Palia is a massively-multiplayer community simulation game set in a brand new high fantasy world with elements of open world adventure games. It’s a cozy and welcoming world that we hope fans of the community sim genre will love for years to come.
While we can’t show you the whole enchilada right now, we’d be happy to give you a little peek into what Palia feels like at a glance! Below is a few seconds of in-game capture from one of our playtest builds. A couple things to keep in mind:
– This is all work-in-progress, and not representative of the final game at release. Some elements you see here may change.
– The facial animations have not yet been implemented in our designs, but look forward to a peek at those in the near future!
– The HUD display (controls, map, quest info) has been removed, as that is definitely still not final! But we think you’ll enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
Aidan: Hi Vexy,
Right away, I’d like to say that Palia is not a traditional MMO. One example of this is how fleshed out all our NPCs will be. When you meet Ashura, he’s not just another “tutorial NPC.” He’s the owner of the Ormuu’s Horn Inn, has a full background, and has things he likes and dislikes. This extends to many of the characters you’ll meet in the world of Palia. And since we’re also a blend of the community sim genre, some of those villagers will also be romanceable. They also have schedules, meaning they have places to be and will move between destinations.
Another distinction Palia has is that our world is designed to be an adventurous experience. You can look around with a rotating camera, climb up hills, and jump off cliffs to glide off into the distance. We’re putting a lot of effort into crafting a handful, yet highly detailed maps that feel good to explore around in.
Finally, the subject of skills has been mentioned before, but I’d like to think that Palia’s skills are different from what people expect coming from MMOs. In Palia, our skills are “mining” and “cooking” instead of “firebolt” or “critical shot.” They are also all unlocked from the start of the game. Each skill has its own experience level and there are rewards and milestones associated with each one as you progress.
While there are many more cases, I think I’ll stop myself from getting too far ahead. Hope that answers your question!
We’ve tried to do a lot in the design of Palia to undermine the sense of ‘falling behind’ when you don’t play consistently. If we’re successful, Palia should feel like a game that’s always there for you when you need it, but doesn’t require radical or regimented devotion to enjoy or ‘play correctly.’ We want Palia to be a game that lets you play the way you want to play, when you want to play.