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The Saga of Ryzom

Ryzom
Ryzom box.jpg
Developer(s) Nevrax
Engine [*]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X,Linux
Release
  • EU: September 16, 2004
  • NA: September 19, 2004
Genre(s) Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Ryzom, also known as The Saga of Ryzom, is a free and open source massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Nevrax for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux.

Ryzom features open world gameplay. Instead of character classes, it has a unique system for character abilities that allows players to construct custom actions like spells or attacks in detail. The game world is complex modeled, incorporating realistic effects like changing weather and seasons. Computer controlled entities ('mobs') display complex behaviors, and animals will, for example, graze in herds or hunt in packs. Ryzom offers a scenario editor that lets players design their own areas that can be uploaded and played on the official server.

Each character gains levels independently in the fields of weapon-oriented fighting, magic, crafting, and harvesting simply by performing appropriate acts (killing enemies with a sword for fighting, assembling jewelry for crafting, etc.) Each level gained in one of these fields awards the character 10 skill points that can be spent on new abilities specific to that field, on general character improvements, or simply saved.

As a character progresses in levels, the skills become more refined. For instance, a starting character casting spells will acquire points in the skill called "magic". After level 20, points are accumulated in either "offensive magic" or "defensive magic", and attack spells will add points to the former, while healing spells add to the latter category. At later levels, these are also split, allowing higher level characters to specialize.

All abilities are built of components called stanzas. Each stanza defines one of the ability's effects, costs, or usage restrictions. Players may assemble actions out of any legal combination of stanzas their character knows.

Components for crafting can come from the corpses of killed animals or from hidden resource deposits scattered throughout Atys. Different ingredients provide varying benefits to different characteristics of the finished object. For example, when crafting a mace, using a certain kind of animal bone for the head may produce a hard-hitting but slow weapon, while using a particular wood may produce a weapon that is fast and gives a large bonus to parrying enemy attacks, but causes less damage. Further complicating things is the fact that any ingredient may occur in one of five classes and with a quality from 1 to 250, all of which affect the attributes of the final product.


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