Graal Online: still running

I would like to start the blog talking about this MMORPG (or Massively multiplayer online role-playing game for those who don't like abbreviations). It was the first game of its kind that I played, so I remember it fondly.

The game started up in the late 1990's and is still playable today, even though it has gone through a series of changes. Back in the day when I played, in 2000, you could either pay for an account and use an enhanced client and server, or use a free account and play in some free servers. This free servers were kind of supported by the developers, but at the same time they were given some leeway. In fact, some of them were horrible while others where very playable, so I'm not quite sure about the quality assurance. In any case, I was too young to have a credit card and of course, my parents didn't believe that buying something off the internets was safe, so I played on the free servers. Basically everybody played either on the Graal Classic server or on N-Pulse. The game showed some features that were also present in other MMORPGs of the same era (like Ultima Online) for instance full customization of the character's appearance (in this aspect, is even more complete than Ultima Online) and also Plaver versus Player (or PvP) action outside the cities, including full loot. The loot itself consisted on rupees, the currency of the game. Does that name sound familiar? The game was also called Zelda Online for a reason, and we can see that the sprites, combat, design, etc. were the same or pretty similar as the ones in the SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link To the Past. The scenarios however showed some new and innovative characteristics thanks to the use of scripts, so the variety didn't only come in the form of character customization.

People used to meet in the cities, where PvP was not allowed

The design was not exactly the same as in Zelda, and as we see those little ying-yangs at the top-right of the screen were used. Apart from that, you could even shed the bushes to obtain rupees, block arrows if the hit on your shield, and so on. Gameplay-wise, the game was not very complex. When you died you just reappeared on either side of the screen and you kept your objects. Your character didn't have any skills, although you could get health boosts and better equipment, but in the end most of the server also had those boosts. The dueling was fun because it was balanced and players relied only on their ability in movement and swordmanship. Many people just logged in to chill and talk, but some players were focused on PvP, like the guild I was part of, HardBlades.

The whole game therefore, revolved around the player's imagination. You had basically no quests or tools, but the game was always alive with the content coming straight from the players. In that regard, this game's community was more advanced than that of many games today, but of course it was a different era of gaming. MMORPGs were starting, and perhaps many players were willing to put a lot of time on a game. It was easy for me because I had a lot of free time back then, but I'm not sure I would do it today. In conclusion, it was a simple game with a lot of hidden potential and a good introduction to MMORPGs, but more of a social game than a RPG.