|
Mud Theme
"It began at a time when civilization was reaching it's highest pike ever.", reads the opening line of the story behind Necromium. An innovative approach to introducing magic and might into the realm, the creators of Necromium have spoken of a great stone, mined deep in the earth, which bestows on its devourers the powers found in clerics, psionics, mages, thieves, et al.
Role-playing based on this theme was nil. Players simply acted like any else in
online games, with valour, courage, and deception - but showed no evidence, beyond the attempts of the game, of routing their powers back to the mysterious ore.
Books regarding stories of heroism are to be found in the book store in the City of Necromium on Japhire Bend. Unfortunately, only a few of these actually contain useful information - one contains song lyrics, another the story of a clan. The prominent looking book: "the Path to Greatness: a guide for the worthy" contains little information, just an introduction to each of the classes.
Keep in mind, though, that the ability to successfully mix a theme with the atmosphere and world of a MUD is extremely hard, and in most cases, nearly impossible.
|
Mud Atmosphere
Run by an absolutely amazing and mature staff, Necromium possesses an atmosphere unmatched by most realms on the Internet today. Upon entering the game, you're
given the opportunity to join the NEWBIE clan, in which you're in constant contact with those of your own level, as well as the staff 'newbie-helpers', run by the helpful 'Vox'. This type of approach made me feel very comfortable a few moments after settling in - a continual flow of helpful information was bound to fill the channel. It was the easiest way to ask questions, which were quickly answered in a friendly way. It's the type of boost that every newbie needs to a MUD,
and Necromium has made it a science.
|
|
Mud World
"Over 20,000 rooms make up the world, with NO stock zones.", claims Necromium's
staff in their submission to TMC. Granted, this is true... there are 21109 rooms at my time of login, and no stock zones that I could find. Unfortunately, most
of these zones are made up of copied descriptions - there is very little uniqueness in terms of room description; I traveled through the same dull forest and killed the same dull rabbit repeatedly.
But, to fill in for those gaps, Necromium features several absolutely intriguing systems, including a nautical code which allows for player-owned vessels to traverse the sea and engage in combat with other ships.
Also, rather new to Necromium, is a zone-ownership system, which allows clans to, through a very complex method, take over zones. Unfortunately, at the time of
this review, it doesn't look currently like any clans have jumped to this opportunity, for an unknown reason.
|
Summary
Although lacking in theme and room-uniqueness, Necromium possesses many qualities which rank it up among the top realms available to MUDders today. The staff is friendly, the players conversational, and the world enormous. The realm is constantly filled, with an average of about 40 players on the times that I was around. Necromium's self-written description on TMC simply does not cover all of the
features found within her walls - visit the game and see for yourself.
|
