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Feature Articles > Preview > Preview: Horizons for PC
Horizons: Empire Of Istaria Developer: Artifact Entertainment Producer: Atari Release Date: 12/5/04 Got bad breath? The kind that causes things to spontaneously combust? Well, we've got good news for you! Coming soon, to a hard drive near you, is Horizons: Empire Of Istaria. Yet another Fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). Yes, another one. In genre dominated by so many, why should we care? We got a good look at the game during Gen Con 2003 and, more recently, we checked out their progress.  What's special about Horizons? Well, you get to be a dragon in this game. It's being built to address everything peopleby "people" they mean both hardcore and mainstream fansdislike about current MMORPGs. It's got a bunch of new concepts and you can actually gather resources and build your own castles and homes, so the quests take on a more personal tone. You can even hire people in the game to come and help you craft things like structures and buildings. And￠ ok, I know, you're still stuck on the first sentence aren't you? Yes, dragons are a playable race in Horizons. You can also play Humans, Elves, Fiends (they look like demons), Dwarves, Half-Giants, Gnomes, Dryads, Slick (reptile people), cat-people, and Dragons. Each race has plusses and minuses. The Dragons, for example, can't use magical clothing or armor. They're limited to rings and things like that. Also, when just starting out they're man-sized. When they get older and larger, a tough task that will require extreme dedication, they can fly and rend foes with their sword like claws. Dragons are denied a lot of crafting and barred from some schools, see below. But they can breathe fire, so it's all good. According to Bowman dragons are sufficiently hard to play that the world isn't over-run with them during the current beta. There's a nice mix, he told me. In Horizons you're never locked into a class or profession. Instead there are "schools". If you choose the Blacksmith school, you can add metal to a structure and you can repair goods. Magic schools let you cast spells. Combat schools teach you combat skills. You can switch schools at any time and develop each until you have a character that's specialized to do what you or your party needs most, or one that is jack of all trades and master of none. The graphics are sensational (they look better when the game is running) and each races has been granted it's own architectural flair. The Elves have their gentle curving structures and the Dwarves their burrows, as you'd expect. Because of their ingrained popularity a lot of attention has been given to what a dragon city would look like and, well, it doesn't disappoint! Bowman told me "Combat is maybe 1/3rd of what we're offering here." So expect Horizons to offer quests that don't involve killing, extensive guild and crafting options, and maybe tasks that gain you gold and experience but only require exploration on your part. The game is due December 5th (it has certainly been a long time coming) but MMORPGs are notoriously hard to balance. A long wait is worthwhile for the chance to play a dragon, isn't it? Kid Factor: MMORPGs require a lot of freetime and most younger kids will find them incomprehensible or just plain boring. Older kids might get lost in them, playing compulsively can be a good thing but not when you're too young have perspective on what makes a responsibility and what makes a hobby. GamerDad's policy is to not recommend MMORPGs for kids or even teens, unless you play them with your kids.
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