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Landscape

The Xsyon starting world is a scaled version of the Lake Tahoe Basin which spans the California – Nevada border.

Terrain is based on US Geological Survey data.
Speed Tree 5.1
Speed Grass 4.
Reflective and refractive rivers, lakes and waterfalls.
Players can build roads, clear, level, raise and lower terrain.
120 sq km starting playing field, gradually expanding to a 1200 sq km area and beyond.


Resources

Players rely heavily on natural and found resources: lumber from trees, leather from animals, grass, scrap materials and rare objects of the lost modern civilization.

Constantly changing resources can be renewed or depleted.
Availability dependent on season and weather conditions.
Resources can be claimed by tribes.
A large variety of resources with individual properties. Different woods, cloths and metals have properties that affect crafted items.
Scavenged items such as books can introduce knowledge of new crafts and skills.


Environment

The realistic environment in Xsyon is not simply visual. It can affect resources, quests, objects, creature behavior and player actions.

Four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
Realistic sun path and shadows.
Realistic moon cycle and moonlight.
Volumetric and dynamic layered cloud system.
Night sky with an accurate star map and constellations.
Accumulating snow.
Weather effects: Rain, Snow, Hail, Sleet.
Terrain surface affects movement.
Creatures react to adverse and favorable weather.
Weather conditions affect player actions and item durability.


Character

Character development is pivotal to Xsyon. Unlike many game worlds where a character develops from a weakling to a god, Xsyon characters start off as heroes, above average in stats but inexperienced, unskilled and lacking knowledge.

Customizable body, face and hair system.
Characters visibly gain or lose weight and muscle.
Characters age visibly. Ageing affects character statistics.
Statistics increase or decrease based on actions, experience injuries and age.
Skill based system. Skills increase and decrease based on actions and experience.
Experience is gained for most player actions, not only combat, but crafting, questing, gathering and social activities.
Levels gained will give additional points for the character to boost skills and statistics. These are in addition to normal action based skill and statistic gains and reflect what a character would be doing when not actively being played.
Characters possess different gauges that affect the performance outcome of actions: Health, Faith, Energy, Hunger, Thirst and Encumbrance. Additional gauges including Comfort and Adrenaline boosts will be added as the game evolves.
Character actions are tracked for Good and Evil and hidden stats such as Luck.


Basic Actions

The character can perform many basic physical actions as well as gain specific skill based actions. Most actions are dependant on a combination of player statistics, skill and current status.

Basic movements include forward, backward, strafing.
Variable run and sprint speeds based on many factors.
Swimming ability and speed are based on skill, stats, type of armor and clothing worn and encumbrance.
Different swim strokes are available based on skill.
Basic actions include gathering, scavenging, digging, sneaking, hiding and chopping trees.
Movement is based on the character’s skill and statistics.
Movement is affected by terrain slope and surface.
Movement is affected by the character’s encumbrance and current state.
Weight and bulk limits make the player have to decide what to carry and what to leave behind.
Nearly 50 different emotes for the character to express himself.
Flexible camera system allows for players to view and record their actions from many different points of view.


Skills

Players start the game with a selected set of skills. They gain new skills by learning from other players or by uncovering knowledge in books from the past.

Skills increase with use.
Skills decrease over time if not used.
Skills can be maintained and increased by using experience points.
Skills are affected by many external factors.
Many actions are dependant on several skills.
Skill increase is dependant on the character’s current level of similar skills.
Over 50 skills in Combat, Physical Actions, Trade Skills, Crafts and Resource Gathering.


Crafts

Everything in the world can be crafted and destroyed. Craftsmen can find new patterns, recipes and blueprints, learn from other players or gain knowledge through inspiration.

Characters craft tools, weapons, armor and equipment.
Characters build buildings and clear roads.
Eight basic levels of craftsmanship, from Novice to Grand Master.
Inspiration allows characters to gain crafting patterns similar to those already known, without the needs to find these or learn them from other players.
Supreme Master level of craftsmanship for those characters whose achievements top their peers.
Characters achieving the Supreme Master level of craftsmanship work with the Xsyon team to introduce a crafted item of their own design.
Patterns require a minimum skill level, but most are available to mid level craftsmen.
Craftsmen gain patterns as they advance.
Different craftsmen of the same skill level will typically have a different set of patterns in their arsenal.
Object quality and durability depends on materials used and the craftsman’s skill.
Craftsmen depend on tools and supplies from other craftsmen.
As they advance, craftsmen gain the abilities to repair, reinforce and improve objects.


Armor

Xsyon is not a gear based game. A wide range of armor parts are available and the player selects armor based on play style and appearance more than how stats are affected.

Part based armor system. All parts can be crafted and customized.
Layered armor system for many possible combinations.
Armor bulk and material affects player comfort, speed and actions.
Variable armor quality and durability for the same armor type.
Armor parts can be enhanced based on materials used.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Colored materials can be used to create thousands of different looks.


Objects

By scavenging the world, characters will discover over a thousand different types of objects. All objects serve some function, even if it’s not readily apparent.

Found objects can be sorted for material and color
Skilled scavengers have a greater chance of uncovering rare and useful items
Discarded objects build up to restock scrap piles.
Different areas yield different found objects
Objects degrade and decay with use and the ravages of weather and time


Creatures

Xsyon is populated with player humans and non player undead, animals and mutants. Creatures can be hunted or become the hunter.

No set creature spawns or re-spawns. Animals multiply based on the current creature population. Undead never truly die, or do they?
Creatures gain experience and power, potentially evolving into legendary beings.
Creatures can overrun areas or be depleted.
Creatures gravitate towards different areas based on mood and weather.
Creatures driven to the outer reaches of the world mutate.
Creatures possess realistic loot. If you see armor or a weapon on a creature you can take it. Animals can be carved up for raw materials.
Creatures are a primary resource for crafters.


Communication

Communication between players is key to the Xsyon world. Characters have many ways to interact and communicate at their disposal.

General chat based on hearing range.
Whisper directed to specific players within range.
Town and player group chat channels.
Help channel to contact in game Guides.
Town markets where players can place items for sale.


Combat

Combat combines manual targeting and clicking with the final blow success based on the many factors – statistics, skills, weapon type, defense skills, armor and the opponents stance.

Skill and statistic based combat.
Manual targeting, affected by abilities.
Manual defense tactics including dodging, parrying and blocking.
Body part targeting for critical attacks.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Combat permissions in tribe zones based on tribal settings.
Combat will be revised during the Prelude and improved to match combat oriented games.


Tribes

The most important aspect of the Xsyon world is it’s tribal mechanics. Players rely on their home town or tribe for survival and success.

Players become registered members of a tribe. 10 players or more must come together to form a town.
As towns increase in membership, they can claim more land and gain town abilities.
Player owned protected housing.
Player owned protected storage.
Flexible part based construction system.
Custom rank system. Ranks consist of a power level and set of permissions and abilities.
Hierarchical political systems can be formed based on the rank system.
Bonuses to stats and skills when in native town.
Bonuses to stats and skills for town leaders.
Bonuses to players wearing tribal colors.
Towns serve as centers for quests, trade, crafting, storage and interaction.
Tribes can choose tribal colors and emblems to be displayed in tribal clothing, banners and flags.


Quests

Quests are assigned from one player to another using the quest system. Tribal chiefs and leaders will have the ability to assign specific quests.

Quests are posted at town totems so that players can obtain and complete quests without requiring the quest giver to be online. Types of quests include:
Delivery of goods.
Hunting.
Gathering resources.
Crafting.
Exploration.


Other tribal quests and contest types will be added during the Prelude.


Economy

The economy is entirely player run. It relies heavily on players to gather resources, craft necessary items and trade. Players can barter or buy and sell using local currency.
Tribes can set local currencies based on found currency items.
Town and individual bank accounts.
Towns can impose taxes.
Player run trade through town totems.
Resources can be controlled and destroyed to reduce supply.
Trade between individuals and towns.


Evolution

Xsyon is constantly evolving. During the Prelude, characters start off as simple hunters, gatherers and scavengers. As societies will advance new features will become available to the larger, more civilized tribes and towns. These features will include:
Animal taming and riding.
Player comfort levels that affect actions.
In game message boards and mail system.
Agriculture.
Cooking with player created created recipes.
Armor decoration and enhancement system which can indicate achievements and status.
New content including armor sets, weapons, buildings and creatures.
Religion.


Join us in the Xsyon Forums for discussions of other potential unique features that we plan to develop and try out.


The Unknown

The full features of the Xsyon online game world will never be fully disclosed. Part of the fun in playing is discovering the unknown. New features, skills, objects and creatures will typically be discovered in game before they are officially announced. A few hints to spark the minds of new Xsyon players:

When and where you craft might be just as important as what you craft.
Specialization leads to inspiration.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Two minds are better than one.
The world is changing, keep exploring.