Wurm Online

Wurm Online is a 3D massively multiplayer online video game developed by Code Club AB (formerly known as Onetoofree AB) in Motala, Sweden. Development started in 2003 by friends Rolf Jansson and Markus Persson, and it was released for personal computers via Java in 2006. Both player versus player and realm versus realm combat are possible in the game.

Wurm Online
Designer(s)Rolf Jansson
Markus Persson
Platform(s)Java
Release12 December 2012
Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online game 
Mode(s)Multiplayer 

Gameplay

Wurm Online is a sandbox MMO game. Players can construct buildings such as walls and houses, mine and gather resources to craft tools, terraform the land, tunnel underground, as well as many other sandbox actions. There are multiple servers to play on, each an island separated from the others by sea that can be crossed. Players can create and join villages and alliances with other players, and form Kingdoms on the Player vs Player servers to conquer land and fight for glory.

There is an in-depth crafting and skilling system, where to craft an item the player must have the required skill and items, but the player's skill level and the quality of the items used affect the time it takes to craft and the quality of the resulting item. Wurm Online has hundreds of skills, ranging from carpentry and smithing to specific tool and weapons skills, and even religion stats, allowing for a wide range of specialisation and therefore industries emerge where players can co-operate with each other to achieve goals and complete projects.

The game also has a religion system, where one can choose to worship one of a handful of gods and gain bonuses and the ability to cast spells based on that god and their devotion to them. The player's favour with their god can be increased by participating in missions regarding that god. On PvP servers, there are many kingdoms, some created by the players, that are constantly rising and falling as players raid enemy settlements and claim land for their own kingdom. As a result, the game has a rich history that can be seen and learned of by playing the game and engaging with other players.

Development
An example of the user interface for Wurm Online in 2012

Wurm is developed in Java and uses OpenGL for rendering the game. Development of the game was started by Rolf Jansson and Markus Persson.[1] Wurm first started its Beta stage in 2003, and had its official release in 2006.[2] In 2007, Markus Persson left the company. When asked if Wurm would shut down due to his resigning, Markus said "Wurm's not going anywhere."[3] In 2008, the main developer began publishing a blog.[4]

In 2011, the main developer hired their first paid employee, a client developer who has since been responsible for an overhaul of the lighting system. This was later followed by a lead artist being hired by the developer,[5] resulting in a total of two known employees as of July 2011. The game was officially released in 2012.

On 21 October 2015, a standalone version of Wurm Online, known as Wurm Unlimited, was released. It contains the same gameplay (with variable rules), but is a one-time purchase rather than having a limited free trial and monthly fee, and is played on player-run servers instead of the main official servers.[6]

Reception

Massively.com has, since 2012, began regularly featuring Wurm, often doing livestreams of the game and regularly posting news updates about Wurm. Massively have often praised Wurm for its do-what-you-want freedom and for truly being a "sandbox" MMO with many different skills and abilities, criticising only the "maintenance mode" that occurs when maintaining a (large) deed/village.[7]

TenTonHammer examined it in a "First Impressions" review. The distant landscapes were highlighted for their photographic quality, and the main appeal was seen in the interactivity of the world. However, overall it failed to keep the reviewer's attention, feeling that MUD-style text-based combat has been eclipsed by modern MMORPGs.[8]

A PC Gamer review after the official release was critical, with a score of 68%, citing the time commitment required as well as the lack of creativity in what a player could accomplish.[9]

Christopher Steele of Topfreemmorpg.net praised Wurm Online's gameplay and noted that it "provides a true challenge to the players."[10]

MMO Sandboxes' reviewer Crescent Wolf described it as a "true sandbox title" and that "if you ever wanted to experience how a true sandbox game looks like here you have it."[11]

References
  1. McDougal, Jaz (29 July 2010). "Community heroes: Notch, for Minecraft". PC Gamer. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  2. "Wurm Online". Wurm Online. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  3. http://wurmpedia.com/index.php/Notch
  4. "Wurm Online Developer Blog". Wurmonline.com. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  5. Wurm Online (12 July 2011). "Lead Artist Hired". Wurmonline.com. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  6. "Wurm Unlimited Store Page". Steam. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. "Yahoo". massively.joystiq.com.
  8. Gourley, Danny (1 July 2008). "Wurm Online: First Impressions". TenTonHammer. Retrieved 24 December 2010. I only can say that it failed to hold my attention.
  9. Cobbett, Richard (2 February 2013). "Wurm Online review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  10. Steele, Christopher (27 June 2014). "Wurm Online Review". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  11. Wolf, Crescent (2 January 2014). "Wurm Online Review". Retrieved 10 October 2014.

Further reading
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