Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Earth Eternal?

EE is a high-quality, free, 3d MMO. It takes place in an epic fantasy world full of fantastical monsters, beautiful environments, and whimsical touches. It is playable either as a desktop application or via a web browser.

2. When will Earth Eternal be released?

It will release in 2009 but we’re not going to be more specific than that right now.

3. Can I apply to be an alpha or beta tester?

Funny that you should ask! Yes. Yes you can. Just sign up for an account with us here and you’ll be eligible to be in the alpha or beta.

Please do not contact us asking how to get into the beta or alpha. The above is all we'll tell you.

4. Why is the MMO called Earth Eternal?

The world of Earth Eternal is a kind of fantasy Earth. It incorporates real-world elements that range from Egyptian Gods to Arthurian legends to the saga of Beowulf. In other words, while Earth Eternal is loosely based on themes from the real-world, virtually everything has our own spin on it. For instance, in EE, most of the Greek and Norse Gods were slain by extra-dimensional Sphinxes acting in concert with Anubis, Egyptian God of Death. Mankind wiped itself out thousands of years previously and the many races of Beast now inhabit an Earth overrun with a huge variety of creatures, both fair and foul.

5. What kind of gameplay does Earth Eternal have?

EE's gameplay is classic in the best sense of the word. Working alone and with allies, you’ll adventure through the world gathering wealth and power as you overcome the challenges in front of you. You’ll delve into deep, dangerous dungeons, slay dragons, and party with your friends on the Eiffel Tower.

6. Does Earth Eternal have classes like World of Warcraft or Dungeons & Dragons?

Yes it has classes, but not quite in the same sense as other games. In Earth Eternal, you'll pick a primary class, but after a certain point, you'll be free to start learning some of the abilities in the other classes. Be a Mage who can blast opponents with mystic energy or a Rogue who can surprise opponents with his close-range combat skills. The possibilities are nearly endless!

7. What classes will Earth Eternal have?

When EE is released, it will have four classes: Knight, Mage, Druid, and Rogue. As noted above though, you are not limited to abilities within your class. This creates the possibility for character customization that goes well beyond your typical MMO, where you’re confined to the same set of abilities as everyone else in your class.

8. How many abilities are there to choose from?

Each class has dozens of abilities and many variations on most of those, plus there are a number of ability types (such as different types of Healing and Transportation) that can be selected by any class, leading to huge possibilities for building your character your way.

9. How many races/types of Beast will there be?

We will have twenty-two races available at release and they are:

Anura (frog)
Atavian (falcon)
Bandicoon (raccoon)
Broccan (badger)
Clockwork (a race of mechanical origin)
Cyclops (one-eyed race)
Daemon (good demon)
Foxen (fox)
Lisian (gecko)
Ursine (bear)
Taurian (bull)
Bounder (rabbit)
Feline (cat)
Tusken (boar)
Hart (stag/deer)
Caprican (ram/sheep)
Longtail (rat)
Fangren (wolf)
Noctari (owl)
Yeti (yeti)
Grumkin (goblin-like)
Sylvan

10. How much can I customize my character?

Quite a bit. You can change its height, you can choose from three different body types for it, three different head types, and each race has between 8 and 13 areas on it that you can change colors on. Further, unlike in most MMOs, you can change what your armor or clothing looks like without changing the stats on it. So, for instance, say you find a set of armor that gives extra fire resistance but you just love the way another set of armor looks. You can take the ‘look’ of the armor you like visually and apply it to the armor with the fire resistance, thus ensuring that you choose what you look like while not sacrificing power.

11. What about quests? Will there be quests?

Dude. Do you have to ask that? Really? Of course there will be! Tons of quests. Literally, if you put all the quests on a scale, they would weigh at least as much as an elephant.

12. What is the world of EE like?

Earth Eternal is a highly modified version of the real world at a fictional point in time. At launch, the accessible world will include England and much of western Europe, plus instanced dungeons and cave systems.

13. Will Earth Eternal's world be seamless or will it have zones?

It's a combination of the two. The above world has large seamless areas but one will have to 'warp' (via a doorway/portal) into dungeons and cave systems, as well as far-flung places that you cannot walk to because of mountains or ocean in the way. Building interiors are generally part of the contiguous world, meaning that you can see into them from the outside and vice-versa.

14. Do we have to walk everywhere or are there faster methods of transport?

Earth Eternal has a system of Henges, such as Stonehenge, that are a network of portals able to take you around the world.

15. Will you expand the world after you release the game?

Yes! We’re really looking forward to the cool story opportunities that areas outside of Europe provide, whether that’s Asia, Australia, Africa, or the Americas.

16. What kind of currency is used in Earth Eternal?

Copper, Silver and Gold, each at a 100:100:1 ratio (meaning 100 copper = 1 silver, and 100 silver = 1 gold)

17. What about PvP? You've got to have PvP, right?

Of course! That’s all we’re saying for now though.

18. I’ve heard about something called Groves. What are they?

Groves are private (instanced) areas controlled by players. They can potentially be any type of area that has natural boundaries, from a mountain valley to a tropical island to a giant underground system of caves. Groves will not be available at release of Earth Eternal. The functionality is already there but we want to add more polish to the Groves tools than we can for release.

19. What are Groves good for?

Think of a Grove as your area to build out and personalize as you wish. Earn the ability to place and arrange everything from forests to houses to all types of creatures in your Grove. We may even allow you to alter the very terrain within your Grove, creating mountains, rolling hills, canyons, and more. Drop in a large variety of buildings, from tents all the way up to massive castles and towers and decorate the interior of them. Groves are a gathering place for groups of friends and for clans, and a place where you are the Master Of All That You Survey. Sweet.

However, remember that Groves will not be in at launch! We'll be adding them a few months after launch.

20. Will Earth Eternal have clans or guilds?

Yes, we have clans. For a cost in gold, players can form a clan that comes with various organizational tools that let players work together more effectively or just hang out as a group.

21. Can Clans own Groves?

Probably, but we're not certain yet. There are some tricky issues with clans owning Groves. And please remember: Groves will not be in at release.

22. How do we get to Groves? Do we have to walk there?

You get to Groves by teleporting from various safe points, called ‘sanctuaries’ in the world, and when you leave your Grove you return to the place that you entered it from.

23. Can we have dragons in our Groves?!

Yes. Listen, what kind of game doesn’t let you have dragons in your Grove? We recommend, for your safety, that you not attempt to play games in which dragons in Groves are not possible. Unless they’re really good games. We cannot, in good conscience, recommend that you stay away from really good games.

24. How high are the system requirements for Earth Eternal?

They are fairly low by the standards of modern games. We won't be able to announce the exact target spec until close to release, as it won't be finalized until then.

25. So, is this a browser game or a downloadable game?

It can run as both, so it’s whatever you choose!

26. What platforms will it run on?

At launch, it will run on Windows either in Firefox/IE or as a download. We’ve engineered it from the ground up to be easy to port to the Mac though, and will releasing a Mac version sometime after release.

27. Will I have to pay to play Earth Eternal?

Absolutely not. Sparkplay Media is committed to providing a free play experience for its users. There will be the chance to purchase small upgrades that will enhance your experience in Earth Eternal, but we will never require people to pay to play our games, and anything that can be gotten by paying real money can also be obtained by diligently playing the game.

28. Is there a Mac version of Earth Eternal?

A Mac compatible version will be available after the launch of Earth Eternal. At launch only a Windows compatable version of Earth Eternal will be available.