Game History

First of all, what is the game known as Underlight?

Underlight is one of the most intense and in-depth roleplaying games that has ever existed on the internet. If you enjoy "hardcore roleplaying" then this is one of the best games available for you to play. Many of our regulars come from a HUSH or MUD game background and are perfectly content to roleplay with or without graphics.

Originally, Underlight was released on MPlayer in 1998 and was operated and maintained by Lyra Studios. At the time it was one of the most cutting-edge and graphically advanced MMORPGs on the internet. The playerbase was large and there were always things to get involved with. Over time many things both inside and outside the game evolved: the average level of roleplaying improved as the playerbase became more experienced, many notable players became Game Masters at the request of Lyra Studios, and the game mechanics slowly became outdated. As players left the game and new players were difficult to convince when they compared UL to much more graphically pleasing games, Lyra Studios determined it was no longer profitable to run Underlight and shut down the servers in February, 2006. They gave notice at that time that the players would have to wait 1-2 years for the new top-of-the-line, 3D, server they were building. In the meantime the players were left to disperse and find other outlets for their creativity. When Lyra determined that the feasibility of developing the 3D client for Underlight: Reclamation was not what they had hoped they sold the rights to some former players who attempted to continue development. In the meantime, however, the rights to the old, outdated, version were sold to another set of former players who set out developing Underlight: Shades of Truth.

Unfortunately, the 3D Reclamation version was never completed but the Shades of Truth version launched almost two years after Underlight was shut down on October 12, 2007. Since then two other versions with accompanying storylines have been launched. They are known as Shades of Truth v.1 and v.2, and the current version is known as Dawn of Chaos.