By Joshua Temblett, Onrpg writer
This is one of the best text based MMORPGs out there. Now before you turn away from this article and say, “Oh it’s a text based MMO, I wanna play something with graphics”, let me tell you this, Roto-X has one of the best communities ever seen in a game, it has enough core gameplay to last you years but above all else, is one of the most unique video gaming experiences you’ll ever come across in your life. Intrigued? Read on my friend.
Storyline
As with most MMOs the storyline is used to set the scene of the title, and this game doesn’t break that convention. Roto-X abandons the medieval knights versus wizards setting for a futuristic and mildly realistic background. It’s set just after Earth has undergone a nuclear holocaust in the year 2058. Only 10% of the population now remains. What survivors were left constructed the “RObotic Tactical Operations eXoskeletons” which are mobile war machines used to not only fend off other survivors but also the environment.
It’s pretty deep stuff, however this storyline never gets expanded upon which is unfortunate to those who want a deep fulfilling storyline, but then again if you’re playing an MMORPG for an awesome storyline then something must be wrong with you. The game does however have something very unique which not a lot of MMORPGs have, and that is deep player lore. Stories about what players have done, and events that players have sculptured themselves, fill the land. Be it about an alliance which dominates or a rebellion which fights back, there is so much user history in this game that it will blow you away with how many stories you hear about the legendary players. Never before have I come across a game with so much history, even if the storyline of the game never gets expanded on, there is enough narrative and history from the players alone to fulfil your scratch for a great tale, if you have one.
Graphics
Roto-X is a text based RPG and thus doesn’t feature a lot of images or graphical features. That’s not to say it’s bland though. When you log in the first page you will see is your “House” whereby you will be greeted by your “Character Image” which will originally be a robot, however you can change it by just going into “Settings” and choosing what image to display on your front page. This will also be the image players will see whenever they visit your “House” to look at your stats (such as forum posts, how long you’ve been playing the game for, clan, etc). You can also add text below your house image, meaning that you can effectively turn your front page into a colourful wall representing your personality, or the exact opposite.
The use of multicoloured text, images, and even short paragraphing is simply astonishing as it’ll make sure you’ll never get bored. You can even customise your forum and battle signatures. What graphics the game does use, work for the area they’re supposed to represent, even though they may look a bit outdated. This text based MMO is by no means dull and is easy to get a hold of with its incredibly simple layout.
Gameplay
There is so much to do in this game (and there is certainly something for everyone), so where do I start? Don’t want to level up and battle other players? Then why not train in one of the eight careers and help build weapons, droids or items by either searching for the material needed to make them or help construct them. If you want to become almighty and powerful fighter, then why not buy some weapons, go to the Arena and fight other players, or if Player Versus Player isn’t your thing, practice against the trainers.
No matter what you do, you’ll want to join one of the many clans or become a part of an alliance so that the other players can help you achieve your goals. All of Roto-X is player based. This game is certainly focused on PvP, you’ll fight against other players (unless you’re hunting for items then you’ll sometimes fight creatures), fight against clans for dominance on the Noir VR or wage war against other alliances in an attempt to destroy them. As harsh as it may sound though, this game isn’t a “hardcore” game, anyone can approach it, and you don’t have to get involved in a certain aspect of it you don’t want to be.
Be warned though this title is incredibly political, for those who want to dip their feet into it, you’ll find yourself making deals with other clans about who attacks who and who makes weapons, who defends who on the VR. If you like video games with a sense of politics and communication, then this game is a goldmine for you.
Despite the huge variety of features there are in this title there are some minor problems, for example you can’t view the Hall of Fame (however you can ask the many active and friendly admins to give you the details contained in it). The game bugs won’t really disrupt your gameplay, however just be wary that there are some bugs in this otherwise totally polished package.
Community
A lot of players have kept playing this title due to its incredible strong community that binds them all together, and this is definitely Roto-X’s strong point. You will come across a huge variety of players of different ages, backgrounds and personalities, all of whom will be happy to greet you into the game with open arms. With an active forum, a nice chat room (called the “Coffee House”), clans and alliance support and of course a private messaging system, this game is based around meeting people and talking to them.
If you choose to embrace the community then you will no doubt find a group of friends you can rely on and thus get the most out of Roto-X, however if you choose to just play the game and not interact with other players then you are missing out on an incredible experience. You will meet people you hate and like, you will learn how to deal with both sides of the spectrum, but the things you’ll gain from them will be more than you could ever expect.
Conclusion
Whilst this title is flawed, its core gameplay is more than enough to make up for the minor bugs that it has. That’s not the reason why you should play Roto-X though. You should play it because it’s an experience that may well change your life, that will give you some good friends and that’ll give you a sense of belonging in an otherwise crippling world (if you have not already found your place). You would be insane not to play this game, and you owe it to yourself as a gamer to try it out. You may think it’s not your thing, but it could well be … so what have you got to lose? A must play.
