MEDITERRANEAN

Why the ancient Mediterranean?
If the lands bordering the Tigris and Euphrates were the cradle of civilization, then the ancient Mediterranean was the high chair, playpen and baby's first walker combined. Never have so many widely varied cultures interacted in any equivalently sized piece of terrain in the history of man. The third century B.C. Mediterranean is the right time and place for conquest, alliances, intrigue and civilization building.

Why do we need a new MMORPG when so many are already out there?
Because the focus of this game is fundamentally different from other MMORPG's. This isn't about killing rats so you can go up a level, and then kill rabid dogs, and then kill evil gnomes, so that a year from now you are high enough level to slay a dragon. People play MMORPG's instead of offline games because they don't only want achievement and excitement, but they want other people to be a part of it, to witness their accomplishments, to aid in their development. They want to work together with other human beings in game to advance, to earn the respect of other players and shape the game world in ways they never will in the real one. This game will give players tremendously more of what they are actually looking for.

The greater realism of the character development system means no more fortieth level wizards able to slay armies of newbies. In Everquest, were you to fight a player versus player battle, would you rather be on the side with twenty fortieth level warriors, or with two hundred first level fighters? Never in the history of man have twenty people been absolutely assured victory against ten times their number. In real life any bum would have a chance to slay Caeser himself if he could get close enough with a knife. This realism is going to make every player more important. It means to storm citadels and build functioning economies you won't be able to ignore any player. Let's face it, people organize to the degree its beneficial and with relative equality of people power comes only through consensus, or intelligence, and MMORPG's could use a lot more of both.

In current games power comes from slaying millions of wild animals so you can kill bigger and meaner ones and tragedy or triumph depends on picking hunting grounds appropriate to your level and repetitively pressing buttons in combinations which have been proven to kill gnolls effectively. I know I'd find myself a lot more immersed in a game if life or death depended more on my ability to negotiate, to develop friendships with competent and loyal players, and in which our preparations for battles might lead to victory or death for my faction. When the actions of any player character could potentially lead to civil war, or players usurping thrones, then we'll have a game worth playing. If after reading this, you think this is the sort of game you'd like to play, if you come to think this is how MMORPGs should be, let people know. Write to PC Gamer, and Computer Gaming World, Sid Meier, Funcom, Verant and Creative Assembly and say so and maybe we'll get a game like this one day.

Let's Build A Society

Playable Factions
Describes the ways in which factions control land and list the starting player factions.
Offices of Government and Character Specializations
These are not to be limits to the offices available. These are positions which will almost certainly be needed in any society, but just as was really the case at this time, a job was nothing more than verbally agreed upon compensation, duties, and often the threat of reprisal for failure.
Character Creation and Advancement
Partially available. The point based character creation system and descriptions of attribute functions and skills are here.
Non-Player Characters and Civilization
Not yet available.

Let's Change A World

Build and Develop
A list of infrastructure improvements and private development options which have an effect on war, agriculture, the factions economy and the populations loyalty and religious views.
War and Conquest
Not yet available.

Concept by Eli Arnold
eliarnold3@yahoo.com

LINKS

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The Fallen