Review Submitted By: Teanke
Author Status: Player
Started on Blood Dusk: April 2004
Submission Date: Jun 12, 2005
TMC Listing: Blood Dusk
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Teanke]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
This game is NOT the average MUD. It's totally on it's own, with
hardly any semblance to traditional AD&D muds. No magic missile
indeed! Some players may be a little disappointed at first, when they
find out it doesn't involve the traditional (read: overused) features
below: -Traditional magic -Bash -Anything in a usual D&D type game
Take the stats, battle, class, and XP system. We have these stats:
Strength - Raw physical strength
Constitution - Ability to withstand pain
Endurance - How long before you get tired
Agility - Coordination and quick reflexes
Intelligence - Learning speed
Will - Mental fortitude
Perception - Keeness of senses
Bearing - Leadership power and charisma
The battle stats:
Pain - If this gets high enough, the character may double and can be
defeated.
Fatigue - If this gets high enough, the character may need to pant
to catch his breath.
Unbalance - If this gets high enough, the character can be tripped
or fall over.
Fear - If this gets high enough, the character may flee or give the
opponent the offence
Force Absorb - How much blunt attack pain is blocked
Sharp Absorb - How much bladed attack pain is blocked
Balance - How much unbalance is blocked
Courage - How much fear is blocked
Intimidation - How much fear one instills into the opponent
A player starts out by modifying (or not if they wish to make a quick
character) these stats. Over time, a player matures (4 times total) in
their life, which provide small bonuses to their stats. Other gear
(certain armor, weapons, and items) can also modify stats, like a bone
bracelet which can increase intimidation but decrease constitution.
Certain stats may benefit one class more than another; a character
with a low con but high intelligence may be a better witch than
theologist.
Battle stats determine what goes on in the battle. If pain goes over
constitution, the person doubles. If fatigue goes over endurance, the
person pants. If unbalance goes over agility (and balance combined),
the person will fall over. If fear is accumulated, the person may give
an opponent the offense. or may even flee from battle. It's really
rather simple.
Classes are another thing that BloodDusk does differently. Each
character has 7 class 'slots.' Each class can go up to a maximum of
4 ranks; each rank takes up a slot. So, this way a person may have to
decide between the fourth rank of fencer or the fourth rank of, say,
medic. Some classes only go up to a third rank, however, so sometimes
this isn't much of a problem. While this may seem bad at first, it
helps prevent the 'jack of all trades' syndrome in many other MUDS.
At each rank, a player learns new skills (attacks and moves which the
player may use at any moment) and has the chance to gain a special
ability (passive moves that come into effect on their own). An example
of this is brawler: he can use the moves trip, insult, jab, and
haymaker. He can gain abilities like second wind (fatigue may be
healed much faster randomly), beer belly (can drink more alcohol than
the normal player), etc. This is in place to help encourage player
diversity.
XP system is also quite different. More defeated mobs in the game
progressively, but slowly, become worth less and less XP than less
defeated mobs in the game. Confusing at first, but it helps to
encourage the players to search the game for newer areas to find those
less-defeated mobs which may be worth more. The overall XP in the game
remains the same, so no worries about XP inflation over time. XP is
needed for things like gaining ranks, abilities, descriptions for
oneself and one's house, or other things.
The BloodDusk quests are very different from each other, ranging from
finding a hermit's dog to solving the puzzle of a middle aged
woman's dark secret, even to the stealing from notorious smugglers
and rescuing slaves from an evil slave- master. Some quests are
initiated by talking to certain mobs; other times, clues must be found
along the way of exploring.
There's much much more to the world of BloodDusk, but this is a
general overview of the essentials. Log onto the game and find out
just what more there is; you won't be disappointed.
