The 7th plane
| title: | The 7th plane |
| url: | link |
| download page: | No link! |
| license: | freeware |
| genre: | MUD |
| developer: | Lyanic, 7th plane admin |
| platform: | Mud |
| release: | December 2001 |
| features: | text |
| last edit by: | Dark |
Description
The 7th plane transports you to the world of Tu'lar, a kingdom split into a number of different planes, from the dark and sinister shadow plane, to the mythical elemental plane. All of these of course full of dangerous places and demonic creatures ready for you to battle.
You might be forgiven for thinking that The 7th plane is pretty much your usual hack n slash style fantasy rpg, especially considering that the game caters particularly for those who are looking for a quicker experience and less fans of florid lines of text. however, a short examination of the help files, or indeed the classes mentioned on the main page will soon give you an idea that this is something different.
,br>The first major difference in The 7th Plane, is that the game revolves heavily around crafting and exploring as much as it does hack n slash combat most items in the game (such as weapons and armour) must be made rather than bought, so you must learn skills from prospecting for ores and quarrying for stone, to sewing cloth and tanning hides, as well as felling trees, brewing poisons and even building ships in bottles to get across vast oceans or learning how to torture helpless victims.
Another thing which makes The 7th Plane a vastly different experience, is that your character does not advance by spending practices or even choosing character skills, but by actually trying things out. thus at the beginning typing @gather@ and @chop@ will begin learning crafting methods, which can then be put into more complex projects. Fortunately, the game also lets you carry as much by way of crafting resources as you wish, so no need for too much complex inventory juggling. this principle of trial and improvement applies to everything in the game besides crafting, from casting spells in the six different colour groups of magic, to practicing fighting moves. On the one hand this can make the game feel a little overwhelming at first, especially since there is no set tutorial or mud school as in other muds, (the academy near the starting location cannot actually be entered). On the other hand however, this makes the game feel extremely free, and lets you explore and try things to your hearts content, whether that is building a quarry or fighting off poisonous spiders.
the world you explore, though briefly described also features a lot of unique factors including weather, npcs with distinct behaviour, pools you can swim across or struggle to traverse, tidal affects of the moon and other forces, and indeed far more on around you than you might initially think (especially since a number of your skills and abilities are perceptive, and you'll learn more as you practice them).
Another unique aspect to the 7th plane's gameplay, is it's class system. As you begin you will not have a class. However there are four possible paths to choose. The werewolf, spiritual creatures who change shape, live in tribes and utilise spirit energy, The Lampryi, a vampire like creature afflicted with a shadow curse and with the ability to drain energy from others, the magic wielding mage, master of all six colours of spells, and the monk, fierce warriors dedicated to bettering themselves through unarmed combat. All of these classes must be earned through performing tasks or interacting with npcs, though it's recommended to take some time exploring the game and chatting to other players before deciding which class to focus on.
The game does revolve around it's interactions with other players, and thus does not have too much by way of quests or missions, though the array of crafting, the number of different creatures to fight and the activities on offer means there is more than enough to do even for those who are more interested in solo than group experience.
The game has several adaptations in place to make life easier for people using screen readers. A screen reader command will reduce some of the game's spam (though since the descriptions are brief there is little of this anyway), and the prompts in the game can be customized both during battle and elsewhere. Note that typing screen reader will also turn off the hints channel, so remember to type hints on if you'd like to see in game hints. Also, though the maps in the game are not accessible, typing help areas, or help and the name of a given area, such as help rose guarden will give a description of the area, and also some generalised directions which should make exploration easier.
Note that since this is a mud, you will need a mud client such as Vipmud, or Musclient to play. Just point whichever client you prefer 7thplane.net port 8888.
For more information, including reviews, a description and the chance to vote for the game check out the 7th plane's page on the mud connector site
Though not quite what one would usually expect from a mud, if you want to try distinct crafting or take on some unique abilities, the 7th Plane might well be worth a look.
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Updates: entry 2 Feb 22 and description 2 Feb 22