Ruin To Support Player-Made “Lairs”

Speaking with the official PlayStation Blog, Idol Minds’ Travis Williams outlined a number of social aspects that will be weaved into the PlayStation Vita action RPG, Ruin, which debuted at this year’s E3 2011 Sony press conference. At the centre of a player’s social experience is their very own custom-made dwelling, referred to as a Lair. As Williams explains:

“It’s an extension of you. It’s an outwardly facing construct that other players interact with. You’ll spend as much time equipping your Lair as you will your character.”

Lairs aren’t just cushy galleries to store your spoils or war in however, they open the portal to Ruin’s PvP (player vs. player) online component. If you wish to challenge another dungeon dweller, instead of being dropped into an arena, you take the battle to their doorstep in an attempt to conquer their fully-equipped habitat.

A number of items collected throughout the game can be placed in “sockets” scattered around your Lair, causing certain effects, both offensive and defensive, depending on where they are placed. For instance, placing a relic in your Bestiary will summon more powerful creatures to defend your Lair from rival players, however placing it within your Armoury will increase your offensive modifiers for when you are the one attacking.

These powerful treasures play such a big role in PvP combat that players can even issue challenges against one another, wagering their most precious artefacts.

Lastly, Williams touched on social updates. Instead of bombarding your in-game feed with a barrage of meaningless tatter, updates will be merged together and posted on a less frequent basis.