My First In-Depth Look at Legend of Kesmai (Part #01)
I’ve played Legend of Kesmai once recently, for about 15 minutes to ensure that the client software I downloaded worked. The game appeared to be a bit directionless and lacked a tutorial, which is nothing new to someone who cut his teeth on MMORPGs with Asheron’s Call in 1999 and played Legend of the Red Dragon and other ANSI/text-based BBS MUD titles before that. The graphical MUD is something I’ve never really been exposed to, with the exception of newer titles that have been significantly influenced by them.
So far, I’ve discovered a hidden gem (Legend of the Red Dragon II) and a title that was utterly boring to me (Puzzle Pirates). Neither title was terrible and both haven’t aged all that poorly for the most part. Will Legend of Kesmai be another hidden gem, a mediocre title that’s just not for me, or the first awful title of this series? There has to be something here given how dedicated the relatively small playerbase remains and the semi-frequent returns by former players.
Getting Started
Given the main Legend of Kesmai (LoK) server(s) require significant politicking (i.e. must be established as a previous LoK player and/or be referred by a current player of outstanding reputation) to register an account, I won’t be playing there. My e-mails weren’t even answered when I explained what I do and my purpose for trying to join the LoK community. Oh well — it’s a side project and people are understandbly busy, as well as numerous trolls, exploiters, spammers, gold sellers, and other troublesome people have attempted to make that specific LoK server their home in the past.
My second choice was Stormhalter, information available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LegendsofKesmai/comments/bu94f7/the_stormhalter_project/
It definitely seems to be a project more open to both new ideas regarding LoK as well as new players. The general experience should be similar enough to classic LoK to not effect my opinion too greatly, but if anyone has access to a vanilla server for LoK — feel free to post the details in the comments. I doubt even the other LoK server with strict registration requirements is all that vanilla any more, given MMORPG worlds evolve over time.
Initial Gameplay & Character Building
I love going into games blind and learning the mechanics and lore through playing the game itself instead of seeking outside guides and materials. LoK, on the other hand, utilizes commands to interact with the world. I figured out how to move after an awkward few minutes on my own, at least. I decided to delete my old level 3 character I used to test whether or not the server was active nearly a year ago and start over.
Five classes, none of which are gender-locked (definite plus!), are available: martial artist, thaumaturge, thief, wizard, fighter. Martial artist, depending on the implementation, may or may not be the easiest for a new player. Martial artist in Anarchy Online was definitely a better choice for a new froob (free player in Anarchy Online) given you could get quite strong with your bare fists and weapons were optional to level cap.
We have a variety of races/species to choose from as well: Lemuria, Leng, Mnar, Mu, Barbarian, Draznia, Hovath, and Illyria. No information about the races is available on the selection screen (at least I didn’t find it anywhere) but it will be interesting discovering the lore and world differences between these races/species. Are some of them in conflict? Can some of them cross-breed? If so, how are the mixed ones treated? Do some of them look down on others? I guess we’ll find out — or maybe not. I chose a Draznian martial artist.
Now — on to the character stats. Strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, willpower, and constitution are the six stats. Four of the stats start off higher and are orange: strength, dexterity, and constitution. While I am going to look up a guide for the commands, I’m not going to consult one for a build. Dexterity and strength seem to be especially important for a martial artist, while having extra health will help with avoiding death. Here’s what I ended up going with:
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 18
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 12
Willpower: 10
Constitution: 18
Hopefully this build isn’t garbage!
I did my Asheron’s Call naming convention test by initially trying to be “Aunnah Egg” — with the space and character limit being within the realm of Asheron’s Call’s convention. Nope — no spaces. Not a surprise nor an issue for a game from the early 90s, so I’ll simply be Aunnah. Aunnah the Draznian martial artist.
Zero players online on any of the rooms. Such a shame. Hopefully someone else joins in the meantime.
/help works! No need for a browser window for a command list. First game crash occurred here.
The tile limit on the screen makes me feel a bit claustrophobic and the movement is a bit awkward. Definitely not an intuitive game so far but there appears to be enough here to continue my journey!
