Mortal Online

This means creating a game that has astonishing scope. A huge selection of diverse skills, dozens of possible interactions, and possibilities for all kinds of crafting, trade, and co-operative combat. "We are building a true sandbox game in the spirit of the first true sandbox out there," says Politz. "I would say the biggest thing we are emphasising in the game is immersion. That's why we went with first-person view and all game systems are built in a way to give a more realistic feeling. That being said, it all comes down to player interaction."

Player interaction seems like an easy buzz-phrase to throw out there, but play a bit of Mortal and you realise StarVault are not joking. This is a very serious attempt to do things differently. You simply can't expect to solo your way to victory. You need to make weapons from scratch, and you will soon realise that buying them from a specialist, while you make money some other way, is the best way to succeed. This process reminds me, in some ways, of the early days of EVE Online, with a lot of clueless people arriving in a world that has still got a long way to go. Those who overcame their inhibitions and started learning to work together began to make progress.

Like EVE, or Ultima, Mortal is fairly daunting to beginners. You're thrown into the world with just a hand-axe and a cheap smock to your name, and you're going to have to work hard to develop your many skills if you want to make any progress at all. Domestic pigs are terrifying, and experienced players in armour seem like gods. All this means that when you do start to progress, it's doubly exciting. Not least because, like Ultima and EVE, the world is so threatening. You might get some protection from the guards in certain towns and villages, but stray into the wild and you're all alone.

Politz explains: "Mortal Online is a free-for-all, full loot game. In essence that means you can attack anyone everywhere - even NPCs. There are no PvP zones and thus no real safe places - there are however places that are safer than others." The optimum way to ensure safety, of course, is to learn to fight for yourself. That takes practice and many trips to the local priest to resurrect yourself.

This is a tough game, doubly so because there's an element of skill involved in combat. You're moving in real-time, which suggests some worrying possibilities for lag-death in the future. "Gear is a factor in a fight but not as big as in most other MMOs," says Politz, who points out how much skill factors into a first-person game with real-time weapon actions. He also explains that the PvP system will depend on a flagging procedure that will represent the kind of violence you are likely to deal out to people. There are always repercussions, however, and the likelihood is that a reputation for naughtiness will mean violence is dealt out to you. "If you kill, plunder and steal, you better be a hell of a fighter or fast on your feet because players (and some NPCs) will deal out justice the hard way if they catch you."