AdventureQuest

For other uses, see Adventure Quest (disambiguation).

AdventureQuest
Logo and all the major characters present in AdventureQuest.
Developer(s)	Artix Entertainment, LLC
Publisher(s)	Artix Entertainment, LLC
Distributor(s)	Artix Entertainment, LLC
Designer(s)	Artix Entertainment, LLC
Version	36.00
Platform(s)	Macromedia Flash Player
Release date(s)	October 2001
Genre(s)	role-playing video game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB, website requires 13+
Media/distribution	Web
System requirements Web browser & Macromedia Flash Player 8.0+

AdventureQuest (also referred to by its website name BattleOn or abbreviated to AQ) is an online flash based single-player role-playing video game developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. As of June 14, 2010, aq.battleon.com, the game's hosting website, and www.battleon.com, the game's homepage, have an Alexa rating of 3,041. As of June 18, 2009, Battleon.com currently holds a database of more than 65 million users.

A one time "guardianship" fee was introduced in 2003, allowing the player to access more game content. Ownership of the game transferred to the newly formed Artix Entertainment in 2004, and a server population cap was added for non-Guardian players in May of that year. In 2005 a microtransaction system was put into place. In response to criticism that server restrictions made logging on for non paying customers extremely hard, in October 2006 Artix Entertainment introduced a server in which a player could log on at anytime but had a tight level limit.^{[citation needed]}

Gameplay

AdventureQuest is a single player RPG; however the character data is stored on a server. The gameplay is similar to a traditional RPG in that much of its game play revolves around fighting monsters in a turn based system. As players defeat monsters they gain experience points, gold and occasionally "Z-tokens", a secondary currency that can also be bought with real-world money. There are also special items or sets called Mastercrafts or MC for short.

Skill points, like mana, are used primarily for certain class abilities; they are also used for some armors and in the activation of certain items and the usage of potions. Skill points are required to flee from battle, the higher the monster's level, the more SP is needed. Fleeing from battle prior to the introduction of SP was enabled but at no cost.

AdventureQuest has an alignment system, similar to that of Dungeons and Dragons, which includes selection between Good and Evil as well as Unity and Chaos, actions taken in-game affects the player's alignment, and will (for instance) give the player a selection of custom rewards in game events. The game also includes equipment that will bestow special effects depending on the players' alignment. To show one's alignment status the moglin Twilly in Battleon will allow show the player's moral compass.

Combat mechanics

Most fights start through random encounters and quests, which can be found throughout the game. The battle system is turn-based; on their turn the player may attack, equip an item, use an item, cast a spell or call a pet. Both characters and monsters have elemental and weapon based resistances and weaknesses. Six stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, Endurance, Charisma and Luck) also affect the amount of damage inflicted and taken, as well as the probability of an attack being resisted. There are three kinds of attacks which include melee, ranged and magic, depending on the type of weapon used. A battle ends when the enemy's HP drops to zero or if the player's drops to zero (except in special combat scenarios, where a player must die to advance).

Like most other RPGs, AdventureQuest has special releases or events and a limited time shop (for rare or short time equipment selling) based on real-life holidays. Holidays include: Snugglefest (Valentine's Day), the Blarney War (St. Patrick's Day), April Fools, Mogloween (Halloween) and Frostval (Christmas).

Clans

In AdventureQuest, players can participate in competitive activities. There are eight clans available for players to join, representing the eight elemental realms. Clan bases contain a shop that sells items of its respective element, as well as clan-unique items.

The eight clan leaders

In addition to the in-game leaders of these clans, there are also player-leaders who are elected at the BattleOn Forums. These players ensure activity and stability for their respective clans and also play larger parts during clan based game releases. Aside from this, they also have a variety of other jobs in regards to their clans.

Houses

Houses may be bought with Z-tokens; players may also use these to buy pictures and guards to decorate and protect their house. When a player visits another player's house, he/she must battle the owner's guards - if any - to gain access to that house. Some buildings yield various resources. Players can also take some potions if their number of potions is low, the amount of which is based on the type of house. Also, with some houses you can have an Estate, where you can buy certain Estate Items to get resources. Using these resources you can send guards or an army into a war, that is happening at that time. You can also use them for cheaper stat training in conjunction with the Stat Trainers.

Payment

Guardianship

Guardianship gives players access to premium content, which they can buy for a one-time fee, this fee goes towards the maintenance of the game and servers. In addition, it allows users unlimited logins, despite the server cap which limits the number of non members that may play simultaneously. Besides that, it also comes with a Z-Token boost, which boosts the player's Z-Token amount for 1000. Other exclusives include the ability to have an account for ArchKnight and ZardWars, which are side mini-games similar to AQ also created by Artix Entertainment. Players can also upgrade to second form of membership, X-Guardian, which gives more ingame advantages such as faster XP gain.

Z-Tokens

Introduced in June 2006, Z-Tokens are rare coins in AdventureQuest, which players will occasionally find after winning battles. Players may also purchase Z-Tokens with real money, with various exchange rates. Players may use Z-Tokens to buy shields, armor, weapons, pets, and items - these combat items tend to be more powerful than normal items, and can be bought with a much lower relative level. They may also purchase inventory slots with Z-Tokens, or trade them for in-game gold. Also there's a special shop called the Limited Time Shop which offers mostly Z-Token equipment, that is either discounted or going rare.

Critical reception

A common criticism of AdventureQuest is the low player capacity of the free-to-play server. OMGN praised the graphics theme and the broad range of quests, events, stories, equipment and monsters. The battle system was considered easy to learn, but held "nothing to get excited about."

Server cap

The message that displays when a free player tries to log on if the server limit is reached.

There is a limit to the amount of free players who can play simultaneously, depending on the time of day and factored server load. The limit was fixed at 4,000 during the early days of AdventureQuest,^{[citation needed]} but it currently fluctuates from 2,000 to 4,500. Guardians and X-Guardians may login at any time, regardless of the server limit. Due to the server cap, free players trying to log in at busy hours of the day, and even still, the server limit often spontaneously decreases when slots become available or filled.

Newly created free accounts are given 24 free account (not character) logins. AdventureQuest also provides an account confirmation that upon completion grants users another 48 hours of unlimited free logins. Artix Entertainment defends the server cap as a way of controlling server load and covering the cost of hosting the game. As of July 14, 2011, the Server Cap was removed for the summer.

See also

• AdventureQuest Worlds
• Artix Entertainment - the company
• DragonFable - the second Artix Entertainment Role-playing game

External links

• AdventureQuest