Dark Age of Camelot; The Rise and Fall of MMORPG PvP Combat
Blogged in MMORPGs, Games by Matt on Wednesday August 29, 2007On October 10, 2001 a game that in my opinion set the standard for all Player vs. Player combat in MMORPG was released, titled Dark Age of Camelot. Mythic Entertainment, once a small independent developer known for their various online games, took a huge risk in developing such a game, and when Dark Age of Camelot was released they saw their hard work pay off.
When DAOC was released it quickly gained respect and notoriety from the MMORPG industry as well as from the players. DAOC was the first MMORPG to tie PvP combat into an organized, objective based system. In games prior PvP was based around unregulated combat anytime and anywhere, leading to the frustration of griefing. When DAOC introduced Realm vs. Realm combat many players had finally found the perfect PvP middle ground they had been looking for.
Albions defending a hole in a keep from the dirty Hibernians!
Players in DAOC could choose one of three realms to join; Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard. Each realm had its own strengths and weaknesses, Hibernia being the masters of Magic, Midgard being the kings of melee, and Albion filling the middle ground on both fronts. However at release the game was anything but balanced. Midgard were the kings of PvP combat at release due to their ability to chain stun other players, rendering them useless in combat. However, Mythic was quick to address and fix this problem.
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