Game: Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings

A bit of explanation for those uninitiated: If you've never heard of a massively multiplayer online game (or MMOG, as we'll call them) before, the name itself offers a good explanation. Thanks to the global scope of the Internet, MMOGs enable hundreds or thousands of players to inhabit the same world simultaneously-competing or collaborating in coghtmbat, and interacting with myriad beasts and beings scattered throughout the gigantic worlds. The playfields for these adventures are called "persistent worlds," because they never go away. Unlike a traditional computer or console game, the world doesn't get turned off with your system, and MMOG persistent worlds are available on a 24/7 basis. That also means that things can change when you're not logged in, because there's always someone in the universe playing.

Asheron's Call 2 (AC2) offers players a world called Dereth, the land of many cities in which the action takes place. Players can run over the terrain or use the system of portals and "ringways" (collections of portals that make up a geographic "ring") to make longer journeys quicker. Dereth is also home to thousands of creatures, such as beetles, rats and wasps, as well as more mythical beings, such as drudges (which look like they're half-monkey, half-human) and even gigantic dragons. These NPCs (non-player characters) are continuously appearing across the landscape and in underground dungeons, engaging players in combat. As players defeat more and tougher beings, their experience increases, which makes them heartier combatants and gives them the ability to wear better armor and wield stronger weapons-and battle even tougher foes. Players can also band together in alliances, and their combined strength enables them to fight and defeat stronger creatures. Experience points and loot rewards are also shared.

Other NPCs help move the story along through narration, as well as offering players quests in which they can engage. A quest might consist of delivering a certain item, beating a number of a particular creature or crafting an item out of raw ore. In return for the quest's completion, the player gets experience points, an item reward and/or some form of character enhancement.

As the player's experience grows, skill points are also awarded, which can in turn be used to boost the player's abilities. A complex "skill tree" offers a progression of abilities, in melee (hand-to-hand or close-combat weapons), missile (such as bow-and-arrow) and magic for offensive and defensive protection. Craft skills can also be built upon, which enables the player to "mine" components (such as iron and acid), create weapons or objects and other necessary abilities.

Best of all, the AC2 universe is constantly changing and evolving, thanks not only to the players within it, but as a result of events that Turbine Entertainment, the game's developers, and its Microsoft producers are introducing on a monthly basis. We spoke to Ken Troop, Asheron's Call 2's live producer at Turbine, for a more detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the game and the directions in which its creators are taking it.