Era Online FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

By Erling Ellingsen

Q: When is Era Online going to be released as  full version ?
A: Sometime in August/September 2000.

Q: How much will EO cost?
A: Nothing ! It will be free to both play and download!

Q: Why is Era Online free to play?
A: Era Online is free to play because the server we will be using if offered to us for free, and also because all the members of the development team do this out of interest and the joy of creating and seeing other people enjoy their work. So Era Online will cost absolutely nothing to play or download!

Q: What kind of game is Era Online ?
A: Era Online is a pure RPG that runs online. It has many of the traditional RPG elements but also new ones. Era Online is as the name says, a online game. Thousands of players can log into the same world and play with each other in a huge fantastic world with beautiful graphics. The world is mainly inhabitant by real people all over the world but you can also find NPC`s and also many kinds of monsters and animals. Era Online is a medieval fantasy game where almost everything can come true.

Q: How is the community in Era Online?
A: Era Online's community is great. The game world called Menath, is inhabitant by REAL people. There is a emperor and a high council. The world is driven by supply and demand and also has a great reputation system. Players can chat with each other, fight with each other, explore with each other and marry each other ! Players can visit concert places where player bards can perform and they can participate in many of the quests, competitions and festivals real players and Game Masters put together. Also there is a real newspaper in the game and the whole world is so dynamic! Everything can happen ! Everything WILL happen !

Q: Can you tell me more about the world in Era Online?
A: The world in EO (Era Online) is called Menath. It has a very rich history and background and the world is stunning graphically and atmospherically. There are 10 villages, 10 dungeons and 7 huge cities. In between all this you can find vast deserts, great dark forests, seas, mountains, snowy areas and also jungle ! Also around the world there is monsters and animals of all kinds scattered around. You can find castles, farms, temples, graveyards and everything else which you would find in a medieval fantasy world. The world itself is absolutely huge ! It covers thousands of screens. The world is built up in zones. One zone can host a entire city ! And there is about 200 zones in Menath ! Also, the world is full of royalty and beggars, warriors and tailors and everything else ! Its really a living breathing world !

Q: Does all places in Menath look the same ?
A: Absolutely no ! All towns and villages look different and each have their own special form of architecture. Each city and part of the world has their special house types. So traveling is very interesting since the world is very very unique and never seem to look the same.

Q: What classes and races can you find in EO ?
A: There are totally 20 classes/occupations in EO at this time. This range from baker to assassin and wizard to blacksmith. You can find a entire list over all classes/occupations in the WHAT IS ERA ONLINE section on our site. There is currently 5 races in EO. And of them there is 4 playable ones. The playable ones is Dark Elves, Wood Elves, Humans and Haakis. The currently unplayable one is the Dwarven race. However this may change. Also, we will implement new classes/occupations and races after the release.

Q: Is there quests in Era Online ?
A: Absolutely ! You can find minor unimportant quests like bringing something to one NPC to another and bigger quests alike slaying a dragon or slaying a evil necromancer that has been a pain for years. Its the EO community !

Q: Can you interact with NPCs ?
A: Yes you can. You can ask them if they want to trade, you can give them things, you can ask them about quests and gossip and also much more. You can also fight them.

Q: Can you find all NPCs ?
A: No you cant. Not all NPC`s is killable, but most of them are.

Q: Is there a plot ?
A: No. The players is simply presented with a rich history and background and from there anything can happen. Players can do whatever they want and nothing will stop them. Its a ongoing world which will be online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Q: What is the minimum requirements ?
A: Those have changed a bit since the beginning. The current requirements are something like these (may change):

Pentium 233 32 RAM DirectX 6.0 50 MB hard drive space Sound Card (Optional) Keyboard Mouse Windows 95 or 98 or higher Internet Connection

Q: 50 MB hard drive space ? Must players download 50 MB ?
A: Absolutely not ! You download a compressed version ala 17 MB.

Q: Will there be multiple servers ?
A: We will start with one server at the beginning but if we need more, we will put up more !

Q: How many players can one server support ?
A: Probably up to 1000 players or more. This will be tested in the Alpha.

Q: What RPG elements is found in EO ?
A: Most of the traditional RPG elements is to be found. There are classic races, classes, weapons, spells, magic system and the general atmosphere of the game.

Q: What kind of monsters can i encounter in EO ?
A: You can encounter monsters like orcs, fanatic necromancers, evil angels, giant snakes, skeleton warriors, zombies, ogres, spiders and a whole lot more. And we will be adding new monsters very often.

Q: How does combat system work ?
A: As in most RPG`s. Very simple. You walk up to your pray (if not your pray hunt down) and you begin slashing away. You will use the weapon equipped in your hand and you will start fighting. There are also combat skills like tactics, parrying and swordmanship that comes into play when fighting.

Q: How many NPC types is there in EO ?
A: There are at this time about 70 different NPC types of each race.

Q: How does the guards in EO work ?
A: Very realistic ! They will patrol the streets and when someone does something illegal, then they will start running at them and hunt them down. There are no instant kill guards in EO. You may run away from them or even manage to kill them. However, guards may team up on you just as monsters do. However, friends can help you and stand in their way so the guards will have to run around them and so on. Very realistic.

Q: How is player-killing handled in EO ?
A: At first we was thinking of implementing a PK switch as in EverQuest but we decided not to because many players was against it. However, we found that players want free PK kill, so thats how it is. Kill anyone you want.

Q: How will the leveling system work ?
A: When you have killed many monsters and gained experience or gained experience in another way, you will eventually level up. However, there are no track of levels in EO. You simply gain experience, and are boosted up. There isnt any official leveling. This is to keep the RP feeling intact. I hate it when people run around, "Oh only 4k to next lvl!"

Q: What about skills ? What skills are there ? How do i get better in them ?
A: There are about 30 different skills at this time and you can find a complete list at our website under the WHAT IS ERA ONLINE section. You get better in them when you use them and also when you train in them. However, you cannot pay a NPC and then they'll train you. No no. You gain Training Points when leveling up. You gain about 5 points by each level. Then you can go to a NPC trainer and use those Training Points in any of the skills. There are at this time no training dolls either so players can hack and slash on a doll forever and expect to be a super player by some hours.

Q: Are there spells in EO ?
A: Of course !

Q: How many spells exactly ?
A: Many !

Q: How does the spell system work ? Mana ?
A: If you play a character which is computable with spells you will begin with a few spells and you may buy or learn new ones by time. Whenever you cast a spell you will uses mana or magic as many calls it, and spells require a certain amount of mana.

Q: Are there any player guilds and in game guilds ?
A: Only player driven for now. Players can start their own clans, and the monarch of the clan can declare war on other clans and alliances with other clans. If your in a clan and you gain experience, some of the experience goes to the clan, and regularily the experience is distributed to the clan members. *Clan System Not In Until FULL VERSION*

Q: How will you support them ?
A: Well, if they want a guild hall they will have to buy a guild hall then they may put it up. We will help them establish and introduce them to the guild making system.

Q: Can you tell us more about monster AI ?
A: The monsters act differently. Some ignores other player while others smell players from long distances and hunts them down. Also monsters may team up on you.

Q: What about loot ? Can everybody loot your monster ?
A: If there is loot on the corpse, its placed around the corpse. So be quick to pick.

Q: Can players create parties ?
A: There isnt a ingame system for this yet.

Q: Can player buy houses ? How will this work ?
A: Players can go to a architect and buy a house deed. When he has found a good place to build the house he puts it there and then he may furnish the house. Players can either make or buy furniture of all kinds.

Q: Can player create town ?
A: In a way yes. If many players has made lots of houses in one area then Fantasia Studios may declare it a new village or town.

Q: What will follow with the downloadable game ? Graphics ?
A: The player will download the client, graphics, music, sound and a part of the game world. The part of the game world that is on the client cannot be changed.

Q: Can i alter the graphics to make my own style game ?
A: Absolutely not. Though its possible to change the graphics, it would screw up the game and non of the other players would be able to see the graphics you changed. Also, we will not tolerate people hacking, cheating or altering EO.

Q: Are there game supervisors ? And what do they do ?
A: Yes, there are many GMs (Game Masters). They will supervise the game at all times and report and strike down on people breaking the code of conduct. Also, GMs will be there to help and guide players.

Q: What is Code Of Conduct ?
A: A set of rules we must make to control what is legal in the game (Out of character). Code Of Conduct says for example that you may not harass any player or talk sexually explicit language.

Q: What will happen to people breaking the code of conduct ?
A: Their character will most likely be deleted. We do this to protect the real players and make the un-serious players behave. We make these rules purely to help players. Its for the players own good.

Q: How will GM`s be able to spot people that breaks the code of conduct ?
A: Other players can report it and many of the things happening in EO will be logged. So GM`s will very easily catch the bad guys :)

Q: Does Code Of Conduct have anything to do with in game stuff like player killing ?
A: No absolutely not ! Just out of character things like harassment and creation of anti-philosophic groups, racism and so on.

Q: Will players have to role-play ?
A: We encourage role-playing of course. However, that's up to the player. But players may not stand in the middle of the street advertising for real life stuff or try selling pirate cds or stuff like that. This is not tolerated.

Q: How can players interact with the world ?
A: They can do very much with the world. They can pick up things, build things, make things, fish, chop down trees and much more.

Q: How does player interact with each other ?
A: They can speak, shout, whisper, emote and so on. They can fight with each other, trade with each other and much more.

Q: What transportation will there be ?
A: The traditional by foot method feet, water going ships, magic teleportation spells and more.

Q: Is combat turn based ?
A: No, its real time.

Q: How is the economy in the game ?
A: The economy will shift due to demand and supply in full version.

Q: Is there any important NPC`s like kings and such ?
A: As said there are many NPC`s. The ordinary ones which knows or can nothing special is always named something like "a blacksmith" or "a beggar". Important NPC`s which you can talk to or have a important role in the world and which are unique is named real names like "Kain Benwick", "Odin Woodfield" and so on.

Q: Will there be night and day in EO ?
A: Not yet.

Q: Will you take damage to the different elements ? Like snow and such.
A: Yes. If you dont got warm clothing, and it rains or snow, get in house immidiatly or you will eventually die of cold.

Q: How can i control my character ?
A: Mouse and keyboard.

Q: Is there gods and goddesses in Menath ?
A: Yes there are currently 5 different deities. There will have a important role in the game and they have temples and people can pray to them.

Q: Can players swim ?
A: No.

Q: Is there a notoriety/reputation system in EO ?
A: Yes absolutely. Whenever a player has done bad deeds he may get a notoriety such as "Eric The Dreaded" or "Eric The Hated". If he had done good deeds he may get a notoriety such as "Eric The Respected" or "Eric The Beloved". There are several reputation ranks.

Q: Will Fantasia Studios host any events in the game world ?
A: Absolutely ! That is something we look most forward to ! All Fantasia Studios staff will role-play in Era Online and we will very often host many events like contests, festivals, talent competitions and much more !

Q: Will Fantasia Studios host any wars in Menath ?
A: Yes absolutely ! Sometimes unexpected and sometimes with a warning. The emperor will be role-played by a real Fantasia Studios staff member and he will interact with the world and behave as a real emperor. The world will be dynamic and evolving. Alignments will change. Groups and guilds will rage wars, and Fantasia Studios will also host wars such as a army of orcs attacking a city, and we will create a story around it.

Q: Will there be weather ?
A: Yes there are rain and snow.

Q: Will there be a bounty system ?
A: Players will be able to put bounties on other players and people will be able to kill those players and get payed for it.

Q: Are there male and female characters ?
A: Yes both.

Q: What is the difference between these ? Ability differences ?
A: No. Just appearance.

Q: Will players be able to put a description/biography on themselves which others people can see by clicking on them ?
A: Yes they can.

Q: Do players have to eat or drink ?
A: Yes both. For now you can't starve to death, you just need food and drink to heal but this may change.

Q: Can players drink alcohol ? And what will happen ?
A: Players can drink alcohol and the character will react to it in many ways. Intelligence may drop and such.

Q: Does different races begin in different towns ?
A: Yes they do.

Q: Does a player start with all skills ? Will any class and race be able to have all skills ?
A: Yes they can have all skills and they start with all skills. However, most will begin with 0 in most skills and just a few ones with a little more. Like a mage will maybe start with 12 in magery and 0 in musicianship and so on. Also, in FULL VERSION some skills may not be learned by some classes.

Q: What kind of shops and buildings are there in EO ?
A: There are extremely many different shops and other buildings. Here is a small list. There is many more than these:

Armory
Alchemist
Blacksmith
Butcher
Provision Store
Inn
Tavern
Tailor
Bank
Carpenter Shop
Library
Magician Shop
Shipwright
Real Estate
Barber Shop
Bakery
Bowyer
Healer
Jeweler
Stables
Theatre
Tinker
Voodoo Shop
Baric Shop

Jails Counselors Halls Court Halls Arenas Castles Forts Palace Farms Villas Ruins Cemeteries Tombs Dungeons Native Camps Docks Barracks Guard Posts Training Locals Museums Newspaper Temples Churches Trading Posts Teleporter Houses Bathhouses Parks

Warriors Guild Mages Guild Thieves Guild Assassins Guild Cleric Guild Baric Guild Merchants Guild Fisherman Guild Hunters Guild Miners Guild Animal Guild Sailors Guild Tailors Guild Knights Guild

More will come and right now we are up in about 70 different buildings and shops.

Q: Can I tame animals ?
A: Yes you can. And you can instruct them and name them etc.

Q: Will the player be able to select the characters look in character creation ?
A: No. You get a random head when entering the game. This is more realistic. This may change in FULL VERSION.

Q: Can I open a shop ?
A: Yes you can if you have enough money.

Q: Can my character age and perhaps die of old age ?
A: No. This does not belong in a online RPG. When players has spent many hours online to build up they character, they don't need to lose the character forever when he gets old.

Q: What happens when you die ?
A: You become a ghost and you will be wearing a ghost clothing and you will have lots of holes in your body and you will nearly be visible to others. You can not talk to other characters and you can neither use, pickup, trade or give anything. When you try to speak, other people will just see something like: "ooOOoo ooOOOOoooOoooo ooooOooooOooo".

Q: How do i become normal again ? How do i wake up from the dead ?
A: Visit a priest of life, target him and type /RESSURECT. Welcome to the side of the living, for free :-)

Q: To heal damage, do i have to seek a healer ?
A: You can heal my camp fires, and you will auto heal if you have food and/or drink.

Q: How many items can i wear or have equipped ?
A: There are 20 slots and each is possible to contain 99 of the item in each slot. You can have equipped both of your hands.

Q: How often will Fantasia Studios throw in more patches and possibly more stuff ?
A: We are looking very much forward to keep on patching, and throwing in more lands even entire continents, more monsters, more NPC`s, more quests, more items, more spells and more everything ! We have the power to do that and we are going to use that power. Updates will be made very often. Almost everyday.

Q: Is all player data saved at the clients side ?
A: No it is saved on the server for security reasons.

Q: Is there a way players can become a monster via a spell or something ?
A: Yes there are. They can also summon monsters and animals.

Q: How many types of magic are there ?
A: There are many many spells of all kinds. There are also schools of magic: Destruction, Nature, Enchanting.

Q: Do i have all spells available to my character when starting or do i need to find them ?
A: You will have to find them and learn them.

Q: Can all classes/occupations use magic ?
A: No, not everyone.

Q: Can a level 1 magic user have all the games possible spells ?
A: Yes in theory. But i doubt that will ever happen. And even if he had, he could only use very few of the most basic ones cause a level 1 magic users mana rating is not very high. Different skills need different amount of mana. Mana is also known as MAGICA.

Q: Can i make spells ?
A: At this time no, however i think this may change because its a possibility.

Q: Can I make items with a spell ?
A: Yes by using the very powerful ENCHANT SPELL.

Q: How do i find or buy new spells ?
A: When you find a new spell you usually find a scroll lying on the ground or somewhere. You pick it up and then you use it and you will have the spell in your spell book. Spells can also be bought in many stores.

Q: Can I kill all NPC`s ?
A: No. Not all can be killed.

Q: Will all NPC`s have names ?
A: No. The common non-important NPC`s will only have names such as "a blacksmith", "a tailor" and so on. However, important NPC`s has real names such as "Vledyr Nekam" and so on.

Q: Will NPC`s use magic ?
A: Some yes.

Q: How many different kinds of monsters will there be in EO ?
A: Many many. Over 20 at this time. More will be added very often.

Q: Does monsters and NPC`s spawn regularly ?
A: EO has the perfect spawning system. Everytime a monster dies, one gets born :-)

Q: Is there any special artifacts in the game ?
A: Yes there are some special items in the game which there are only a few of, and there are some artifatcts which there are only one of a kind of.

Q: Are items usable for all races and classes ?
A: Some are, some aren't.

Q: Does players have bank boxes and bank accounts ?
A: Yes they have. They can deposit money there.

Q: Does all cities and villages in Menath have all shops ?
A: No they don't. Larger cities has most shops, while some has not. You may be near one city and you are seeking a Library but you may have to travel to another city because the city you are near don't have a library.

Q: Will players be able to destroy buildings and boats ?
A: No.

Q: How is the government in Menath ?
A: There is a emperor and he have the high council. There are a council hall in the capitol city and also a palace. The council will very often have meetings in the council hall with the emperor. As said, the emperor is played by a real Fantasia Studios member and he will role play to the fullest.

Q: Can players enter the palace ?
A: Depends. Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Q: Can players meet the emperor and make pleas to him ?
A: Yes they can. Several players have done that already.

Q: Can players start their own governments ?
A: Yes theoretically. They can try to take over a specific area and hold their own laws there and build houses there. Of course, the role-playing government of Menath will be in contact with them and we will have a cool story around it. Players may absolutely do this cause it adds very much to the role-playing feeling.

Q: Can players be awarded with special roles and such by Fantasia Studios ?
A: Yes they can. We will take very very active role in the world of Menath.

Q: How is sound and music in EO ?
A: The sound is very realistic and the music is great.

Q: Is there environmental sounds like jungle noise and birds in the forest ?
A: Yes absolutely. Each different part of the world has its own environmental sounds.

Q: Has each city its own music as in Ultima Online ?
A: Yes. And every region.

Q: Is there sounds like opening backpack, swords, bows and maybe even monster sounds ?
A: All of them. There are many many sounds and you hear sound when you fight, open things, cast spells, and the monster also make noises.

Q: Is there many types of clothing and armor ?
A: A player can make their own clothing or buy it. However, its more like avatars in the alpha. Well not exactly avatars, but lets say a player goes into a tailor then he can buy "suits" like Blacksmiths clothing, pirate clothing, woodworkers clothing and so on. Players can of course also but many kinds of dresses and so on. There are many many different clothing styles so the players look very different. Of course there are many types of armor to buy and make. Players can also buy hats and helmets.

Q: Is there some kind of public transport system such as ships ?
A: Yes some places in Menath there are ferries.

Q: How will players interact with the deities (gods and goddesses) ?
A: When a player prays to a god, he may get special favors or miracles if the religion lore skill is high enough. However, for now, only clerics can pray. Deities will have an active role in the game.

Q: Can players mix together potions of their own ?
A: Yes we would like to implement this possibility. But on a system like this: Players can buy different herbs or ingredients which has different abilities. Like a herb that heals mana and a herb that heals fatigue. And they can throw this together into a bottle and it get mixed so it both heals mana and fatigue !

Q: Is there any training dolls ?
A: No. They may get misused as in many other RPGs. Training is only done with training points.

Q: When i drop an item, will it vanish after some time ?
A: No it will stay there until someone else pick it up or if a GM removes it.

Q: Will monsters raid cities by themselves ?
A: Not exactly. However, GM`s can tell them to.

Q: Can players find vegetables or other food sources in nature and eat it ?
A: Yes they can absolutely.

Q: Can players grow crop ?
A: We are thinking of making the possibility of players planting seeds, and the seeds will become real fruit or vegetables after some time. In fact we are maybe planning to do this in many cases and create a real ecology.

Q: Can players milk cows ?
A: Yes

Q: What can the bard class actually do in EO ?
A: They can do things like fighting of course, play instruments, and many other things. The bard class is for the real role-players and the bards travel the world exploring all places and performing.

Q: Can players fish ?
A: Yes with a fishing pole.

Q: Can they catch only one type of fish ?
A: For now only one type, but in many sizes. From 1kg to 20kg.

Q: Will there be any huge monsters or animals like Giants ?
A: Yes there are giants and they are many times as tall as player ! And there are dragons and other huge animals too. To slay a giant, there must be many players involved in the battle.

Q: You said our character would have an occupation in the game. Will I be able to completely live off of, lumberjacking or any other occupation that not involves combat or will i HAVE to fight at one point or another ?
A: No you don't need to fight. You can get a working occupation and completely live off that and role-play that if you wish. You can for example be a lumberjack, get a house in the forest, chop wood, learn the carpenter tricks and make furniture and sell it in the city ! You can live in EO ! There are also many other occupations other than Lumberjacking that can be lived off. And by the way, we are thinking of making Lumberjacking and Carpeting into one occupation called WOODWORKER.

Q: How will items work? Will they break after some time? Can you repair them?
A: For now items do not break after time so you don't need to repair them.

Q: Will all of the occupations be able to fight?
A: Yes all of them.

Q: In Era Online, will I be able to be a merchant with a Thief fighting style? Ex. Pick locks, stealth, quick attacks.
A: Yes that is fully possible.

Q: If yes, will I be attacked by guards for having that fighting style?
A: No. You will only be attacked by guards if you have a criminal status.

Q: Do pirates get ships ?
A: Not yet.

Q: Will there be different types of houses players can buy?
A: Yes there is. They can buy any type of houses in the game. Currently there are over 25 different houses but we expect this to raise far over that when the final release is here. And we will add new ones all the time.

Q: Is it possible to change or dye the colors of your "costume" or uniform thing?
A: No it is not.

Q: Do players need sleep?
A: No they don't.

Q: How many characters can a person have on EO?
A: Right now, infinite.

Q: Once the final version is released, and if you do updates, does the software automatically update itself?
A: Yes it does, trough the patcher.

Q: Are there board games like checkers in EO?
A: Hehe, not currently but i think its a nice idea so we may implement it ! :)

Q: Will the thief NPCs steal from you?
A: They don't do that currently.

Q: In our char, can we use a switch to be attacked or not attacked by PKillers?
A: No

Q: In our char, are we able to upload personal .BMP pictures and MIDIs?
A: Well...then you will have to send it to us and we will have to update it. It will then be required that all players must have those BMPs or MIDIs. However, we will try to find a way.

Q: If we govern a city, are we able to make tax revenues, fees, etc.?
A: Well yes. But then you will have to hire people to collect the taxes from the players. The game wont do it, you will have to.

Q: When we equip armor, will it show up on our little character walking around?
A: Yes it will.

Q: when we buy houses, can we go grocery shopping to buy--- oh yeah, talking of food, can we cook dinner in our houses with food we buy, like i said up there? (hee hee, sorry for cutting it ^_^) maybe we can cook up some (slurp) good meat, bakery (smack) for traveling. :D
A: Hehe, that's fully possible. Buy some wares and make dinner out of it is possible :)

Q: Will players be able to run, maybe to avoid a monster or a group of player killers? Can players hire NPC mercenaries to help them fight ?
A: Mercenaries are not added yet. Players can outrun player killers and monsters yes.

Q: Since players can not customize their "costume" or "uniform" colors , will you be making them in different colors?
A: Yes there will be some different colors on some clothing.

Q: Can Bards choose what kind of song they want to play or will there only be one sample played (if successful) like in Ultima Online?
A: We hope we can add a few melodies to each instrument yes.

Q: Will there be some sort of lag meter similar to EverQuest?
A: No sorry.

Q: Will players be allowed to use timed macros, if not will the ones caught be punished?
A: There are no special macros in EO.

Q: Will players get sick (once implemented) from the type of climate they're in, such as if they are in the desert can they get sick from heat or will they have hallucinations ?
A: We think we will implement diseases yes.

Q: Will NPCs call the guards if two (or more) players get in a bar brawl?
A: Hehe ! No. Dueling is legal in Menath.

Q: How many different types of swords are there, could you name them for me?
A: There are dozens and more being implemented everyday. Names ? Well we have Dwarven Stone Sword, Paladin Sword, Golden Swords, Ebony Swords and A LOT more.

Q: Will players be allowed to have facial expressions, like if they press alt+s to make them smile, I think would be more appropriate than using :) in your speech ?
A: For now we have no plans on making that since we have created over 100 heads already and we had to make them over again if so.

Q: if we are a wizard that has skills of blacksmith's, can we make MAGIC weapons? (ex. The Blade Of Heavens: +10 Magic, Ice Attack, can ONLY be used by (PLAYER'S NAME) i think it would be great for wizards like that to make personalized weapons to their friends. TIP: it can be helpful for weak peoples above lvl 10 who gets killed all the time by PKs who only wants to get money from peoples. i mean... the PKiller will find their Magic Weapon but wont be able to use them! pretty cool thing, no?
A: We have no plans on adding this yet. However it may come.

Q: can we make special effects on customized weapons? (ex. the weapon can glow with a shining light or burned with blue fire or something) it will make a cool but unusual thing on the weapon. it will be like.... ''tough''.
A: You can just make weapons that are already in the game.

Q: can we hunt down wild animals, (lets take a chicken then) bring them to home and make meat drumsticks out of it? it will be like getting fruits in the wild like u said somewhere in the site.
A: Fully possible. You can kill the chicken, take the meat, go home and cook it and eat it :)

Q: can we buy Mansions and Manors instead of single little houses?
A: You can only buy the houses that are implemented in the game. But there are many different sizes. From huts, to manisons.

Q: will each house have a postal box so we can write letters and put it in? (it might be helpful for peoples who wants to leave msgs for their Logged Off friends.)
A: Its a good idea but we haven't implemented that.

Q: can we buy servants and butlers if we are rich?
A: You can buy mercenaries. Also hire PC`s.

Q: When we are getting married, can we raise children?
A: Haha, no you cant. This isn't a domestic simulation :)

Q: will they have buyable, handheld and public clocks in Menath?
A: There is no clocks in Menath that goes. But there is a clock tower in one of the cities at least.

Q: Will era online be proxy friendly PLEASE SAY YES!
A: Yes :)

Q: will it be possible for players to build their own dungeons (of course you would have to inspect it before you put it in the game.
A: That's a question we cannot answer at this time.

Q: When eating will it say if our character likes the taste of the food?
A: All characters likes all kinds of food.

Q: When it is dark (once implemented) will it be easier to steal from people, such as them noticing it less?
A: Hmm. Well that would be possible I guess. But night is not yet implemented.

Q: Will players be able to ask an NPC if they talked to another player? Like if Conan is looking for Arthur can he ask the NPC if he saw Arthur?
A: Not currently. But I guess its easy to implent.

Q: Once the final release is out, how many character will a player be allowed to have?
A: For now, infinite.

Q: Where is the EO server located?
A: USA

Q: Can players bury corpses or other items?
A: Not currently.

Q: Will special items be sold at the festivals?
A: Yes absolutely.

Q: In combat can players or NPCs lose limbs?
A: Not currently.

Q: Are game master requests going to take years for them to answer like on Ultima Online?
A: Depends on how many GM`S are on and how busy they are.

Q: Will there be NPC pirates roaming the seas in boats?
A: When the full release is out, yes probably.

Q: Will players be able to conceal their identity like wearing a hooded cloak?
A: No, they use the DISGUISE skill.

Q: in Menath, will the Crossbows 'n' Bows have infinite ammo? or should we buy them at the stores?
A: Nope. You need to buy arrows.

Q: in shops, can we buy useful lifetime objects, hmm, l see.... like a Hookshot or a Torch? so we can cross Gaps (if they got any Gaps) and go through Dark Dungeons with a trusty Torch.
A: Not all items are in yet. Currently there are over 300 items in EO but we are adding more and more.

Q: will our houses be designed ourselves? or must we buy houses in the cities? oh yeah, talking of houses, if we cant afford a good one, can we buy Apartments? (gee, I don't really know if they got Apartments in those days.)
A: You can buy houses and furnish them yourself yes. Apartments ? Hmm. No :)

Q: will the furniture be useful? i mean... can we make useful things with it? lets take an example with a Table. can we place flowers, food and Lamps? maybe you wouldn't spend a 100 bucks for an useless Table!
A: Well some yes. But its mostly for decorations.

Q: Will there be items that for one day easy to get but the next it is impossible to get theme unless someone has one?
A: Yup

Q: Can you custom design furniture?
A: You can make it, not design it :) That's our graphic artist's work.

Q: will the races have special abilities that the others don't have lets say a elf can see better in the dark while a human can barely see in the dark.
A: Yes there will be some differences.

Q: Can different races be better at various things like a human is slower than a elf or a human can chop wood better than a elf?
A: As says, some races are better than others in certain things.

Q: Is it possible for a player to rent out his house to another person?
A: Yes it is.

Q: Can you own multiple house like one is you're store and another is you're house?
A: If you can afford it yes.

Q: is it possible to build multiple houses and sell theme to people?
A: You cannot build houses. You just buy the deeds and then make them. But yes, you can sell them to people.

Q: Is it possible to have you're own inn?
A: Yes it is. You can buy a building, put in tables and chairs, maybe a fireplace and so on and then operate it as a tavern.

Q: Lets say you open a up a business is it possible to hire npcs to run it for you?  If so will it cost you a cretin amount of the profit?
A: We are working on that right now. We don't know how that will be sorted out.

Q: If it is possible to have npcs run you're business can you open up several around the world?
A: See above.

Q: Will players text be transmitted to the whole world or will it be just to the players near you, or will it appear over your little character walking around?
A: Depends. When you whisper to someone, just that person will hear you, when you talk, people in your area (screen) will hear you, when you shout, people in that zone will hear you.

Q: Do you or will you backup your server program and your work often? The Xenology Crisis had to start over because someone hacked into the computer and deleted the server program.
A: Yes i heard about that. Well we will have a world save regularly. We will have a server maintenance also regularly.

Q: How long is a game day in real time?
A: Hehe no ! Right now, we haven't got night and day. But when its there, night and day is MUCH shorter than real life ! :)

Q: How high do the levels go?
A: 50

Q: Can players teach each other skills?
A: No.

Q: Is the music in EO digital or MIDI?
A: Midi. It saves space. Download time :)

Q: Is there/Will there be any skill cap? (a limit to the number of points you can allot to any single skill or cumulatively)
A: You have 3 specialized skills, and only these may surpass 50 points.

Q: If so, do you have to specialize in these magic classes or will you be able to learn spells from all of them?
A: Hmm....since we haven't implemented this we don't know :)

Q: Will houses decay after a certain time for lack-of-use? (yes a UO concept:)
A: Nope. They will stay there until we find out its been abandoned. Than we may remove it.

Q: Could you put minotaurs in the game? And if you can could you fix it so players can be minos instead of humans or elfs?
A: For now, there are only minotaur monsters, and they are not playable.

Q: Is there going to be a depo kind of thing where players can deposit/withdraw items when their bag gets too full?
A: Yup, this is in the game. They can withdraw and deposit and they can check their bank balance.

Q: Can players summon creatures/monsters?
A: Yes if they have the spells to it.

Q: Is a cleric the same thing as a Druid?
A: No, the cleric is more like a monk.

Q: Do different occupations learn different spells?
A: No, all spells can be cast by people that can cast spells.

Q: Will GMs do anything about people who do not role-play (unlike UO)?
A: No. But players must follow the code of conduct or else the GM will kick them out. And the code of conduct does contain some role playing rules.

Q: Will the little character guy running around have a different height if they want?
A: Not at this time.

Q: Is it (or will it be) possible to get struck by lightning?
A: Not for now.

Q: Will there be NPCs paying you to escort them to different towns (like in UO)?
A: Not at this time. We will work on this. We don't like NPC`s moving out of cities and zones at this time. It unbalance the game.

Q: Will there be an option to make macros such as in Ultima Online? Example: Set Ctrl-N to use a selected item(s). or option
A: No.

Q: what will the guards do if we help them kill bad peoples when they need help? (pirates, thieves...etc)
A: Your reputation will raise.

Q: can we buy and drag a Siege Weapon with us when we travel? like a Catapult, a Ballista?
A: Not at this time.

Q: will there be treasures scattered around the world?
A: Absolutely !

Q: talking of treasures, what will happen if we steal a treasure (if they got treasures) from a Bad Emperor (the Benny Benwick guy? i forgot his name... ah well...) or a group of pirates?
A: A treasure is a treasure. The keeper keeps it.

Q: what will happen if Menath is totally overwhelmed by the Pirates?
A: There will never be over population of NPC pirates. However if you are thinking of players, then we wont take that as a problem. Its great roleplaying. Imagine the world going crazy, non-pirate players fight to gain goodness to the land again and so on.

Q: in cemeteries, will it be a holy place near the Church or will it be those (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!) same ideas by making Zombies and Skeletons?
A: There are temples. But no holy places. Well some places maybe. Zombies and skeletons may spawn in cemeteries yes.

Q: will the females have better skills at cooking than the males? (I'm sure your mother made all the goodies)
A: No. No ability differences between the genders. Only appearance.

Q: if you are playing as an Good Emperor, will you take powerful group of good Assassins to make an ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'' mission against the Benny Benwick(?)'s powerful elite soldiers? a good infiltration can end anything.
A: Fully possible to role play something like that yes.

Q: will a Benwick's right-hand man come at a Emperor's castle and convince the emperor to turn his back on the good and turn bad? (and don't forget to update them in the news)
A: Emperor will be role played, and how he is played is yet to be seen. Realistic it will be !

Q: can a player work as Benwick's dark soldiers?
A: Yes if he can get to Benwick or his soldiers.

Q: will there be rumors going on that some huge abandoned houses are haunted by zombies and ghosts?
A: Yes.

Q: when a monster or player dies, will his corpse do a *BLINK* then disappears or will we see them disintegrate in the ground?
A: Right now, when a monster or animal is killed, the corpse lie on the ground. It will disappear eventually yes. For players, there is no corpse, they just becomes a ghost.

Q: if that Benwick guy is killed, will he revive? or will you invent another history saying he got replaced by someone else that is bad?
A: Resurrection is possible and always used.

Q: will there be a delay (charging up the spell) before we can fire one of our spells?
A: No. You will just lose mana. That's penalty enough.

Q: if a thief player is not allowed in a building will he be able to infiltrate the castle by sneaking up the guards, finding a cave... etc?
A: A building which isn't locked can be entered by everyone. However, guards may guard the place and attack un-wanted people.

Q: instead of marrying a woman player (I'm male!) will we be able to marry princesses and update them in the news? (big publicity!)
A: You cannot marry NPC`s.

Q: will the fighting have many different poses? (ex. when we swing the sword, will the player randomly do horizontally slashes, diagonally slashes and stabbings etc.?) instead of doing the same poses in every swings.
A: Combat is much like EverQuest. The character does the fighting. And not the player controls the slashes.

Q: can we buy a shovel (or workers) to make underground lairs and build Shelters incase theres earthquakes and other things?
A: You can only enter caves at this time. Not dig yourself underground.

Q: how do we pick up an item? do we need to stand on it or do we need to go near it?
A: Right now you will have to walk upon it and then pick it up. This may change.

Q: will there be cinema scenes when we enter somewhere? (take an example of Baldurs Gate)
A: No. That wouldn't be right in a online game.

Q: uh... I think I sent a mail saying that if we can ride a personalized horse...i never saw the answer...... anyway! can we ride and buy a personalized horse in stables? our attributes will be boosted a little and we can go faster around thee world.
A: When riding becomes possible, that may be possible.

Q: when we start a new game, what do we have in our inventory?
A: Right now, nothing but a note which you must deliver to a priest of life. The priest of life will give you some starting gold and 5 training points.

Q: when an assassin player enters a place that forbids every weapon, will he be able to wield an hidden dagger that cannot be seen?
A: Such places does not exist for now. However, we will make some places illegal to bear weapons in. And guards will attack players wearing weapons there.

Q: Can you write a short book in the game?
A: Yes we are probably going to make something like this.

Q: after parties, will the guards gets defenseless because they've drank too much alcohol? it will make thieves a better chance to grab their things.
A: Guards don't go to parties :)

Q: can we buy mirrors and make them as shields to deflect spells that are made of Beams? ex: like an Laser Shot spell (doesn't exist, but what the heck) can we make a Mirror made shield to deflect it and make it hit the spell-caster?
A: Good idea. We might do that.

Q: is there any spells that do splash damage? (Im afraid of it. cause if you r a mage and you cast a Bomb spell that hits your Knights fighting with other enemy Knights... eeeps!)
A: No. You can only cast on ONE target.

Q: does enemies dies in different ways when they get killed? ex. take (the same old) Bomb spell. if you fire it at him, will he explodes violently with blood flying all over the way (hehe, cool) or will he die like if we had killed him with a Sword? (yeesh)
A: In the start of the alpha, dying will seem a bit silly. Only one way to die. When the monster is killed, it lie on the ground with blood everywhere.

Q: can we hide in the shadows like Thief The Dark Project when we make assassin missions?
A: You can use the HIDE skill yes.

Q: can we donate gold to the King? and what will happen if we do?
A: The emperor is controlled by a real human being, me (Erling Ellingsen) and giving money would be ok :)

Q: will there be shroud and fog like Strategy Games?
A: No.

Q: will the character we use yells and complains if we leave him alone after some minutes?
A: Hehe. Have you played to much Simon The Sorcerer ? :) No he wont :)

Q: what kind of foods will there be to eat?
A: Bananas, bread, cake, melon, pumpkin, strawberries, soup, fish, meat and much much more.

Q: will players be able to have pets?
A: This will be added later in the alpha.

Q: will there be a clock and you can see what time it is in the game?
A: The understanding of time is not present in Menath at this point.

Q: will people be able to hire other people to deliver things? like weapons, food, things like that
A: Of course you can hire other players. Not NPC`s though.

Q: How many NPC will there be in a town, on average?
A: That varies from town to town. Large ones may have 100. Villages may have 10-20...

Q: how will characters talk? will there be a little talking bubble?
A: For now only a chat window.

Q: what is the max amount of mana a character can have?
A: Infinite. Its up to the player how much he can have during the time he plays.

Q: if we get injured badly by a hit or a spell, will our character covers his wounds with his arms after the battle?
A: If he has food and/or drink, he will recover yes. You can also use bandages.

Q: will some food be different from others? (ex. if we drink milk rather than beer, will our Defense grow up because of the Calcium?)
A: Alcohol will eventually have alcohol effects.

Q: are we able to bring tents and sleeping bags to sleep on the ground?
A: Players do not need to sleep, and cannot sleep. There will probably be tents yes.

Q: if we use wood equipments (take a wood shield for an example) will it burn to ashes if another player throws a Fire spell?
A: No.

Q: will there be super-secret areas where you refuse to show to other peoples?
A: Some areas are well hidden, but we don't refuse anyone to go there. We encourage them to search for it.

Q: can we still hit the corpse on the ground of a monster or player? (it'll b cool for peoples who wants revenge on players that killed them! theyll hit continually, brutally) :)
A: Hehe no.

Q: are we able to imprison and attach imprison other players in their guild hall? :)
A: Oh no ! Players would get far to fed up if other players imprisoned them !

Q: are there critical hits and weak blows?
A: When a player fights with a weapon or hands, some hits are better than others.

Q: are there any such as bosses or guardians?
A: No. This isn't a platform game :) However, there are some powerful important NPC`s.

Q: Will there be an unarmed hand-to-hand combat system such as martial arts?
A: You can fight without weapons in your hands yes.

Q: Do the different races have strong points and weak points?
A: Yes they do.

Q: Do monsters always spawn in the same place or can you make it randomized to add a more realism?
A: They are placed at a random point in the same zone.

Q: if you are not able to be online 24/7 (due to phone bills and being British :P) will that effect the character?
A: No it wont. You can log in and log out anytime you want to.

Q: Can we, if have a criminal status, disguise ourselves, fooling guards and such?
A: Absolutely.

Q: Will there be NPC slavery?
A: No.

Q: Will there be markets, where for a small amount of money, a character can hire a stall, and sell his products (weapons, food, clothes etc)?
A: Oh yes oh yes ! Every big city has markets and players can buy stalls/booths to sell their goods in.