Astonia
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| Astonia III | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Intent Software |
| Publisher(s) | Intent Software |
| Release date(s) | March 18, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Media | Download |
| System requirements | Windows 95, modem, 300 MHz CPU, 4MB video card, DirectX 3.0 |
| Input | Keyboard and mouse |
Astonia is a medieval fantasy MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). It is developed, published, and maintained by Intent Software. Its current version, Astonia III, was launched in 2002 for Microsoft Windows and is played in a third-person isometric view. Its previous version, Astonia 2, which was also made by Intent Software, is a free game software and can be downloaded from fan sites.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] The start
In this game you can role play as a Mage, a Warrior, later on being able to choose to become a combination of them called a Seyan'Du, or expand further more your races power. Your adventure begin from a little fortress in Cameron city. Your first quest is to assist a lady named Lydia to retrieve a potion stolen by a band of thieves (James, her friend, had a small hangover). After this simple task, your next task is to help her father retrieve four skulls which are in skeleton lairs scattered around the city of Cameron.
[edit] Aston and penting
As you progress in the game, you'll leave this small and unimportant city and travel to capital, Aston. In Aston, you find most of the game's players walking around, and always busy. There is a university here where you can learn different professions.
The biggest quest and main part of the game is called the Pentagram Quest™. Questing here is referred to as "penting". When you pent, you activate gray pentagram stars by using them. When the pentagram is activated, demons may materialize (pop out). There are hundreds of pentagram stars in each area. There are four major penting areas. Each area has a different level of difficulty. The Earth (demon levels are 7 to 38) penting area is easiest. This is followed by Fire (39-76), Ice (77-102), and finally Hell ( 103+). Choose an area where you can handle the demons. If you cannot handle those at the area you are currently at, it is best you relocate to an easier area.
The objective of penting is to "solve" the quest. Once solved, the quest resets, all pentagrams are deactivated, and demons pop out. The quest is solved after N number of pentagram stars have been activated. N is decided at the beginning of every round. N is half the amount of pentagrams in the area where it was last solved. For example, with 206 pentagrams in one area, pentagram number 103 will solve the quest.
Should you be lucky enough to activate the pentagram-star that solves the quest, you will be rewarded with an experience bonus. Besides experience points, the other reward of penting is drops. Drops are potions or "pots" (Health, Mana, Or Combo (HP and Mana for mages, or Endurance for Warriors)), stones (Earth, Fire, Ice and Hell), and equipment (a rare drop) that a slain demon leaves behind. Most of the time the drops are worthless. You can sell these to Jeremy, the main Aston vendor, or to a Master Trader, a player with the Trading profession. On the rare event that you get an exceptionally good drop, you can of course keep it or auction it off for profit.
[edit] Labyrinths
Another interesting area in this game is the labyrinths. There are five different labyrinths. The first one a simple task in a snow landscape; the second is in a more maze-like area where you have to walk around pressing big "slabs" and avoiding traps. The third one is in the darkness, fourth one underwater, and the fifth one in a cemetery. When you finish them all you can challenge the gatekeeper. There are two kinds of gatekeepers, the arching one and the seyaning one. If you beat the arch one, you get your cape, and also a new skill: Rage for Warriors and Duration for Mages. If you beat the Seyan gatekeeper, you restart the game as a Seyan'Du, who has the advantages of both Warriors and Mages. They are usually played as Warriors but with the two spells Magical Shield and Bless. Seyans can also beat the gatekeeper again to become an Arch Seyan'Du.
[edit] Random dungeons
Random dungeons are another part of the game. These exist from level 10 to level 99. They really are mazes filled with skeletons. Your goal here is to find the continuity shrine which blesses you from experience. Continuity shrines and the death-bravery shrines have to be visited in order. Other shrines can be visited out of order, for example weld shrine, which could move magical modifiers from one equipment to another.
[edit] Mines and the army
There are also mines in Astonia. In these mines, you can mine silver and gold to enhance your equipment. You can also enroll into the army which is just a way to get experience, mainly used for high levels in the game. The high levels usually bribe the three advisors and then go to the governor and get a mission, usually the "Insane" one. The insane is solved when:
- an amount of demons of a certain level has been killed in the Pentagram Quest or,
- an amount of silver has been dug out of the mines or,
- an amount of ratlings which plague the sewers.
An insane will give you approximately one sixth of a level, and can take from about 20 minutes to two hours to finish.
[edit] Equipment and skills
The most important skills for the warrior are Sword (Or Two Handed), Attack, Parry, and Immunity. The most important skills for mages are Dagger (Or Staff), Lightning (Or Fire), Magic Shield, and Immunity. Seyans should follow a simiar build to that of the warrior. There are other less important skills such as Bartering, which makes you negotiate better with non-player character(NPC) vendors. Unlike many RPGs and MMORPGs skills aren't raised when you level up, but as often as you want to. You can save up experience and raise those skills that are higher than others (and thus costing experience points more to raise). There are twelve slots of equipment:
- two rings
- weapon
- torch Not applicable when using a two handed weapon
- amulet
- hat/*helmet
- vest/*armor
- cape
- belt
- bracers/*sleeves
- pants/*leggings
- boots
*Represents the armour equivalent, armour cannot be worn by mages.
[edit] The average Astonian
This channel is specifically designed for helping those new to the game, and the help is either given by the game moderators, called "staffers" or by the longer term, and more experienced players. It takes some time to get into all the abbreviations of the skills, such as:
- int = intuition
- wis = wisdom
- hp = hitpoints
- end = endurance
- api = attack / parry / immunity
- lmi = lightning / magic shield / immunity
- lf = lightning (flash)
- bart = bartering
- sap = sword / attack / parry
- wc = warcry
- fmi = fire / magic shield / immunity
- att = attack
- par = parry
- imm = immunity
- frz = freeze
But once you understand this, and the basic concepts of character stats, and equipment (or get "sets") then you are well on your way to becoming a very competent fighter in the lands of astonia. Goodluck to all, may your journey be a long one.
[edit] Price
This game is not freeware, although you do get a 28-day trial when you create a new account (which you can fill with 25 characters). If you wish to contiue play and unlock many important functions of the game, you have to pay. The price is a little less than $9,95 USD a month, and there are a few budget variants if you pay for three, six or twelve months at a time. See the payment page on the official website.
