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Medium of Darkness - Overview
Medium of Darkness is a large-scale graphical and gameplay overhaul of Jedi Academy, featuring brand new content including alterations to weapons, powers and even movement mechanics. Medium of Darkness began as solely a graphical mod, however has since become a testbed for developing new coding skills, gradually building to a series of gameplay altering mods, each with unique content. The non-gameplay altering sections will also be released separately so that players can experience the graphical changes with JKA's gameplay. Medium of Darkness is divided into two major sections: One set inside the Star Wars universe, and one with a fantasy theme.
Star Wars Universe - Lesser Evils
Star Wars is a classic tale of good verses evil, betrayal and redemption. Though sometimes the boundaries of good and evil are not so clearly defined. Medium of Darkness's Star Wars section features a band of thieves and assassins as it's protagonists. The Freerunners are the renegade inhabitants of Coruscant's Works district, led by the brothers Jaz and Vin Freerunner. The broken remains of a once prosperous industrial centre, The Works is now a breeding ground for crime and fear, and the residents of it's many slums are forced to desperate measures in order to survive. Though they follow the path of scum and villainy, The Freerunners are bound by a code of respect and loyalty to one another, and allow of no corruption amongst their ranks.
However, a greater evil rises to threaten life. Partially returned from death, Darth Exhumas's dark spirit is bound to his armour, animating it and channelling him into physical existence. Though powerful, Exhumas must continually feed off the force energy of living beings in order to preserve himself. Defeated along with the rest of the Sith Empire millennia ago, Darth Exhumas now corrupts humanity with the promise of immortality, gathering a legion of followers to restore him to his former glory.
The Star Wars half of Medium of Darkness features five classes. Each of these classes has two distinct sets of powers and upgrades available to them, which may be selected and mixed at will. A player has a limited number of ability points which they may spend as they wish. Points can be spent in both power sets, but a player will have to specialise in one set in order to gain access to the greatest abilities. In this way, a player can choose whether to focus solely on a single set of powers, or balance their abilities to gain lower-level abilities from both sets.
Medium of Darkness's Star Wars maps are set in the sprawling urban wasteland and industrial sites of The Works, Coruscant. Players score points by defeating members of the opposing team, as in a Team Deathmatch, however various objectives are spread throughout the non-linear environments, which either team can complete to score a large bonus. Objectives vary across different maps, ranging from scavenger hunts and assassinations, to domination and capture the flag style missions. Although a team can achieve victory through combat alone, the missions provide a substantial number of points, and sometimes a tactical bonus to that team.
Combat is fast paced but requires thought and strategy. Players must understand the strengths and weaknesses of different classes in order to fight against or alongside them effectively. While certain abilities grant improved mobility though the world, every player has the chance to master the environment. Movement is no longer restricted to simple a run-and-jump style: ladders, pipes, window ledges and cables can be traversed with a series of new climbing manoeuvres giving combat a lethal extra dimension.
Fantasy Universe - Rise of the Damned
The fantasy half of Medium of Darkness is a brutal war between the forces of humanity and the dark legions of the foul undead. In the early stages of this war, the Undead still fight to secure their most vital resource - the lifeless remains of Humans to raise as allies. Bold townsfolk, far from the heart of their kingdom, must now take up arms to defend themselves against the encroaching menace. The Undead bask in the dark power of their morbid abilities and seemingly impenetrable necropoles, yet the Humans uphold a righteous defence of their lives and lands. Cold steel clashes, hails of arrows fill the air and magic rips across the battlefield as both sides fight for their survival.
Gameplay will be heavily based on JKA's siege mode. One team will attempt to break through the other's defence and achieve objectives, after which the teams switch sides and must complete the objective more quickly than their enemy. Much of the combat takes place at close range, as each team attempt to out manoeuvre the other, but there are also plenty of opportunities to rain fire onto the opponent from long range. A well balanced team combining many elements is the key to success.
Lightsabres give way to swords, with new attacks to suit the new arsenal. All force powers are being replaced with magical attacks, both harmful and beneficial, to add further depth beyond a simple hack 'n' slash game. The teams each have five unique classes, providing an opportunity for a different gameplay experience every time round.
Every power is deigned to fulfil a particular role, and different classes have different sets of powers to one other. Human priests possess sacred abilities with which to quickly heal allies and temporarily repel the Undead, whilst Undead apothecaries (Roughly the equivalent class) use foul mixtures to slowly repair swarms of damaged undead troops and provide poisonous obstacles to attacking humans. Many offensive abilities appear similar on first glance, but afflict their targets in different ways. For example, the Human's Fireball and Undead's Frozen Grasp both launch a damaging magical projectile at the enemy, but while Fireball scorches nearby targets for extra damage, Frozen Grasp chills the target, reducing its capability to fight and weakening it to further attacks. The magical abilities are tuned to be equally effective against their respective targets and their different attack styles. Fighting as a Human is a very different experience to fighting as Undead.
Both teams have five classes. Four of these classes are available immediately and may spawn into the battle, however players who achieve a succession of kills without being slain themselves will be given the option to transform into a champion character. Champion characters are Paladins (for Humans) and Death Knights (for Undead) who possess far greater powers than the other classes. Co-ordinated team work is necessary to slay a champion, though once slain, they must return to a basic class until they can achieve this feat again.
Medium of Darkness is a large-scale graphical and gameplay overhaul of Jedi Academy, featuring brand new content including alterations to weapons, powers and even movement mechanics. Medium of Darkness began as solely a graphical mod, however has since become a testbed for developing new coding skills, gradually building to a series of gameplay altering mods, each with unique content. The non-gameplay altering sections will also be released separately so that players can experience the graphical changes with JKA's gameplay. Medium of Darkness is divided into two major sections: One set inside the Star Wars universe, and one with a fantasy theme.
Star Wars Universe - Lesser Evils
Star Wars is a classic tale of good verses evil, betrayal and redemption. Though sometimes the boundaries of good and evil are not so clearly defined. Medium of Darkness's Star Wars section features a band of thieves and assassins as it's protagonists. The Freerunners are the renegade inhabitants of Coruscant's Works district, led by the brothers Jaz and Vin Freerunner. The broken remains of a once prosperous industrial centre, The Works is now a breeding ground for crime and fear, and the residents of it's many slums are forced to desperate measures in order to survive. Though they follow the path of scum and villainy, The Freerunners are bound by a code of respect and loyalty to one another, and allow of no corruption amongst their ranks.
However, a greater evil rises to threaten life. Partially returned from death, Darth Exhumas's dark spirit is bound to his armour, animating it and channelling him into physical existence. Though powerful, Exhumas must continually feed off the force energy of living beings in order to preserve himself. Defeated along with the rest of the Sith Empire millennia ago, Darth Exhumas now corrupts humanity with the promise of immortality, gathering a legion of followers to restore him to his former glory.
The Star Wars half of Medium of Darkness features five classes. Each of these classes has two distinct sets of powers and upgrades available to them, which may be selected and mixed at will. A player has a limited number of ability points which they may spend as they wish. Points can be spent in both power sets, but a player will have to specialise in one set in order to gain access to the greatest abilities. In this way, a player can choose whether to focus solely on a single set of powers, or balance their abilities to gain lower-level abilities from both sets.
Medium of Darkness's Star Wars maps are set in the sprawling urban wasteland and industrial sites of The Works, Coruscant. Players score points by defeating members of the opposing team, as in a Team Deathmatch, however various objectives are spread throughout the non-linear environments, which either team can complete to score a large bonus. Objectives vary across different maps, ranging from scavenger hunts and assassinations, to domination and capture the flag style missions. Although a team can achieve victory through combat alone, the missions provide a substantial number of points, and sometimes a tactical bonus to that team.
Combat is fast paced but requires thought and strategy. Players must understand the strengths and weaknesses of different classes in order to fight against or alongside them effectively. While certain abilities grant improved mobility though the world, every player has the chance to master the environment. Movement is no longer restricted to simple a run-and-jump style: ladders, pipes, window ledges and cables can be traversed with a series of new climbing manoeuvres giving combat a lethal extra dimension.
Fantasy Universe - Rise of the Damned
The fantasy half of Medium of Darkness is a brutal war between the forces of humanity and the dark legions of the foul undead. In the early stages of this war, the Undead still fight to secure their most vital resource - the lifeless remains of Humans to raise as allies. Bold townsfolk, far from the heart of their kingdom, must now take up arms to defend themselves against the encroaching menace. The Undead bask in the dark power of their morbid abilities and seemingly impenetrable necropoles, yet the Humans uphold a righteous defence of their lives and lands. Cold steel clashes, hails of arrows fill the air and magic rips across the battlefield as both sides fight for their survival.
Gameplay will be heavily based on JKA's siege mode. One team will attempt to break through the other's defence and achieve objectives, after which the teams switch sides and must complete the objective more quickly than their enemy. Much of the combat takes place at close range, as each team attempt to out manoeuvre the other, but there are also plenty of opportunities to rain fire onto the opponent from long range. A well balanced team combining many elements is the key to success.
Lightsabres give way to swords, with new attacks to suit the new arsenal. All force powers are being replaced with magical attacks, both harmful and beneficial, to add further depth beyond a simple hack 'n' slash game. The teams each have five unique classes, providing an opportunity for a different gameplay experience every time round.
Every power is deigned to fulfil a particular role, and different classes have different sets of powers to one other. Human priests possess sacred abilities with which to quickly heal allies and temporarily repel the Undead, whilst Undead apothecaries (Roughly the equivalent class) use foul mixtures to slowly repair swarms of damaged undead troops and provide poisonous obstacles to attacking humans. Many offensive abilities appear similar on first glance, but afflict their targets in different ways. For example, the Human's Fireball and Undead's Frozen Grasp both launch a damaging magical projectile at the enemy, but while Fireball scorches nearby targets for extra damage, Frozen Grasp chills the target, reducing its capability to fight and weakening it to further attacks. The magical abilities are tuned to be equally effective against their respective targets and their different attack styles. Fighting as a Human is a very different experience to fighting as Undead.
Both teams have five classes. Four of these classes are available immediately and may spawn into the battle, however players who achieve a succession of kills without being slain themselves will be given the option to transform into a champion character. Champion characters are Paladins (for Humans) and Death Knights (for Undead) who possess far greater powers than the other classes. Co-ordinated team work is necessary to slay a champion, though once slain, they must return to a basic class until they can achieve this feat again.
