PlaneShift
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| PlaneShift | |
| Developer: | Atomic Blue |
| Release date: | December 24, 2004 |
| Genre: | MMORPG |
| Game modes: | Multiplayer |
| Platforms: | Macintosh, Windows & Linux |
| Media: | Download or Bit Torrent |
PlaneShift is a cross-platform fantasy MMORPG in development. Client software is available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. It is produced by a developer community, guided by the Atomic Blue non-profit organization. The engine code is based on the Crystal Space engine and therefore free software, but the copyright holder of the content is Atomic Blue and it is released under very restrictive licenses[1] (http://www.planeshift.it/pslicense.html#explanation).
The game is currently in the open beta stage of development, at version 0.3, codenamed Crystal Blue. The first version, 0.1, was codenamed Atomic Blue and the next version, 0.2, was codenamed Molecular Blue. The Molecular Blue server was shut down on December 16, 2004. The current version, Crystal Blue, was released to the public as an open beta on December 24, 2004. The next version, 0.4, is codenamed Steel Blue.
Molecular Blue was very feature limited, but drew a number of players because of its close-knit community.
PlaneShift is set inside a gigantic stalactite named Yliakum, divided into eight levels, of which the lower two are flooded. Life in this stalactite is possible because a huge crystal, named The Azure Sun, draws light from the surface of the planet. PlaneShift currently has 11 playable races that all have their own homelands and characteristics. Outside of Yliakum are the Stone Labyrinths and through these you can access even more areas, like the cave in which the stalactite hangs. In Crystal Blue, only the city Hydlaa and a part of the city Ojaveda are accessible.
While the code of the game is open-source under the GNU General Public License, the artwork and rules are licensed under a custom license, the PlaneShift License, that prohibits modification and redistribution. It uses the Crystal Space game engine and the Crystal Entity Layer. The source has been used to create LessShift [2] (http://lessshift.freeartfoundation.org/).
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Yliakum
Yliakum is a giant stalactite in which the MMORPG Planeshift takes place.
Location
Yliakum is an underground world. The inhabitants, a mixture of different races, also call it the "City of the Azure Sun", referring to the huge crystal that gives the city its light and supplies the land with life-giving energy. Yliakum is located thousands of meters under the surface inside a huge excavated stalactite, hanging inside a cave so huge that it could contain any kingdom of the surface. For this reason it is structured in grades - like Dante's Inferno - and each grade is smaller than the former. There are eight grades, or levels. The two highest levels are above the point where the stalactite connects to the roof of the cave.
The Bronze Doors, located along the perimeter of the first level, access the Stone Labyrinths, a complex of both natural and artificial caves as ancient as the town itself. It is sure that some of them lead to places similar to Yliakum and even to the surface, but nobody ever came back to report such a discovery. The Stone Labyrinths are one of the sources of food and resources for the city.
Many different underground streams spring from the walls of the first and second levels, some of which were formed from time immemorial, and join together at the bottom of the stalactite, where they form a lake that submerges the two lower levels. Somehow the water gets out, since Yliakum hasn't been flooded once in recorded history. The flow of the streams varies as times goes by, and the level of the lake changes accordingly. Sometimes the lake level is so low that almost half of the seventh level is revealed, but other times the level is so high it almost reaches the edge of the sixth level. The springs here supply a constant source of drinking water for Yliakum.
The seventh and eighth levels, both usually submerged, host the Nolthrir, an Elven race who have been attending the seaweed for thousands of years. With the influence of time and the Crystal, the Nolthrir evolved into an amphibious species, which enabled them to remain under water for long periods of time. After centuries of crossbreeding, the seaweeds have been grown with such skill by the Nolthrir that they boast special qualities. Some of these varieties are used as food, while others are tanned and woven to make clothing. Still others have medicinal properties, but most of the seaweed is dried and used as fodder for Pterosaurs, Megaras, and cattle bred on the first level.
Races
Only two races are native to the huge cavern: the Kran created by Talad and the Lemur created by Laanx. All other races are said to have arrived from magical portals connected to other worlds.
Inhabitants of Yliakum hunt not only the animals for their edible meat and warm furs, but also scavenge for fungi, molds, and saprotrophs inside the Stone Labyrinths. These plants are found only within the Labyrinths, since there are no other suitable environments for them, and their curative and helpful properties are valuable to the people. Like all places, there are also more pernicious and aggressive creatures living here as well from each of the four natural kingdoms. Hunters and gatherers must keep an eye out for these predators, who create an obstacle for those who venture in the less controlled and more dangerous tunnels of the Stone Labyrinths. As always in places of danger, great sources of wealth are just waiting in these caves for someone clever enough to find and profit from them.
Many different races populate the world of Yliakum. Players can choose to create a character with one of these races, if the model has been implemented.
- Humans
- Elves
- Dwarves
- Others
The Azure Sun
The Crystal that brings light to Yliakum is an enormous raw gemstone of purest transparency and analogous to the sapphire that hangs from the roof of the stalactite's internal cave.
Named the Azure Sun by those races that still remember the surface, it emits a radiation that is more towards infrared if compared to the light of the sun, but is suitable for photosynthesis and survival of many animals, vegetables, and mineral species. This radiation decays with squared progression with the distance. At the seventh level the radiation is just enough to penetrate the mass of the lake in order to light it, while on the first level it is so strong that it allows wonderful crops and the breeding of great cattle, which provide milk and meat.
To the great regret of the scientists, radiation from the Crystal keeps them from exploring too near. Using logic and common sense, scientists concluded that nearer than twelve steps from the Crystal, the radiation dissociates matter, sometimes even generating random chain reactions that could be very dangerous. However, since the Crystal is such a powerful source of every kind of magic in the city, some fool will dare to get too close and risk the dangers.
The Crystal draws its light from the surface and thus Yliakum is subjected to times of "day" and "night". However, even at night, it is not completely dark. The level of the lake, which rises and falls in an extremely consistent manner, measures hours. A wide band of the metal Orichalc was put on a section of the sixth wall and was used not only because it is the only metal that doesn't deteriorate whatsoever, but also because underwater flora cannot take root in it. The names of the six periods that divide each of the four seasons are carved on this band, and information about the periods is engraved over the level reports.
The year is subdivided into four seasons only because of the cultural heritage of the people coming from the surface and the observation of the cyclic phenomena of vegetable growth. During the twenty-four periods of the year, the Crystal's azure light varies marginally, helping to reinforce the different periods.
Waste Disposal
Ducts that have been dug out in the rock are used to dispose of human waste. Larger rubbish and bodies are simply thrown into almost vertical and apparently endless wells. Nobody seems to care about where all of this junk finally ends up, since the stalactite theory is only devised by some Xacha scientists and has not been proven yet. Dead bodies are eliminated the same way. Though discarding dead in such a callous fashion would seem rather shocking, neither of the two main faiths at Yliakum requires particular care nor reverence to the dead. To the people here, a body is simply a non-functional apparatus or an empty shell with no soul. However, nothing is ever thrown into the lake. The law forbids this disposal method not only out of courtesy to the Nolthrirs, but also to protect the seaweed population. Polluting the lake is one of the few crimes punished with death.
Creatures
Yliakum is populated by many creatures that can be fought for loot and experience.
- Carkarass
- Clacker
- Consumer
- Gobble: A foul creature living deep inside sewers. These humanoid beasts have dark gray-green skin and walk on all-fours.
- Grendol
- Rat: Found in sewers, most of these oversized rodents are an easy kill for beginners. Their hides and eyes have some value in Yliakum, so many try to pawn them to shopkeepers for quick money. There are two types of rats: a simple one eyed rat, and a robust rat. Robust rats are much more difficult for an untrained adventurer to kill.
Missing image
PSRat.jpg
Image:PSRat.jpg
- Rogue: Found in most places around Hydlaa's sewers, the neighboring Arena, Ojaveda, and on roads frequented by travellers. Rogues are dressed in dark clothing and may carry a weapon. They come in all levels, some are easily slain while others are more ferocious in battle.
- Tefusang
- Trepor
- Ulbernaut
Screenshots
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External links
- Official PlaneShift site (http://www.planeshift.it/main_01.html)
- PlaneShift English Manual (http://www.planeshift.it/guide/)
- PlaneShift server page (http://laanx.fragnetics.com/)
- PlaneShift forums (http://www.planeshift3d.com/wbboard/main.php)
- PlaneShift bug tracker (http://www.planeshift3d.com/bugtracker/)
- PlaneShift modding community (http://www.ps-mc.com/)
- Kada-El's Tavern (http://tavern.blueglyph.net/)
- PlaneShift SourceForge.net project page (http://sourceforge.net/projects/planeshift)
- Category at ODP (http://dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Roleplaying/Massive_Multiplayer_Online/PlaneShift/)sv:PlaneShift