The Saga of Ryzom

The Saga of Ryzom is a very biological game that integrates some of the more stylized artwork in the current flock of massively multiplayer online role-playing game titles. But the artwork is not the only unique aspect of this title.

The game has a unique crafting and spell system and during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the developer, Nevrax, was showing off the latest addition to the title, the Raid engine. Using this engine, the developers will be able to stage massive battles in the world.

The client can currently handle between 200 and 250 monsters (mobs) and for the moment, game managers will handle the battles. Mobs will gather in vulnerable areas, and the numbers will grow until the pack has enough to launch the attack. Many of the mobs will run with pack mentality.

The new patch to the game also has a higher level of detail and higher quality armor in the game.

The game takes place in the realm of Atys, a world comprised of four homin lands, each diverse in nature. The time frame is the future. The pieces of the world are brought together and woven into a storyline that involves discovering the past and what has brought the three races to the point in time in which the game begins.

Other features include:

• Flexible Skill-Based Advancement System: Characters in Ryzom are developed through a unique skill-based system that grows in detail as a player develops. While a novice may only train in generic skills, a more experienced character will progress to learning more specific and powerful skills.

• Player-defined Modular Action System: In Ryzom, spells, special attacks, crafting and many other abilities all work together under the Modular Action System. Each of these Actions are made up of components called ‘Stanzas’ – once a player has learned a number of Actions, they can take those Stanzas and use them to build their own, more powerful, custom Actions.

• Guild Missions and Cities: When a group of players band together as a guild, they can begin to take on missions as a single entity. Completing these missions can earn a guild special actions, outposts, and eventually its own land in which to set up a permanent home.

• Dynamic Invasions: In addition to the player-controlled homins, other factions struggle for control over Atys and each other. Native tribes will assault key outposts, the Kitin can invade at any time, and the Goo will contaminate entire regions if left unchecked. Player action—or inaction—can result in dramatic shifts in control of outposts and regions.

• Complex Item Creation/Enchantment: Although various merchants on Atys do sell basic equipment for adventuring players to use, crafting Actions can be used to create much more complex items from the resources that can be found naturally or harvested from the native creatures. Players can then add enchantment Actions to this equipment, making it vastly more powerful.

Ryzom sports some of the most artistic graphical elements in the MMP genre. The underworld is very biological in nature and the game will challenge even the most die-hard of players. However, the game is not all that intuitive and there is a steep learning curve.

Ryzom is in beta, but the game will be released by the end of the second quarter.
 

For All E3 2004 Previews