What next?

Kresslack

It seems a bit inevitable, that eventually you will accomplish everything you initially set out to achieve in Achaea. Then follows one of two possibilities: You grow stagnant, causing you to just sit around doing nothing of notable worth(perhaps even leaving Achaea for a spell), or you pursue new goals.

So I'm interested, since I recently went through much of the same, what are some of the points in your Achaean life where you've come to realize you need new goals, or that you've accomplished what you desired and are simply not interested in pursuing new ambitions?

Kresslack

Daeir said:

Sitting for ~6 months in Mhaldor and going dormant twice when I realized that I was completely uninterested in pandering and backbiting for a government position and was also completely uninterested in filling a series of incredibly bland and unrewarding House tasks in order to become a HR5 member of the Naga was pretty much the low-point of the entire time I've played Achaea. Getting to HR5 in the Arcane Kindred on my alt and realizing how much of my life I just wasted (4+ months) was also another equally as unpleasant moment.

Tvistor kind of saved me from giving up Achaea completely by encouraging me to ditch Mhaldor with him. I've had a ton of fun with the refugees and actual Divine interaction since, and I now have a somewhat tangible path of getting myself involved in the construction of Targossas and/or establishing whatever House/organization deals with the "darker" side of the Light. I never really reconciled the time I wasted on my alt and haven't really played her since.

I suppose I'm less about accomplishing goals and more about realizing that the ones I set for my characters are bad and setting new ones. Does that count?

I would say it does count. If you're not happy, find out why and change it, right?

Ognog

Working my way into a particular House Secretary position I had my heart set on, and then being dumped from it ... twice, really took the wind out of my sails .... twice. Each time it took a while to recover, but eventually I found my enthusiasm again.

Sherazad

I have always played Achaea casually. My first character was more Hashani although she was Ashtani at first. So basically, that's a whole lot of just doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I grew tired of being totally without responsibilities and worked my character to HR6 in Merchants. By work, I meant I did the requirements because I wanted full membership. 

After some time, I got bored of that too, so my Hashani went dormant and did non-important stuff again. Just curious, I made Sherazad in Ashtan to maybe pick up a little bit of combat. I got bored again, because I'm lazy and I don't think I have the initiative to learn and there wasn't really any reason to fight if your city has a very established military. That's when I headed to Mhaldor.

It's been fun, except for not having gods during most of Shera's time in Mhaldor. But I like it, because of the challenge. While people bemoan about Mhaldor losing established characters, I saw it as an opportunity for new people to step forth and do cool stuff. It's still a work in progress.

I don't think Sherazad has done all the things I hope I can do in Achaea but what I learned from the different cities, houses (yes, I alted lots and got into houses too. Strangely, I had a Naga before Sherazad who quit because of Tvistor) is that most houses are the same, more or less. My answer for what is next, for all my characters, is that it's just what you make of it. I honestly can't diss publicly all the other organisations I've been in, because I think I got only what I was willing to give. Hell, as much as I joke lots about Hashan being weird, it was an interesting place where the politics can be enjoyable and is sort of open to the old or the novices.

TL;DR: What's next is what you make of it, there are lots of things you can do in Achaea. Even those things that you don't think you'll enjoy can surprise you. It all just depends on the effort you want to put in.

Garao

For a long time I just wanted to get good at combat and practised a crap ton. I had a big issue with alting and changing classes though, and ended up learning stuff but never really actually progressing in achaea. I now can't bring myself to put in the effort to establish a character without the fun of learning involved and find myself just logging in and standing around on my < single trans characters, and just talking to friends/afk'ing, watching duels and not really doing -anything-. It's sad.

I really want something significant to happen to achaea. A revamp of guild(I can hope)/house/city structures, classes, etcetera. I've wanted for a long long time for achaea to take inspiration from midkemia and introduce guilds and kingdoms/cities like they have them in MKO, as it works so well there, but oh well. I guess I just want to get that feeling of everything being shiny and new again!

Ruth

Hashan was a really laidback city and I enjoyed the atmosphere for a while. In a city with almost no enemies to be worried about, there was nothing I would be afraid I couldn't accomplish. During the course of my time in Hashan, I pretty much rose to the height of a good Achaea experience for me: House Leader, Seneschal, active Divine interaction. I even got into an Order. I came to a realization that the lack of active conflict was what really killed the game for me. That, and I was frustrated at the political bureaucracy that is Hashan's mess at that time. I just wanted to be done with it and I was no longer having as much fun as I had. (The issue that really did it in for me was the Xenomorph-Penwize-Chani ally status issue and all that.)

I'm glad I took the plunge and switched to one of the most intimidating cities in Achaea to rekindle the spark of fun I used to have. There is a certain measure of excitement in being placed back to where you no longer mattered and the need to work for it once more.

Then there was the low point in Mhaldor for me when people whom were my inspirations to join the city left for another. I took a break and created an alt, and started spending more time on that alt. I accomplished a name and a whole lot on that alt, but it didn't really satisfy me. Eventually, I realised if I wanted to enjoy playing Ruth again, the key is to create a fun atmosphere myself and inspire that in the people I interact with. And the more I invested time in this, the more I found that I was gradually liking the time spent playing a character in grim, gloomy Mhaldor again. (Plus, if I never did this, you wouldn't see me on the Inexorable or as MoMA now!)

Also, since Ruth is politically-oriented, there are both good and bad sides to being in a government position. At times, they are the reasons why I don't feel like logging on, but at the same time, they are the reasons why I continue to log on. There's a lot of responsibility in being in a government position, especially in Mhaldor. I'm somewhat happy that my goals, since my previous ones have mostly been fulfilled, are now to focus on Ruth's personal life and quirky personality, which she managed to keep, surprisingly, despite her affiliations.

Ognog

Garao said:

I really want something significant to happen to achaea.

Some folks reckon Shallam sinking into the sea, mass slaughter of the Divine, and the return of three Gods who haven't stood in the Garden for centuries - was a pretty significant event. 

I do understand how you feel though, Garao. Inspiration will come.

Delphinus

*four

Garao

I don't think so... Three Gods who have been dormant isn't really a loss? It was more of a significant event for Shallam to be able to hit that reset button that they had wanted for so long that everyone was involved in, but I don't think it actually did much to achaea

Not to say I'm not appreciative of the event, it was great fun

Ognog

Delphinus said:

*four

Ha! It was Sartan I forgot to count. Suffer in ya jocks Sorry Sartan. I only thought of Aurora, Deucalion and Gaia. ">

Mishgul

Sartan isn't back stop mocking us

Ognog

Here's a scary thought. If you really reach that point where you feel like you've accomplished everything you would ever want to accomplish in Achaea, there is one more step you can take. HELP PROMOTIONS. HELP ASCENSION.

Tirac

Ognog said:

Delphinus said:

*four

Ha! It was Sartan I forgot to count. Suffer in ya jocks Sorry Sartan. I only thought of Aurora, Deucalion and Gaia. ">

Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!

Tesha

I have a lot I want to accomplish, once I accomplish everything I want to, I am going to move on to helping others accomplish what they want to while I come up with new goals.

Synbios

Decided to reduce the amount of time shutting myself off in a single-person adventure. Joined in some raids, counter-raids and the occasional hunting trip. 

Tvistor

Daeir said:

Tvistor kind of saved me from giving up...

Oh right, what's next.

I dunno man, I've done all that I had set out to do initially. I'm just gonna keep on keepin' on, you know what I'm saying?

Look man, I’m in the prime of my life 'cause I’m living the way I got to. Gonna make me some money again and we're going to fight, 'cause it’s my turn to be champion of the world.

Trevize

Kresslack said:

It seems a bit inevitable, that eventually you will accomplish everything you initially set out to achieve in Achaea. Then follows one of two possibilities: You grow stagnant, causing you to just sit around doing nothing of notable worth(perhaps even leaving Achaea for a spell), or you pursue new goals.

So I'm interested, since I recently went through much of the same, what are some of the points in your Achaean life where you've come to realize you need new goals, or that you've accomplished what you desired and are simply not interested in pursuing new ambitions?

I've found goals are what lead me to quit games. Since learning that, I play to play, and may set minor goals but overall just enjoy the experience.

Jurixe

I'm still here because I want to fix things for people.

Once things don't need fixing any more, that'll be the end of it for me. Whenever that is!

I understand the burnt out, feeling like you've done everything feeling though. When that happens, you just need to remind yourself what it is in Achaea that you enjoy doing the most, or explore some other avenue you've been thinking about try/mildly interested in.

Others have found a break rejuvenates them and renews their interest in Achaea, too, so if it comes to that you shouldn't be too worried about taking breaks.

I'm writing this 3/4ths asleep it may not entirely make sense

Hyraeth

I'm too much of an IG under-achiever to ever reach that point -- I haven't completed a single honours quest! But I have felt for my character, every now and then, a restlessness, like I'm in a rut. What do I do then? I go dormant! Well no, I've had her try different things also -- just switch everything off and go into pure explorer mode. That's the thing I love best at any rate. It's not those achievements, it's just carving up the quiet time to explore things, not just new places (also, Achaea has so many new places since I was last active that I don't know where to start!) but new experiences or mobs I haven't encountered before. It's such a growing and organic world that those parts of it never get old for me.

Zii

I change class, fight with my wife over it for the next month and sleep on the couch.  It breaks up the monotony.

Silvarien

I think you need to consider what goals you have. There are those that are tangibly achievable. And then there are those that can keep you occupied forever. I think a lot of people are focused on ladder-like achievements such as city consul, getting CR6, house head, whatever.

One of my close friends on the game had skipped around a lot of MUDs doing precisely that. She'd achieve everything, get bored, and move on to the next game. Here, she decided her goal was to have a really awesome family. That's what she's been doing since. She's been here approx. as long as I have, but is not interested in quitting at all. She's still achieving ladder-like goals, but for the most part her goal is good RP and building a great family tree. Success in this breeds more interest, not less, because you get more and more awesome people to hang out with. In my personal case, I've always shunned ministry work, (applying to my first ministry head right now, being 87,) and my goal is running around giving people blessings or whatever else they might need. I have an extensive bag of tricks for this purpose, and I find it really fun.

So, I think the trick is simply to find a goal that keeps you occupied for keeps rather than "Well, I did this, now what?" In a game of infinite possibilities, that's precisely the beauty of the game.

Jonathin

I had done everything in Ashtan that I had wanted to do (short of becoming OS, which I really didn't care about that much anyways) and when I was challenged for archon, I saw it as an opportunity to take a new direction. So, I moved to Mhaldor, realized quickly that it wasn't for me and then switched gears and moved to *shallam.

It can get boring to play the same character for years, however if you play the same character and change with the organic changes around you, it tends to stay interesting. That's how it is for me, at least.

Kresslack

I was at that 'burnt out' feeling recently. I still remember starting Kresslack, back before he even got started in Seafaring, anything like that. I've accomplished nearly every goal I've set out to achieve, some I had from the beginning, and others I had along the way.

I've had to take a step back and reevaluate what's important to me in Achaea, and what I've invested into certain organizations and people. Those obligations, as well as, admittedly, the Midnight Crew clan, has made Achaea significantly more fun.

Vaehl

Goals? Don't have any. I just do whatever the - I want and play League of Legends when bored. It works out for me.

Mishgul

I want to be the very best. Like no one ever was.

Aktillum

Daeir said:

Sitting for ~6 months in MhaldorShallam and going dormant twice when I realized that I was completely uninterested in pandering and backbiting for a government position and was also completely uninterested in filling a series of incredibly bland and unrewarding House tasks in order to become a HR5 member of the NagaDawnStriders was pretty much the low-point of the entire time I've played Achaea. Getting to HR5 in the Arcane KindredCIJ on my altmain and realizing how much of my life I just wasted (4+ months) was also another equally as unpleasant moment.

Join the CIJ.

Tahquil

I've reached my bashing goal. Got dragon (finally).

Initiating RP is a bit hard given Tahq's personality though I would love some that people just don't think I'm trying to grief them.

There's not really much I care about in Achaea right now. I'm waiting for a major event in Tahq's life to hopefully shake things up again and lead into potential new RP situations but I'm not placing much hope in it. So I basically afk and rarely bash again UNTIL -SOMEONE- DOES SOMETHING THEY'VE BEEN PROCRASTINATING ON.

I've been getting my RP hit here instead.

Join us.

Tael

At the moment, I've got plenty to do with Tael trying to get into Sartan's order (since Apples' disbanded before he finished the last requirement ) and rewriting the Naga requirements so they aren't so incredibly bland and unrewarding.

But I've always managed to keep myself entertained well enough even in the several times I've ended up in a position without a lot of concrete goals.

The secret for me is to focus on things that won't require "approval", since, in my experience anyway, that kills interest faster than just about anything else. This is why I like to write things or do sermons or rituals or what have you - I can write the whole thing then just say it's happening. I don't have to get approval for it, then get approval for a draft, then incorporate the required changes in the draft, etc. I can get excited about an idea, work on it, and still be excited by the final product without constant fear that it's going to be compromised somehow. When I think about doing those things, the game ceases to be fun and becomes work, with all of the managerial stress of work. It also tends to mean that I can't work on my own timetable, which means I either feel pressured to make deadlines (again like work) or am stuck waiting for someone to do something before I can keep working (which defeats the purpose of making you less bored).

The thing that makes Achaea less fun is bikeshed situations. If you're getting bored, I've found it profitable to think about the sort of things I'd like to do if rank or approval weren't a problem, and then consider how I could do them while minimising the number of bikesheds to be built.

Amunet

Getting to the top is relatively easy. Staying there, and making it work not only for you, but for the people around you, is more difficult. What's more, character development never really comes to an end, even if your character has done all that he or she has set out to achieve. There is always something more to do. 

I, personally, have spent a bit of time gauging the enthusiasm in my own factions. I know there are a lot of people who used to enjoy Team Chaos who are now rather disenfranchised because we haven't been doing much over the past few months. I know there are a few more who aren't necessarily digging the direction in which our RP was going for a little while. And then, in addition, there is the presiding opinion of my character herself, which isn't particularly flattering even within the House and Order. So, I'm trying to turn things around again. I'm trying to come up with fresh ideas for where to take the House/Order/Ashtan, and I'm trying to make Amunet a slightly more collected, even-tempered character without crossing the line and completely sacrificing the edge that makes her who she is. 

Orklanishkal

@Amunet one of the cool parts of RPing with you is that Amunet's actually changed a lot over the years...almost cyclical but not entirely. From being crazy and skittish to being crazy and fearful to being crazy with power to now sort of being crazy and "politically fatigued."

Cool to see the changes over time.

Fitz

One of the things that can help and give you a bit of perspective is doing things that aren't necessarily your goals, but helping others with theirs. Truthfully for Fitz, I am now, and in the past have been without personal goals, beyond day to day needs. But through family, house, and city ties I have a verity things to do to keep me busy, and it's always fun finding out you're good at something you haven't done. Certain people, especially that horrid, horrid @lianca woman have urged me into helping novices. Which I find I actually enjoy when they want my help, and I'm not particularly shabby at it. So really not to ramble further, just do.