Allods Online
Encyclopedia
Allods Online is a free-to-play
3D
fantasy
MMORPG
developed by Astrum Nival and published by Astrum Nival in Russia
and Turkey
, Gala-Net in North America
, Cayenne Tech in Taiwan
, Hong Kong
, and Macau
, Gala Networks Europe in Europe
, and Level Up! Games in Brazil
and the Philippines
.
The fourth in the Rage of Mages
series, Allods Online takes the RPG elements of the original games and presents them in an MMORPG. Developed with a $12 million budget, it is available as a free online game with a simple registration required to play and no ongoing subscriptions.
, and dungeons. It also has an element that is fairly unique - the ability for players to build ships and sail around in a vast expanse of magical space called "the Astral". In the Astral, players can fight each other in ship-to-ship combat as well as discover new zones like the Goblin Republic that cannot be reached any other way. Furthermore, ships have individual crew stations which can be operated by multiple players on the same ship together.
Another way for players to test their skills is via PvP on maps such as the Holy Land. The Holy Land tends to be extremely crowded due to its position as one of the primary locations of the war between the two factions - the Empire and the League. Open PvP, utilizing a flagging system found in many traditional MMORPGs, is also available in any area of the game, and gives special bonuses to players who quest and hunt while their Flag of War is raised. There are also special areas where players can engage in large-scale PvP activities to earn unique rewards.
The game also provides a developed guild system that encourages players to work together to improve their guild ranking and allow them to participate in more content, such as the Astral Confrontation, as well as design custom regalia to look unique in the game and benefit special abilities.
Allods Online EU and NA were highly criticized in February, 2010 for the initial prices in its Item Shop, the system by which the game conducts microtransactions
. However, the prices were significantly lowered two weeks later.
Allods Online also implemented a controversial system where players were penalized upon death. These penalties could be prevented or reversed by buying items from the Item Shop. This feature was removed in the EU and NA version on March 2 since the item that prevents death penalty became available for free at the Item Shop.
, the composer for the first two parts of the Fallout series and Planescape: Torment. The soundtrack was also created by Michael «Lind Erebros» Kostyleva who is known for composing the music for the game King's Bounty: The Legend of Knight.
The full-fledged symphonic soundtrack for the new version of Allods Online was recorded by the Central Symphony Orchestra of Russia's Defense Ministry and the Bolshoi Choir whose conductor was Boris Tarakanov.
Free-to-play
Free-to-play refers to any video game that has the option of allowing its players to play without paying. The model was first popularly used in early massively multiplayer online games targeted towards casual gamers, before finding wider adoption among games released by major video game...
3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed by Astrum Nival and published by Astrum Nival in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Gala-Net in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Cayenne Tech in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Gala Networks Europe in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Level Up! Games in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The fourth in the Rage of Mages
Rage of Mages
Rage of Mages is a PC game that combines role-playing and real-time strategy. Produced by Nival Interactive it was first released in Russia under the name of Allods: Sealed Mystery...
series, Allods Online takes the RPG elements of the original games and presents them in an MMORPG. Developed with a $12 million budget, it is available as a free online game with a simple registration required to play and no ongoing subscriptions.
Gameplay
Allods Online has many traditional MMORPG elements such as quests, NPCsNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
, and dungeons. It also has an element that is fairly unique - the ability for players to build ships and sail around in a vast expanse of magical space called "the Astral". In the Astral, players can fight each other in ship-to-ship combat as well as discover new zones like the Goblin Republic that cannot be reached any other way. Furthermore, ships have individual crew stations which can be operated by multiple players on the same ship together.
Another way for players to test their skills is via PvP on maps such as the Holy Land. The Holy Land tends to be extremely crowded due to its position as one of the primary locations of the war between the two factions - the Empire and the League. Open PvP, utilizing a flagging system found in many traditional MMORPGs, is also available in any area of the game, and gives special bonuses to players who quest and hunt while their Flag of War is raised. There are also special areas where players can engage in large-scale PvP activities to earn unique rewards.
The game also provides a developed guild system that encourages players to work together to improve their guild ranking and allow them to participate in more content, such as the Astral Confrontation, as well as design custom regalia to look unique in the game and benefit special abilities.
Critical reception
The game has been noted for its quality graphics, good performance, and innnovative combat system with no auto attack.Allods Online EU and NA were highly criticized in February, 2010 for the initial prices in its Item Shop, the system by which the game conducts microtransactions
Virtual good
Virtual goods are non-physical objects purchased for use in online communities or online games. They have no intrinsic value and are intangible by definition....
. However, the prices were significantly lowered two weeks later.
Allods Online also implemented a controversial system where players were penalized upon death. These penalties could be prevented or reversed by buying items from the Item Shop. This feature was removed in the EU and NA version on March 2 since the item that prevents death penalty became available for free at the Item Shop.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Allods Online was created by Vladislav Isaev, the creator of the electronic project Scann-Tec, as well as the composer Mark MorganMark Morgan
Mark Morgan is an American score composer for video games, television and films. He is well-known for his work in Fallout, Fallout 2 and Planescape: Torment.-Video games:* Zork Nemesis * Dark Seed II...
, the composer for the first two parts of the Fallout series and Planescape: Torment. The soundtrack was also created by Michael «Lind Erebros» Kostyleva who is known for composing the music for the game King's Bounty: The Legend of Knight.
The full-fledged symphonic soundtrack for the new version of Allods Online was recorded by the Central Symphony Orchestra of Russia's Defense Ministry and the Bolshoi Choir whose conductor was Boris Tarakanov.