OVERVIEW
- Both official and community-run servers
- Skill-based character development (no restrictive levels or classes!)
- Own your land, build a house
- Tame animals and creatures
- Learn to craft unique items as you explore
- Employ NPCs to do day to day tasks
- Visit worlds that span many genres
- Obtain unique armors, weapons and rare artifacts
- Play by your own rules! Many different rule-sets to choose from
- Create your own unique rule-sets, stories and live content on your community-run server
LIVING VIRTUAL WORLD
The multiverse of Shards Online is built on a philosophy of creating living, breathing worlds. Unlike other games where quests are eternal, or special events can be relived again and again, Shards Online is a game in which actions have real consequences.
You can talk with the NPCs about the latest gossip, hints for adventures, or about the weather. Walk away, and you might find them already moving on to visit the pub or talking with another NPC. Everything is in motion.
Coupling dynamic behavioral systems with real players and gods gives us incredibly rich opportunities for cause and effect. The egg you steal from a dragon today may be the reason she’s attacking a town you left behind tomorrow.
In Shards Online, if a tree falls in the woods, we can prove it made a sound.
OPEN ENDED CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Most MMOs use a class based character development system. TWhat happens in most MMOs when you realize 20 levels in that you don’t like playing the class you chose? Well either you start over from scratch, or you quit the game.
Shards Online removes these restrictions on character development by focusing on skills as the core aspect of character development. When you first create your character, you only have the basic knowledge of swinging a weapon. Learn new skills from a trainer in town, read a dusty tome found in the depths of a dark dungeon, or learn them from another player who has already mastered them.
Once you have learned the basics of a skill, you can begin to earn experience towards it by engaging in activities related to that skill. As you advance, new abilities will unlock.
There is a limit to how much skill one mortal can possess which forces you to specialize. Upon reaching your skill cap, you will need to deactivate certain skills in order to gain in others.
CRAFTING AND NPC EMPLOYMENT
Crafting skills will allow you to create new items, weapons and armor from raw materials. Since each ‘shard’ has their own stories and their own cultures, the crafting skills available to learn will also be different. Learn to craft platemail on a fantasy ‘shard’, or learn to craft bombs on a steampunk ‘shard’.
Just like real life, each craft employs different tools and methods. The creation of many items will require multiple steps and skills. Some items like armor and weapons will be initially very crude and need to be refined and enhanced in order to contain special properties.
Another unique aspect of Shards Online is the ability to hire NPCs (non-player characters) to assist you in day to day tasks. Do you lack the mining skill to obtain some ore you need? Or maybe you just don’t enjoy mining? That would be a perfect opportunity to find someone else to perform the task for you… at a price. If you are rich enough, you can even run an entire trade empire without lifting a finger.
PLAYER HOUSING
In Shards Online, players are able to build their homes in the actual game world. Many of the ‘shards’ in the game have large areas of undeveloped land for you to build houses on.
There are many different house layouts to choose from and the size of your house will depend on the size of your build-able area and the resources you have to build with. Cultivate the land for a farm, or have a beautiful garden.
We have big plans, currently post release, to allow for truly customizable housing. Build your house wall by wall to your exact specifications and desires!
TACTICAL COMBAT
While character attributes, spells, special abilities, and equipment define the combat tools available to the player, ultimately player skill unlocks their full potential.
Equipment/Weapons have costs and benefits causing them to behave differently. Picking up a sword versus a spear, or leather versus plate, will impact how your character behaves in combat.
Since you choose the skills, and the gear, there’s no reason you couldn’t be a spell wielding assassin. Two players can have characters with the same skills and equipment, but implement different strategies in combat as if they are completely different.
Forget the rock-paper-scissors-shotgun approach to combat. In Shards Online fights can go back and forth and its not over till someone eats dirt.
Getting Involved
First and foremost, they can pledge their support to the project through our Kickstarter campaign. It is really important that we nail as many stretch goals as we can. These stretch goals are focused on cramming more awesomeness into our initial alpha build. Our initial alpha build is critical to our continued success and its the fans that are making that happen.
The campaign also allows you to get involved directly in the development process not only by becoming an alpha tester but also securing your ability to provide feedback during pre-alpha. The pre-alpha playtester group at the 75$ level will participate in regular playtests throughout the rest of pre-alpha and will be instrumental in helping us make our alpha build the best we can make it.
Taking it one step further, the early admin group at the $200 level will get the opportunity to run and mod servers during pre-alpha. This group is even more important because it is critical we work out the kinks in the player-run aspect of the game before we reach that initial alpha build.
- Derek Brinkmann
More Information: http://shardsonline.com/