The Self Destruction Of PlaneShift (PlaneShift - Online Gaming)

Member Name: thole09

Product:	PlaneShift - Online Gaming
Date:	24/05/09 (152 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: In depth character building, Some graphics

Disadvantages: Changing community focus

PlaneShift is a video game which I have had a constant love and hate relationship with. From its humble beginnings in 2002 to the more robust and modern release of today, the community atmosphere appears to have been thrown out the window in favour of packing it with a plethora of in-game quests, monsters and other features.

"PlaneShift" is a massively multiplayer roleplaying computer game which is currently in its "alpha" stage of development. It is very primitive in terms of programming, due to the game's "engine" being hand written from scratch, and each newly updated version can present a host of software "bugs" and "glitches". Players are able to engage with the game as one normally would but when an error occurs can report it to software developers who aim to repair the issue. The game is developed by a team of volunteer programmers who are overseen by Atomic Blue Corporation; a non-profit organization. They are assisted by in-game writers, moderators and assistants who provide help and content for the end user. The game is completely free to download and play, and contains no advertisements of any kind. Declared system requirements vary greatly in terms of the user's experience but the following is widely agreed:

Minimum:
1 GHZ CPU
512 MB RAM
64 MB GPU/Video card
1 GB Available hard disk space
56 Kbit/s Modem with active Internet connection

Recommended:
2 GHZ CPU
1 GB RAM
128 MB GPU/Video card
1 GB available hard disk space
Active Broadband Internet connection

The game also silently requires a keyboard and mouse for command input, a visual display unit (monitor), and it is recommended that players have speakers and a sound card for in-game music and audio effects. The game is available as a native distribution for the Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems. For testing purposes, I experienced PlaneShift on the following specifications:

2.4 GHZ Pentium 4 CPU
512 MB PC800 RDRAM
256 MB ATI Radeon 9600 video card
80 GB Hard Disk
BT Total Broadband up to 8 Mbit/s
SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital sound card
Generic Keyboard/Mouse
2 pc Generic speakers
17" Generic TFT monitor
Windows XP Home Edition

Players begin their PlaneShift experience by first downloading the installation executable file. At the time of writing this review, the executable is available from Softpedia.com and is 352 MB in file size. The download takes approximately 45 minutes to complete but I have known it to span up to three hours depending on server conditions and available network speed. The user is then required to double click the executable file and install it; I have never experienced any fault in the installation process. It is then recommended that players use the "PlaneShift Updater" application to ensure their installation is equipped with the latest quests and additions to the game, and this is found under the program files entry. After the simple administrative processes are complete it is then time to enter the world of PlaneShift.

Roleplaying and character development is a central aspect in PlaneShift. It is set in the fictional world of "Yliakum" where twelve different races live freely amongst each other. Yilakum itself is described as an "excavated stalactite" which houses eight different layers; two of which are inaccessible due to flooding. Fictional deities Talad and Laanx reside over it and brought forth the two original races "Kran" and "Lemur". The remaining ten arrived in Yilakum by use of Godly portals connected from the outside world. The world is perceived as being small, though in-game it is quite vast and can take a considerable time to travel across it, so racial tensions are minimal but some characters do take it upon themselves to promote hostility in a roleplaying atmosphere. Each race has their own specific land and towns, and players will frequently travel to and from them to complete quests or visit friends. Racially hostile events are minimal and life is dominated by hunting, foraging and completing feats of heroism on behalf of fellow townspeople. The world is illuminated by an overhead crystal which provides all energy to the world beneath it. It is currently not known what power the crystal itself possesses and characters in game present many philosophies regarding the issue. Though not yet implemented, Government and Law and Order play a crucial role to the goings-on in Yilakum and all of its citizens are subject to certain requirements. Polluting the world's water supply, for example, is said to be punishable by death.

Death presents a unique feature in the game. Instead of a traditional human death where the body decomposes, characters are transported in the virtual flesh to a "death realm". It is required of players to navigate through a large maze complete with hostile monsters to discover the exit and return to the physical world. Like other areas of Yilakum, the death realm is to be explored to uncover its secrets. The death realm region hosts evil mages who may teach a player "Dark Way" magic by exchanging of progression points and in-game currency ("Tria"). There are also non playable characters who will seek the assistance of the player to complete a quest by asking "do you have a quest?".

Quests in PlaneShift revolve mostly around object delivery and collection. In the early stages of the game, the player will accept the "Harnquist Is Hungry" quest which requires the player to find two apples and return them to the local blacksmith for a reward of progression points and Tria. The player may then seek out specialized non playable characters who offer training in a certain statistic. The roleplaying element of "leveling" is not presented in a traditional way. Instead of rewarding the player with one numeric level number which increases all vital statistics, the player must "level up" these statistics individually by seeking an appropriate trainer and exchanging progression points and cash to receive a set amount of training automatically. Some aspects may not be leveled through theoretical training alone. Traits such as weapons use require the player to receive half theory through a trainer and half practical by going into battle and using the appropriate weapon; sword training, for example, requires the use of a sword in battle to fully level up the statistic.

Battles are contested in real time and are executed by simply right clicking an object to be attacked and selecting the attack function. This will immediately alert the enemy, and any similar creatures nearby, to the player's presence and begin the battle process. It is wise to keep an eye on the vital statistics bar at the top of the display as this contains details regarding the character's health, stamina and mana points. Retreating from combat is also done in real time by the player simply turning around and running like a mad man as far as possible from the scene. Many creatures, especially larger ones, will pursue the player and continue their attack, so resting by sitting down and standing up to continue running away is frequently required. Often times other players will step in to attack a pursuing force if the victim is seen running away from it. Fleeing from battle does, however, forfeit any loot and Tria which the enemy may drop in reward for successfully being defeated. Attacking enemies also decreases a reputation score with that certain enemy. Rats are encountered in Yilakum's sewers and should the player attack them frequently he or she will incur a penalty of negative reputation. This negative reputation score will cause all rats in future encounters to immediately attack the player. Players should be wary about creating negative reputations with many enemies as hostility can prove troublesome. The last thing any player wants when fleeing a more powerful enemy is to be met by a swarm of other enemies due to a negative reputation score.

What I like most about PlaneShift is its strong attention to detail. It is this detail that is also the game's main pitfall. Right from the beginning, the player will be immersed fully within the roleplaying environment which the game caters to. The player has access to a lengthy character creation process which spans several pages and affects the base statistics of the character. Players will outline life events, who the character's parents were and their occupations, any unusual events at the character's birth and even the birthday itself through a selection of fictional data. All characters begin with certain statistics dependent on their race, though it is these selections which will enhance statistics further. The character races which are included in this game are "Yilans" (A general all purpose human with no particular strengths or weaknesses), "Xacha" (A taller, weaker human with high intelligence and proficient in magic use), "Dermorians" (A medium sized elf who is capable of seeing in the dark), "Nolthrirs" (Elves who lean towards aquatic life with the ability to breathe underwater and are also apt in water based spells), "Stonebreaker" (High endurance dwarfs who are resistant to poison and can see through layers of rock), "Hammerwielder" (Dwarfs similar to Stonebreakers but are more apt in weapon and armour forging), "Lemur" (Humanoid beings who are the most intellectually advanced race making them proficient in all magical ways though poor strength and endurance), "Kran" (A humanoid made of minerals; immune to poison and strong anti magic but poor magical and melee skills), "Diaboli" (Demonic humanoids who are the most charismatic race but are cursed against blessed weapons), "Enkidukai" (Feline humanoid creatures who are apt in hand to hand combat but poor in magic), "Klyros" (Winged reptile humanoids who are very agile but cannot equip heavy weapons and armour), and "Ynnwn" (Cross between Diaboli and Dermorian who are able to see in the dark but cursed against weapons forged of higher quality materials such as gold). Each character features a different visual representation which allows immediate identification on screen.

The graphics are presented from a third person trailing view of the character but can be switched to first person. In terms of being a three dimensional game the images are basic in their development and do not host a wide range of differences in the city bounds. Many buildings, houses, walls and motifs all look generic. Scenes of wilderness are vast and it can be lengthy to cross them; the journey from the town of Hydlaa to the town of Ojaveda can take up to an hour of walking using a low endurance Lemur. There are few differences in enemy sprites at the present time but those which are implemented are well detailed and drawn. Thugs, which appear to be more like masked ninjas, are particularly well detailed due to there being a sense of tension on their faces as they run towards the player for attack. The area known as "The Bronze Doors" is also magnificently drawn and is almost a castle in the skies complete with moats and waterfalls. I found the animations to be lacking especially in battle. Battle sequences appear to be nothing more than simple vibrations and swings of the characters involved which is not particularly interesting to watch. It also seemed that in many instances my sword did not connect with the opposing enemy but text prompts suggested I was doing damage. The soundtrack is acceptable with an assortment of extended musical scores playing when the player travels into different locations. I did not find any sound effects while playing.

It is unfortunate to say that the community is the main hindrance of the game. Due to PlaneShift's general complexity many players will openly demand solutions through text speak and other jibberish. Many players will also openly ask for stock phrases which are required to communicate with the non playable characters due to the stringent requirements in this area. In the early stages of PlaneShift it would be requested that the player "speak in character" by using medieval style English, but upon recent exploration I did not find that to be the case. Many players would openly swap quest solutions without any requirement of roleplaying or character development. In-game moderators would at one time have stopped this but it seems that such is not the case anymore. During my recent testing I was also not able to find roleplaying events hosted by players when this used to be a drawing feature of the game. I am not sure but it appears that the roleplaying community has packed up and left, leaving non roleplaying "hack and slash" gamers to take over Yilakum. As the game continues to grow it seems that there is less of a focus on roleplaying in favour of battles and quests. This is an extreme swerve from its original premise of "Planeshift is a game made by roleplayers to bring you all the immersion you need from a virtual world".

Overall, PlaneShift was at one point an excellent game which I would highly recommend but in recent days I am not sure of my recommendation. It is a title which I will continue to explore but am disheartened by the rapidly changing community influence. PlaneShift is likely to become a household name due to its free availability but I don't feel it will retain the original roleplaying element, and it is truly a shame because that is what captivated my imagination as a player.

Summary: Thumbs in the middle