Escaping from the D&D Universe
Texting Old School
WoW is a direct descendant of the original D&D universe. (Some would argue the Tolkien universe). Which is to say, a world populated by Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, Orcs, etc. The now traditional fantasy races. Success in WoW means spending many hours of farming, looting and grinding, all for the express purpose of being able to farm, loot and grind more efficiently, and against higher level mobs.
Therefore, for any new MMORPG project to have a chance of success, it needs to separate itself from WoW, and by extension, the traditional D&D universe.
The question, is how.
One of the very first items the developers/imaginers of Shadows of Nightside (SoN) dealt with, was this very issue. Why would a new player choose to try, and then stick around the SoN world? What elements of gameplay would grab the interest of both casual and hard-core gamer alike?
To be sure, SoN has incorporated some familiar fantasy elements into it’s early gameplay. Elves and Goblins will be present in our world. Swords and spells will be used to conquer foes, and items will be searched for and acquired.
It is where we differ that will be the hook for players that visit, to then choose to stay.
First, the code being written is unique and highly original. As is much of the artwork, modeling, and music.
The SoN world is also not a clear-cut case of good versus evil. Players do not simply choose a side, and fight against opponents of that side. Players will be able to fluidly choose how they play the game, with the consequences of those choices being felt throughout their subsequent gameplay.
The quests will not be exclusively linear. Depending upon the choices made within the quest, the quest can take many divergent paths, and as a result, the final result may or may not be to the players liking.
This same theme of making choices will apply to character development. Multiple skill trees will be available for choosing. However, not all trees will be open to all players. If a player chooses to develop a certain skill set, other sets may then be closed to that player. The same will apply for spell and item trees.
In simple terms, the world of SoN will ask you to think, and offer you choices. These choices will then have consequences.
We hope you will enjoy the challenge of discovering our unique world, digging through the rich mythology, and of course, making the right choices long enough to survive the dark nights of Nightside.
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