Comments on: Some Things A Tale in the Desert Did/Does Right

By: While I’m on the Subject of Niches | Kill Ten Rats

While I’m on the Subject of Niches | Kill Ten Rats — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:27:53 +0000

[...] have a year of A Tale in the Desert time under my belt. I play a variety of games that a major studio would not bother to spit on. I [...]

By: Sedjet

Sedjet — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:49:19 +0000

On the tail of T3 and the nose of T4, I have to say playing this game does have its ups and downs. I have been playing since the T2 beta (off and on) as the ups and downs of a Tale happen. Plans of T4 are already in the works for my home guild and a lot seems to be still highly socially oriented.

As a fan of hybrid (kill/craft) MMOs, I came to Egypt first and still stick with it. I also play FPS games on multiplayer servers, and find that the socioeconomic niche of Egypt keeps my attention more than the shoot em ups. This is definitely a game to try if you like intellectual conversation, and a laid-back atmosphere.

Compared to the highly competitive (and loud) atmosphere of a game like WoW or Team Fortress, ATITD is a “chat with tasks” and fosters cooperation within the community… whether a small home guild or a community of all players in Egypt at once. Global chat channels help all Egypt keep in touch and up to date. Regional chat channels let the regions of Egypt keep in touch in an unmoderated channel, as do guild channels.

My biggest challenge in this game has been learnig to work in a group, and I think it has actually helped me learn to function in a community at large, and on large tasks (example the Architecture Test of the Megalopolis or the Discipline Monuments that herald the end of a Tale).

It is a great way to see Egypt not necessarily as it was, but maybe…as it should have been. See you in Egypt!

By: HumbleHobo

HumbleHobo — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 14:42:09 +0000

poor, poor SEED.

By: Ysharros

Ysharros — Thu, 25 May 2006 21:19:24 +0000

A Shiny Happy Thing:

The ability to contribute to a world (not just a game) which will grow, or shrink, or mutate, or maybe even implode as a result of your actions, alone or collectively. This is sorely missing everywhere else, and it is one of ATITD’s great strengths. The older I get, the less I want rats and the more I want the ability to create something meaningful, even if it’s “only” transient entertainment.

By: Hekatef

Hekatef — Thu, 25 May 2006 15:06:37 +0000

So many of the great things about ATITD have been pointed out already, and so eloquently, that I can hardly add to them. But I’ll make this additional observation. Searching the ATITD official forums reveals that, as of today, it’s been nearly a month since the word “nerf” was used, and even then it was actually in reference to WoW. For a MMORPG’s official forum, that all by itself is a miraculous and unique thing.

By: Wuqensta

Wuqensta — Thu, 25 May 2006 14:30:42 +0000

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly I enjoy of in ATiTD more than any other aspect in it… Crafting, the near overwhelming freedom to do whatever you want to (resources, building, the tests, general hanging around, exploring the landscape while looking for the elusive desert rats, etc.)… But first and foremost – the most striking “feature” of the game… or should I say social experiment in search for a perfect society, as it goes… is the society/community, all the people who form it – all the guilds and friends you’re bound to join and meet (and you probably can’t avoid that, unless you’re a very anti-social hermit who never ever even communicates with others) – along competition and possible adversaries too, but that’s life.

Required: an open mind which doesn’t fear at times mindnumbing number of opportunities and things to do (or to not do) is quite essential :-)

By: Lachek

Lachek — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:13:31 +0000

I played on and off in T1, T2 and T3Beta. ATITD is the sort of game that, to me, is a perfect half-a-game. They get crafting, they get collaborative world-building, they get player policing, they get staff involvement. Many things are so well designed in ATITD that I suspect they were not so much “designed” as “accidentally discovered”.

I know this is Shiny Happy Week so I’ll keep the complaints to a minimum, but ATITD is still stuck in the “grind”. There is not a lot of difference between gathering 100 pieces of slate and killing 20 kobolds. I also did not find, in my limited experience, a lot of conflict in the game. Egypt would have been a perfect setting for conflicts between rival tribes, cities or geographic areas. I have seen a sense of nationalism in the game, for example when your local university researches a skill before the other areas do, but there is little support in the game’s mechanics to allow for more direct forms of conflict. I think that extra spice would make the game a lto more exciting.

These two things – the repetitive grind, and the lack of conflict – makes ATITD just half-a-game for me, but a darned good half-a-game. A fun experiment is to show the game to a traditional fantasy MMORPGer or gamer and see them instantly dismiss it as too repetitive – and then point out that while it is definitely a grind, it’s a far more appealing grind than your standard KillTenRats fare. After all, you can switch to a different type of grind at any time (grow leeks, plane boards, harvest flax seeds), while in other MMOs you really just have killing, killing and more killing.

By: Brant

Brant — Wed, 24 May 2006 15:34:52 +0000

Playing during the first telling of ATITD forever changed my view on MMO gaming. It’s a shame that this game is so frequently labeled and pidgeonholed as “a crafting game”, when its true essence is hidden on a deeper level. You’ve done a fine job at bringing some of the more interesting bits to the forefront in this article. Thanks!

To echo what Kir said: If you’re interested, give it a try. Tale 3 will be starting right away, and the game client is a free download. Even if you end up hating it, knowing that ATITD exists and understanding what it tries to do will make you pay attention to aspects of many other games a little more.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:28:26 +0000

The whole idea of a combat-free MMORPG is goddamned fascinating. And since I can’t get Seed to work on my machine, I’ve really got to check out the third telling of ATitD. Sounds like it’d demand a seriously huge time investment to properly enjoy, though.

By: Kir

Kir — Wed, 24 May 2006 03:23:30 +0000

Can’t mention enough how cool it is to have multiple guilds. And I met some really great people there. And I found it can really make you think about things. For example: In Real Life there are things people do that can get them killed, like take drugs, in Egypt (Sorry, “In ATITD”), you could actually outlaw such a thing, and people couldn’t do it. The question becomes “Should you?” not the current “Could you?” Anyway, it’s a free download, if you haven’t tried it you really should.