Ecosystem

The environment isn't just a static setting, it is integrated and alive. Atys has a dynamic life cycle where the seasons change from continent to continent which in turn, change the raw materials available and the beahviour of the local creatures. Players are able to make an impact on the planet by the way in which they treat the environment. And Atys, the environment, responds.

The Interactive Plants of the Game World

The plants are one with Atys, they are her weapons and her charms ; they form her glorious mountains and paint her magical vistas ; they whisper her thoughts and chant her spells... Through them, Atys lives and breathes. Be attentive to the plants, they have a conscience…and that consciousness is Atys.

Whether they are dangerous or benevolent, the plants help make the experience of Atys an authentic and amazing one. There are hundreds of species of unique plant life on the planet that confront players with surprising and richly developed new characters around every curve of the organic game universe.



The players will have to learn to avoid the dangers of certain organic life forms and even communicate with theses strange and wonderful plants… For, they too help forge the destiny of the Atys.

While all Atysian plants have a form of consciousness, their intelligence may take different forms. Some can communicate with the homins directly, these are the 'intelligent plants' ; some have developed predation instincts, these are the 'killer plants' ; others possess psychic powers to control other beings ; while still others confer increased power to their genitors…

All in all, there are four major species of interactive plants on Atys.

They are :
…Killer Plants…
…Fleeting Plants…
…Psychic Plants…
…Intelligent Plants…

The following is an overview of the most important of their common characteristics:

They are Atys' Heart and Mind

Fame

You have a "fame rating" or reputation with every living organism on the planet. Your interaction with the world determines your fame vis-à-vis its thinking creatures, in this case, the plants. Their reactions to your reputation are based on a tremendous number of variables, just like in real life ; but let's just say you might want to watch where you walk… So, keep your eyes and ears WIDE OPEN, these guys can be touchy...

Plant Communication

All of the plants are rooted to the Bark of Atys. They cannot move from their fixed positions. But thanks to the magical properties of the Sap, the intelligent plants can communicate with each other by spreading organic messages on the wind or via their network of roots. When a player attacks or harms any of the conscious or 'intelligent' plants, its plant buddies in the region are likely to get wind (or root) of it…

Indestructability

All plants are partially indestructible, sometimes it's their roots that can never be destroyed, other times it's their foliage or fruit that keep growing back. In short, plants all regenerate…this can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on what kind of plant you are interacting with...

Resources

All of Atysian plants possess some kind of raw materials that can be useful to players throughout the adventure. Cultivated plants and crops require care and harvesting with the appropriate tools, while mutations and wild plant species may require you get at them in a more persuasive way...

FLORA

Example

The ephemeral or Fleeting Plants are among of the Matis' favorite familiars. They germinate almost instantaneously and die when they run out of Sap.

The Matis use these Fleeting Plants to improve their own performances. For this, they toss a Seed not far from them, which then grows into a pretty flower in a matter of seconds. The plant releases a Sap-based organic substance into the air that increases and improves the capacities of the Matis within a specific area of effect.

It doesn't necessarily work for everyone… Its area of effect is visible thanks to the pungent cloud of fine iridescent pollen it gives off. Some of these plants can be poisonous for the enemies of the Matis. The flower resembles an orchid.

Germination

These plants are a pure product of Matisian master botany. The Seed-grown stimulants they had first synthesized at the outset of the hostilities with the Zorais, had proved to be ineffective in mass combat. So the Matis set about to create a new species of Sap-increasing plants. The initial plants had to be digested long before entering into conflict to work, and had a relatively brief and irregular effect. The Matisian masters also had to strain out its highly addictive properties and other bad side effects. After many years of research, the master botanists finally engendered the Fleeting Plants, which they had designed to blossom and release their stimulating perfume on demand.

next: Players create the content...