Dofus: innovating the standard procedure

A recent recommendation from a friend has led to some fun-filled nights since I’ve downloaded and started playing Dofus, an MMORPG created by Ankama Games which is based on the fundamentals of play that make this genre so popular. The game is made entirely in Flash, but don’t let that fact scare you away! The game must be downloaded to your computer, and will run regardless of whether you’ve got the Macromedia Flash plugin installed for your browsers (it’s bundled with it’s own). The game itself has an impressively large download size (measuring in at over 100Mb, more than 5 times larger than Second Life, which I found interesting). I would imagine that the large download size comes from the fact that the game includes so much static art rather than textures which are simply applied to geometry. More on that later.

From the beginning, I was taken aback by how well-done the art in the game is. The game itself uses a viewpoint system similar to Diablo, except that the camera remains fixed at the center of the current map zone. The character is able to move to any point in the current zone, and can pick any of the exit points to move to another area. All of the enemies and NPCs in the world are 2-D sprites with extremely colorful and artistic textures and animations. The entire game feels like being stuck in one of the happiest episodes of Pokemon you’ve ever seen. Art seems to be a big part (and a major selling point) of this game, and the designers clearly have no qualms about showing off their artistry whenever they can.

The entire user interface is very playful, and doesn’t merit even the slightest bit of tweaking (which is good, because no tweaking is allowed). The spell effects, map, battle sequences, spell book, inventory, and pretty much any other facet of the user interface or noticeable gameplay features are brilliantly illustrated. Though it’s 2-D and may not have the latest pixel shaders and per-pixel lighting, this game does not leave one wanting graphically.

The music in the game is very pleasing to the ear, if somewhat repetitive. Truth be told, I have been standing around quite often, taking notes in my trusty black journal, which causes me to be in one place longer than an average player would likely stay, so that could be the cause. The music fits the light-hearted theme of the game very well, but the combat music is almost too friendly. Even in a happy game, I believe, the music should be somewhat nefarious. You are, after all, battling some hideously evil creature who is threatening your cheerful, carefree way of life!

The game starts off gently with an introduction to combat without the risk of being eaten alive on the first encounter. It’s very good that they give you this opportunity to the learn the basics of the combat system, otherwise one would likely be slaughtered by the smallest of animals while facing the clock in a first “for real” battle. In combat, players are positioned randomly relative to their enemy, and are given a small intermediate period before combat begins to move to a more desirable position. After clicking ‘ready’, the turns alternate between the player and the enemy (and whoever else happens to be in the battle), continuing until either the friendly or the opposing team is eliminated.

In the first levels of the game, the player and the enemy are allowed to move 3 squares, using up what the game has called “Movement Points” as they do. The point of this is to get closer to (or farther from) an enemy in order to use certain abilities. All abilities have a range, and are useless against a foe unless they are within this range. During this same turn, the new player is allotted 6 AP (Ability Points), which can be used in varying combinations to deliver an attack sequence to the enemy. After all MP (Movement Points) and AP are used up, it’s time to “Skip turn” and let the enemy have his.

Out of combat, lost health can be recovered very quickly by sitting down. Health will not regenerate while standing or moving, so it’s a good idea to relax, sit down, and maybe chat a couple of friends while you’re waiting for your next battle. You know, the kind of thing you’d be expected to do in such a carefree place even in real life.

While I won’t claim much knowledge about the grouping system itself, there is an interesting aspect of social battle that is worth mentioning: you can join other people’s battles yourself, and there is no noticeable experience reduction for doing so. I joined a few people during their battles, and it was an interesting experience. While I like this feature of the game, it seems as if it could get very annoying very quickly. Having random people join your battles and then having them stand around and not click “Skip turn” when they’re doing very little (or, worse yet, not doing anything at all) would be frustrating. Luckily, all turns are timed, and I believe the longest you ever have to wait for a single person is 30 seconds.

All in all, this game is fun and I’m excited to play it a bit further and see where my character goes. I’ve left the newbie zone and have entered what appears to be the main map, which is an excruciating 64×119 grid, meaning that plenty of adventure, humor, and intrigue is waiting my online appearance tonight.