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Wanna know why I am upset, this is why.
shane910
Member Posts: 359
in Roma Victor
Features
* Real-time 'twitch' combat balanced with character skills
All too often we've seen MMORPG combat consisting of toggling combat status and sitting back to watch the fight, occasionally hitting a key to throw in the odd special move. That's why we think the combat in Roma Victor is pretty special. Combat is real-time, often very fast-paced. Sometimes it's quite frenetic and sometimes less so - imagine two experienced gladiators slowly circling around each other between frenzied attacks, for example. Players can aim for specific body parts, alter their style of attack and time their moves just as one might in a real life melee. It's very difficult to describe all the nuances of combat in a couple of paragraphs but if opponents' character skills and equipment are matched then it's all about timing and stamina - if you frantically slash and stab while energetically dancing around your opponent you'll probably find that you get so tired that it makes your opponent's life really easy and they can just step in with one or two well-timed and well-placed attacks that'll take you straight down. Wounds and injuries differ according to the clothing and armour worn, the type of weapon and attack, the strength, constitution and skill of the combatants etc. For example, if you hit someone over the head with a spear it's unlikely to break the skin but it'll still hurt. Thrust your spear at them or hit them over the head with a sword however and it's a very different story.
When incapacitated in combat your character doesn't necessarily die straight away. It'll be laying down unconscious for a short while unless someone administers some basic aid or administers a killing blow, which can only be done when your character is incapacitated. Needless to mention that deathblow sends you straight to Elysium and you'll have to negotiate your way back to the 'real' world. You might also bleed to death, which is why extreme caution should be taken when training with sharp weapons!
* Crafting
The crafting in Roma Victor is truly comprehensive and you'll find a huge amount of resources and components can be put together using the hundreds of related skills. Almost everything in the world can be crafted. For example, having picked up a small wooden stick a player can use their knife to carve a notch in it, thereby crafting a simple handle. This handle could be combined with a sharpened blade to make another knife perhaps. The sharpened blade might come from some raw iron ore that has been smelted into a lump of iron in a furnace, cast into a flat strip in a forge, hammered into blade form at the anvil and then sharpened at a grindstone. As another example, flax can be grown, carefully harvested, left in a muddy retting pit to rot, taken out and dried, heckled into tow fibres with a comb, spun into twine at the distaff and then woven into a linen sheet at a loom. Grain can be milled into flour, which can be mixed with saltwater to form a basic dough, which when left out will go sour. Mix the sour dough with some fresh dough and bake it in an oven to make some bread. Of course a crafter's skill has a substantial effect on the quality of the components or products that they craft and this has a direct bearing on the economic viability of crafting as a whole. There is much, much more to crafting but it's simply beyond the scope of this document. You might like to take a look at the RVWiki for some more ideas.
* Construction
Construction is simply a glorified term for crafting big things! Crafting usually requires a few resources and components, a stationary device (such as a forge, anvil, workbench etc.) and at least one tool of some kind. In addition to that Construction usually involves bringing large amounts of resources and components to the construction site. When building anything from a forge or an oven, up through simple buildings like roundhouses and simple stone huts, all the way up to temples, major buildings, bridges etc. you'll need to ensure you have all the necessary skilled labour and a good supply chain to finish the job. This almost inevitably involves other players and NPC's.
* Player housing
Roma Victor is an extremely open-ended 'sandbox'-style environment. Players can hire structures to live in, build their own or even rent them out to other players. Any structure can be set as public, private or even in some cases have an entry fee.
* Day & Night
There's a realistic day and night cycle that actually tracks the real celestial locations of the sun and moon according to the exact Roma Victor time and day, longitude and latitude - of course adjusted back to the second century calendar! We've accelerated the passage of time of course (it's set to 24 RV hours every 8 real-life hours) but night-time is still something to be very wary off unless you're somewhere safe - and you're going to need a torch!
* Open PvP and safe areas
Certain areas are well policed by representatives of Roman law, be they Prefects, Auxiliaries, Legionaries or even Praetorians. In some places it's completely impossible to break the laws; in some places you can attempt it but it's extremely difficult to get away with and in some places you're beyond the reach of the law altogether. This allows for a seamless blend of PvP and non-PvP environments with no real faction restrictions. Obviously Romans have a hard time getting away with crimes committed against fellow Romans - but it is possible in some circumstances. Don't go thinking that anything considered part of the Empire is safe however - even some parts of Italia itself might still be dangerous areas for a lone Roman to visit.
* No levelling treadmill
There are no character levels in Roma Victor. None. Instead there's the huge, diverse skill tree. There are no level-based restrictions by design or consequence like you'll find in most MMORPG's. You won't be forced to find people of a similar level in order to play in a group and you won't be restricted to certain types of encounter. Of course this also means that you won't be trying to catch up with friends that have played more than you (and therefore 'levelled' faster), or indeed trying to slow your own development and/or 'level up' your friends so that they can come and hunt with you again. Character development in Roma Victor is much more like real life.
* Realistic character limitations
In Roma Victor, as in real life, your skills and personal statistics decay. This means that without practice your character's ability in a given skill will worsen. If, for example, as a newbie you spent a lot of time developing your combat skills but then moved on to focus on your farming you'd find that your combat abilities decreased over time. You can easily counter this by regular combat training but it makes the prospect of juggling several careers quite daunting. Anyone trying to be a gladiator/cook/farmer/smith/potter/priest/carpenter/whatever-type character will find it near impossible to become highly adept at all of the involved skills.
* Wounds, Injuries & Treatment
In combat, characters can sustain both wounds and injuries. Wounds decrease your character's six Attributes (Muscle, Vision, Agility, Dexterity, Intuition and Stamina), which can have a significant effect on the character's skills and activities. Wounds heal slowly over time although the healing process can be greatly hastened with the right medical treatment. Injuries are more serious and usually more debilitating. Characters with serious injuries will definitely be seeking medical attention.
* No camping
Here we're referring of course to the MMORPG term 'camping' and not sleeping out in the wilderness. There will be plenty of the latter! There are however no fixed regular spawns, no uber loot drops and no reasons to find yourself having to sit at a certain location waiting for hours on end for your group's turn to kill something and loot it. The world is dynamic and varied and NPC's have their own 'lives'. If you run into some bandits on the road between Corstopitum and Luguvallium then that's because those bandits are 'working the road' and they'll be doing so until killed, captured (and usually sold) or chased off.
* Fully freeform gameplay
There's plenty to do in Roma Victor but no one's forcing you to do anything. To as great an extent as possible, you are in control of your own destiny. Your choices, career path, activities and actions are all down to you, limited only by your own imagination and the harsh realities of a second century existence.
* Historical authenticity
In the most important areas the maps are based on real world archaeological data (modified to disallow anything later than the second century of course). Both the extended RedBedlam team and Roma Victor's outstandingly well-informed community have invested years of painstaking research into bringing unprecedented levels of detail to the historical authenticity of this world. Buildings follow the correct floor-plans; equipment and clothing is appropriate for the period and region; crafting activities, trading practices, combat styles - every aspect of the world that you can think of are all based upon what is known, expected and believed about life in second century Europe.
* Many communities, one world
We've seen in many virtual worlds that a small community that usually consists of a few hundred people online at any one time is a healthy, strong and exciting community to be a part of. A single community consisting of thousands of players online together often shatters that sense of community and ends up leaving players alienated and out of touch with each other. With Roma Victor's design there is one single world in which all players can co-exist, yet the right scale of community is maintained thanks in part to the vast geography involved. Roma Victor's single world will consist of hundreds of communities varying in size but never being totally prevented or excluded from contact with each other. There's nothing to stop players from travelling to a new part of the world and becoming part of a community there - unlike most MMORPG's where switching servers simply isn't possible; and in the rare cases that it is possible it almost inevitably involves a great deal of upheaval.
* Furniture & Decoration
Buildings have been purposefully designed without much in the way of integrated decoration and this allows much more freedom for the players to furnish and decorate their households as they'd like. An ever-growing range of furniture, banners, statues, mosaics etc. lets players ensure that their home is both stylish and unique.
* Clothing & Armour
The broad range of clothing and armour, all of which is both historically authentic and appropriate is expanding all the time. Furs, hides, plant-fibre textiles, metals and alloys can all be crafted into wearable items and this natural diversity yields substantial variation in character appearances. This is not another cookie-cutter medieval fantasy world however and players should not expect everyone to be wearing banded mail armour and wielding crossbows! Life in the second century is harsh and even a good sword is a highly prized and valued item.
* Realistic avatar characteristics
Characters in Roma Victor are not all created equal. During character creation, players can decide the balance of six physical attributes, which can be considered similar to summaries of that character's genetic composition. Balancing Muscle, Vision, Agility, Dexterity, Intuition and Stamina will give you a well-balanced character but you can alter the balance to suit your wishes. It's worth bearing in mind however that characters with low Muscle attributes will find it harder, but never impossible, to become very strong. As in real life, you can come across people with a low genetic tendency for muscle development that have nevertheless hefted weights for most of their lives and are therefore very strong. Similarly you can find people that have an extremely good genetic tendency for muscle development that have hardly ever stretched their muscles and are therefore pretty weak by comparison.
* Lore
Some say that the rituals, prayers and sacrifices made by the various religious orders and cults are nothing but fruitless wastes of time. Some say that these forms of worship can yield great benefits and that they may potentially be the most powerful aspect of life in Roma Victor. The truth of the matter will hopefully remain as lively a debate in-game as it is in the real world to this day.
* Elysium
Death for whatever reason is not to be taken lightly. Unless your character has attained the (optional) 'Legend' class it will be instantly whisked away to the mysterious wonders of Elysium where your character will have to navigate its way through fantastic landscapes, puzzles, physical challenges, demons and duels. Those that have led a simple life can expect a relatively painless and trouble-free journey through Elysium and will soon find themselves licking their wounds back in the safety of their hometown. Characters that have led less virtuous lives can expect to have a much tougher time in Elysium and are therefore likely to take longer to return.
* Weight
Every object in Roma Victor has a weight. Weight has the consequences you might expect. Characters can only carry so much weight, pack animals can be overloaded and every time your character lifts or carries something heavy, it'll be stretching its muscles and therefore has a chance of improving its strength.
* Liquids
Liquids such as water and olive oil and liquid containers such as jugs and amphorae are essential aspects of ancient life - particularly where crafting activities are concerned. The liquid support in Roma Victor is more involved than simply providing pretty rivers, lakes, beaches and waterways. Drinking or tending your crops with saltwater is pretty futile, for example.
* Shops
Shops provide goods and services but the goods involved have to come from somewhere and the services supplied require skilled labour. Both player shops and NPC shops depend upon good supply and management in order to thrive and there's nothing to stop enterprising players building up their own chains of shops - so long as they're sure that they can keep them staffed, supplied and safe.
* Resources & Trade
The resources in Roma Victor, as with the resources in real life, mostly come out of the ground. They are either brought out by NPC's or by player characters and everything from straw up to gold will play its role. Players and NPC's alike will interact in diverse networks of trade and commerce.
* Elders & Masters
Elders and Masters are the NPC's that greet you when you first arrive in the world of Roma Victor. They'll guide you, tell you what you can do and how to do it. They'll also set you your first quests and they'll be keeping notes about how you perform various different types of quests, tasks and errands. If you seem to complete the smithing-related activities more quickly and successfully than other types of activity, for example, then your Elder/Master will begin to realise and gradually direct you to ever-more intricate and challenging activities of that nature.
* Game mail
The game mail system in Roma Victor gives players the freedom to communicate using 21st century technology while maintaining the illusion and atmosphere of 2nd century communications. Players can read, compose, reply, forward etc. but the transport and delivery of the mail itself factors in the ancient time and distance restrictions and requires interaction with the appropriate kind of NPC's (representatives of the cursus publicus, tabellarii, etc.).
* Ranged chat
As with real life, there are different types of communication consisting of saying, shouting, screaming etc. Saying things works very well for those in your immediate surroundings but as people get further away or enter buildings they'll no longer be able to hear things you 'say'. If you want them to hear you, you'll have to 'shout' but not only is the amount of text you can fit into one 'shout' less than the amount you can fit into a single 'say' but also shouting is more draining your character's vigour. Screaming takes a lot of vigour but it can be heard quite a considerable distance away although you'll only be able to scream a single short word.
* Socials & Animations
Whether it be Roman military salutes, laughing, crying, yawning, taunting, cheering, clapping etc. there are around 200 unique character animations to choose from to help maintain the atmosphere and bring your character to life.
* An ever-growing range of characters, faces and ethnicities
At the time of writing there are around a hundred different character appearances and well over a dozen different ethnicities. A character's body shape will be a direct result of their diet and activities so you can expect to spot the richer merchants from a mile away. Combining the increasing range of character appearances with all the different types of dyed cloth, fur and hide clothing and armours of bronze and iron players will have considerable freedoms in choosing their appearance.
* Badges, Reputations, Friends and Foes
Players can also define their overall opinion of another player as a friend, a foe or ambivalent. Such systems of 'social moderation' are already used to great effect elsewhere on the 'Net and have demonstrated their ability to both help form social networks and identify trouble-makers. This system is combined with sophisticated 'badge' and dynamic reputation systems to give both players and NPC's alike a pretty good idea of how (in)famous, (un)popular and/or accomplished another player character may be.
* Encounters
Using Reputations, Friends and Foes, Badges etc. NPC's can get a pretty good idea of who you are and what your character is about. So long as they have no reason to dislike you, your interaction with most NPC's should be fairly pleasant. They'll converse with you and may even trade depending on whether they actually have any money, goods or services to trade. Alternatively they may be more inclined to come running at you with axe swinging. Throughout your travels in Roma Victor - particularly off the beaten track - you are likely to encounter NPC's that have an irrational desire for your belongings. Alternatively you may simply come across a bear or a pack of wolves, equally keen to attack yet less interested in your goods. In either scenario fight or flight becomes a decision that should be taken pretty quickly.
* Weather
Europe wouldn't be Europe if it didn't experience a broad range of weather types and various visual and audio effects such as wind, rain and snow etc. really help to set the scene. But it's not just for show - cold and wet weather can have a modest but adverse affect on your character, particularly if it's not wearing enough clothing or is underfed. However the patterns in which storms and weather fronts roll around the Roma Victor map are not entirely random and it's even possible to evade the worst weather if you can work out in which direction it's travelling.
* Tracking
Tracking is an extremely useful branch of the skill tree greatly aiding the hunting of wildlife and even humans. Players can use their character's tracking skills to hunt enemies, seek encounters and find prey, whether that prey be intended for wearing or eating!
* Diet
Without food and water your character will suffer the consequences. Although nowhere near as dire as such consequences can be in real life, those players interested in maintaining efficient character development will definitely want to keep their characters well fed. Different types of foods can have very subtle effects, but the most noticeable effects will come from alcohol, stale food and poisons.
* Guilds
The term 'guilds' can be applied to all of the player associations in Roma Victor ranging from small exclusive cults, through whole barbarian tribes and right up to the awesome 6000-strong Legions of Rome itself. Guilds in Roma Victor are not exclusively made up of players - the numbers can be augmented by NPC members, which can be hired and assigned to various roles and tasks by the higher ranking guild members, perhaps protecting the guild's property, carrying out assignments or simply acting as a merchant on behalf of the guild. The guild management interface also provides tools for communicating with and managing guildmembers, assigning individual sponsors to look after new members, adjusting contributions and fees and much more. For more information about guilds please visit: http://www.roma-victor.com/game/guilds.php
* Households
Every player has their own Household - it's a bit like a 'personal' guild. Household is the collective term applied to all the buildings and NPC's owned, employed and/or run by the player. There can be many buildings and NPC's within a household and using the built-in household management interface a player can set entry fees on their property, assign NPC's to act as merchants or guards, summon NPC's as an escort, hire and dismiss staff etc.
* News networks
NPC's will faithfully recount stories from their travels and encounters, both based on the in-game story arc and the activities of the players themselves. Additionally a network of storyteller NPC's will provide an immersive interface to a modern message-board style network of news services whereby players can keep up to date on the activities of their friends and enemies, not to mention contributing their own perspective.
* Law & Politics
Already players are taking up key roles such as Lords, Ladies and Magistrates. These powerful positions are elected by local communities within the game world although the elections certainly wouldn't meet modern democratic standards. Corruption, violence and other power struggles all help to ensure that all of the dynamics of 2nd Century politics are well represented!
* Quests
The quest system in Roma Victor is dynamic and personalised. Quests are intricately linked with the NPC's and players that set them and can themselves often lead to further and more challenging quests. NPC's set quests according to a number of criteria including the levels of resources and goods in the area, any hostilities, emergencies etc.
* Interactive story arc
Our story begins with the death of the philosopher Emperor Marcus Aurelius. One of the first acts of his son Commodus upon assuming sole leadership of the Empire was to send the stern and infamously heavy-handed Lucius Ulpius Marcellus to put down the rebellions in Britannia and oppose any further incursions across Hadrian's wall. Will the barbarians be able to withstand the attentions of this cruel Roman or will he be able to swiftly and successfully assert his authority and therefore confirm that he is the most likely candidate to become Governor of Britannia?
* Combustibles
Almost every object in Roma Victor has a combustibility factor, which means fires can be started pretty well anywhere and can even get out of control if not attended quickly enough. This also means of course that people can gather around campfires and bonfires for warmth and flames can be passed on and just as in real life, you can light a torch from pretty well any substantial flame and then use that torch to light anything dry and combustible enough.
* First & Third-person perspective
The game is naturally played in first-person perspective placing the player 'within' the body of the player's character but there is a third-person perspective option too for those that prefer it. However there are some limitations evident while using the third-person perspective (it makes combat much harder and is disabled altogether inside buildings).
* 3D audio
A sophisticated 3D sound engine makes the most of modern 3D sound hardware and really brings Roma Victor's audio to life. The geographically and historically correct species of birds and other fauna supply an ambient chorus of sounds and you're more likely to hear someone creeping up behind you in dry woodland or on wet mud than you are if they're treading on soft grass, for example.
* South Caledonia
At the moment the playable area is limited to one playfield, which is Southern Caledonia. The Southern Caledonia playfield actually consists of a pretty substantial area, which includes a fair section of Northern Britannia. As well as containing a selection of minor Roman and Celtic Briton settlements it also features two fully Romanised towns - Luguvalium and Corstopitum - and of course Hadrian's Wall itself, which is easily one of the most impressive and formidable landmarks ever constructed in ancient Europe. North of the Wall is a very interesting part of the world indeed and the northern-most regions of this playfield are well beyond the reaches of Rome, which is a very good thing from the perspective of the Scots and Picts that dwell there!
* SpeedTreeRT™
SpeedTreeRT™ has made it possible for us to not only enjoy realistic and visually stunning tree and plant-life but also to maintain the authenticity we strive for in all aspects of the project. You won't see any species of tree that didn't exist in any given region during our particular period but you will see an abundance of what was known to have flourished yielding an excellent mix of fibres, barks and wood types for the players to put to good use in their crafting activities.
* Dynamic lighting & Shadows
The ancient world had two primary sources of light: fire and the sun. As the sun arcs across the sky on a clear day you'll see its shadow move and even be able to read the sundials. Haven't got a sundial? Stick your spear in the ground and observe its shadow. Torches and fires illuminate their surroundings and cast their own shadows.
* Patch system
Every time testers connect to the world using our patch utility, any required updates are downloaded and seamlessly installed thereby ensuring that all of your client files are the latest available versions.
Upcoming features:
* Britannia
Using authentic terrain topology, the hills, rivers, flora and valleys of the 2nd Century British landscape are being brought back to life. From the wild untamed north, past the mighty fortifications of Hadrian's wall and all the way to the south coast, including many towns and settlements such as Luguvalium, Corstopitum, Eboracum, Londinum, Aquae Sulis, Neomagus etc. you'll find a deeply fascinating and truly exciting world to explore.
* Battles & Raids
In the more hazardous parts of the world, there are likely to be regular battles and raids in which players can take up the central roles. Acting as General, Commander, Soldier or Skirmisher players can work together and against each other in epic battles and skirmishes involving both players and NPC's. For more information see: http://www.roma-victor.com/game/cnc.php
* Player music
The player music system in Roma Victor is probably the most sophisticated player music system in any contemporary virtual world. A broad range of authentic ancient musical instruments have been painstakingly brought back to life, each with their own unique set of notes. Player musicians can learn songs, play together and entertain the masses in full 3D sound. No musical knowledge is required to join in and the more you play a particular instrument, the better your character's skill with it will become, meaning less mistakes and bigger tips!
* Permanent death for Legend-class characters
* Careers & Missions
* Animal taming & breeding
* Mounts
* Gaul
* Germania
* Hispania
* Italia
* Real-time 'twitch' combat balanced with character skills
All too often we've seen MMORPG combat consisting of toggling combat status and sitting back to watch the fight, occasionally hitting a key to throw in the odd special move. That's why we think the combat in Roma Victor is pretty special. Combat is real-time, often very fast-paced. Sometimes it's quite frenetic and sometimes less so - imagine two experienced gladiators slowly circling around each other between frenzied attacks, for example. Players can aim for specific body parts, alter their style of attack and time their moves just as one might in a real life melee. It's very difficult to describe all the nuances of combat in a couple of paragraphs but if opponents' character skills and equipment are matched then it's all about timing and stamina - if you frantically slash and stab while energetically dancing around your opponent you'll probably find that you get so tired that it makes your opponent's life really easy and they can just step in with one or two well-timed and well-placed attacks that'll take you straight down. Wounds and injuries differ according to the clothing and armour worn, the type of weapon and attack, the strength, constitution and skill of the combatants etc. For example, if you hit someone over the head with a spear it's unlikely to break the skin but it'll still hurt. Thrust your spear at them or hit them over the head with a sword however and it's a very different story. When incapacitated in combat your character doesn't necessarily die straight away. It'll be laying down unconscious for a short while unless someone administers some basic aid or administers a killing blow, which can only be done when your character is incapacitated. Needless to mention that deathblow sends you straight to Elysium and you'll have to negotiate your way back to the 'real' world. You might also bleed to death, which is why extreme caution should be taken when training with sharp weapons!
This was one of the main sellers for me, as the Point and click system that most games use is not fun anymore.
* Crafting
The crafting in Roma Victor is truly comprehensive and you'll find a huge amount of resources and components can be put together using the hundreds of related skills. Almost everything in the world can be crafted. For example, having picked up a small wooden stick a player can use their knife to carve a notch in it, thereby crafting a simple handle. This handle could be combined with a sharpened blade to make another knife perhaps. The sharpened blade might come from some raw iron ore that has been smelted into a lump of iron in a furnace, cast into a flat strip in a forge, hammered into blade form at the anvil and then sharpened at a grindstone. As another example, flax can be grown, carefully harvested, left in a muddy retting pit to rot, taken out and dried, heckled into tow fibres with a comb, spun into twine at the distaff and then woven into a linen sheet at a loom. Grain can be milled into flour, which can be mixed with saltwater to form a basic dough, which when left out will go sour. Mix the sour dough with some fresh dough and bake it in an oven to make some bread. Of course a crafter's skill has a substantial effect on the quality of the components or products that they craft and this has a direct bearing on the economic viability of crafting as a whole. There is much, much more to crafting but it's simply beyond the scope of this document. You might like to take a look at the RVWiki for some more ideas. Wonder why they left out their best feature, as some like to say, the ammount of time needed to accomplish those tasks? Probably because telling people that it will take a long time just to make one simple thing is not a great seller for games...
* Construction
Construction is simply a glorified term for crafting big things! Crafting usually requires a few resources and components, a stationary device (such as a forge, anvil, workbench etc.) and at least one tool of some kind. In addition to that Construction usually involves bringing large amounts of resources and components to the construction site. When building anything from a forge or an oven, up through simple buildings like roundhouses and simple stone huts, all the way up to temples, major buildings, bridges etc. you'll need to ensure you have all the necessary skilled labour and a good supply chain to finish the job. This almost inevitably involves other players and NPC's. Here is where you would expect to see longer times, but not so unreasonable that average players wouldn't be able to find the time to partake in... But alas, times are unreasonably long and we have yet to see the bulk of these buildings.
* Player housing
Roma Victor is an extremely open-ended 'sandbox'-style environment. Players can hire structures to live in, build their own or even rent them out to other players. Any structure can be set as public, private or even in some cases have an entry fee. Cannot hire structures , and cannot build a house in a reasonable ammount of time, much less buy one for a decent price. Whats the going RL value? near $300 USD... yeah, thats gonna happen.
* Day & Night
There's a realistic day and night cycle that actually tracks the real celestial locations of the sun and moon according to the exact Roma Victor time and day, longitude and latitude - of course adjusted back to the second century calendar! We've accelerated the passage of time of course (it's set to 24 RV hours every 8 real-life hours) but night-time is still something to be very wary off unless you're somewhere safe - and you're going to need a torch! Night time is a constant if you live in the US it seems, forgot to mention that part....
* Open PvP and safe areas
Certain areas are well policed by representatives of Roman law, be they Prefects, Auxiliaries, Legionaries or even Praetorians. In some places it's completely impossible to break the laws; in some places you can attempt it but it's extremely difficult to get away with and in some places you're beyond the reach of the law altogether. This allows for a seamless blend of PvP and non-PvP environments with no real faction restrictions. Obviously Romans have a hard time getting away with crimes committed against fellow Romans - but it is possible in some circumstances. Don't go thinking that anything considered part of the Empire is safe however - even some parts of Italia itself might still be dangerous areas for a lone Roman to visit. Cough, cough... Didnt I suggest something like that and everyone said, We arent supposed to have safe areas like that? And they didnt design the game to have safe areas to be like that.... Mabe they didnt read this.
* No levelling treadmill
There are no character levels in Roma Victor. None. Instead there's the huge, diverse skill tree. There are no level-based restrictions by design or consequence like you'll find in most MMORPG's. You won't be forced to find people of a similar level in order to play in a group and you won't be restricted to certain types of encounter. Of course this also means that you won't be trying to catch up with friends that have played more than you (and therefore 'levelled' faster), or indeed trying to slow your own development and/or 'level up' your friends so that they can come and hunt with you again. Character development in Roma Victor is much more like real life.
Would have been nice if they had stuck to this goal....... Instead they made skills in to levels.
* Realistic character limitations
In Roma Victor, as in real life, your skills and personal statistics decay. This means that without practice your character's ability in a given skill will worsen. If, for example, as a newbie you spent a lot of time developing your combat skills but then moved on to focus on your farming you'd find that your combat abilities decreased over time. You can easily counter this by regular combat training but it makes the prospect of juggling several careers quite daunting. Anyone trying to be a gladiator/cook/farmer/smith/potter/priest/carpenter/whatever-type character will find it near impossible to become highly adept at all of the involved skills.
If they had made it so you can learn and unlearn in a matter of a day or so it would have been grind free(or seemed like it). Instead we have many long grind sessions(basicaly levels for every skill) with a chance to lose hours of grinding to decay.....
* Wounds, Injuries & Treatment
In combat, characters can sustain both wounds and injuries. Wounds decrease your character's six Attributes (Muscle, Vision, Agility, Dexterity, Intuition and Stamina), which can have a significant effect on the character's skills and activities. Wounds heal slowly over time although the healing process can be greatly hastened with the right medical treatment. Injuries are more serious and usually more debilitating. Characters with serious injuries will definitely be seeking medical attention. Not really, you just die if you have a wound as it is now.... bleed to death and it takes about hour to regain from it.
* No camping
Here we're referring of course to the MMORPG term 'camping' and not sleeping out in the wilderness. There will be plenty of the latter! There are however no fixed regular spawns, no uber loot drops and no reasons to find yourself having to sit at a certain location waiting for hours on end for your group's turn to kill something and loot it. The world is dynamic and varied and NPC's have their own 'lives'. If you run into some bandits on the road between Corstopitum and Luguvallium then that's because those bandits are 'working the road' and they'll be doing so until killed, captured (and usually sold) or chased off.
REALLY... where?
* Fully freeform gameplay
There's plenty to do in Roma Victor but no one's forcing you to do anything. To as great an extent as possible, you are in control of your own destiny. Your choices, career path, activities and actions are all down to you, limited only by your own imagination and the harsh realities of a second century existence.
Reality is we are limited by RL events and RL money ...... And most cannot affort to spend the ammouts (of both)required by this game(in its current state) to accopmlish anything.
* Historical authenticity
In the most important areas the maps are based on real world archaeological data (modified to disallow anything later than the second century of course). Both the extended RedBedlam team and Roma Victor's outstandingly well-informed community have invested years of painstaking research into bringing unprecedented levels of detail to the historical authenticity of this world. Buildings follow the correct floor-plans; equipment and clothing is appropriate for the period and region; crafting activities, trading practices, combat styles - every aspect of the world that you can think of are all based upon what is known, expected and believed about life in second century Europe. Here is another good point for this game. Another aspect that drew me here.
* Many communities, one world
We've seen in many virtual worlds that a small community that usually consists of a few hundred people online at any one time is a healthy, strong and exciting community to be a part of. A single community consisting of thousands of players online together often shatters that sense of community and ends up leaving players alienated and out of touch with each other. With Roma Victor's design there is one single world in which all players can co-exist, yet the right scale of community is maintained thanks in part to the vast geography involved. Roma Victor's single world will consist of hundreds of communities varying in size but never being totally prevented or excluded from contact with each other. There's nothing to stop players from travelling to a new part of the world and becoming part of a community there - unlike most MMORPG's where switching servers simply isn't possible; and in the rare cases that it is possible it almost inevitably involves a great deal of upheaval.
Strong feature here, this would have driven trade and provided lots of conlfict and alliances all over the place have the rest of the game been balance right.
* Furniture & Decoration
Buildings have been purposefully designed without much in the way of integrated decoration and this allows much more freedom for the players to furnish and decorate their households as they'd like. An ever-growing range of furniture, banners, statues, mosaics etc. lets players ensure that their home is both stylish and unique.
Mabe one day...
* Clothing & Armour
The broad range of clothing and armour, all of which is both historically authentic and appropriate is expanding all the time. Furs, hides, plant-fibre textiles, metals and alloys can all be crafted into wearable items and this natural diversity yields substantial variation in character appearances. This is not another cookie-cutter medieval fantasy world however and players should not expect everyone to be wearing banded mail armour and wielding crossbows! Life in the second century is harsh and even a good sword is a highly prized and valued item. Too bad that they forgot to allow players that verm like a normal person would, to be able to attain these items... The only ones that should be having a hard time getting them should be those that don't or wont ever verm...
* Realistic avatar characteristics
Characters in Roma Victor are not all created equal. During character creation, players can decide the balance of six physical attributes, which can be considered similar to summaries of that character's genetic composition. Balancing Muscle, Vision, Agility, Dexterity, Intuition and Stamina will give you a well-balanced character but you can alter the balance to suit your wishes. It's worth bearing in mind however that characters with low Muscle attributes will find it harder, but never impossible, to become very strong. As in real life, you can come across people with a low genetic tendency for muscle development that have nevertheless hefted weights for most of their lives and are therefore very strong. Similarly you can find people that have an extremely good genetic tendency for muscle development that have hardly ever stretched their muscles and are therefore pretty weak by comparison.
Yet they felt the need to add levels to every single skill in the game, all they did was drive a larger wedge between average players and those that have tons of free time on their hands... the thing they were trying to avoid the most to create a balance community that had no level treadmill...
* Lore
Some say that the rituals, prayers and sacrifices made by the various religious orders and cults are nothing but fruitless wastes of time. Some say that these forms of worship can yield great benefits and that they may potentially be the most powerful aspect of life in Roma Victor. The truth of the matter will hopefully remain as lively a debate in-game as it is in the real world to this day.
And it is. We all ask, does it even do anything.... guess thats what they wanted tho.
* Elysium
Death for whatever reason is not to be taken lightly. Unless your character has attained the (optional) 'Legend' class it will be instantly whisked away to the mysterious wonders of Elysium where your character will have to navigate its way through fantastic landscapes, puzzles, physical challenges, demons and duels. Those that have led a simple life can expect a relatively painless and trouble-free journey through Elysium and will soon find themselves licking their wounds back in the safety of their hometown. Characters that have led less virtuous lives can expect to have a much tougher time in Elysium and are therefore likely to take longer to return.
Not sure what happened there, mabe when they took it live all that got lost in translation....
Everything from here on down is just pipe dreams, all stuff that is yet to be added and a few that are but arent worth commenting on...as I continue reading I just get more and more upset and feel more like I have been robbed. Like the social aspects of not being able to use 3rd party systems to communicate long distances and other like it that just got scrapped....
* Weight
Every object in Roma Victor has a weight. Weight has the consequences you might expect. Characters can only carry so much weight, pack animals can be overloaded and every time your character lifts or carries something heavy, it'll be stretching its muscles and therefore has a chance of improving its strength.
* Liquids
Liquids such as water and olive oil and liquid containers such as jugs and amphorae are essential aspects of ancient life - particularly where crafting activities are concerned. The liquid support in Roma Victor is more involved than simply providing pretty rivers, lakes, beaches and waterways. Drinking or tending your crops with saltwater is pretty futile, for example.
* Shops
Shops provide goods and services but the goods involved have to come from somewhere and the services supplied require skilled labour. Both player shops and NPC shops depend upon good supply and management in order to thrive and there's nothing to stop enterprising players building up their own chains of shops - so long as they're sure that they can keep them staffed, supplied and safe.
* Resources & Trade
The resources in Roma Victor, as with the resources in real life, mostly come out of the ground. They are either brought out by NPC's or by player characters and everything from straw up to gold will play its role. Players and NPC's alike will interact in diverse networks of trade and commerce.
* Elders & Masters
Elders and Masters are the NPC's that greet you when you first arrive in the world of Roma Victor. They'll guide you, tell you what you can do and how to do it. They'll also set you your first quests and they'll be keeping notes about how you perform various different types of quests, tasks and errands. If you seem to complete the smithing-related activities more quickly and successfully than other types of activity, for example, then your Elder/Master will begin to realise and gradually direct you to ever-more intricate and challenging activities of that nature.
* Game mail
The game mail system in Roma Victor gives players the freedom to communicate using 21st century technology while maintaining the illusion and atmosphere of 2nd century communications. Players can read, compose, reply, forward etc. but the transport and delivery of the mail itself factors in the ancient time and distance restrictions and requires interaction with the appropriate kind of NPC's (representatives of the cursus publicus, tabellarii, etc.).
* Ranged chat
As with real life, there are different types of communication consisting of saying, shouting, screaming etc. Saying things works very well for those in your immediate surroundings but as people get further away or enter buildings they'll no longer be able to hear things you 'say'. If you want them to hear you, you'll have to 'shout' but not only is the amount of text you can fit into one 'shout' less than the amount you can fit into a single 'say' but also shouting is more draining your character's vigour. Screaming takes a lot of vigour but it can be heard quite a considerable distance away although you'll only be able to scream a single short word.
* Socials & Animations
Whether it be Roman military salutes, laughing, crying, yawning, taunting, cheering, clapping etc. there are around 200 unique character animations to choose from to help maintain the atmosphere and bring your character to life.
* An ever-growing range of characters, faces and ethnicities
At the time of writing there are around a hundred different character appearances and well over a dozen different ethnicities. A character's body shape will be a direct result of their diet and activities so you can expect to spot the richer merchants from a mile away. Combining the increasing range of character appearances with all the different types of dyed cloth, fur and hide clothing and armours of bronze and iron players will have considerable freedoms in choosing their appearance.
* Badges, Reputations, Friends and Foes
Players can also define their overall opinion of another player as a friend, a foe or ambivalent. Such systems of 'social moderation' are already used to great effect elsewhere on the 'Net and have demonstrated their ability to both help form social networks and identify trouble-makers. This system is combined with sophisticated 'badge' and dynamic reputation systems to give both players and NPC's alike a pretty good idea of how (in)famous, (un)popular and/or accomplished another player character may be.
* Encounters
Using Reputations, Friends and Foes, Badges etc. NPC's can get a pretty good idea of who you are and what your character is about. So long as they have no reason to dislike you, your interaction with most NPC's should be fairly pleasant. They'll converse with you and may even trade depending on whether they actually have any money, goods or services to trade. Alternatively they may be more inclined to come running at you with axe swinging. Throughout your travels in Roma Victor - particularly off the beaten track - you are likely to encounter NPC's that have an irrational desire for your belongings. Alternatively you may simply come across a bear or a pack of wolves, equally keen to attack yet less interested in your goods. In either scenario fight or flight becomes a decision that should be taken pretty quickly.
* Weather
Europe wouldn't be Europe if it didn't experience a broad range of weather types and various visual and audio effects such as wind, rain and snow etc. really help to set the scene. But it's not just for show - cold and wet weather can have a modest but adverse affect on your character, particularly if it's not wearing enough clothing or is underfed. However the patterns in which storms and weather fronts roll around the Roma Victor map are not entirely random and it's even possible to evade the worst weather if you can work out in which direction it's travelling.
* Tracking
Tracking is an extremely useful branch of the skill tree greatly aiding the hunting of wildlife and even humans. Players can use their character's tracking skills to hunt enemies, seek encounters and find prey, whether that prey be intended for wearing or eating!
* Diet
Without food and water your character will suffer the consequences. Although nowhere near as dire as such consequences can be in real life, those players interested in maintaining efficient character development will definitely want to keep their characters well fed. Different types of foods can have very subtle effects, but the most noticeable effects will come from alcohol, stale food and poisons.
* Guilds
The term 'guilds' can be applied to all of the player associations in Roma Victor ranging from small exclusive cults, through whole barbarian tribes and right up to the awesome 6000-strong Legions of Rome itself. Guilds in Roma Victor are not exclusively made up of players - the numbers can be augmented by NPC members, which can be hired and assigned to various roles and tasks by the higher ranking guild members, perhaps protecting the guild's property, carrying out assignments or simply acting as a merchant on behalf of the guild. The guild management interface also provides tools for communicating with and managing guildmembers, assigning individual sponsors to look after new members, adjusting contributions and fees and much more. For more information about guilds please visit: http://www.roma-victor.com/game/guilds.php
* Households
Every player has their own Household - it's a bit like a 'personal' guild. Household is the collective term applied to all the buildings and NPC's owned, employed and/or run by the player. There can be many buildings and NPC's within a household and using the built-in household management interface a player can set entry fees on their property, assign NPC's to act as merchants or guards, summon NPC's as an escort, hire and dismiss staff etc.
* News networks
NPC's will faithfully recount stories from their travels and encounters, both based on the in-game story arc and the activities of the players themselves. Additionally a network of storyteller NPC's will provide an immersive interface to a modern message-board style network of news services whereby players can keep up to date on the activities of their friends and enemies, not to mention contributing their own perspective.
* Law & Politics
Already players are taking up key roles such as Lords, Ladies and Magistrates. These powerful positions are elected by local communities within the game world although the elections certainly wouldn't meet modern democratic standards. Corruption, violence and other power struggles all help to ensure that all of the dynamics of 2nd Century politics are well represented!
* Quests
The quest system in Roma Victor is dynamic and personalised. Quests are intricately linked with the NPC's and players that set them and can themselves often lead to further and more challenging quests. NPC's set quests according to a number of criteria including the levels of resources and goods in the area, any hostilities, emergencies etc.
* Interactive story arc
Our story begins with the death of the philosopher Emperor Marcus Aurelius. One of the first acts of his son Commodus upon assuming sole leadership of the Empire was to send the stern and infamously heavy-handed Lucius Ulpius Marcellus to put down the rebellions in Britannia and oppose any further incursions across Hadrian's wall. Will the barbarians be able to withstand the attentions of this cruel Roman or will he be able to swiftly and successfully assert his authority and therefore confirm that he is the most likely candidate to become Governor of Britannia?
* Combustibles
Almost every object in Roma Victor has a combustibility factor, which means fires can be started pretty well anywhere and can even get out of control if not attended quickly enough. This also means of course that people can gather around campfires and bonfires for warmth and flames can be passed on and just as in real life, you can light a torch from pretty well any substantial flame and then use that torch to light anything dry and combustible enough.
* First & Third-person perspective
The game is naturally played in first-person perspective placing the player 'within' the body of the player's character but there is a third-person perspective option too for those that prefer it. However there are some limitations evident while using the third-person perspective (it makes combat much harder and is disabled altogether inside buildings).
* 3D audio
A sophisticated 3D sound engine makes the most of modern 3D sound hardware and really brings Roma Victor's audio to life. The geographically and historically correct species of birds and other fauna supply an ambient chorus of sounds and you're more likely to hear someone creeping up behind you in dry woodland or on wet mud than you are if they're treading on soft grass, for example.
* South Caledonia
At the moment the playable area is limited to one playfield, which is Southern Caledonia. The Southern Caledonia playfield actually consists of a pretty substantial area, which includes a fair section of Northern Britannia. As well as containing a selection of minor Roman and Celtic Briton settlements it also features two fully Romanised towns - Luguvalium and Corstopitum - and of course Hadrian's Wall itself, which is easily one of the most impressive and formidable landmarks ever constructed in ancient Europe. North of the Wall is a very interesting part of the world indeed and the northern-most regions of this playfield are well beyond the reaches of Rome, which is a very good thing from the perspective of the Scots and Picts that dwell there!
* SpeedTreeRT™
SpeedTreeRT™ has made it possible for us to not only enjoy realistic and visually stunning tree and plant-life but also to maintain the authenticity we strive for in all aspects of the project. You won't see any species of tree that didn't exist in any given region during our particular period but you will see an abundance of what was known to have flourished yielding an excellent mix of fibres, barks and wood types for the players to put to good use in their crafting activities. * Dynamic lighting & Shadows
The ancient world had two primary sources of light: fire and the sun. As the sun arcs across the sky on a clear day you'll see its shadow move and even be able to read the sundials. Haven't got a sundial? Stick your spear in the ground and observe its shadow. Torches and fires illuminate their surroundings and cast their own shadows.
* Patch system
Every time testers connect to the world using our patch utility, any required updates are downloaded and seamlessly installed thereby ensuring that all of your client files are the latest available versions.
Upcoming features:
* Britannia
Using authentic terrain topology, the hills, rivers, flora and valleys of the 2nd Century British landscape are being brought back to life. From the wild untamed north, past the mighty fortifications of Hadrian's wall and all the way to the south coast, including many towns and settlements such as Luguvalium, Corstopitum, Eboracum, Londinum, Aquae Sulis, Neomagus etc. you'll find a deeply fascinating and truly exciting world to explore.
* Battles & Raids
In the more hazardous parts of the world, there are likely to be regular battles and raids in which players can take up the central roles. Acting as General, Commander, Soldier or Skirmisher players can work together and against each other in epic battles and skirmishes involving both players and NPC's. For more information see: http://www.roma-victor.com/game/cnc.php
* Player music
The player music system in Roma Victor is probably the most sophisticated player music system in any contemporary virtual world. A broad range of authentic ancient musical instruments have been painstakingly brought back to life, each with their own unique set of notes. Player musicians can learn songs, play together and entertain the masses in full 3D sound. No musical knowledge is required to join in and the more you play a particular instrument, the better your character's skill with it will become, meaning less mistakes and bigger tips!
Wow sounds amazing ... where are they?
Yet all that, that I could complain about and I only complain about timesinks and outrageous prices and players and devs wanna talk crap and say I am out of line, and want a completely different game..... Mabe just to get the game that I was promissed in the first place would suffice?
* Permanent death for Legend-class characters
* Careers & Missions
* Animal taming & breeding
* Mounts
* Gaul
* Germania
* Hispania
* Italia
Comments
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the game.
Did you just post to his response and not read what he was posting to ?
The whole OP, was what they claimed... pay attention plz lol.
- Was drawn to the game because of the twitch combat, instead of the point and click attack you find in WoW
- Complains about the amount of time you need to craft things
- Really complains about the amount of time you need to construct buildings
- Annoyed because he cant hire buildings
- Pissed off because someone said a hut is worth 300USD
- Saddened by the constant night, least for the American players
- Complaining that the game feels like it is already like his suggestions
- Mocking that the game has no level restrictions but has a leveling tread wheel
- Wishing that the realistic character limitations meant that you can lean and unlearn skills in a matter of a day
- He also cannot for his life, figure out how to bind a wound when he is bleeding, so he just bleeds to death and let time heals his wounds
- Can't figure out how to camp, or be camped rather
- Feels that the fully free form game play is restricted by the amount of time someone has for the game, and the amount of RL money they have.
- Feels that the world and it communities could have been put to use better, least in trade and other plots
- Can't find any decorations
- Complains that armour and other hand made textiles take too long to craft and are too expensive
- Questions the Myth and Lore of the Romans
- Disappointed Elysium is nothing more than a dead plain
- Cant wait to listen to a future feature, player created music.
Think that are all the points he is trying to make.I am sorry if I completely missed the point you are trying to make
Funny thing is all the "NEXT-GEN" (LOL - more like going back in time but with better gfx) mmorpgs coming out offer nothing more than better gfx and direct x 10 support. So what? Roma Victor is more in depth than ANY game out already, and over half the features arent even fully ready yet.
Id rather play a game that had so many features and such an in depth experience rather than watch some big spell effect on my screen. After a while you will get sick of the uber leet gfx of new games. If the gameplay sucks, the game sucks regardless on how good it looks.
MMORPGs say they are going next gen now, but all mmorpgs released since UO etc have been taking a step back in time.
Even if there are a few interesting ones that seems to walk in the steps of UO (and RV).
I hope you'll enjoy the game once deattended!
Otherwise a clay pile takes about 2 hours to build, but I have to agree, attending sucks beyond belief. Imagine us veterans who actually couldn't be deattended at that time! The horror!