Dransik, Ultima(4&5) Type MMORPG, Going to Open Beta.

[Cthol]

I'm too lazy to write up anything myself, so I'll just ruthlessly copy another Dransikians post from another forum here. (Without his permission, naturally.) Anyways, its a great game and i've been playing it for over a year now.

Baskar:
"Hey all. My name is Thomas, Aka Baskar, and I'm here to post about an online game called Dransik.

I wouldn't be doing this normally, but this game has brought back a lot of old memories. Remember the OLD Ultima's that we grew up with? Ultima 2 - 5? Well, that's what Dransik reminds me of.

Jason Ely (Lothgar) is the creator of Dransik. You may recognize his name. He helped in the development of Ultima 8, the Crusader games
and also wrote the Ultima 6 Editor. That's how he got to know Richard Garriott.

The site's address is http://www.dransik.com
The game will be going OPEN BETA Tomorrow. It might be delayed a bit, but we're all trying our hardest to have it re-opened then. Also, the game
will be going Pay to Play (not by choice, [and it will be at least a year till that- Ct]), but it's not going to be anything like Ultima Online or like most MMORPG's prices.

Anyways, now to give some details on the game.
It is a MMORPG, meaning, you play with other people around the world. We have people playing from the U.S. (where it Originates from.. to be
technical - Texas), Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc. Some are mature, and of course, some aren't. PK is allowed and good and evil is distinguished between Red and Green. Guild Support is in, Skills, Quests, etc. Ships, construction, Government and a lot others are in
the works. We also have a Message Board, but to access it, you have to get an account.

I'm also posting this in hopes that some Older, more appreciated game players are out here. Graphics aren't everything, it's the gameplay and the inter-action that's important.

Thank you for reading this and I hope to see you on Dransik when it goes OPEN BETA.

Peace Out."


So give it a go

[Skanky Burns]

Hmmm, looks interesting.
Checking it out now...

[Skanky Burns]

Ok, well I've been playing for a few days now, and what can I say??
I'm addicted!!
(Bastard, as if I had spare time anyway)


Well, the graphics won't knock your socks off, fairly simplistic. Music is ok, sound effects are non-existent as of now (although they are being worked on).
The game is fun though, responds well in real-time even with a dial-up modem all the way across the world from the game's server. Mostly. And is fun.

A few complaints: There isn't enough information available to 'newbies' just starting the game. Books that give you information on how to play scroll off the message display window, making most of its information unavailable. There is a list of things that are being developed and/or completed, but it is in no way all-inclusive. Much more information would be useful.

But all-in-all, this game is very fun to play, and is recommended for anyone who enjoys RPG style games.

Or in other words: *bump*

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns

I'm addicted!!
(Bastard, as if I had spare time anyway)

tut tut Skanky, and i thought all your time was spent up to the elbows in Candle'Bre's combat engine.

recommended for anyone who enjoys RPG style games.

that'll be me then

gonna go and check it out...

[FrustratedPoet]

WOW! i've only had a quick little go (we're not allowed to play games on the university computers *sulks*), but i can see that i will spend far too long playing this. i love the 'old skool' feel of the game, the simple presentation means there is little or no lag, but the game seems to have a fair amount of depth married to that simplicity.

you're right though Skanky, it is pretty damn hard for a newbie to work out what they've got to do (it was a couple of minutes before i realised which character on the screen was me ----> i am a fool )

any game where you can be an elf gets the thumbs up ( ) from me anyway.

[Cthol]

I'm glad that you like it. To get answers for your questions, the best place to ask is the Dransik messageboards.

Few tips:

In the place where you begin, Silvest when you die, you dont drop anything. But when you get to the next island, you'll always drop one of your armor/weapon(that is on you) and all in your backpack. So always remember to set your spawn close, in the second island, its practicly impossible to be looted, if you always set your spawn points.

Also, when trading, always use secure trade, go to banks, and double click on those tables, to activate it.

And, dont get any INT. Spells are about 1/3 done, so you dont do anything with INT yet.

[LotC]

That game is pretty lame. I bougth a pick axe to mine for 150 gold and it broke after I mined 16 gold worth of ore. The interface is abysmal and the graphics...well...there's old school and then there's just plain ugly. Drasnik falls into the latter.

You want better? Check out Wyvern.

[Skanky Burns]

I didn't know that mining or lumberjacking were in yet!! I tried lumberjacking quite a bit in Silvest, but never got anything so sold my axe.

About graphics: Dransik reminds me of Exile. Not ugly But if graphics are that important to you... I would strongly suggest giving it another chance though, and using the parts that are properly implemented.

Other miscellaneous hints:
Fighting is the best way to make money, and as LotC pointed out, there aren't many other ways that manage to break even. So go out and kill spiders and bats, pick the meat up and then sell it. Later monsters will give you gold and sometimes weapons or armour. If you don't need them, pick them up and sell them too.

What stats to increase??
INT doesn't get you anything yet as magic isn't fully coded. So don't be intelligent
Strength increases the damage your shots do, increases your total health and increases how much you can carry.
Dexterity increases your chance to hit and decreases your chance to be hit.
Constitution increases your total health, and increases the speed you heal.

Its generally agreed that Strength -> Constitution -> Dex -> Int is the best way to maximize your character.
Dexterity is very useful at the start (and I normally start with 10 dex), but once you have some decent armour on, the other enemies don't hit you as much anyway.

As Cthol pointed out, if you die after leaving Silvest you sometimes drop things. If you drop things, others can loot your body and steal things before you get back to reclaim your stuff. So leave as much as you can in the bank (which is secure) and only carry what you need. In some cases, carry less

Despite your best intensions and skill, eventually you will die. Leaving your belongings on the ground and possibly some of your armour or weapons too. The red line will lead directly to your body (the last body you have left, if dying more than once). Follow it until you are standing next to or on your body, and then press space. This is a quick way to grab your stuff rather than right-clicking and dragging each item manually. Works on all your dead bodies.

When you can afford to, buy healing potions. At 10 gold a pop, these things are very useful and can keep you alive much longer against hard monsters.

One strategy I found useful is what I call "Kamikaze mapping".
Take all your armour and weapons off and leave them in the bank. Don't carry anything at all. Now wonder off into the scary blackness to explore your surroundings. If you meet enemies, try to run around them and continue exploring. You can generally outrun all monsters unless they trap you between trees or next to mountains/coast.
But all good things come to an end. Eventually you will be trapped and killed (since you have no armour or weapons), and will spawn again. No matter, just start exploring again!! You won't even need to go back to your body to find your stuff as it is all safe in the bank!! In this way you can get most of the map explored from the safety of your suicide spawns!!

Finally, I would dissuade anyone from using the Dransik messageboards. I don't know, maybe I'm spoiled by using the 'poly forums, but that messageboard is just plain hideous!! Its one of those forums where people's signatures are 3 times bigger than the message they are posting. And about as informative

[Skanky Burns]

If anyone from here is actually playing this (which I recommend still), you can find information like weapon stats and where to start skills quests at this site.