He took areas with him? So, like, rooms? Whooptee doo. I mean, they help create an atmosphere, but they are by no means a total mud. If there was a falling out between the devs for the game, it's completely reasonable to take your rooms. No big deal, really. And if Threshold is around still and Astaria isnt, maybe Frogdice there made the right choice after all.
So I'm certainly enjoying my relearning of what lies beyond the Threshold. Bad timing though, I just activated a Tabula Rasa account and it looks like its going to be getting ignored while I explore Threshold :P
It's creator actually worked for a MUD named Astaria for many years. When he was asked to leave (because, frankly, he is a self centered ass hole), he took his areas with him and threatened to sue Astaria if they didn't take his areas down. He basically stole the game systems of Astaria to create Threshold, keeping some of his areas in the game and creating some original content.
And now for a little trip down memory lane... brought to you by Truth, Inc.:
1) Way back in 1994, A woman named Kelley Kenworthy (after all these years, I might be a bit off on the spelling) was looking for someone to code a mud. She had access to a server with a T1 connection (pretty rare back in those days), and she wanted a nice place to role play. A mutual friend hooked us up (he goes by the name Edison online), and I started to code Astaria.
2) My first job in creating Astaria was to delete the last guy she had brought in to code a mud for her, and delete all of his work. Actually, she didn't want me to delete his work - she wanted me to keep it and use it. But I refused to do so. If memory serves, his name was Crispin. I spoke to him a few times after his deletion, and he told me she had made many of the same promises that she'd made for me, but when he designed things differently than she wanted she found me to replace him.
He also said when he was brought in his first job was to nuke a head admin named Natasha, whose first job was to nuke a head admin name Cire. Man, the alarm bells should have been going off right there. But I was so excited to have access to my own server and fast connection, with free reign to make a mud however I wanted, that I ignored the suspicious nature of these circumstances.
3) I should note that she didn't have a job - she lived on an allowance from her wealthy parents. I agreed to create a mud where she could run RP events and generally enjoy herself, and I would be the head admin and head developer, with final, ultimate say on all aspects of the game.
4) I coded every game system on Astaria. Guilds, clans, combat, movement, commands, user interface, monsters, NPCs, weapons, armor, clothing, rooms, food, drinks, potions, money, mob AI, etc. The continent of the game with my areas and zones commonly had 50-80% of the traffic and usage by players.
5) 12 to 18 months into development, problems started. The game was becoming popular, and Kelley (known in game as Aurora) was finding my control of the game to be inconvenient. One of her favorite hobbies was luring unproductive "wizzes" (builders or coders) from other going-nowhere-muds to Astaria, netsexing them for a few weeks in the "hottub" in her workroom, and then promoting them to some grossly undeserved position on Astaria. Then these boy-toy idiots would ham handedly try to make an area for the game.
Of course, players would hate their boring areas and not go there. So what would they do next? Try to make the area better and more interesting? Heck no. Just buff the drops beyond balance standards. 'Lo and behold, people would go there then! When I would find out about this and fix the gear to fit balance standards, they'd complain to Aurora, and an argument would ensue. Aurora didn't know how 99% of the mud worked, so she ultimately had to deal with my decision. I was, after all, supposed to be the head admin and head developer. I was supposed to have final say on every aspect of the game.
6) Eventually, she netsexxed her way into attracting someone who had at least a minor clue how to code in LPC - enough that she decided she could get rid of me. So one day I try to login, and my account is gone. That's it. No warning. No discussion. No "thanks for building this mud, we've got it from here." Nothing.
7) For years she and her sycophants would spread the story I am replying to. For about a year I had decided I was done with muds, and focussed on law school. I never threated to sue them, but they were probably so scared I would (since they were illegally using my code) that they spread that rumor defensively.
8) Eventually, I got the bug to make games again and I started Threshold. I started over from scratch, though I kept my area designs and other creatively written elements. She would send people over to Threshold to cause problems on occasion, but sadly for her Threshold was just a dramatically superior game. It was basically my version 2.0 RPG - benefiting from everything I had learned in coding two games from scratch.
And now we have a third game in development as well - Primordiax. It shares some history and lore with Threshold, but it takes place 4,000 years in Threshold's future (it is still a fantasy theme game though). If you are curious, the wiki has a lot of information about the game - http://wiki.primordiax.com
I stand by my company's success as the greatest proof as to who actually coded what and who knew what they were doing when it came to making games.
So I'm certainly enjoying my relearning of what lies beyond the Threshold. Bad timing though, I just activated a Tabula Rasa account and it looks like its going to be getting ignored while I explore Threshold :P
Good choice. Dalaena and I both played TR. It was fun for a bit, then they started on a massive nerf binge. I keep reading updates hoping they'll reverse course but I haven't seen it yet.
Anyway, I've seen you running around Threshold and you are already starting to make a name for yourself. In a good way, that is.
Am I making a reputation already? That's good. This is a new iteration of Gorf - he's almost always a cunning Barbarian of a sort (I would liken him to Conan, though I was unfamiliar with Howard's work when I conceived the concept). He's never had much of a divine concern to his character, so this is a nice addition to that persona.
Most of my mudding experience is (sadly) on Godwars, derivatives of, and my first mud was Quest for Faerun, a really modified ROM, I think. Suffice to say, the leveling is quite a bit slower than what I'm used to, but in regards to your ideals about making it seem like you've accomplished something I agree.
Tabula Rasa... ahh, I dunno. I told myself I'd wait till the PAU's come back to try it out again, but with the recent price drop of the game, it was actually cheaper to buy a new box and use that cd key than pay for another month of it. And yeah, for the life of me I cannot understand why so many MMOs try to balance classes before the game is even finished (AoC, anyone?). Still, I love the setting TR has and it used to have a pretty solid RP community. Weakened quite a bit, now, though.
Am I making a reputation already? That's good. This is a new iteration of Gorf - he's almost always a cunning Barbarian of a sort (I would liken him to Conan, though I was unfamiliar with Howard's work when I conceived the concept). He's never had much of a divine concern to his character, so this is a nice addition to that persona.
Suffice to say, the leveling is quite a bit slower than what I'm used to, but in regards to your ideals about making it seem like you've accomplished something I agree.
I'm glad to hear that. I know this aspect of Threshold is one of the harder things to get used to for people coming from modern MMOs.
Yeah, minor setback yesterday from a random NPC. Or something. Still not entirely sure what happened, but I do know one thing: it is NOT safe to go AFK in Threshold :P
Heh, yeah, Xzean and Gorf certainly have a solid base from the RP the other night. Now I just need to get some meat on my bones and we'll be harvesting hundreds of dead bodies in no time
Galielmus on
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FiggyFighter of the night manChampion of the sunRegistered Userregular
edited July 2008
Alright I'm coming to play with you guys. I'm gonna be rolling and playing.
A lot of Threshold is about discovery; it's fun to find out through trial and error what is right and what is wrong. It is fun to discover things on your own!
That said, it is a bit hectic at times. I'll give a break down from common RPG's, but know that this in no way necessarily applies to Threshold:
Strength: Rawr! Melee Damage, possible some +helath Intelligence: The prime stat of the Mage. Possibly increases spell damage, mana maximum, mana recovery. Wisdom: The prime stat of the Cleric. Possibly increases clerical spells (heals)?, mana maximum, mana recovery. Dexterity: Greased lightning. Chance to hit, I'd assume. Constitution: Health, resistances, ability to eat that loaf of bread you found on the ground with beetles crawling on it. Charisma: Smooth and savvy ability to pick up chicks. No, not the ones in the farm. Bard stuff, cleric stuff, I'd assume. Luck: Roll of the dice, my friend, roll of the dice.
Again, this is only speculation. Use common sense: if the guild description says you need XX amount of that stat for the guild, it'd be a good idea to invest some points in it.
Not seeing anything here or on the main site: where can I see what each stat does?
Stats are almost entirely for role play purposes. They have very, very, very minor effects in game. They are almost entirely there simply for guild choice and for you to flesh out your character.
What matters in Threshold, "stat-wise" are your skills and your levels (player level and guild level, or even heritage level when you first start off).
A lot of Threshold is about discovery; it's fun to find out through trial and error what is right and what is wrong. It is fun to discover things on your own!
That said, it is a bit hectic at times. I'll give a break down from common RPG's, but know that this in no way necessarily applies to Threshold:
Strength: Rawr! Melee Damage, possible some +helath Intelligence: The prime stat of the Mage. Possibly increases spell damage, mana maximum, mana recovery. Wisdom: The prime stat of the Cleric. Possibly increases clerical spells (heals)?, mana maximum, mana recovery. Dexterity: Greased lightning. Chance to hit, I'd assume. Constitution: Health, resistances, ability to eat that loaf of bread you found on the ground with beetles crawling on it. Charisma: Smooth and savvy ability to pick up chicks. No, not the ones in the farm. Bard stuff, cleric stuff, I'd assume. Luck: Roll of the dice, my friend, roll of the dice.
Again, this is only speculation. Use common sense: if the guild description says you need XX amount of that stat for the guild, it'd be a good idea to invest some points in it.
Psshh, Galielmus, you're an idiot. Frogdice totally owned you. :P
Edit: Haha, I participated in that King Borgia sponsored arena tonight. Totally got wtfpwnzo0red, but I expected no less. It was fun though, it wasnt just an all-out brawl like I expected. There was actually some strategy and twitch skill involved, which I totally did not expect and did not notice till after I was owned. I certainly look forward to later Gloridome battles!
Psshh, Galielmus, you're an idiot. Frogdice totally owned you. :P
No, not at all! Your explanations of what the stats do was actually pretty good. I just wanted to make it clear that the actual effect from the stats is very, very small. After a few levels, when you train skills a bit, their effect on actual gameplay is almost nothing. They are, as I noted, mainly for role play.
Edit: Haha, I participated in that King Borgia sponsored arena tonight. Totally got wtfpwnzo0red, but I expected no less. It was fun though, it wasnt just an all-out brawl like I expected. There was actually some strategy and twitch skill involved, which I totally did not expect and did not notice till after I was owned. I certainly look forward to later Gloridome battles!
I was worried you didn't have fun! I am glad you did. Arcanus takes practice. If you play enough you can get really good.
If you were curious about a more battle-oriented Gloridome event, there is one going on right now. There was some inspiration from Tempest, Belphegore, and Silvanus, but I don't want to spoil it.
I probably should have mentioned in this thread that we have RPTs (Recommended Playing times) every night this week (until Monday) from 9pm to midnight EDT. Some kind of event happens every night, and usually some other fun craziness as well. There tend to be a lot of prizes and goodies for everyone online as well which people always love.
If you were curious about a more battle-oriented Gloridome event, there is one going on right now. There was some inspiration from Tempest, Belphegore, and Silvanus, but I don't want to spoil it.
Drat! I couldnt get on today, sad I missed that. Ah well, I'll have to track down a cleric of Belphegore before too much longer and force them to brainwash me :P
Drat! I couldnt get on today, sad I missed that. Ah well, I'll have to track down a cleric of Belphegore before too much longer and force them to brainwash me :P
It hasn't been officially announced anywhere yet, but since the folks here on the PA forums are so cool I will give you a sneak peek:
We are doing to do another week of RPTs in early September. So settle on a character you like and get ready.
GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited September 2008
Welp, I stand corrected and I'd like to apologize to Frogdice. As they say, there are two sides to every story. As a long time Astaria player (and lover of the game), we were only ever told Story A. Most of us were just very angry that many of our favorite areas were stripped from the game, and Story A was a good way to deflect our anger I suppose.
If MUDs were ever good for something, that something is Drama. I wish that, "netsexxed with some clod and then gave them a wizbit" was something that surprised me.
I just started playing, and my achievements for today has included getting murdered by a chick. I am not sure if this speaks in the MUD's favor or against it.
Edit: Even with all my mana spent and full hit point a chicken just sent me running yet again. Time to rest for 5 minutes.
I just started playing, and my achievements for today has included getting murdered by a chick. I am not sure if this speaks in the MUD's favor or against it.
You have to always keep in mind that Threshold is old school. You start off super, super weak and combat is very tough. By level 5 or so you'll be fighting things you are more "used to." Back in the day, MUDs thought it was kinda funny to have people fighting (and dying) to chicks, rats, gnats, etc.
Welp, I stand corrected and I'd like to apologize to Frogdice. As they say, there are two sides to every story. As a long time Astaria player (and lover of the game), we were only ever told Story A. Most of us were just very angry that many of our favorite areas were stripped from the game, and Story A was a good way to deflect our anger I suppose.
No worries.
Incidentally, how long ago did you play Astaria?
Have you tried Threshold ever? It is old school, but I bet you'd love it.
I've been playing Threshold for about five years now, and I guess I'm pretty invested (addicted).
Just a number of points I'd like to make about the game, in the hopes of dragging one or two more people into it's sweet, sweet embrace.
1. RP --- If you want online-roleplay, then text based and old school (TB+OS) is really the best, and deepest way to go, and as far as TB+OS goes, Threshold hits the sweet spot like nothing else can. If you find the prospect of RP daunting, noone is going to try and embarrass you, you can sit back and observe others until you feel ready to delve deeper.
2. PvP --- Anyone who gets involved in the PvP here has to understand that it is NOTHING like the typical understanding of PvP, the only thing that can compare is other TB+OS games. When you PK someone there are consequences, people take notice, people get scared, people are impressed, people want revenge, it's a damned political event to PK someone. This is so much more than the modern MMO yawnfest of PKing to get more PK points for sweet PK lootz/rank.
3. PvE --- L2borg, newb. Just kidding. There's no denying that the early levels can be tough for a first timer, but death will become a rare event as you come to grips with the game, and your character.
4. Free to play --- The game is free to play, and it's entirely possible to make it to the higher echelons without having to climb the registration ladder. I've taken a character beyond level 20 without climbing it, which as Frogdice said, is considered extremely high level in this game.
5. Newbie friendly --- The older, more powerful players in the game take an active interest in new characters. You will find people from the entire spectrum, top to bottom, interacting with your character as they move about the game.
6. Power --- Personal strength, political influence, who you know, what you know, skill and timing. All these things come into effect. Power in Threshold is not just about who can run the treadmill longer and harder. This is most definitely not a game where your relevance is entirely determined by your levels, my clashes with weaker more politicaly minded enemies have been just as difficult as those with powerful, "You gonna die" enemies.
7. Nerfing --- Does. Not. Happen. Changes to any classes strength are well thought out, well tested, and gradually implemented. You will never login one day to find that you have been nerfed.
8. Just do it --- Give it a try, check out the website and come up with a character concept, roll them up and see how it feels. The more the merrier.
yo i tried this shit out like 6 months ago and for whatever reason never really got into it, but I keep feeling like i want to give it a try again. I'll probably be on there soonish (tonight maybe?) and keep everyone on this thread informed.
nefffffffffff on
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
Welp, I stand corrected and I'd like to apologize to Frogdice. As they say, there are two sides to every story. As a long time Astaria player (and lover of the game), we were only ever told Story A. Most of us were just very angry that many of our favorite areas were stripped from the game, and Story A was a good way to deflect our anger I suppose.
No worries.
Incidentally, how long ago did you play Astaria?
Have you tried Threshold ever? It is old school, but I bet you'd love it.
I played Astaria from like '99 to 2001 (I think it was 2001?). I had been a really avid The Two Towers player, but as that MUD sort of started to change for the worse, I found Astaria.
I haven't tried Threshold because I am not an RP'er. I play these games mostly for PvP, not really to RP with people.
I'm reading this thread and having flashbacks to all of the MUDs I played on AOL's service back when that was the #1 ISP in town. Dragon's Gate. Modus Operandi. Federation -- God, I had my own planet in Federation.
I'm going to avoid this particular game because I remember how addictive good roleplaying can be, but it warms my heart to know that so many people are still enjoying these things.
Posts
He took areas with him? So, like, rooms? Whooptee doo. I mean, they help create an atmosphere, but they are by no means a total mud. If there was a falling out between the devs for the game, it's completely reasonable to take your rooms. No big deal, really. And if Threshold is around still and Astaria isnt, maybe Frogdice there made the right choice after all.
So I'm certainly enjoying my relearning of what lies beyond the Threshold. Bad timing though, I just activated a Tabula Rasa account and it looks like its going to be getting ignored while I explore Threshold :P
Probably little known because it is false.
And now for a little trip down memory lane... brought to you by Truth, Inc.:
1) Way back in 1994, A woman named Kelley Kenworthy (after all these years, I might be a bit off on the spelling) was looking for someone to code a mud. She had access to a server with a T1 connection (pretty rare back in those days), and she wanted a nice place to role play. A mutual friend hooked us up (he goes by the name Edison online), and I started to code Astaria.
2) My first job in creating Astaria was to delete the last guy she had brought in to code a mud for her, and delete all of his work. Actually, she didn't want me to delete his work - she wanted me to keep it and use it. But I refused to do so. If memory serves, his name was Crispin. I spoke to him a few times after his deletion, and he told me she had made many of the same promises that she'd made for me, but when he designed things differently than she wanted she found me to replace him.
He also said when he was brought in his first job was to nuke a head admin named Natasha, whose first job was to nuke a head admin name Cire. Man, the alarm bells should have been going off right there. But I was so excited to have access to my own server and fast connection, with free reign to make a mud however I wanted, that I ignored the suspicious nature of these circumstances.
3) I should note that she didn't have a job - she lived on an allowance from her wealthy parents. I agreed to create a mud where she could run RP events and generally enjoy herself, and I would be the head admin and head developer, with final, ultimate say on all aspects of the game.
4) I coded every game system on Astaria. Guilds, clans, combat, movement, commands, user interface, monsters, NPCs, weapons, armor, clothing, rooms, food, drinks, potions, money, mob AI, etc. The continent of the game with my areas and zones commonly had 50-80% of the traffic and usage by players.
5) 12 to 18 months into development, problems started. The game was becoming popular, and Kelley (known in game as Aurora) was finding my control of the game to be inconvenient. One of her favorite hobbies was luring unproductive "wizzes" (builders or coders) from other going-nowhere-muds to Astaria, netsexing them for a few weeks in the "hottub" in her workroom, and then promoting them to some grossly undeserved position on Astaria. Then these boy-toy idiots would ham handedly try to make an area for the game.
Of course, players would hate their boring areas and not go there. So what would they do next? Try to make the area better and more interesting? Heck no. Just buff the drops beyond balance standards. 'Lo and behold, people would go there then! When I would find out about this and fix the gear to fit balance standards, they'd complain to Aurora, and an argument would ensue. Aurora didn't know how 99% of the mud worked, so she ultimately had to deal with my decision. I was, after all, supposed to be the head admin and head developer. I was supposed to have final say on every aspect of the game.
6) Eventually, she netsexxed her way into attracting someone who had at least a minor clue how to code in LPC - enough that she decided she could get rid of me. So one day I try to login, and my account is gone. That's it. No warning. No discussion. No "thanks for building this mud, we've got it from here." Nothing.
7) For years she and her sycophants would spread the story I am replying to. For about a year I had decided I was done with muds, and focussed on law school. I never threated to sue them, but they were probably so scared I would (since they were illegally using my code) that they spread that rumor defensively.
8) Eventually, I got the bug to make games again and I started Threshold. I started over from scratch, though I kept my area designs and other creatively written elements. She would send people over to Threshold to cause problems on occasion, but sadly for her Threshold was just a dramatically superior game. It was basically my version 2.0 RPG - benefiting from everything I had learned in coding two games from scratch.
And now we have a third game in development as well - Primordiax. It shares some history and lore with Threshold, but it takes place 4,000 years in Threshold's future (it is still a fantasy theme game though). If you are curious, the wiki has a lot of information about the game - http://wiki.primordiax.com
I stand by my company's success as the greatest proof as to who actually coded what and who knew what they were doing when it came to making games.
And see above for why. It is hard to keep a game running when you don't understand the code - since it is someone else's.
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
Good choice. Dalaena and I both played TR. It was fun for a bit, then they started on a massive nerf binge. I keep reading updates hoping they'll reverse course but I haven't seen it yet.
Anyway, I've seen you running around Threshold and you are already starting to make a name for yourself. In a good way, that is.
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
Most of my mudding experience is (sadly) on Godwars, derivatives of, and my first mud was Quest for Faerun, a really modified ROM, I think. Suffice to say, the leveling is quite a bit slower than what I'm used to, but in regards to your ideals about making it seem like you've accomplished something I agree.
Tabula Rasa... ahh, I dunno. I told myself I'd wait till the PAU's come back to try it out again, but with the recent price drop of the game, it was actually cheaper to buy a new box and use that cd key than pay for another month of it. And yeah, for the life of me I cannot understand why so many MMOs try to balance classes before the game is even finished (AoC, anyone?). Still, I love the setting TR has and it used to have a pretty solid RP community. Weakened quite a bit, now, though.
That's cool. Conan finds religion!
I'm glad to hear that. I know this aspect of Threshold is one of the harder things to get used to for people coming from modern MMOs.
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
Heh, yeah, Xzean and Gorf certainly have a solid base from the RP the other night. Now I just need to get some meat on my bones and we'll be harvesting hundreds of dead bodies in no time
Look out!
Either way, look forward to seeing you in game.
Edit: The game is harsh, dude. Like, mechanically, be ready for a rough ride. Its worth it though, its a blast.
That said, it is a bit hectic at times. I'll give a break down from common RPG's, but know that this in no way necessarily applies to Threshold:
Strength: Rawr! Melee Damage, possible some +helath
Intelligence: The prime stat of the Mage. Possibly increases spell damage, mana maximum, mana recovery.
Wisdom: The prime stat of the Cleric. Possibly increases clerical spells (heals)?, mana maximum, mana recovery.
Dexterity: Greased lightning. Chance to hit, I'd assume.
Constitution: Health, resistances, ability to eat that loaf of bread you found on the ground with beetles crawling on it.
Charisma: Smooth and savvy ability to pick up chicks. No, not the ones in the farm. Bard stuff, cleric stuff, I'd assume.
Luck: Roll of the dice, my friend, roll of the dice.
Again, this is only speculation. Use common sense: if the guild description says you need XX amount of that stat for the guild, it'd be a good idea to invest some points in it.
Stats are almost entirely for role play purposes. They have very, very, very minor effects in game. They are almost entirely there simply for guild choice and for you to flesh out your character.
What matters in Threshold, "stat-wise" are your skills and your levels (player level and guild level, or even heritage level when you first start off).
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
Psshh, Galielmus, you're an idiot. Frogdice totally owned you. :P
Edit: Haha, I participated in that King Borgia sponsored arena tonight. Totally got wtfpwnzo0red, but I expected no less. It was fun though, it wasnt just an all-out brawl like I expected. There was actually some strategy and twitch skill involved, which I totally did not expect and did not notice till after I was owned. I certainly look forward to later Gloridome battles!
Awesome! I love more people. What race/guild you pursing? Feel free to AIM me!
No, not at all! Your explanations of what the stats do was actually pretty good. I just wanted to make it clear that the actual effect from the stats is very, very small. After a few levels, when you train skills a bit, their effect on actual gameplay is almost nothing. They are, as I noted, mainly for role play.
I was worried you didn't have fun! I am glad you did. Arcanus takes practice. If you play enough you can get really good.
If you were curious about a more battle-oriented Gloridome event, there is one going on right now. There was some inspiration from Tempest, Belphegore, and Silvanus, but I don't want to spoil it.
I probably should have mentioned in this thread that we have RPTs (Recommended Playing times) every night this week (until Monday) from 9pm to midnight EDT. Some kind of event happens every night, and usually some other fun craziness as well. There tend to be a lot of prizes and goodies for everyone online as well which people always love.
Have fun!
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
Drat! I couldnt get on today, sad I missed that. Ah well, I'll have to track down a cleric of Belphegore before too much longer and force them to brainwash me :P
It hasn't been officially announced anywhere yet, but since the folks here on the PA forums are so cool I will give you a sneak peek:
We are doing to do another week of RPTs in early September. So settle on a character you like and get ready.
Threshold RPG - Our World, Your Imagination
Primordiax RPG - A New Generation in online role playing.
How are things going for you now?
Still finding lots of people to roleplay with?
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com
Edit: Even with all my mana spent and full hit point a chicken just sent me running yet again. Time to rest for 5 minutes.
You have to always keep in mind that Threshold is old school. You start off super, super weak and combat is very tough. By level 5 or so you'll be fighting things you are more "used to." Back in the day, MUDs thought it was kinda funny to have people fighting (and dying) to chicks, rats, gnats, etc.
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com
No worries.
Incidentally, how long ago did you play Astaria?
Have you tried Threshold ever? It is old school, but I bet you'd love it.
Blogging about Online Gaming and Virtual Worlds:
http://www.muckbeast.com
I've been playing Threshold for about five years now, and I guess I'm pretty invested (addicted).
Just a number of points I'd like to make about the game, in the hopes of dragging one or two more people into it's sweet, sweet embrace.
1. RP --- If you want online-roleplay, then text based and old school (TB+OS) is really the best, and deepest way to go, and as far as TB+OS goes, Threshold hits the sweet spot like nothing else can. If you find the prospect of RP daunting, noone is going to try and embarrass you, you can sit back and observe others until you feel ready to delve deeper.
2. PvP --- Anyone who gets involved in the PvP here has to understand that it is NOTHING like the typical understanding of PvP, the only thing that can compare is other TB+OS games. When you PK someone there are consequences, people take notice, people get scared, people are impressed, people want revenge, it's a damned political event to PK someone. This is so much more than the modern MMO yawnfest of PKing to get more PK points for sweet PK lootz/rank.
3. PvE --- L2borg, newb. Just kidding. There's no denying that the early levels can be tough for a first timer, but death will become a rare event as you come to grips with the game, and your character.
4. Free to play --- The game is free to play, and it's entirely possible to make it to the higher echelons without having to climb the registration ladder. I've taken a character beyond level 20 without climbing it, which as Frogdice said, is considered extremely high level in this game.
5. Newbie friendly --- The older, more powerful players in the game take an active interest in new characters. You will find people from the entire spectrum, top to bottom, interacting with your character as they move about the game.
6. Power --- Personal strength, political influence, who you know, what you know, skill and timing. All these things come into effect. Power in Threshold is not just about who can run the treadmill longer and harder. This is most definitely not a game where your relevance is entirely determined by your levels, my clashes with weaker more politicaly minded enemies have been just as difficult as those with powerful, "You gonna die" enemies.
7. Nerfing --- Does. Not. Happen. Changes to any classes strength are well thought out, well tested, and gradually implemented. You will never login one day to find that you have been nerfed.
8. Just do it --- Give it a try, check out the website and come up with a character concept, roll them up and see how it feels. The more the merrier.
The only RP I've had any experience with is tabletop Star Wars, but I think I have a decent enough grasp on how RP works.
I made an account, it's pending approval.
Hopefully this won't suck.
I played Astaria from like '99 to 2001 (I think it was 2001?). I had been a really avid The Two Towers player, but as that MUD sort of started to change for the worse, I found Astaria.
I haven't tried Threshold because I am not an RP'er. I play these games mostly for PvP, not really to RP with people.
I'm going to avoid this particular game because I remember how addictive good roleplaying can be, but it warms my heart to know that so many people are still enjoying these things.
So I guess this game is still up and running? Good to know that some of the classics haven't died out yet.
Edit: was that too weird? Did I kill the thread?
That was interesting.