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World Review: Graal
Main Review

Compatible with Operating Systems:
All

World Status: Operational


World Purpose: Gameworld, Social

Age Suitability: Juniors (below 12), Young Teens


World-Type

If you have ever played the original Zelda games, then you will be familiar with what Graal is. This top-down 2D world system uses an almost infinite combination of square areas one and two screens wide, which slot together to form a world.

Behaviour is built into the tiles themselves, so if you encounter a bush you can pick it up or slash it, if you encounter a seat you automatically sit, if you encounter a sign it puts you into pause mode and immediately displays the sign content. Very simple, and fairly effective for creating simple locations.

Graal is an old program, and although updated versions ? Graal 3D ? have been made, the original, year 2000 version with original graphics and functionality is still their main product.



Simple graphics, high density

The World in Brief

Graal is a weird world-system, which is divided into a large number of individual worlds, which may have completely different rules in each. The only similarities they share are a map of the current world, in the lower left hand corner; the keys A, S, and D which are used to interact with the world; albeit in different ways in each.

It seems to be a Pkers haven, as the main point of the gameworld aspect is to collect different weapon powerups ? bombs, arrows, swords ? and use these to slay each other and harvest the contents of each other?s inventories.

There is a monetary system, of crystals that can be harvested by slashing bushes. However, like everything else, a rogue script can take this money from you, or a player can create a script to give themselves as much as they desire so any attempt at an economy is nonsensical.



Pick a world, each is different, on a different server, in a different language

 

Sub Reviews

Here at Virtual Worldlets, we look at all worlds, whether for entertainment, training, medicare, industry or military use. Thus, we have the situation where different uses judge by different criteria. Below are a series of sub-reviews, each tailored to a different aspect of the world.

Explorers
For some, its the thrill of discovery, the freedom to strike out, to pioneer. Whether its mapping new lands, or exploring unknown fields of endeavour, to be first, to boldly go, this is what explorers live for.

As anybody can purchase a house in a world-map, and then link that to as many individual map tiles as they care to make, Graal?s worlds are often massive, sprawling vast city-states inside a single house. If it were not for the extremely limited selection of repetitive graphics tiles, there would be enough to keep you occupied for months on end. As it is, you will likely become tired of exploring familiar-looking rooms, and broken scripts within a day or two.

 

Socialisers
The social life is the life for you. To chat, to roam, to gossip all day, and chatter all night. You are the heart of the party, and you are the soul. The drive to chatter, the need to gossip, stretching out, making connections, mind against mind, heart against heart. It keeps you going, it keeps you sane.

Pressing F7 accesses the community in any Graal world. This loads up an instant-messaging panel, which allows anyone in that world to message anyone else in the world. This is usually the main focus of activity if you are not actively player killing.

From the content of most messages, even those by world-staff, the playerbase appears to be very young, as in early teens and younger. The majority of chat is messages from rival player-created clans (who identify themselves with a clan name at the end of their on-screen name) sending rude, insulting, or foul language messages to one another, via the ?send to all? messaging function.

There is some attempt at community spirit, but it is limited to isolated groups, on different worlds. No global community exists.



Chat is the real purpose of Graal

 

Killers
You get your fun through fighting, killing, pillaging and pilfering. From despicable thieves, through sneaky assassins, great military generals, and noble knights, you love to kill, you live to kill.

Pkilling or Playerkilling is the primary occupation other than chatting on Graal, and a huge variety of weapons and upgrades exist for that ? from bombs to projectile weapons, swords, axes, bludgeoning weapons. All of which can be upgraded with a near-infinite number of scripts. Ammo is freely available as well, just attack a bush and you will find either nothing, a gem, a collection of arrows or a collection of bombs. Occasionally you will find health as well.

Killing each other is so common, whole worlds are devoted to new and interesting ways to do it, whilst you are never far from a sparring pad ? assuming you can resist the urge to just murder random people on the street.

 

 

Overall
Graal is an oddity. On the one hand, it harks back to the days of yesteryear, and love of old games such as Zelda. On the other, it is a place for children for the most part, with juvenility far exceeding any trace of older visitors, even amongst the administration.

 

Rating 47.5 / 100
Newbie Friendliness
8.0
/ 15
Community Values
3.0
/ 15
Believability
2.0
/ 15
Immersion
5.0
/ 15
Administration
9.5
/ 10
Automated help
6.0
/ 10
Code Integrity
7.0
/ 10
Entertainment
7.0
/ 10

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Client OS:Win 2K, Win 98, Win 2K, Win 2K

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