Darkfall impressions on mounts and guild politics
Paragus is back with another mini Darkfall review over at MMORPG.com. This time he's talking about mounts and politics.
Mounts in Darkfall are quite a bit different than you'll find in other MMORPGs. The biggest difference is that you don't purchase them from vendors; they come from crafters who learn the "taming" skill. Mounts aren't just vehicles to get you from point A to B either; they can swim and attack (kicking and biting). They can also be stolen by other players, killed, and healed. The controls for mounts are excellent and you can actually attack other players with a one-handed weapon from the saddle.
Darkfall's unrestrictive PvP also supports an interesting political system. Guilds can be neutral, allied, or at war with each other. You can even be at war with a guild of your own race. Guards won't intervene when you're fighting a guild you're at war with in a city either. This obviously leads to some complex relationships when you become allied with other guilds because you must factor all the guilds they're at war with.
Anyone interested in Darkfall should also take a look at Keen's blog because he has been keeping a very detailed journal of his experiences.
