1.3 THE INNOVATIVE FEATURES OF LUSTERNIA
Lusternia: Age of Ascension, the latest quality text game released by Iron
Realms Entertainment, breaks new ground by presenting a dynamic
roleplaying environment that pioneers innovative new features, quests and
skills. Lusternia is sure to challenge experienced gamers and delight
those new to the genre of text worlds.
INNOVATIVE FEATURES
Power and Feats: The most spectacular abilities are known as feats
and are regulated by a system of power renewal. Power is drawn from the
nexus a player is connected to, and some skills require the power be drawn
from a specific nexus.
Player vs. Player Combat: Lusternia offers the same style of
intensive player vs. player (PvP) combat that has been one of the
signature features of the Iron Realms games, but with Lusternia's power
and feat design, combat takes on a whole new level of strategy.
Trade Skills: Each player may take one trade skill from among
eight choices. Not only do these trade skills offer an avenue of income
but also provide benefits beyond simple item crafting. A cook can pump up
a crowd with a hero's fete! A jeweler can create the perfect gemstone that
only you can handle! A poison expert gains the secrets of immunizing him
or herself!
Simplified Skill Tree: Many skills have branches that follow a
basic skill tree that allow some customization among players.
Influencing NPCs: Skills designed to non-violently battle
non-player characters, an alternative to the "hack and slash" method of
experience gaining. If you are defeated in one of these ego battles, you
will lose experience. If you win, however, not only will you gain
experience but also influence the mob in some manner. Seduce the barmaid!
Make the Captain of the Guards paranoid! Beg from the shopkeeper and maybe
he'll give you his favorite smoking pipe or, better yet, some gold!
Customizable Government: Leaders of major cities can choose a
political structure and governing style for their cities. Could you be
living in a despotic religious society? A benevolent government bent on
world conquest?
Influencing Villages: Just as players influence non-player
characters, so too do the major powers influence entire villages. As
players gain rank in their city, they will also gain special influence
skills to sway villagers to their cause. Once a village is under a city's
sphere of influence, it will be fixed for a period of time determined by
the city's government structure and ruling style.
Dynamic Economy: Dozens of quests will cause a village to produce
greater quantities of the valuable commodities needed to craft items. Most
quests are simple and straightforward. For example, leading the cow to the
dairy will produce milk or killing the cow and selling it to the tanner
will produce leather. Other quests will permanently effect a village's
commodity output. For example, enslaving a farmer will cause the village
the farmer was abducted from to produce less grain and the village the
farmer was enslaved to produce more grain. Villages that are under the
sphere of influence of a city will tithe a portion of the commodities
produced to their liege city. The amount of the tithe is determined by a
city's government structure and ruling style.
Conflicts of Power: By power, we mean the pure magical energies
that energize the nexuses of power, which players need for their specialty
feats and cities need to defend themselves. There are several ways to
gather power, such as mages harvesting power on the elemental planes. Some
methods of gaining power for your nexus will come at the cost of another
nexus! Also, power is gained through villages that are under a city's
sphere of influence. The amount of power generated by a village is, again,
determined by a city's government structure and ruling style.
Amazing Quests: One of the top quest designers in the field has
spent a year developing hundreds of quests for Lusternia that range from
the simple to the complex. Many of these quests require logic and
deduction to unravel, head-scratchers that are sure to be a hit among
those who enjoy puzzle solving. Also, some quests cannot be solved the
same way twice--so beware those who think quests are easy to re-do! Can
you solve the murder mystery at Stewart Mansion? Will you be able to match
up the star-crossed lovers at Chateau d'Amour? How about designing the
weapon that will pick the next Orc Chieftain of Acknor?
These features and many more await all intrepid adventurers.
