Need an EL review

[Acelon]

That was a great review kl4uz! I'll read it over more thoroughly when I get a chance, but one thing I noticed when reading it, you said on Irilion, the snow maps were in the north (when they are in the south). Maybe I just read it wrong and you meant something else.

 

Other than that, looks great so far!

[Cycloonx]

You made some nice screenies, nice work

[kl4Uz]

That was a great review kl4uz! I'll read it over more thoroughly when I get a chance, but one thing I noticed when reading it, you said on Irilion, the snow maps were in the north (when they are in the south). Maybe I just read it wrong and you meant something else.

 

Other than that, looks great so far!

 

thank you Lord Vermor!

Oh yes that's really a mistake, I was thinking in real life terms and I just wrote north and didn't even check it

 

And thanks you to Cycloonx

[ssjgohan]

I think I've gotten most of mine round up aswell. Maybe a few more minor twitches will be made but most is done.

[RolandR1]

lol nice review kl4uz

lol-->

but be warned this game is highly addictive

[Guest Enyo]

I just got connected to the net.. my harddrive crashed late last night. I tried everything to get it working but failed I just finished installing a new hard drive because I have too much stuff on my other one to just format it.. my music, my writing, my life.. ... and also my EL review but thats ok.. its mostly in my head. I'll just rewrite it but I hope I make it by midnight american time at least and if not, can it be one day late or not because right now I'm exhausted. Been up since 4 am working on my computer and now I need to rest. Does anyone know if I can make my old hard drive a slave or not so that I can access all of my files? I'm really devastated over this. I've cried a few oceans today. Shame on me for not backing things up.. bye all..

 

 

PS good job on all the reviews I've read.. take care..

 

Did I mention important phone numbers, photos, my work, etc etc .. just so much!!!!!!

[ssjgohan]

Now now, there are worse losses then a hard disk drive. Its better then losing a close friend or family member. You'll be ok.

[Arnieman]

Now now, there are worse losses then a hard disk drive. Its better then losing a close friend or family member. You'll be ok.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm closer to my HDD than my family members... is that a bad sign?

 

Good Luck, Enyo.

[ssjgohan]

Well, taking it literally nothing is wrong with it Arnieman.

 

But in other ways.. Try to see your family sometimes and spend some time with them. Don't be a stranger to them.

[Arnieman]

But in other ways.. Try to see your family sometimes and spend some time with them. Don't be a stranger to them.

of course - I did just spend most of my weekend helping my brother move...

[ssjgohan]

Ok, now anyway I'm sure somewhere during the night here Entropy will choose the best review and post it here.

 

Therefor, since I'm going to bed, I applaude already for the one that will win. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your prize. And may my own review and the others that didn't win not go to waste but be used on other sites perhaps.

 

(And yes, in case my review would win, lets keep it for an IF it would win though)

Thanks for the people that applaud me and thanks for choosing my review for that site, Entropy.

 

Good night everyone, I'll read in the morning which review was the chosen one. Good luck to everyone that wrote one.

[kat]

real nice job Kl4uz ^^

it sounds great =)

 

@Enyo *hugs* i am going through exactly what you are...well, except my hard drive completely died

luckily, my father is a pc genious and was able to save a few things (no idea wth he did)

i wish ya the best of luck!

 

 

-Kat

[Arnieman]

Author note - this is my submission, as-is. If you disagree, please don't flame me.

 

Generally, when you hear of the virtual worlds of MMORPGs, you might drift to think one of two things. Either, you can’t understand why anyone would want to sit at a computer and pretend they are part of another world, or you start recanting the tales of your glory days as some great wizard or something in some great virtual world you were drawn to in days long gone (or still are). Simply put, the term pretty much leaves you thinking of the mass-molded and prepackaged form most MMOs seem to follow. (Insert picture 0)

 

So, why even think of Eternal Lands? This small community in the sea of giants seeks to break the mold, and inspiring a fiercely loyal following. For the last three years, it has sought to offer some things you may have seen elsewhere, but also some things you may have never dreamed about seeing elsewhere.

 

So, what about actually playing?

 

So, you want to actually see what the fuss is about, in a game only recently passing 600 active players on at one time, in early 2006? First look would be to take a look at the game itself – and the best place to start would be to take a look at the game’s site, http://www.eternal-lands.com/. Hmm, I bet you’re impressed already – maybe you want to try downloading the game? You can scroll down a bit, and find a link to download the full game on the left hand side – or just click here. (http://www.eternal-lands.com/page/download.php)

 

So, what does it take to play? Well, you may be surprised to find that Eternal Lands allows you to choose your Operating System installation – a standard build is provided for either Windows or Linux users. Does this not meet your needs? If you have a C compiler, you can try to compile yourself a client from CVS – a link is provided. Most newer computers with a 3D Graphics card really won’t have much of a problem trying to run the game, and the download isn’t too terribly long – the full install is smaller than at least one game’s install file that I’ve seen.

 

So, you install the game, you get to the login screen, but you need a character. Well, just click “New Characterâ€. You will be taken to a screen where you can customize a character’s race, appearance, and hair, and set a name and password. (Insert picture 1)

 

But, you say, I forgot to tell you how much you need to pay to play – the game is free to play; part of the appeal is that Eternal Lands is completely playable without having to pay anything. Of course, there are a few things that can be bought with real money to support the game, but in most cases, these are either obtainable in the game, or are mostly cosmetic changes. There are no “pay to play†maps – the entire world is free for all players to roam.

 

Well, I created my character, now what?

 

Now to explore your new world! You start off on an island that is fairly safe – quite inhabited with rabbits, rats, beavers, deer, and lots of people. There’s also a guy with a nice blue name, which might seem rather obvious what he’s there for – he’s an NPC who gives you a tutorial quest. (Insert picture 2)

 

So, what else is there to do? Well, a whole lot – and not much. Understandably, you start off at a very low level – not much to do in most skills, but you have the choice of what skills you want to pursue. Perhaps you just want to fight and kill things – them rabbits all around you aren’t just for show. Or, what about the pretty flowers – you can pick them. Maybe you’d like to cast a little magic… In total, there are currently 9 skills in which you can gain experience, each with things ranging from punching leprechauns, to summoning rabbits, to making neat potions and essences that will help you along the way. As you progress, you may also want to pursue the path of crafting jewelry, or even making fine swords and armors by which you can fight bigger and meaner monsters. Certainly, the future is yours to make – you don’t have to limit yourself to one, two, or a few skills if you want to try them all. (Insert picture 3)

 

Naturally, as you progress, maybe you want to share your adventures with others – there are many guilds to choose from in the game, each a kind of community within the community. Also, if you just want to talk to people, but not necessarily be anywhere near them, there are channels you can join, to talk to others in the game. Some channels may have people who speak other languages, others have people trying their hand at trivia, and others for telling stories. There’s also a channel devoted to helping people like you in their early days of playing, and one for trading in-game goods and services with others. The number of channels is virtually endless.

 

Final impressions from the reviewer:

 

Graphics: Quite impressive work, especially for an independent team starting “from scratchâ€. Older graphics, which aren’t too bad, in my opinion, are being redrawn into virtual works of art.

 

Game play: Fairly well for a game still in beta – I mean, while I would like to see variable speed, ridable creatures, and ranged weapons (some of these things are planned for the future, I believe), it can be quite fun trying to pursue a path without dying too often. Some care should be taken – if you aren’t careful, you could be stuck playing watch-the-clock.

 

Storyline: Certainly leaving some to be desired here – some storylines and quests in the game seem rather disjointed, and unconnected to a major story. This is to be expected, as the game is still developing, and needing to bring new things into the game before you really can make stories about them. All told, it isn’t that bad of a start – there’s even books to read! (Insert picture 4)

 

Community: One of the best parts of the game in many ways – people have banded together quite loyally around a common bond – the game they all play. Certainly, some people are not so nice at times, but most are quite helpful, and somewhat friendly. Proof that “if you build it, they will come.â€

 

Overall: While I can’t say that Eternal Lands is perfect (the beauty of beta), I’d be lying if I said there isn’t great potential. I would definitely recommend giving it a try. You may be surprised at what you find.

 

Pictures (I really didn't get these attached more how I'd like them):

Picture 0

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Edited February 28, 2006 by Arnieman

[burnout]

Eternal-Lands

A Review By: Burnout

 

 

 

Eternal-Lands is a free massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which can be downloaded at www.Eternal-lands.com. Supported by Window, Linux, and FreeBSD, Eternal-Lands allows for a large playing community. With a wide range of different maps, monsters, animals and items, Eternal-lands IS completely playable even though only in its Beta phase. And with updates almost bi-monthly Eternal-Lands is always getting better.

 

#1

 

Eternal-Lands starts on the continent of Seridia, where humans, dwarves, elves and other races all live together. But the land is also infested with skeletons, gargoyles, the feared fluffy rabbit as well as many other monsters. Starting on Isla Prima, where NPC’s like The Wraith and the Tutorial_NPC help by telling you what you need to do in order to survive and even start you on the first of many quests. You begin a journey that only gets more exciting the more you play. Traveling through the over 50 maps of towns, caves, dungeons, temples and schools spanning 2 continents. Irrilion, the second continent, is seemingly endless in its possibilities. Being that even not more than 3 months old there have already been updates to add maps, monsters and new items specifically geared for Irillion. Eternal-Lands gives you the freedom to make your character as you see fit. Become a fighter and stand on the front lines fighting creatures that threaten the lands, summon your own creatures to combat the forces of evil, or even stay where it is safe and make armor and weapons for those that fight. Or work hard to become a “Jack-of-all tradesâ€, with no limit to how much any character can learn you have the ability to be in the top 50 list of every skill in the game. With no true limit to how high a skill can go, you are always striving for that next step, to be stronger, or better than the rest. You can even join a guild of like minded individuals and work together by helping each other mine or harvest materials needed for making items. Or by fighting with each other and making yourselves stronger. And with so many secret areas that it is almost impossible to find them all…Eternal-Lands will have you hooked form the start.

 

#2

 

Eternal-Lands debuted in February of 2003. Since then Entropy and Roja (the owners), and a team of qualified volunteers, have worked very hard to make Eternal-Lands the best MMORPG on the web. Boasting thousands of members, multiple hundreds which are online and playing at any given time, I think they very well may be succeeding.

 

 

Now let’s take a look at some of the general specs for Eternal-Lands. I will be rating each category from 1-10. 1 meaning it needs a lot of improvement up to 10 meaning just about the best I have seen.

 

GRAPHICS: 8

With 3-D graphics and a 360 degree rotate able camera angle with tilt Eternal-Lands has what every good RPG of this day and age needs for graphics. With some absolutely breath-taking scenery (as seen in the links below) you will be constantly surprised at what you see. And with each map having it’s own feel you will never feel like you are going through the same place over and over as in some RPG’s. But there could be more adaptability as far as character creation, as some characters you see will look almost exactly the same as others, without armor on.

 

#3

 

SOUND: 7

Music has just recently been implemented into Eternal-Lands so it isn’t what I would consider great, but it isn’t too bad either. While being better than some RPG music I have heard, I still choose to go into the options menu and turn the music off and put a CD in the computer while I play. Though I am sure it will get better in later updates. The sound FX are pretty crisp though, some sounds I have never heard before used for things, plus you don’t have that delay between sound effect and visual effect that a lot of MMORPG’s have.

 

GAMEPLAY: 9

With all the different skill, abilities and options, it is fairly simple to get around and act quickly when needed. It is easily one of the better games in this category. The only small knock I can give it and the reason it isn’t a 10, is because it does take a little while for newer players to figure out all the controls. But a couple days playing, and a little help from the “newbie-helpers†that roam the game, and you can easily see why this rank is so high.

 

#4

 

MECHANICS: 9

The game mechanics for Eternal-Lands are very well done. For every item made or action taken in a certain skill, you get experience for that one skill level and your Overall level. While higher levels in each skill allows you to make better items or fight better, each level in Overall give you 1 Perk Point which can be used towards nexus or abilities (i.e. physique, coordination, vitality). Although for each level gained you still gain the same amount of experience for whatever action you take, the amount of experience needed for the next level goes up almost exponentially. Whereas this mechanic is great for most everything…There is the small issue of fighting skills, namely attack and defense. Where you get a certain amount of experience for each time you hit an opponent for attack and a certain amount of experience for each time you dodge an opponents attack for defense. Which means you get more experience for dragging out a fight, rather than getting a certain amount of experience for killing certain monsters?

 

COMMUNITY: 10

One thing I have found to be of utmost importance in online MMORPG’s is the community. In the case of Eternal-Lands not enough can be said about it. The development team is always working their hardest to get new updates out to the population expeditiously. The in-game moderators enforce the game rules in what is, in most cases, a very professional and quick manner. The “newbie-helpersâ€, that do everything in their power to help new player find their way and figure out the rules and controls of the game. Even the players themselves are for the most part the nicest, most helpful group of online gamers I have ever seen. I mean there are a few rotten apples in the bunch, but with the guild set-up it is easy enough to get with a group of good player and figure out who the bad ones are.

 

#5

 

OVERALL: 9

Overall who could ask for more out of a game still in its beta phase. By all means I have seen some better games released, and ALOT of worse games released. But for a game in its test period, I wouldn’t miss it. With things being added all the time and new ideas and volunteer development teams members coming in almost weekly. Who knows what could happen by the time it is finished. Do you want to miss out??

 

 

 

 

P.S. Why the heck do the URL's I post never work :/ *sigh* anyways.........

#1 = http://achaoticexistence.bravehost.com/duh/Races.jpg

#2 = http://achaoticexistence.bravehost.com/duh/summoning.jpg

#3 = http://achaoticexistence.bravehost.com/duh/troll.jpg

#4 = http://achaoticexistence.bravehost.com/duh/ok.jpg

#5 = http://achaoticexistence.bravehost.com/duh/yayhaed.jpg

 

ok quick edit: you have to copy and past the url's to see the picture...I always have trouble posting them in these forums for some reason...

and I kinda like the feared fluffy rabbit better Derin Raise your hand if you are a big Monty Python fan

Edited February 28, 2006 by burnout

[Derin]

Great review Burnout.

 

Maybe you should replace

the feared fluffy rabbit

with "the feared Chimeran Wolves"

 

And

Do you wanna miss out??

with "Do you want to miss out??"

Edited February 28, 2006 by Derin

[Guest Enyo]

9 out of 10

Eternal Lands is a place where Unicorns and mythological creatures such as Gargoyles, Giant Spiders, Imps and Lephracauns roam freely with the player population. It is a place where danger lurks around every corner but with the passing of each Eternal Lands day is a new beginning filled with hopes, dreams and possibilities. It is a place where one can role play as a feared warrior, king, goddess, successful merchant, princess, story teller, healer or perhaps the villan and so much more.

 

If you are looking for high tech, special effects and graphic gore then Eternal Lands is not the MMORPG for you. If you are looking for something different in the lines of Medieval Role Play where you can actually be a part of the development of the game, then you might want to consider giving Eternal Lands a try. The game currently supports Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and even a test version for Mac users. ADSL or broadband is not required. The game operates good on dialup but an upgraded video card is essential. Check the site for video card requirements. If your computer doesn't meet the system requirements, chances are that the game won't work. For the most part, its non stressful to the operating system and doesn't require mega pentium processors as many MMORPG games do.

 

Although the game has not been officially rated, its PG13 and moderated by a team of admins who do more than help to police the Eternal Lands both ingame and on the forums which also plays an active part to the role play aspect of the game. Keep in mind that even though the game is fully playable, it is still in beta and often has little hiccups which are constantly being fixed. With the much anticipated updates, new items, maps and bug fixes also comes the risk of a minor server crash with the possibility of a slight rollback to a previous database backup. The game has many options giving the player the power to choose whether its editing an afk message to global word filters or adjusting the perspective or shadows in advanced graphics. In the past 3 years the game has evolved from one map to two continents, a network of international volunteers including admins, writers, map creators, programmers and even musicians devoting their time and expertise to the development of Eternal Lands. At any given moment, there are anywhere from 200 to 600 players online. All languages are welcome, however English is the global language of the game and it is encouraged to speak English in local chat and also in the official 20 channels.

 

The game was recently updated to Cal3D. Graphics is a priorty and has come a long ways since the game was first conceived by Roja and Entropy. Much of the artwork and 3d objects were created by Roja, co-owner of the game and the map work is a labour of love by qualified volunteers who all work closely together to follow a common theme for the game from Quests to Portal Rooms, to the basics of a working encyclopedia. In many aspects the game could even be considered educational.

 

Eternal Lands is more than a game, it is a work in progress. It is a community with its own culture and subcultures who all seem to manage to interact with one another whether its through their private buddy list, or private messages to just chatting in local chat on one of the many colourful maps. There is also the option to ignore an undesirable. In addition to the official game rules, this game is not unlike other MMORPG games with its own set of player to player rules which can cover anything from death bags, spawns to PKing. This is a true role play game in most aspects as players often find themselves engrossed in their charactor whether its a Dwarf, Human, Elf or one of the three p2p races Dragoni, Orchan, or Gnome.

 

Don't expect to register a character, logon and then become a super player. It doesn't happen like that. It may actually take months before you are just an average player. Unlike other MMORPG games which require you to choose a skill, with Eternal Lands you can be an all around player developing all skills such as alchemy, manu, harvesting, attack, defense, magic, potions, crafting and summoning or you can specialize in only one and then change your mind yet again as often as you like. Like other MMORPG games once you reach a certain level, you are allowed to join a guild/clan. You can choose to be part of this vast community or play as a loner. The possiblities are only limited by your own imagination. PK and PvP are a big part of the game but certainly not the main focus of the game. Try out different skills or try them all until you find something which suits your role playing needs.

 

A big part of this game/community is the economy. Just as in the offline world of real politics and government, its the same in Eternal Lands... everyone has an opinion about the economy and how to fix it. According to Entropy, one of the game creators, he said that originally Eternal Lands was suppose to be an economy based game, not exactly a Medieval Role play game. Even though its very much a role play game, the economy is a huge part of this game. The market channel makes Wallstreet look like kindergarten with the buying and trading of everything from brown rabbit fur, potions, essences, snake skin, bones to the more luxurious items of Iron Platemail Armor, Titanium Serpant Swords and even shop items such as the Thermal Serpant Sword, Magic weapons and more. Despite the rise and fall of prices and new impliments added with frequent updates, the economy of Eternal Lands is alive and well.

 

Be prepared for the weather. In this game if you are not properly clothed, the cold or heat could kill you and acid rain can leave you without armor. The days are very much like a real day with morning, noon, and night. Each 24 hour Eternal Lands day is roughly equivalent to 6 real time hours. At the end of a day or a "random day" (recently new impliment where a random day can effect the outcome of the player in a negative or positive aspect. It could be anything from Solare Day where if you are outside, the sun's rays will quickly deplete your health by 2 points per minute to something more pleasant like the much adored Scholars Day in which a player can gain extra experience in any given skill except for chatting that is.) you may find yourself taking off your boots in one of the many vacant homes or hotels and stay for awhile because the game does have a tendency to be addictive like that. You may even end up buying your own house or trade bot or private player map which you can actually create yourself. Whether you choose to develop a skill or not, the maps and original music in them self are well worth the download. There is much to explore, secrets to discover and time to be spent.

 

Considering that the game is still in beta, I give it a 9 out of 10 overall. Not too bad from a MMORPG toddler with plenty of room to grow.

 

 

PS this wasn't the original review that I wrote.. thats still in my crashed hard drive

 

 

EDIT: removing screenies now since the contest is over.

Edited March 2, 2006 by Enyo

[Drakos7]

I did not see it mentioned, but a note that an OSX version is complete/almost complete might be good as well, considering the vast number of excellent OSX games out there.

[vampireLOREN]

I would like to thank all who have taken part.....great work!!

and well done.

[vwpro]

klauz in ur screenies the shadows r messed up

[Atlantis]

good review enyo great screenies too. Also, paragraph 6, charactor should be character

[Guest Enyo]

good review enyo great screenies too. Also, paragraph 6, charactor should be character

Thanks.

[kat]

great report enyo, and awesome screenies too ^^

 

and great work to everyone else! good luck!

 

 

-kat

[Guest Enyo]

Thank you Kat. Thats so sweet of you. I'm still not able to recover my old hard drive yet but I'm not going to give up. I think that I need a dad like yours.

[Entropy]

Ok, it seems that Kl4Uz was the lucky winner picked by MMOsites team.

 

Btw, you have two days to run that thing through a spellchecker, or else someone's else review will be used.

[Guest Enyo]

Congratulations kl4Uz and good job everyone else