Dark Age of Camelot - Foundations

Let the cry ring out - free housing!

Well, sort of free housing. Ok, you have to work for it, but the download to expand the game to get to the housing is free.

Mythic Entertainment’s Dark Age of Camelot has a nice little free downloadable expansion to its massively multiplayer online role-playing game that may entice players in this popular game to settle down a little bit, to not be such wandering souls. Foundations is a free download to the program and though you do have to jump through some hoops to get to the houses, once you get there, the options and accessories to customize your house are amazing.

The process is relatively simply. But least you think that just anyone can buy a house, be forewarned, you are going to have to run a lot of quests to get the coin to buy the property to place the deed.

Confused? Well, let’s start at the beginning.

DAoC is an online roleplaying game in which players select a character class, then work toward a skill. As you progress, you will gain experience and coins from quests. How much experience and tradeable items or money earned depends on the level of the task you undertake. Leveling your character to power ranks is not an overnight process, nor is collecting enough money to buy a house. But for argument’s sake, let’s pretend you have the coinage.

The game is divided into three realms - Hibernia, Midgard and Albion. Each realm has three zoned housing areas. Each of the housing zones has small villages with 10 lots in each village. Each lot has a marker, and players can select and post notice of intent to buy a lot. The game uses a reverse auction process. Prices start high and decrease gradually. When they get to a point that you feel is the lowest it can go before being bought, you place your bid to purchase your property.

But you are not done yet. Once you have the property you must buy a deed for one of the houses. Each house requires a weekly rent and the size of the house determines the rental cost. There are four housing models available and each keeps in line with the realm’s general theme. Further, houses can be guild buildings, and can display guild markers, class or trade icons (banners) on the building.

In many ways, the housing of Foundations is similar to the housing of Star Wars Galaxies (another game which enables players to own buildings). You can customize an entry list, store items, place vendors inside to sell items, or put tools inside to aid in trade crafting.

Here is where the housing plans diverge: in Foundations you can modify the outward appearance of your house for an individual look and you can landscape the garden areas around your home. You can also upgrade your home to the next higher model, or downgrade if the rent is too much.

Likely the best feature of all is that teleporters in the realm’s capital cities can offer you a portal to your front door.

Foundations is exactly what the name implies - it lays new foundations in the varied realms of DAoC, and with controlled growth areas, the developers are making certain that the three realms are not over strewn with haphazard planting of houses - thus creating less wilderness areas. This is controlled growth, and while it does not expand the game in terms of plot twists or golden quests for arcane items or weapons, it does expand the depth of play by giving players something they can spend hours doing - decorating.

This is a great adjunct to the game, and the best part is that it is a free download.

Foundations is a gift to the players. Yes, you will have to work to purchase the property and structure but in a realm that is fanciful and dangerous, there is some comfort in having a place that is a safe haven, a place to call home.

Gameplay: 9.2
This is not adding to the subplots or missions, but this free download does offer a lot of extra gameplay time in customizing the homes. It can be a great deal of fun, and very time consuming.

Graphics: 9
The houses look good and are in line with the theme of the realm. They are integrated into the environments, not oddities that stick out.

Sound: N/A
This is not really applicable when referring to Foundations itself. This program is a visual adjunct to the game.

Difficulty: Medium
Foundations increases the game challenge simply because now you have a bill to pay and are forced to work to that end.

Concept: 9.2
Other games have housing, Mythic has added housing but has enabled players to customize their homes to reflect themselves a little more. The player interface is easy to grasp and use.

Multiplayer: 9.3
DAoC is a MMORPG, but even then it was possible for players to avoid others. One way to make players band together a little more is to make them part of a community. The houses do just that.

Overall: 9.25
This is an innocuous little expansion that accomplishes a lot. Mythic has given players more of a feeling of home and unity in allowing customizable housing within communities. This little free-be takes a good game and makes it better.