Tuesday 17 December 2002

Pic of the day: The graphics of DAoC are more like a movie than a cartoon. Here are a number of Camelot's men paying a surprise visit in Midgard.

DAoC anniversary review

Well, OK, not exactly anniversary, but pretty close. Of course, the regular reader will have a good idea what way this is going. But here goes.

Dark Age of Camelot is a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) in the grand tradition of Meridian 59, The Realm, Ultima Online, Asheron's Call and EverQuest. It is the younger of this medieval bunch, and by and large the most good-looking. The graphics of the EQ expansions are prettier and more detailed, but DAoC scores points for its realistic character meshes and landscapes. As long as you stick with human characters, the screenshots look more like stills from a movie than a cartoon. This is no small feat.

Originally, DAoC featured a very special form of PvP (player vs. player combat). Earlier games had tried to handle this in different ways: Some servers allowed player characters to kill each others, some did not, and some allowed players to choose whether to take part in PKing or not. DAoC divided its world into three realms, which are by default at war against one another. It rewards killing of player characters from the other realms, and makes impossible killing within your own realm. The result is more like war than banditry, and is called RvR (realm vs. realm). It is still possible to avoid this by simply staying within the heartland and not go to the frontier areas.

One year later, there are two other types of servers, by popular demand. There are two PK servers in which anarchy reigns and country borders are ignored. Then there is one cooperative server in which all three realms are united in the war against terr... eh, evil. This is my current favorite. But I guess most "pacifists" are playing EverQuest already.

***

DAoC has seen a lot of new content since it was released. Except for the new server types mentioned above, it has stayed true to its core concept. But many new features have been added. There are 3 battlegrounds in each realm, where characters can learn RvR in a simpler terrain than the actual frontiers, and without being killed by the more powerful players. One is limited to the levels 20-24, one 25-29, and one 30-34. In addition, once you get a certain number of realm points, you are also booted from these battlegrounds. (Realm points are used to purchase special skills, making a stronger character than the pacifists will ever be. Again, except for the coop server.)

Later an enormous dungeon was added which has openings in all three realms. It is called Darkness Falls, and is filled with creatures from medieval fantasies about Hell. But the trick is that only one of the realm openings actually works at any one time. The realm that contains the most keeps (not counting training battlegrounds) will have access to DF. This favors those who are already in the lead, which may seem like a strange strategy. But it encourages the realms to fight over frontier keeps, because DF gives slightly better experience than a regular dungeon and also unique weapons and armor.

Lately yet another such dungeon was unveiled, which is higher level. Basically it is only available to the very high level players, and there is a constant risk of meeting players from the opposing realms, much like in the frontier itself.

On December 3 2002, the first expansion pack for the game was released. Shrouded Isles adds a new race for each realm, two new classes for each realm, and new areas for both new and experienced players. It also has a new improved graphics engine, making for prettier looks and more efficient graphics display in crowded areas. Unlike all the other additions, this is bought at an extra price and is not freely available to all players. As the new classes seem to be slightly more powerful than the old ones, this will either breed resentment or cause people to buy the expansion. Time will show which, but Shrouded Isles has become a great success so far among the existing players.

***

DAoC quickly grabbed a share of the market, albeit less than the current leader of the pack, EverQuest. It has not continued to grow rapidly, though. It seems to largely have attracted experienced players from other online games, who were looking for something less cute than EverQuest and Asheron's Call, and less chaotic than Ultima Online. With a pervasive wartime atmosphere, this game may have been out just at the right time, too. Although it has also done fairly well in Europe, where it continues to slowly grow. It is currently in beta test in Korea.

The arrival of the science-fiction MMORPGs Anarchy Online and lately Earth And Beyond seems to not have made a blip on the player numbers in DAoC, any more than DAoC itself meant the ruin of the earlier games. There are still some who predict that Star Wars Galaxies will spell the doom for DAoC. I believe that it will have its own fan base, which is largely waiting in the wings, as it were ... (X-wings and Y-wings mostly...) Personally, I am likely to leave for City of Heroes (the online superhero game) if it ever comes out, but it won't be for around a year yet at best. And for each new online game released, the general awareness and acceptance of MMORPG goes up another notch. People who thought it was all about playing female wood elves may join in the sci-fi games and get into the spirit of role playing.

DAoC is, as I mentioned, filled with a feeling of wartime. Even the trade skills are all about making weapons and armor and outfitting them with magic for offense or defense. It is perhaps for this reason that DAoC never got the reputation EverQuest has, for breaking and making marriages. It is not really a place for online romance, though I see some pre-existing couples hunt together. But it is quite possible to make friends. And I have no higher aspirations than that. Well, and save the world.