In ZAM's early-feature format, we take a broad look at Alganon, the upcoming MMO from Quest Online, launching later this year.

As we reported the other day, the developer Quest Online finally lifted the NDA regarding Alganon, its upcoming MMO. Since the game launches later this year, it means that beta test participants can now share in-game media like screenshots, videos and other specific gameplay details in an "official" capacity, although unofficially, we've known quite a bit about the ambitious MMO for some time.

Yet many gamers who haven't vigorously followed Alganon's development throughout the last few years still don't know what to expect from the game, or what it hopes to add to today's vast lineup of MMOs. Pending ZAM's own preview of Alganon—until we've spent a little more time with the post-beta launch—our "What We Know So Far" feature format aims to explain the upcoming MMO in broad strokes. Have you heard of Alganon, but still don't know what it's really all about? Interested by the occasional news blurb or comment you’ve read, but haven't had time to sift through forum threads and read pages of archived news? Keep reading.

The Arizona-based developer Quest Online was founded by game designer David Allen in 2006. Allen previously developed a few lesser-known RPGs games like "Mordor" and "Demise" in the late 90s and early 2000s. Shortly after founding Quest Online, Allen announced it was developing a new MMORPG called "Crusade" (later, in 2007, the developer would change the MMO's name to Alganon).

Alganon is the name of world spanning the two continents in the game; Ardonya and Harraja. The MMO already has a fairly fleshed-out story and written lore. The two playable races available at launch will be the "Humans" and the "Talrok." The Humans are pretty self-explanatory and familiar for a Human-based MMO race, while the Talrok resemble a sort of dark elf-like race. Four classes are available; Soldier, Ranger, Healer and Magus, representing your four major archetypes, all of which can eventually be refined into more specific roles. Quest Online says it's more concerned with quality than quantity at this point, and that the variations in skills and abilities will result in no two players being exactly alike. More races and classes are planned for the future, though.

Classes can each have dual roles in Alganon; a mechanic that allows one player to fill various roles, depending on the situation. Your role at any one time depends on your current goals as well as your group's composition; it's a gameplay mechanic similar many MMO's specializations systems, meant to increase the versatility—and therefore the desirability—of each player.

The developer's goal for Alganon's gameplay was to create a fantasy-themed MMORPG that offered "simple gameplay with unlimited growth in a massive world of immersion and interaction." Quest Online envisioned an MMO that would easily allow new players to jump into the action with little effort, yet offer a dynamic endgame experience for hardcore players that wouldn't become stale after just a short time.

In addition, the developers recognized the problem of "falling behind" that casual players often face in MMOs, and wanted Alganon's gameplay to cater to their needs as well. By making use of the real-time "Studies" system, casual players can keep progressing even when they're not online. It's meant to offer a solution to players who can't devote as much in-game time as hardcore players can, yet still offer incentive for Alganon's more dedicated players. Here's an excerpt from a developer Q&A we published last month, better explaining the idea:

"Players who put in the effort to gain experience and levels deserve the rewards that come with doing so. It is not our intention to eliminate those rewards, but instead to keep players advancing even if they are unable to invest those hours into playing the game. Imagine two players, Hardcore Hank and Casual Carl. Imagine they both have the same goals. Hardcore Hank is able to dedicate his time and energy to playing, and will be able to earn epic items, buff scrolls, crafting recipes, and other rewards through gameplay. Carl, on the other hand, does not have the time to farm these items. Both players, since they have the same goals, undertake the same studies, and advance in their studies at exactly the same rate.

"As the two advance through their studies, they both gain powerful rewards and access to items, quests, and other gameplay elements. Hank gains rewards he could not have gained through play alone. Carl gains the same rewards. While most of these rewards are upgrades for both, some of these elements are merely cosmetic for Hardcore Hank; he has already advanced to the same level through gameplay and would be making an equal-swap to the new rewards. For Carl, however, these elements are upgrades, and give him the bonus he needs to step into the fray alongside Hank. In this way, the studies are rewarding for both, allow Hank to be rewarded for his efforts, but also allow Hank to close the gap and continue to play alongside his friend."

Another often-touted aspect of Alganon's design is its social community, and reliance on that community to continually shape its gameplay. Quest Online says it's devoted to always taking its players' feedback seriously; an MMO "for the community, and by the community," according to its website. In addition to the usual "Guilds" feature, Alganon's factions each choose between a broader subset of like-minded players, called the "Families" system.

In Alganon, your "Family" represents the theme of your play style and goals, enabling players who share similar traits to participate in an additional layer of social community. Even though participation with your Family is voluntary, it serves as a broader network than your guild, which you work to progress with your other Family members. Check out the official Families section of Alganon's website for specifics.

The in-game community is also supplemented with an array of Web-based utilities, such as the "MyAlganon" community portal, where players can interact in a Web 2.0-themed environment. Quest Online also features regular blogs to keep in touch with its community, and hosts official forums to promote that feedback they say they're so eager to receive.

Aside from the usual feedback concerning occasional bugs, balance and all the other issues raised during an MMO's beta phase, some players have commented on Alganon's alleged resemblance to a certain "big name" MMO: World of Warcraft. It's something that's been thrown around in forums and blogs since the early days of Alganon's development; many players have noted the similarity between the two, pointing out elements of Alganon that appear to be "lifted" from WoW. Whether it's the combat system, the names of zones or territories or the uncanny resemblance to the UI, both fans and critics have raised questions about the MMO's intent.

Quest Online usually responds by pointing out that many elements of modern MMOs, especially the UIs, will almost always share similarities because developers don't want to re-invent the wheel. They want to make it as easy as possible for veteran MMO players to jump in and be able to start playing, without relying on complex tutorials or game manuals. So while it might be true that Alganon's design shares some design aspects with a certain successful, multi-million-player MMO, it's usually just chalked up as smart business.

As we reported a couple weeks ago, Quest Online chose to distribute Alganon exclusively through Direct2Drive, in addition to the developer's own website. Various pre-order incentives are offered for the game client, with a monthly subscription revenue model for extended play. Check out ZAM's Alganon portal site for more news regarding its upcoming launch, and stay tuned for future coverage into November.