What makes this game unique?
These are the central concepts in Darkwind that make the game unique:
- The real-world time scale means that you can only conduct a limited
amount of gameplay each week. This makes Darkwind uniquely suitable for people who like
competitive online games but don't have 15 hours per day to devote to them. Just
3 or 4 hours of gameplay per week is sufficient for competitive play. Character
development is based around real world training time, not in-game macro-ing.
- The long term gameplay ethos is further enhanced by the fact that it takes
real-world time to carry out travel and activities. It typically takes several days to
travel between towns - this makes trade a meaningful activity that takes some effort. The
detailed and finely tuned economic model has long-term cycles based on population,
demand, and piracy. Strategic gameplay is promoted. Building camps and fortifications,
healing wounds, fixing and upgrading vehicles all take real-world time to complete.
- Much of the strategic gameplay consists of offline planning - since you have
enough time to consider and reconsider your actions. Players continually think about
and revise their strategies while going about their everyday lives. This 'offline' nature,
paradoxically, makes the game a more immersive experience rather than less.
- The turn-based combat system based on highly detailed rules promotes genuine
strategy of play, and doesn't degrade into a 'fastest mouse clicker' competition unlike
many RTS games. The combat system in Darkwind suits 'multi-tasking' players who may get
interrupted while playing. You can turn your attention away and not expect to get
slaughtered for it. Time-outs further enhance this concept.
- Death is more than a minor inconvenience - when a character dies, they're dead.
Permanently. We believe that many current online roleplaying games are ruined by the fact that death
is merely a temporary setback for a character. In Darkwind, since you control a gang of
characters, you can still maintain your assets when a character dies, but you will lose the
months/years of skills and experience that they have. With death being permanent, a new
dynamic is created, whereby courage becomes a true, and probably rare, asset. Play strategy
and political intrigue take on a deadly new importance.
- Scheduling of PvP battles and Autoduel events - further enhancing the concept
of the 'lifestyle-friendly' competitive RPG. You can sign up for autoduel leagues that suit
your schedule, and your PvP battles are conducted at mutually acceptable times. Since they
are scheduled, battles and autoduel events can be spectated by other players.
- Persistent NPC gangs with colourful backgrounds whose skills develop in the same
way as player characters. These gangs are controlled at various times by AI or by gamemasters
(GMs).
- Anytime strategic play - you can log into Darkwind anyime during a journey, which
may mean anytime within a period of several days, whenever it suits you. You play out your
battles and wilderness encounters with NPC gangs when it suits you.