Friday Flash Fun:
Realm of the Mad God is a co-op MMORPG shooter with cute 8-bit graphics
. Death is permanent, play addictive.
RPG aficionados will be familiar with the concepts of character classes and stats, levelling and equipment of varying effectiveness. In a
Roguelike-like twist, death is permanent. So especially if you're a new player, expect to die a lot. However, it's relatively quick to reach the maximum level 20 (again) if you join a "swarm" or "train" of players, as experience points are shared with those nearby.
Pew-pew the various monsters, and stay away from the Godlands, a loose term for the (mostly white and dark grey) areas where the "gods", the game's stronger creatures, reside. (The dreaded Medusa is a challenge even for stronger players.) When death looms, bail out to the safe Nexus area (the "lobby") by pressing F5.
When all of a realm's minions are disposed of, the titular Mad God Oryx will summon all players to his chamber for a "final" battle. Oryx is the strongest monster in the game and drops some of the best loot.
When you've reached level 20, you can refine your character by amassing better equipment or
farming the gods for "
stat pots", potions which permanently increase your character's stats. Until its death, at least.
RotMG is free to play, but "Realm Gold" can be purchased to exchange for extra character slots, space to store loot, and some vanity items like custom-coloured clothing.
Tips:
• Rare and/or higher-tier items such as top equipment and stat pots are often
traded between players, often in quieter areas of the Nexus. As there is (yet) no formal trading system, a trade simply consists of players dropping and picking up the item(s) to be traded. As a result, there is a risk of the other player "scamming" or not following through on their part of a deal, or a third party "ninja" player rushing in and looting the item(s). Lower-tier items are also sometimes traded, but more experienced players will often give them away in the Nexus. Recently a "vault" feature was introduced to allow players to store items.
• It is often faster to pick up loot by swapping an item you already have. Some players keep relatively worthless items in their inventory for this purpose.
Consumable items such as stat pots, the red hitpoint and blue magic point pots (which only work temporarily), and the more
frivolous ones can be consumed by shift-clicking the item on the ground. This can be quicker than picking it up first.
• Teleportation is your friend. You can move quickly into the action by clicking a dot on the top-right minimap. But beware: teleporting into a swarm of Medusas is an efficient way to die. You can lock onto other players as well, ensuring their names stay on-screen in the lower right even when they are not nearby.
• Every class has a special ability. Exercise it by shift-clicking or pressing the space bar. Aimed abilities are directed toward the mouse pointer. Priests and Paladins can heal: players often ask for healing in the Nexus. Be sure to say thanks!
• If you are experiencing lag, reload the page. Press F to see memory usage.
Bonus links:
Wiki
FAQ
Glossary
Forum
Leaderboard
Subreddit
Load the SWF directly for full-screen mode (this will work temporarily, the SWF url is changed periodically)
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Realm of the Mad God was originally developed by
Wild Shadow Studios for the
TIGSource Assemblee competition, where games are developed around submitted art and sound.
Hope you enjoy it, and death to Oryx! Stay away from the pirate rum!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:41 AM on April 22, 2011