FamilyAC Roleplayers; Dark Age of Camelot

Beta Phase: Currently in Beta 3.

Release Date: Fourth Quarter, 2001.

Game Genre: MMORPG

POI: Realm Vs. Realm Combat, Capturable Relics, Based on Mythology, Quest Creation Engine, Many smaller ideas unique to DAOC.

Dark Age of Camelot

With Beta 3 well underway and more than 33,000 applications whittled down alongside those with fan sites, those who win the small competitions held, and those who have been loyal to the forums, they have been allocated to fill the 5,000 beta accounts available for this phase. The realms of Albion and Midgard have been opened and Player Versus Player combat has been introduced into the game. So how is Dark Age of Camelot looking so far? Pretty darn good when you consider that there's still about half a year of testing before the estimated release. Let's see what gems Mythic Entertainment have applied to their increasingly wonderous crown which is Dark Age of Camelot.

..And Mythic Saw That This Was Good

Probably the main point behind Dark Age of Camelot would be the Realm Vs. Realm setup, which while not a first, is definately something new to this type of MMORPG. While personally I'm not the kind to attack another player unless attacked first, I have to confess that the way Realm Vs. Realm combat is implimented makes it quite appealing, especially since the biggest problem with most MMORPGs is that they become tedious if you are a much higher level than the average player. Suddenly you are given the chance to take part in quests to conquer enemy territory and defend against attacks, even going so far as full scale frontal assaults on an enemy realm's capital, though success in such an instance is laughably unlikely to the extreme, but the options for almost unlimited difficulty is there, and I like it :)

Still, there have been plenty of arguments based around uncertainty as to whether realms will maintain balace, not forgetting that balance has always been a prime issue to games which were even less liable to have pear-shaped scenarios popping up. There are two leading factors in this dilemma; The first is that each realm has a selection of Relics which are kept and guarded by realm members, both PC and NPC, and when captured they are kept at shrines and give all members of that realm certain bonuses during PvP combat. This may seem like a case of the Strong getting Stronger, but there are all kinds of small factors which come into effect, ranging from higher level players who will be targetting the stronger opposition before they become too powerful for them to handle, as well as the quest engines tending to aim the organised attacks more at the powerful realms to keep the relics spread as much as possible. New relics will become available as the game progresses, and while they may add to the coffers of the already powerful realms, I'm very certain that Mythic will make these new relics more available to the Realm which is struggling the most.

Then you have the second most common cause for concern, which revolves around which realm people will join, and that is a perfectly legit area to worry about. There have been quite a few polls asking which realms people favour the most, and Hibernia always come out way on top with Albion being the realm with the least votes, and usually by a surprising margin. The important thing to remember though, is that realm population balance doesn't have to be spot on. I personally think it's advantageous to have an underpopulated realm and overpopulated one. If you're anything like me, you'll want to be in the Underdog realm which will have the true challenges and a real sense of teamwork. Remember when you've played MMORPG's in the past and you've come across a lowly populated fort/town in the middle of an insanely dangerous area, there's a feeling of companionship in the air, but when the average character-level in the game is higher and that land is overrun by players, making it no longer a threat, it loses that charm and becomes a place you want to avoid in favour of more dangerous pastures. In the end you have three types of player: Those who love a challenge, those who want the easy life, and those who couldn't care either way. Perfect. There are three realms for each player type to fit neatly into, so if you ask me it's a blessing in disguise.

PK'ing, TK'ing, Spies and Other Swear Words

Player Killing and Team Killing simply do no exist in Dark Age of Camelot. At this point it's worth noting that PK'ing and PvP combat have different meanings, so if you're unclear then it may be worth checking the Terminology section of this site for a detailed definition of each. The reason being behind this outlandish statement is that you cannot harm members of your own realm, which eliminates the TK'ing, then you have to remember that each realm is at war with each other. When that enemy realm member attacks you for no apparent reason, they're just taking part in the whole Realm Vs. Realm / Player Vs. Player aspect of the game, which is probably the main driving force of DAoC. Best thing to do is nail their sorry arse to a tree and earn some Realm Points in the process.

So where do these Spy types come into play amongst the list of player-type bad apples? Well Mythic have been quite smart with this one and when you create a character, all other characters you create on that account must be of the same realm as the first. You could always delete your characters and start fresh if you wanted to be in another realm, but the concept behind this is to prevent saboteurs and other undesirable espionage type trouble makers from using the blessing of having more than one life against the system. Of course, that doesn't prevent players from owning more than one account, but is it really worth the added expense in real-life money to gain infomation which you could just as well learn by using your smarts? I don't believe it is, but there will undoubtedly be a few who do take this approach. Good luck to them, for Mythic have been working diligently on all sorts of crafty methods to prevent these things being a problem.

What's All the Hubbub About Anyway?

If you've played alot of MMORGP's before, you're probably running a little sick of the limitations of combat, but fear not for Dark Age of Camelot has changed all that. As you gain levels (made strangely more entertaining by the blue balls and the blue line seen on the bottom right of the above screenshot, which represent level progress), you will learn more spells and/or attacks and evasions depending on your class. For the mages, there are a whole host of spectacular looking spells, ranging from the wrath of the Gods themselves being called down in a mighty display, through to the summoning of Elementals and other such creatures who are directly under your control in a small menu which appears in the corner.

Those players who prefer running into the frey like lunatics and knocking nine bells out of their opponents with perculiarly named melee weapons have the chance to learn a large variety of attacks which when pulled off properly (chance of success is dependant on skill), they will either have your friends applauding in newfound respect, or chuckling as you curse the sky while making your way back to find your resting grounds.

Then there are a range of evasive moves you can pull off, appearing gracious in composition and technique when demonstrated correctly, or if found to be lacking in the skill department will come across like the dance routine in Fatboy Slim's Praise You video.

Hello Caller, I'm Listening

One of the reasons why Dark Age of Camelot is going to be one of the few real big MMORPGs out there, and is already a spankingly good game with half a year left of testing to go, is because Mythic Entertainment listen to the players, both testing and otherwise. There are always one or two on the forums who are complaining about Mythic not listening, but they are the views of one or two in every few thousand, and were spoilt rotten as kids, while also being dropped on their heads repeatedly in an agreesive fashion. Turbine (behind Asheron's Call) are probably the closest of the big developers in regards to listening while creating this kind of game, but Mythic definately win the freshly baked apple pie because they are a good deal ahead of their competitors in regards to acting on the suggestions of the gamers.

A Back o' Bacon and Half a Dozen Eggs Please

The good ol' item economy is in effect with Dark Age of Camelot, so cashing in your two jars of lemon scented Trolls' ear wax just after you saw a mule selling several carts worth, probably isn't such a good idea if you're looking to cash-in big. It's just as well that the economy lowers the price of items if they saturate the market, because enemies often drop a wide variety of objects which can be crafted into many weird and wonderful things, some useful and some not quite so useful. When money is no longer worth anything, you know the pickings have been too good.

I could go on for a good while about all the minor aspects of Dark Age of Camelot, but to be honest those are things best saved for the playing. The above passages give a good overview if you've only just laid eyes on the treasure chest which is DAoC, so perhaps it's best if I finish on the Graphics.

As you can see from the screenshots, the look of the game is excellent, and you still have to see the dungeons, ruins, towns, forts and all the other places which adorn the land like burnt-skinned tourists on a popular beach. Well, perhaps that wasn't the best metaphor, but you get my meaning :)

Still, the graphics are being changed on a regular basis, an example being the sky, day and night changeovers, and some weather patterns which were just recently overhauled and will be redone yet again very soon. Now that's perfectionism, and I like it. Even Albion had a recent facelift to compare with the excellent job done on making Midgard look as good as it does.

Wiping the dust from my knees and standing back up from my praising, here's the minimum system requirements for Dark Age of Camelot. These will undoubtedly be raised by the game's release, and to run DAoC at a high resolution with the detail buffed up is going to need a high-end computer.

Minimum System Requirements

(As of Beta 3)