Game: Dark Age of Camelot, Shrouded Isles (Expansion 1), Trials of Atlantis (Expansion 2) Developer: Mythic Entertainment Previous Credits: Aliens Online, Starship Troopers: Battlespace, Godzilla Online, Silent Death Online, Rolemaster: Magestorm, Darkness Falls, Splatterball, Dragon's Gate Platform: PC Genre: Massive Multiplayer Online (Subscription based w/ 30 day free trial) Players per server (world): 2500-3000 System Requirements: CPU: PII 450 MHz (DAoC, SI), PIII 1.4 GHz (ToA) RAM: 128 MB (DAoC, SI), 384 MB (ToA) Hard drive: 600 MB each Video: 32 MB DirectX 8.1 My System: CPU: AMD Athlon 2000+ XP RAM: 512 MB DDR PC2100 Video: Asus GeForce FX 5200 128 MB Da Introduction Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games have really come into their own over the last couple of years with the release of heavy-weights such as Final Fantasy XI and Star Wars: Galaxies. With hardened veterans like Everquest and Ultima Online still keeping a strong following and great support, competition is tight in this burgeoning genre. Even so, Dark Age of Camelot and its two expansions, including the new Trials of Atlantis, continue to offer a rich world populated with many varied wonders and (more importantly) people. Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC) is set in a mythical world of Arthurian legend. Threatened by war on two fronts you start as a member of one of the three Realms - Albion, Midgard, and Hibernia. Albions are Arthurian in nature, Midgard takes its style from Norse legend, and Hibernia is drawn from Celtic lore and legends. From here you choose your race and class specific to each realm and start adventuring. In the early game all you have to concern yourself with is becoming familiar with the gameplay mechanics and keeping from being slain by computer controlled opponents (NPC's). Once at a higher level you can participate in Realm versus Realm combat. Each Realm has possession of a number of relics essential for the Realm's survival. Stealing or retrieving relics in a back and forth battle is where a lot of the excitement and long-term charm comes from in this MMO. Da Graphicz People who have explored the worlds of San Doria in Final Fantasy XI or Tatooine in Star Wars: Galaxies will not be blown away by this game. DAoC doesn't have a large emphasis on bump-mapping, high-polygon models, or advanced lighting effects but wins marks for animation and design. What people will notice is that the game is very well polished. And with features added to the engine with every expansion (including nice water effects in ToA), DAoC isn't standing still. A nice feature of an older engine will be its accessability to people with older systems (yes, they play games too). A note here should be made about the draw-distance and people standing on top of galloping horses... Da Gameplay Now the first thing I warn people when they ask me about MMO's is: they are MMO's. MMO's are unlike any other game genre and must be treated as such. Don't expect instant gratification. Don't expect heart-thumping action. Do expect a huge learning curve and a sophisticated interface. But expect to meet a lot of people and form a community. Also expect a depth of story and gameplay unsurpassed in any other genre. Where DAoC fits into the MMO spectrum is not as an innovator so much as a polisher. DAoC takes a lot of its gameplay mechanics from the venerable Everquest and expands on them, especially in one key area: Player versus Player (PvP). By having all of the PvP as Realm versus Realm you reduce the stress associated with PvP. As long as someone is deep within their own Realm they have no fear of being trampled by a few malicious players with nothing better to do than ruin someone else's fun. This allows a healthy balance of PvP versus solo-ing and Player versus Enemy (PvE) gameplay. Unfortunately for this reviewer, I only had 2 weeks to get a sample of a very deep and involved game (with its two expansions) so I can only give an initial impression. I would really need more like 2 years to give a well rounded review of this game. Fortunately for you, the reader, I have had quite a few conversations about DAoC with friends, and they all seem to be quite devoted to series. Mythic Entertainment's track record for updates, balances, design choices, and expansions is impeccable. My experience showed me a daunting epic world filled with all manner of wonders. High quality from the install to character creation to introduction to leveling, I constantly found more to do in the game. I really wish I could have spent more time in-game. Da Sound Everything I heard in the world of DAoC was top-notch, but one thing struck me more than anything else - what was up with the Diablo music? It must have just been the area I was exploring but I kept getting the feeling of deja-vu. I kept feeling like I should be using a town portal to visit the blacksmith to upgrade my weapons and heal... Other than that little quirk I was very impressed. Da Conclusion If you are looking for a very rich, fantasy-themed MMO with a very large community behind it and an enjoyable PvP system, this is definitely the game for you. If you are looking for twitchy instant gratification, carry on... There is nothing to see here... For those of you who want to see what everyone is talking about in terms of all these online games, this game offers an Everquest with better graphics, less expansions, bigger world, and better PvP. -Reed