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Gaming Process
Gaming process in Dark Swords has classic for such games style, qualitative and original. Game mechanics opens wide field for research and experiments, allows unique character creation and development, excels with high degree of nonlinearity and versatility. The impressive game world constantly grows and develops, opening more perspectives for saturated and dynamic game, which without any doubts will give plenty of pleasure to all massively role-playing games fans without exception.
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Character Development
Character development in Dark Swords is based on character level increase at the expense of experience collection which is given for the fights won, by teaching the character in guilds. Guild system allows character specialize in one sphere, as well as be multi-profile: in some extent to be able to use wide spectrum of skills and knowledge. Game mechanism also provides character development by equipment quality improvement, creating, purchasing or receiving as trophies, and improving items with the help of production system.
Dark Swords level system is not brought to the clear order of either knowledge or skills receipt, but, on the contrary, is defined by character choice, without clear differentiation between classes and professions. Character development and his character exposure could be performed by playing appointed role, creating the certain character image for his associates. The social aspect in Dark Swords is also important because of religious system, as well as the game itself is favorable to role-play.
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Fighting Actions and Fight System
Fighting component in Dark Swords is of paramount importance, and is experience, items and resources gaining means, which are necessary for player's character development. Fight actions have to be thoroughly planed; opponent evaluation and preparation are of great importance for combat successful result. One of the basic character evaluation methods is character level comparison with the level of chosen target (target level could be found out by moving mouse pointer to the icon, displaying the target, on information panel). Fight actions could be divided into 2 categories: fights with world inhabitants and monsters, and player fights with each other. Fight system is identical in general for both fight categories, with the only difference of players fight joining availability only participating in religious conflict, within the bounds of Arena special location, in chaos zones or in case of receiving the status „Out of law”.
Fight in Dark Swords occurs in real time, but not step by step. It is based on round mechanism, during which opponents make hits in turn, round after round, with 1 second interval. Hereby round - is one cycle of hit exchange, while special actions (for example, magic) are performed between 2 rounds. Fight join occurs by opponent attack in ordinary way, as a result of «Auto attack» mode work, when character is attacked by world aggressive inhabitants and other characters. It's possible to start battle actions in any location, except so called "safe zones" - store, guilds, laboratory, banks, hotels, "Stairway to Heaven" locations etc. Player battle actions are not allowed within the town territories, so called "Non-aggression zones". Characters, which were attacked, automatically join the fight.
The fight goes on automatically after it starts, although fighting process could be controlled by using magic, healing potions, as well as using flight from fight mode. The fight in Dark Swords continues till one belligerent side's all representatives' death or flight. Everything happening during the fight is displayed on screen the way of system messages in chat window. Fight messages are broadcasted in location, thus their associates could see fights happening in location even not participating in them. It's important to follow character's health and magical energy indexes, as well as opponent's health during the fight.
Retreat from fight function is available any time, however doesn't guarantee successful flight and generally depends on character dexterity. In retreat regime characters can't strike, but make actions, necessary for flight, which are calculated the same way as strikes done. In case of those actions success, character retreats from battle to the by location near by in by chance chosen direction.
Connection to the server loss or game exit doesn't put an end to the battle process, characters remain in game till the battle ends.
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World Inhabitants
Dark Swords world is inhabited with enormous amount of peaceful and aggressive creatures, town inhabitants, animals and monsters, which live outside towns, in town slums and sewerage, in forests and by the seaside, in different caves and other dreary places. Characters, which are not controlled by players, or NPC (non-player character) is usually classified by behaviour - they could be neutral towards player's character and aggressive, i.e. could attack character.
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Opponent Evaluation
The evaluation of strength and either Dark Swords world inhabitant danger degree is possible by level, which is displayed when holding mouse pointer over NPC image on information panel, showing creatures and characters in the current location. Besides, NPC name and his image could often prompt, what should be expected from it. Region peculiarity often could also emphasize nature of NPC - dangerous regions, containing aggressive monsters, are marked on map with skull and cross-bones with relative NPC levels.
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Aggressive Characters and Monsters
In contrast to most creature, which inhabit the Dark Swords world, passive behaviour model, aggressive inhabitants and monsters behaviour model provides actions - player character unprovoked attacks, which are regulated by artificial intellect. In a list of reģions on site such monstres are coloured red in its title.
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Unique Characters (Bosses)
Along with numerous typical inhabitants of the world and mosters, in Dark Swords you can meet unique characters or, how it is accepted to call in the games of this genre, – «bosses». This characters play certain roles, that are inherent only in them, and sometimes are in possession of special characteristics, and fights with them generally mean organized actions of players who are united in groups. The award for the victory over such beings often become rare and valuable items, items with a special purpose. Only bosses can heal themselves and not let the character run away, entangling him with incantation "Net". Also some of the bosses have skills of Dispersion of Magic and have a chance for the second life.
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Death and Its Consequences
Even the most experienced player, while participating in battle actions, inevitably comes across the problem of suffering the defeat and character death. Killed characters are transferred in Dark Swords to the main city central location - "Stairways to Heaven" with 1 health point, if simulteneously character's level is higher than 10; character equipment, items, which were in character inventory and cash, remain in his corpse at place of his death. When corpse found, it should be examined to get back lost items and money. Other player characters, while examining the corpse, receive only money and items, which were in character's inventory at the moment of his death. Killed character corpse remains in location for 24 hours, on the expiry of this time period corpse decomposes and all items (except money!), remain in the location. Character death in Dark Swords by world inhabitants or monsters also leads to the loss of half of the fighting experience. Character death caused by other character (within the bounds of religious conflict) leads to loss of the half of character gained religious experience; however gained fighting experience doesn't suffer. Death during religious conflict has also consequences in the way of giving "penalty points" (penalty points conventionally marked by icons on information panel). More details about religious system could be found out in section «Religious System».
There's a possibility in the game to change character "place of birth", to appear further in other main town "Stairway to Heaven" location. It's possible to change place of birth any time, while being in this location of certain town, pressing the button "Enter" on game main screen action panel and using the button BORN HERE.
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29% 28% 22% 21%
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Styx Bank 13:31 20/03
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Iron Caves 13:33 20/03
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Milk Farm 13:33 20/03
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