How much has Gemstone changed?

[Amber]

I've been gone from GS far longer than I ever played. I started in 2004 and left in 2010, though I'd mostly stopped playing in 2009. I'm now recuperating from an almost-catastrophic car accident after being hit last year by a methed-up driver. I'm still not in any condition to return to work, but am now feeling very bored and cooped up and am looking for things to do to occupy my mind, and today I thought of Gemstone.

I'm thinking of returning to the game, at least for a while, but am worried about how things may have changed. When I left, war camps had come out, though I never actually went to any. What's new since then? Have there been any mechanics changes? Also, how's the population? I saw that there are about 500 people, on average, but am wondering if those 500 people are mostly active, or are they just logged in with little interaction? I always liked the social aspect of the game back when I started playing, though when I left there wasn't so much interaction.

[Fallen]

There has been a great deal of changes, especially of late to the game since you've left. The GSwiki is now the official repository of information for the game and is updated daily. This webpage lists a few updates that have gone in during the past few years, but there have been many, many more since 2009: https://gswiki.play.net/Whirlin_Goes...he_Number_Line If you have any specific questions, i'd suggest asking here or asking a mentor to walk you through it in game.

As to the number of people in-game, this thread will show you the population levels: http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthrea...anthian-Census but it sounds as if you've already seen it.

Interaction must be sought out to be consistently found. There are places like Town Square in the Landing where you'll nearly always find someone awake and responsive, but otherwise you can't count on running into a roleplay scenario on demand every time you log in. The good news is there are a multitude of RP events going on every single day hosted by MHOs and CHEs that are free and for the express purpose of roleplaying. Attend any of these and you'll quickly gather a group of friends who will want to RP with you at nearly every opportunity.

A calendar of these events can be found here: http://forums.play.net/calendar?game=gemstone+iv There is another calendar with more information on it, but it appears down at the moment.

In terms of GM storylines, The Landing is again the best place to find nearly nightly activity. These storylines are run by GM Kenstrom and are quite involved. I would suggest poking around on the officials for a current synopsis to the events http://forums.play.net/forums/GemSto...20Landing/view Navigating the officials is still a chore, but if you skip to the end of the folder and read backwards you'll find many logs of recent events posted by players.

Better yet, just talk to characters in town and they'll give you the opinion on the matter. The Landing currently has a player, Cruxophim, who has been elected town Mayor and would be a great point of contact for anyone looking to get involved. Beyond that, I haven't seen too much consistent GM lead RP in other towns, but that doesn't mean it isn't available.

As you may have noticed, Ebon Gate is currently running and the grounds can be visited for free if you're curious to look around. The QUEST verb should have more info about reaching the new island where it is taking place. Tickets for the events are now paid in Simucoins instead of at the box office. https://store.play.net/Store/Purchas...te&ItemSearch= You can buy passes for specific purposes, such as playing games, or shopping, without having to spend $50 for access to everything. I haven't been myself, but it looks pretty fun. Simucoins, an alt-currency, are worth reading up on if you're not familiar with them. https://gswiki.play.net/SimuCoin

If you're looking to be able to ask questions in real-time, Lich is still a great resource for speaking to players in game, as well as providing powerful scripts. The website with a download link and instructions on how to install can be found here: https://lichproject.org/

There is also a Gemstone Discord channel that is incredibly active and has both players and GMs present. https://discordapp.com/invite/qYnKfpD I would definitely check that out even if you aren't familiar with the Discord app. The web browser works just fine IMO.

Best of luck in your return, should you decide to get back into GS.

[Allereli]

The best summaries of changes are in the official Creating Adventure pages linked from here:

https://gswiki.play.net/Category:New_Player

This category is also well worth exploring.

[Fallen]

Knew I forgot something, heh.

[Askip]

Yeah what they said (good stuff thx) and welcome back!

I returned last year after a seven year break and found the game even more enjoyable than when I left.

It's good to hear you are recovering, good luck and have fun.

Askip


P.S. Beautiful dog pic.

[Amber]

Thanks so much for the info and the well-wishes, everyone! Looks like I have some reading to do.