In the past weeks we have been busy testing our network solution and the hardware for our first Mortal Online server. We’ve been very concerned about this phase, but to our big surprise this has been a very smooth period with impressive results (knock on wood).

Our next step is to invite our first wave of external testers that have signed up on our website. As you probably know by now we have decided to split the “Beta” into several phases, or chapters, to be able to test the features in each phase in a relatively controlled environment. We will do this in small steps, and we will start by choosing only a handful of applicants to be able to effectively focus on some particular features.

In our first test phase we are focusing on melee combat (coupled with fundamental ranged combat) and balancing of weapon stats, like weight/speed/range/damage. The testers will be brought to an artificial (and empty) test-island in Mortal gold with an arena.

In the arena testers will have access to a crafter which will guide them through a crafting menu, which will allow them to craft a number of armours and weapons in different materials. Please see the next topic (Mortal gold PowerPoint) to find some more info regarding crafting. No resources or skills are needed for this part as the crafting process in itself is entirely artificial.

In the middle of the arena the testers will be able to try out weapons, shields, armours and ranged weapons. There will be neither mounted combat nor magic in this test phase, and skills and skill-gain will be disabled (everybody will count as having maxed out in all combat-related skills).

Before this, testers will also go through some of the stages in the character creation process. Here the testers will be able to choose a few variations of faces, hair, beard, tattoos and skin color, as well as manipulate different facial features. Cosmetics aside, the important part of this, stat-wise, will be to choose race, age, size and attributes – and those are all interconnected, i.e. both race, age and size will have an impact on the attributes.