One of the nicest features of Dungeons and Dragons Online is that the game comes packaged with a built in party voice chat system. So long as a player has a microphone, the game allows them to chat with the people they group with without having to connect to an external server. Unfortunately for me, I have had a hell of a time getting my mic to work with DDO.... however I finally solved my problem.

Symptoms
This guide may be useful to players who have the following symptoms:

• Microphone works in all other applications except DDO. (i.e. Ventrillo, Skype, etc)
• Your audio drivers are all up to date.
  
• In game DDO microphone settings are all correct (voice chat enabled, correct device selected on the audio tab, volume is turned up, push to talk).
• Can hear others chat, but others cannot hear you (although your name turns green when you talk so the game registers that you're trying to chat).
• Mic test in DDO registers no sound.

Basically, you're someone who has looked into the problem and tried all of the standard solutions, and somehow chat still does not work in DDO; it does, however, work perfectly in every other application so you know you have a working mic and driver..

Now there's one other thing that's important for this guide:

• Your computer has multiple microphone jacks (usually front/back).
  

Solution
The solution - at least for me - involved messing with my audio device settings ever so slightly. My particular audio drivers are from RealTek, so if you are using something else you'll have to find similar settings in your own software.

1. Open the RealTek HD Sound Manager. (Right click system tray icon and select 'Sound Manager'.)
2. In the upper right corner of the Sound Manager, click 'Device Advanced Settings'. (figure 1, below.)
3. In the dialog that pops up, ensure that the Recording Device selection is 'Separate all input jacks as independent input devices'. (figure 2, below)
   
4. Click 'OK' and exit out of the Sound Manager. For bonus points, reboot to ensure that Windows knows that you're serious.

Now, before you start the game ensure that your microphone is plugged in, otherwise DDO will not detect it (even if you plug it in mid-game). Once the game is booted up, ensure that your Audio settings are pointing to the audio device for the microphone jack that you are currently plugged into. In my case it's called 'RealTek Microphone (front panel)', however you may have something slightly different.

You microphone should hopefully now be working with DDO. Enjoy!

While waiting for the hockey game to start last night I found myself with a half an hour to kill, and so logged on to Kongregate to pass the time. After stumbling through a few lists of games, I finally settled on a point and click adventure game entitled 'Alice is Dead' (chapter one).


The game follows the path of a twisted fairytale, spinning the classic Alice in Wonderland on its head and turning it into something far darker. You find yourself at the bottom of the rabbit hole with the skeletal remains of Alice lying before you, and you must figure out what happened and who you are.

The game is nicely drawn, with each location laid out cleanly. The music is fantastic, and despite looping through much of the game it just refused to get old. Game play is exactly what you would expect from a point and click puzzler: you find object in the environment, combine them with other objects, and use them to solve puzzles. While some items are hidden and some puzzle solutions are a bit silly, everything makes a strange sot of sense once you reason it out (or just plain guess).

In total chapter one of Alice is Dead took me half an hour to play through to completion, and although I suspected my identity all along, it was still fun to figure out the puzzles and half those suspicions confirmed. If you're a fan of the point and click genre then I highly recommend giving this game a world; if you hate this type of puzzler, then avoid it like the plague.

A few months ago a friend and former WoW guildmate, LRNs, quit World of Warcraft and was kind enough to write a post for this site explaining his decision and the things that led his entire static group to go in search of a new game. In the end they settled on Lord of the Rings Online, and by all accounts they have been loving it. Here is LRNS' three month retrospective on his switch from WoW to LotRO:

Over the summer, the Order of the Serpent World of Warcraft (WoW) Guild transitioned to Lord of the Rings (LotRO, usually pronounced Low Tro) and became the Heren Lokion Kinship.

This post is a message to my old bear-mentor Karthis aka Andrew, author of Of Teeth and Claws gaming blog. I promised him, and his readership a comparative review.

Most MMO reviews that I've read only take into account the experience of the individual. How was solo play? How easy was it to "find" groups? How easy was it to find a guild to Raid with?

Frankly, if this was all about me, I may not have fallen in love with LotRO the way I have. I'm a member of a group of 8 long-time friends committed to playing together. We have our own private vent server, this blog & a "Kin" page on guildlaunch. We picked LotRO because of a collective love affair for Tolkien's works. All of us have played Lord of the Rings as a table-top RPG at one time or another. Some of us are even playing characters straight out of that history.

While we don't "role play" over vent with one another, our RPG roots seep into all aspects of our activities. We've created elaborate backstories for several of our characters. Kin members have written "in-character" posts on our blog. This is something that never really happened for us on WoW. Sure, WoW has a solidly developed Lore, but it simply can't hold a candle to LotRO.

The Lore of the game, our history with Tolkien (I've read the books 5 or 6 times and re-watched the movies in "extended edition marathons" over the holidays) and the great decisions of the game designers have created this amazing sense of foreboding - unless you play in the Shire* - which has colored our kin's entire experience thus far.

*Hobbits (and other players) who choose to do their starting levels in the Shire are rewarded with a completely different feel than any other MMO encounter I've ever had. The entire zone seems to be about helping bake pies, smoking the perfect weed, and dealing with gossip.

Of course, fostering the imagination can't be the only reason to play.

At a fundamental level LotRO is no different than WoW (and perhaps any other MMO.) LotRO still depends on the "holy trinity" for instances & elite quests. LotRO is still about leveling to unlock new abilities, become more powerful & open up more content. There's lots of "fed-ex" quests and return "but I was just there!" quests. LotRO is also a subscription service, something Andrew has been arguing against for a while.

note: LotRO subscriptions can run as cheap as $10/month if you take a multi-month plan. Having multi-month subscriptions often entitles players to free digital downloads of expansions. We're getting the Merkwood expansion for free. You can also choose a "life-time" plan, but it's $200.

Virtues: Unlike WoW, "Deed" farming is valuable. Complete a certain number of quests, use an ability enough or kill a certain number of a particular mob and you will unlock an equipable "virtue." These abilities are essentially LotRO's answer to Talent Trees. I love it. Players can just play the game and unlock the deed that unlock naturally from playing OR they can take the time to research deeds they want and fight for them. If a Champion never develops his defensive talents, he'll always just be a dps and never be able to be a tank.

Professions: More than WoW ever did, LotRO rewards teamwork on professions. A group of players can plan to have a set number of players designated for each profession & then have others be gatherers. There's no such thing as a "bind on pickup" crafted item. There are no bonuses for having a specific profession. A solo player can thrive on his or her own. But, the design encourages team-work. I have no crafting profession, instead I gather extra mats. I help mine materials for my wife's jewelcrafter, she in turn crafts gear for everyone in the Kin.

Following the Story: There are tons of quests in each zone. You can't really be a "completest" in LotRO. Many quests help show you a vision of life in Middle Earth. Most quests connect directly to the growing evil surrounding the players. LotRO has this massive interlocking chain of quests called "Books." Each book intertwines with the the Fellowship of the Ring. The players become "supporting cast" in the grand story. Stories involve helping to cover the tracks of the ringbearer or killing agents of the enemy that are too close to the ring. Our Kin is just completing Book 5 and there are a lot more books ahead of us.

Value of a Diverse Cast: Just like WoW, every class brings something different to the table, but LotRO really rewards diversity even in low level instances. Bring too many hunters & champions (raw dps classes) and you won't win. You need support classes that can crowd control, back-up heal, do creative support. This isn't just in Raids or in select boss fights. This is a fundamental aspect of all the fellowship quests I've seen thus far.

Fellowship Maneuver: The Fellowship Maneuver is a triggered event that encourages teamwork. When grouping (any size) there's a chance that a maneuver will be triggered. Each player gets a pop-up to select one of 4 colors. Fellowships (groups) that choose good color combinations are rewarded with anything from straight damage to the mob, to fellowship heal over time & instant power regen. The more in sync a fellowship is and the larger the combo, the more powerful the maneuver. Pugs suck at maneuvers. Our group loves the challenge. Some classes (remember my comment about diversity) can trigger fellowships. We have won fights because fellowship maneuvers were triggered. We have also lost fights because of failed maneuvers.

Death: Instead of "health" players have moral. Being "defeated" means you've run out of moral and must retreat. A player who dies out in the world can choose to revive in place once an hour, but beyond that defeat is painful and has consequences. The results can be devastating for a fellowship. A lot of activities take place is densely populated open elite zones OR public instances. If your fellowship wipes, a hour of work can go down the drain. Defeat also creates dread. Dread greatly reduces a player effectiveness. Many bosses cause even more dread. Too much dread saps a player to the point where they can do nothing but simply run away and cower. Jewelcrafters can create hope tokens which counter-act dread. The best choice is to avoid wipes by playing smart.

Note: I know Andrew is a fan of the undying style game. It's possible to play in LotRO as well. The game rewards players for avoiding death by cool new titles every 5 levels. But beware bad connectivity! I had an alt moving along quite nicely, she died to a DC. Sigh!

Housing & Banking: A Love/Hate Relationship: Players start with a lot of bag space. We get access to a modest sized bank really early. This seems really great until you realize that bag space is fixed, your bank is small, extra bank bags are smaller & exorbitantly priced. The solution? Get a house. You & your Kin can get houses. Your house is located in a homestead in the human, elf, hobbit or dwarf zones. Houses are cool places to display trophies. They also have trunks.

I LOVE this feature because my house reflects my main's taste and attitude (role-playing opportunity) and our Kinship house is a great place for us to display the trophies from our successful instance runs. I can "pop in" to a friend's house to drop of crafting mats or see their personal trophies.

I absolutely HATE this feature because my house, the Kin House, my friends' houses & my bank are scattered about. The trunk space is small and finite. Actually, the bank/bags/mail/auction system is by far my biggest - and only real - complaint about the game. It's clunky to the point where I realize that Blizzard has a really well-designed system in place. (I take back every bad thing I've ever said about Blizzard's mail/bank/auction system.)

Some Concluding Thoughts: There's a lot more to say about this game. I am really enjoying it. There's so much to talk about, I've failed to get into the individual classes I've tried. It's good for solo-play, but great for groups. If you are a small group of 6+ looking for a new home, I recommend you play LotRO. You will be rewarded with tons of fellowship quests, opportunity for collaborative work, and a game rich in story.

At this time, the wife and I are avoiding the "life-time" membership. It pays for itself in under 2 years, but with the variety of new games on the horizon we wonder if our group will look elsewhere in a year. After the holidays when we've paid for the Christmas, we'll reconsider it.

This article has been cross-posted to the Ordo Serp group blog.

It is amazing how video games can make a person's heart leap, and burst into glorious song or limerick. Heartwarming, really. I love games.

(Both links may be NSFW depending on your office environment, but both are awesome.)

Since Torchlight is all the rage on the blogs right now, I thought that people might be interested in picking up the latest installment of the Idle Thumbs podcast which features special guest Max Schaefer, the co-founder of Runic Games.

The guys chat about everything from Max's days working on Diablo I & II, to the now-defunct Hellgate London and Mythos, to the impetus behind Torchlight and it's future evolution into a full blown MMO.

Of particular interest - at least to me - is the discussion on morphing Torchlight into an MMO, and how Runic Games plans on accomplishing that unprecedented feat. Although the shift is still in early planning, the future game will play a lot like the current hack n' slash adventure, but with added "WoW-like" social elements added in.

The business plan is to make the Torchlight MMO free-to-play, and fill the cash shop with the sorts of time-saving and convince items that we've come to expect from most RMT ventures. Oddly, instead of selling content using the "buy once, play forever" model employed by DDO and Wizard101, Runic is considering selling maps that allow the player and his entire party to enter a dungeon once before being consumed. These dungeons would provide slightly better loot drops and experience than their free counterparts. While still at the conceptual level, I'm a little bit turned off by this implementation of RMT, and the consumable maps would have to be dirt cheap in order for me to consider picking them up. It's still far too early to pass judgment on any of this, of course.

Anyhow, if you're interested in Torchlight I'd recommend grabbing the Oct 27th episode of Idle Thumbs; it's an hour long, and well worth your time.

Braid, the brainchild of indie developer Johnathon Blow, is one of the most highly praised independent games to be released in the last couple of years. It won the prized "Innovation in Game Design" award at the 2006 Independent Games Festival, and then was released commercially for the PC this past April.

As a concept the game appears to be right up my alley: over the past few months I have raved about Portal and Blueberry Garden, and I have a long history of heaping adoration on action/puzzle games just like this one. Unfortunately after three play sessions spanning a measly 1.6 hours (thank you, Steam) I have deleted the shortcut from my desktop, and most likely will not play it again.

But I'm getting ahead of myself....


Braid is a feast for the senses. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, the animations are charming and crisp, character design lies somewhere between whimsical and folksy, and the hand drawn environments are superb. On top of that the sound track is wonderful; the music fits right in with the pace of the game play, and enhances the overall tone of the game. Braid manages to capture the essence of what made old school platformers so nice to look at, and brings it up to date with a more modern feel.

The basis on Braid's gameplay is the manipulation of time. The game is broken down into six worlds, each of which allows the player to control time in a different way. The core mechanic (in addition to the basic run & jump platformer elements) is the ability to rewind time at any point in the game, and for as far back as to the start of the level. Using this, the player can redo a missed jump, recover from a bad death, et cetera. Each subsequent level puts its own spin on this mechanic that adds complexity. I don't want to spoil these variants for people who have not yet played the game, however if you are interested in the full list, click here.

Game worlds are broken down into levels, much like Super Mario Bros., and the goal of each level is to collect puzzle pieces that have been scattered about. Once collected, the puzzle pieces go towards creating one picture for each world which supplements the game's story.


So why would an avid puzzle/platform gamer not fall in line with the rest of the critics who have heaped praise upon this game? Well - to be honest I'm not entirely certain, but I can take a guess. While the concept that Braid presents fascinates me, the execution feels flat.

Although Braid looks beautiful and contains challenges that span a satisfying difficulty range (from trivial to challenging in a logical progression), I never felt any pressing reason to actually collect the puzzle pieces that were scattered across the landscape. The game never stands up and says, "Hey Andrew, you'd better collect those pieces or else....". Blueberry Garden started with this lack of direction, but then it rapidly gave the player a reason to care about getting ahead.... by drowning him. Braid does nothing of the sort, and simply leaves the player to their own devices.

Maddeningly, the story that Braid rolls out at the beginning of each world (which is wonderfully written) hints at a reason to forge ahead, but then doesn't deliver any kick in the pants to do so. Each sub-level can be completed without collecting any puzzle pieces, and traversing an entire world unlocks the next seemingly regardless of the measure of success that you had. Simply put: Braid fails to give the player a reason to play.

After two play sessions that saw me dabble in five of Braid's six worlds I was disenchanted with the game and ready to give up. I tried to play one last time on Sunday night, and just found myself unable to care. I was done. It was over for me. Negativity aside, I think that gamers who enjoy a good puzzler should really give Braid a try..... but maybe wait until it goes on sale again; I wouldn't have wanted to pay more than the $5 that I shelled out.

Fileshack has the latest Bioshock 2 trailer up on their site (released today), entitled 'Alone Amongst the Dead'. As someone who just finally got around to finishing the original Bioshock I am excited for the sequel, and cannot wait until the February 9, 2010 release date rolls around.

The trailer shows the player back in the underwater dystopia fighting all manner of splicers, big daddies, and the new ruler of Rapture: the Big Sister. While I suspect that the majority of the game play will be similar to that found in the original, the trailer does indicate that the player will be able to wield both a plasmid and a conventional weapon at the same time, without have to switch back and forth between them.

The one downfall to this change is that the 2K Games developers decided to take the same approach used in Twin Sector and display both of the player's hands jutting out in front of him at all times. This creates a terribly amateur visual effect. Who here, aside from the zombies in the audience, walks around with both hands held out in front of themselves at all times? Anyone?


While I realize that the game designers are trying to ensure that the player knows which weapon and plasmid they currently have equipped, the same result could have been achieved by making clever use of HUD elements instead of making the main character walk like a simpering bimbo.

That minor complaint flogged to death, I can't wait to grab a copy of Bioshock 2; I look forward to another creepy dive into Andrew Ryan's failed dream.

On Monday night I will be wrapping all of the various WoW-related labels on this site (kitty, tanking, raiding, etc.) into a single "WoW" label. This is largely due to my uncontrollable urge to keep everything tidy, but also a result of the dramatic shift in blog focus since I stopped playing World of Warcraft.

I just wanted to give people a heads up of this pending change in case some people still used those labels to find archived articles.

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is the long awaited sequel to an innovative game from 2000. As the title suggests, the game is a high fantasy strategy game that puts you in the shoes of the ruler of a kingdom that you must expand and protect.

While it may be tempting to lump the Majesty games in with any number of other real time strategy games on the market, it is a mistake to do so; like its predecessor, this games takes a vastly different approach to kingdom management. The word "simulation" in the title is important: in Majesty you are not some omnipotent being able to exert perfect control over your units - instead you are a ruler who can influence what happens in your kingdom, but only rarely directly effect it.

Majesty 2 allows the players three direct methods of controlling their kingdom: you can choose where buildings are erected, you can select the items and/or units that buildings will produce, and you cast a handful of spells every so often. All units in the game have minds of their own, and act in whatever manner that they think is best for their own self-interest. Peasants generally construct buildings in the order you place them down and cannot be diverted, trade routes are established automatically based on the location of kingdom buildings, guards defend the area around where they have been garrisoned, and so on.

Heroes, the main combat units in Majesty 2, are equally uncontrollable. Each different type of hero (e.g. ranger, warrior, cleric, etc.) has a basic set of motivations and will act according to these predispositions in the absence of outside stimulus. For example, a ranger enjoys exploring the wilderness, a warrior is interested in slaying monsters, and a rogue likes to gather loot and avoid difficult encounters. As the ruler of your kingdom, the only way that you can influence the heroes is to set bounty flags on the map and assign a reward for completing each quest. i.e. 100g for exploring an unknown portion of the map, 200g for slaying a monster that is invading the kingdom, or 500g for taking out a monster lair. Heroes will choose to complete these quests (or not!) based on how they feel about the task and reward.


I anticipate that players are going to be divided into two camps about Majesty 2 based around the indirect control mechanics that form the main game play. Some players will love the intellectual puzzle inherent in building a kingdom that runs itself according to their careful planning and clever application of hero quests. Other players will loathe the fact that they cannot micromanage every single aspect of their kingdom, and are forced to watch monsters rampage unchecked because heroes have minds of their own.

Personally I fall into the later camp: during the demo of Majesty 2 I came to detest the hands-off nature of the game. I hated the feeling of helplessness as a giant wandered through my kingdom wreaking havoc, and all I could do was set a bounty on its head and hope that some intrepid hero took up the quest to slay it. Often I found myself subject to attacks on multiple fronts that I seemingly had no ability to repel despite having 12 heroes wandering the map, and a treasury that allowed me to assign rich bounties to most targets. It drove me mad.

Now, in all fairness perhaps some of this was due to the jarring difficulty curve in the demo. Of the two missions are included, the first is a tutorial and the second is a single mission. The tutorial is well executed and easy to complete; it succeeds at teaching the basic concepts of the game. The mission, however, is a nightmare - immediately upon starting you find yourself assaulted by drakes, and then giant rats and skeletons come in. After a few minutes - if you survive that long - you will find ogres streaming into battle. I gave the mission three tries, and although I progressed each time, I never managed to finish it. After the simple tutorial it was extremely demoralizing to be hammered into the ground by a brutal mission with no warning.

If you're an RTS fan then I do recommend downloading the Majesty 2 demo - the game is innovative enough to be worth a try, and in that respect it is important to experience first hand.

FilePlanet download: link
Demo parameters: Tutorial + mission
Release date: Now
Cost: $39.99

I received a mass-email from Hi Rez Studios yesterday detailing the pricing scheme for their upcoming FPS/MMO, Global Agenda. The approach that they have taken is intriguing, and plays into the divergent buying expectations of the distinct audiences that they hope to woo: FPS gamers and MMO players.

Global Agenda players will be able to experience the major features of the game after a one time purchase [$49.99] via digital download or box sale, with no monthly subscription required. An optional subscription package [$12.99/month] called Global Agenda: Conquest will be available for those players who wish to participate in the persistent Alliance vs. Alliance territory control game-play and access ongoing content updates.

On the surface this business model resembles the Guild Wars payment structure, with the main difference being that optional RMT transactions are replaced by an optional monthly subscription. However, a more thorough reading of the feature sets reveals a slightly different story.

The one time purchase affords you the following features:

* Creation of up to eight different agent characters
* Character visual customization
* Access to all combat weapons and devices
* Cooperative Player vs. Environment missions against the Commonwealth NPC faction, AI-controlled enemies, and Boss Fights
* Matchmade Player vs. Player missions with five different game types and over 20 unique maps
* Character progression through 30 levels
* Achievement and unlocks system for individual characters
* Player Inventory for suits, flair, dyes, upgrades, and loot
* Virtual Reality practice fighting area
* Vendors and accumulation of in-game currency
* Text chat with multiple channels
* Built in voice chat during missions
* Ability to join an established player-created agency
* All play is on our single-shard, hosted server environment to ensure convenient and consistent gaming experience.
* Ability to sign up for one free month of subscription at registration (credit card required, can be canceled at any time)

This feature list is reminiscent of the many FPS/action games that have come out in the past few years incorporating a heavy amount of RPG elements. Games like Fallout 3, Borderlands, and even Bioshock blur the genre line on a regular basis, and Global Agenda seems to fit nicely into this niche. Of course, the game comes packaged with deathmatch-style online play as well.

If a player decides to shell out the extra money for a monthly subscription, the following features are introduced into the game:

* Access to Alliance vs. Alliance (AvA) World Domination gameplay including:

- A massive scale campaign between player created agencies and alliances over scarce territory and resources on a persistent world map.
- Attack and Defend Territories in zones that match your agency's schedule
- Agency and Alliance Management – Create and maintain persistent player groups and officer ranks
- Creation and Upgrading of Facilities - Control production and output
- Base Raids – involving up to 60 players per side; coordinated between 6 different strike teams within linked territory instances
- Agency Achievement System, Leveling, and Recognition

* Auction House with bidding and buyouts
* Mail System
* Upgrade Text and Voice chat to support multiple channels and strike teams
* Player Crafting with blueprints
* Additional character customization options including elite character suits, dye colors, and seasonal flair
* Ongoing Co-Op content at max character level
* Ongoing AvA content, multiplayer PvP content, and new social areas

Suddenly, with the addition of a monthly subscription, Global Agenda sounds much more like an MMO and less like a single player/deathmatch FPS/RPG blend. A persistent battleground that shows shades of Planetside is introduced, as are an entire host of social and economic game play options.

In my opinion this is an excellent model to go forward with, and neatly divides the playerbase into the two natural groups that make up any game: those that care about the end game, and those that don't. This beautifully sidesteps the oft-heard argument that casual players subsidize the play time of hardcore players. A casual player will pick up Global Agenda and play through the level system with one or more alts, perhaps dabbling in a few deathmatches but never worrying about the persistent battlefield end game. A hardcore player will grab the box, subscribe to the game, and take full advantage of everything that it has to offer.

Furthermore, the FPS/MMO crowd can both choose the model that suits them the best. I anticipate that players who are used to the buy-once economics of FPS games will play Global Agenda - at least at first - in the same way that they would play any drop-in shooter. MMO players, on the other hand, are more likely to dive into the subscription-based world and dabble with the additional tools the game offers them. Encouragingly, this model opens the door to an FPS player getting hooked on Global Agenda, deciding that he wants more, purchasing a sunscription, and discovering the wonderful world of MMOs.

I wish Hi Rez Studios the best of luck with their upcoming launch of Global Agenda. I love seeing the continued innovation that companies are making in MMO payment models.

Bioshock, released a little over two years ago, is a first person shooter that took home numerous Game of the Year awards. I was deep in my WoW coma at the time, and so passed the game by without giving it a second thought. In fact, I was so clueless about Bioshock that when I fired it up for the first time I was expecting it to be some sort of far future sci fi game based on the cover art. Boy was I wrong.

As an FPS game, you would expect that combat would be the most important element to assess when considering the game, however in Bioshock's case it almost feels incidental to the entire experience. That's not to say that the game suffers from poor mechanics or playability: quite the opposite, Bioshock is as solid a shooter as you will find on the market.

Running, jumping, and shooting all feel great; the controls are smooth and responsive, and everything is laid out exactly as you would expect it. The game contains plenty of options - two entirely different sets of weapons are yours to command: conventional FPS weapons and plasmids. The normal weapons are what you would expect from any decent shooter; all of the big archetypes are represented aside from a "BFG" clone (which is for the better anyhow). Most weapons have different ammunition that you can cycle through depending on the situation: armor piercing, anti-personnel, fire-based, shock-inducing, etc. On top of that your character accumulates plasmids - genetic augmentations - throughout the game that can be used to damage your foes. A personal favorite was the Incinerate plasmid - I started most battles by setting my enemies on fire, and then switched to something more conventional, like a shotgun or machine gun. There is lots of complexity here, and you will find yourself switching your weapon choice relatively often.


Irregardless of how solid the FPS action is, it is not the reason that I fell in love with this game. Bioshock stands apart from other games in the genre because of the vividly detailed world that you find yourself exploring, and the terrifyingly morose atmosphere that pervades it.

Rapture is a city that was build under the sea after World War II by a powerful business man named Andrew Ryan, who wanted to create a free market society that could exist devoid of the meddling of governments and the creeping hand of socialism. Things quickly went downhill, and a mere twenty years later when you stumble into the claustrophobic corridors it is evident that terrible events have transpired.

Bioshock's story is told using a combination of three narrative methods: explicit plot points, audio logs, and static locations. The first storytelling device is typical of many games - the story is driven forward via scripted events that occur once and always unfold in the same way. Secondarily, audio logs are the primary method of conveying the game's back story; scattered throughout Rapture are cassette recorders than can be played back to hear someone's recounting of an event that took place. The last plot device is far less commonly used in games, but arguably one of the most natural ways of conveying story: Bioshock contains many areas that are obviously the site of some sort of turmoil, and by surveying your surroundings you can begin to grasp what occurred without needing to be explicitly told. By the end of the game, if you were paying attention, the reasons for Rapture's downfall become clear and it is difficult not to mourn the lost potential of the ambitious city under the sea.


Even more powerful than the fall from grace story is the atmosphere of the game. Bioshock is dark, creepy, violent, and brutal and yet at the same time exudes a sense of tragedy and even sadness.

I often played Bioshock for an hour before bed, and in hindsight that is probably the worst time to have played the game. From the moment you set foot in Rapture you are confronted with scenes of bloody gore; the Splicers that roam the streets of the city show no qualms about eviscerating their victims, and leaving them as gruesome warning signs. The use of shadows in the game is particularly well done: one example that is seared into my brain came when I was walking down a grubby corridor and could see the shape of a splicer hacking at something on the ground. When I got close the shadow looked around before disappearing, and as I rounded the corner all I could see was a hacked up corpse and nothing else... but I knew the splicer was out there somewhere, and I knew that it saw me coming.

In addition to the heart-pounding visuals, all enemies in Bioshock can speak and as you explore an area you can hear them natter on to themselves - or sometimes yell out as they search for you. The spider slicers have got to be the worst - I still hear the sing-song voice of the males in my head: "Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong." Their pious rambling is discordant with their violent nature.

Overlaying the overt creepiness and violence of Bioshock is a pervading sense of melancholy. Rapture was a dream and many hopeful people left their lives above ground to flock to its streets and start a new life, but something went horribly wrong. As you make your way through the war torn city streets you will see signs of a happier life everywhere: cheery advertisements, once-thriving bars, a beautiful museum, cozy apartments.... but it's all tarnished and beaten down. Radios still blaring catchy 50's tunes while their owners lie dead mere feet away add to the effect - people should be dancing and alive, not insane or dead. Perhaps most wrenching are the Little Ones: young girls who have been stolen from their families and twisted into something not quite human - they represent the depravity of the society that grew out of Rapture.

While I could go on I don't want to spoil this game for anyone who has not yet played it. It needs to be experienced first hand, and the more that feels fresh, new, and unexpected the better.

Bioshock is perhaps the finest FPS game that I have ever had the pleasure to play, surpassing even the incredible Half Life 2 Episode 2 in nearly every way possible. If you have yet to give it a try, all I have to say to you is: Would you kindly.... play this game?

Last week I made my first Dungeons & Dragons Online permadeath character, and joined The Sublime on Thelanis. My character's name is Perill Meadowbrook: a fair-haired elven fighter who wields two swords when possible, but is not adverse to whipping out a bow or a shied when necessary. I have only recently left Korthos Island, the new player zone, and thus far have completed two quests in the Harbor; both adventures were run solo and on 'Normal' difficulty, and both nearly killed me.

The first quest I attempted - quite by accident - was Kobold Assault. After speaking with Guard Crichton and accepting the quest a dialog appeared asking me if I would like to be transported to the site of the battle immediately. Without thinking I chose yes.

Below is what transpired....

---

Kobold Assault
I was spirited away to a distant fortress by an associate of Guard Crichton. Upon arrival three soldiers shepherded me through a lushly decorated series of hallways, the last of which ended in a thick iron-bound door. Imagine my surprise then when I found myself roughly shoved into a courtyard behind the imposing door, the gruff laughter of the guards abruptly cut off by the slamming of the heavy barrier. Whirling around in time to hear a heavy bolt slide into place, I immediately realized that I was alone.

Not for long.

The first dog-faced lizard appeared from the shadows, lunging at me with a rusty dagger before I could draw my weapons. I skipped out of the way of its blow, unsheathed my flaming sword, and slashed at the monster that I knew instinctively to be a kobold. An angry red gash opened across the beast's chest, and it fell to the ground howling in pain.

That's when I heard the rest of them.

From the forest outside the courtyard a fierce war cry went up, and was echoed by the baying of hundreds of lesser beasts. Chaotic footfalls slapped against the forest floor; shrubs and bushes cracked against the tide of kobolds as they charged the gate to the keep. Knowing that I didn't stand a chance if surrounded I rushed to the gate to meet the first wave, determined to hold them back until the fool soldiers inside stopped their sadistic game and came to my aid.

I was foolish to hope for help.

The first band of kobolds descended on me in a whirlwind of claws, swords, and spittle. Dancing out of the way of their blows I hacked into them; one fell quickly to my blade, then another, and a third. Wearing precious little armor the beasts were no match for me.... and yet they kept coming. I winced as a dagger scrapped across my midriff, thankful for my chain shirt, and smashed my shield into the snout of my latest assailant sending it stumbling backwards. The dazed kobold didn't have time to collect its wits; it tripped over the twitching corpse of a fallen clan member and was trampled by the next wave of the fell monsters.

Time blurred as I fended off the onslaught. The cacophony of yipping kobolds threatened to drive me mad as I was slowly driven back. Despite heavy losses the beasts just kept coming, a relentless swarm determined to break through the meager defense I offered and assault the gates of the keep. They were wearing me down; slowly but surely their attacks were weakening me.

Panic.

As I hacked my blazing sword towards the waiting skull of another nameless kobold warrior an irrational urge to flee suddenly gripped me. My arm froze in mid swing, a dagger sliced a ragged line across my thigh, and I staggered backwards as the horde before me seemed to grow massive. Blinking back sweat from my eyes, I tried to compose myself. That's when the first magic missile slammed into me, knocking me back and sending me into a full panic. The kobolds screamed and surged forward, emboldened by the arrival of their shaman.

Flee.

I swiveled my head around, desperately hoping to see someone rush from the keep to my aid, but only an empty courtyard sneered back at me. The reminder of the soldier's betrayal snapped me out of the sorcerous panic, but it was too late - kobolds poured through the gateway, murderous intent painting their faces as they slowly moved to encircle me, keeping a healthy distance from my twin swords. Back-peddling, I noticed sunlight illuminating the shadows of the keep wall to my right, my keen elven vision picking out a crack in the wall.

I broke into a full run, covering half of the distance to the wall before the invaders realized what was happening. An enraged cry went up as they burst into action, and as I fled I felt an impact across my back as the beasts hurled rocks and branches at me. As I neared the wall I hurled my swords through the rough opening, and then threw myself through it and into the waiting sunlight. Gathering my blades on the other side, I sprinted into tree line knowing full well that a horde of kobolds could well be waiting for me.

Branches stung my cheek as I tried to put distance between myself and the lizard spawn. Before long I had to stop to catch my breath, the mail shirt suddenly feeling heavier as my adrenaline subsided with the immediate danger out of the way. Despite escaping the death trap in the keep's courtyard I was still alone in unknown territory, and there were still hundreds of kobolds lurking not far off.

---

OOC
The scenario as described sums up the feelings that I had, as a player, upon accidentally triggering the Kobold Assault mission. When I saw that the mission objective was to slay two hundred kobolds I was certain that I would be fighting alongside NPCs. Not so! This mission started off deceptively easy, with a few enemies attacking at a time, but quickly ramped up. Although individual kobold melee units did very little damage to me, the kobold shamans dropped my health in a hurry - not to mention cast fear on me which removed my ability to swing my swords. Armor doesn't do much against magic, it seems!

After fleeing the fortress I ended up kiting herds of kobolds around the map, stopping whenever I put enough distance between myself and the groups of shaman to kill off melee units. In the process I went through twenty-two of the twenty-four healing potions that I had saved from Korthos island. My health when it all finished was a measly 16/61.... my low point was 8.

If I were not playing permadeath then I probably wouldn't have fled the keep - I would have fought far less conservatively, and probably died a few times during the mission. The thrill of knowing I could die for good if I wasn't smart and skillful made the entire ordeal both terrifying and exhilarating. I can't wait to do this mission again soon on Elite mode with a group!

In what should be seen as good news to MMO players everywhere, Turbine's free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons Online gambit is paying off:

[Ars Technica] caught up with Fernando Paiz, the Executive Producer of the game, to explore what might be the next big thing in online gaming: not charging.

"We're hitting and exceeding our internal targets, so far we're very happy," he told Ars when we asked how the game has grown since becoming free. "All aspects of our business are growing. Hundreds of thousands of new players in the world are playing for free, with a very high percentage using the store." The internal projections for growth were doubled. Even more surprising, subscriptions have gone up 40 percent since the game has gone free-to-play.

Emphasis mine. One of the big bugaboos that detractors of the free-to-play model always drag out is that most people will choose to pay very little, which hampers a company's ability to make a profit and reinvest in the game.

Turbine is proving that the opposite is actually true - not only will you bring in a pile of players who are willing to play a small amount per month for a quality game, but if you offer up a hybrid subscription/free-to-play model then you actually stand to gain many more subscriptions than otherwise possible.

It should be obvious why this is the case: offering up what amounts to an unlimited free trial is far superior to the completely inadequate 14-day trial periods that most MMOs offer up. This allows players who have limited time to play have more of an opportunity to become hooked by your game, which is often not possible if access is bounded by the calendar. Once hooked, a player will either spend at the store, or else take out a subscription: whichever price point suits their individual needs the best.

Finally, as I have pointed out before, even the pure free player is a boon to an MMO:

The player who downloads the client, makes a character, and never visits the store still has worth to Turbine. That player is going to invite their friends to play, since online games are much more fun with a group. Those players will fill up the servers and help with the in-game economy and quests. There will be new threads on gaming fora, new LAN parties with people trying out the game, and that's going to lead to more people ultimately paying for upper-level quests or introducing players to the game that will.

It is great to see a Turbine's gamble paying off for them - I've certainly being enjoying my limited time in the game now that I am not forced to take out a subscription. Hopefully their European publisher will see these numbers and agree to convert their service to the free-to-play model as well.

Hat tip: Bio Break

Writing about a game that I'll never get a chance to try due to it's exclusive nature, The Brainy Gamer sums up why I prefer my games to be tough and why designing challenging games is not simply a matter of scaling everything to insane levels:

Difficulty feels meaningful if it leads to something valuable. Demon's Souls' level design encourages the player's steady progress (punctuated by failure after failure) with shortcuts, secret passages, and the occasional hidden weapons dealer. I can't think of a game I've played that makes such discoveries feel more deliciously rewarding. When you finally succeed in hacking your way through a winding staircase full of enemies, you may come across a handy weapon or health drop, but the environment itself functions as the best compensation.

Difficulty feels meaningful if learning leads to progress. In this regard, Demon's Souls is truly the school of hard knocks, and it brilliantly stitches together pedagogies from three different genres: navigating complex environments (Dungeon crawler); managing resources, upgrades, spells, etc. (RPG) and defeating large numbers of enemies (Beat 'em up). Each must be mastered, and none is the stepchild of the other. Melee and ranged combat both feel viscerally satisfying; the RPG elements are deep and richly customizable; and 20+ hours into the game, I continue to return to environments I've cleared, simply for the joy of being there. I own this place now, and I earned it.

Finally, difficulty feels meaningful if failure feels just. Demon's Souls can be brutal, but the target of my frustration is nearly always myself. Have you ever noted what you exclaim when you fail in a video game? When I die in a game like Ikaruga, I scream at the screen and hurl my controller in frustration. But when I die at the hands of an enemy, or accidentally fall off the edge of a cliff in Demon's Souls..."Agh!!! I'm such an IDIOT!!!" I've discovered that if I'm patient and avoid boxing outside my weight, this game will teach me what I must do to succeed, and I will learn through my failures. Many, many failures.

It's well worth the click-through to go read the rest.

---

Note: I'll be back to regular blogging soon; I was traveling this weekend and now work is kicking me in the teeth. Stay tuned.

Psychochild has an excellent article up this morning discussing the state of MMOs, and what is needed to reinvigorate the genre. So what does he identify as the number one problem facing many games right now? I'll let him tell you:

I think the big thing missing from [modern MMOs] is a sense of adventure. Things have been made so streamlined that players feel penalized for going outside the carefully marked track, so there is very little opportunity for serendipity. You have to play the game exactly as the designers intended, otherwise you can't enjoy all of the game. The "theme park" philosophy of design may make for a fun diversion, but is this the best we can do?

Looking at the inspiration for our games, we can see how far things have gone off the rails in our quest to provide the streamlined experience. Frodo and Sam didn't go kill spirits in the Dead Marshes to level up before heading into Mordor. Luke didn't broadcast on /lfg before heading into Jabba's palace to try to save his friends. Batman doesn't have to go "defeat" 500 more criminals to be able to buy and learn to throw a Batarang. Yet, these are the expected behaviors in a typical MMO. Going into a dangerous place without a high enough level, without a large enough group, without the proper equipment is tantamount to suicide. Doing things the proper way removes frustrations, but it also removes unexpected experiences that stand out in players' minds.

I encourage you to go read the rest.

A recent article on Gamespy reminded me of my first forays into online gaming: BBS Doors. Back before the Internet had become available to the general public, computer enthusiasts would set up self contained dial-up sites called Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). Users would dial up on their modem to connect to these sites, and once online could access any of the message boards or games that were hosted, all rendered in beautiful state of the art ASCII.

Applications on a BBS were known as 'doors', and so games that were played on these systems were referred to as Door games. For a few years there was a healthy industry churning out a diverse range of games for BBS operators to purchase (or, often, pirate) - the site above boasts 200 games, which was a staggering number for the time. In high school one of my friends and I pooled some money together and started up our own BBS, named 'The Happy Monkey', which lasted for about a year or so before we closed it down. I'm fairly sure that we didn't pay a cent for our software.... but we were young and stupid, right?

Anyhow, here are some of the more memorable games that I played back in the days when BBS' ruled the online gaming market.

Legend of the Red Dragon (LoRD)
One of the most popular BBS Doors of all time, LoRD put you in control of an adventurer who was competing with the other players in the realm to become the first to slay a dragon. The game bestowed a certain number of turns per day, much like modern web based adventure games, which you could spend adventuring. As you killed monsters you gained experience and gold, which could be exchanged for levels and equipment. There was also a rudimentary PvP system in place, in which you could attack offline players to try to slow their progress. As a young male, one of the stranger options in the game always appealed to me: you had the ability to flirt with - and eventually bed - players of the opposite sex... although there was always the risk of catching an STD if you weren't careful. (Play LoRD now.)



Trade Wars
Another incredibly popular game, Trade Wars can be thought of as an extremely early version of EVE Online. The game placed you in control of a small vessel and set you adrift in a vast universe . The goal of Trade Wars was to become powerful, and to do this required a combination of mercantile and military activities. Commodities could be bought and sold at the various stations scattered through the starscape, and smart trading was required to upgrade your ship. Once powerful enough, you could attack other players and steal their stuff.


My BBS was ultimately destroyed over a conflict involving Trade Wars - my fellow sysop and I were badly addicted to this game and extremely competitive; neither wanted the other to win. We both hacked our respective accounts to make ourselves more powerful, and then found each other out.... the fallout of the mess undermined our credibility, and our user base plummeted. Lesson learned the hard way. (Play Trade Wars now.)

Barren Realms Elite (BRE)
Set in a post apocalyptic future, BRE is a competitive kingdom building game. Players assume the role of a baron trying to carve out a kingdom amid desolation and must build their holdings from the ground up. Everything from acquiring land, to growing food, to building a military must be managed, and the strategy was by no means obvious or linear. Games started with 25 players, and were run for either a set number of days or else as a last man standing bloodbath.


Falcon's Eye
Similar in game play to Barren Realms Elite, Falcon's Eye differed in that it was set in a fantasy world and was arguably more complex. In additional to the typical kingdom building game mechanics present in its predecessor, players could also choose from a myriad of fantasy races (each with advantages and disadvantages) as well as cast magical spells to help themselves out or hurt their opponents. Both FE and BRE are ancestors to the web based kingdom building sims, like Monarchy.


Usurper
This party-based hack and slash game was leaps and bounds more advanced than LoRD, and yet enjoyed only a fraction of the popularity. Usurper allowed a player to control a small party of adventurers and take them on a turn-based romp into the dungeons. You could find piles of loot and gear, which could be equiped them to various body slots (much like modern MMOs) which allowed for great customization. If you were feeling lucky you could attack other players, and make off with some of their gold. The game was a lot of fun, relatively deep, but ultimately not popular enough to show up on many BBS'.


Pimp Wars
A tasteless game by my current standards, Pimp Wars appealed to the angsty teenage male who wanted to play something edgy. The game plays exactly like what you might expect: you acquire girls, set up a whore house, and collect money based on the quality of the ladies and the number of tricks they turn. You spend your money buying protection for the girls (thugs, contraceptives, condoms), upgrading your house, curing any diseases that may have been contracted, and purchasing prettier ladies. You can also send thugs out to raid rival pimps, and trash their stuff. The goal of the game is to make the most money.


While I'm sure there were other games that I dabbled with, the above list were my regulars that I would play on multiple BBS systems daily. Although I haven't played a BBS Door game since I got hooked on MUDs when I gained access to the Internet through a friend's college account, there are a tonne of web-based sites that allow you to play all of the old games. Here's just one you could try if you were interested: Gargoyle's Landing BBS.

Dungeons & Dragons Online is planning on introducing a feature that will allow players to improve their characters past maximum level in a manner that transcends the normal gear-based progression that is all too common in today's MMOs.

True Reincarnation

A true reincarnation lets the player recreate a more powerful character and change anything about them (except for the name and gender), including their class and race. Tapping into memories of their former selves, true reincarnated characters will receive additional build points to spend in character generation as well as unique bonuses in the form of access to Past Life Feats. Each True generation will also be physically larger than previous generations (you're welcome Halflings!). True reincarnation allows players to relive their journey through Stormreach. Characters will keep no experience or favor upon creation, will start at level 1, and require more experience to progress through each level. True reincarnation grants 2 bonus build points for every true reincarnation, and are always base 32 point, even if the character was initially created as a 28 point.

How To Reincarnate

In order to reincarnate, you'll need to speak with Kruz the Reincarnation trainer in House Jorasco. He can be found at the top of the stairs in the south west garden. Kruz requires an item known as a "heart of wood" in order to reincarnate you. Hearts of wood can be purchased in the DDO Store. True Hearts of Wood for True Reincarnation can also be earned by trading Epic quest tokens for a True Heart of wood.

In a nutshell, max level characters will be able to revert to level one, change their race and class selections, and in exchange they will receive an extra two points for their build as well as retain access to (some of?) the feats they had in their previous incarnation(s).

Systems like this are nothing new - many MUDs allowed some form of "remort" system for players who wished to take the same character through the game multiple times, growing a little bit more powerful each time. Similarly, the browser-based Kingdom of Loathing encourages players to "ascend" after beating the main story line, and come back as a fresh level one while retaining one ability from each of their past lives.

Reincarnation systems are an excellent way of building replayability into a game. Players like myself, who are loathe to create even a single alt, are bestowed the ability to play through the low levels of a game again while continuing to progress our beloved character. There are trade-offs, of course: creating an alt allows you to switch between characters of differing levels at will, whereas reincarnating essentially wipes your slate clean. The system is certainly not for everyone.

The DDO developers will have to be careful not to disrupt game balance when this system is introduced. Until now all characters were guaranteed to have a certain number of points in their build and a specific number of feats. By adding the option to reincarnate one or more times, suddenly there is a far wider range of character options available, and that may have unforeseen consequences.

All in all I believe that the introduction of reincarnation is a positive step for Dungeons & Dragons Online; the mechanic has been proven work, and is very popular with players in other games. Reincarnation will provide even more options to a player base that is addicted to tinkering with character builds, and provide replayability in a manner that has not been widely adopted by modern MMOs. I look forward to giving the system a try when it is released!

On the advice of the kind folks over at the Gamers With Jobs forums, I picked up a copy of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon back in mid-August, and after a couple of months of using the game as before-bed entertainment I finally finished it off last night.

Fire Emblem is a long running Japanese Nintendo franchise - eleven titles exist in total - that made the leap to the west in 2002 when it was released on the Game Boy Advance. The game focuses on turn-based tactical combat in a fantasy setting. The player is placed in control individual characters that gain experience and level up based on how much they participate in battles, and can even die permanently should they suffer a fatal blow.


The game's plot is fairly standard fare. You take on the role of a young prince whose kingdom has been sacked by invaders. Your parents were killed during a treacherous battle, and your sister is being held captive by your enemies. With the few remaining soldiers that are loyal to your cause, you must build up a mighty army to retake your kingdom and then bring the battle to the gates of your foe. You've been there before - you know the drill.

Graphically, Fire Emblem makes good use of the DS hardware without trying to overreach itself. The tileset for the terrain is recognizable, concise, and fits together in such a manner that the maps that you fight on is both believable and easy on the eyes. Character models are distinct and immediately recognizable when represented on the map, passable during battle animations, and gorgeously drawn during cut scenes. The minimap view is clear and functional; the designers managed to include the perfect amount of information on the display without going into overwhelming detail.


But enough with the fluffy stuff. Any turn-based strategy game junkie would happily play a game that looked like rubbish and had a cardboard plot so long as the meat of the thing was rock solid and the strategy was sufficiently deep.

Fire Emblem is broken down into twenty-five missions, each of which is played on a unique map against increasingly difficult enemy armies; most missions vary in length between thirty minutes and an hour. At the start of each mission you must select the specified number of units (typically between ten and sixteen) from your reserves and deploy them to the field. Only the chosen units are eligible to participate in the battle, and only by actively fighting or casting spells will they gain experience and level up.

The game contains thirty-one different types of units that fill in all of the typical roles that you would expect in a fantasy war game - infantry (offensive, defensive, ranged), mounted soldiers (ground and air), casters (offensive, healing, hybrid), artillery - plus a few unique units (shapeshifter, dragons). Units can be equipped with a variety of weapon types, which they become increasingly proficient in as they use them.

Combat in Fire Emblem involves getting in range of an enemy unit, choosing a weapon to attack with, reviewing the damage and hit chance for both parties, and then confirming the action. The aggressor always strikes first and if the defender is killed it will not strike back, so it pays to put yourself in a situation where you can initiate more battles than your opponent. Melee weapons, which make up the bulk of the game, are strong against some weapons and weak against others. Furthermore, there are weapons that confer bonus damage against certain types of enemies (armored, mounted, dragons, etc). All of this means that it is not simply enough to deploy strong units onto the map, they must also be properly equipped.


Fire Emblem's enemy AI is cutthroat: if you make a mistake it will punish you harshly. For example, a healer left unprotected is as good as dead, and a flyer that ever strays into the range of an enemy archer may as well crash into a mountainside to save herself the pain. On the other hand, once you play a dozen levels you will begin to pick up on some subtle ways to trick the AI. Launching a feint against infantry with some fast moving flyers is a great way to get the enemy moving the wrong way for a turn, which is often enough to slip some other units into a vital area.

The centerpiece of the entire game is an elaborate mesh of resource management. The first layer of this is your characters: if a unit suffers fatal damage then it is dead forever, and replacements must be recruited from enemy forces or towns, which is an uncommon event. Within your army you must also decide which units to field, which is more complex than it sounds: do you send out your most experienced soldiers every time, or do you allow lesser-leveled units into the fray to try to gain experience? How do you balance this off in a map that favors one type of unit over another? The next layer of the resource game is currency: periodically you will find chests filled with gold, which can be spent buying spells and weapons for your army. Between levels you can shop at a newbie-level store, however each map contains one or more shops where you can buy better items. The third layer is the items themselves: every weapon and spell has a certain number of uses, and once you have spent them all the item breaks. This means that before every mission it is imperative that you ensure that all of your soldiers are equipped with items that will last them through the coming battle.

All in all Fire Emblem is a solid turn-based tactical combat game, and gave me many nights of enjoyment. The difficulty level was perfect - I was forced to restart more than a few levels - and playing the game never felt like a chore. If you're a fan of strategy games, then this title is well worth your time to pick up and play through.

John's recent articles about Kobold Village on TorilMUD have me waxing very nostalgic for the days when I used to hunker down for hours on my old clunky x286 and lose myself in a text-based world.

This feeling led me to search for the name of one of my old role play characters (back when I did forum-based RP all the time), which in turn led me a wiki walkthrough for a quest that I created for Chaos MUD more than a decade ago.

The above map actually contains a number of zones that I created, including:

Wolfe Island (with a sub-zone named the Cynosuran Monastery)
Land of the Summoned Monsters (three Final Fantasy-themed areas)
Khorne's Keep (Warhammer themed)
Hell (every MUD needed an underworld)
Atlantis (a collaborative effort with Dawn)

My last zone was to be an Egyptian-themed area based on the life of Akhenaten, however I lost the will to create the area when my zone editor crashed, erasing all record of my work.

Anyhow, I have reproduced the text of the Wolfe Island walkthrough that I found below, which is essentially a text dump of someone's game play. Perhaps this will help you understand why I do not like spoiling quests for myself when I play games.... I know what it takes to create them.

Instructions are bold-italic, while MUD descriptions are plain text. Note that, since this is a walkthrough, you'll often see the player instructed to perform tasks before he's even aware that he needs to do them.

For reference, this zone was created based on a pen & paper campaign that I ran with friends. Along the way you will meet two of the characters that were played during that campaign. (I still have the original D&D module that I created sitting on a shelf at home; perhaps I'll scan it in some day.)

I'm still proud of the quality of writing in this zone; given the medium, I feel that that it holds up nicely. (And this is only a small sample of the text available - all 200 rooms, as well as every monster and object were described. Each script also contained story, as you'll see below.)

---

Obtaining 'Heavenly Blessing'

(Look for this room on main street of Wolfe Island)

Cobblestone Road
[Exits: north south]
Two large, long buildings line the street here. To the east you see the soldier's barracks, and to the west you see the mess hall. The road continues north and south.

(Open and go west, open and go south)

Kitchen
[Exits: north]
The kitchen is about half the size of the mess hall, and crowded by a small army of cooks whose job it is to prepare meals for the soldiers night and day. The aromas that assault your senses make you keenly feel your hunger. The door back to the main mess hall is to the north.

(P)A man in a chef's hat is here, cooking up a storm.

the Head Chef asks 'Hey! What are you doing in my kitchen?'
the Head Chef brandishes his wooden spoon menacingly.
the Head Chef exclaims 'Give me 100,000 gold, or get out!'

(Give the Head Chef 100000 gold.)


the Head Chef says 'Okay....I'll let you stay for now......here's some meat, you can cook it up yourself, or throw it to the reavers for all I care, I don't have the time to be bothered!'
The Head Chef gives you some raw meat.

(From Chef go ne4s)

Before the Wall
[Exits: north]
Standing before the wall, you crane your neck to try to see the top, and almost fall over in the process. From this vantage point the wall seems to be infinitely high. The large, iron-bound gate is directly to your south, and the cobblestone road leads north.

A soldier wanders around here, glad to be off duty.
A soldier wanders around here, glad to be off duty.
A proud guard stands here before the great wall.

the Gate Guard tells you 'Those who pass through this gate may never return to the land of the living. If you leave now, you are forever dead.'

(Kill guard for gate key and unlock/open south)
(From gate go 10s2w3n)

Gate Village
[Exits: north south]
To your west is by far the largest house in the village. The road leads north and south.

(Open go west and then open and go down)

Basement
[Exits: up]
The basement is lit, but dimly, by a pair of torches. A long rug, made of a strange hide, leads up to the base of a throne constructed of bone. There are stairs leading up and out of this nightmare.

(W)(P)A werewolf is here, lord over all the reavers.
(P)A reaver is here, protecting his chief.
(P)A reaver is here, protecting his chief.

(Kill Werewolf and get the eyes from corpse)
(Go uen and open/go west)

Gate Village
[Exits: north south]
There appears to be quite a bit of traffic going in and out of the house to your west. You wonder what it could possibly contain.
The road leads north and south.

(Open and go west)

Food Storage
[Exits: east]
Decaying bodies are stacked like firewood in this building. A vile stench fills the air, and the buzzing of the multitudes of flies is maddening. The exit is east.

An hungry glint appears in this reaver's eye as he spots you.
An hungry glint appears in this reaver's eye as he spots you.
An hungry glint appears in this reaver's eye as he spots you.
the Ravenous Reaver exclaims 'Give me FRESH MEAT!!!!'
The Ravenous Reaver snarls angrily.
The Ravenous Reaver drools on himself.
the Ravenous Reaver narrows their eyes and attacks!
the Ravenous Reaver roars and attacks!
the Ravenous Reaver locks their gaze onto you seeking your death!

(Give one of them the fresh meat and get bloody tooth from corpse)
(Go e5sw2s2w4s)

Beach Village
[Exits: north]
Beach Village is the smaller, and more peaceful, of the two villages that you were told about. An important looking hut is to the south, and the road back to the forest is to the north.

(Open and go south)

Haldorf's Hut
[Exits: north]
This tidy little hut has a strangely comforting feel to it. A little bed, small writing desk, and table and chair are the only furniture that the occupant deems necessary. There is a door to the north.

(W)(P)A wise old man is seated at his little table.
Haldorf the Elder tells you 'Please, leave this place now. We have nothing you want.'

(say 'key')

Haldorf the Elder tells you 'I have heard of your search for the Golden Key to the old monastary. At one time it was in my possesion, but it was stolen by the Cliff Villagers some ten years ago.'
Haldorf the Elder gives you Peace Offering.
Haldorf the Elder says 'Take this and give it to the Chief of the Cliff and maybe he will help.'

(From chief go 5n2en2e)

Lariandan Woods
[Exits: east west down]
It's hard to believe that this was once a holy place for elves. Now it holds only despair.

(Go down to dragon)

Dark Underground Cave
[Exits: up]
Drip ... Drip ... Drip ...
The darkness is smothering in here, it feels as if the entire cave will collapse on you at any second. The exit back to the forest is up.

An evil looking tree is here, slowly moving towards you.
A two headed troll is here, fouling the forest with it's presence.
A huge three armed giant lumbers towards you!
(W)(P)A green two headed dragon stares at you through two sets of eyes.
the Forest Linnorm Dragon locks their gaze onto you seeking your death!

(Say 'haaaazeaearggegg' before you kill him to make him load the essence)

the Forest Linnorm Dragon screams in fury!!!
A fine mist seems to seep from inside the dragon.

(Get the Essence of a Priest from the corpse)
(From dragon go u2e)

Little Hut in the Woods
[Exits: west]
You are standing in a small, crudely build hut. Unlike the rest of the forest, the world seems to be at peace here. The exit is to the west.

An evil looking tree is here, slowly moving towards you.
(P)(Shop)An eccentric little man is here, scrounging for herbs.
Asbestos the Hermit says 'Welcome! Would you like to buy some bloodmoss to protect you from the plague of this region?'

(Say 'child')

Asbestos the Hermit says 'So you seek the child of the forest. Long ago the children used to be many, but then the evil came, and devoured them all. Most are lost, but I believe one or two live on, though absorbed into evil.'
Asbestos the Hermit starts mixing a strange brew.
Asbestos the Hermit says 'Touch the dark trees with this, and I think you will be able to free one of the children.'
Asbestos the Hermit gives you evil's Bane.
Asbestos the Hermit exclaims 'Good luck!'

(From Hermit go 4ws2w2s2en2w)

In Front of the Cynosuran Monastary
[Exits: east]
The stench of death fills the air. Old death. rotting death. The natural world is screaming in agony. To the north you see the cause of the scar on the world, the Cynosuran Monastery. A path leads away to the east.

(W)A suspicious looking tree looms over the door to the monastery.
(W)A suspicious looking tree looms over the door to the monastery.

(Give evil's Bane to the Dark Tree.)

The Dark Tree begins to wither.
A small seed falls out of it's oozing trunk.

(Kill the Dark Tree, pick up the seed)

You get the Seed of Lariandan Woods from corpse of the Dark Tree

(From Tree go 2es2w2nenw)

Outside the Woods
[Exits: east]
You walk out of the woods and into glorious sunlight, only to be met by an unusual sight. A flaming chariot is sitting idle on the ground beside a pair of spectral steeds. The forest is to the east.

(P)An elf with two swords is here, looking deadly.
(W)(P)A human dressed in golden plate mail is here.
(W)A crazed looking dwarf is here mocking your parentage.
Torvil Knarn sighs loudly.
Torvil Knarn says 'Don't mind the dwarf, he's a little ... umm ... different.'
Elixor Aledrink screams "What sorta pansies are you???? I could take you on naked!"
Elixor Aledrink stops using spiked Platemail.
Elixor Aledrink screams "Come on ya wimps! Let's go!"

(Say 'praise')

Torvil Knarn says 'Earning the praise of Mithras is not an easy task. There is a blight on this island, dating back centuries. If you can aid in it's destruction, you will earn the praise of my God. Defeat the greater werewolf, and bring me proof of the deed.'

(Give Bloody Werewolf Eyes to Torvil Knarn.)

Torvil Knarn says 'Ah yes! I see you have completed your task.'
Torvil Knarn bows his head in prayer.
A blazing yellow light fills the clearing!!
Torvil Knarn says 'My prayers have been answered. Here is your reward.'
Torvil Knarn gives you the Praise of Mithras.
Torvil Knarn says 'May the light shine on you always.'
Torvil Knarn bows deeply.

(From Torvil go ese2nen2e5n9w4d3e2u2n)

Chief's Room
[Exits: south]
In comparison to the meager lifestyle that the rest of the village seems to live in, the chief's room is absolutely stately. The furniture shines in the torchlight as if newly polished, and there isn't a speck of dust on the carpets beneath your feet. The only exit is back south.

A gem encrusted throne sits here, sparkling in the torch light.
(W)(P)An important looking man is here, seated on his throne.
the Cliff Chief tells you 'Welcome to my humble village, kind traveller. We of the cliff are peaceful folk, and mean you no harm. Please, sit down and rest, and I will have my servants fetch you some wine.'
the Cliff Chief smiles innocently.

You give Peace Offering to the Cliff Chief.
the Cliff Chief exclaims 'Oh! For me....how kind!!!'
The Cliff Chief sits down and thinks deeply.
the Cliff Chief says 'I suppose you would like this key then.....'
the Cliff Chief pulls out the Golden Key
The Cliff Chief grins evilly.
the Cliff Chief exclaims 'Well too bad!!!!!!! Die!!!!!!!!'

(Fight off the chief and loot his corpse)

You get a golden key from corpse of the Cliff Chief.

(From Cliff Chief go 2s2d3w4u9e7sws2w2s2w2s2en2w)

In Front of the Cynosuran Monastary
[Exits: east]
The stench of death fills the air. Old death. Rotting death. The natural world is screaming in agony. To the north you see the cause of the scar on the world, the Cynosuran Monastery. A path leads away to the east.

An evil looking tree is here, slowly moving towards you.
(W)A suspicious looking tree looms over the door to the monastery.
(W)A suspicious looking tree looms over the door to the monastery.

(Unlock and open north then go 5n2w)

Head Priest's Chamber
[Exits: east]
This was probably the head priest's chambers before the coming of the evil. Two arms, two legs, and a head are suspended from the ceiling by thin rope creating grisly mobile. The rest of the decayed body is tossed carelessly on the bed. There is also a small writing desk and an overturned cabinet in the room. The exit is to the east.

(W)(P)(T)A sad looking spirit is here, standing by the remains of his body.

(Say 'essence')

the Spirit of the Head Priest asks 'You need my soul to pass through the barriers underneath this temple?'
The Spirit of the Head Priest thinks about old times and friends.
the Spirit of the Head Priest says 'I am sorry - I cannot help you. My life's essence was given to my long time foe, the Linnorm Dragon, Haaaazeaearggegg, by Felldion when he razed the temple.'
the Spirit of the Head Priest moans in self pity.
the Spirit of the Head Priest says 'If you could defeat the dragon you might have a chance to retrieve my essence. I used to have a book on how to defeat dragon's but I lent it to the wizards of the Isle long ago. If you do manage to kill the dragon, please return my essence.'

(Give the Essence of a Priest to the Spirit of the Head Priest.)

The Spirit of the Head Priest gasps in astonishment.
the Spirit of the Head Priest exclaims 'You have defeated the dragon and retrieved my soul!'
The Spirit of the Head Priest bows deeply.
the Spirit of the Head Priest says 'I am in your debt, brave crusader. If it's my soul you need to aid in the defeat of Felldion, then I shall help you.'
the Spirit of the Head Priest funnels his soul into a clear crystal.
The Spirit of the Head Priest gives you a Gem Containing the Soul of a Priest.

(From Priest go 3edwsd2s)

Circular Cavern
[Exits: north]
You are standing in a circular, rough cut cave. A shimmering red light blocks off the exit to the south, but you can still go back north.
There is a note posted on the wall.

(W)(P)An impassive figure stands here, guarding the barrier.
the Guardian says 'Bring unto me the tooth of a senseless beast, and I shall let ye pass.

(Give a Bloody Tooth to the Guardian.)

The Guardian stops using a Red key.
The Guardian gives you a Red key.

(Unlock and go south)
(Kill an umberhulk and get purple key from corpse)

Oval Cavern
[Exits: north]
You are standing in an oval shaped cavern. There is a little shelf with some wooden tiles stacked on it. A yellow barrier blocks the way east, but the passageway north is open.

(W)(P)An impassive figure stands here, guarding the barrier.
the Guardian says 'Bring me proof that thou art praised by the Sun God, and I shall grant ye passage. Torvil Knarn shall tell thee more.'

(Give the Praise of Mithras to the Guardian.)

The Guardian stops using a Yellow key.
The Guardian gives you a Yellow key.

(Advance to the next room, kill an iron golem, and get blue key from its corpse)

Rough Cut Cavern
[Exits: south]
This cavern looks like it is about to cave in! Better not linger very long. The passage north is blocked by a white barrier, but the passageway south is clear. There is a note posted on the wall.

(W)(P)An impassive figure stands here, guarding the barrier.
the Guardian says 'To earn passage, thou must bring unto me the essence of a long dead priest. The head priest of this temple still wanders the halls above.'

(Give a Gem Containing the Soul of a Priest to the Guardian.)

The Guardian stops using a Translucent key.
The Guardian gives you a Translucent key.

(Advance, kill a gargoyle golem, and get black key from corpse)

Pear-Shaped Cavern
[Exits: north]
This is a short and squat cavern. A greenish glow blocks off the route south, but you can go back north. There is a note posted on the wall.

(W)(P)An impassive figure stands here, guarding the barrier.
the Guardian says 'Bring me the child of the forest, and I shall let ye pass. The old hermit of Lariadan Woods can help you.'

(Give the Seed of Lariandan Woods to the Guardian.)

The Guardian stops using a Green key.
The Guardian gives you a Green key.

(Advance, kill a bone skeleton, and get cyan key from corpse)
(From here follow path opening doors as required: 3sdnwsd2e)

Beholder's Lair
[Exits: west]
Many bones are tossed about this room. Small rats scurry to and fro beneath your feet, sometimes pausing to nip at your ankles. The passageway leads west.

(I)(W)(T)A large floating eye looks annoyed that you are disturbing it's space.
the Dreadful Beholder stares at you evilly, you feel the urge to flee!!!!
the Dreadful Beholder locks their gaze onto you seeking your death!
The Dreadful Beholder fades into existence.

(Kill the beholder and loot the crackling vial.)

You get a crackling vial from corpse of the Dreadful Beholder.

(Vial is a regen potion)
(Go w5nenese opening doors)

Forge Room
[Exits: west]
The first thing you notice in this room is a large, black, wrought iron table with a pearl two-handed sword laying on it. Then, a huge, double-bladed axe arcs down and smashes into the blade sending a shower of white hot sparks in all directions. Looking to the owner of the axe you see a large, 9' tall, winged, dog-faced demon!!!
The exit is to the west.

(W)(P)A winged demon with a wicked axe tries to split you in half!
the Nycaloth mutters at the sight of you and attacks!

(Kill it)

You get Belt of Lost Souls from corpse of the Nycaloth.
You get a Diamond key from corpse of the Nycaloth.

(Go wnws2wnwsw opening doors)

Unholy Treasure Horde
[Exits: east]
This appears to be the evil temple's treasury. Unholy artifacts line the walls, including skulls, daggers, and wands. Heaps of coins are stacked at intervals around the room. The door out is east.

A pile of treasure lies here.

You get a pile of treasure.

(Go enese4n opening doors)

The Altar of Blood
[Exits: south]
You are standing at the base of an obsidian altar. Three sets of three candles are on either side of the altar, and the maiden is lying on top of it. The only exit is south.

(W)(P)(T)An elf in red plate, wielding a vicious sword is here.
A naked elven maiden is lying here helplessly.
Felldion, the Dark One says 'You are to late, heroes.'
Felldion, the Dark One MASSACRES the Elven Maiden!
Felldion, the Dark One sneers at you in contempt.

(You have a choice here - save the maiden or allow Felldion to kill her.)

(Option 1: When Felldion kills the maiden, then kill him)

You get Blood Plate from corpse of Felldion, the Dark One.
You get Demonic Shield from corpse of Felldion, the Dark One.
You get a Tainted key from corpse of Felldion, the Dark One.

(Option 2: Kill Felldion before he finishes off the maiden)

(When he's dead, say 'yes')

The Elven Maiden sighs in relief.
the Elven Maiden says 'Thank you, my brave rescuers. Now that I am free of his evil presence, I am able to use my abilities again.'
Soft light fills the room as the elven maiden calls on her goddess.
The Elven Maiden invokes the powers of Peoni.
The Elven Maiden drops Heavenly Blessing.
the Elven Maiden says 'Here is your reward, straight from the heart of my goddess. Thank you again, my saviors.'
Blinding light fills the room!!!!!!!!