eGenesis has released a Macintosh version of its collaborative Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), ” A Tale In the Desert, The Second Telling.” With the Mac version’s release, the game is now playable on all three major computing platforms — Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
The game has heretofore been available as a beta version, but this announcement marks the game’s general release. This MMORPG takes a different tack from others like Everquest and Shadowbane in that there’s no combat — it’s a cooperative game that depends on the players to advance the game’s story.
“A Tale In the Desert, The Second Telling” tells the story of “The Stranger,” who challenges the Pharaoh to prove his boast that he has created the perfect society. Through 49 tests in seven different schools of learning, players build, create and evolve the society. Tasks they’ll accomplish include understanding spatial relationships, creating artwork, developing mathematical skills and playing games. Players can follow their own paths to completing the tests, and the game’s developer estimates that completing all 49 tests will take the average player about six months to do.
System requirements for “A Tale In the Desert, The Second Telling” call for a G4/750MHz or faster, 384MB RAM, and Nvidia GeForce4 MX or better 3D graphics. Players can download and try the game for free for 24 hours of in-game time (the download itself measures 246MB); after that, they’re required to provide a credit card number, and they’ll be billed US$13.94 for month-to-month play.