- This article is about .hack//frägment, the online .hack game. If you are looking for the prototype of The World, Fragment, please see its respective article.
.hack//frägment is an online RPG that is based off the .hack//Games. It allows players to create a character, form a party in a text based lobby, join Guilds, then adventure in The World. Also, there is no monthly fee to play the game.
Character Design
Classes of .hack//frägment
.hack//frägment's character design is extremely limited. You can only choose your name, the type of class you want, and a choice between a number of premade bodies (male and female), three body sizes (large, medium, and small), and several preset color schemes.
Dungeon Creation
Dungeon Editor
Your computer is also a tool when playing .hack//frägment which lets you use dungeon creation tools so you can create your very own dungeons and areas along with other players'. From the area server list of the lobby, the player
Area server lobby
can come play in the area which was made up. The area of popularity can rise to rankings when it gets more and more attention. If area server does level up, it can reach the point where it can set a stronger monster in the area/dungeon.
Online
A screenshot from the game
Once you have created your character, you enter a lobby and can search for up to two other players to join you on an adventure. The maximum party size in .hack//frägment is three, just like in the original games. The game includes an extended online interface that allows players to chat, send e-mail, post to the BBS, and even read news. The email inbox is restricted to only 50 messages, however, so once the number of emails exceeds 50, the game will automatically start deleting old messages. You can even create guilds in .hack//frägment, which seem to be chat rooms exclusively for your friends. Separately from the chat which with anyone in the lobbies can utilize, it is possible to establish individual chat rooms. When everyone logs out of a chat rooms, the chat room will be eliminated automatically. Along with chatting with friends, guilds will also have the option to trade among each other in a "private shop", in addition to players outside your Guild. It is also possible to set a special price for an item in your Guild's Guild Shop. A Guild can be established at any time using a certain rare item.
A screenshot from the game
Offline
When playing offline, you use the same character that you use in the online mode so you can level up, obtain items, learn new skills, etc. without having to play online.
Trivia
- There is no Player Killing
- Bandai has announced at E3 2006 that there will be no U.S. release for frägment.
- The title of the game is a reference to Fragment, the beta version of The World.
- The online service for .hack//frägment is scheduled to end after the end of November 2006. When the online service ends, area servers will no longer be accessible by players.