Dark and Light
Encyclopedia
Dark and Light is a former pay to play
fantasy MMORPG
developed in Reunion Island by NPCube and published by Farlan Entertainment. It was released on June 6, 2006, to largely negative reviews. Though there was never an official announcement regarding discontinuation of service, the servers have been offline since 2008, ostensibly due to a lawsuit by VWORLD, LLC.
(MMORPG), set in a medieval fantasy
world called Ganareth. Players could chose from 12 races, 10 of which could be either male or female (the exceptions being Half-Trolls, which were male only, and Fairies, which could only be female). There were 14 playable character classes to choose from, divided into four main archetypes: Fighter, Hunter, Healer, and Mage. Fighters were designed to have good defensive abilities and armour, and also had the ability to bring the focus enemies off of other characters and onto the fighter. They could be Warriors, Paladins, or Shadow Knights. Hunters were a support character, relying more on tactics and offensive support than on damage or defense. They could be Archers, Rangers, Bards, or Thieves. The primary purpose of Healers was to heal, as the name suggests, but they also had decent ranged damage capabilities. Healers could be Clerics, Monks, Druids, or Enchanters. Mages discarded personal safety in favour of large amounts of damage, in addition to buffing other players. Mages could be Illustionists, Necromancers, or Wizards.
Progression in Dark and Light experience points gained in three separate systems, or "axes": Combat, Crafting, and Social. Combat experience was gained through defeating enemies, crafting from creating items, and social from joining guilds
and doing guild quests
.
Characters had 12 different equipment slots (head, shoulders, left and right arms, gloves, chest, shirt, belt, pants, left and right thighs, and boots) in addition to two weapon slots, allowing for one ranged weapon, one or two melee weapons, or a shield. Armour was divided into 6 types: robe, cloth, leather, reinforced leather, chain mail, and plate.
Crafting was divided into "jobs", each specified by the items that that job could produce. Tanners made leather armour, tailors made cloth armour, armourers made chain and plate armour, blacksmiths made weapons, and jewelers made jewels, jewellery, and bracelets.
The expansive game world was one of their larger selling points, offering 15000 square miles (38,849.8 km²) of land to explore.
Farlan Entertainment signed with SnailGame Entertainment, the distributor in China
, to provide additional help with the graphics. All of the current subscribers were given a free 3-month period to play the game.
Farlan also offered two payment schemes: free to play (after initial purchase) and $9.99 USD per month. Restrictions were imposed on the free to play account relating to character development with the intention being that a casual player may never be affected by the restrictions or it would take several months for them to hit the maximum level permitted by a free to play account.
bugs
, low quality graphics
, and poor overall implementation. Many reviewers liked the expansiveness and detail of the game world. MMORPG.com gave the game a 4 out of 10, saying that it "offers a degree of freedom that is rare in online games" but "the game in its current state is broken, full of bugs and does not have half of what was promised". GameZone
gave the game 5.3 out of 10, saying that "innovative gameplay elements are not enough to save a game that is fraught with concept flaws, lag and bugs and unfinished elements." OnRPG stated that "this game had potential (yes... HAD). The whole idea of a 15,000 square-mile world would be marvelous to behold and the possibilities are quite profound" but was still disappointed by prevalence of gameplay and graphics bugs, as well as losing gold when the character died
NPCube's lawsuit against VWORLD was dismissed on 13 March 2008. Additionally, NPCube was found to be using VWorldTerrain technology, not SCAPER, and was liable for €50,000 in damages to VWORLD.
Pay to Play
Pay to play, sometimes pay for play, is a phrase used for a variety of situations in which money is exchanged for services or the privilege to engage in certain activities...
fantasy MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
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 in Reunion Island by NPCube and published by Farlan Entertainment. It was released on June 6, 2006, to largely negative reviews. Though there was never an official announcement regarding discontinuation of service, the servers have been offline since 2008, ostensibly due to a lawsuit by VWORLD, LLC.
Gameplay
Dark and Light was a third-person Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing GameMassively multiplayer online role-playing game
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....
(MMORPG), set in a medieval 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...
world called Ganareth. Players could chose from 12 races, 10 of which could be either male or female (the exceptions being Half-Trolls, which were male only, and Fairies, which could only be female). There were 14 playable character classes to choose from, divided into four main archetypes: Fighter, Hunter, Healer, and Mage. Fighters were designed to have good defensive abilities and armour, and also had the ability to bring the focus enemies off of other characters and onto the fighter. They could be Warriors, Paladins, or Shadow Knights. Hunters were a support character, relying more on tactics and offensive support than on damage or defense. They could be Archers, Rangers, Bards, or Thieves. The primary purpose of Healers was to heal, as the name suggests, but they also had decent ranged damage capabilities. Healers could be Clerics, Monks, Druids, or Enchanters. Mages discarded personal safety in favour of large amounts of damage, in addition to buffing other players. Mages could be Illustionists, Necromancers, or Wizards.
Progression in Dark and Light experience points gained in three separate systems, or "axes": Combat, Crafting, and Social. Combat experience was gained through defeating enemies, crafting from creating items, and social from joining guilds
Clan (computer gaming)
In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is an organised group of players that regularly play together in a particular multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 1000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan...
and doing guild quests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
.
Characters had 12 different equipment slots (head, shoulders, left and right arms, gloves, chest, shirt, belt, pants, left and right thighs, and boots) in addition to two weapon slots, allowing for one ranged weapon, one or two melee weapons, or a shield. Armour was divided into 6 types: robe, cloth, leather, reinforced leather, chain mail, and plate.
Crafting was divided into "jobs", each specified by the items that that job could produce. Tanners made leather armour, tailors made cloth armour, armourers made chain and plate armour, blacksmiths made weapons, and jewelers made jewels, jewellery, and bracelets.
The expansive game world was one of their larger selling points, offering 15000 square miles (38,849.8 km²) of land to explore.
Development
Development on Dark and Light started by NPCube in 2002. Later, under the "pressure from its investors and from the gaming community", it was released underdeveloped to retail and on the internet in 2006 after a prolonged beta testing. On August 14, 2006, the publisher, Farlan Entertainment, stated that the game was released prematurely and has experienced problems due to its early release.Farlan Entertainment signed with SnailGame Entertainment, the distributor in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, to provide additional help with the graphics. All of the current subscribers were given a free 3-month period to play the game.
Farlan also offered two payment schemes: free to play (after initial purchase) and $9.99 USD per month. Restrictions were imposed on the free to play account relating to character development with the intention being that a casual player may never be affected by the restrictions or it would take several months for them to hit the maximum level permitted by a free to play account.
Reception
Dark and Light received largely negative reviews. Common complaints were the prevalence of gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
bugs
Bugs
Bugs may refer to:*Heteroptera, the taxonomic order, to which belong "true bugs" insects*arthropods, an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages*Bugs Bunny, an animated cartoon character...
, low quality graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
, and poor overall implementation. Many reviewers liked the expansiveness and detail of the game world. MMORPG.com gave the game a 4 out of 10, saying that it "offers a degree of freedom that is rare in online games" but "the game in its current state is broken, full of bugs and does not have half of what was promised". GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
gave the game 5.3 out of 10, saying that "innovative gameplay elements are not enough to save a game that is fraught with concept flaws, lag and bugs and unfinished elements." OnRPG stated that "this game had potential (yes... HAD). The whole idea of a 15,000 square-mile world would be marvelous to behold and the possibilities are quite profound" but was still disappointed by prevalence of gameplay and graphics bugs, as well as losing gold when the character died
Lawsuit
On 27 April 2007 VWORLD, LLC brought forth a lawsuit against NPCube and Farlan Entertainment for "software counterfeit, non-respect of the right to credit and paternity, unfair competition and parasitism." In September 2007, NPCube responded by suing VWORLD, on the grounds "of unfair competition and damage to NPCube's reputation", additionally claiming that instead of VWorldTerrain technology, they were using a technology called SCAPER, developed in-house by NPCube, and demanding €710,000 in damages.NPCube's lawsuit against VWORLD was dismissed on 13 March 2008. Additionally, NPCube was found to be using VWorldTerrain technology, not SCAPER, and was liable for €50,000 in damages to VWORLD.