Make Me Play

[Japheth]

I have a confession to make. I haven't properly played Illarion since I stopped being a GM. Sure, I've logged on occasionally, only to find empty streets and whenever I attempted to engage somebody in roleplay, they were already busy with crafting or with their own intensely boring plots.

I want to like Illarion, but my unfamiliarity with the main characters running about the place, and the current unfolding story lines, not to mention the confusing as hell crafting system makes it very difficult for me. In the past I invested hundreds of hours into nurturing my characters as well as events and quests for other players. I want to be able to regain some sense of enjoyment from a game that I once loved intensely.

So, my request is..

Tell me about three things that you love about Illarion, that might possibly rekindle my interest.

[Kevin Lightdot]

Such info would be nice, as there are really very few things still keeping me here.

Indeed every time, others whom I don't know seem to totaly ignore any action, wether it'd be a drunken rage and shooting illusionairy fireballs across the tavern, or plain examining someone, or trying to speak to someone.

[Rasteel Olin]

1- Whatever you do, something that's out of the ordinary, all the town will know in the matter of a few hours. So basically, you can get involved in any story or roleplay plot.

2- The way that almost everything is organized BY the player, WITH the help of GMs, not the contrary. Players decide what happens, who gets elected, who dies, etc..

3- SOME of the roleplay around, yeah I mean it.. You can enjoy your time sometimes, rarely, but it happens.

[Kevin Lightdot]

Your first comment, has never truely worked with me aside from one person just this day, Skaalib mentioning Kevin being a 'Hero of Varshikar.'

Any new characters, with diverse backgrounds I have made got totaly ignored, and noone even got to know those backgrounds.
Thus I have stopped trying this.

[Gro'bul]

The pigs are the best meeting place, theres almost always someone there.

[Japheth]

2- The way that almost everything is organized BY the player, WITH the help of GMs, not the contrary. Players decide what happens, who gets elected, who dies, etc..

Mmm. That's true to a certain extent, but behind the scenes there's a lot of gentle nudging of certain characters in a certain direction, by certain members of staff. Certainly. Or, at least there was in my day. Nobody ever secures power in the game just because their roleplay is excellent. The only exceptions I can think of are Fooser and Stephen Rothman, but I may be wrong there, too.

I think that maybe I've just grown too old to play. I've seen the best and worst of this game and the people behind it. The magic is spoiled, I think. The best analogy would be having a magic trick ruined for you by knowing how it's performed.

[Lance Thunnigan]

2- The way that almost everything is organized BY the player, WITH the help of GMs, not the contrary. Players decide what happens, who gets elected, who dies, etc..

Mmm. That's true to a certain extent, but behind the scenes there's a lot of gentle nudging of certain characters in a certain direction, by certain members of staff. Certainly. Or, at least there was in my day. Nobody ever secures power in the game just because their roleplay is excellent. The only exceptions I can think of are Fooser and Stephen Rothman, but I may be wrong there, too.

I think that maybe I've just grown too old to play. I've seen the best and worst of this game and the people behind it. The magic is spoiled, I think. The best analogy would be having a magic trick ruined for you by knowing how it's performed.

If you have to make a thread to help you decide to come back,
Perhaps you shouldn't then.
Perhaps you should figure it out by hanging around a while IG.

[Llama]

Nobody ever secures power in the game just because their roleplay is excellent.

Mazrian, Selisidour....

Mazrian was a RP great, and he could do anything...

-

[Kaila Galathil Travinus]

I attempted to engage somebody in roleplay, they were already busy with crafting or with their own intensely boring plots.

Maybe it's not exciting enough then, I've never met a char that I thought had a boring plot if willing to talk about it, so I'm not quite sure what you mean.

[Ascius]

1. Some of the people
2. The routine
3. That there is still deep roleplay if one searches for it long enough.

[Gildon]

Well, I'll lost both sides

What I hate:

1- When I walk down the street with my char ( Rankor ) and then suddenly two guys come infront of me and are like, "Lolololol, you die, someone say so!" Due to Rankor's huge nerf, he does >_>

2- When there are only German RP'ers in TB X>D

3- When people ignore certain roleplay.

4- When people who don't know how to roleplay shout, "help11122111! can't fnd my charctre!"


What I enjoy:

1- RP with un-biased people who don't hate the player of the character

2- Enjoyable quests that arn't centered on one uber powerful mage/fighter that walks around doing everything and about a crowd of fifty behind him going like "What about this?" "Or how about that?" Thinking they'll get some sort of reward.

3- When I'm able to trust someone enough when Rankor robs someone to do it in RP, not ctrl + click.

4- The odd day when great people to rp with are online.

Can't really remember much more

[Cliu Beothach]

I think that maybe I've just grown too old to play. I've seen the best and worst of this game and the people behind it. The magic is spoiled, I think. The best analogy would be having a magic trick ruined for you by knowing how it's performed.

But if its a true magician, he'll/she'll only perform it once.

Quite a pickle.

[Fooser]

Fooser. <-----should be all you need

[Korm Kormsen]

three reasons....

1) illarion is here.
2) you are here.
3)you sound old/mature enough, to have fun as well from little scenes, like some smalltalk with other butchers in the pig pen or something of that kind.

[AlexRose]

1. Fooser.
2. Me.
3. You could rp a dalek >_>

[maryday]

[sry:PS, one below;or "confessions of a Powergamer pt.I") #me starts cutting up some onions..((cooks 10 onion soup));
#me heats some oil in the pot..((cooks 10 onion soup));
#me adds some flour, stirring quickly (..);
((waits till one of the others put up new logs))#me blows the flames up again..
#me spills some water in.. ((50 to go..means one, two, three mouths to feed for some logs..didn`t i have 50 left in TB?))
((Talks not included;do i have to mention the 30 additional mushroom soup?))]

I tell you from my own opinion:

1.) Here, like in pen`n paper, you need to do most of the animations in your own mind -> creativity;

2.) Playing ONLY ONE char gives you the possibility to evolve the knowledge of your
mental subaspects, no matter how many characters you have played so far ->self acceptance;
((though there is the possibility, you have been so long a storyteller,
that you are surrounded by all the persons you have helped to be created, and left behind,
so you are a lonesome leader of a undead kingdom, ruling over your creations like a puppetmaster,
with no love nor disacceptance towards the creations, hollowed out by time.

IMHO..don`t play for enjoyment..play for the love you feel for the still unknown parts of yourself,
that you may only discover, if you guide a certain char through uncertain times ));

3.) Just like in WOW and any other game..
Your char will match another, that has been there, or that will be,
maybe in another game, maybe..
Only some questions...Does not the char deserve it?
Does not the char deserve to be born, or brought to the isle, by good?, or by evil?

Maybe you are the only one to bring salvation, even if it means only a handfull of caring words.

Does this ONE player not deserve your help?

Remember, he or she will be there, earlier or later..yet without you.
Don`t you think, you have deserved this chars help? ->...

[Gro'bul]

Sounds simply to me like you don't have any goals with your chars. I always found that my char's skills has led him through business to develope many relationships with other people. Fighting some baddies together, farming, cooking, fishing, teaching, always fun for me. I think skills help rp alot, at least for me they do. "Campfire rp" is not my style, I guess, the only thing I use a campfire for is to cook on.

[Ellaron]

I was going to reply to this post earlier and it was all negative. But as fate would have it I logged on instead and have had the greatest day for a while.

Let's be honest. On a bad day Illa sucks. The engine sucks, the server sucks, the players suck and worst of all I suck. But, if you stick with it you'll have an experience that no other game I've ever played will give you. On a good day this game will cure all your ills and give you a grin that's hard to shake, no matter how dark your days.
I can't quantify what it is that makes illa great and worthwhile, it's so much easier to find bad things about it. But something keeps me coming back and creating new chars and new stories. I just can't tell you what that something is. I hope you find the same.

[Rasteel Olin]

- Spam deleted -

Arien

[The Returner]

Nobody ever secures power in the game just because their roleplay is excellent.

Mazrian, Selisidour....

Mazrian was a RP great, and he could do anything...

-

Back in the year one, almost everyone secured power by just roleplay. Now theres a lame voting democracy crap,the map is way too big, the playerbase is way too small, and everyone bitches theres not enough players, then when someone comes who can't rp, they bitch that they want the account system back that they bitched drove away the players

As much as I love the staff, they never know or seem to know what they are working on, and when or if they do, someone bitches that something else needs to be done, also the staff just seem to take every less then average joe and make them a test server member or developer, which just leads to a higher then thou attitude among half of the staff/gm's and the other half, which is way, way too mellow

The forum moderation is lacking hardcore, to the point that really, alot of people (myself included) should be suffering permanent bans right now for their deploreable behaviour

The lore has completely lost its way from moonsilver, which was the most widely regarded unofficial (or possibly even official) illarion lore site, RP names are unimaginative, all the girls are hormonely inclined men, all the men are heroes, all the villains are cliched and lame

The language seperation leads to feuds on whose language is better/who can confuse each other the most/who can avoid who, and is unfortunately biased with the north american crowd of players who many of think everyone should speak yankee.


So three reasons why you should stay jappy?

1) You can teach newcomers valuable lessons

2) You can at least try to bring back some of the older players from a time when there was less whiney bitches around here

3) You'll come back anyway

[Juniper Onyx]

[sry:PS, one below;or "confessions of a Powergamer pt.I") #me starts cutting up some onions..((cooks 10 onion soup));
#me heats some oil in the pot..((cooks 10 onion soup));
#me adds some flour, stirring quickly (..);
((waits till one of the others put up new logs))#me blows the flames up again..
#me spills some water in.. ((50 to go..means one, two, three mouths to feed for some logs..didn`t i have 50 left in TB?))
((Talks not included;do i have to mention the 30 additional mushroom soup?))]

I tell you from my own opinion:

1.) Here, like in pen`n paper, you need to do most of the animations in your own mind -> creativity;

2.) Playing ONLY ONE char gives you the possibility to evolve the knowledge of your
mental subaspects, no matter how many characters you have played so far ->self acceptance;
((though there is the possibility, you have been so long a storyteller,
that you are surrounded by all the persons you have helped to be created, and left behind,
so you are a lonesome leader of a undead kingdom, ruling over your creations like a puppetmaster,
with no love nor disacceptance towards the creations, hollowed out by time.

IMHO..don`t play for enjoyment..play for the love you feel for the still unknown parts of yourself,
that you may only discover, if you guide a certain char through uncertain times ));

3.) Just like in WOW and any other game..
Your char will match another, that has been there, or that will be,
maybe in another game, maybe..
Only some questions...Does not the char deserve it?
Does not the char deserve to be born, or brought to the isle, by good?, or by evil?

Maybe you are the only one to bring salvation, even if it means only a handfull of caring words.

Does this ONE player not deserve your help?

Remember, he or she will be there, earlier or later..yet without you.
Don`t you think, you have deserved this chars help? ->...

Thats deep.....all I can say is.....Ditto.

[Turonga Mudwater]

Back in the year one, almost everyone secured power by just roleplay. Now theres a lame voting democracy crap,the map is way too big, the playerbase is way too small, and everyone bitches theres not enough players, then when someone comes who can't rp, they bitch that they want the account system back that they bitched drove away the players

As much as I love the staff, they never know or seem to know what they are working on, and when or if they do, someone bitches that something else needs to be done, also the staff just seem to take every less then average joe and make them a test server member or developer, which just leads to a higher then thou attitude among half of the staff/gm's and the other half, which is way, way too mellow

I give the staff their share of slack. Its hard to keep up with. Legitimate politics don't move as quickly as this game's. I atleast like to think that I was involved in some larger roleplay and I was some-what liked (though I slowy begin to think how truley naive this is) but when I'd get busy for a couple of weeks and come back to find that I didn't have any footing in the game. Even a week of non-involvment is tough.

As for a low player-base, I've seen as many as 51 players on -- yes despite being almost totally removed from the game I check in from time to time -- and those numbers are tough to rival. Way back we had them but there were about three years when that was a super rare occasion.


I can't say I've played the game in a long-time, but I was one of the on-off players (though rarely for actual distaste for the game) and I recomend either hanging out in the shop, assuming it still exists, or causing some ruckas. Despite any nay-say you don't actually need any skills to be involved. As a fighter I had virtually no actual fighting skill. Plus I've play my fair share with you Japheth, though you may not remember it, and your good enough to make it easily without the faintest knowledge of crafting.

[xBaurusx]

I have a confession to make. I haven't properly played Illarion since I stopped being a GM. Sure, I've logged on occasionally, only to find empty streets and whenever I attempted to engage somebody in roleplay, they were already busy with crafting or with their own intensely boring plots.

I want to like Illarion, but my unfamiliarity with the main characters running about the place, and the current unfolding story lines, not to mention the confusing as hell crafting system makes it very difficult for me. In the past I invested hundreds of hours into nurturing my characters as well as events and quests for other players. I want to be able to regain some sense of enjoyment from a game that I once loved intensely.

So, my request is..

Tell me about three things that you love about Illarion, that might possibly rekindle my interest.

exactly how i feel, when i stopped being a gm (cough cough) i just didnt play much either, and even now, i just end up sitting at the tb shop for an hour watching people go by, or at the tables of varshikar with maggie, and even then we talk maybe twice in 2 hours.

[The Returner]

I give the staff their share of slack. Its hard to keep up with. Legitimate politics don't move as quickly as this game's. I atleast like to think that I was involved in some larger roleplay and I was some-what liked (though I slowy begin to think how truley naive this is) but when I'd get busy for a couple of weeks and come back to find that I didn't have any footing in the game. Even a week of non-involvment is tough.

As for a low player-base, I've seen as many as 51 players on -- yes despite being almost totally removed from the game I check in from time to time -- and those numbers are tough to rival. Way back we had them but there were about three years when that was a super rare occasion.

51 players on a map that seems more suited to 5100 players at times, lets face it, the maps overkill, its pure and simple overkill

[Korm Kormsen]

lets face it, the maps overkill, its pure and simple overkill

maybe for citydwellers...

[Gildon de Vymont]

I give the staff their share of slack. Its hard to keep up with. Legitimate politics don't move as quickly as this game's. I atleast like to think that I was involved in some larger roleplay and I was some-what liked (though I slowy begin to think how truley naive this is) but when I'd get busy for a couple of weeks and come back to find that I didn't have any footing in the game. Even a week of non-involvment is tough.

As for a low player-base, I've seen as many as 51 players on -- yes despite being almost totally removed from the game I check in from time to time -- and those numbers are tough to rival. Way back we had them but there were about three years when that was a super rare occasion.

51 players on a map that seems more suited to 5100 players at times, lets face it, the maps overkill, its pure and simple overkill

Yeah, uh.. I find the map to be perfect. Sure, it's big, but sometimes it is is nice to walk a bit.

[The Returner]

Yeah, uh.. I find the map to be perfect. Sure, it's big, but sometimes it is is nice to walk a bit.

I could walk a bit before

Now I can walk the entire time I'm online and not see a single person.

[Damien]

The new crafting system and the server fixes =)

[Skaalib Drurr]

Japeth, there is only one reason that you need stay in illarion.
Come ingame and find out.

[Llama]

We'll pay you for a few minutes with meriel?