One of the best reasons to play a smaller MMO (like Ashen Empires) is that they provide a far better sense of community than the blockbuster titles. You'll often find the developers in-game, in-game help and customer support tends to be handled more quickly and better, and it's easy to play with your friends, because everybody is on the same server. (Well, in Ashen Empires' case, on one of two servers--a PvP one and a non-PvP one.)
Ashen Empires has been around for many years (it was originally called Dransik), and as a result the kinks have been worked out and it's now a nicely polished game with a depth of content and many wrinkles you won't find in other games. It's also a 2D title more reminiscent of Ultima Online than the current high-end 3D titles; if eye-candy is the main thing you find appealing about MMOs, it may not be the right title for you. If, however, a rich world and a friendly community are what you like, it may be right up your alley.
Ashen Empires has three playable races (humans, orcs, and night elves), and no character classes as such--instead, there are a wide variety of skills, so you can, in a sense, construct your own class by specializing in skills you find appealing and interesting.
Incidentally, the original Dransik (also available through the "demo" link at left) is wholly free to play (through free players get a reduction in pack size--a paying Ashen Empires playing Dransik has that feature removed).
Business Model
Initially, Ashen Empires is free to play, however players who choose to subscribe are granted access to all features of the game as well as gaining experience at an increased rate. Subscriptions are $8.00/month (slightly less if you subscribe in three- or six-month chunks). Payments are made through a "token" system, with tokens costing 20 for $1; tokens are used to purchase not only game time, but also access to two big expansions to the game, as well as some in-game items and equipment. This isn't a game where you can buy your way to the top, however; token-purchasable stuff is mostly for things like cool-looking armor and buying items for your house, so using them is completely optional. The developers say that they ultimately want to drop the subscription entirely, and make their money purely on the basis of tokens, which sounds attractive.
The developer says:
What is Ashen Empires?
Ashen Empires is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). In Ashen Empires, players must determine their fate in a world balancing on the brink of renewal or destruction.
What is a MMORPG?
MMORPG is a term describing a genre of games in which you can simultaneously play alongside thousands of players. A MMORPG is set in a persistent world; this means that a game will continue to evolve, regardless of whether a player is logged into it or not.
What was Dransik?
Ashen Empires was called Dransik when it was published by AsylumSoft. The fantasy world that players explore in Ashen Empires is still known as Dransik.
GameplayIs there a difference between each Ashen Empires server?
Ashen Empires has two types of servers, each with a different set of rules:
Player versus Player -
A player can harm other players at any time, regardless of whether you are in a town or not.
Non-Player versus Player –
A player is unable to kill another player at any time, in any place.
How do I play?
When you first enter the game world, a Tutor will greet you and show you how to play the game. You may also get Help anytime during the game by pressing the ESC key to bring up the game menu, and selecting Help. Help includes basic gameplay information such as movement, combat, using items, and shortcut keys. Players should also read the Getting Started Tutorial, which details how to create an account, create a new character, and play the game.
What is Target Protection?
Target Protection is a safety measure that prevents a player from harming game peaceful NPCs or other players by accident. You can toggle Target Protection on and off by pressing the T key. On Player versus Player servers, turning Target Protection off allows you to target any character or player in the game, except in safe zones where you can only target hostile creatures. On Non-Player versus Player servers, turning Target Protection off allows you to target anyone in the game except other players. Again, in towns and other safe zones you will not be able to target NPCs (non-player characters). While under protection from a patron, Target Protection acts as though you are on a Non-Player versus Player server. Keep in mind that harming other players or NPC townsfolk in the presence of guards will make you a wanted criminal. Even if guards are not around, attacking other players or peaceful NPCs will erode your reputation.
What is Reputation, and why is it important?
Reputation reflects how the game world views your character. Your character’s actions affect their reputation; in turn, your reputation affects how the game world reacts to your character. For example, a character who engages in criminal activities (such as looting or killing other players) will have a low reputation. Because of their low reputation, the character will have a harder time buying and selling goods than someone who has a higher reputation. Depending upon your current reputation level, guards and shopkeepers will react differently towards you. When choosing your character, keep in mind that each race has a different reputation level.The multi-colored bar with the picture of the scales next to it reflects your character’s current reputation level. The red range corresponds with a negative reputation, yellow is neutral, and green is a positive (or “divine”) reputation.
What is a guild, and how do I join one?
A guild is a voluntarily-joined group of players that share similar interests and/or pursuits. You can either start your own guild by performing the Guild Quest, or be invited to join an existing Guild. If you are invited into a guild, the guild leader will offer you a deed. Pick up the deed and click on it in your inventory to become a member of that guild.
Reviews
"Ashen Empires is a high quality game that every MMORPG fan should try. For those that have yet to try an MMORPG, Ashen Empires is a great introduction to the genre as you’ll experience multiple features that are frequent to the genre; and some that most games just don’t include. It gets over-looked greatly because of it’s independent development, lack of promotion compared to other titles, but you get more than you pay for with Ashen Empires than most related games. There are some things that can become tiring, but for the most part, there are those features that make up for that. Overall, Ashen Empires is a very addicting game and produce a high quality experience. A definite must for anyone."
- 9.4/10, OMGM
"Ashen Empires is a fantasy MMORPG that focuses on game depth and support rather than eye candy. You won't find great graphics like you will in major MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft or Everquest 2, but you will find a MMO with more of a personal touch than those games. Whether providing customer support, issuing updates, or interacting with players, Ashen Empires' development team allows the depth of the game to shine. A great deal of that depth revolves around the freedom of AE's skill system. Instead of getting crafting and combat skills just one way or limiting skills to certain professions, you have the freedom to choose what skills you want to develop. This freedom is a very important aspect of an MMO, because it allows you to construct the character the way that you want to without being told to follow a certain path created by someone else's vision of what your character should be."
- Gameogre.com