In the competitive world of massively multiplayer
role-playing games all the attention seems to be focused on the largest, most
successful developers. The team at Magic Hat Software is looking to prove that
size doesn’t matter. Developers of the upcoming game, Irth, they are focusing on
their player community and bringing a sense of realism to their game. Irth might
not be as graphically breathtaking as other games but it shows every indication
that it is going to earn a place in the MMO community.
Dennis Robinson was kind enough to talk to me
about Irth at E3. He stressed the philosophy of realism. The team at Magic Hat
Software believes that if something is reasonable to expect in real life it
should be reasonable to expect in their online world. For example they have
created a seamless world with 38 thousand square kilometers available for
players to explore. Mr. Robinson also made a point of saying that their world is
truly open to exploration. Unlike other MMO’s there are no “invisible walls” or
“impassable surfaces” to block a player’s path.
The world of Irth is populated with three major
races and a fourth race players can select. The three main races are ideological
enemies. Be prepared for some PVP action if you stray into the territory of
another race. After listening to their fan base the developers decided to add a
fourth race that is free from the risks of player hunting. They don’t have to
deal with the problems, but they will never see the benefits.
The racial wars have a lot of similarities to the
kingdom vs. kingdom system of Dark Age of Camelot. Instead of a power boost for
defeating the opposing factions players will be rewarded with an economic boost.
Drops in their territory will be better than the drops than other territories.
Be careful when you are hunting near the borders, though. Players from other
factions can cross the border to “shop” in another kingdom.
The kingdom vs. kingdom system uses territorial
control as one of its determining factors. Some parts of the kingdoms will be
extremely difficult to invade. The borders themselves are not. They can be
captured by the opposing kingdoms. NPC guards protect the kingdom from attack,
but they are not invincible.
Irth already contains shopkeepers and crafting.
The developers want to eventually phase out the NPC’s that create basic gear,
generating a truly player-based economy. The team at Magic Hat Software is going
to wait and see if the player economy is strong enough before doing anything
that drastic however. Player crafters will be able to hire NPC vendors and even
own housing. At the outset player housing will be limited to specific zones set
up by the team.
Character progression in Irth is handled using a
skill tree system. Players will have access to an auto-attack function, unlike
the current crop of click-based MMO’s. Their special skills will not work
without player interaction. If players want to succeed they will have to fight
intelligently. As a character uses their skills they earn experience in it. As
their skills raise they become more effective. Earning new skills involves
learning them through the skill tree or by getting the skill from a quest or
random loot off of a monster.
Magic Hat Software is working to bring the gaming
community a fun, exciting, realistic world where players can develop their own
characters. The expansive world is beautiful. Players will enjoy exploring just
for the sake of exploring. Combined with the crafting and vendor system and team
of developers focused on listening to their fan base Irth is going to definitely
make waves.
