THIS IS STRICTLY OOC!!!
SO DON'T RANT AND RAVE ABOUT IT.

It is the way I see it, and I'm hoping for a change.

Let me set the scene:

Achaea, right about the time I was born:

Mhaldor hated everyone but especially the druids and all things forestall. Mainly because they simply did not have the balls to stand up to anyone else and forestalls have a history of being under powered and virtually defenseless.
Ashtan hated Shallam
Shallam hated Ashtan and Mhaldor. But only hated Mhaldor on principal. Mhaldor has never been a realistic threat to Shallam.
Hashan practiced apathetic diplomacy, hoping to one day actually be a city worth visiting.
Eleusis pretended to protect the forests and
Oakstone could hardly do anything to stop the destruction of forests.

If you really wanted an RP experience of note, you played a Druid in Achaea. It was fun. All the elements of suspense and action were there.
I spent over a century role playing in that setting, had lots of fun, and then RL interupted so I went to sleep.

So what changed?

NOTHING! And that's the problem!!!

The same old conflicts, the same old stories, repeated over and over and over again.
Sure, now and then a god dies or splits in two or vanishes completely.
Now and then a new god suddenly arrives in huge fan fare and fire works. There's excitement for a while an then all goes back to the way it was.
The world expands, new areas can be visited and suddenly everyone wants to be a pirate because they can now have ships. Woopdiefrigendoo!!

Or should that be Arghmematy?

Now and the foreseeable future:

Mhaldor bullies the forestalls. The forestalls complain until the gods make a change to the game so they can get the upper hand again.
Shallam and Ashtan keep garbing at each others throats, never really making any kind of a dent that can not be mended in less than a few months.
Hashan is Hashan, hardly ever part of any serious conflict and about as interesting as a plate of cabbage.
Eleusis only comes under attack from Mhaldor. Because it's the only entity that Mhaldor stands any kind of chance against.
And Oakstone is now more of a toothless tiger than ever before.

And every time some party gains an upper hand, the game is changed to balance everything out again and keep the old conflicts alive.

THIS HAS SERIOUSLY GOTTEN OLD.

Honestly, I can not stress this more B O R I N G!!!

There is virtually no RP left for anyone that's been playing Achaea for any serious amount of time. There is no permanent conflict progression. The realm never really changes.

Is it any wonder then, that a hack and slash mud like Aardwolf trumps Achaea on TopMudSites.com?
Back when I started playing, Achaea was at the top of that list ALL THE TIME!

There needs to be some kind of PERMANENT progression in these conflicts.

SOMEONE HAS TO WIN!
THE STORY IS STALE! IT NEEDS TO BE MOVED FORWARD!

So what if Mhaldor actually manages to destroy all the forests. At least then there will be unity among forestalls to actually gather an army on one of the other continents/islands to combat Mhaldor and reclaim the forests.

And if the forestalls actually get a little more than Metamorphosis to do some effective PK for a change, wouldn't Mhaldor have something to be excited about?

Seriously, how exciting can it possibly be to exterminate forest room after forest room, knowing your enemy can not possibly harm you in any permanent or seriously uncomfortable way. It's about as interesting in RP capacity as a game of PACMAN.

So... this is a serious petition to the gods.

Yes! Let there be conflict! But allow someone... ANYONE to actually win for a change!

Let's put the RP back into Achaea!

Your flame wars may start now... but please, don't be boring.

So you are complaining about there being no RP because things feel stale to you? Congratulations, it is time to put the game down.

Yea, that is probably what will happen.

But honestly, after 6 RL years of not playing, I was hoping to find a different story upon my return.

Something to sink my teeth into again, something to actually get me to write a journal full on just one topic again.

In any setting, 200 years is a long time for no serious political structure changes. The only thing that's changed in Achaea over the last in game 200 years, are how it's played.

Disappointing to say the least.

I found it strange that you disagreed with hard-coded changes which balance everything out, then argued for Forestals to have hard-coded changes in order balance out PK. Also - if you don't think forestals are strong in 1v1, then you truly don't understand combat. Just because there are none that have prominently stepped up doesn't mean it's not possible.

I would advise going back into the game and re-checking all those conflicts that seem to be the same.

You got a few things wrong and missed some.

I'm pretty sure a lot has changed over the course of six years.

Even the things 'set in stone'.

Plenty has changed.

Even changes in Gods is enough to produce volumes of research.

BTW, Babel is back, thanks for Flair.

Wasn't shallam recieving raid after raid after raid by mhaldor not that long ago? And were they not losing most of them trying to defend?

back?

Babel never truly existed except in an obscure mythos reference that everyone but flair ignored. And look what 7 rl years of dedication, utter boredom and etc can get you. The chance to get killed because your hopes and dreams finally came true. Sweet deal.

Mhaldor was the weakest and newest city back then. They got spray farted on daily.

This is not true!


Mhaldor got two extra indoor rooms right at the gates, which are pretty cool.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!
I really appreciate the maturity of the responses, I received.

Well, the quote tags don't work for some reason, so I'll do this the old fashioned way.

quote:
I found it strange that you disagreed with hard-coded changes which balance everything out, then argued for Forestals to have hard-coded changes in order balance out PK. Also - if you don't think forestals are strong in 1v1, then you truly don't understand combat.

Hi Manifest, thanks for the reply.

But take a look at what happens, the cycle is so clear by now that it's actually painful to see happen again.

A hand full of Mhaldorians, and I mean a hand full, I've never seen more than 3 personally. Take it upon themselves to destroy the forests. The rest of Mhaldor could not be bothered.

It then takes titanic effort by about 100 forestals to bring those 5 to task. Usually by moaning and complaining to the powers to get something done.

Then things go quiet again and Mahldor complains because they can't take on the forestals. Then something gets changed and a hand full of Mhaldorians start destroying the forests.

Whan I'm appealing for here, is for the endless cycle to stop. Honestly, someone has to WIN! As a player, I don't really care who.

Just because there are none that have prominently stepped up doesn't mean it's not possible.

Anything is possible, but examine that statement. None have prominently stepped up, because for a forestall to become even half effective in combat requires effort several orders of magnitude greater than that of any other class. Even after forestalls have trans all their class skills, only Sentinels have a realistic chance in combat against other classes. If you are a druid, you are pretty much stuffed anywhere outside your grove.

quote:
Wasn't shallam recieving raid after raid after raid by mhaldor not that long ago? And were they not losing most of them trying to defend?

Please see what I wrote earlier:
never really making any kind of a dent that can not be mended in less than a few months.

quote:
Even changes in Gods is enough to produce volumes of research.
BTW, Babel is back, thanks for Flair.

Please see what I wrote earlier:
Sure, now and then a god dies or splits in two or vanishes completely.
Now and then a new god suddenly arrives in huge fan fare and fire works. There's excitement for a while an then all goes back to the way it was.

quote:
I would advise going back into the game and re-checking all those conflicts that seem to be the same.
You got a few things wrong and missed some.

Mind pointing me in the right direction, I'd honestly appreciate it. There are minor changes to how things work, but I have honestly not seen any serious political changes.

I actually am impressed with how nice the responses have been, considering that the original poster really has no grasp on the events that have transpired in the last century. Just sitting here, I can think of (In absolutely no order!) sweeping classlead changes, sweeping changes to Oakstone defenses, multiple alliances and treaties formed and broken, Rho's Archprelacy, the Four Years' War and the occupation of Shallam, rise of the Shallamese Caliphate, Babel's rise and His order's dedicated work, Delos destroyed, the Battle for the Underworld, the Battle for Xhiaden Dale, the battles for Shala-Khulia, the destruction of the Eleusian defendable grove, the return of Vastar and the Triton/Arcadian war, ships, Aegis' invasion of the Dreamrealm, the Eternal Eclipse saga and the Nychtaur, the Anointed, and the release of the Holy Codex, all of which have happened in the last three years, alone. I'm sure there are dozens of other world-wide events that had an effect on the Achaean landscape that I don't remember, and I'm sure there were dozens more in the three years before I started playing.

Other statements that I saw in the original post that are incorrect in assessment:
* Mhaldor is one of the Achaean super-powers, beating down pretty much anyone who opposes them.
* Shallam moved to oppose both Mhaldor and Ashtan on religious reasons, and was thoroughly stomped for it.
* The Druids are hardly the best place to go for RP opportunity. I'd rate them in the bottom half of the game's 'RP index', to be honest.
* Eleusis has risen to be powerful enough to fight Mhaldor and win occasionally, no small feat.
* During the Shala-Khulia battles, it became very clear that the Forestal classes were a fair match for the best that Mhaldor could offer.

Point is, it's rather obvious that you made a snap judgment without familiarizing yourself with the real facts, and are venting that ignorance for all the world to see. It's not our fault or problem that you logged in for the first time in years and were not immediately impressed with how utterly different the world had become. If you wish to play Achaea again, I suggest you do that, and learn what's happened in the last several centuries before decrying the game for being dull and lifeless. If you still feel disgruntled after that, feel free to move on with your life.

You cannot expect Achaea to drastically change its environment every fifty years just to amuse you. Achaea is a game that, while fluid and evolving, must remain in some statical to ensure that we may continue playing it. Further, Achaea is a game guided by the players. The fact that the neutral states of Cyrene and Hashan have remained (Shockingly!) neutral is through the efforts of the players, not some iron-handed mandate by the administration.

Achaea has too many players as it is who log in wishing simply to be entertained. The fact is that Achaea is a two-way street: We are entertained as much as we entertain others. If we all simply arrive and say "Amuse me!" without putting forth any effort to give back to the game, it truly will be a dull and lifeless place.

Thank God that Athelas' perspective of Achaea is not an accurate one, and Achaea is still an enriched, engaging roleplay environment for those who wish for it and work for it to be so.

Team Rangor has always been powerful enough to beat down Mhaldor.

I'll point you in the direction of all of the above. (Aerek's post... sneaky Mishgul)

Also the entertainment is derived out of Why this faction is fighting this faction again, why certain truces were broken etc. etc. Love is in the details.

Thank you Aerek,

I am apparently quite wrong, and am more than willing to admit it and move on.
My task then is clear, I will move to discover all the things you mentioned.

I have only one question then, where would you say are the best RP opportunities in Achaea?

Rofl. I was so gonna make that joke when was brought into play.


edit: fixed the quote.

Especially when Mhaldor's down to six dudes in Southwest Asia. Then it's time. to. shine!

It's only lame when the other side does it.

Yay we have found a common ground!

13:00 GMT, right?

The usual answer is that the best RP is typically found in the heavily aligned factions, especially in the near vicinity of Babel's Order. In addition, Mhaldor tends to have good RP, and (very very very dependent on where you are in the city) Shallam's pretty good, too, I understand.

Rangor Rangor He's our man, if he can't kill them, Xenomorph can!

About four hours after you start your daily inferno spree, when we're lucky to have more than two or three Forestals in game.

I would like to actually see the Gods let something happen though, like a city actually defeated and taken over, or torn to the ground, he is right about that part. Conflict never dies, there's no real goal to work towards since the Gods won't let any side actually win. I understand why, but still I'd like to see something actually go down for good.

ASHTAN PLEASE TEAR DOWN ASHTAN)

Boredom? The search for Babel with the Revolutionaries was some of the most fun times I ever had in Achaea, and the order is everything I could have hoped for. So I'm happy with it. As for the original OP--things do change, though I reckon the major alliances and enemies haven't except in subtle ways.

R.I.P Shallam's Bakery. The only upside was Vanna dying in the blast.

(P.S. Quoren, I don't care about the eclairs and truffles but bring back our customised cake slices, please!)

You never know, she's probably still around as a red-fog zombie or something serving cake to Mhaldorians.

It's a common misconception that Mhaldor's RP is all that good. It's really not.

I just want to second.. basically everything here. This is a well thought out post with a lot of interesting examples and it made the point I wanted to make before I got here: You get out of it exactly what you put into it.

Too many people sit on the sidelines and scream 'someone should do something...' with the unspoken clause: but not me.

I got this far and stopped reading the entire thread. It made for a good chuckle. The only way to find suspense and action while playing a Druid is to play a Druid who isn't at all associated with the actual House or Eleusis.

Wait! There was a time when Shallam was occupied by enemy forces? I can't believe I missed that!

Third'd. I don't write my dry posts just to amuse myself (even if that is part of the appeal). I take it as gospel that part of my responsibility is to give other players an opportunity to roleplay, if they want to. Ignore me, fine, but if you want an opportunity to strike up a conversation (or conversion) I throw that stuff out there so you have something to work with. My junk is just a small, small part of the stuff that goes on in Mhaldor, which is in turn just a small, red island in the sea of Achaea. Stuff's happening, you just have to get involved.

Normally 'nobody' goes there. Are you implying Xenomorph is a nobody?

I'd run now, if I were you.

The best 'RP' is where you make it. I'm not a member of any of the Heavily Aligned factions, but the work I do RP wise is consistent, and changing. You're in control of what your character does, not your organization. Decide what you want to get involved in, and find a way to get involved in it.

Yup, what you say seems to be the case now. 6/7 RL years ago, it wasn't. At any given point in time, you would have at least 20 Druids in the realm. All doing one thing or another. Now I see 5 on average.

But then I have to take into account that, back then, you'd have an average of 250 players in the realm, and that was during the quiet times. When I do a WHO these days, I hardly scroll through two pages.

Or am I in the realms at the wrong times?

No, I'm pretty sure it's just that Achaea's population is declining.

How does anyone find druid RP interesting? I couldn't pretend to care about some -ing trees that much.

Just replace mentally replace every mention of the word "tree" by another Druid with something else that you value significantly more.

guys, did you know that Mhaldor got two gatehouses installed?

Good times.

That's really cool. I envy Mhaldor. I wish my city had more gatehouses.

Yes..that's where Andante hides while he falcon attacks me. Duh.

What Mhaldor has is very good atmosphere. Although other cities appear to be doing in that regard than they were in times past, from what I've gathered.

Quoren and Mardosi already said what I was going to, but just the same.

Today, Achaea is absolutely filled with conflicts and RP opportunities between the factions, both active and potential. The best thing you can do is to pick an alignment, side, or organization, and search for the members of that group who also wish to roleplay actively and deeply.

The people that you hang around can and will have a drastic impact on how you perceive Achaea, so choose them carefully.

Actually, nevermind. No point in further derailing a thread.

I tend to get good roleplay out of just about everyone I talk to, and never have to deal with either the snugglekisshug basic emotefest in public areas, or blatant ooc conversation. There are varying degrees of roleplay from different people, but I think most of the players in Mhaldor are there because they want to roleplay Evil, and not on a whim or just because they like fighting.

I hate the "lol"s at NoT...and all the other things like that. I still say insanity should yield cause.

Mhaldor is really good. I love being able to roleplay even if I suck at everything else.