Monato Esprit
Encyclopedia
Monato Esprit is a 3D
, fantasy
-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game
. The game is currently in the open beta stage of development and is tentatively scheduled for release in July, 2009. Monato Esprit will be free to download and will use the e-currency
"MetaTIX" as its billing system.
. Players take control of an avatar (or "character") within a persistent world
. Characters explore the landscape, delve through dungeons, fight monsters
, complete quests
, and interact with NPCs
as well as other players. Successfully defeating monsters and completing quests yields items and experience point
s. As characters gain levels, they have the opportunity to use more powerful skills and better equipment. Characters can group together into parties and work together to achieve short-term goals, or create guilds
, which serve as long-term social networks.
action and emphasizes cooperation
between players. The interface is simple and primarily mouse-driven, with a third-person perspective and a movable camera. To enter combat, players click on monsters they encounter in the world. Each successful strike results in damage to the monster's hit points, while the monster attacks in turn. Characters that lose all their hit points are revived in the nearest safe point, and there is no further punishment for defeat. If a monster loses all of its hit points, it is defeated and can be looted for items. Party members can select various "looting modes" to determine how items are divided up.
Each character has a number of skills to augment his or her combat potential. When characters gain a level, they receive a skill point that can be used to buy a rank in a skill. At least one rank is required to use a skill, and further ranks increase its effectiveness. The skills available for purchase are dependent on the character's level and class. Each class has its own unique skill roster, with more powerful skills becoming available as the character gains levels. Skills are broken into two categories: passive and active. Passive skills permanently increase the character's attributes and are always functioning. Active skills include attack spells, special melee strikes, healing, and temporary enchantments. Using an active skill costs mana
, which limits the number of times a skill can be used over a short period.
Characters also have 10 equipment slots for items that they wear, which include armor, jewelry, wings and weapons. Character models change to reflect what weapons and armor the character is currently wearing. Weapons and armor have endurance ratings that will lower over time as they are worn during combat. When an item's endurance rating reaches zero, it will become unusable. Items can be repaired by blacksmiths in cities at the cost of MetaTIX. Jewelry and wings do not have endurance ratings and never need repair.
Some items can be combined to create new items with alchemy. Characters learn how to create items by finding alchemy recipes. Each recipe includes three to six types of ingredients. The more powerful the item, the more challenging it is to find the necessary ingredients. Common items made through alchemy include potions, which restore hit points and mana. Characters can also find enchantment scrolls that add magical bonuses to equipment. Enchantments can only be performed by Alchemist NPCs in cities, at the cost of MetaTIX.
The game takes place in Monato Esprit, a magical world where the dreams of the innocent have created a paradise of imagination. Monato Esprit is maintained by the Basileus Crystal, which focuses the energy of moonlight to power the world. Dreamers are ushered into the world by the radiance of the crystal to become Archons, a race of humanoids with wings. Archons have built great civilizations throughout the dreamworld and enjoyed a golden age
of peace and prosperity.
A short time before the setting of the game, a dark presence descended upon Monato Esprit and infected the Basileus Crystal, allowing Nightmares to manifest in the dreamworld. Nightmares corrupted the harmless plants and creatures of Monato Esprit and turned them into monsters. The Archons must now rise against these monsters to protect their fragile paradise.
Players begin the game as a young dreamer who enters Monato Esprit for the first time. After receiving tutorial missions from several helpful Archons, the player can teleport to Isildra, the first city in the game. From that point, the player is free to adventure through the world as he or she wishes.
s. City zones are urban settlements created by the Archons. They feature a large number of friendly NPCs and are completely free of monsters. Within city zones, players can receive and complete quests without fear of attack. Cities also serve as convenient meeting grounds for parties and guilds. Countryside zones are wilder areas of the world that have become infested with nightmares. Some countryside zones feature small Archon settlements with friendly NPCs, but these areas are not safe from monster attacks. Instance dungeons are special areas separated from the main world and can only be accessed through a gatekeeper. While inside an instance dungeon, characters' maps do not function, forcing players to find their own way through the maze. The objective for each dungeon is to find and defeat its boss
. Although these areas are generically known as "dungeons", they come in a variety of visual styles, from subterranean catacombs to sunny forests.
, players have the opportunity to customize their characters' appearance, modifying their gender, hair style, hair color, eye shape, and eye color. Players also choose a zodiac sign and season
for their characters at creation. Archons receive bonuses such as an increase in attack damage or hit points depending on the sign and season to which they are aligned.
Each player account can store up to three characters at one time.
. Class determines how many hit points and mana points characters receive each level, what equipment they can use, and which skills they can buy. Characters that have reached tenth level in a class can become "reborn" and restart in another class at level one. Available classes are:
MetaTIX. Players purchase MetaTIX and use them like admission tickets
to gain entrance to special areas in the world and purchase various services such as teleportation. MetaTIX also serve as the in-game currency for the world of Monato Esprit, much like "gold" in other MMOs, and can be used to purchase items from other players. There are no merchant NPCs in the game world, so all trade is conducted between players. This system allows the player community to determine items' value and regulate the economy without developer interference.
The economic system in Monato Esprit is based on the research of Edward Castronova
into the real world economy at work in Everquest
. Castronova discovered that a unit of currency in Norrath was worth more than the Yen or Lira
, and playing Everquest yielded more wealth per hour than the average wage of a Bulgaria
n worker. While other MMOs such as Everquest and World of Warcraft
attempt to restrict players from earning profit through gaming, Monato Esprit has built the concept into the game itself. Players can use the profits they earn in Monato Esprit to buy and play new games that accept the currency.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
. The game is currently in the open beta stage of development and is tentatively scheduled for release in July, 2009. Monato Esprit will be free to download and will use the e-currency
Electronic money
Electronic money is money or scrip that is only exchanged electronically. Typically, this involves the use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems...
"MetaTIX" as its billing system.
Gameplay
Monato Esprit follows many of the traditional structures of other MMORPGsMassively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
. Players take control of an avatar (or "character") within a persistent world
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
. Characters explore the landscape, delve through dungeons, fight monsters
Mob (computer gaming)
A mob, mobile or monster is a computer-controlled non-player character in a computer game such as an MMORPG or MUD. Depending on context, all such characters in a game may be considered "mobs", or usage may be limited to hostile NPCs and/or NPCs vulnerable to attack.-Purpose of mobs:Defeating...
, complete quests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
, and interact with NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
as well as other players. Successfully defeating monsters and completing quests yields items and experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s. As characters gain levels, they have the opportunity to use more powerful skills and better equipment. Characters can group together into parties and work together to achieve short-term goals, or create guilds
Clan (computer gaming)
In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is an organised group of players that regularly play together in a particular multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 1000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan...
, which serve as long-term social networks.
Combat
Combat is designed to accommodate younger and casual players. The game features strictly player versus environmentPlayer versus environment
Player versus environment, or PvE , is a term used in online games, particularly MMORPGs, CORPGs, MUDs, and other online role-playing video games, to refer to fighting computer-controlled enemies—in contrast to PvP .Usually a PvE mode can be played either alone, with human...
action and emphasizes cooperation
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
between players. The interface is simple and primarily mouse-driven, with a third-person perspective and a movable camera. To enter combat, players click on monsters they encounter in the world. Each successful strike results in damage to the monster's hit points, while the monster attacks in turn. Characters that lose all their hit points are revived in the nearest safe point, and there is no further punishment for defeat. If a monster loses all of its hit points, it is defeated and can be looted for items. Party members can select various "looting modes" to determine how items are divided up.
Each character has a number of skills to augment his or her combat potential. When characters gain a level, they receive a skill point that can be used to buy a rank in a skill. At least one rank is required to use a skill, and further ranks increase its effectiveness. The skills available for purchase are dependent on the character's level and class. Each class has its own unique skill roster, with more powerful skills becoming available as the character gains levels. Skills are broken into two categories: passive and active. Passive skills permanently increase the character's attributes and are always functioning. Active skills include attack spells, special melee strikes, healing, and temporary enchantments. Using an active skill costs mana
Magic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
, which limits the number of times a skill can be used over a short period.
Inventory
Characters earn items by defeating monsters, completing quests, and trading with other players. Items are stored in the character's inventory, which is divide into a number of bags with 16 slots each. Some items such as weapons take up an entire slot, while smaller items such as potions stack together in a single slot. Each character starts with two bags, and can gain more at higher levels. Players can map items to hotkeys by placing them in their "quick bar". Excess items can be stored in the bank. All cities in Monato Esprit provide access to the bank, which can hold an additional 25 slots of inventory.Characters also have 10 equipment slots for items that they wear, which include armor, jewelry, wings and weapons. Character models change to reflect what weapons and armor the character is currently wearing. Weapons and armor have endurance ratings that will lower over time as they are worn during combat. When an item's endurance rating reaches zero, it will become unusable. Items can be repaired by blacksmiths in cities at the cost of MetaTIX. Jewelry and wings do not have endurance ratings and never need repair.
Some items can be combined to create new items with alchemy. Characters learn how to create items by finding alchemy recipes. Each recipe includes three to six types of ingredients. The more powerful the item, the more challenging it is to find the necessary ingredients. Common items made through alchemy include potions, which restore hit points and mana. Characters can also find enchantment scrolls that add magical bonuses to equipment. Enchantments can only be performed by Alchemist NPCs in cities, at the cost of MetaTIX.
Setting
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
of peace and prosperity.
A short time before the setting of the game, a dark presence descended upon Monato Esprit and infected the Basileus Crystal, allowing Nightmares to manifest in the dreamworld. Nightmares corrupted the harmless plants and creatures of Monato Esprit and turned them into monsters. The Archons must now rise against these monsters to protect their fragile paradise.
Players begin the game as a young dreamer who enters Monato Esprit for the first time. After receiving tutorial missions from several helpful Archons, the player can teleport to Isildra, the first city in the game. From that point, the player is free to adventure through the world as he or she wishes.
Zones
The world of Monato Esprit is divided into zones, which come in three categories: cities, countryside, and instance dungeonInstance dungeon
In massively multiplayer online games, an instance is a special area, typically a dungeon, that generates a new copy of the location for each group, or for certain number of players, that enters the area. Instancing, the general term for the use of this technique, addresses several problems...
s. City zones are urban settlements created by the Archons. They feature a large number of friendly NPCs and are completely free of monsters. Within city zones, players can receive and complete quests without fear of attack. Cities also serve as convenient meeting grounds for parties and guilds. Countryside zones are wilder areas of the world that have become infested with nightmares. Some countryside zones feature small Archon settlements with friendly NPCs, but these areas are not safe from monster attacks. Instance dungeons are special areas separated from the main world and can only be accessed through a gatekeeper. While inside an instance dungeon, characters' maps do not function, forcing players to find their own way through the maze. The objective for each dungeon is to find and defeat its boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. Although these areas are generically known as "dungeons", they come in a variety of visual styles, from subterranean catacombs to sunny forests.
Crystals
The world of Monato Esprit is powered by Crystals, which provide magical benefits to characters who stand near them. Red crystals heal hit points, blue crystals restore mana, and yellow crystals restore both. Because characters' hit points and mana do not naturally regenerate over time, crystals are a valuable resource for characters who are short on potions.Characters
All player characters are young Archons, a race of winged humanoids. During character creationCharacter creation
Character creation is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
, players have the opportunity to customize their characters' appearance, modifying their gender, hair style, hair color, eye shape, and eye color. Players also choose a zodiac sign and season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
for their characters at creation. Archons receive bonuses such as an increase in attack damage or hit points depending on the sign and season to which they are aligned.
Each player account can store up to three characters at one time.
Classes
All characters begin the game as a "Novice" until fifth level, at which point the player chooses one of six specialized classesCharacter class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
. Class determines how many hit points and mana points characters receive each level, what equipment they can use, and which skills they can buy. Characters that have reached tenth level in a class can become "reborn" and restart in another class at level one. Available classes are:
- HwarangHwarangThe Hwarang, or "Flower Boys"., were an elite group of male youth in Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom that lasted until the 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study, originally for arts and culture steeped mainly in...
- The elite warriors of Monato Esprit, focusing on offensive meleeMêléeMelee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
combat. They fight with two-handed swords for maximum damage, and wear metal armor. Their skills include powerful sword strikes and elemental attacks. The class is based on the historical warrior society of KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
- TemplarKnights TemplarThe Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
- A society of powerful guardians who are charged with defending temples and other holy places. Templars specialize in defensive combat, wielding swords and shields and wearing metal armor. Their skills include powerful strikes as well as defensive enchantments that make them almost impossible to injure. The class is based on the medieval military order.
- MageMagician (fantasy)A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
- Masters of the four elements, Mages wield destructive magic. Their skills include long-range attack spells as well as enchantments that augment their offensive potential. They are physically weak, however, and only wear cloth armor. Their staffs serve as melee weapons and also increase the power of their spells.
- ClericCleric (character class)The Cleric, Priest, or Bishop is a character class in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games. The cleric is a healer, usually a priest and a holy warrior, originally modeled on or inspired by the Military Orders...
- Holy caretakers of the dreamworld, Clerics use the healing power of dreams to protect and restore the wounded. This class serves a vital support role in any party, casting enchantments to protect and heal party members. Clerics are not particularly suited to melee combat. They wear cloth armor and wield wands that heighten the power of their magic.
- SheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
- These dedicated peace officers bring justice to the wild places in the dreamworld. Sheriffs specialize in long-range combat with firearms, and are the only Archons who are trained to use them. This class is based on the gunslingerGunslingerGunfighter, also gunslinger , is a 20th century word, used in cinema or literature, referring to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun...
archetype of the American Old WestAmerican Old WestThe American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
.
- HarlequinHarlequinHarlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
- Cunning rogues who wander the dreamworld in search of adventure. Harlequins are known as much for their showmanship as their power, fighting with such daring that every combat becomes a work of art. This class is loosely based on the comical theater characters.
In-game economy
Monato Esprit is the first MMO to use the e-currencyElectronic money
Electronic money is money or scrip that is only exchanged electronically. Typically, this involves the use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems...
MetaTIX. Players purchase MetaTIX and use them like admission tickets
Ticket (admission)
A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...
to gain entrance to special areas in the world and purchase various services such as teleportation. MetaTIX also serve as the in-game currency for the world of Monato Esprit, much like "gold" in other MMOs, and can be used to purchase items from other players. There are no merchant NPCs in the game world, so all trade is conducted between players. This system allows the player community to determine items' value and regulate the economy without developer interference.
The economic system in Monato Esprit is based on the research of Edward Castronova
Edward Castronova
Edward "Ted" Castronova is a Professor of Telecommunications at Indiana University Bloomington. He is known in particular for his work on the economies of synthetic worlds.- Biography :...
into the real world economy at work in Everquest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
. Castronova discovered that a unit of currency in Norrath was worth more than the Yen or Lira
Lira
Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican City and Israel. The term originates from the value of a Troy pound of high purity silver. The libra was the basis of the monetary system of the Roman Empire...
, and playing Everquest yielded more wealth per hour than the average wage of a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n worker. While other MMOs such as Everquest and World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
attempt to restrict players from earning profit through gaming, Monato Esprit has built the concept into the game itself. Players can use the profits they earn in Monato Esprit to buy and play new games that accept the currency.