» Advertisement «

Adellion Preview
By Marty Graves

Rather than seeking to imitate design features in previous games, Adellion seeks to raise the bar by introducing new concepts into the realm of online gaming. Unlike other MMOGs to date, only humans inhabit the world of Adellion. However the detail and differences that has gone into the different cultures is vast and wide-ranging. Another important area where Adellion raises the bar is the absence of traditional magic and its associated effects. In its place, Honourbound Ltd has introduced the idea of "science" and a technology tree. Another difference is permanent death, which allows for a dynamic world that is always changing, both for the good and the bad. However, the ability for players to have heirs allows them to keep some of their material wealth and 'name'. Finally, there are no experience levels or visual player statistics. This last point clearly labels Adellion as a game not suited to power gamers, but to people who wish to experience a new type of massively multiplayer game that is worlds apart from the others on the market.

The Engine

Adellion is unique among other massively multiplayer games in that it will require no gaming client. The entire game will be entirely playable via your web browser with a simple plug-in. This not only frees your computer of the burden of setting aside valuable hard drive space to contain the game, but also frees the gamer of the burden of shelling out $60 to get the game in the first place. The only fees involved in Adellion will be a small monthly fee.

The "world" of Adellion will be huge. Literally. If you were to place your character on a horse and attempt to gallop across the world, after 24 real-time hours, you still would not have successfully rounded the globe. The sheer size of the game, along with the absence of quick-travel spells and features will make a character's "home territory" have important meaning. Where you start off will drastically affect who you are, and who you meet

Adellion will be 3D.And as the game develops, the graphics get more and more beautiful. It appears based on screenshots that the player will have the option of toggling between 1st and 3rd person perspective.

The World, the History

Players find themselves upon the continent Aryiure in the world Adellion. The current world of Adellion is one that is recovering from a long period of ruin and war caused by the Great Sundering. Many technologies were lost and only remnants are left in old ruins. During the height of The ancients' technology they were able to use the knowledge of steam and solar power. If these technologies can be rediscovered, the culture that obtains this knowledge will have a huge advantage over the world of Adellion.

The history of Adellion is a long and twisted one. Over 6,000 years ago, Adellion was the home of 5 great empires. One empire, the Merussans, underwent a religious civil war between the followers of the God Adonai and those who did not believe in him. The believers eventually gained control of the Merussan Empire. Vilified by their victory, they spread the teaching of Adonai amongst the other empires. One after another, the Merussan Empire slowly took control of the world until there were only two remaining empires, the Merussan and the Coechian.

Both Empires turn to science to help them defeat their foe. The Coechian Empire discovered steam and solar power, only to have the Merussan's steal this technology. Soon both empires were at war, causing one of the most destructive periods in all of Adellion's history. The Merussan Empire was eventually victorious, and soon the world of Adellion followed the god Adonai. But the long war, and the haphazard use of the powerful technologies used by the world's empires had stressed Adellion's landscape. Scholars warned of an imminent change that would sweep the land, altering both the climate and the world itself. And as they predicted, the Great Sundering occurred, wiping out the Merussan Empire completely.

New cultures were formed out of the remnants of the old. These cultures include the Tarans, Drulons, and Sakoins, among others. While each culture has their own pantheon of gods, most bear similarities to the ancient worship of Adonai. Only the Salans follow the old teachings of the Merussans as before.

All of the old Merussan technologies had been lost during the Great Sundering. Some artifacts had been recovered, but knowledge of their operation had been lost in time. Three prophets appeared, two preaching that the world would enter an age of peace and prosperity, while the other spoke of dark times of war. Other prophets began to appear, praised and hailed by all of the world's cultures. Except the Salanians.

The Dalmites possessed a prophecy of the War of the Nine Kings. This prophecy spoke of a war that would encompass all of the empires, but one, and would last for 300 years. This war came and went to no apparent change in the social landscape of Adellion. Since that war, the world has been quiet, with the occasional border clash. More recently, the Battle of the Crimson fields occurred, in which the Tarians attempted to invade the Salanian Empire. While this invasion failed, hostilities between the two peoples remain high.

The Culture, the Player

There are currently ten official cultures and a handful of player-made cultures, which have been endorsed by the developers. The autocratic, military Tarians; the warlike, religious-extremist Drulons; the desert dwelling Sakoians; the isolationist, forest-dwelling Dalmites; and the semi-democratic Salans are but a few of the cultures that are available for you to play. Each culture possesses its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as a rich history and mythology for the player to draw upon.

Whichever cultures you choose to join, the options available to you are wide and varied. You can be a hermit living alone in the wilderness or a landowner managing lands and cities. You can be a soldier fighting for your nation or a healer curing the world's ills. A new profession to the world of massively multiplayer gaming will be a scholar who researches new technologies for their culture, or for the benefit of Adellion as a whole.

All the cultures have their own history and cultural idiosyncrasies. Everything from common food types to their daily life is set out and endorsed by the Lore developers. Currently, Lore developers are the leaders of these cultures. However once the game has been released, those who are powerful or have powerful friends as well as being a popular or good orator may rise to the position as leader of a culture through either noble or through devious means. In other words, each player has the chance to seize a leading role in Adellion society.

While there are no visual skill indicators, all players are different and have varying skills depending upon their character and culture. Any skill can be learnt or increased. This happens over time and can only be increased by a certain amount every day; the player will not know this cap. Over time if any skills are not used, they decrease slowly. Hit points also cannot increase from the initial starting amount. The hit points you are born with is the cap for your entire life. Items such as armour can be worn to increase chances of survival in attacks.

What does all of this mean for the player? Adellion is based on roleplaying, on portraying the character you have created as a member of the culture that you choose. It is not about laboriously macroing a skill so you can achieve grandmaster status in swords or archery. By removing the component of visible skills, the designers hope to change the gamer's focus.

The Magic, the Science

There is no typical magic in Adellion. There are still objects that have quasi-magical qualities. These range from the ability to heal someone to unique weapons. All of these objects are unique, having been made in antiquity from advanced technologies.

The technology tree is one of the most unique assets to Adellion. The ability to influence your world through both violent and non-violent methods sets Adellion out as not just another on-line Quake. By researching technologies and relics, you have the ability to advance your culture or the world of Adellion as a whole. There is currently no indication as to how advanced Adellion can become. However the ancient world, before the Great Sundering, reached a technology level, which used steam and solar power. If these technologies can be reached again is unknown, only time will tell.

Life and Death

Very few on-line games, have permanent death for their player characters. Adellion is one of the few in design that incorporates this design feature. While the Adellion system is not as harsh as some others, it still has a limit on the lifespan of a player and their character. The Adellion system uses a three-chance system to remove the anguish for lag deaths and grief players. After each death, the player returns to the nearest healer and continues from there bereft of his equipment, though the character still has their clothes. Upon the third death, the player's character finally dies. If the player has managed to acquire an heir, their property and some personal belongings are transferred to this character. If the player does not have an heir, they will have to start again with a new family name.

Adellion also allows you to attempt to cause the death of someone else, or prevent it. You can increase you own fighting skills, wear armour, and gather other players with a similar mind to yours. You can build an army of NPCs to guard your farm, province, or Empire. You can rely on your government, who you support through taxes, to ensure the protection of its citizens. You can become a hermit and leave all the troubles behind you. You can even seek to assassinate a tyrant king. Again the options are limited by your own desire.

Summary

Every new game claims it is dynamic and innovative. That it pushes the gaming barriers that next notch further. Adellion does this in ways and combinations most commercial companies would not dare to do. The integration of permanent death, empire building, technology tree, and role playing make Adellion one of the most unique MMOGs in development.

[ Return to Previews ]