The Linux of MMoRPGs and a haven for roleplayers.
of a game... but this one gets a bunch of roses from me.
What we have here is a freelance MMoRPG that aims to offer a free, multiplatform alternative to the the cast of commercial MMoRPG titles.
Despite its ambitious claims the game is actually very conventional in its nature since the development team is trying to merge the traditional
Pen & paper RPG formula with a modern online game.
The game mechanics themselves can be compared with traditional RPG elements similar to Ultima Online and its many copycats.
We have monsters to kill, minerals to mine and items to craft, you know the drill ;-)
What makes this game stand out however is its strong emphasis on Roleplaying and using your imagination to think of your own stories.
A few of the game mechanics actually complement this idea as can be seen in the character creation where instead of choosing class, stats and skills
you will "purchase" events that have happened in your character's past
with a set amount of creation points.
Those events not only will affect your skills and stats but will also be copied into your character's personal biography which you are also free to alter if you prefer a more personalized background.
The lore, for what is already there is nicely thought out but is hampered a bit by the many missing features such as many of the race's correct models.
Since this is still an early alpha, I won't blame the devs too much for that.
What wis already there however, is a nicely crafted and quite huge world which only suffers from the aforementioned limitations and the fact that the engine can not possibly compete with more modern games.
What I also particulary liked is the possibility of submitting your own content for the game. Before you do so you should make yourself familiar with the existing rules about that though.
Altogether Planeshift looks like it could be a promising for those who are starving for an online game where roleplay is heavily encouraged
by the community as well as the developers if you can live with its technological shortcomings that is.