Salem
Preview
Gamescom 2011: Survive and make friends in this Puritan sandbox
by Chris Priestman
previewed on PC
Paying Your Way
As each inhabitant is limited by their measure of fluids, it is teamwork that saves the day once again. The importance of community in Salem cannot be underestimated as it means survival is more certain, and life is easier and generally more pleasant. Sharing tasks will more than likely lead to some players specialising in certain skills, and by using their black bile they can level up in certain skills such as agriculture, baking, mountaineering or masonry. Before long, these specialisations will quite possibly become occupations due to the needy community relying on those individuals with better skills to perform their specialised task for the whole village. There will be an option for players to learn magic they will then be forced to choose between adopting witchcraft or not. The decision is up to the player but the consequences may not be.
Salem is not as friendly or as cute as it may initially seem. Not by a long shot. Players are granted the ability to engage in combat with each other, and death in Salem is actually a permanent ordeal. Fear not though, as PvP battles cannot be initiated until players have levelled up to a certain point and acquired the skill ‘The Rights of an Englishman’ – basically meaning you can kill others (my English mind is somewhat amused). Players can access new skills by reading books, and can continue to level them up through use. Players can breathe another sigh of relief as although their character is dead and gone forever, their inventory will be passed down through inheritance to the next Puritan they create.
Law And Order
Much more interesting is not what the developers have thought up during their own design process, but what their community of players ended up naturally adopting as rules in their previous title. Noticing a trend in the behaviour of players in Haven & Hearth, Seatribe has gone with the flow and created a capacity for the idea of community policing and serving justice. If a player murders another player then a scent trail will cover their tracks, which other players can then follow if they want to smite the murderer with a slap full of justice. Here we see the game really tightening up into something very different and interesting. This is a game that players learn to care enough about to take authority upon themselves without too much of a push from game design and create their own rules and to carry out the punishment for those who do not abide by them.
Perhaps even more interesting is the choice made by the wrongdoer – do they confess and beg forgiveness from the village, or do they scarper and attempt to remain hidden in the dangerous wilderness… alone. One thing they should definitely not do though, is commit the crime and leave the game. Doing so will mean that anyone on to their scent can summon them to their position and have their way with the criminal, without the player being aware until they next log on.
My Virtual Puritan
Seatribe is hitting upon some very interesting aspects of social interaction in the virtual space with Salem, and it is a very commendable effort. The game will appeal to a particular audience and it will be those people that continue to make the game worth investing in. The developers are set out to provide a uniquely crafted world that will support a thriving community. For those looking for an Animal Crossing MMO or indeed enjoy playing a spot of Minecraft, Salem is an adequate host and best of all it is free-to-play of course.
