Pardus (computer game)

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Pardus
Studio Bayer & Szell OG
Publisher Bayer & Szell OG
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 September 2004
platform Web browser
genre MMORPG , browser game , space flight simulation , trading simulation
Subject Science fiction
control Keyboard & mouse
language English

Pardus is a free, award-winning, massively graphical multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that can be played with a browser without additional programs. It is written in PHP and C / C ++ . It is set in a futuristic universe where players interact and compete in space. The universe is persistent , the game has no specific objective and trading is controlled by the players. Players travel through hundreds of sectors or solar systems while trading, building, or fighting with non-player characters (NPCs) and other players. There are dozen of spacecraft models that can be customized with different weapons, armor, and other devices.

Pardus is partly inspired by classic computer games such as Elite , Master of Orion II and Hardwar. It was developed by the Austrian company Bayer & Szell OG. An alpha test version was released in September 2004, and the open beta version was released on October 1, 2006.

Game world

There are three different servers or universes on which the players can create a character. The use of multiple characters per server is prohibited. One server is reserved for premium players.

Each universe is divided into four clusters . Each cluster consists of around 20 sectors. Three clusters are equally amongst the Factions allocated (fractions), the fourth cluster is an oversized Pardus sector with special NPCs.

The sectors consist of several fields, of which you can see a section of 9 × 7 fields (or 11 × 9 for premium players) in the space chart . The sectors are bounded by impassable energy margins. By so-called wormholes ( wormholes ) you can switch to other sectors.

Depending on the type of field, different raw materials (resources) can be mined: Hydrogen Fuel (fuel) on normal fields, Energy from energy fields, Nebula Gas from gas clouds, Ore (ore) from asteroid fields and Exotic Matter from quantum singularities. In the Pardus sector there is also the deadly field type Viral Cloud . The resources of a field can have values ​​from 0 to 500. When raw materials are mined, the fields slowly regenerate by themselves.

Planets and starbases can be found in almost every sector . There are 6 different types of planets that produce different goods if they are supplied with raw materials (mostly energy). Starbases are also trading centers that can also be controlled by players.

Game elements

Races

Players can choose one of four races at the start of the game: Humans, Rashkir, Ska'ari, or Keldon. Each race has special abilities. People can e.g. B. collect resources well, Rashkir are good fighters. Depending on the race, the player starts the game at a different starting location.

Factions

There are three Factions in the game: the Federation , the Empire, and the Union . Each faction specializes in different technical skills that give members access to unique ships and special equipment. The names of the ranks a player can achieve are different for each race. Each faction controls a different cluster and part of the Pardus cluster.

Syndicates

Any player can also join a syndicate. The Shadow Syndicate , TSS for short, is intended for players with a negative reputation (e.g. pirates). The Esteemed Pilots Syndicate , EPS for short, unites players with a positive reputation. In a syndicate you can advance to the competency level and thereby gain access to special ships or special equipment.

Alliances

Alliances are voluntary associations of players. You can only join an alliance and communicate with other players through your own chat channel. An alliance tax in the amount of 0% to 1% of the players' cash assets ( credits ) can be collected from the members of an alliance . Usually this alliance tax is repaid in full or in part to active members after some time.

Spaceships

There are dozens of models of spaceships that can be equipped with various weapons, shields, and other devices. Depending on the player's faction, syndicate, faction rank, skill level and experience points, different equipment is available to the player. Some spaceships are better for trading, others are better suited for attack.

Planets

There are six classes of planets, labeled M, I, D, G, R, A. The class of a planet determines the kind of goods that are produced and needed. The size of a planet is determined by the number of active workers , which is usually between 10,000 and 150,000. How many goods are produced and consumed depends on the size.

Spaceships and equipment can be bought and sold on planets. Raw materials and goods can be bought and sold there. Prices are dynamic and depend on supply and demand. A bulletin board offers various missions (eliminating monsters, transporting goods), which usually have to be completed within a period of time and are rewarded with money and an increase in competence. Players can also offer tasks for other players there. In a bounty board , bounties can be placed for other players and a bounty order can be accepted.

Starbases

There are public starbases, also called NPC starbases, which are game-controlled and have functions similar to planets. Players can also build their own starbases. They can be expanded into trading centers and repair facilities for spaceships. The trading prices on starbases are static. Depending on the number of workers , they can be expanded up to level 4 and then also produce spaceships and equipment. You can make a significant amount of money for the owner by selling. The player-built spaceships or equipment are usually cheaper than those offered by planets or NPC starbases. Starbases can also be transferred to other players or captured by force.

Buildings

Buildings are player-built production facilities. Depending on the type of building, they can be erected in empty spaces, on gas fields, asteroid fields or energy fields. To keep production going, they need raw materials (e.g. energy, water) or other products. To construct a building , the player needs a certain amount of experience ( Experience Points ). The storage space of a production facility and the production speed can be expanded. The player can sell the goods produced in a building himself or offer them to other players for sale. Buildings of other players can also be attacked and looted.

Course of the game

All players must complete a tutorial before starting the game , which is available in German , Finnish , Indonesian , Italian , Dutch , Polish , Portuguese , Slovenian , Spanish and Hungarian in addition to English .

After the tutorial you choose a breed and a starting cluster. In the game, each action requires a certain number of Action Points (or APs), which regenerate at a rate of 24 APs every 6 minutes up to a maximum of 5000 (5500 for premium players). This prevents players from gaining an advantage over other players by spending a long time in the game.

By trading, buying raw materials and transporting them to planets, starbases or buildings , where they can be sold at a higher price, you earn money as a player. Destroying monsters improves a character's combat attributes, and collecting raw materials improves the collecting attribute. In addition, these actions increase a player's competence and rank. This advancement enables the purchase of better ships and better equipment. At an advanced stage of the game, you can also build your own buildings or starbases .

Award

Pardus received the Best Free Online RPG award from GameOgre in 2005.

Study on social networks

The anonymous data of Pardus players was the basis of a study on social networks in which positive and negative relationships with other players were examined.

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://www.pardus.at/index.php?section=about_history_de Pardus history
  2. ↑ www.pardus.at: Tutorial Lessons .
  3. ↑ 2005 Online Game Awards . In: MMORPG article archive . GameOgre. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  4. ↑ www.softpedia.com: Positive Relationships Keep People Together .