Today I'd like to cover a game I didn't know existed only a few days back, a game out of a genre that is heavily under represented on our beloved platform, a(n old-school) sandbox MMORPG named Albion Online!
While the game will be free to play upon release it currently is in phase called "Summer Alpha", meaning that you can only play it if you buy an epic or legendary founder pack from https://albiononline.com/en/founderpacks
Normally the tag free to play alone would be enough to send me running, for multiple reasons I wont get into, but this game caught my attention and I did want to try it out so badly that I even supported them and now I'm really glad I did.
As I think the official website does a good job in providing all the necessary info I've only picked a few things I personally am very excited about the game-design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSZpze0TZHk
Terminology - Sandbox vs. Themepark
For people unaccustomed to the term, in a sandbox (like Albion Online or Eve Online) you don't apply the same formulas as in a themepark (famous themepark-MMORPGs being World of Warcraft, Everquest 2 or Age of Conan).
Instead of solely focusing on creating new dungeons, raids, battlegrounds and whatnot you give the player the tools to shape the world themselves.
Player driven
One central aspect of Albion Online is a player driven economy. About every item you can get in game was made by other players.
Apart from "safe-zones" most of the territory will be conquerable too, giving a nice touch and meaning to guild wars.
By This Axe, I Rule! (Robert E. Howard, Kull)
Quote"You can conquer the vast world of Albion for yourself! Territories mean shelter from the dangers of the wilderness, and room to build villages and gather precious resources. Claim yours, then expand your empire and protect it from invaders!"
But fear not, if are not really into PVP there is also meaningful PVE-content:
Quote"Monster hunting isn’t just a pastime in Albion Online. The creatures you fight provide you with the resources you’ll need to create weapons and items. Arm yourself wisely: Powerful beasts lurk in the world below, and only true heroes can best them!"
One world/realm, one ruleset
Another thing different to most themeparks is that every player of Albion Online plays on the same master server, in one huge game world.
That is one part that I really love from other games such as Eve or Mortal Online as well. Your actions do count a lot more too. Technically there could be a few downsides, but if the developers can distribute the nodes evenly around the (real planet ;)) earth I don't see lag being a major game-breaker.
Kleider machen Leute / Clothes make the (wo)man
There are no predefined classes in Albion Online, instead you decide what you want your character to be. From being a successful farmer, smith or tailor to being a well-known magician or an infamous war-lord, the decision is up to you.
Quote"Forget what you know from other MMOs. There are no classes in Albion Online, which means no restrictions on what you can equip. Experiment to design and create your own perfect build - in Albion Online, you are what you wear!"
Another very interesting feature is what the devs call "truly cross-platform". Apart from the game supporting Linux you may ask what's the big deal. Well, Albion Online is supposed to be playable on the major desktop platforms (Linux, Mac, Windows) as well as mobile platforms (Android and iOS) to its full extent!
They prepared a video to explain that feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPJstK0ykto
Personal thoughts
One big bonus for me so far: I've played quite a few MMORPGs, especially back in the days, and what struck me most is the community in Albion. I've never ever met a bigger bunch of open and friendly people than in that game. Whenever I felt the urge to ask a question I got dozens of nice answers although I'm sure some of them have been answered zillions of times.
You don't need a beefy rig to play this game. I did try it under Archlinux with Kernel 4.0 an AMD 6950HD (2GB) and the open source drivers (Mesa). I ran like a charm (one of the few unity games I can say that about) and so far I couldn't see any graphical glitches or other issues. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I agree with most things you said, but this statement is economically spoken, not correct. Lootable corpses do nothing to create additional demand, as the items taken from your corpse remain in circulation and can be sold or used by the looter. The only things that actually create demand for new items in MMO is either a) growth in players, b) gear obsolescence (e.g. due to levelling) and c) item degradation/destruction.
Wouldn't this depend on the implementation (when/how fast do corpses and with them the loot disappear?) and on the scale of the battle + the inventory size of the winning people among other factors?
I mean, if 5 people pk 2 people and they have enough room in their inventory and the loot is interesting, they will probably take it with them, so nothing "gained" here (economy-wise). On the other hand, it depends on what they do with the loot. If they only "bank" it for harder times (like when they die) it's out of the economy and the dead one has to buy new armor.
If a huge armies fight against each other chances are that people won't have enough inventory space or just fight for the fun and let (part of) the loot rotting and disappearing.
Another thing is: if you can destroy player-made-structures you add to the economy again, because there is constant need for certain materials.
What I want to say: You're generally right that if person A kills person B and takes it's loot the economy doesn't gain anything, because person B may need a new set of armor, but person A now has 2.
But there are many things to be taken into account.
Compare it to a real-world-war. (Today) They are often fought for economical reasons, one being that the winner can rebuild a whole country, making a lot of profit doing this and that's because it's good for the economy if people die and their belongings are destroyed.
For an economy to sustain itself you need some kind of "make things obsolete" mechanism. (*) In themeparks that is the item-spiral (not sure if you call it that in English), it's the way that World of Warcraft does it, by creating higher and higher item-levels that you need to reach as to be able to get to an even higher level.
(*) It's the same as in the real-world, again. Many people keep telling us that the economy needs to grow, but where would it grow? At some point the market would be saturated, everyone would have a certain product. So you need to make them break, you need to make better ones, so people keep pursuing them, wanting to get the best item.
Or you fight some wars, destroy everything and then there can be growth, because you just burned everything down.
Last edited by Ser Eduardo Mogambro on 11 July 2015 at 6:00 am UTC