Frequently Asked Questions for Kothuria: The World’s Edge

Last update: October 7, 2005.

This information subject to change.

Overview

What is Kothuria: The World’s Edge?
A new fantasy MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game) where you change the world.

When can I play?
We’re holding closed beta testing right now, but we will open up testing to a wider audience in early 2006.

How can I sign up for beta?
Fill out the beta sign-up form at http://www.kothuria.com/beta/index.jsp

When will the game be released?
We will have an extended beta period, with a final game release in 2006.

What are the system requirements for the game?

• Operating System: Windows XP
• Processor: Pentium 4 with 1GHz or greater
• RAM: 512 MB
• Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible. Pixel shader and vertex shader compatible hardware with 128MB of texture memory
• Sound Card: DirectSound compatible audio hardware

Will your game appear on other platforms?
Currently we aren’t developing for other platforms than Windows PCs.

What will be graphics be like?
Kothuria is a fully 3D game using DirectX 9. The art quality and graphics (number of polygons) are comparable to current cutting-edge MMOGs. The game has a very flexible 3D camera control, with the default camera position behind the player.

What is the user interface like?
Generally, the game uses common MMOG interface conventions, like WASD and arrow keys for movement and the mouse for camera control. Other common elements include a chat window, stat bars, and an inventory window.

How many people can play at once?
<Insert ludicrous claim here.> At least tens of thousands of people can play simultaneously. We plan to run a single instance of the world, and have designed both our game mechanics and server technology to support this goal.

If your game is a single world, won’t spawn-points be overcrowded with campers?
No, for two reasons: 1) The game world will be huge enough to accommodate all of the players. 2) Monster and animal ecologies adjust dynamically based on many factors, so the few hard-coded spawn points aren’t overly important.

How much will the game cost?
Cheaper than you’d expect, but we haven’t announced that yet. (We will be more affordable than most MMOGs currently on the market.)

What type of Internet connection will I need?
You should have a broadband connection, such as DSL, Cable, or better.

What’s the worst feature of the game?
We’re going to g*mp elves. Kidding…

Gameplay

How is your game different from other MMORPGs?
Here are three big differences:

• Your actions change the ecology, borders, populations, economy, cultures, storyline, and more.
• The cutting-edge AI generates meaningful quests based on the state of the world.
• Unlike other games’ typically restrictive skill systems, Kothuria offers freedom from dead-end character development paths.

What character races do you have in your game?
We’ll disclose this information very soon, but we’ve got some old favorites and new choices for you.

What character classes do you have in your game?
We’re also keeping mum on this point for now, but not to worry–we’ll have something for everyone’s style of play.

Is this a PvE, PvP, and/or RvR game?
This game is very geared towards PvE, with a crafter-friendly system. Whether there will be duels, battlefields, and so on has not been decided. When we have discussion boards, we’d love to hear what you think.

How does your game make leveling fun and avoid xp grinding?
Kothuria relies heavily on both our “traditional” static quests AND our new dynamic questing system. Traditional quests are like the pre-written quests you would find in any other MMOG. Our dynamic quests, however, are generated by a system that analyzes current world conditions and recent player actions. While other games randomly generate kill-tasks and delivery-missions, and call those dynamic, our system has true depth and richness.

How do characters level up in your game?
Your character has many skills, and each skill levels up independently. Generally speaking, your skills advance based on use.

Why did you design a system where you level skills independently, rather than raising a character’s overall level?
Many games make players suffer from irreversible choices, made with inadequate information. The most common situation is that you place points into attributes or skills that turn out to be useless. In our game, your characters becomes good at what you do, and you don’t have to worry about whether you are putting points into the wrong skills.

Is there crafting in your game?
Yes. A critical design goal for the crafting system is that crafted items should be very useful and preferred over most mob drops. This does not mean that hunting monsters will not have rewards. In fact, monster drops can have valuable crafting components which can then be used to make a masterpiece item.

How long is a typical game session?
We want to make sure players who can only afford an hour at a time can complete quests and improve their characters. There will also be campaign quests that require teamwork and longer time commitments.