Tired of theme parks? Want gaming with purpose? Check this out

I'm sure that a lot of you are tired of the average themepark that most MMORPG's are today. You might not actually be aware that it is the repetitive grinding fest that is making you so bored every time you try out a new game, but I assure you, this is it. So what is the solution to this? Why has nobody solved it before? Because the solution has to be controversial. It has to be something very different from the games that is made today. The investors are scared by this controversiality. However, I am not. (gee, so cheesy, amirite?)

Neither are Forged Chaos, the studio behind Trials of Ascension. Let me make a brief presentation of the game for you, and then I dare you to tell me why this game is not excellent:

• *While it is not planned to have tera forming, you can build a settlement (city) anywhere you want, (and mines, and outposts or whatever), and you (a player) will be the ruler of said city/settlement/kingdom. That said, anyone (with sufficient power and allies) can also destroy any said city, including the starting ones.

• World, that changes dynamically and seamlessly. The devs recently showcased their dynamic spawning system, which I think you will find very intriguing, and which allows for changes in the local flora as well as fauna. (No static mob spawning or the like. You can actually get rid of a certain plant in a certain area, just by continuisly cutting them down).

• Everything crafting and economy wise is player driven (gathering of resources, smithing of weapons, crafting of potions etc). As a result, even the economy is player driven, since no prices are pre-set and are all determined by players. In addition it relies on community, because you can e.g. co-smith a weapon, and then if one smith is really good at tempering and one is really good at balancing you can get a better result. (Random examples). As a result, to get the highest quality weapon you need multiple 'legendary' smiths. The nuggets (gold, silver, bronze, iron, etc) which are likely to become the standard currency will be monitored by the GM's/devs, and their availability will be limted, so as to avoid massive inflation. These nuggets are also player aquired through mining.

• Combat needs involvement and is realistic. You have to aim, and there are hitboxes for various body parts, instead of just one, and there is no auto aiming or button tapping involved in combat. You recieve realistic wounds, like broken bones and deadly diseases, that can't be instantly healed (without powerful magic). Also there is realistic survival, you can die from cold (and extreme heat/dehydration/starvation).

• The PvP frontier will be where ever you make it. There is no two factions that fight for some divine abstract war. Rather it is the players, and the player formed kingdoms that might decide to fight against each other over resources, political or personal strife. Or of cause the vicious raknar, who will be the main antagonists at launch. These beasts are also played by real players. Later on when they add dragons to their race roster, you might gather a band of friends to go dragon hunting (also PvP) I suppose that the PvP frontiers will naturally be centered on the places with valuable resources.

• Classless system. This means you can be basically anything you want. Not semi classless like ESO. Also, the playstyles of different races are vastly different - nothing like the +10 faith, or something like that, that most moder MMORPG offers for different races. The human will be the most social one of these, as you will need to team up in order to achieve true greatness (like building a kingdom). Dobbeltgangers on the contrary will benefit from being a stranger in the community it recides in, so that no one will notice it's absence/the sudden presense an expected-to-be-gone character. (Just one example of differences)

• There is no quests. The only NPC's are those hired by players to attend the counter in their shop, or patrol the gates of their settlement. It is truly a player driven world. You will be able to contract other players (offer 'quests') to i.e. gather resources, assasinate opposing player, build your house (or some of your house) or smith an armor for you. The lore is created by the players and history is written as we go (there is pre existing lore, to create the setting, but since kingdoms will actually rise and fall, and heroic deeds will be done, history will actually be written by the players, as they play). Even some skills are taught by players.

Another great feature is innovations: New skills and weapon designs are introduced via innovations. An innovation is the moment where you character realises how to create something new, never seen before. It could be a new knife design, a new loaf reciepe, or something as groundbreaking as the first building plan to build a boat. The higher your character is in a certain skill, the higher chance for him to make an innovation concerning that skill. And once you made an innovation, you are the ONLY one who knows that skill. You can then teach the skill onto other players if you want, or they can interrogate you for it, but none of these are required.

So what is the backside of the coin you think? Permadeath. Before you freak out, give me a moment to advocate the idea. This is not hardcore "You die once, and then you are gone forever and all your work is lost" permadeath. There are a couple of reasons for this: - You actually have a 100 lives before your character is gone. This is to prevent issues like lag and such to kill your epic character, and to allow for longer character stories, and a game more focused on PvP. - You will have a legacy. That house you build, that invention you made that kingdom you founded, or that scorned battlefield you caused with your epic spell will still be there, and players across the game will know your name. There will (might) be risen monuments to honor and remember your character if you were really good, and you might even get your name chiseled in the monolith. - There is a chance for you character to betemporarily resurrected in a GM event. Come back as a champion of the mighty gods, (or whatever), and whatch your enemies shiver as they realise that the threat they thought to be gone, has come back.

On top of all this, think of what permadeath adds, and allows in a game:

• A continuing storyline. The king can be slain, and the story of kingdom moves on.
• There will not be a ton of overpowered max-level characters who basically has all the power, and are maxed out in all stats and have all the best gear.
• Everything does not have to be equally powerful, and the illusion of different character paths can be broken. Magic can be extremely powerful, if you make it hard to aquire, and a race like a dragon can be implemented in the game, if you make it hard enough to get there.
• And more

Besides - there will be infinite replayability, as the gameworld will change for each replay, and the political situation will be different.

Right now we are just $15.000 away from reaching the stretchgoal that will permit them to add dragons for launch, and below is a video showcasing the dynamic spawning system as it is right now.

This game is not for the faint hearted, but if you give it a chance, you might just fall in love.