Could Shards Online be our new platform?
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:19 pm
Okay so I've been playing/following [http://shardsonline.com/]Shards Online[/url] since 2014 and the resemblance to Ultima Online is extremely similar except with slightly better graphics.
The game has just been released into the Alpha stage with the Beta release (and release on Steam) being roughly Q2 this year and final release some point later in the year if all goes well. What makes this game great, which you can read for yourselves on the website, is it boasts the ability to have fully customised private servers.
If we can get a scripter or two ready to work on this game when it's more complete I don't mind throwing down the extra cash now to get the pledge that contains the featured server that appears at the top of the server list when the game is released so we can get a new player influx too.
What do you guys think? Seriously, take a look, there's not too much I can say about it because it's under full NDA for the next 30 or so days, but there are some videos up that give you a look at how the game already runs and how it looks. With a little work we I really think this is where it's at now and that it's the next best thing we can get since lets face it Pangaea is dying and we're all fighting a loosing battle to keep the game relevant and fun.
The game has just been released into the Alpha stage with the Beta release (and release on Steam) being roughly Q2 this year and final release some point later in the year if all goes well. What makes this game great, which you can read for yourselves on the website, is it boasts the ability to have fully customised private servers.
So as you can see the game is pretty much limiteless with the correct imagination and I think this is where this, what 17 year old?, server should be headed to. Obviously, with the game still being in Alpha some skills are still missing, mounts do not exist in-game yet, they're still working to make it easier for scripters to customise their own servers but it's a work in progress and progress is going fast.Citadel Studios wrote: There are so many things you can create just by manipulating these templates. Here are just a few examples:
*NPCs and creatures – You can specify the equipment they are wearing and the loot they have in their pack. Give them custom dialogue and add special behaviors.
*Equipment – Templates specify the name, color, attributes and special abilities of weapons and armor.
*Spawners – Define the region, types of creatures and respawn frequency for NPC and creature spawners.
At the core, nearly every aspect of gameplay is defined by behaviors written in the Lua scripting language. Even the entire combat system including skills and abilities is defined with behaviors. Here are some examples of things you can change in script:
*Create new skills, abilities, crafting recipes, rare resources
*Write new AI for NPCs and creatures.
*Create new story lines and events.
*Create new game modes.
Live Server Editing
Admins will customize their world without ever logging out. From creating portals, to monster spawners, to even custom NPCs with their own stories, every single shard will have its own stories and encounters for players to experience. This level of world customization will require absolutely no technical knowledge or artistic skills.
Custom Assets (Phase 2)
At some point during Alpha, we will begin to roll out the ability for player run servers to use custom assets. Modders will use the Unity editor to create new items, equipment, monsters and even completely new maps. These custom assets will be automatically synced down to the player when they connect to a server running them. This will take modded shards to a completely new level.
If we can get a scripter or two ready to work on this game when it's more complete I don't mind throwing down the extra cash now to get the pledge that contains the featured server that appears at the top of the server list when the game is released so we can get a new player influx too.
What do you guys think? Seriously, take a look, there's not too much I can say about it because it's under full NDA for the next 30 or so days, but there are some videos up that give you a look at how the game already runs and how it looks. With a little work we I really think this is where it's at now and that it's the next best thing we can get since lets face it Pangaea is dying and we're all fighting a loosing battle to keep the game relevant and fun.