Planeshift

I fancy trying PS again so I've downloaded it and been in briefly. I think there are a few things that will be new to me: I noticed that you can now 'sneak', which is kinda cute hehe. I might have a go tonight..

I find PS a bit of a pain in that each time they bring out a new version, you have to start all over again. I believe a 'proper' updater is in the pipeline, though I think they were talking about that last time I played, so not expecting it soon..

The updater that is currently built-in isn't good either, since you need to read the forums to realise that you SHOULDN'T use the updater..!! If you do, you mess up your install, apparently.. hmm..
When you load up the game to the character selection/creation screen, you are actually prompted to run the updater - though it's a 'not easy to read' message which briefly travels up your screen.. Still.. you'll have a nightmare with it if you don't check what to do first on the forums!

Anyway, I loved the ability to wander around in the 'countryside' for what seemed like miles, and the prospect of actually being able to roleplay properly again is appealing, so I'll definitely give it another go soon.

:)

My first online game

I tried a few different games, but the first one I remember really getting into was a MUD from the 'Online Games Company' called 'Terris'. It had what seemed like a lot of players to me at the time (100+) and I found it rather addictive for a while. Quite some time later I again returned to the world of MUDs; this time to the world of Cosrin also from the OGC. I got seriously addicted to this and played it for a long time.





If you don't want to know more about MUDs, skip to the next entry :)

Basically you read the description of the location on the screen: it's all in text, no pictures *grins*. There are often clues in the description, and you might find an item lying on the ground. You decide which way to go from the options (N,E,S,W,etc.), then you type the direction and move to the next location. Every now and then you will be faced with a Quest to complete. This could be as simple as delivering an item you found or as complex as working out how the heck to trigger something by solving the mystery in the description in front of you. Of course you may run into monsters, or you might have deliberatly set out to hunt monsters. This is where your training comes in. You can fight the monster using your skills, weapons, spells, or you can run away. As with other games you gain experience by fighting and you increase in level as you gain experience. What the creature drops could, of course, be very useful too.



This can be very engrossing, especially when you discover a clue hidden in the description, which leads you to another place, where you have to solve another puzzle, to get you that little bit nearer to the final clue, which may lead you to a whole new area with items and monsters no-one else has yet seen.

However, what really drew me was the Roleplay. The simplest way to describe this I think is by saying that you act out your role. You create a character, decide it's strength's and weaknesses, it's characteristics and breathe life into it; become that persona. There are many examples I could give but for now I will simply refer to a couple:
A marriage performed by the Dark Queen
The meeting of a dark Hero and a cunning and greedy individual

Ahh, brings back memories. If only the modern, graphical so-called 'roleplaying' games had a fraction of the charisma.. *sighs* I must visit again one day...

Why did I stop playing if I loved it so much? The usual story; things changed. Most of those that I enjoyed playing with and became friends with gradually drifted off.. it just wasn't the same for me anymore..

C'est la vie.