A Tale in the Desert
| A Tale in the Desert | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Pluribus Games, eGenesis |
| Publisher(s) | Pluribus Games |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| Release date(s) | Tale 1: 2003 Tale 2: 2004 Tale 3: 2006 Tale 4: 2008 Tale 5: 2010 Tale 6: 2011 Tale 7: 2015 |
| Genre(s) | MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
A Tale in the Desert (ATITD) is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) set in Ancient Egypt, run by the independent company Pluribus Games. The initial software download and all new content are free, with a monthly subscription required to play beyond the first 24 hours.
A Tale in the Desert is a social MMORPG which does not include combat. Instead, a variety of social activities provide for the basis of most interaction in the game. The game's main focuses are building, community, research and personal or group challenges called "Tests".
ATITD has a global foregame, midgame, and endgame: on average so far, every year and a half the game ends, achievements are tabulated, and a new "Telling" begins, with certain modifications requested by the player base. Within a Telling, players can write, introduce, and pass laws (including player bans), and make feature requests.
There is an in-game economy, including an amount of regional or global trade; however, there is no official, backed currency for the most part, and efforts to implement them have met with little success. Additionally, there are sufficient activities to be learned and performed that it is considered exceedingly difficult to be a Jack of all trades: this too leads itself to a much more social aspect.
A recurring theme is a "newbie island" which established players can enter at any time: this allows them to train new players at their own leisure, and introduce them to the specifics of the game. After completing a series of tasks given to them, players may make their way to the mainland and begin the real game.
When a new player exits the welcoming island, they may immediately begin trekking around to look for a suitable settlement location or community. Upon reaching the mainland, the first goal of most players is to begin the central challenges of the game (Tests), find public resources, and expand upon what knowledge they have while integrating themselves into the community at large.
ATITD has a legal system, a controlled variant on Nomic which is generally restricted by what the developers can code, as well as the nature of such a system. With the legal system, players have the option to create petitions of various types, from the redistribution of expired accounts' materials, the direct ban of a player, or even a change in an avatar's sex. The legal system as currently defined can only restrict players' options, alter ownership rights, or change a minor portion of a challenge; however, within those options, the possibilities have not been exhausted. Finally, the legal system also requires a great deal of cooperation between players, as a petition must be spread, signed, and returned with a certain threshold of signatures.
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Wikipedia