Meridian 59

Meridian 59 is an online computer role-playing game first published by 3DO Studios and now run by Near Death Studios . As a "massively multiplayer", 3D graphical RPG with a flat-rate monthly fee from 1996, it is often credited as the first MMORPG.

Brothers Andrew and Christopher Kirmse initially designed and created the game in their parents' basement in 1994. They founded Archetype Interactive to further develop M59 and were bought by 3DO in June 1996 as the game was transitioning from alpha to its beta test. More than 25,000 players joined the game's beta that lasted until its commercial launch on September 27. The game received various updates throughout its life, each adding new monsters, spells, and areas.

3DO shutdown the game on August 31, 2000 and it was re-released by Near Death Studios in 2002. A new rendering engine was added to the game in October 2004, offering an alternative to its Doom-like graphics. This expansion also included features like dynamic lighting, rebindable keys, mouselook, and other visual improvements.

Contents

1 Gameplay 2 Setting 3 Schools 4 Organizations 5 Expansions 6 External links

Gameplay

The game is now aimed primarily at fans of PvP (Player vs. Player) combat, as it is virtually lag free and has only a loose justice system implimented to mediate killing of other players. Unlike many online RPGs, it is not based around character levels and classes. Instead, each individual skill and attribute including health develop independently of one another. Hit points (health) are acquired by killing monsters that are a challenge for the player. Mana (magic points) is acquired by exploring and finding mana nodes in the game world. All attributes except for karma are static, but they can be adjusted with certain items and spells temporarily.

Players choose from seven skill/spell schools, six of which are based on patron gods in the game world's mythos: Weaponscraft, Shal'ille, Qor, Kraanan, Faren, Riija, and Jala. Each school has a different focus and application in gameplay.

Setting

The game is set in the 59th provincial colony of an ancient empire which explored the universe through portals in a magical nexus. However, several hundred years ago, something went wrong and the young frontier colonies in Meridian 59 were seperated from the Empire. Now the land is in turmoil. Political factions fight for territory and power, monsters, trolls, orcs, and the undead threaten to destroy all life, and the magical nexus is in a flux, causing disasters across the land. Meridian 59 features six cities and towns: the rebellious mining town of Jasper, the royal city of Barloque, the thriving but troubled Tos, the peaceful farming village of Marion, the crossroads lake-side university town of Cor Noth, and the independent jungle island settlement of Ko'Catan.

While there is evidence of ancient dwarves and some other high fantasy races, players can only play human characters.

Schools

Weaponscraft - Physical combat, including dodging, parrying, weapons skills, archery, shields, and disarming.

Shal'ille - Based on the patron goddess of rain and peace. Healing, protection, uncursing, harming evil, curing, ressurecting, and trucing.

Qor - Based on the patron goddess of evil and darkness. Damage, blindness, curses, and other ailments to control or harm opponents, as well as invisibility.

Kraanan - Based on the patron god of war and valor. Combat "buffs", resistance to various kinds of spells, attribute modifiers, and miscellaneous other utiltarian spells with practical applications in combat.

Faren - Based on the god of the earth and the elements. Mostly Area of Effect and Direct Damage spells based on lightning, ice, wind, fire, and other natural forces.

Riija - Based on the patron god of illusion and trickery. Spells used to deceive players or confuse monsters, including hiding information, summoning illusionary minions, and spells to manipulate the mind. Riija is also home to the most powerful teleportation spells in Meridian 59.

Jala - Based on the patron goddess of music and artistry. The School of Jala is comprised of songs and jingles which have magical effects on all entities in the area, including negation of the effects of the other schools of magic, creation of potions and enchanted magical items, and mana and health regeneration.

Organizations

Players can join one of three political factions: Jonas D'Accor's rebels, the throne of Princess Kateriina, or that of her rival in Tos, Duke Akardius. Each faction offers certain bonuses to specific types of players. The rebels are seated in Jasper, Kateriina in Barloque, and Akardius in Tos. Players fight one another in the name of their respective factions either for territory or for control of tokens of power which may be used to sway the votes of the councilors of the land.

Players can also join player-created guilds. These are typically just small groups of friends who help each other out and socialize together, but sometimes they are more elaborate than that. There are often guild wars, in which multiple guilds fight one another in mortal combat to seize resources such as a Guild Hall or to declare total dominance of the server

Previously, players could ally themselves with the warring Necromancer and Hunter factions. These factions each drastically altered the way the game was played for their members, and there were great rewards for killing members of the opposite faction. As of this writing, this element of the game is disabled.

Expansions

• Vale of Sorrow (March 18, 1997)
• Revelation (June 19, 1997)
• Renaissance (March 16, 1998)
• Insurrection (August 1998)
• Dark Auspices (January 26, 1999)
• Liberation (July 6, 1999)
• Resurrection (June 13, 2002)
• Evolution (October 31, 2004)

External links

• Meridian 59 Official Website
• Gilroy's Meridian 59 Reference
• Meridian 59 entry at MobyGames