| The overall threat level of the game environment is notable. Players start off in safe zones where they cannot be attacked, but must soon venture outside to begin their tasks. Once outside, foreboding music heralds a series of imminent attacks and the player’s “radar” screen shows the location of monsters lying in wait.
As in any MMRPG, the role of the other players is particularly important. Players may talk with one another openly or in private chat through simple text messages. Those who venture out alone into the wilderness usually fare less well than those who collaborate and join temporary, “fellowships,” or more long-lasting “allegiances.” Within these groupings, players can communicate easily, meet, support one another and share resources. Fellowships and allegiances are the basic social structures of AC2, and some even feature home pages and chat rooms for out-of-game chatting. But even outside of these groupings, most players regard each other in a collegial and supportive fashion. Because players cannot attack other players except in a few specially marked areas, there is very little inter-player strife. In fact, the player community is proactive in its help of others, with players frequently taking a moment to help out those with less power or knowledge, often by casting helpful spells, a process known as “buffing.”
Figure G. Socializing through chat windows.
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