Simutronics is also using the Hero Engine to develop their own graphical MMORPG title: Hero’s Journey. In following with company tradition, the community developing the game is very close knit and is actively seeking ideas for development from gamers themselves. On public message boards such as the forum found at www.heroshall.com (a website fully devoted to everything that is and will be Hero’s Journey) game developers actively participate in threads which talk about the game. Basic concepts of PvP availability and character development to advanced features such as game economics and mechanics are openly discussed, and nearly everything is read and often commented upon by at least one person who is actually working on the game. This previously unheard of type of game design is well appreciated by fans and potential players of Hero’s Journey. Already, much hype has been built based on what was available at E3 2006. Players were taken aback by the character customization aspects, which are usually somewhat limited in other games, especially “World of Warcraft.” With the ability to adjust your character’s face nearly 100 different ways, Simutronics is aiming for complete gamer immersion.
A ranger sits with nature
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Good puppy!
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Once in the world of Elanthia, the player is not expected to treadmill and grind their way to advance through the levels. When you create a character, that character will have a different path through a game, separate from anyone else’s. The choices you make and the actions you take while playing Hero’s Journey will open up new opportunities and quest lines as you progress. This complete control aspect is ripe for the true Role Player; depending on the choices made at specific points in a quest, the outcome might be different for the individuals participating. Each player is offered the possibility of experiencing completely different content although they were participating in the same quest. Finally, players are going to actually have something game related to talk about as opposed to just directing each other on how to complete the quest, because it’s already been done thousands of times. The possibilities are surely exciting; who wouldn’t be interested in a game that changes the tired and rigid mechanism that’s long been complacently present in every single game? In Hero’s Journey everything evolves - your character, your weapon, even your pet if you so desire to have one. The results would even carry over to PvP. Imagine not knowing what your opponent’s stats and skills are going by appearance alone. With no way to ‘snapshot judge’ a character’s level based on his equipment, a player would have no idea what he would potentially be up against. No more tale-tell signs or dead giveaways based on gear or a rank/title as you see other characters in the field: True PvP.
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