Shining Lore Offline
Shining Lore
is to the very majority of people a cancelled
MMORPG originally to be released early 2003, before it fell
into development limbo. However, what most people are unaware of is
that Shining Lore Online, as it was to
be called, was originally a dating RPG
called, simply, Shining Lore (Supposed
to be released in 1999 or 2000). This was, obviously, a -very-
different game from Shining Lore Online,
which shared some elements, but in many ways it was very different
(A dark plot instead of a lighthearted one, for example). Many of
the characters you were to meet in Shining
Lore Online were based on designs of the girls you could date
in Shining Lore, although obviously,
some of them had seen slight redesigns, or in some cases even sex
changes.
Incidentally, a
beta version of this game existed, but sadly I never got hold
of it. The only "proof" I have of its' existence is a small capture
of the setup program:
There are a series of
alternative
designs for the main characters, displaying a more mature look than
that used in the "final" version of Shining Lore online, even though
those designs are largely the same as the finished ones. (Although
by a different artist.) I have no idea, however, if these designs
are from the early development of Shining Lore Online and thus being
closer in style to Shining Lore Offline, or if they are merely
designs by a completely different artist. Never the less, it's an
interesting addition.
It was originally supposed to be a very
social kind of MMORPG. Apart from the usual dungeon-crawling and
quests found in normal online games, each player had his or her own
room, which could be decorated as the player saw fit. (Similar to
Sims or Animal Crossing) Guilds had access to a much higher degree
of customisation for their houses.
What really set it apart, however, was an arcade-style... I think it
was called "Shining Road". I can't remember. It was included in
early trailers for the game. It was highly similar to games such as
Mario Party, right down to the dice. Minigames were played in much
the same fashion.
In the near-finished Shining Lore online, these elements were
heavily downplayed. The
beta included none of the
party games.
However, I did manage to spot an "out of order"
arcade, hinting that
they would have been included in the final version.
And, yes, (to some degree translated) beta client and
server files -do- exist. However, few people want to run the server
due to the massive bandwidth requirements. Even with few people
logged on, there is plenty of lag. That coupled with the fact that
the game in beta form is highly unbalanced (battles become
incredibly drawn-out due to low damage from both the player and the
enemies) and several functions are left out makes it somewhat
painful to play.
It's most unfortunate that so few
people know about the near-finished game that was
cancelled and later became
Shining Lore Online. I would personally
have downloaded it if it weren't for the fact that I at the time was
on a 56k modem, and the demo was
available for download, if I remember correctly, maybe a week or
less. A friend of mine managed to download it and play it, and sent
me several screenshots. Ironically, however, he has since moved on
to buy a Mac, and the fact that my hdd crashed certainly didn't help
much.
I have contacted the developers, and they go as far as admitting
that Shining Lore -had- gone through a
change like that, but apart from that,
they refuse to give out any information. This situation may have
changed now, seeing as how Shining Lore
is most definitely cancelled, and I will try to get in contact with
them again soon.
[Article written by Saga Darvulia]
For more beta screenshots & Artworks:
Shining
Lore Online Archive
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