what could you potentially get from these deals?<br /><br />One use items, like combat scrolls, stacks of material, or beneficial licenses that expire after a set number of days. You might also be fortunate enough to chance upon a costume piece, which grants various stat bonuses, or a mount, which not only increases your movement speed, but also your avatars attributes in combat! And those are both permanent features, to do with as you see fit. Sell them for points, collect them, or use them as they were intended. Now -that- is a powerful fashion statement!<br /><br />Aside from a few technical graphic annoyances, and the fact that you don't have to necessarily be at your computer unless you're in combat, I urge everyone to give this game a go. Crafting and running from point A to point B can be tedious, but if you're in that much of a hurry, you'll probably just fork over the five dollars for time-saving materials, anyways. It's got an amusing, alternate history backdrop, and a supportive, team building community. And it won't cost you a thing.Impoverished Playerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16967290422824078258noreply@blogger.com0