Who really is the player base?

[Shinkuu]

Concerning leveling up:
If its only grinding (craft) or killing the same mobs (adv) then that this is what you made it . We have choices how to raise a char: A bit grinding and lots of learning and experiences- and fun!

Our game is challenging- its much more than:
-create a char- find a guild- pwlvl to max-raids- rdy.

But we can offer something that is and always was more important to the playerbase: Multiclassing, craft system, dragons (and more as we all know) .

Besides other, you need patience, structured thinking/planing, kinda social competence to play our game.
I do not want to see that changed to "WoW style".
But I want new players and I want them to stay.

There must be a compromise.

I agree I do not want Istaria to be a WoW clone as that would make no sense whatsoever and would detract from its appeal.

I would also say that the Crafting System, aside from the grinding (and immense expense), is one of the best anywhere.

The Multiclassing is rather interesting and a lot of fun to play around with if you have a mind set like mine.


However, I do take a little issue with the bold part of your statement. What is there to be learned by grinding the same weapon or tool into dust several hundred times to grind a craft level? How is that fun or exciting?

What is there to be learned by killing the same monsters again and again a few hundred times to gain adventure levels?

I think that Istaria rewards you on a fairly nice schedule for Adventure grinding though it can become horrible tedious when multiclassing and having to fight the same monsters you were killing just days ago. Craft grinding on the other hand is nothing short of mind numbing.


So perhaps you could elaborate on the point you are trying to make there, because frankly I do not understand what you mean to say and do not see this "Wonderful Experience" you are alluding to with that comment.

[LungTien Temeraire]

I think most of new players would be warmed up when an older player offers help to do something, as long as the new character doesn't sit down there to watch. Killing mobs is fun when you aren't doing it alone.
And Istaria can offer great experiences in various ways.

[LOVWYRM]

Shin,
to explain this, I have to make a long story short (which I´m not good with )
It`s a dragon`s point of view, and dragons gain xp and level while doing quests.

It took Flame and me 2 years to make our first (Unity) dragons ancient.
In this time we explored Istaria, fought nearly every mob that exists, and learned how to craft everything a drag can do. We were not in hurry and not too ambitious to become 100 asap.
Doing the quests, we met new mobs (besides the quest mobs) and tried to find out how to fight them best. Lots of dp included. We hunt for trophys, and again met new mobs and landscapes. We tried mobs above our level and had fun killing those beyond. We made friends and did group hunting. We did a lot of guild work and helped to build our guild plot. We had wonderful godmothers and fathers (from our guild) who took us to places, we would not have found or survived alone (no leaching- I shall make an extra thread about this in the next days).
We never had enough time just to grind mobs for xp^^

And so we did crafting- we tried all- though it would have been faster to do that create/decon thing. Gems e.g. ist not a fast way to level craft, but I did that in Kira (nearly 20 lvl) and on Isle of fire (20 lvl). Why? Learn to fight the gem golies in craft scales^^P-the reward?: XP for craft AND adventure, great loot, coin for the gems and much fun.
We had to craft and hunt for our equippment- had craft and adv scales and later teched spells too.

We started all again on Chaos some years later, needed 1 year to outmax our drags- with a little grinding (doing it the second time is not that exciting, esp. in craft^^) but it was much fun again-no boredom at all.

On Order then we build 2 plots and a lair- and another year has passed:-)

But that all would not have been possible without the help and friendship of the unique communities of Unity, Chaos and Order (love you Blighties, but never raised a char there) and our wonderful mentors:
Takora, Vasilios, Morkx , Akisha and Disintergrate (to name only those, who were with us on all shards). Thank you for all.

Or could I have said all this in one sentence?:
Take you time, the journey is the reward.

[Shian]

(had a better post but I lost it )

Who is the player base? We ALL are. Vets, new players, even those that come for their two weeks and leave.

So many people come to the forums and threaten to jump ship before they even see if its really on fire or not.

I see the satyr Island change as "step 1" of a process, not the final phase. Amon said in chat that they have trouble controlling the spawn there (part of its charm, I know) but when there's players asking for fixes there whether it be loot drops or more of a creature and the devs have NO control over that, it is a problem. Once they have regained control of the spawns, I'm sure it can be adjusted back to challenging again.

As far as the loot change goes, The fact that the devs are exchanging our old comps based on user feedback says a LOT.

Personally, I look forward to getting that smelting 4 tech that I've been hunting creatures for months to find.

As for the naysayers "Istaria is dying!" All MMOs are dying from the moment of their creation. Every creature is subject to this. This does not mean that they do not have many good years left. The fact that the devs are not on autopilot just letting the game run is a good sign the game is not going any where soon.

[Riaken]

So many people come to the forums and threaten to jump ship before they even see if its really on fire or not.

Some of these changes greatly affect us. If it's the rp emote nerf, satyr comp nerf, the damage tech nerf.

I remember the stink about CoT nerf, didn't effect me I don't care about my lvl 100 druid. I just wanted nature skill from the class. I do miss people asking for cot in New Tris. Remember the recycle timers on same spells different tiers? Could cast Thunder, and all damage spells, 5, 4,3,2,1 in a row. They nerfed that, and in that case they probably should have.

All I, or we, ask is that the devs have the foresight for potential problems in their actions. Calimirs grip tech was a 20-25% proc when it came out, didn't they see that as perma hero's resolve 1/4 of the time?

Hero's resolve was a 30 minute timer 15 minute buff for a few months. I had the insight that was gonna get nerfed, but why put it in the game?

I'm not as worried about the satyr island nerf, I've been selling my comps to players cheap and telling them they will be useless next patch as tech comps. But I see how upset my fellow Istatarians are, and sometimes it's enough to jump ship.

As for the naysayers "Istaria is dying!" All MMOs are dying from the moment of their creation.

I agree, I just was hoping for a aging gracefully, had a full life, but it's my time to die kinda Mmo. Not a senseless crime kinda death.

I'm not attacking you or putting the spotlight on you. Many people feel like you do, they have an opportunity to get the devs ear now with these new owners. Not like some big Game companies like EA. You know in these games it takes one person to whine to get a nerf in the name of balance. Maybe it now it takes one who will quit to keep what they have.

p.s. I appreciate your dye color wheel you made for the new doom dye kits, it helped me choose the dyes on my char. You saved me time, frustration in farming doom and money with your effort. Thank you.

Virtrium has helped me get my shining blades spell back after I deleted it accidentally, when calimirs grip was changed from 20%-5% they gave me the tech back along with my frozen tech. Put it in my vault. They listen when I submit a ticket. Now I know there are fewer of us, so answering tickets isn't as daunting like at launch.



I was hoping these new owners of Istaria would be different, we a small tight nit community could express are wishes and be heard. Not like some Mmo that has thousands of people playing and one voice is never heard.

[LOVWYRM]

ahh Riaken- just lets see what comes live.
If you cant live with the live patch then- its early enough to leave.
But give it a try.
Stay with us- we need you here!

[velveeta]

i am the player base (representive thereof, anyway) -
i came here with limited mmo experience when the game was barely out of infancy.
elders and gods helped me and nurtured my experiences to guide me to become the player i am.
then came the time of trouble, and my home was consigned to oblivion. i explored other games, but always my heart yearned to come home.
new gods emerged and my home was reborn, altho at times it was difficult or near impossible to get there. the new gods worked hard, and eventually my home was accessible again.
i have 2 alts (3 if you count my bro's sslik), and have paid a reoccuring yearly account for more than 5 years. i have 2 large plots. i enjoy blogging about this game, and sharing the fanstuff to my friends who may not play.

i am a hardcore horizon dweller. unless something really drastic happens, i will be here until the lights go out for good and all.

me and the other elders like me are the foundation of istaria. we are responsible for making sure the rest of the temple gets built on our strong backs. we are responsible for finding, shaping, and setting the blox. mighty temples are not built in a day, or a year, or 5 years. great things that last take decades to construct, and the effort of many to maintain.

[Shinkuu]

Shin,
to explain this, I have to make a long story short (which I´m not good with )
It`s a dragon`s point of view, and dragons gain xp and level while doing quests.

It took Flame and me 2 years to make our first (Unity) dragons ancient.
In this time we explored Istaria, fought nearly every mob that exists, and learned how to craft everything a drag can do. We were not in hurry and not too ambitious to become 100 asap.
Doing the quests, we met new mobs (besides the quest mobs) and tried to find out how to fight them best. Lots of dp included. We hunt for trophys, and again met new mobs and landscapes. We tried mobs above our level and had fun killing those beyond. We made friends and did group hunting. We did a lot of guild work and helped to build our guild plot. We had wonderful godmothers and fathers (from our guild) who took us to places, we would not have found or survived alone (no leaching- I shall make an extra thread about this in the next days).
We never had enough time just to grind mobs for xp^^

And so we did crafting- we tried all- though it would have been faster to do that create/decon thing. Gems e.g. ist not a fast way to level craft, but I did that in Kira (nearly 20 lvl) and on Isle of fire (20 lvl). Why? Learn to fight the gem golies in craft scales^^P-the reward?: XP for craft AND adventure, great loot, coin for the gems and much fun.
We had to craft and hunt for our equippment- had craft and adv scales and later teched spells too.

We started all again on Chaos some years later, needed 1 year to outmax our drags- with a little grinding (doing it the second time is not that exciting, esp. in craft^^) but it was much fun again-no boredom at all.

On Order then we build 2 plots and a lair- and another year has passed:-)

But that all would not have been possible without the help and friendship of the unique communities of Unity, Chaos and Order (love you Blighties, but never raised a char there) and our wonderful mentors:
Takora, Vasilios, Morkx , Akisha and Disintergrate (to name only those, who were with us on all shards). Thank you for all.

Or could I have said all this in one sentence?:
Take you time, the journey is the reward.

Crafting for a Biped is more expensive and a lot more of a serious headache than for a Dragon for one thing. Adventuring is the same due to having to juggle multiple schools and having to try to keep various schools similar level while being broken down to a weaker state forcing you to fight the same things adnauseum in order to succeed.

I have never found a group larger than three who were my level to fight with so far. It is fine and well when you are all starting off together and in the same brackets but at this point there are only people way lower than me and way higher than me.

I also do not enjoy tedium as much as you seem to and I can figure out how to kill a Mob in mere minutes of observation or trial. I have been told it is a talent of mine so I should not generalize that everyone has such ability but for me "Learning to Fight Mobs" is a very simple task that covers no length of time worth discussing.

I also abhor doing things inefficiently. Why slooooowly grind up my 11 schools (craft + adv)? That will take FOREVER and in the meantime I suck and cannot do anything worthwhile and cannot get into any of the group activities of all the high level people which is the vast majority of the real community because the new players either do not stay or are not really integrated into the community yet.

Outside of the RP's (which are my main reason for staying) the things I have enjoyed were mostly making customized weapons and seeing what various Spells and Abilities did. Being able to finally Fly as a Dragon was nice and I enjoy flying but the events leading to that were dreadful not pleasant or enjoyable so I cannot fully count that one.

You say elsewhere that fun begins at level 100 yet you say take your time getting there... Go Self Contradiction Go!

[LungTien Temeraire]

Crafting for a Biped is more expensive and a lot more of a serious headache than for a Dragon for one thing. Adventuring is the same due to having to juggle multiple schools and having to try to keep various schools similar level while being broken down to a weaker state forcing you to fight the same things adnauseum in order to succeed.

Then, don't hurry.

I have never found a group larger than three who were my level to fight with so far. It is fine and well when you are all starting off together and in the same brackets but at this point there are only people way lower than me and way higher than me.

You can also fight while a higher level is making sure you won't die with heal spells.

I also do not enjoy tedium as much as you seem to and I can figure out how to kill a Mob in mere minutes of observation or trial. I have been told it is a talent of mine so I should not generalize that everyone has such ability but for me "Learning to Fight Mobs" is a very simple task that covers no length of time worth discussing.

To fight mobs with allies is cooler and funnier than to fight alone.

I also abhor doing things inefficiently. Why slooooowly grind up my 11 schools (craft + adv)? That will take FOREVER and in the meantime I suck and cannot do anything worthwhile and cannot get into any of the group activities of all the high level people which is the vast majority of the real community because the new players either do not stay or are not really integrated into the community yet.

You can do other things with different levels.

Outside of the RP's (which are my main reason for staying) the things I have enjoyed were mostly making customized weapons and seeing what various Spells and Abilities did. Being able to finally Fly as a Dragon was nice and I enjoy flying but the events leading to that were dreadful not pleasant or enjoyable so I cannot fully count that one.

Rites of passages aren't meant to be easy and short.

You say elsewhere that fun begins at level 100 yet you say take your time getting there... Go Self Contradiction Go!

She is giving you advices.

[LOVWYRM]

I had fun before lvl 100 (otherwise I would have stopped playing)

only to find out that there is even more -other- fun at 100.

Call it contradiction, if you must

[Shinkuu]

1) Then, don't hurry.

2) You can also fight while a higher level is making sure you won't die with heal spells.

3) To fight mobs with allies is cooler and funnier than to fight alone.

4) You can do other things with different levels.


5) Rites of passages aren't meant to be easy and short.

6) She is giving you advices.

1) ...Why wait? I do not find Grinding Fun... Big surprise is most people do not find it overly enjoyable either. There are SOME who honestly do but not that many. Slowing my grinding down just makes it take longer and be MORE work in the end. I fail to see how that would help at all.

2) That is true, if I can find a Higher Level who for some unknown reason feels like wasting their All-Valuable time to come babysit me. Besides, I do not have so much trouble surviving in most cases as I always have One dedicated partner it is the lack of people to GROUP with I was annoyed about. You folks say "Have fun by grouping and playing together!"... With who? A lvl 100+ who can just solo everything? That is not fun to play along side of. There is no challenge in that, I may as well play Solo rather than waste their time.

3) Again, what Allies? No one around who would not either A) Die Instantly from one Hit or B) Solo whatever I am fighting in their Sleep... Not fun to group with either.

4) Not sure I understand your response on that one... I am thinking maybe you did not understand mine either...

5) I did not expect it to be Easy or Short... However, it was a horrid experience. That is another entire Rant in and of itself however so I will not bother explaining all of why. I will say that Dual Spawning the Entombed Will SUCKED and should not happen because all that did was DISCOURAGE you from doing it in a group of people your level who are also doing the Rite... Way to make it less fun. However, I would also expect a Rite of Passage to be a Test of YOUR, and ONLY YOUR, abilities not a test of your Friend's abilities.

6) No, they are trying to encourage people not to Quit before lvl 100 but contradicting themselves at the same time by saying that at lvl 100 is when things get fun while saying to slow down and enjoy the levels before which by their own statement would be the "unfun" levels.

[Vahrokh]

However, I would also expect a Rite of Passage to be a Test of YOUR, and ONLY YOUR, abilities not a test of your Friend's abilities.

RoP is a trial to become Adult, not just Old. Adult involves being able to socialize and form a friends network and get a group going with you.
Old instead is about getting old thinking how unfair is stuff that cannot be soloed like in a solo game.

[LungTien Temeraire]

1) ...Why wait? I do not find Grinding Fun... Big surprise is most people do not find it overly enjoyable either. There are SOME who honestly do but not that many. Slowing my grinding down just makes it take longer and be MORE work in the end. I fail to see how that would help at all.

If you prefer, you can also do your craft without pause until you are lvl 100.

2) That is true, if I can find a Higher Level who for some unknown reason feels like wasting their All-Valuable time to come babysit me. Besides, I do not have so much trouble surviving in most cases as I always have One dedicated partner it is the lack of people to GROUP with I was annoyed about. You folks say "Have fun by grouping and playing together!"... With who? A lvl 100+ who can just solo everything? That is not fun to play along side of. There is no challenge in that, I may as well play Solo rather than waste their time.

The lvl 100 doesn't have to one-shot the mob, he/she can focus on heal and buffs, like that. I did that sometimes, as some did with me.

3) Again, what Allies? No one around who would not either A) Die Instantly from one Hit or B) Solo whatever I am fighting in their Sleep... Not fun to group with either.

Same thing than the previous point.

4) Not sure I understand your response on that one... I am thinking maybe you did not understand mine either...

I understand, and I was talking about other things than fight, like games between players, help lower levels,...

5) I did not expect it to be Easy or Short... However, it was a horrid experience. That is another entire Rant in and of itself however so I will not bother explaining all of why. I will say that Dual Spawning the Entombed Will SUCKED and should not happen because all that did was DISCOURAGE you from doing it in a group of people your level who are also doing the Rite... Way to make it less fun. However, I would also expect a Rite of Passage to be a Test of YOUR, and ONLY YOUR, abilities not a test of your Friend's abilities.

The RoP and ARop aren't mean to be soloable quests, at least for lower levels for the RoP. From that comes the challenge, because if a lone dragon could do it, two or more wouldn't get any challenge.

6) No, they are trying to encourage people not to Quit before lvl 100 but contradicting themselves at the same time by saying that at lvl 100 is when things get fun while saying to slow down and enjoy the levels before which by their own statement would be the "unfun" levels.

All of the activities can be enjoyed, from lvl 0 to lvl 100. The matter is if you enjoy it or not. Some may enjoy things other wouldn't, like PvP. If you don't enjoy a thing, leave it where it is or take pauses/breaks to make frustration fade, and do something else. Being rude with those who try to help you won't make things get better.

[Tathar]

It's not the length of the game thats the problem, or the amount of time it takes to get to 100. It is the sheer monotony of killing the same mob, or walking that some ore for the 78 millionth time.

And your right, I want purpose too. In the old days there was a war that screamed purpose. Technically it's still there I guess but really it's faded into the background. I don't feel a purpose or excitement enough to try and get to that 79 millionth bit of ore.

Venge Sunsoar

I wonder if it's possible for the devs to automate WA attacks on cities. Not the sort of thing where a dev has to be on to initiate the event, but something that could happen at any time. Maybe it could be something where crafters could set up equipment and defenses in preparation for the attack and adventurers could try to keep the WA out of the city? Heck, maybe the nearby semi-intelligents could try to pillage a town.

That would certainly liven the game up, and it's much more effective than renaming mobs to cryptic names. If the devs can give Pratt some appearance of life and activity, I don't see why they can't have mobs do the same.

[joemarra052075]

This is a great truth. Even when I had two companies, "just" keeping them afloat equated to eventually lose them. There had to have constant effort and progress, else it's like sea-skying once the boat stops.

Istaria has some great flaws that prevented and prevent it from getting famous but most of all it's the daily reinforced knowledge that the game is in a downward slope.
Every day a little bit dies, every day the time Virtrium will decide the game just can't survive any more comes closer.

I am sorry for Amon, Amarie, Velea and all the other very hard working good guys, but your work is not enough.

There needs to be a long term vision and people who knows it'll come true.

Adding impressive content effectively delays the inevitable but that's it: delays.
That vision must be easily visible by the guy who just created his first character exactly like by the guy with 220 levels under his belt.

Only then, the new guy will possibly deal with the years '90 kind of difficulty at getting above level 30 (so frustrating: so little info / reference available, you get CRAZY to get your young spells done and then anything you do you aggro 2-3 mobs that just nuke you out of life and then back to walking there AND penalty. And spend days hoping someone of those bitter vets may help you. Not at questing, just at getting some teched gear done so you can try level up.

Only then, the bitter vet endures after he has farmed all the content for 10 times.
I think Istaria lost its chance the day it lost those things that were so popular for all of my old guildies.
Was it epics? No. Was it easy mode? Nope.

It was being able to cooperate all together to a greater objective, "the vision".
To me, Istaria peaked when the epic battles against WA happened, when game masters would make the game alive, when there were so many structures to build.

That fostered community, that gave an end to reach - the vision. People would happinly grind 10M sandstone bricks (yielding ZERO exp) to make the **** bridge fast, while they quitted once the 10M bricks were just to level up the next craft. Level after level with the objective of levelling up... No, it does not work like that. In any case once you "ding" the umpteenth lv 100 you are done. A screenshot and then boredom begins.

It's also why I quitted several times. My "vision" was to have fun with friends - they quit. My vision was to participate in something grandiose (even with lag and crashes) - it ceased. My vision was to learn every formula to be the best spellcrafter on ICE and then Unity and become rich. Economy died, all became free, "rich" is not an objective any more.

Now I have 3 subs (running since... years). Why? Because I have 1 lair and 2 plots. But wait - they are mostly incomplete. Why? Because I can't feel a vision pushing me to GRIND and GRIND MORE. Who do I make see my home since all my old friends left? What guarantees I finish my plots in 1 year and the next day Virtrium closes shops?

Istaria is a beautiful woman but with an inner cancer and she does not know about tomorrow. The best doctors work HARD and valiantly to save her, but every day she dims a bit.

I look at her and instead of joy I feel sadness. For what could have been, maybe for what could still be but we are impotent to steer such destiny so that "could be" turns in "will be".

What is the long term vision for Istaria? What are the plans to make it happen?

Until this question won't find an answer, a pall will enclose us all. Maybe it's the newest agent of the Blight, I don't know. But he is slowly winning.

I would love to hear from the Dev's on what their long term vision for Istaria is. I have given several visions (and yes I knw not everyone has aggreed with them but that isn't the point...the point is to have a vision, any vision) and while the devs were nice enough to respond on some of them they only responded with why they couldn't do that. That is fine but what I want to know is what they are doing. On a seperate note in regards to saying something can't be done I am a sergeant in the army and whenever I hear that something can't be done I tell the person I don't want to hear that, to find a way for it to be done. 9 times out of ten they come back with a solution.

Maybe the key is this, take a break from the fixes and the updates. Sit down with some of the more experience players in a discussion/debate. Work out not only a consensous of where the game should go, but what can be done to make the solutions happen.

Step 2 would be to take a hard look at the server code. I have already been told that it would not be in the budget/manpower to make a new server code(the solution for this would be to effectively start this over as a new game and get funding as such, using the current as a base showing that there is interest) but instead look at implementing the above plan. Then fix the major bugs and problems, and then test and re-emplement it. This would be a several month process. Part of that would be making it so the world can be populated by NPC's without lagging up (though I really doubt it would anymore on the modern computer).

But if nothing else devs, please, please, please tell us your vision on where you want the game to be in 3 years. If you can do a three year time-table I think we will be in better shape soon.

[joemarra052075]

Vahrokh, what an impressive post! Thank you for that.
Though I agree to nearly all you`ve said, its not as black as you paint it.
The game is still alife, and so is the community.
The Lady does not have cancer but a serious infection. She needs the RIGHT drugs to recover. But the medics (players/VI) have different opinions, which are the right therapies. And if they do not come to a conclusion fast, our beloved Lady might die, cause some docs refuse to try something new, or only care for their own ego/convenience. And all have to accept, that not all therapies that could help are available.
Go, and take a look at her- she`s still a beauty- and bring her some flowers and some vitamins

Hear Hear. As I said, not necessarily my vision, but a vision is needed.

[Andaras]

Vahrok said:
"I think Istaria lost its chance the day it lost those things that were so popular for all of my old guildies.
Was it epics? No. Was it easy mode? Nope.

It was being able to cooperate all together to a greater objective, "the vision".
To me, Istaria peaked when the epic battles against WA happened, when game masters would make the game alive, when there were so many structures to build.

That fostered community, that gave an end to reach - the vision."

Hear Hear!

It was and IS the community that made Istaria great. It Was and IS
the decisions that tear apart the community that have made it wane.

Our world is devoid of player buildings, our guild towns wiped empty,
leaving a sense of barren loneliness. This doesn't help build a sense
of community or belonging for anyone, IMO. Instead of a world where
we see structures that need to be built, Towns that need completion,
all that can be seen is empty property. Feelings of gloom set in.
Hunting in groups has been severely curtailed due to changes from
the past. These changes also curtailed the sense of community
and togetherness we once shared. New players cannot group with
Vets, nor do they feel any Vets wish to help them as Shinkuu stated
"It would be a waste of their time".

Bad decisions have plagued this game from launch, otherwise it would
never have suffered bankruptcies and exchange of ownership so many
times.

That Istaria still exists is because of two reasons:
1 - VIT rescued it from the black Abyss when EII defaulted.
2 - The Veteran/Elder players stuck with it during the dark EII days.

Without the one, the other would not have happened and would not
continue. THIS world is a two-way street, and appreciation has to go
both ways. Some would suggest the belief that VIT's sufferance is the
only reason we are still here - and they couldn't be more wrong.
Without the $$ from paying subs they would not be able to continue
business.

Destroying the sense of community, lessening the players satisfaction
while in-game, these are actions that make players leave.

Sorry if I rambled and wit-wandered, I AM an Elder after all.

Andaras

[joemarra052075]

Vahrok said:
"I think Istaria lost its chance the day it lost those things that were so popular for all of my old guildies.
Was it epics? No. Was it easy mode? Nope.

It was being able to cooperate all together to a greater objective, "the vision".
To me, Istaria peaked when the epic battles against WA happened, when game masters would make the game alive, when there were so many structures to build.

That fostered community, that gave an end to reach - the vision."

Hear Hear!

It was and IS the community that made Istaria great. It Was and IS
the decisions that tear apart the community that have made it wane.

Our world is devoid of player buildings, our guild towns wiped empty,
leaving a sense of barren loneliness. This doesn't help build a sense
of community or belonging for anyone, IMO. Instead of a world where
we see structures that need to be built, Towns that need completion,
all that can be seen is empty property. Feelings of gloom set in.
Hunting in groups has been severely curtailed due to changes from
the past. These changes also curtailed the sense of community
and togetherness we once shared. New players cannot group with
Vets, nor do they feel any Vets wish to help them as Shinkuu stated
"It would be a waste of their time".

Bad decisions have plagued this game from launch, otherwise it would
never have suffered bankruptcies and exchange of ownership so many
times.

That Istaria still exists is because of two reasons:
1 - VIT rescued it from the black Abyss when EII defaulted.
2 - The Veteran/Elder players stuck with it during the dark EII days.

Without the one, the other would not have happened and would not
continue. THIS world is a two-way street, and appreciation has to go
both ways. Some would suggest the belief that VIT's sufferance is the
only reason we are still here - and they couldn't be more wrong.
Without the $$ from paying subs they would not be able to continue
business.

Destroying the sense of community, lessening the players satisfaction
while in-game, these are actions that make players leave.

Sorry if I rambled and wit-wandered, I AM an Elder after all.

Andaras

I am not taking away from VIT's saving the game for us in the slightest. I just would like to know what they plan to improve on our current situation.

[LOVWYRM]

don`t get me wrong- I take all serious what is said here but

*puts on her rose-colored glasses*

This weekend e.g. was a good weekend for Order.
I see people have fun. I see vets that returned have fun.
German channel is as full as it wasen`t for a long time.
So are the other chats I`m in.
I see my friends work on numerous plots.
I see friends, who can`t affort a sub atm use free2play.
I see vets encourage new players to ask for help. They do so and get help.
(does not solve the prob of the 30 first level- but well..)
If we can`t get a full group for a rift run- we succeed with half a group- and have fun and a bunch of dp`s.
Same goes for the boss hunts.
I doubt if one of all the players I know feels lonesome.

maybe its the rose colored glasses- but I see a
"glimpse of silver at he horizon" (as we say here)
for the near future of our game.

[Andaras]

I am not taking away from VIT's saving the game for us in the slightest. I just would like to know what they plan to improve on our current situation.

Agreed. Knowing what their "vision" is and the changes they
are making to reach it would be beneficial to all.

I was striving to make the point that Istaria's survival is based
on a symbiotic relationship, something that some people
disregard as a factor. Without an adequate number of paying
subs, Istaria will not be profitable and will shutdown.

It is good to have change, good to question those changes, even
better when the change is accepted as being in the best interest
of ALL. It isn't good to be given the attitude that "if you don't like the
change - There's the door". (I.E. the Fall newsletter thingy and
other instances.)
This point was covered by others in previous threads - it bears repeating.

To maintain any symbiotic relationship there has to be a balance.
That balance is maintained by mutual happiness and compromise -
an acknowledgement that both parts are needed for the whole to
survive. Each part bears responsibility to maintain that balance.

Antagonism from any direction within the community will only
cause more paying subs to be canceled. Something I am sure
most of us do not want to see happen.

As Vahrok stated in his post, we need a "Vision" that will unite the
Community into a whole and give us something to do beyond everyone
sniping others within Istaria. The "Vision" is our future, the Key
is for the DEVS to balance that with compromises when necessary
to maintain player satisfaction.

*climbs off soapbox* Sorry if I got preachy.
Andaras