Last night, Tony and Debbie came over for dinner. We hadn’t really seen each other for years, and it was great to get back in touch. Now that we’re local again, it’s nice that we’re starting to see all our friends. :D But in any case, as nice as this all was for me, it’s kind of irrelevant to you. The bit that’s relevant is what came up when Tony saw the big UO Print I got years and years ago. He told me about a little game called Darkfall.
Amazingly, I’ve never HEARD of the freaking game. Seriously. Which is amazing, since it’s been in development since – no shit – 2001. Most people think it’s more or less vaporware, but they’ve actually set a release date of the 22nd of THIS MONTH. That’s mere days away. Why am I so excited? It’s because of how it was described to me, and I think the actual description of the game would back that up – “It’s the spiritual successor to Ultima Online.”
I don’t mean the pussy “Trammel/Felucca” UO… I’m talking about the GOOD old days. When you were out and about in the forest, and got tense whenever you heard footsteps or hoofbeats, because you KNEW that someone could attack and kill you at any moment. This was before the PVE/PVP server splits were even in anyone’s mind. But even better, the more I read about this game, the more similarities I see with UO, and the more IMPROVEMENTS on all the bits about UO I used to love I see.
Player housing? No sir – player-built CITIES. And not just groups of houses… actual, honest-to-god cities. With laws. And those cities can come under siege if you’re not careful.
Ships? Not just ships – SHIP-TO-SHIP COMBAT. Ship-to-LAND combat. MOUNTED combat. Hell, combat alone is more than point-click-wait… you actually have to swing your weapon and be cautious not to hit your buddies. You have to AIM your bow and arrow.
This game is shaping up to be the kind of game I’ve wanted ever since UO got boring… a place to just log in an EXIST. I want to have a place where I can role-play, where I can log in and sit in a tavern and not feel like I’m just wasting my time. It looks like Darkfall is going to provide that opportunity.
So google Darkfall, because there’s more good info on it out there than just the main website. And keep it in mind – because remember, we can build cities. How awesome would it be if we got together a group of RL fans and built our own little stronghold in the world? Think about that. And come the 22nd, see you in Darkfall. :)
