Why do you play?

[AamerKhan]

I was chatting with folks in the New Player Assistance channel the other day, and a new player was commenting on why he started to play Istaria recently.

One thing he said really made me stop and think a sec. He said one of his friends that has played off and on over the years, called Horizons a "retirement game". I asked what he meant, and he explained that it was a very good game to play when you were retiring from or just tired of the current games out there like wow.

And that struck a cord with me. I left at one point, due mostly to having too much personal involvement with the game. So, I took a break, but did pop back in a few times here or there.

I went on to other games. I tried most of them, even the free to play ones.
Without exception, I would always reach a point where dealing with obnoxious children, frustration over some artificially imposed slowdown in leveling or advancement, or the over all cost of playing a game would become too much to take and roob me of any fun I used to have.

They just stopped being what I was looking for. *shrug*

A couple of years go by, and I see that the devs have indeed been working hard to implement new content. I pop in on a demo account and low and behold... I remember what it is I was looking for.

I realized I was missing the ability to play how I chose. If I wanted to accomplish somethings, like say... get some epic weapon, there was nothing stopping me in Horizons at all. The only restrictions I have are the natural ones that come with anything we do.

If I want to be UBER, I can. It may take time, but nothing stops me.

If I want to master all crafts I can. Again, only time and effort.

If I want to make a name for myself, I can. And I can even directly affect the entire world by my actions, and leave evidence that I was here.

The cost, even in today's economy is minimal. And I don't have to worry about gold farmers, or item malls, or cash shops selling things I HAVE to have just to advance. I can make everything for myself.

So that phrase "Retirement Game" took on a new meaning, namely Istaria is a game you come home to. It is the relaxing vacation you get as a reward for working through all those other games.

Here, you only find mature players. No barrens style chat, no silly drama, no player caused conflicts. To me it is bliss.

Some may think this all sounds very boring. That this is an old mans game, and perhaps it is. But I still enjoy helping others learn of the fun they can have here and that is a huge part of what I have always enjoyed about MMORPG's.

And with a bit of random mob destruction for us to defend and rebuild from, this game would be perfect!

That's just my point of view... Why do you play?

[Shian]

Copy and pasted from my blog:
I've been playing Horizons... or what was once Horizons for two years now.

And I have yet to figure out why.

When I joined, based on my background of a rabid "Must explore and collect everything" mentality, by all standards I should not be here and should be bored with it already.

Yet no matter where I go, Istaria is a nice place to call home. A stable MMO where I don't have to worry about bugs for the most part or the fever of grinding the market for coins or items.

Customizing is something I've also been playing with on my old machine. A lot of the game is client side. Meaning a great deal of the game is customizable. I've been toying with these for a few months now different mods like changing the colors of portals and turning the land into blight. No other game in the world does this.

The game has a rich history of it's lore, even in game events making their way into the lore. I'm all about a story and living through one. Istaria's got it. Even if I leave, I'm still a part of the ongoing story of the residents of Istaria.

I started my little dragon on a trial run. Crafting was a very nice system, complex enough to keep my interest, yet simple enough that it was not the resource scramble as Galaxies was. I'm more a crafter/explorer type than combat.

To my surprise, the game has no in game economy.

What? How are you guys here for this many years with no economy? What keeps people here when they've beaten all the quests and have the max level?

Simple answer is the community.

The reason that there is no in game economy is that players often help each other out by giving starting players starting gear and coin. Coin? Really? Well, what use is coin in a game with no economy.

Being on an RP server, Order, in game family is important. Your level has no meaning. Even as a level 8 hatchling on a trial run, you are given meaning through RP, which doesn't care about levels. No real rush to get anywhere, the reason why I quit WOW after three months. Too many players were into the rush of "Hurry up and get to max level"

Even when I've taken breaks for a month trying to find my "perfect MMO", When I come back, I am greeted as if I never left and life goes on.

With no rare items to pine after, I can focus on the social aspect of Istaria and the pure joy of flying free on my now adult dragon named Shian on the seamless, full map with no load screens.

I build my lair, make my mark on the world and I RP and I explore. What makes this different from an RP chatroom that I don't have to pay for? (As I've heard that argument from players who are getting restless)

I'm not sure. I do know this place is my home when I am worn out from my travels and searching. It is truly a niche game, that when you fit it, it is a home.

[AguaRush]

I play istaria because of a few reasons
I love dragons and this is the only place I can play them with others.
I have grown into the community its nice to go around and be known on a player to player basis and my guild is like extended family ^^
I have found so many friends in this game

[rizo/nawkia]

I play for dragons, ADV, and the craft< an people

[velveeta]

i play horizons, and have stayed with it thru thick and thin and thinner, for one reason - horizons has 'x factor'.

now, don't ask me what 'x factor' is, i have no idea. is it perfection? can't be, horizons certainly isn't perfect. is it the community? that certainly helps, but i can just lurk on the forums for that, really......
is it that i can play a dragon or a catwoman or a lizardman or a blue skinned fiend? well, that's kewl, but that isn't enough to keep me here thru good management and bad, playable operating systems, or bill probs. is it the beauty of the graphics? i do find them more 'homey' than wow, but we all know they are several years out of date.
is it the crafting? many games offer crafting equal to horizons. is it the ability to affect the game world and be remembered by your deeds? a major draw, to be sure, but what happens after that? what is there to bring you back to do more?
so what is the 'x factor'? its like art - i don't know what it is, but i like it when i see it. i have played a few games like horizons, but none of them have 'x factor'. what makes them different? couldn't tell ya if my life depended on it.....

maybe, like shian said much more eloquently than i, tis that horizons is home - and home is, of course, where the heart is.....

[Sounjah]

Thank you for posting this. I have been wondering why I cam back myself and was going to make a post about it, but this is much better.

I started this account cause I thought I would start new. I have recently reactivated my original account (Sounjah) that I created when Horizons was released. I would have posted under the old account but waiting for the GM's to reactivate the forum account.

I keep coming back here because everything I play is compared to Istaria and Ultima Online.

Istaria is the only game that can be compared to UO as far as freedom of combat class and the crafting. Ultima Online was my first MMO and I still have dreams about it (good ones)

Istaria came along with very similar freedom of paths but in 3D

I have played many many MMO's over the years and I compare all of them to UO and Horizons and have not found one yet that can equal or replace them. SWG came close but that game got wrecked by what the devs called and "upgrade"

I have played all the popular ones and recently was playing LoTRO. and man it felt a lot like Istaria and even had some of the same sounds. (in LoTro use your map to go to your bind spot and listen to the sound. Then use one of the portals in Istaria..very similar swoosh sound) I got burned out on the end game grind with LoTRO..same goes for WoW.

I love crafting!!!! LoTRO has come the closest to the freedom of crafting Istaria and UO has but not close enough. The more I played LoTRO the more I craved this game again.

I have a lot of time to play a game and I dont always want to fight all the time to lvl. Here I can craft till my eyes roll into the back of my head and enjoy every minute of it.

I came back recently because I got tired of comparing every game I was playing to games that still exist. There seems to be a lot of work being done to this one and I like that. When EA games bought UO I was done. The freeshards with UO arent at all relaxing as the official ones (I am a Trammy!)

Retirement seems kinda harsh to me, but I can see where it could be considered that in certain contexts. The newer games just dont compare to these older games I started with.

[LOVWYRM]

First of all, I sign each sentence which is said here!!
I feel the same- so does Flameus.

some additional 2c:

Sure I`m here cause of the community. But I `ve played other games, together with friends from Istaria or even rl friends. This was not enough to make me stay there. Velveeta`s x- factor might fit here.

I want mature and educated co- players- and that is not a matter of rl- age
(though I dare to say, that the average age of players in Istaria is higher than in other games^^). If I look at most of our very young players- it makes me proud.

I love shard-hopping- this spirit of Istaria is on all shards. And each shard has something different to offer.

I play Istaria cause there are more (rl) female players than in other games I played. It makes a difference to me!

I play because there is no pvp. Pvp is the worst thing in a mmorpg in my eyes. For moral and ethic reason.

I play Istaria because there is endgame content. Lots of it. Much more than I ever saw somewhere else.

And I love my plots and lair. Sometimes, if I`m not in the mood for chatting or crafting or advanturing- I just spend my time on my plots and do this and that and enjoy.

And I play Istaria cause I have not given up the hope, that we will have to defend our cities and buildings against the armys of WA- who might think we all might have fallen asleep, head on our discs, weapons battered from grinding beetles *shakes devs*

[Hrough]

Even when I'm taking a break like I am now and just don't feel like playing... Istaria is my home. I'll always come back to it in the end, and find a reason to live in the world again.

Recently though I haven't been playing many games at all (and I just discovered that my lack of wanting to do anything is likely caused by depression, so I'm starting to treat it~.) but hopefully I'll be back soon once I'm in my former high spirits. =)

I just love how laid back Istaria is without PVP involvement. Every other game I've tried playing since starting Istaria has had either guild wars or WoW-like country v country PVP and people start taking it far too seriously. It doesn't become fun to me anymore when people in my own guild tell me I'm not serious enough for a free-to-play mmo. x.x;

[Dhalin]

I play Istaria when I want a break from the crap you find in other, more competitive games.

There's very little competition in Istaria -- it is mostly Co-op.

Also, the crafting... while it can be grindy, it is the only game I've seen thusfar that allows you to casually craft, without having to worry about "How am I going to get materials for that?". You go out, and you get the materials. It is as simple as that.

Also, the battle system in Istaria, you aren't ruled by Mana meters, so that's one less thing you have to keep track of. I hate running out of mana, and having to sit and drink/eat in other games, especially when many classes have no healing spells whatsoever. At least in Istaria, it seems like most schools can use at least 1 line of healing spells of some sort, so that you never have to sit around waiting for your character to heal up after a battle.

Also, I love the fact you can play a dragon. No other MMO has it anything like Istaria does. The fact you can dig your own lair as a dragon helps too.

[C`gan]

Why do I play? Well, I have several answers to that.
1. I love Tagath, my dragon.
2. I love building. It's what I do.
3. I have responsibilities, both as guildleader of one of the elder guilds on Order shard, and as WorldProjects Team Lead Emeritus, it's up to me to help give Obsidian Order and the shard just the right amount of push to get things going and to keep them moving smoothly.
4. I have fun.
5. Istaria is where I belong.

[Peaches]

Why do I play?

1. A lot of it is for companionship, especially with being homebound, I don't have many friends in real life, but I sure do have LOTS of friends here, in this wonderful virtual world.

2. I simply love building, and I can do that all the time, I don't much like adventuring, and as I said, building is my enjoyment in this game.

I think those two reasons pretty much cover why I play!

[StalePopcorn]

Istaria is so flexible, for all the points presented here. There is no requirement to "ooo must level xyz right now first then must fight abc second then must craft...." it is a completely free environment where I can choose what I want do do. All the options are wonderful! Today I want to craft. Tomorrow I might want to adventure. Yesterday I did some exploring to new/remodeled areas. A coupla months ago I went sight-seeing to every tower in Istaria taking screenshots, just because I could. I spent some time talking to new players, and next week, I'll do some building on my plot.

I can do this by myself or with friends, in my own time, for 5 minutes or 5 hours. There is always someone to talk to in guild-chat, channels or the forums. I find it a very easy-going game that fits in with my availability and allows me to enjoy Istaria in any way I want, when I want.

And for some reason, the devs still talk to me civilly. Even when I pester them. Constantly. And annoyingly. About everything. Show me another MMORPG where that would happen, ever...

[Shian]

And for some reason, the devs still talk to me civilly. Even when I pester them. Constantly. And annoyingly. About everything. Show me another MMORPG where that would happen, ever...

This too. *wanders off to add this all important factor* This niche game also has great one on one time with Devs. There's been quite a number of player created content that was implemented in the game because the Devs thought it was a good idea.

I also thought of a very very minor thing that should-be-in-all-games-but-is-not.

Istaria is tab friendly (at least when windowed) Nothing like playing a game and losing work/relogging because the client crashed on you while trying to look something up.

[Dragonboy]

The reason why I play might actually be considered a strange one.
Up until that point I was used to playing single player games from a huge variety like I still do, but then I saw in the game store a game that would change me forever. At first I thought it was just another single player game with a dragon story line so I bought it for 5 euro which appearently included 1 month of free game time.

I played for many months on end, until the day came that I longed for something different. I shared my computertime with single player games and Horizons for a while but in the end I cheated on Horizons by playing also trying Starwars Galaxies up to the moment SWG was turned into an arcade game.
Which turned my focus back to Horizons until I got attacked by a swarm of bugs, which the exterminators called GN didn’t seem to want to kill.

After which I turned my back on this game for over 3 years. Only returning once just before Unity went offline and was free to play. At which turn I re-installed and played one day thinking that I would never again see my main dragon.

It would still take some time before I started a hatchling on Chaos and after that it would still take a lot more months before I made the decission to ask the new owners to retrieve my dragon and Sslik alt from the void.

Some players on Chaos might notice that I can be offline for weeks on end, but eventhough my gameplay is influenced a lot by my moodswings from single player games to horizons I don't intent to stop playing for quite a while.

Considering Horizons is my first MMORPG and the first game I played with playable dragons I think I can call it my first MMORPG love... However I am honest when I say that I am not sure how I would have felt today if SWG wasn't changed so drasticly, because back then it was well on it's way to replace Horizons...

The true reason however why I started playing was my fascination with dragons during that time.

[Ahael]

Why I play? To put it shortly:
- No PVP.
- Mature community.
- Cooperative gameplay.
- No instanced dungeons, just the big huge game world.
- Comprehensive crafting & housing.
- Multitude of schools to choose from.
- Dragons!
- Did I mention No PVP?
- I need to mention, No PVP.
- etc.

[Charys Stormchild]

Why do I play?

Great community.
Total freedom to multi-class or not as I please.
Amazing crafting system.
NO PVP!!
Dragons
Plots to suit everyone with buildings for all tastes (now if we could just furnish them - about the only thing I miss from my time on SWG).
When I want to escape from RL Istaria is there for me.
Good friends.

[Ssilmath]

I continue to return for numerous reasons. Istaria is a place where a planner like myself can plan out entire paths of laying out classes and crafts in order to accomplish what I think my character should be. I can make everything I need myself, but there is no hurry. I don't need a guild to accomplish anything, Ssilmath need only mumble at the Marketplace and instantly gets help and advice. As one of my good friends points out, Istaria is like a disease, one that cannot be cured and always pulls you back. Designing the look and enchantements on my armor and weapons and spells is wonderful. But there are two reasons that are most important to me.

Ssilmath is mine, and I am its. No matter where I am roleplaying, Istaria or not, Ssilmath is there with me. But it is only truly alive in Istaria, and there we can reach our full potential as character and role player. Only in Istaria can we mumble and butcher our way through conversations, only in Istaria can we expect to be understood and not be told to speak right. Ssilmath is definitely an anchor keeping me here.

But even with Ssilmath, I would play. You see, though many of my friends are gone, I still have many good ones that greet me with a smile before I've even finished loading the area. Some roleplay with me, some give me help finding things that have changed while I am gone, others I simply talk to, offering banter and advice. Only two people I interacted with in WoW did that, despite knowing many. Here in Istaria there are many, and so while I may leave for extended periods I never cancel my sub, and I always return.

[Wylonus]

i kinda echo what Ssilmath said, i keep my sub active while i was on other game, had few hiccups with bank merger making my old visa outdated.

roleplaying a dragon is unique, no other games has it, because you can built lair as home and fly the sky wherever you wanted.

i first played this game after my first mmorpg, Asheron's Call and short lived Ac2, didnt like DDO's format and played Eq2 later for 3 years, didnt like restricted chest drops base on character's level, it very hard to find "rare" weapons or armors, as months went by, more frustrations was getting so bad so i left eq2 and didnt like guild required raids mentality.

I tried playing LotRO for 7-9 months it made me depressed.

i also played free online game with Guild Wars, it was okay and it feel very fast pace, it was pretty much similar to Horizons' cool-down combats without mana

i went back to Istaria little over 1 1/2 year ago and played about 4-5 months and relearning again, and did Rite of Passage, one of best dragon quest ever.
i tried to keep it active account til recently bank merger, so now i am back on track, but currently i went back to my first mmorpg, Asheron's Call, they had new level cap and new series of quests and new armors and built new set of weapons.

now i am back there and there doing my lair shaping when other game feel stale.
i had enough older game accounts and not looking forward on any new online games, never touch WoW or Conan.
heard about Stargate, superheroes, and saw upcoming Star Trek, those are very different game genres and different rpg format.

i am glad to be back playing Istaria/Horizons once in awhile because it is so "laid-back" and relaxing, and no "stress" factor like Eq2 was bit too much for me.

let keep Istaria stress-free.

[Ladydragon]

I play because this was the only place I found that let me play the dragon. To let me play the dragon within, to let her truly exist and be free. I love dragons and to play one in a game was and is bliss. But as I played the game.. I discovered things that became icing on the cake so to speak.

Meeting new people, getting support to accomplish a quest, especially when your a young hatchie was a wonderful surprise. The ability to proceed at my own pace in whichever direction I choose. And yes even make mistakes and work to correct them. And there is so much to see and learn.. I don't think I'll ever have enough time to see and do it all!!!

As a stay at home mom with limited time for myself, this IS my retirement game. I play either early in the morning or late at night. I let myself get absorbed into the game and enjoy each minute of it. I am so glad I found my home away from home here in Istaria.

Feel free to say hello to any of my chars. Happy playing everyone!

[Mithras Shiningstorm]

Admittedly, my first true MMO experience is WoW...Aamer puts it nicely when he refers to barrens chat, endless farming and a pendulum for an economy. After 5 years, 6 servers and twice as many guilds I came to the realization that everything I did was useless in the next patch. I stayed beyond three years for my friends - they were my family, and I refused to abandon them.

I was a raider, not necessarily a l337 one, but one that knew her class inside, outside, upside-down and wasn't afraid to show it. There was nothing better in my eyes then the feeling of working tirelessly, sometimes for weeks, with your closest friends to down a new boss and the one night it happens it's truly something to celebrate...sharing the spoils with your brothers and sisters at-arms...good times. The feeling cannot be explained - except perhaps to those who did their RoP old-school. When that feeling is taken away in one, overnight patch - there's only so much I could personally put up with. Such is the nature of MMO's I suppose.

Istaria...was different to me, I first found it shortly after I left WoW and frankly, I was still in the rushed, achiever-mode that so many MMO's encourage. I was unable to savor the leisurely pace and grandeur that makes Istaria a memorable, lasting experience. I initially tried the 14-day trial about a year ago, before the change-of-hands and left, thinking I had come acrosst yet another mere F2P in serious need of balancing and development. Another year passed as I tried to search for something like Istaria with little success.

After much thought I returned, pleased to see the new change-of-hands and what became of it. Yes, the graphics and UI are older, the combat is a little clunky, and crafting seems exhaustive to my play-style (ADV/ explorer here) but ultimately the game is a masterpiece. The extensive crafting system allows you to create anything and everything you could possibly want, effectively making you self-sufficient. The ability to purchase and develop land gives the game such a living, breathing atmosphere - you instantly know where all the major trade centers are because the land is well developed. It's a huge bonus to those who subscribe, being able to make their own housing for all their characters and store various goodies for them. The multi-classing systems for the bi-peds are amazing, and while I haven't played any Naka - the temptation of wings was too much - it has crossed my mind more then once to create one.

This is all mostly about the mechanics side of game-play though. MMO's, the reason why they're so freakin addictive, is the social aspect, imo. It's easy to make a cool character on a single-player game where you don't compete - MMO's throw that out the window. Everything is earned, with sweat and grit, patience and luck. Istaria doesn't really play so heavily on the competition factor, but it remains in some small incarnate. It is community that Istaria is known for, it's not a bunch of idiots hiding behind their characters causing trouble, it's a living, breathing community of people who treat eachother like people. The golden rule is rampant here, players are always paying forward for the kindness they were shown when they were new...it's almost a tradition. It's something I haven't seen anywhere else, when an entire community rallies for the betterment of the game, and genuinely cares for its growth.

After all that time searching for something like Istaria, I think I have at last figured out my version of Velveeta's factor X - acceptance. It means a lot to me that after such a long time of trying to be the best I could be to worth anything to anyone to get the opportunity to go and see and do what I wanted to do I can come to Istaria, a hatchie still wearing her Skalkaar vestments, and be treated with as much kindness and goodwill as the old fruits treat each other after years of playing.

Istaria is a gem whose shine has no color, and has no name.