Endless Ages
Endless Ages was a computer game by American studio Avaria Corporation of the massively multiplayer online first person shooting genre with elements of role play, such as character classes, quests, an auction system-based economy and a player-versus-player combat system. When released for beta in Spring 2001 it was the first multiplayer online game to merge first person shooting and role-playing. The game had its full commercial release on July 1, 2003.[1]
| Endless Ages | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Avaria Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | SummitSoft Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | Aaron Boucher, Justin Gonzalez, DJ Cassel |
| Artist(s) | Davis Beasley, Dan Vassallo, Jody Hicks |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | July 1, 2003 2011+ (Unstable, Free To Play and Host) |
| Genre(s) | MMOFPS/MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Cooperative, competitive MMO |
Originally developed and owned by Aaron Boucher and his independent Avaria Corporation, the game was sold as part of a game engine licensure agreement with Rapid Reality Studios,[2] a now defunct game developer who tried to improve it by creating a sequel named Phylon. The sequel did not have a very good reception, and in July 2007 the game went off-line. In May 2008 a former Endless Ages player and an investor, doing business as Digital Motion Entertainment,[3] acquired the rights to the game and re-released it in something similar to its gold version, calling it Endless Ages Reborn.[1][3]
Back-story
Endless Ages takes place after you die—and begin to inhabit planet Iia *[(EYE-uh,) a takeoff of Jupiter's moon Io,] a world where all beings from all worlds, places and time end up. Because a few minutes on Iia is the same as hundreds of years in our time weapons, architecture, magic, technology, and even creatures that have been extinct to the world now coexist.
- Some people dispute this and believe the planet should be pronounced Eye-eye-aye when the developers used all caps - IIA. Still others, however, believe that the developer's use of IIA was an oversight, as that would make it an acronym. It has never been suggested that IIA stands for anything.
Unlike most MMOs, Endless Ages doesn't have a cohesive, fully articulated back-story. The game lore basically is about the four races; human male and female, amphibians and bloblics all vying independently of each other for control of the various worlds against the monsters, known as Mobs, of which there are hundreds who roam the land and guard their territory.
Worlds
One of the main features of Endless Ages is the vast amount of land which can be explored by the user. Many worlds exist, and all differ from each other. The worlds vary from being large islands, to treacherous caves, labyrinths and many more. There are also sub-worlds; small zones with a few dangerous and rare creatures.
Most worlds have protected areas. In such areas, players cannot harm other players. They also cannot loot another player's possessions. In previous versions there were some buildable areas, where users could purchase and build their own houses.[4] Houses allow users to place items in storage as well as placing some items for sale. The houses effectively form user-created towns, and market areas. The current licensee has been unable to restore the player owned-house feature.
Races
There are Four Races that inhabit Planet IIA, all of which serve a valuable purpose - to survive.
Amphibian
As a race that implements the regimen of nature, Amphibians live in the tranquility of a natural habitat, building temporary domiciles which blend into trees or caves. They are suspicious beings to a fault and are very well at hiding from view. As a race that implements the regiment of nature, other creatures within the realm are inevitably drawn to them as friends or guardians. They have the ability to dominate the minds of different creatures while devising a methodical connection with them. Above all others, Amphibians are stealthy and elusive. Standing at an average of 3 feet, they can easily evade stronger enemies and have a unique talent for eluding attention.[5]
Female
The female possesses majestic, beauty and gracious talent, however take heed not to underestimate these beings. Deriving from the planet Earth, the female gender seeks an imperial state of existence. They retain great knowledge in Crafting skills and Magical Arts due to an extensive training. Unpredictable in their ventures, these individuals are acutely intelligent and incredibly swift. They are known for prolonged endurance and a forceful nature. Heroic in a sense, females are versatile and steady in all traditions. The average height is 5.5 feet and weight of 125 pounds.[5]
Male
This generation of humanity is robust and well educated, originating from the planet earth. The males you find in this realm are of high caliber, physically and mentally. Geared for war, they are elite and accelerate in the development of Engineering skills, which can be used in Melee Arts. Conquering kingdoms of war, victory lies within these natural born leaders. They are clever in political affairs and exploit human principles on an intellectual level. The average male stands at a height of 6.5 and weighs about 200 pounds.[5]
Bloblic
The Bloblic race is the most antagonistic of all inhabitants within the Omnir Galaxy. They reign with immoral vitality and utmost greed in their home world, Malia. The sheer mention of the Bloblics sends fear through all those who are against this species. Bloblics are known as mercenaries by trade. They are astute in developing weapons of mass destruction and gain skill quite rapidly. These marauders are focused combatants that fight at frantic paces and are not very graceful to observe. Due to their size and nature, these beings can sustain more injury than any other race. They are hulking figures to gaze at, standing at an average of 12.3 feet and weighing approximately 1200 pounds.[5]
Skills
Endless Ages has a wide variety of skills. The different races will also find certain skills easier or harder to master. For example, Bloblics are greatly disadvantaged in hiding, unlike the Amphibians.[4]
References
- http://pc.ign.com/objects/017/017346.html
- http://games.ign.com/objects/944/944703.html
- http://www.aboutus.org/Endless-Ages.com
- http://www.mmorpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=701
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-08-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)