zOMG! Preview: How to Play

So what's going on in the world of Gaia?

In a nutshell, things that used to not be alive (inanimate objects like alarm clocks and boat anchors) are coming to life. Gaians have started calling these newly-alive creatures "the Animated". The worst part is that the Animated seem to really dislike the "naturals" in the world and that means that they generally attack Gaians on sight.

Theories are rampant about what caused the Animation and what can be done to stop it. Currently, the main towns of Gaia are cut off from each other, each dealing with their own emergencies in their own way. Investigations are constant as everyone tries to find out more about what's going on, but the Animated are aggressive and disruptive, and most citizens are busy defending themselves and trying to keep some semblance of normality in their lives.

Perhaps you'll be the one to find out what's happening and how it can be stopped. It's certain that all of Gaia would be thankful if you could do so. As the zOMG! world continues to grow, so will the plotlines, each new story arc building on the others to evolve the world of Gaia far beyond where it stands now...and you get to be an active part of that evolution as you explore the world and aid its citizens.

About the Rings

As players play through the world, they will find many treasures and items of value. Some of those items are special rings that can be worn to give the wearer unusual powers. These powers can include anything from moving a little faster, being a bit luckier or healing faster, to more extreme examples, such as creating self-animated swords that fight for you, projecting movable force fields around allies, to even crazier things like wrapping an opponent in duct tape or throwing an angry hornet's nest like a grenade.

Players can easily shuffle their character abilities around after receiving them by simply taking the rings off and wearing different ones. This flexibility of character skill sets makes for a very convenient and fun advancement system for your character.

Stamina

Every time you use a ring, you use a tiny bit of Stamina. If your Stamina reserve ever depletes completely, you won't be able to use other rings until you've rested for a bit. You can rest (slowly) by simply not doing anything, or you can Kneel and regain Stamina more quickly. Of course, you're completely vulnerable while Kneeling, and if you're hit, you'll suffer a lot of damage...so be careful.

The Agony of Defeat - "Death" Penalties

So...what happens when you are defeated in combat?

Every character has a Health reserve. When your Health goes to zero, you are knocked out (or "Dazed" as we say in-game). When you are Dazed, you can't use any ring skills, but you can move around (slowly).

You can only recover from being Dazed by releasing your life energy to reform within the Null Chamber, or by having an ally use a ring with the Awaken ability on you. (One such ring is the "Defibrillate".)

Are there any other penalties for being Dazed? Yes. When you first recover from being Dazed, you will only be able to use a couple of your rings (out of eight). The other slots unlock over time as your lifeforce (G'hi) energy recovers from being Dazed.

More Information On Next Page