''Rolemaster: Magestorm'' (since 2001, ''Magestorm Millennium'') was an

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...

-only

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

using magical spells as weapons. It was developed in 1996 by Interworld Productions (later known as

Mythic Entertainment Mythic Entertainment (formerly BioWare Mythic, EA Mythic, Inc., and Interworld Productions) was a video game developer in Fairfax, Virginia that was most widely recognized for developing the 2001 massively multiplayer online role-playing game '' ...

Gameplay

It centered on team-based gameplay and included some

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

elements, notably the

character class In tabletop games and video games, a character class is a job or profession commonly used to differentiate the abilities of different game characters. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes aggregate several abilities and aptitudes, ...

and

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical * Canal pound or level * Re ...

-based systems. The four character classes were the Wizard,

Psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psychok ...

, Eldritch and

Healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...

; but prior to ''Magestorm Millennium'', the character classes were named as

Magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

Mentalist Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognitio ...

, Arcanist and

Cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

, respectively. A character could gain experience points by hitting other players and raise up to level 30. Each gained level gave spell picks which allowed to unlock new spells.

Development

Rolemaster ''Rolemaster'' (originally ''Role Master'') is a tabletop role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises since 1980. Editions ''Rolemaster'' has a total of four editions. First edition (RM1): 1980–1982 This edition includes the or ...

'' returned to computer games in the 1990s when

released three games that used the ''Rolemaster'' system: ''Rolemaster: Magestorm'' (1996), '' Darkness Falls'' (1997), and '' Rolemaster: Bladelands'' (1997). They also published a '' Silent Death'' computer game (1999).

Availability

The game was a feature of various gaming services over the years. Firstly as part of the Engage Games Online service, before moving to AOL. For a time, there was choice between the hourly billing method of AOL's game service versus the flat monthly charge offered by rival service Gamestorm. The game was also briefly available via the Gamezone network in Europe. Magestorm is currently available to play at https://gamemodi.net/#magestorm. When Electronic Arts purchased both the AOL Games Channel and Gamestorm, the game was shut down almost immediately in 2000. As compensation, players of the game were given free copies of

Ultima Online ''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems. Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...

. The game however was relaunched as Magestorm Millennium in 2001, on the Mythic-Realms game service, operated by Mythic Entertainment itself. It brought together the former two communities of AOL and Gamestorm and was one of the most popular games on the service, surpassing its spiritual successor, Spellbinder: The Nexus Conflict, developed in 1999. The official server run by Mythic Entertainment is no longer available and was retired in January 2006, along with all other games offered on the Mythic-Realms gaming center excluding ''

Dragon's Gate Dragon's Gate was an interactive, real time, text-based multi user online fantasy role-playing game, sometimes referred to as a MUD. It was one of the longest running pay-for-play online games in the world, it opened to the public in the spring ...

''. An unofficial

server emulator Strictly, a private server is any machine or virtual machine used as a server that is privately administrated. Colloquially the term is nearly-exclusively used to refer to independently operated, unofficial servers for video games. Private Serv ...

, Magestorm Revival, has been in development since 2009 and is still available to play for free.

References

External links

Magestorm Revival
(archived)

(archived) 1996 video games First-person shooters Multiplayer online games Mythic Entertainment games Video games developed in the United States Windows games Windows-only games {{online-game-stub