Dark Age Of Camelot
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''Dark Age of Camelot'' is a
massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
released in October 2001 in North America, and in January 2002 in Europe. The game combines Arthurian lore,
Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
, and Irish Celtic legends with
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
. It is set in the period after
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
's death, when his kingdom has split into three realms, which are in a constant state of war with each other. ''Dark Age of Camelot'' includes both
player versus environment Player versus environment or player versus enemy (PvE, also known as player versus monster (PvM)), is a term used for both single player and online games, particularly MMORPGs, CORPGs, MUDs, other online role-playing video games and survival game ...
(PvE) and realm versus realm (RvR) combat. Developed by
Mythic Entertainment Mythic Entertainment (formerly BioWare Mythic, EA Mythic, Inc., and Interworld Productions) was a video game developer in Fairfax, Virginia that was most widely recognized for developing the 2001 massively multiplayer online role-playing game '' ...
, the game is in large part an adaptation of a previous text-based game '' Darkness Falls: The Crusade'' (1999). On February 5, 2014, it was announced that development of ''Dark Age of Camelot'' would be transferred from Mythic Entertainment to Broadsword Online Games, a newly established studio, which also subsequently took over development of Mythic's other MMO game, ''
Ultima Online ''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems. Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...
''. Mythic was shut down shortly thereafter, on May 29, 2014. In 2019, Broadsword announced that a new "progression" server was in development, which would be limited to the content from the original release, the ''Shrouded Isles'' expansion, and the housing zone additions. With regard to "Old Frontiers" returning to the game, the development team plans to poll the community for their preference.


Gameplay

Character control is, for the most part, by means of either the mouse or keyboard. The player can customize up to three "Quickbars" of 10 slots each with spells, melee or ranged attacks (depending on the equipped weapon), or macros, which can be either clicked on or selected with the number keys to activate. Players choose from three realms: Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard, each based on different mythologies and loosely inspired by places in the British Isles. Each realm has different races. Although each realm's classes differ in specific abilities, all of the game's classes can be divided into four common RPG archetypes: warrior "tanks", spellcasters, rogues that use stealth, and healing priests. Hybrid classes, which combine skills from any two of the archetypes, are also playable in all three realms. ''Dark Age of Camelot'' classes are balanced at the RvR level instead of in direct comparison to the other realms' equivalent classes. ''Dark Age of Camelot'' classes are very rigid with specific roles, play styles, and specialization point allocations. Guilds offer social, economic, and PvE/PvP advantages that contrast with or exceed those of soloing and "pick-up groups". Each guild comes with its own chat channel, in-game ranking system, territory claiming ability, guild banking system, guild housing, emblem, and reward system in the form of guild bounty points and merit points. Guild leaders can define their own set of rules and goals, and can customize the privileges (such as inviting new members, speaking in alliance chat, and claiming captured towers for the guild) of each Rank within the guild. Furthermore, alliances can be formed between player guilds, permitting them to create a shared chat channel for all guilds within the alliance to communicate. Realm versus Realm gameplay is the main focus of ''Dark Age of Camelot''. The storyline revolves around what happens after the death of King Arthur and the fragmentation of his former kingdom. Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard are in a three-way war against each other and constantly war for control of powerful relics, keeps, and towers, as well as control of the entrance to Darkness Falls.


Realms

''Dark Age of Camelot'' has three realms, allowing a unique dynamic of RvRvR gameplay. Each of the three realms is inspired by historical folklore and mythology. * Albion is the Realm of knights and damsels, based on Arthurian mythology. Notable classes include the Wizard, the Paladin, and the Infiltrator. Areas of interest in Albion include
Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
Marsh and
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...
, which is located in the Salisbury Plains.
Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
is Albion's capital. * Hibernia is the land of forest and magic, based on Celtic folklore. Notable classes include the Enchanter, the Champion, and the Ranger. Areas of interest include the Valley of Bri Leith,
Lough Gur Lough Gur () is a lake in County Limerick, Ireland between the towns of Herbertstown and Bruff. The lake forms a horseshoe shape at the base of Knockadoon Hill and some rugged elevated countryside. It is one of Ireland's most important archa ...
, and
Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
. Tir Na Nog is Hibernia's capital. * Midgard is the land of the trolls and giants, based on Norse mythology. Notable classes include the Runemaster, the Berserker, and the Hunter. Areas of interest include Myrkwood Forest, the Vanern Swamp, and
Muspelheim In Norse cosmology, Muspelheim ( on, Múspellsheimr), also called Muspell ( on, Múspell), is a realm of fire. The etymology of "Muspelheim" is uncertain, but may come from ''Mund-spilli'', "world-destroyers", "wreck of the world". Narrative ...
. Jordheim is Midgard's capital.


Storyline

Each realm has a unique but parallel storyline, which is expanded with retail expansions. In the original Realm zones, smaller cities need protection against monsters. Albion is menaced by undead raised by
Morgana Morgana may refer to: People * Morgana Gmach (born 1994), Brazilian female rhythmic gymnast * Morgana King (1930–2018), American singer and actress * Morgana O'Reilly (born 1985), New Zealand actress * Morgana Robinson (born 1982), British co ...
, Hibernia is torn apart by the Unseelie Court and Siabra, and Midgard by the treacherous Blodfelag. *Shrouded Isles Each realm is called to assist a smaller allied realm against a large enemy. In Albion, the Drakoran have besieged the final strongholds of Lady Lile's Avalonians. Hibernia has come to the aid of Hybrasil, where the Sylvans face extinction at the hands of the Fomorians. Midgard's ancestral home at Aegir has seen the Last of the Troll Fathers hunted down by the Morvalt. This expansion is now free. *Trials of Atlantis The ruins of Atlantis have been discovered, as well as a portal to another Plane where the ancient Atlanteans underwent their trials. How did Atlantis come to its end and what powers were left behind? The Trials remain in a form twisted by the passage of time and the departure of the denizens of Atlantis. Ancient artifacts wait to be discovered and have their power and secrets revealed by learned scholars. Familiar figures from Greek and Egyptian mythology make their appearance in a new land waiting to be discovered. This expansion is now free. *Catacombs A nemesis has taken control of the power within the Darkspire, gaining control of most of the denizens of an underground realm's race. Arawn, previously referenced as an ally of the Avalonians and patron of the Inconnu, has had his realm overrun by revolting dead and enslaved Inconnu. The Shar are only able to hold their ground at the gates of their Otherworld citadel. The Kobolds have been forced to open the secrets of the undercity to outsiders in a desperate bid for survival. This expansion is now free. *Darkness Rising The King of the realm has returned to fight back a growing rebellion. Further investigations will reveal a conspiracy with a dark power behind the rebellion. To become a Champion of the Realm the player must defeat the demonic evil behind the unrest and return peace to the land. This expansion is now free. *Labyrinth of the Minotaur The ancient race of Minotaur has returned to the lands of Albion, Midgard, and Hibernia to reclaim powerful but corrupt relics hidden long ago by their ancestors. Lust for these relics once brought about the downfall of the powerful Minotaur kingdom and their evil influence now threatens the kingdoms of Man. This expansion is now free.


Development

The decision to develop ''Dark Age of Camelot'' was made in late 1999, with it originally being conceived of as a graphical MUD.
Mythic Entertainment Mythic Entertainment (formerly BioWare Mythic, EA Mythic, Inc., and Interworld Productions) was a video game developer in Fairfax, Virginia that was most widely recognized for developing the 2001 massively multiplayer online role-playing game '' ...
president Mark Jacobs proposed the idea of using
Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...
since it was on the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
and thus the company would be free of any licensing issues. Total development costs excluding equipment leases was about US$2.5 million and took 18 months with a team of 25 full-time developers.
3DS Max Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabil ...
and
Character Studio Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics software, 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, 3D models, models, 3D computer game, games and 3D rendering, images. It is developed ...
were used to create all models and animations within the game. Toward the end of development, Mythic found itself in a difficult financial situation: Since it had never borrowed money, it lacked a
credit rating A credit rating is an evaluation of the credit risk of a prospective debtor (an individual, a business, company or a government), predicting their ability to pay back the debt, and an implicit forecast of the likelihood of the debtor defaulting. ...
sufficient to lease the
Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...
servers needed to run the game. After being denied the lease by Dell, Mythic had to purchase each server using its development funds.Postmortem: Mythic Entertainment's Dark Age of Camelot
Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
Securing a publisher was also a difficult task; every publisher that Mythic initially approached rejected the game except for one,
Vivendi Games Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Assoc ...
. In 2014, Jacobs still expressed gratitude to Vivendi for taking a chance on the studio. During the game's prime, Mythic operated 120 dual-processor
Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and Pe ...
servers running
Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
. Out of those, groups of six servers were devoted to running one world, or as the player saw it, one server. The servers were designed to handle 20,000 players simultaneously logged in at any given time, however, Mythic limited them to about 4,000 each in order to keep the world from feeling too cluttered. Mythic's cofounder Rob Denton stated, "If you have too many people, the worlds get too crowded. The last thing you want is to be bumping into thousands of people."Cohen, Alan. (2003-07-01
Inside the Dark Age of Camelot
PCMag.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
Much of the game's code was also stored on the servers, with the user client more focused on graphics and texture loading based on a data stream limited to 10 kbit/s per player. In December 2017, Broadsword Games announced Dark Age of Camelot: Endless Conquest, a non-subscription style game account allowing players to play the game for free, with some restrictions on how many characters the player can have, character classes, as well as some services within the game. Their timeline originally placed release in fall of 2018, but "unforeseen issues and technological constraints" with the v1.125 patch has forced them to delay the release until early 2019. However, they have also announced that prior accounts will be eligible for Endless Conquest as well as new accounts.


Expansions

Mythic has produced seven expansions (which originally had to be bought separately, but are now free downloads) for DAoC. The expansions were not released on European servers (run by GOA), until typically months after the Mythic release. :''Note: A patch is mentioned in this list due to its impact on one of the expansions. Also, all expansions are now included free as part of the main client download.'' *''Shrouded Isles'' (''SI'') (November 12, 2002, then February 21, 2003 in Europe) Added 6 new classes (Necromancer, Reaver; Savage, Bonedancer; Valewalker, Animist), 3 races (Inconnu, Valkyn, Sylvan) and a brand new land for each realm near the size of the old world (in addition to the old world), which also includes epic dungeons. This expansion pack is now a free download. ''GameSpot'' presented ''Shrouded Isles'' with its annual "Best Expansion Pack on PC" award. *''Foundations'' (''Housing'', June 18, 2003) Free expansion which added player housing and consignment merchants (the ability for players to set up a shop and sell in-game items, whether crafted or loot from monsters). Players are able to purchase four different sizes of houses (cottage, house, villa and mansion) and decorate them as they please. Houses also provided players with an easy way to store and transfer items between characters on the same account and realm. *''Trials of Atlantis'' (''ToA'', October 28, 2003, then February 27, 2004 in Europe) Added 3 new races (Half-Ogre, Frostalf, Shar) and high level content and zones (which are the same for each realm), also includes new terrain graphics for all areas of the game (including trees). A notable general feature introduced with this expansion was the ability to actually dive and explore underwater as opposed to simply swimming across the surface. This expansion pack is now a free download, as of October 31, 2005. The expansion featured items known as artifacts, and extra abilities known as "Master Levels". Artifacts, obtained through hidden encounters, only become useful when the player finds the three scrolls hoarded by Atlantean monsters. Furthermore, artifacts must gain experience in order to reach their full potential. *''New Frontiers'' (''NF'', June 22, 2004, then November 11, 2004 in Europe) Remake of the game's realm vs. realm warfare (free, required expansion). This included making the entire frontiers one zone (instead of each realm's frontier being separated), redesigning keeps and adding towers, and adding numerous types of siege apparatus. *''Catacombs'' (''Cata'', December 7, 2004, then April 1, 2005 in Europe) Added 5 new classes (Heretic; Vampiir, Bainshee; Warlock, Valkyrie), instanced dungeons (where players entering certain areas get their own private dungeon to hunt in), and new zones and quests with an emphasis on faster and easier leveling. Also includes new player model graphics and new graphics for all the games' dungeons (except Darkness Falls). As of February 6, 2007, players may now download and venture into the depths of the Catacombs for free. This expansion can be downloaded via the website for no extra charge. *''Darkness Rising'' (''DR'', October 11, 2005, then February 2006 in Europe) Introduced Champion weapons (much like epic armor), player mounts (horses), Champion Levels and subclassing (small abilities from another class), new dungeons and instanced zones for the new Champion Quests and new graphics for the game world's models (such as barns, haystacks and forts, this includes the Darkness Falls dungeon and the capital cities) which are following the design ideas presented in Mythic's new graphics for the starting cities. Darkness Rising was also the first paid expansion to Dark Age of Camelot able to be downloaded.

has been created by GOA to showcase this expansion. Mythic also introduced a new island, called Agramon, which acts as a central island that connected the frontiers of the three realms. Unlike the rest of the Frontiers zones, there are no keeps and any player from any realm can open the gates that border the island. *''Labyrinth of the Minotaur'' (''LotM'', November 5, 2006, then February 14, 2007 in Europe) Features include a new race (The Minotaur, however there were 3 types, one for each realm), a new hybrid class (The Mauler), a new RvR dungeon, Mythrians, and additional Champion Levels (610). Introducing the largest RVR dungeon in Camelot history (Labyrinth) with access by all three realms located on Agramon Island. Labyrinth introduced mythrians a new item slot, when equipped these myths will give small bonuses to your character. One of the most important benefits of the mythirians was that they allowed players to increase the stat caps of the item's respective attribute. Until this expansion, Mythic had never given each of the three realms the same class. *''New'' New Frontiers (''NNF'', September 5, 2007) While officially a patch and not an expansion, there were significant changes to the layout of keeps and towers as well as a revamp of the Siegecraft line (including the addition of
siege towers A Roman siege tower or breaching tower (or in the Middle Ages, a belfry''Castle: Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections''. Dorling Kindersley Pub (T); 1st American edition (September 1994). Siege towers were invented in 300 BC. ) is a specialized siege ...
and tents) in patch 1.90. The playerbase refers to this patch as the "New, New Frontiers."


Reception


Sales

Before the release of ''Dark Age of Camelot'', Mythic Entertainment forecast "30,000 players on launch in the United States", according to
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
. In that country, the title entered NPD Intelect's weekly computer game sales rankings in first place for October 7–13, 2001. Its initial shipment sold out within one day. Its sales reached 51,000 units within four days of release. ''Dark Age of Camelot'' remained at #1 for the week ending October 20, but fell to third and fifth in the following two weeks, respectively. However, the game claimed first place on NPD's monthly chart for October 2001. After a ninth-place finish for the week ending November 10, it was absent from NPD's weekly top 10 and monthly top 20. By the first week of November, ''Dark Age of Camelot'' had sold 115,894 units in the United States. Remarking on this performance,
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's writer Desslock explained that the game had "sold extremely well during the first few weeks of its release, and looks to be a significantly larger success than the other massively multiplayer RPG released this year, ''
Anarchy Online ''Anarchy Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) published and developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom. Released in June 2001, the game was the first in the genre to include a science-fiction ...
''." He cited its performance as evidence that "there's probably never been a larger demand for RPGs". ''Dark Age of Camelot''s sales in the United States reached 300,000 copies, for revenues of $10.4 million, by August 2006. At the time, this led ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' to declare it the country's 63rd-best-selling computer game released since January 2000. The ''Dark Age of Camelot'' franchise, including its expansion packs, totaled sales of 780,000 units in the United States by 2006. The game was also a hit in Europe, where it sold above 100,000 units by March 2003.


Reviews and awards



Legacy

In 2012, a Kickstarter campaign to develop ''
Camelot Unchained ''Camelot Unchained'' is an in-development fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game from City State Entertainment which was partially funded through Kickstarter. Leading its production is Mark Jacobs, the former designer of ''Dark ...
'' came about, designed by Mark Jacobs.


References


External links

* {{Official website, http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/ 2001 video games Active massively multiplayer online games Gamebryo games Graphical MUDs Electronic Arts games Interactive Achievement Award winners Fantasy video games set in the Middle Ages Massively multiplayer online role-playing games Mythic Entertainment games Persistent worlds Video games based on Arthurian legend Video games based on Celtic mythology Video games based on Norse mythology Video games scored by Andy Armer Video games with expansion packs Virtual economies Windows games Windows-only games Video games developed in the United States