More Articles on The Saga of Ryzom
Nevrax Shutting Shop - Ryzom Future Still Bright ?Nevrax Announce Ryzom Episode 2Ryzom Players To Get One Month FreeThe Saga of Ryzom - The InhabitantsThe Saga of Ryzom - First LookLatest Previews
Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Hands OnStar Wars: The Force Unleashed - Hands OnToo Human - Hands OnRaven Squad - First LookQuantum Of Solace - First LookUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for The Saga of RyzomWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
The Saga of Ryzom - First Look Preview
Derek dela Fuente
05/07/2004
Nevrax speak candidly about the MPO genre and why Ryzom's going to shake it all up...
Itâs an ongoing debate whether MMORPG â“ online games - is a growing phenomena or whether some of the ideas that developers are creating for these experiences are captivating gamers only on a passive level. Although online games are certainly big in certain places, in both the UK and many of European territories they have yet to capture the imagination. Conversely a few games seem to hog the media headlines and cause more than a passing interest, as is the case of Saga of Ryzom. This multi genre, massively multi player, online game appears to have a lot going for it in terms of gameplay and technology power. Derek dela Fuente spoke with David Cohen Corval, Creation Director and CEO of Nevrax, to find out more about what the Saga of Ryzom experience will offer but started with the debate about the popularity of online gaming!
âI donât think that the MMO genre is doing bad in EU. I also think it could do a lot better in the US! But it doesnât do well in Japan mostly because the PC is so small there. It does well financially in Korea but the market is totally saturated with cloned products. China is just beginning but growing fast.â
âMMO is doing well, it is growing. The problem is that most products are copycats marketed by companies that try to minimize their financial risks. But MMORPG players are expecting more and better than this. Depth and flexibility are now very much desired. Players are looking for a real story involvement, causes to defend or fight, true friends and true enemies. SoR offers all of this as you progress. It is a true new step for the genre. It certainly will provide players with the means to impact the game world and game story and this should be very interesting for the EU / US players. Also SoR brings in the RAID engine and modular action system. Combined these two new MMO features are opening the way to mass combat. SoR will be specifically adapted for the Asian markets with local partners. We are not going to just translate the game. Weâll also change some game systems along with some of the graphics.â
The Saga of Ryzom takes place in the future, on a mysterious organic planet called Atys. Players are the young heirs of immense civilizations that fell a century before the game begins. The word is out that the civilizations are rebuilding themselves. While player guilds will have to protect and defend their new home lands from the giant insects, they will also have to conquer new ones in the wilderness of Atys where the ancient secrets of their ancestors are hidden. These secrets are extremely precious and big factions (magic gods and technology gods) are looking for them. Truth about the past has to be unearthed, and powerful knowledge revealed. Players will shape the fate of the Saga that will take them into an 8-year fascinating and evolving trip on several planets.
There is no denying the fact that Saga looks very lush and offers the kind of detail and involvement that should immerse the player. Whether you enter the world as a proud Matis or a warrior like Fyros, there certainly appears to be lots of choice and diversity from the parched deserts of the Fyros civilisations to the lush jungles inhabited by the Zorai or even the subterranean depth of the Prime Roots below the planet surface where the most terrifying of all creatures on Atys dwell!
âFirst you have to create a character, then you customise your look (Male or Female, you have a large range of physical details to choose from, such as the nose length, the mouth width, the haircut, the face tattoosâ¦), then finally you are asked to define your action pack (3 cursors to orientate your actions towards magic, forage, combat or crafting). You are free to choose your own combination as a start, and if for any reason you feel you need to develop your magic skills even if you had chosen the 3 cursors on combat, you are free to do soâ¦â
By understanding the changing seasons, environments and dynamic events on this ever-changing planet will you start to understand what is on offer. Hunting and gathering the raw materials that youâll need in order to construct unique equipment for your character is but one aspect.
David was eager to conjure up the excitement and experience that was on offer.
âThe flavour of what is on offer is very akin to a taste of paradise in a fragile and threatening world. Players will âexperienceâ great freedom and flexibility (thanks to the Modular Action System) and gameplay events include sports and in-scenario events (PvP, treasure hunts, investigations, etc.).â
There are many professions and endless customisation. I canât pick a favourite for there are people who like to listen to a good story, and those who like to tell them. I like to tell good stories. So I donât have a preferred profession. I have been a DM since I am 8, and whenever I got to be a player, I never stuck to one particular profession or role. I like them all, because this is the true essence of RPG.â
âWe offer a variety of customisations. Some are graphic, others are in the skills. The idea is to provide players with the means to let them define their role. The role is established according to skills, role play, equipment, goals, beliefs, friends, enemies, etc. The game provides a consistent basis in these directions, and there will be a lot more added into the game regularly as players progress and discover the secrets of the game (new skills, information that triggers new content access, etc.).â
Ryzom offers 4 different civilizations :
othe anarchic and funky Trykers living in the lake lands,
othe mystic and secret Zoraïs living in the jungle,
othe arrogant and ecologic Matis living in the forest,
othe proud and courageous Fyros living in the desert.
They can fight each other, ally themselves, all the scenario are possible.
The playworld is divided into 5 different ecosystems (the 4 linked to the civilizations mentioned above + the prime roots) covering over 100 square meters. Itâs going to be extended later on.
As for weather changes, theyâre amazing and have a true impact on the creaturesâ behaviour : days & nights cycles, 4 seasons, and weather impacts (clouds, rain, snowâ¦)
Getting into the experience caters for even the novice player and starts on a beginners island where youâre going to be able to learn the rules in a softer environment (creatures for example wonât be too aggressive), and as soon as you arrive, youâll meet a welcomer giving you information about what to do. You also have an easy to use ingame tutorial. But you are free to go directly to the mainland with the risk of being defeated very quicklyâ¦
âYes the game comes with a lot of in-game help. We also have a very good CS and GM team for the US, France, England and Germany (the game is also localised in these languages). The players begin the game in a beginners zone where they can start their progression away from the more experienced players, and there is a beginners mission that letâs you learn the basics. The in-game help system is available at any time in the game and details all action types step by step and detects your actions to let you know if it is the right one or not.â
The Saga of Ryzom as you can see from the screenshots is looking lush, with plenty of inventive ideas - this is one very intersting online title.
In Europe, the recommended price is 49.9 E / retail box plus 12.90 E / month (with the 1st month free)
