Asheron's Call

Asheron's call was at one time the only answer to Everquest's domination of the 3D persistant world. I bought it and played the free month as my interest in Everquest had gradually waned. This game has a very cool architecture for the outside world. No zones as you move across the island of Derreth, just a dynamically loading bubble that loads content iteratively based on where the players are actually spending their time. I ran my little archer from one end of the island to the other, moving seamlessly through a diverse range of landscapes and creatures (who were spawned before I arrived and released after I had left). Apparently this game also had the capability to modify terrain geometry while the game was live, a feature that was used during the many gm run events in the world. The frequency of gm events is part of the commitment Turbine have to an ongoing storyline that will actually affect the world that the players interact with. The one failing for the game was the quality of the player and monster models, the art was simply not up to scratch when you compared it to the stunning models in a game like Everquest. Still an awesome premise and a storyline that kept the faithful coming back made Asheron's Call an immersive experience.

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