Minions of Mirth

Minions of Mirth is a MMORPG for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows by Prairie Games, released in December 2005. Both free and paid (with additional features) versions of the client are available. The game is somewhat unusual compared to many currently popular massively multiplayer games in that it does not require a monthly fee and perhaps more unusual in allowing and encouraging both private servers and player-driven development.

The world in which the game takes place, Mirth, consists of 2 large islands and 2 smaller ones. The game's inhabitants are divided into 3 factions: the Fellowship of Light (FoL), Minions of Darkness (MoD), and the monster realm. On the official servers player versus player combat is allowed but is entirely optional, as players can make themselves available for factional, guild, or even free-for-all combat at any time or can choose to abstain completely.

MoM features twelve races and sixteen classes. Each class can either be used by only Minions of Darkness (MoD) characters, only by Fellowship of Light (FoL) characters, or by both types of characters. The classes are divided into four basic archetypes; Rogue, Combatant, Priest, and mMage. Every character has the option of multi-classing, or being more than one class at a time. This aspect makes it easy to make unique characters with over three thousand combinations.

MoM uses the Python programming language and is extensively editable. Because of this openness, players are encouraged to host their own servers with their own custom-built worlds. Players can also submit content they create to the games developers, who will review it and, if they find it to be on par with the rest of the game's content, add it to the next patch. The game development engine that is used to produce MoM is available under an open source license in the Torque MMO Kit.

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