Dragon's Gate
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| Dragon's Gate | |
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| Developer(s) | Mythic Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Mythic Entertainment |
| Distributor(s) |  Mythic Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 1996 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | CRPG, Fantasy, MUD |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer, Online |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: N/A |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Media | CD-ROM, TELNET |
| System requirements | Internet connection |
- This article is about the computer game Dragon's Gate. For the Japanese wrestling promotion, please see Dragon Gate.
[edit] History
Dragon's Gate is an interactive, real time, text-based multi user online fantasy role-playing game, sometimes referred to as a MUD. It is one of the longest running pay-for-play online games in the world, having opened in the early 1990s, and has been available on GEnie, AOL, Mythic Realms, and most recently as an independent server.
On January 31, 2006, Mythic Entertainment dropped a number of games, including Dragon's Gate, from its services. Though no longer officially sponsored, Dragon's Gate is still operational. Currently, the game server is offline entirely, and according to the current copyright owners: "It will however be back SOON™." But many gamers have taken a somewhat cynical attitude toward this, and believe the game will never come back (at least not in its original form).
At its creation, the core of Dragon's Gate was based on the AUSI-entitled game Aradath, which was designed in 1985 by Mark Jacobs. Jacobs, along with partner Rob Denton, later formed a company in 1995 called Interworld Productions, which in 1997 was re-named as Mythic Entertainment. Mythic is currently best known for the MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot.
[edit] Production overview
Like other games of its kind, Dragon's Gate is based on ideas similar to popular fantasy stories (such as The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons). Each player creates a character and assumes the identity of that character while participating. Role-playing allows interaction between PCs (player characters) and NPCs (non-player characters in the form of computer controlled creatures including monsters and merchants among others) within a simulated enviroment, which runs in a real-time framework, allowing for an extremely immersive experience. Among the possible game events are numerous GM (game master) or player-run scenarios which variously consist of adventuring, completing quests, fighting in gladiatoral sports, and making new friends with other players.
A player character may be comprised of any one of several classes and races and can be individualized in many ways, similar to more modern MMORPGs. Throughout the gaming process, players quickly learn about the way the world functions and how to adventure (usually in search of things like loot, glory, fame, and fortune) either alone or with other players. The game is specifically designed to emphasize its role-playing aspects, and to this end the developers have de-emphasized the statistics; although they are still an integral part of the way the game works, and some statistics with numbers are still shown, but are kept to an absolute minimum. Life in the game continues 24 hours a day, and events continue to occur without requiring the direct intervention of players, a concept commonly referred to as "persistence."
According to the official website: "The world is rich with political and religious strife and has a detailed history. It is very easy to get involved and immersed in role-play. Dragon's Gate allows you to experience an exciting world designed to be more than just a text adventure. As a social gaming system, Dragon's Gate is intended to be fun. Cooperation and communication with the other gamers are the cornerstones to the existence of Dragon's Gate."
[edit] External links
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