First steps on Atys
Previews

Until now, the year 2004 is signified by some sort of mass death of promising MMO-projects. Games like Ultima X: Odyssee, Mythica, Dragon Empires and Warhammer Online all got scratched – and one of the main reasons for that is surely the advent of two of the most anticipated MMOs, World of Warcraft and Everquest 2. Competition in the field of the online games gets fiercer and the risks get higher, so a lot of companies think twice before putting their money behind a well-intentioned game that’s probably lacking in marketing and brand power.

The relatively unknown company Nevrax, however, thinks otherwise: Their ambitious MMO-project, The Saga of Ryzom, has just been released on the 16th of September in Europe and on the 20th of September in North America. Right now, scores of gamers are already traveling through the vast lands of Ryzom. As a complete newbie to MMO-playing, I was chosen to set out to the planet Atys and see for myself, if Nevrax has any chance to stand up against the seemingly overwhelming competition from Blizzard and Sony Online Entertainment.

Keep in mind that this is a Preview, written based on Open Beta impressions. Nevrax has been heavily improving the Game during the past weeks preparing for launch. You should wait for our thourough review of this great game currently being written by yet another editor that will reflect the game in all its completeness.

The "Living Planet"

The Saga of Ryzom plays in the far off distant future on the so-called "living planet" of Atys. This unusual world really evolves for itself, sending huge tendrils into the sky and, by this, creating new landscapes and bringing new life to its inhabitants. Four races, which are generally called "homin", live on this ever-changing planet – the Fyros, the Trykers, the Matis and the Zorais. All of these races are representative for a distinctive type of lancscape – the Fyros inhabit the desert region, the Trykers live in the Lakelands, the Matis roam the forest area and the Zorais call the thick jungle their home.

In general, Saga of Ryzom blends science-fiction with fantasy – you will find high-tech and even gun-blades, but there’s also a lot of "standard" sword-wielding and spell-casting going on. By the way, the general plot of the game is supposed to stretch over eight years in which players will have the opportunity to discover the myths of Atys and other worlds that compose the universe of Ryzom.

Strange Protagonists

Before entering the world of Ryzom, your character has to be created. You are able to create up to five different characters per server and account making it possible for everyone to experience Atys from every different angle, every single race starts in their homelands. So when you start off with a Fyros character, you will enter the desert, and when you pick a Matis your first travails will go through thick forests.

Creating a character is fun, because Nevrax uses a similarily powerful creation tool like Everquest 2. You can alter almost every facial aspect of your character, modify the height and make him slim of fat. Since the peoples of Atys are only slightly similar to humans – especially the Trykers and the Zorais are crazy looking bipedals –, you can choose a strange-looking individual cast of heroes.

Starting Off

Before finally entering the world of Ryzom, you have to choose your general career path. Nevrax didn’t opt for a class system – character development is achieved via the obtaining of different skills for the fighting, crafting, harvesting and mage-wielding career. In choosing the first action pack, which can be a mix of all the above-mentioned careers, you lay the foundation for the path your character is bound to tread on. However, by picking different skills throughout the game, you could totally alter this path or choose to become more or less adept in every field (my first character was a Fyros Fighter which I chose to have some sort of talent in crafting, too).

The first area you arrive on Atys is a starting area that lies somewhere near the main capital town of your race. Here, five similar outposts act as your first "homebase" where you receive a small tutorial and your first missions. After reaching an experience level of 20 in one of your main attributes, you can travel to the main city by means of a portal and begin the ardous way of developing your character to be fit for the myriads of dangerous creatures roaming the landscapes of Atys.

Next Page (Becoming a Hero) >>