Iron Realms entertainment

[zhelas]

Anyone know anything about the Iron Realm Entertainment Muds? They have Imperian, Lusternia, Achaea and Aetolia. Esentially i am trying to find something else to play beside simu's games. Playing a simu game is a very expensive habit.

[Teladro]

Never liked Iron Realms games.
Aardwolf FTW
http://aardmud.org/
8 years there for me.

[Artha]

I remember from way back in the day, it's hard to get used to other games. Simu can charge a premium because they've got the best around, there's not even close competition.

[zhelas]

Never liked Iron Realms games.
Aardwolf FTW
http://aardmud.org/
8 years there for me.

I think i tried that one when I left the lands last time. I will look into again thanks.

[zhelas]

I remember from way back in the day, it's hard to get used to other games. Simu can charge a premium because they've got the best around, there's not even close competition.

It is true. That is one reason why i came back is because the games are extremely good. I am just trying to find something to tie me over this financial hump.

[Necromancer]

Achaea is fantastic. I never got far into it, but it impressed me. Still, if you want real immersion, SIMU games are number one.

[Jazuela]

It depends on the kind of games you're looking for. There are thousands out there, most of them free, and most of them sub-par. If you're looking for a hard-core (meaning serious, not sexy) roleplaying game, you'd probably prefer an RPI (Role-Play Intensive) such as Armageddon, Harshlands, or Shadows of Isildur.

If you prefer not to use emotes for your roleplay, and would rather let the game give you canned emotes that everyone else uses, games from Simu and IRE are your best bets. If you don't like auto-combat or aren't willing to try it out, stay away from DIKU games (DIKU is a codebase, not a company). If you're looking for games where roleplay is optional, where the staff members show up in the game -as- staff members, where you have real-life-based holidays (like Thrakmas), then Simu and IRE games are probably better for you. If you want the fantasy to be as pure as possible, without real life screaming at you from all sides, where "***SELLING!!! 20X SRIPTED HUNTER LEATHERS PINWORN MB20MIL CB24MIL TTM!!!1111oneone***" would get your account permanently and immediately site-banned, no questions, no ifs ands or buts, and the player base would applaud the GM who banned you, then you'd probably be better off with an RPI, or a MUSH.

[Latrinsorm]

Besides the stars, what exactly is non-RP or even a-RP about that statement?

[Stanley Burrell]

Achaea.

AB TAROT ftw.

[Artha]

Besides the stars, what exactly is non-RP or even a-RP about that statement?
Scripted is OOC. Pinworn is iffy on something like leathers. A case could be made for the acronyms being out of character too.

[Latrinsorm]

Yeah, scripted too. I don't see how the acronyms can be OOC though, unless peoples' brains explode when I say "ASAP" IRL.

[Artha]

Saying ASAP is explicable because ASAP (two syllables if you pronounce it like its own word instead of each letter individually) because it is actually shorter than saying 'as soon as possible.' TTM is the same syllable count as 'think to me'. MB is the same as Min Bid and CB is one syllable less than Current Bid. Essentially, the only reason they're in use is that they're faster to type and that can be jarring.

[Daniel]

Only if you get all OCD about it.

[Latrinsorm]

Logic doesn't determine how people talk though. I can't fathom why someone would feel the need to punctuate eir speech with "like" or "you know", but people do that. It stands to reason a particular societal group (in this case merchants) would adopt a type of slang just as peculiar, and there's no reason why it couldn't be acronym-based.

[Jazuela]

Have you ever been to a real auction? Auctioneers don't say MB. They say Minimum Bid. They actually say the words. They say current bid. CB is an acronym for a Citizen's Band radio. MB and CB might be what people READ on an auction program, but it isn't something anyone would ever say at an auction. Acronyms are *primarily* used in writing, not in speech. Exceptions such as ASAP and RADAR and X-RAY noted. And note each of those have vowels so they can actually be pronounced, unlike TTM which -might- be pronounced "tuh-tem" if you wanted to stretch it. In otherwords, the acronym doesn't translate as a pronouncable word.

Pinworn is OOC because it completely spits in the face of suspension of disbelief to imagine a set of hunting leathers being worn as a pin.

If you've never played an RPI you might not understand the notion of all this, and that's okay. Simu games cater to a very wide demographic and it works for them. IRE caters to a similar demographic. RPIs cater to a very narrow niche of players, which is part of the reason why they have such small player bases.

[RichardCranium]

Logic doesn't determine how people talk though. I can't fathom why someone would feel the need to punctuate eir speech with "like" or "you know", but people do that. It stands to reason a particular societal group (in this case merchants) would adopt a type of slang just as peculiar, and there's no reason why it couldn't be acronym-based.

That's perfectly logical, but you'd have to type it out as being "em bee" for MB and "bee oh" for BO as that's how we would hear it coming from your mouth if you in fact used acronyms.

[Latrinsorm]

I don't feel the need to spell out "eye" when I say "I" or "ay es ay pee" when I say "ASAP", why would the others be any different? Unless you propose that we devise a purely phonetic alphabet, demanding that acronyms be communicated in a phonetic manner is arbitrary and inconsistent.
Have you ever been to a real auction?Has any character in Gemstone? If you've never played a fantasy game, you might not understand this, but Elanthia isn't the same place as Earth and Elanthians aren't Earthlings. That's why my character can get his leg chopped off and stand around forever without dying. Also, that's why my character can stand around forever to begin with.

[Tannious]

also most of these things are done on the net...so technically they are mental thoughts...so parsing them could be rationalized off as how your brain thinks it out.



Tannious

[zhelas]

Achaea is fantastic. I never got far into it, but it impressed me. Still, if you want real immersion, SIMU games are number one.

I spent some time browsing their website and skimming through their manual. It looks like it has the potential of being fairly in depth. They have created alot of infrastructure to have a decent world. I was wondering how they could keep a staff to monitor their world since you can play for free and I discovered that the with real life money you can buy what they call credits to purchase the alters, skill enhancers and etc etc. Sure you will have the folks that spend hundreds of dollars to try and become Uber, but I see no difference in that by being a Multi accounter and bringing 6 to 8 accounts to a festival. At least when you spend your money you know you are getting something in return.

I still think Simu games are the best. Hopefully this financial hiccup will not last long.

Zhelas
Currently going through withdrawls from GS4.

[StJimmy]

I've had a character on Achaea for about 7 years that I've played on and off, while it is free to play, if you want to get skills, you need to buy credits to convert to lessons so you can learn. Yeah, you can maybe max one of your skillsets by getting to level 100 and spending a couple thousand hours playing. But for the other 10-12 skillsets, you'll need to spend quite a bit of real money to learn.

It kinds sucks when you've got an old character that gets owned by some low level newbie who spent a couple grand maxing skills and buying artifacts and also spent money buying a shitload of triggers/alias's for zMud so they can cure the shit out of themselves and attack without doing any work at all.

[Phydra]

I'm a long time player of IRE games (and also volunteered as staff) and I would say it can get very expensive. You can play for free but if you want to have any skills you pretty much have to buy credits.

Roleplaying is nearly non exsistant in Achaea. Imperian and Aetolia has smaller player base and there is roleplaying there but you have to search for it.

The games are based around conflict so you should be aware of that, as well as the fact that you should be pretty good at coding ZMud for a system. I never got into the fighting really, it was the politics that kept me interested. I wish GS had something similar.

[zhelas]

It kinds sucks when you've got an old character that gets owned by some low level newbie who spent a couple grand maxing skills and buying artifacts and also spent money buying a shitload of triggers/alias's for zMud so they can cure the shit out of themselves and attack without doing any work at all.

This right here pretty much has turned me off on this mud. The fact that someone can go ahead and make a newbie low level character uber powerful completely unbalances the game.

[Beguiler]

Yeah, I played Achaea for a couple years, did relatively well but hit a point where real currency was needed to progress any farther. I found rp to be practically non-existant, and eventually just quit playing. It was fun for a while, but yes, having a newb with more money be able to walk all over me because I won't invest my rent money in lessons bites.

[zhelas]

I'm a long time player of IRE games (and also volunteered as staff) and I would say it can get very expensive. You can play for free but if you want to have any skills you pretty much have to buy credits.

Roleplaying is nearly non exsistant in Achaea. Imperian and Aetolia has smaller player base and there is roleplaying there but you have to search for it.

The games are based around conflict so you should be aware of that, as well as the fact that you should be pretty good at coding ZMud for a system. I never got into the fighting really, it was the politics that kept me interested. I wish GS had something similar.

The nice thing about GS4 is the player base works on trying to enforce roll play. I am sure a political structure could be set up in GS4 but it will probably take the players base to make it grow and work.

Might look into the Armageddon, Harshlands, or Shadows of Isildur as mentioned earlier by Jazuela.

As much as folks complain about Simu, they really do offer a good product compared to what is out there. I do think however the quality of play really comes from the player base.

[Phydra]

The nice thing about GS4 is the player base works on trying to enforce roll play. I am sure a political structure could be set up in GS4 but it will probably take the players base to make it grow and work.

Might look into the Armageddon, Harshlands, or Shadows of Isildur as mentioned earlier by Jazuela.

As much as folks complain about Simu, they really do offer a good product compared to what is out there. I do think however the quality of play really comes from the player base.

I actually love GS, but the problem for me is that I can't justify the cost since I don't play often enough. IRE games I can play when I feel like it for nothing, I've already invested all I'm going to invest in them.

For the $15 I have to spend to keep the GS account (actually to keep ONE character) active I can keep a WoW account with MANY characters active and play when I have time. If I'm going to choose one, I'll go with WoW since my kids will play too and the account gets more use.

[zhelas]

I actually love GS, but the problem for me is that I can't justify the cost since I don't play often enough. IRE games I can play when I feel like it for nothing, I've already invested all I'm going to invest in them.

For the $15 I have to spend to keep the GS account (actually to keep ONE character) active I can keep a WoW account with MANY characters active and play when I have time. If I'm going to choose one, I'll go with WoW since my kids will play too and the account gets more use.

I love GS and have played it off and on over the last 10 years. The times that I have left were really do to financial reasons. $15 Dollars per month for one character is steep compared to the others and if you wish to have many more characters it is either an additional $3 per character or bumping up to premium or go platinum which is like buying a new copy WoW every month.

I may wait a while before returning to see what HJ will be like if they ever release it.

[ElanthianSiren]

Played Imperian off and on with Staceyrain's player. My Review:


LdyVampre (10:55:42 AM): Imperian is nice btw -- just got to the other games thread
LdyVampre (10:55:44 AM): very in depth though
LdyVampre (10:55:47 AM): like you have to eat
LdyVampre (10:55:50 AM): or you pass out and die
LdyVampre (10:55:55 AM): their voodoo system kicks ass though

-M

also didn't like the rune/dev/archeology/nice item selling slots for cash, but I understood that's how they pay for their world since it's technically free.

[Phydra]

Played Imperian off and on with Staceyrain's player. My Review:


LdyVampre (10:55:42 AM): Imperian is nice btw -- just got to the other games thread
LdyVampre (10:55:44 AM): very in depth though
LdyVampre (10:55:47 AM): like you have to eat
LdyVampre (10:55:50 AM): or you pass out and die
LdyVampre (10:55:55 AM): their voodoo system kicks ass though

-M

also didn't like the rune/dev/archeology/nice item selling slots for cash, but I understood that's how they pay for their world since it's technically free.

Heh Imperian is where I play, I'm Zarilyn there. I haven't played much in the past few months though, just too busy and when I have time to play a game it's usually WoW.