A Tale in the Desert 365
Sandy99 writes "A Tale in the Desert is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (mmorpg) that has been in development for 4 1/2 years and goes live tomorrow. There is no killing in this game. It is all about cooperation to unlock the knowledge of Egypt. A basic overview is at
the official site.
Discussion forums are at atitd.net. Maps of Egypt and construction knowledge are at
atitdmaps.com. Everything has been produced by a handful of independent developers and a bunch of volunteers. This is also the first mmorpg to debut with both
windows and linux clients."
Blood Thirsty (Score:5, Interesting)
Funny idea (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting. Even more if they succeed. I like video games myself, and it's just insane how many times you utter the word "kill" while talking about games lately.
Someone in another post spoke about the "Sims" game being without kills. I have to disagree, since (I'm not making this up) I know at least one person who made her sims starve to death to have some fun and get some ghosts around in the house.
However, killing is so hyped nowadays that I doubt a game about Egypt and Knowledge will attract many players... Mostly older and world-aware players I guess. Can they make a buck with, say, the US market ?
Wait and see.
A Breath of Fresh Air (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm an adult. I'm a gamer. I'm a person that has, not-so-recently, come to the point that the violence in video games has become so terribly overdone that I'm bored with it. This isn't just to say, "Oh, it's everywhere and it's getting played out." I'm distressed that violence has become boring to me. Noticing this brought to my attention that I have become so numb to it that I view all these games as just the same storyline and different characters. I know it isn't that way but the adage regarding some of the more graphic anime there's-only-so-many-ways-a-demon-can-rape-a-lady is spreading to the [M]ature game market.
For me to find a non-violent game I had to play either [E]veryone or [T]een games (and some of the latter titles are questionable). I'm not trying to imply that the worlds problems fall on the doorstep of companies that make violent games. I just think that there should be more games targeted towards adults that have a mature theme and storyline that doesn't involve overt violence and / or sexuality.
I want to make this perfectly clear; I'm not trying to rid the gaming market of violence and sex. But as we all know, there is a time and a place for everything. An I'm glad that some people have decided to buck the tide and try out something "new."
Re:no killing (Score:2, Interesting)
It's a hit because girls like to play with dollhouses. Boys need their dolls to have guns and they need to blow things up when they play pretend. Girls are happy playing "rl" with their dolls.
From the FAQ... (Score:2, Interesting)
And then what? Everyone's account gets deleted? They close up all the servers and start developing a new game?
The players have total control over the laws of Egypt. You can create any laws that are needed to maintain order. This is necessary, because it is easy for players to interfere with each other in their quest for financial gain.
So the first person in makes it illegal for anyone besides him to make any laws. Oops.
I remain unconvinced.
Re:Such graphics... (Score:5, Interesting)
The game has complex "city"-building, puzzles, trade and politics. And like most MMORPGs the game can be played fiercely competitive or extremely cooperative depending on your preferences.
$13.95 a month may seem like a bit, but you have to compare it to other new MMOs where you have to pay $50 to just get started. At least this game lets you try it for free (there's no charge to download the client and the first 24 hours of playtime are free).
Sprocket
- Does the little mermaid wear an algebra?
Great Game (Score:5, Interesting)
It's a killer for everyone who's bored of the FPS crap. And it's a great cooperative game, something that's been missing from most games recently (I loved Rainbow Six cooperative back when I still had windows).
One thing they did right is actually rewarding teamwork, and rewarding being nice to other people. I was in the game no 10 min. when someone volunteered to be my mentor and guide me through the first steps. A while later, I started a very productive cooperation with my neighbour at the river ("hey, I'm going to get some wood, should I fetch some for you, too?" - "sure, need any firebricks? I made more than I need right now.").
It's a great game. Got me hooked right away, and that doesn't happen often.
Re:Blood Thirsty (Score:2, Interesting)
I wouldn't really consider it sick to enjoy violence. Humans have evolved as hunters, who need to hunt to survive. In a society today, where we see little or no action alike to what we evolved to enjoy, it's lucky we have something like video games to sate our desire for action.
Don't get me wrong, I welcome the existance of non-violent games. I think that we have to much importance in gore and violence, but that doesn't make it sick to enjoy.
Not an entirely new concept (Score:1, Interesting)
What do you do in Neopets? Try to accumlate wealth, start guilds, talk to other players, collect items (some of which can be turned into other items), buy, sell, start an advertising empire... In fact, it sounds a lot like this. And it's successful. And has an incredibly large and varied user base (I've seen people ranging from 8 - 76 years old on there).
Why is everyone so quick to knock a game that doesn't involve bloody decapitation or running over meandering civillians?
Re:Great Game (Score:1, Interesting)
Fuck, this thing's gonna TANK. I can see it now. This sucker'll be in the bargain bin by the end of the week.
Re:Blood Thirsty (Score:2, Interesting)
Is this just a modern "cops and robbers", or is it something far worse?