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A Tale in the Desert
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RPGDot Forums > MMORPGs General

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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
A Tale in the Desert
   

For anybody interested in trying this game out, you can download a free client at [url][/url]. In order to create an account, you need to log in with a new user name during a "live" session. Once you have an account, you can play any time the server is up--called a "dev" session. Live sessions are recorded (i.e. saved) and dev sessions are not.

The next 2 live sessions:

Wednesday, 8/21/2002 from 10:00AM until 3:00PM
Saturday, 8/24/2002 from 11:00AM until 10:00PM


I would heartily recommend this game to anybody who perfers constructing over destructing.
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Post Wed Aug 21, 2002 2:24 pm
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Eagle's Shadow




Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada
   

My only problem with this game right now is their relatively short play sessions and the time they are scheduled at... I would really like to join, but the time is very inconvenient.

@Moondragon
Do you know if once the game is released it will be a perpetual world? I mean, will the servers be upt 24/7 or will they continue to hold play sessions as it is right now? I could find the info anywhere myself...
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Post Wed Aug 21, 2002 3:19 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

It shoudl be a perpetual world.

These sessions are arranged for purposes of testing. While the main developer is working on stuff, there is no need to have people play with the broken game.

Once you create an account during a live session, you can log in at any time during dev session (which is up pretty much 24/7) and play to your heart's content. There is only few minor things you cannot do during a dev session. Also, when the next live session comes along, everything you did in between it and the last one will be lost.
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Post Thu Aug 22, 2002 12:17 am
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Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
SBR Belfry Bat




Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
   

My problem with this game is that once certain goals are achieved by any people the entire world refreshes and you have to start all over again. So you build, but what you build disappears as soon as the seven doohickeys are done.
Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 2:37 am
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Myrthos
Spoiler of All Fun
Spoiler of All Fun




Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 1926
Location: Holland
   

The same happens when you are in betatests for other online games. Every now and then they wipe the server clean and you start from scratch again.
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Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 12:00 pm
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Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
SBR Belfry Bat




Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
   

I didn't mean beta. I was reading their website, and it said that the point of the game was to completely master seven types of things. And when seven people each fully master one of the things then the game world restarts from the beginning.
Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 12:43 pm
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Myrthos
Spoiler of All Fun
Spoiler of All Fun




Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 1926
Location: Holland
   

These seven persons can not reach that without a lot of help from others. Everybody works together so that a few can reach their goal. It's a team effort. Once that is accomplished, there is nothing else to do in the game anymore.
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Kewl quotes:
I often have an odd sense of humor - Roach
Why quote somebody else, think of something yourself. - XeroX
...you won't have to unbookmark this site, we'll unbookmark you. - Val
Reports Myrthos for making me scared and humbled at the mere sight of his name - kayla
Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 12:49 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

Su, the game doesn't restart. The game is over. The planned cycle for this is one year. I don't know whether there are plans on restarting it or not, but currently there was no talk about it as such. AFAIK for now, one year is it.

BTW, the latest edition of Inquest magazine (an offshoot of Wizard) has a small piece on ATITD.
quote:
Like your mmorpg's a little different? Say... sandier, with an ancient Egyptian appeal? Check out A Tale in the Desert from eGenesis. Harkening back to kindler, gentler days, it not only opts for historical flavor, but eliminates combat, monsters, swords and sorcery altogether.
That's not to say that there won't be confilct. Think of this as a massivley multiplayer variant of the boardgame Diplomacy, where balancing trust versus deceit is paramount.
Players advance by completing projects together. In the true spirit of community, you're rewarded for success at pursuits such as lawmaking, business savvy and architectural finesse. While characters all have statistics and an inventory, the goal is to work as a guidl to establish outposts, research new technologies like Automation, Advanced Animal Husbandry and Metallurgy and ultimately succeed at a septet of social oriented quests known as the Seven Disciplines of Man; art, leadership, conflict, architecture, worship, the human body and thought.
This is a truly social experience geared to outgoing adventurers, one in which you'll hold fireworks displays by using an in-game pyrotechnics editor, be forced to trust peers with the location of wealth and gather large groups for elaborate rituals. Needless to say, it's a challenge worthy of even the most seasoned online junkie. Challenges may require days of planning, and even if you master them, there's still the little matter of perfecting the disciplines to which they belong. A rough task by any measure, especially once you factor in all the behind-the-scenes double-dealings that can go on in a market economy. Assuming your taste in mmo's is more Machiavellian thatn medieval, A Tale in the Desert might just hit the spot when it's released. Check it out at (www.egenesis.com) Scott Steinberg

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Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 3:55 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

If you do decide to come and try it out, you can look me up by the north-most school of architecture. I've banded with one other person and we have started a guild by the name The Northern Tribe. For as long as the chariot system will be enabled, we are located by the School of Architecture (north) stop. Most of our buildings are being made public, so drop by and say hi. Or get a lesson on what and how to do in Egypt (actual game feature--and I need to tutor 7 people to pass one of my tests ).
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Post Fri Aug 23, 2002 3:59 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

After every session, many people go write about it in the journal. You can read the thoughts on the latest session here.

Also, there was a fansite interview with the main developer about plans for Beta3. The log can be found here.
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Post Mon Aug 26, 2002 2:28 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

Part of the mail sent out yesteray:

" We're just about to enter the last 24 gameplay-hours of Beta #2. We're
going to do this in two, twelve hour sessions, both on weekends. The first
of these will be:

Sunday, 9/15/2002 from 10:00AM EST (GMT-0500) until 10:00PM

The final session of Beta#2 will be two weeks afterwards, either on
Saturday or Sunday. I have lots of fun stuff planned for the final
session, including:

1. The first Test of Pyrotechnics
2. Two unique contests. (Build up your supplies now!)
3. The awards ceremony for outstanding contributions to Beta#2.

...and maybe...

4. Amnesty!

I'm going to need feedback from *everyone* on item #4. Over the course
of Beta#2, some secrets never really became widely known. For instance,
who did get the formula for cabbage? What was it the stranger did? Who
trashed the Warriors of Anubis's camp? What's the deal with King Octec?
If *everyone* agrees to take this all in good fun, I'll try to get the
guilty parties (and that may be me!) to reveal each of these, as the very
final event of Beta#2. So, give me all the feedback you can, especially if
you're connected with any of the above events, or might really be pissed
off with certain answers. (Imagine it was one of your guild members...)
I'll talk about the Beta#3 plans in the next newsletter."
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Post Sat Sep 14, 2002 9:26 pm
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

quote:

Everyone,

Our final Beta#2 session will be:

Saturday, 9/28/2002 from 10:00AM EST (GMT-0500) until 10:00PM

We've got a bunch of stuff to pack into the 12 hours. The approximate
schedule is:

10:00AM Session opens
11:00AM Preparing for the Journey: This is a chance for
well equipped players to pack their welcome
banner for the move to Beta#3.
12:00AM The Offering to Ra. Consider this the final grand
contest of Beta#2.
4:00PM The first Test of Pyrotechnics, at the newly
designed Shooting Star Park.
6:00PM Beta#2 awards ceremony.
8:00PM Amnesty! What did The Stranger do? Who trashed
the WoA camp? What's the real story behind
King Octec? Also, a special cabbage growing
demonstration.
9:30PM Closing ceremony/party.

You will love the "prizes".
After this session, I'd like everyone to do us one huge favor: Write up
a journal entry summarizing your experience in Beta#2, and post it to
http://www.atitd.info/journals. If you had fun, think of it as payment for
the 400 or so hours of play sessions we did during Beta#2.
After this session, we're going to spend 4-6 weeks coding all sorts of
new stuff for Beta#3, which will open with a single 168-hour play session.
I'll send more information as we get closer.
Also, I was asked to mention that http://ATITD.net will soon be
announcing a competition to win a limited edition ATITD chocolate pyramid
in presentation box for the best ATITD / ATITD.net wallpaper submitted.
Check there for more details.


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Post Sat Sep 28, 2002 2:08 am
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MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

Latest news:

Beta 3 is supposed to open its doors on November the 8th. The first session is planned to last full 168 hours (7 days straight). A lot more uptime is planned during beta 3 in general.
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Post Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:40 am
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Provis
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 872
Location: Middle of the Forest
   

Sweet, I wanted to try this one out but it seemed like my free time and the play sessions never coincided. I should be able to squeeze in some playtime if it's up for a whole week.
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Post Tue Oct 29, 2002 6:18 am
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Risen From Ashes




Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA
   

Kewl. If it's up for that long I may give it a whirl on my day off.
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Post Tue Oct 29, 2002 8:10 am
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