Asheron's Call

[Morreion]

Asheron's Call official site


Asheron's Call (Wikipedia)

Asheron's Call (AC) is a fantasy MMORPG for Microsoft Windows-based PCs developed by Turbine Entertainment and published by Microsoft. Asheron's Call is set on the continent of Dereth and its surrounding islands on the fictional planet of Auberean. The game is played in a large, seamless 3D world that can be occupied by hundreds of players at a time. Released on November 2, 1999 it was the third major MMORPG to be released[1][2] and was developed at the same time as Ultima Online and Everquest.[3] After initial success its subscription numbers dropped as newer MMORPGs moved into the market. Its servers are still online ten years after it first began.

Asheron's Call shifts gears in latest update (Massively)

It might show its age a little, but Asheron's Call is one of the oldest MMOs still running, and it continues receiving regular content updates from the fine team at Turbine. June has brought with it another huge influx of new content, starting with the inclusion of an entirely new race known as Gear Knights. These clockwork entities interact with gear in unique ways, requiring them to integrate their armor directly into their being. The addition of a new race carries with it a free extra character slot, as well as some introductory fiction explaining these new arrivals.

Not content to simply add a new race for free, however, Turbine has also put the Town Portal Network into play, updated the landscape textures, and added several other improved touches to the game.

Join the AC team as they discuss the creation of the Wedding of Hoshino Kei and Borelean Strathelar! (AC official site)

The “Venue”
Hosting an in-game wedding shares the same pitfalls and challenges as one in the real world, particularly the common problem of finding a place to have the wedding. The aim is of course to find a wedding venue that will accommodate everyone, but also be within your means. Just because we’re operating in virtual space doesn’t mean these aren’t primary considerations for an event like this.

We needed somewhere that was conveniently located for our guests and could accommodate a crowd. Yanshi was a natural choice with its central location and pre-existing festival grounds. ceremonyarea.jpg Then we had to consider what we could get away with in terms of performance. The wedding location had to look nice while keeping details simple. Simple and elegant can be a classic look for a wedding, so team members spent some time researching pictures of “outdoor weddings” looking for inspiration. Ultimately a gazebo style area proved out as the most effective in both performance and style.

[Morreion]

The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: The highlights (Massively)

A list of 8 unique aspects of this 11-year-old MMO. The allegiance system sounds interesting: "weaker players would swear fealty or allegiance to a stronger player; the patron would then receive bonus XP whenever his or her subject killed something, and the subject would (theoretically) receive protection, guidance and goodies from his or her sworn lord."

The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: Player sagas (Massively)

"My favorite part is long gone, and that's the old, original magic system. Most players found it frustrating, but I loved it. Some of the components needed to cast certain spells were randomized for your character upon creation, so you couldn't just refer to a chart to learn spells. You had to experiment to find what worked for your character. Also, spells (allegedly) were more powerful if fewer people knew and used them. Eventually, that system went away, and now all spells are the same for all characters. I miss that old system though."

The Game Archaeologist's chat with Andy Cataldo (Massively)

"Instead of locking players into cookie-cutter classes, AC gave the players a choice. You are never locked into a single playstyle in Asheron's Call. You do what you want, when you want, how you want. We also took a chance when making a new world with completely original creatures. The team showed that you don't have to use traditional fantasy elements to be a successful fantasy game."

The Game Archaeologist and the Asheron Recall: Fond memories (Massively)

"For many, Asheron's Call was our first virtual world. Its wonder and scale were a source of awe. The world of Dereth felt infinitely expansive and at over 500 square miles of wide open, explorable landscape, it's massive compared to the instanced and segmented worlds of subsequent MMOs."