Can four guys working day and night for four years produce a game that is innovative and sophisticated enough to compete in today’s MMORPG market? Well, the gaming world is set to find out in February 2002 when ‘Endless Ages’ is released.

Avaria, a company that consists of only four people, is producing Endless Ages. Aaron Boucher is the Founder/Owner and lead programmer. Justin Gonzales is VP, Production Manager, and Lead Level Design. Davis Beasley is Lead Animator, and Daniel Vasallo is Lead Character Design. Aaron Boucher, who was the programmer and developer of Evil Core – The Fallen Cities, a flight simulation shooter, originally founded the company as A.B.T.S. Intelligent Group. After the game was published and distributed, Boucher was able to attract the funding necessary to expand the team.

The game’s back-story sounds unique. Sometime in the very distant future, the player comes into the world of Iia. This is the realm to which all living beings that have died within their own realities come. In Iia, every creature has the possibility and capability of achieving the same level of intellect. The player has a great deal of control of how his/her character co-exists with other characters in this hereafter realm.

The Endless Ages world is said to equate to approximately 100 square miles of game play space, with no load times. The world will be seamless – with no zoning to enter any area within the game world. There will be one other “zone” which will be underground, and equivalent to the 100 square mile above round area. This area will account for dungeons and the like. All characters will exist within the same game world.

When you begin play, you’ll first need to create a character. Three characters per account are being allowed during beta, with talk of up to five characters per account after release. There are three races from which to choose, and many combinations to be used for character customization depending upon the race you’ve chosen to play. For example, players choosing the amphibious race will be able to customize the head, eyes, torso, arms, legs, feet, and hands! Your character’s starting city will depend upon which race is selected for game play.

When the game is released, there will be more than 20 skills for players to choose from, including: shape shifting, alchemy, engineering, smithy, mind control, melee, hiding, and weapon tech – to name a few. While some of those may not sound so different from the offerings in other games, consider that alchemy includes bartending and liquid bombs, and engineering includes the ability to build jet packs and vehicles! The developers indicate that they also have the ability to add new skills as the game goes on.

One nifty feature is that any race will be able to practice any skill, although some will have racial advantages in certain areas. All your character will have to do to start with a new skill is to attempt it. As in real life, however, if you try to take on too many skills at once, you may end up being “jack-of-all-trades, master of none.”

Other interesting features included in the game will be vehicles (hovercrafts, boats, submarines, space ships, and others), pets that you can tame and ride, and housing. There will also be many different quests for players to work on, either as individuals or with a group.

Avaria appears to be taking great pains to ensure that Endless Ages produces as promised once it goes gold. Initially, only 3,000 copies of the game will be sold. This will allow for a release that insures each new player the promised great gaming experience right from the start. Following the initial release, the company states that they have an “aggressive expansion plan” to grow the subscriber base.

The game will sell for $39.95, with a $10/month play fee. The initial release will be conducted through the Endless Ages web site (www.endlessages.com). In a special deal, the company states that Beta Testers who sign up and participate in the testing prior to February 1, 2002, will be able to purchase the game for half price.

My advice? Check out the web site, sign up for the beta, and see what Endless Ages has to offer. After all, who doesn’t want to see what being a bar-tending shape-shifter is all about?

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