Dragon Empires E3 2003 Preshow Report

Codemasters has today released new information on Dragon Empires, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game currently being developed internally and scheduled for release early next year. As we've reported previously, the game is set in the fantasy world of Fortitude, which consists of five empires, each ruled by a different dragon. Early details have been released pertaining to three of the five dragons today, revealing that the bird empire's ruler will be intelligent yet quick-tempered, the monkey empire's ruler will be primitive but practical, and the insect world's ruler will be a spiritual dragon. The characteristics of each dragon will affect the look and power of his or her empire and the mind-set of any players who choose to live there.

When creating your character, you'll be able to choose from one of three playable races, including magical humans, the heroic dragonblood, and the eerie shadow. Each race in the game will have five different classes, and although the complete list of character classes has not been released at this time, it's known that fighter and mage characters will be complemented by traders and crafters designed for those of you who wish to play the game with a little less emphasis on combat. In fact, should you wish to do so, it'll be possible to spend your entire time crafting and trading in items and weapons--services that will always be in demand as a result of the fact that all items wear out with use. Unlike many other online RPGs, Dragon Empires will allow you to determine the prices of any goods you have for sale.

Of course, combat will play a major role in Dragon Empires, and while it will be possible for you to opt out of player-vs.-player combat, Codemasters' hopes for the game include massive clan-vs.-clan battles, with rival factions battling for control of the game's 50 cities. Once in control of a city, clans will not only be able to adorn buildings with their own flags and banners, but they will also assume control of the local economy and be able to expand with additional buildings. Quests will also be an important element of the game, and Codemasters is promising that while you'll be presented with overall objectives, the quests will be thought-provoking and nonlinear, with multiple paths to success.

According to today's press release, the world of Fortitude will feature its own climate engine based on real weather models. Codemasters' plans for naturally evolving climatic effects are certainly ambitious, and as heat rising causes clouds to expand and drop rain, you'll purportedly be exposed to lightning, snow, and fog and will even get to see rainbows and meteors on occasion. As a result of the climate model, Codemasters also claims that the game's environments will evolve naturally to include everything from hot plains and sandy deserts to tropical forests and icy mountains.

Dragon Empires is currently scheduled to ship in spring 2004. For more information, check out our previous coverage of the game.