Shadowclan
Encyclopedia
Shadowclan is a guild
that gained notoriety within the online gaming
community by taking the place of non-player character
monsters in Origin Systems' massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG
) Ultima Online
. With this act, Shadowclan created an intelligent enemy for the average player character
, changed the way thousands interact in online game
s, and helped set a standard for antagonistic roleplay through the development of rich lore
and strict in character policies.
on the Great Lakes server ("shard
") decided to take the place of the unintelligent non-player character
orc
s and provide a more challenging enemy. These were the first Shadowclan Orcs and lived out of a tent. From the beginning, they roleplayed and stayed in character as orc
s.
Soon after that, Shadowclan moved to the Catskills shard and into the orc fort south of Yew. Shadowclan grew and thus did the intensity at the orc fort. Battles became commonplace. Other roleplayers flocked to Catskills and, with some publicity, the population of Shadowclan skyrocketed. Prima Games
, in the "Nonhuman Roleplaying" section of their 1998 Ultima Online: The Second Age—Prima's Official Strategy Guide, identified the Catskills shard as the most dominant place of such activity due to Shadowclan's presence, noting their "excellent relationship with Origin" and "key role in the plots and politics of the Catskills shard." For years, the battles at the officially recognized Shadowclan fort continued all day long, every day.
Former clan administrator Ogur was interviewed about Shadowclan in Massively Multiplayer Games For Dummies. A reference to Shadowclan was written into the official Dark Age of Camelot
documentation.
Shadowclan was more recently mentioned in the second issue of MASSIVE Magazine
during an article called "MMOldies". The magazine replies to a question that "One thing that stood out was the story of the Shadowclan Orcs, who took the place of AI monsters to provide a more intelligent enemy. These guys always stayed in character, and really set the standard for future role-players in both UO and other MMOs."
Today, Shadowclan has brought its playstyle to many other online games and continues to take it to any game where there is enough member interest.
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...
that gained notoriety within the online gaming
Multiplayer game
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
community by taking the place of non-player character
Non-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...
monsters in Origin Systems' massively multiplayer online role-playing game (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....
) Ultima Online
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
. With this act, Shadowclan created an intelligent enemy for the average player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
, changed the way thousands interact in online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
s, and helped set a standard for antagonistic roleplay through the development of rich lore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and strict in character policies.
History
Shadowclan began in October 1997, when a handful of players in Ultima OnlineUltima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
on the Great Lakes server ("shard
Game server
A game server is a remotely or locally run server used by game clients to play multiplayer video games. Most video games played over the Internet operate via a connection to a game server...
") decided to take the place of the unintelligent non-player character
Non-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...
orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s and provide a more challenging enemy. These were the first Shadowclan Orcs and lived out of a tent. From the beginning, they roleplayed and stayed in character as orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s.
Soon after that, Shadowclan moved to the Catskills shard and into the orc fort south of Yew. Shadowclan grew and thus did the intensity at the orc fort. Battles became commonplace. Other roleplayers flocked to Catskills and, with some publicity, the population of Shadowclan skyrocketed. Prima Games
Prima Games
Prima Games, a division of Random House, is the largest publishing company of video game strategy guides in the United States. It is an imprint of the Random House Information Group, based in Roseville, California...
, in the "Nonhuman Roleplaying" section of their 1998 Ultima Online: The Second Age—Prima's Official Strategy Guide, identified the Catskills shard as the most dominant place of such activity due to Shadowclan's presence, noting their "excellent relationship with Origin" and "key role in the plots and politics of the Catskills shard." For years, the battles at the officially recognized Shadowclan fort continued all day long, every day.
Former clan administrator Ogur was interviewed about Shadowclan in Massively Multiplayer Games For Dummies. A reference to Shadowclan was written into the official Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot
Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG, released on October 10 2001 in North America and in Europe shortly after through it's partner GOA. It is still running today recently celebrating its 10th anniversary....
documentation.
Shadowclan was more recently mentioned in the second issue of MASSIVE Magazine
MMO Games Magazine
MMO Games Magazine was a short-lived computer magazine that focused on the massively multiplayer online gaming market. It was published by the media conglomerate theGlobe.com as a sister publication to Computer Games magazine. The magazine's website was launched in June 2006, and the first issue...
during an article called "MMOldies". The magazine replies to a question that "One thing that stood out was the story of the Shadowclan Orcs, who took the place of AI monsters to provide a more intelligent enemy. These guys always stayed in character, and really set the standard for future role-players in both UO and other MMOs."
Today, Shadowclan has brought its playstyle to many other online games and continues to take it to any game where there is enough member interest.
See also
- Player vs Player
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- Dark Age of CamelotDark Age of CamelotDark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG, released on October 10 2001 in North America and in Europe shortly after through it's partner GOA. It is still running today recently celebrating its 10th anniversary....
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