Planeshift is a free MMORPG under open source developement.
No doubt you have seen this writen somewhere around. At least you might have seen a part of this sentence when searching the web for "free MMORPG". The sentence does not cover all the aspects of Planeshift (PS) but to a minimum, it is has many implications that deserve some attention when you play it. Forgeting one of the words will make it harder to fully enjoy it. Let me then explain all the parts of this sentence one by one before juming into the whole game. Understanding each part of the sentence will help you to guess what you can and what you can't do.
Planeshift: This describe the computer program but also its
settings and the world you will enter. Planeshift is a server, a client, art, maps, texts, ... When you run PS, your client connects you to a server that will display the PS world according to its settings and the art. When you are in the client, you are in PS. If PS (client) can't connect to PS (server) look for a solution
here. If the problem happens after that or is specific to you operating system, an answer might exist in the other Support sub-sections.
Free: Free means that you will not be asked for money in order to use the application. Do not confuse free of charge and freedom of doing anything you like. Like anywhere else, your freedom to do what you
want will be limited to what you
can do. There are things that are not allowed. It is a good idea to look at
Planeshift rules and notifications.
MMORPG: Due to this acronym to be overused in various ways, I will describe the do/dont implications of each part.
MMO: Massively Multiplayer=You will not play alone. You will have to share the use of the server with a great number of people from all over the world. Do do so, you willl have to accept their differences, you won't be welcomed to claim any aspect of the game is more yours than theirs. In order to interact with them, you are asked to use a common language (it is english in PS). Once again some of the rules and guidelines are here to guide you. Online=you might know the general etiquette of the internet, also known as
netiquette.
RP: Role playing. If you are not used to the concepts of roleplaying, you can start by reading
how to roleplay in the mainsite. The terms of role playing are used in acting. They are also used in many scripted games with a fixed scenario. You have to extend those definitions to improvisation to fully catch the role playing in a game like PS. There is no fixed scenario. Only the physical aspect of the role is managed by the system. You are in command of the thoughts and decisions of the character you play. The consequences of your decisions in this role are determined by the world. In a pen and paper role playing game, the world is composed by a game master and the characters played by players. In a computer game, the program is the game master, other online people are in charge of other characters. When you are not used to it, it can look schyzophrenic. You have to separate the knowledge of your character and your own.
Consider this scheme:
Reality > Player // {game world > character}. When in you role, only the parts enclosed with {} are considered as "In Character" (IC) the rest, you in the real world, is "Out Of Character" (OOC) and does not make sense in the lower parts.
As you have to conform to reality, your character has to conform to the game world. That's why it is called a virtual reality.
G: Game; tha last part of the MMORPG acronym is as important as others. It is a game. It can mean that you play it for enjoyment or training. The training part is to confront you to different challenges. You can win or lose by playing. However frustrating it might be to lose, you have the oportunity to play again to start a different solution. Losing and having difficulties is part of the process. Therefore giving away easy solutions will be considered as spoiling the game. You shall not give away spoilers nor expect to recieve them. Doing so it a renouncement to the game. Like every game, it is easier to start after reading the
game guide.
open source: PS is made by volonteers on their free time. It means that if you have the needed skills and time, you can join them. It also means that you have to be patient when it comes to delays or bugs. The positive aspect is that the project might never stop evolving in the future, along with new technologies and future ideas, there will always be a possible next step. But unlike some other open source projects, Planeshift uses its own
licence that you might read.
under developement: This can be the most frustrating aspect of PS. Indeed it means that unexpexted changes can occur due to new features added, changed or removed. Bugs can affect the gameplay, the server can go down, your client might crash, ... But you can also see that as an enthousiastic part of it. Your bug reports, suggestions and whishes can become part of the next releases. Making you not only a tester but a contributor. Look for the wishes of others in the
Wish list, give your opinion or maybe make your own suggestion.
Planeshift is all of these; a roleplaying game where you interact with many people and contribute to create a virtual experience. If you keep all that in mind, then you will be able to discover something else. Something that is not said in the title of this post: Planeshift is an online community that you will be part of.
