Games have evolved, mechanics have been created, and graphics will continue to get better. Game theory remains the same. Dark Age of Camelot was an MMO that sometimes gets overshadowed by Everquest and World of Warcraft. It was made on the East Coast, which for video games is rare. However, it offered a PvP system which has now spread into every aspect of online gaming today. Here are five reasons why this system was the best ever created.
5. PvP was a choice
You could venture out into the frontier. The lands where Midgard fought against Albion and Hibernia, or the other way around depending on your faction. Each land had its own PvE zones and then entered into a much bigger frontier zone where anyone could fight anyone else. You made a choice to go through the gate and do battle. Some rewards were out there, full PvP advancement systems were added into the game to get you out there. But, it was always a choice. You could play the game two ways. In your safe zones battling monsters, or on the frontier battling players.
4. Realm Pride and Rewards
When you entered the frontier alone or with a huge group of players to fight, you made a difference. Your faction was represented, your guild flew its colors, and you fought for glory and artifacts which benefited your faction. If the Hibernians had captured Thor’s Hammer, then you went on a crusade through the frontier to try and bring it back to your lands. It was not easy, and made players were called in the middle of the night to join the fight. Raids were timed at 4 am in the morning, and you joined them. The reward system was fantastic, especially when Darkness Falls was instituted. To encourage players making alts or leveling up new members to the faction, you unlocked a dungeon which would help your whole realm.
3. Sieges
There have been countless siege systems in games. DAOC offered objectives around a map and even started putting in battle locations as fights broke out. The more castles you owned the more land you control which gave you access to artifacts. This system encouraged battles all over the maps at any one time. Castle sieges may have been a little long winded at times, but they got better and better. Sadly, when New Frontiers came out, they took away a lot of the charm in the original maps.
2. Three Factions
You had a solo game. You had a squad game: eight man groups. You also had the faction game. These three system fits neatly in a PvP environment that benefited everyone. Imagine if Fortnite opened up a faction based map? You could enter in all three formats and see how you did. It would make players go wild. The three faction system made unbalanced battles, however it also made sense. If the Albions became too powerful, the Midgard and Hibernians would knock them down. It was not perfect, but it policed itself.
1. Fun
It was fun to fight on the frontier. When you capped out at level 50 you could not lose experience in death. So, why not test all those hours you spent fighting out in the realms of battle. It was the perfect design for a game. Several have tried to repeat the concept, but no one has ever captured the join and charm again of how strong the dedicated player base was in DAOC. There was even rumors of fights breaking out at local game stores over realm pride. It really was ahead of its time. Yes, DAOC even spawned its own early internet music video.
