Legends of Future Past

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Legends of Future Past
Developer(s)	NovaLink
Designer(s)	Jon Radoff Angela Bull
Platform(s)	Internet
Release date	^NA 1992
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Legends of Future Past was the first commercial text-based MMORPG to make the transition from a proprietary network provider (CompuServe, in this case) to the Internet. It was designed by Jon Radoff and Angela Bull. The game was originally offered for $6.00 per hour in 1992 via CompuServe, and then lesser amounts via the Internet, operating until 2000.^[1]

Computer Gaming World advertisement, 1992

Legends introduced one of the first (if not the first) crafting system in an MMORPG. Players could harvest resources including ores, herbs and skins, and then use them to make weapons, armor and enchanted items. The game system was skill-based; players were not constrained to premade class archetypes. There were no level caps, and some very dedicated players attained levels in the hundreds.

Legends of Future Past was set in the "Shattered Realms," a world featuring a blend of fantasy and ancient technology. Most of the action in the game revolved around the city of Fayd, which served as the hub of activity for adventures, intrigue and roleplaying events. Some of the races included: aelfen (an elflike species), drakin (a race of dragon-men that ultimately resulted in player-created languages and cultural institutions), ephemerals (a wraithlike species that could not be harmed unless the player chose to manifest themself), highlander (think dwarves), humans (the only people who could utilize ancient technology), murg (a proud warrior race), mechanoids (artificial beings) and wolflings (a race of shapechangers).

Computer Game Review awarded Legends of Future Past the Golden Triad Award. It also won the award for artistic excellence in Computer Gaming World's Online Game of the Year competition.

Legends is credited with spawning a number of other online games^[2] and introducing some of the top talent in the MMORPG industry. Many GameMasters at Legends of Future Past went on to become founders or product managers at top online games including SOE's Star Wars Galaxies and Worlds Apart Productions.

Jon Radoff, the developer of the game, has recently set up a new gaming company called GuildCafe. ^[3]