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Raklon
06-27-2010, 09:42 PM
Hello all. I played this game on and off between 1997 and 2005. I briefly returned in 2008 due to nostalgia. For the first few days, I had a lot of fun. Quite a few things had changed. This feeling of renewal did not last long, however, because I realized how few people played this game anymore. At least, it seemed that way on the basic account that I was playing. As I recall, the population seemed to cap out at somewhere over 400 players. I'm not sure how many players there are on other servers. It is a far cry from when I first started playing, when there were well over 1600 players at any one time, and sometimes more than 2000. I do remember the population declining steadily over the years that I played, however.

Like many people, I had quite a few characters over the years. Some of the ones I was more serious about were: Flugziffer, Raklon, Dryszt, and Sxatter. I wouldn't mind hearing from anyone who remembers them. Depending upon the time frame, I tended to hang around either the Party Room or the Cul-de-sac.

Really, the reason for this post is the same reason that I briefly returned: nostalgia. I probably had some of my best online gaming experiences with this game, something that has yet to be matched by any other.

Raklon
06-27-2010, 09:55 PM
Sorry all, I realize I just put this in the wrong forum.

Khariz
06-27-2010, 10:00 PM
Maybe you didn't. The new Shattered instance just started up. Most nights it has 200+ of its own players on there. It's a fresh start. The server hasn't even been up a month and everyone started at level 0. The only think is, there's no rules.

Pretty much anything goes, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Drunken Durfin
06-28-2010, 12:20 AM
Pretty much anything goes, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Please note that Khariz's current definition of fun is getting a gang together and killing people that are AFK. Real challenging.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 12:37 AM
Please excuse Drunken Dorfin - He's stupid as balls.

BriarFox
06-28-2010, 12:41 AM
Please excuse Drunken Dorfin - He's stupid as balls.

Please ignore the troll (^), who happens to be one of the gang.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 12:43 AM
Please ignore the troll (^), who happens to be one of the gang.

And proud of it.

HJFudge
06-28-2010, 12:47 AM
Please ignore the troll (^), who happens to be one of the gang.

Don't be jealous! :)

BriarFox
06-28-2010, 12:50 AM
And proud of it.

You're proud that you're entertained by ruining other people's fun?
You're proud that you're a member of a nearly universally hated group?
You're proud that you elevate your own desires to the summit of narcissism?
You're proud that your can express your juvenile, anti-social urges without an external parental authority (i.e. GMs) stopping you?

What do you have to be proud of?

Liagala
06-28-2010, 12:57 AM
Well Raklon... in just a few posts you've seen pretty much the worst of Shattered. On the plus side, it also includes much of what you remember from years ago (though with a smaller population, and a fair number of them AFK at times). As Khariz said, it's a fresh start, and I think the highest level character is currently mid-30s somewhere. There are no legacy uber items to give the rich an edge. There are also no rules - no carebear Mommy and Daddy overseers, but also nothing to stop people from taking you out, repeatedly, for absolutely no reason. As you can see above, there's a clan that does just that, for now. We'll run them off at some point, when enough of us get sick of it.

HJFudge
06-28-2010, 02:06 AM
You're proud that you're entertained by ruining other people's fun?
You're proud that you're a member of a nearly universally hated group?
You're proud that you elevate your own desires to the summit of narcissism?
You're proud that your can express your juvenile, anti-social urges without an external parental authority (i.e. GMs) stopping you?

What do you have to be proud of?

"Universally Hated" Is, uh, a bit of a stretch. Ok. Not just a bit. A frigging HUGE stretch. Lots of people like us :)

IorakeWarhammer
06-28-2010, 09:53 AM
to the old player,

you should join shattered. its Gemstone how it was before it got HUGE in the early 2000s in many ways. without the warnings and otherwise goody-two-shoes flavor. hella fun. plus you can script so you wake up on sundee mornin' having slept 10 hours and notice you're up 20k exp. quite nice..

Kitsun
06-28-2010, 10:10 AM
Maybe my memory is foggy but I don't ever remember the GS population ever being 2,000. Like 1,200 or so and the game was unplayable due to lag. I really remember just tripping over people everywhere and having hunting grounds where people would constantly be running in and yelling chase.

g++
06-28-2010, 10:26 AM
Pre .net there was definately an average of 2k during peak on for a while. It was still on AOL at the time though. The second it moved off AOL's main page it dropped down to around 1k. This was right around the time the juggernaught came the second time and icemule opened up. The lag was pretty bad at times especially during events.

Ashliana
06-28-2010, 10:26 AM
When GS first moved to the web, from AOL/CompuServe/Genie/Prodigy/etc, and was briefly free (but offering players who paid a semi-permanent RP award), there 2500-3000 players on at primetime, if memory serves. I definitely remember there being at least that many players on at some point.

Areas like TS SW were a blast, if extremely hectic (the Small Park didn't exist back then).

Ryvicke
06-28-2010, 10:29 AM
I can't remember the last time I did a STAT. I do a lot of ESP WHO GENERAL and BEFR LIST to see who's around me.

Are there not 2000 people on anymore?

g++
06-28-2010, 10:29 AM
That wasnt more players though, that was 2k of the player not sleeping because they were gaining 2 levels a night. After the move to the web rp award went away the average night was about 1 to 1.5k people.

Fallen
06-28-2010, 10:46 AM
No one seems to remember that the game was nearly unplayable when the game got to 2k players.

IorakeWarhammer
06-28-2010, 10:49 AM
I think now if it had that many it would be more fun than ever.

Ardwen
06-28-2010, 10:59 AM
At its peak when it was free on unlimited aol it went a bit over 3k a night, I have logs showing 3200-3400, that was the timewarp days, I remember the autorezzed people in trees dying half a dozen times over and over, it was a riot to watch the death scrolls

g++
06-28-2010, 11:37 AM
At its peak when it was free on unlimited aol it went a bit over 3k a night, I have logs showing 3200-3400, that was the timewarp days, I remember the autorezzed people in trees dying half a dozen times over and over, it was a riot to watch the death scrolls

I completely forgot about the elven village tree spirit groups none of the shit we did back on aol makes any sense to me anymore.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 12:48 PM
Well Raklon... in just a few posts you've seen pretty much the worst of Shattered. On the plus side, it also includes much of what you remember from years ago (though with a smaller population, and a fair number of them AFK at times). As Khariz said, it's a fresh start, and I think the highest level character is currently mid-30s somewhere. There are no legacy uber items to give the rich an edge. There are also no rules - no carebear Mommy and Daddy overseers, but also nothing to stop people from taking you out, repeatedly, for absolutely no reason. As you can see above, there's a clan that does just that, for now. We'll run them off at some point, when enough of us get sick of it.

::writhes::

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 12:54 PM
You're proud that you're entertained by ruining other people's fun?
You're proud that you're a member of a nearly universally hated group?
You're proud that you elevate your own desires to the summit of narcissism?
You're proud that your can express your juvenile, anti-social urges without an external parental authority (i.e. GMs) stopping you?

What do you have to be proud of?

I'm proud to affect people IRL through a game.

But of course you're totally apathetic about this. Like James Dean cool about it all.

Drunken Durfin
06-28-2010, 01:03 PM
I'm proud to affect people IRL through a game.


Because your life is so pathetic, we know.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 01:19 PM
Because your life is so pathetic, we know.

Zounds! I am undone!

Drunken Durfin
06-28-2010, 01:29 PM
Cthulu, the only affect on my real life you are having is this.


Doing something else and my computer send out a DING.

Oh, look Cthulu tried to bearhug me to death again and my script logged out because he is too weak to crit me.

Log back in.

Restart script.

Back to what I was doing.

You are such a failure. You remind me of those fat losers in school that decided to join the police force because a badge and a gun would get them the respect they "deserve".

I spent more time typing this than you have caused me to waste because of your in-game asshattery. Climb out of your mom's basement, get some more cheesy poofs and go back to masturbating.

Liagala
06-28-2010, 01:43 PM
get some more cheesy poofs
mmm, cheesy poofs. I haven't had those in a while. Grocery stop on the way home from work for me!

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 01:54 PM
Cthulu, the only affect on my real life you are having is this.


Doing something else and my computer send out a DING.

Oh, look Cthulu tried to bearhug me to death again and my script logged out because he is too weak to crit me.

Log back in.

Restart script.

Back to what I was doing.

You are such a failure. You remind me of those fat losers in school that decided to join the police force because a badge and a gun would get them the respect they "deserve".

I spent more time typing this than you have caused me to waste because of your in-game asshattery. Climb out of your mom's basement, get some more cheesy poofs and go back to masturbating.

Fuckin' James Dean :)

AnticorRifling
06-28-2010, 02:00 PM
There you got Cthulu, some green boxes so your blank rep isn't just a grey box.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 02:01 PM
There you got Cthulu, some green boxes so your blank rep isn't just a grey box.

I am a glorious beacon of light.

AnticorRifling
06-28-2010, 02:04 PM
For now....

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 02:06 PM
For now....

I'm too cool to care!

Krienna
06-28-2010, 03:02 PM
Hello all. I played this game on and off between 1997 and 2005. I briefly returned in 2008 due to nostalgia. For the first few days, I had a lot of fun. Quite a few things had changed. This feeling of renewal did not last long, however, because I realized how few people played this game anymore. At least, it seemed that way on the basic account that I was playing. As I recall, the population seemed to cap out at somewhere over 400 players. I'm not sure how many players there are on other servers. It is a far cry from when I first started playing, when there were well over 1600 players at any one time, and sometimes more than 2000. I do remember the population declining steadily over the years that I played, however.

Like many people, I had quite a few characters over the years. Some of the ones I was more serious about were: Flugziffer, Raklon, Dryszt, and Sxatter. I wouldn't mind hearing from anyone who remembers them. Depending upon the time frame, I tended to hang around either the Party Room or the Cul-de-sac.

Really, the reason for this post is the same reason that I briefly returned: nostalgia. I probably had some of my best online gaming experiences with this game, something that has yet to be matched by any other.

I recently made a return as well since I've yet to come across a game that even comes close to the awesomeness of GS. I played WoW off and on for a bit, but I never really could get into it. It was just way too simple in comparison. The only other game that has held my interest is a post-apocalyptic roleplaying environment within SecondLife. It has combat similar to WoW, but that atmosphere is just insanely laggy by nature.

I had the exact opposite reaction when I glanced at WHO and noticed that the average population decreased dramatically during peak hours. It was more of a "thank you fucking god" reaction since my last memories were of the almost unplayable conditions that plagued the server back in the GSIII days. Plus, prime feels pretty closeknit nowadays too. It's pretty nifty to see the same faces around town instead of a clusterfuck of names and the insanity that was once TSSW. The old days definitely had their moments, but I don't miss the higher server load at all.

As for the other posts in the thead, Shattered definitely sounds interesting to say the least. Are they still doing trials for it? I'd hate to spend the 5 bucks and realize it isn't for me.

Ashliana
06-28-2010, 03:48 PM
I don't think there is, or ever was, a trial for Shattered. Even though the game-entry program claims there is.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 03:51 PM
I don't think there is, or ever was, a trial for Shattered. Even though the game-entry program claims there is.

The more I read about it, the more I think I'll stick with prime. It looks like one of those things that may be fun for awhile before the nonsense begins to get boring. If it wasn't $5.00 extra a month, I'd definitely use it as a way to burn off some steam from M-F grind.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 03:52 PM
I recently made a return as well since I've yet to come across a game that even comes close to the awesomeness of GS. I played WoW off and on for a bit, but I never really could get into it. It was just way too simple in comparison. The only other game that has held my interest is a post-apocalyptic roleplaying environment within SecondLife. It has combat similar to WoW, but that atmosphere is just insanely laggy by nature.

I had the exact opposite reaction when I glanced at WHO and noticed that the average population decreased dramatically during peak hours. It was more of a "thank you fucking god" reaction since my last memories were of the almost unplayable conditions that plagued the server back in the GSIII days. Plus, prime feels pretty closeknit nowadays too. It's pretty nifty to see the same faces around town instead of a clusterfuck of names and the insanity that was once TSSW. The old days definitely had their moments, but I don't miss the higher server load at all.

As for the other posts in the thead, Shattered definitely sounds interesting to say the least. Are they still doing trials for it? I'd hate to spend the 5 bucks and realize it isn't for me.

Sadly there is not - it's worth it though.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 03:55 PM
Sadly there is not - it's worth it though.

Yeah, I'm just having a hard time justifying $20.00 a month for one character in Shattered when I could reactivate my WoW subscription to camp out an Alliance town or something. Still, GS without a bunch of capped characters and open PVP sounds very interesting.

Raklon
06-28-2010, 04:10 PM
Lol, this is what I get for posting in the wrong forum. I didn't expect this kind of response. I have to admit though, Shattered sounds at least worth a look. I don't think I've ever played an online rpg where anyone is allowed to just walk in and end your life, just for the hell of it. Although, I do remember it happening a few times on GS3.

AnticorRifling
06-28-2010, 04:17 PM
You mean just about every other online game except GS?

Raklon
06-28-2010, 04:17 PM
I recently made a return as well since I've yet to come across a game that even comes close to the awesomeness of GS. I played WoW off and on for a bit, but I never really could get into it. It was just way too simple in comparison. The only other game that has held my interest is a post-apocalyptic roleplaying environment within SecondLife. It has combat similar to WoW, but that atmosphere is just insanely laggy by nature.

I had the exact opposite reaction when I glanced at WHO and noticed that the average population decreased dramatically during peak hours. It was more of a "thank you fucking god" reaction since my last memories were of the almost unplayable conditions that plagued the server back in the GSIII days. Plus, prime feels pretty closeknit nowadays too. It's pretty nifty to see the same faces around town instead of a clusterfuck of names and the insanity that was once TSSW. The old days definitely had their moments, but I don't miss the higher server load at all.

As for the other posts in the thead, Shattered definitely sounds interesting to say the least. Are they still doing trials for it? I'd hate to spend the 5 bucks and realize it isn't for me.

Honestly, the main reason this game was so dear to me was likely because it was the first online game I ever played. Had I played WoW first, I might well have fallen in love with that game. I've played it, and its a good game, but it didn't get me addicted. I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons since it went free, and its pretty good, but still no addiction. Maybe thats for the best though.

I remember the laggy days of GS3 as well. Its definately a plus that the lag is gone, but the world just had this empty feeling for me, especially since everyone I played with in the old days seems to have left.

HJFudge
06-28-2010, 04:22 PM
Honestly, the main reason this game was so dear to me was likely because it was the first online game I ever played. Had I played WoW first, I might well have fallen in love with that game. I've played it, and its a good game, but it didn't get me addicted. I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons since it went free, and its pretty good, but still no addiction. Maybe thats for the best though.

I remember the laggy days of GS3 as well. Its definately a plus that the lag is gone, but the world just had this empty feeling for me, especially since everyone I played with in the old days seems to have left.

I had the same issue. I recently re-subscribed especially for shattered, and I was very sad that all the people I used to RP with were gone. But, I figured...new world, new instance...so I decided to use this opportunity to get in on the community! It's been successful. Ive made friends and enemies both and its fun times.

If you get in on the community in the game, it wont seem so empty at all.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:30 PM
Honestly, the main reason this game was so dear to me was likely because it was the first online game I ever played. Had I played WoW first, I might well have fallen in love with that game. I've played it, and its a good game, but it didn't get me addicted. I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons since it went free, and its pretty good, but still no addiction. Maybe thats for the best though.

I remember the laggy days of GS3 as well. Its definately a plus that the lag is gone, but the world just had this empty feeling for me, especially since everyone I played with in the old days seems to have left.

I know exactly what you mean since GS was my first online game as well. I remember playing GS for the first time back in the AOL days when I was 11 or 12. As an avid reader even at that age, I fell in love with it immeditately. I remember not knowing what I was doing and still having fun with it. It kept me entertained for awhile until I put it on hold while focusing on my education and career.

I raided in WoW (stopped at 8/12 ICC10/25) for a bit until I finally got burned out after my 5th 80 in T9. It was a huge time sink, and I hated the set raid times if you got with a good group. It was no longer was fun to me and felt like a second job. Plus, it was mostly OOC and had little to no RP at all, even on the RP servers. I love GS since I can come and go as I please. There's no raid times, and I can spend a week or more away from the game without any consequences from a guild.

GS and one other MUD, Lensmoor, are the only two online gaming environments that I know of with amazing game dynamics behind it and discourage OOC chat in public. I love roleplaying and immersing myself in Elanthia. It's just a great escape from the daily grind. It's definitely a lot slower nowadays, but there are still some great people to play with. I just wish more of the old faces were still around.

Anyone know if Belnia still plays? I didn't really know her (him RL) too well beyond buying/selling things, but it's one person that played both Gemstone and Lensmoor that I could remember. She was just as successful of a merchant in Lensmoor as she was here.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:32 PM
I had the same issue. I recently re-subscribed especially for shattered, and I was very sad that all the people I used to RP with were gone. But, I figured...new world, new instance...so I decided to use this opportunity to get in on the community! It's been successful. Ive made friends and enemies both and its fun times.

If you get in on the community in the game, it wont seem so empty at all.

Just out of curiosity, is Shattered mostly OOC? From the various logs I've seen here, it doesn't really look IC at all for Elanthia. Now, I've played in RP environments where pretty much anything goes. To me, Shattered seems like a clusterfuck that is not really IC but still fantasy technically. It's hard to get a feel for what it is merely from the logs.

Fortybox
06-28-2010, 04:35 PM
Just out of curiosity, is Shattered mostly OOC? From the various logs I've seen here, it doesn't really look IC at all for Elanthia. Now, I've played in RP environments where pretty much anything goes. To me, Shattered seems like a clusterfuck that is not really IC but still fantasy technically. It's hard to get a feel for what it is merely from the logs.

I think it's very IC. I have my Michael Jackson sequin performance pants, my baseball cap, Jimi Hendrix's guitar and a giant propellar blade through myself.

Oh and I'm a zombie that thinks he might be gay after looking at Jaeden's avatar who is possessed by the spirit of Michael Jackson to avenge his death from Katze and to destroy anus spewing people like Kaseopea.

:love:

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:40 PM
I think it's very IC. I have my Michael Jackson sequin performance pants, my baseball cap, Jimi Hendrix's guitar and a giant propellar blade through myself.

Oh and I'm a zombie that thinks he might be gay after looking at Jaeden's avatar who is possessed by the spirit of Michael Jackson to avenge his death from Katze and to destroy anus spewing people like Kaseopea.

:love:

Hah! So, it's basically GS4 hits up a Halloween bash, eh?

HJFudge
06-28-2010, 04:40 PM
Just out of curiosity, is Shattered mostly OOC? From the various logs I've seen here, it doesn't really look IC at all for Elanthia. Now, I've played in RP environments where pretty much anything goes. To me, Shattered seems like a clusterfuck that is not really IC but still fantasy technically. It's hard to get a feel for what it is merely from the logs.

Its really, really random. Sometimes, people are totally IC. Necen gets very IC, for example.

We are IC (mostly) when we are out Extorting...but its relaxed.

But yes. Most people dont even Interact, let alone RP. Lots of Zombie Scripters who are afk leveling and wont even give you the time of day.

But if you get with a group of like minded people, you are sure to get some decent RP in.

Liagala
06-28-2010, 04:42 PM
Its really, really random. Sometimes, people are totally IC. Necen gets very IC, for example.

But yes. Most people dont even Interact, let alone RP. Lots of Zombie Scripters who are afk leveling and wont even give you the time of day.

But if you get with a group of like minded people, you are sure to get some decent RP in.
^ This. Some people RP in the traditional-GS style. Some, like Rambo, RP the RL persona that inspired their choice of character name. Some just don't care, and make no attempt at RP at all, and some aren't even at the keyboard. It's a pretty wide range.

Fortybox
06-28-2010, 04:43 PM
I don't understand why I don't get an RPA. Very sad panda right now.

HJFudge
06-28-2010, 04:44 PM
I don't understand why I don't get an RPA. Very sad panda right now.

Yeah I know! I RP my guy to the hilt sometimes. TO THE HILT!

Oh well. Its ok. I get my fun in other ways.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:45 PM
Damn you all! :p Now, I'm almost tempted to upgrade to Shattered. I didn't really bother reading over the website, but the $5.00 a month gets an upgrade to Shattered and doesn't replace Prime right? I really like Prime for the more focused atmosphere, but it definitely is sounding tempting even though I shouldn't be spending more money right now.

BriarFox
06-28-2010, 04:46 PM
Damn you all! :P Now, I'm almost tempted to upgrade to Shattered. I didn't really bother reading over the website, but the $5.00 a month gets an upgrade to Shattered and doesn't replace Prime right? I really like Prime for the more focused atmosphere, but it definitely is sounding tempting even though I shouldn't be spending more money right now.

Yep. You'll have both Prime and Shattered subscriptions for the extra $5. You can play in either, but not both at the same time.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 04:48 PM
Just out of curiosity, is Shattered mostly OOC? From the various logs I've seen here, it doesn't really look IC at all for Elanthia. Now, I've played in RP environments where pretty much anything goes. To me, Shattered seems like a clusterfuck that is not really IC but still fantasy technically. It's hard to get a feel for what it is merely from the logs.

It's out of character, but considering the community, most of us have fun light-roleplaying. The GM's went crazy altering personas and equipment the first two weeks to match peoples names, so there's some serious wierdness lurking around.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:49 PM
Yep. You'll have both Prime and Shattered subscriptions for the extra $5. You can play in either, but not both at the same time.

That's not so much of an issue since I don't multibox or anything. Would you recommend it then? I'm definitely tempted, but Prime keeps me rather entertained also.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 04:50 PM
It's out of character, but considering the community, most of us have fun light-roleplaying. The GM's went crazy altering personas and equipment the first two weeks to match peoples names, so there's some serious wierdness lurking around.

Yeah, I noticed from the logs. Some of it was delightfully weird. Are they still doing the personas and equipment?

BriarFox
06-28-2010, 04:53 PM
That's not so much of an issue since I don't multibox or anything. Would you recommend it then? I'm definitely tempted, but Prime keeps me rather entertained also.

It's more relaxing than Prime, and more engaging. It's a lot of fun to start out fresh. The PvP atmosphere is also, for the most part, entertaining (with the noted issues). You can also find a community that suits your tastes, depending on what you're into. Use Lich if you come to Shattered, though, or you're at a serious disadvantage. Also, it takes some of the tedium away. Look up Necen for IC role-playing or OOC advice if you want.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 05:00 PM
Yeah, I noticed from the logs. Some of it was delightfully weird. Are they still doing the personas and equipment?

Not that I've seen. Looks like they prolly got yelled at after week two.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 05:08 PM
Not that I've seen. Looks like they prolly got yelled at after week two.

Sounds about right. Looks like I'm a little late to the party. I'll decide tonight whether or not to give it a go.

Cthulu
06-28-2010, 05:16 PM
Sounds about right. Looks like I'm a little late to the party. I'll decide tonight whether or not to give it a go.

Hope to see you around. Don't take anything personal when you get here and you'll have a lot of fun.

Krienna
06-28-2010, 05:18 PM
Hope to see you around. Don't take anything personal when you get here and you'll have a lot of fun.

Oh, I won't. :) WoW does a great job of making sure you have thick skin. Thanks for the information you all, and I'm sure I'll see you around if I pop over there.

TheRoseLady
06-30-2010, 08:05 PM
I am guessing that Shattered is the same concept as The Fallen was several years ago?

HJFudge
06-30-2010, 08:06 PM
I am guessing that Shattered is the same concept as The Fallen was several years ago?

Yes.