Graphics / Sound

Let's talk about graphics

One of the most impressive things about Asheron's Call was the graphics. This was actually a bit of a surprise - one of the last things I was expecting from an online RPG. After perusing some Everquest screenshots, it seems that spiffy graphics - specifically, spiffy landscapes, are nothing new in the genre. Not new, though, doesn't mean not impressive. Many times, my character would be walking over a hill. I would reach the top, come over the crest, and then stop. Usually, I wasn't stopping because of a sudden attack of lag (though it does happen), but rather, because of a sudden attack of awe.

Yes, I'm a sucker for a pretty view, and I got suckered in by the views in Asheron's Call. It wasn't only the nice graphics, such as the sun hitting your eye from low on the horizon, casting a warm glow on the world spread out below you. It was also the vast expanse of this world, and all its different environments. From deserts, to forests, to marshes, rivers, and beyond, there are enough settings in Asheron's Call for even the pickiest outdoorsman. Generally fairly ambivalent about in-game graphics, I was actively moved by what I saw in my travels. Weather helped create the immersive world of Dereth as well; perhaps the nicest thing I saw was a sudden deluge of rain - in the middle of the desert!

I'm an art critc

His sword is bigger

Let's talk about sound

I'm now typing this article using the iMac keyboard / mouse. Pretty scary - I think I'm going to put them back now. Oh yeah, sound. Not too much to say here. You have the option to turn on and off both ambient sounds and sound effects. Nothing in any of the literature or web-based info made it clear whether the game's sound supports 3D audio, but I'd have to guess no, simply because after hearing the sound, they probably wouldn't have bothered.

One can't really blame them - when creating a virtual world with as much realism as Dereth (I will not use the word immersion again, I will not use the word immersion again . . .), it's important not to make the sound distract from the experience. What that generally ends up meaning is that the sound is also not really worth hearing. Asheron's Call is no exception - unless you have the burning desire to hear the occasional bird chirping and the generic "bzzzap!" of your spells being cast, you're better off bringing your own tunes. Just pretend you're slaying goblins while listening to your walkman.

Follow the pillars

Green haze