The MMORPG Legends of Aria evolved from the online RPG Shards Online and aims to offer players great freedom now.
The so-called “Emergent Gameplay” is at the forefront of Legends of Aria. This refers to the players’ freedoms to do all they want and to carve their own path, mastering situations in their own way and changing the world.
This essentially represents a strong contrast to theme park games like World of Warcraft.
Players should not follow a predetermined path
In World of Warcraft, quests proceed almost like on rails. There is a predetermined story, a goal to achieve, and a specific way to reach that goal. Every player taking on that quest follows exactly the same path and receives the same outcome at the end. This is not intended to be the case in Legends of Aria.
There will be no predetermined paths to achieve anything. Players need to find their own ways and methods. This way, players should feel much more like a part of the game world and not be restricted in what they can do.
How players complete tasks is up to them. Will they pick the lock to the treasury or blow up the door? Will they ambush the guard and steal the key? Will they transform into a mouse and crawl under the door? Such freedoms, according to Warren Spector, are what makes the medium of video games so special.
Many freedoms for players
And such freedoms should be enjoyed by players in Legends of Aria. The game’s developers are aware that this may not be to everyone’s liking. After all, World of Warcraft as a theme park game is extremely successful. And in a way, WoW is also competition. Because those who play WoW have less time for other players.
However, the developers of Legends of Aria believe that there are many players who desire more freedom in an MMORPG. And they want to give these freedoms. The online game is expected to be released later this year.
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Legends of Aria by Citadel Studios is heavily inspired by classic sandbox MMORPGs like Ultima Online. Together with other players, you build your own cities, wh...
