Dragon Gate Windows, Mac, Linux game

Game-play
Game-Play is something which we are really trying to get perfect, when Dragon Gate is ready for it's final release it will have your classic MMO style UI and feel which makes it very easy for new players to quickly adapt and get involved with game-play without having the pacing ruined by long boring tutorials. However with combat we're planing very different approach. Instead of using the basic button mashing approach, DG will have a combat system similar to that of Darksiders/ Castlevania Lords of shadows 2. This allows the player to discover lots of different combinations and use a fighting style suited to them giving each player their own unique approach to fighting through dungeons. This means that most abilities for all classes will have to be targeted and used appropriately and can also be dodged by other players when skill-shot abilities are used. The intention of this is not only to create a more original combat system but to also bring a more competitive aspect to the game, removing the problem with most MMO's today where the victor of a duel is usually the one that brought the bigger sword. Throughout exploring Corderia you will find lots of quests and dungeons to explore and complete. Most dungeons have their own boss(es) each with weaknesses to help you find various ways of defeating them. Gathering and other skills have also been implemented so that you can craft your own gear or help bring some income.
Classes
When DG is finished the classes available will be, Paladin, Warrior, Sorcerer, Cleric, Rouge, Ranger each with different mastery paths, for example sorcerer's can choose to empower their magic damge further by becoming Warlocks or learn to take control of the un-dead and cast curses over their enemies as a Necromancer. Each class will offer the player a unique style of game-play so if the player decides to create a new character with a different class the game-play won't feel so stale or repetitive. Once your character reaches a certain level of skill the option to gain a secondary class will be available to the player.
Performance
Although it was attempted on several occasions having a seamless world simply wasn't feasible. As a result there are loading screens between each zone. It is a known fact that loading screens are the best pacing killer and we've done our best to ensure that this doesn't happen. After several modifications to the rendering system loading screens are extremely quick. the longest one in the game currently is around 4 seconds but this time will vary for different PC's. Zones in general are big. As an example the starting zone will take a good few minutes to go from either end with a speed boost from a mount. We've done our best at ensuring that the size of the zones does not effect the quality of the scenery and have tried to remove any chance of the player getting the feeling that the zones are empty. Throughout the development stage Dragon Gate has and will continue to go through lots of optimisation.
Visuals
Dragon Gate utilises the power of DirectX7 and we've tried to push it as far as it will go. Using various algorithms and visual tricks, we have managed to achieve lots of post-processing effects to a high quality such as, Volumetric Light shattering and Bloom as well as Animated Shadows, 3D Animated Water and Bump Mapping. We are currently developing Day and Night Ambient Lighting cycles with an updating Sky Texture, Specular Mapping, Cube Mapping, Depth of Field effect and Dynamic Lighting.
Micro-transaction system
After a poll was cast it seems that including an Item Shop is the most popular. However the last thing we want to do is make DG a pay to win game, therefore items in the item shop that can increase the power of a player can also be acquired by completing certain tasks throughout the game. This mainly means that cosmetics and other various things will be the only items that can be acquired though the item shop. This hopefully keeps the game balanced while giving every player the same opportunities. This also allows for players that don't have lots of time to complete tasks to get certain items at a low price.