Longevity

[Armameteus]

- Costs are not otrageous etc. etc. but unlike the other numerous MMOs, Istaria is a "commit for life" MMO, not a 3 months journey. At the same time Istaria does not guarantee to survive 1 more year, therefore players are in the dire situation to have to commit for years (T6 lair anyone?) in a game with no guarantee (scaring off a lot of people, I was one of them) PLUS it costs like a first choice, long term mainstream MMO.

Add to these considerations having to play on the beta shard of such game and you see why little to none bothers.

I've kind of been wondering for a while myself, but never really had the courage to state outright my musings of where I think Istaria sits, mostly because I've been banned from other games for even thinking such things.

So, I'm not going to.

Rather, I want to ask what other people think about it. Vah's quote above I guess was sort of like the kick in the pants, so.... here it goes. If someone else has already asked this general question, I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time.

How many players honestly believe that Istaria has a bright future? And, I mean dead-honesty here. How many firmly believe that this game isn't going to die off eventually if some miracle doesn't save it from extinction, let alone actually become successful (popular, polished up, frequently refined and made better etc.) like any mainstream MMO? I'm not talking WoW successful or anything like that; just able to find it's little place in the world and live happy and healthy, with a substantial player base, the general upgrades and mods that you'd expect and a company that is able to carve out a real name for itself. You know, successful.

I'm just curious as to how many people have a real, deep faith that this game will live on for a long time to come and become the kind of game it deserves to be. How many have a firm belief that it's only a matter of time before it becomes "discovered" by the outside world and rises to the status it has the potential to get to? How many think that Istaria will be something appreciated and continually developed far into the future? How many think it won't fade into obscurity and eventually die, or be sold to some half-assed company like it has in the past? How many believe that, if not Virtruim, than another company would eventually be able to hold this game up proudly and say "We've made it"?

Just... curious, I suppose. Don't hate me for asking. Please?

*sigh*

...I am so banned. T_T

[Nayuaka]

Okies, prolly a shortish reply cause typing on an ipod suck but here goes!

Do I think that Horizons (I'm not calling it Istaria and you can't make me) will be " discovered" as you say and become successful under the terms you set aside? No, I do not. It is too much of a niche game and is also a lot older and slightly dated compaired to newer titles. It will never become more than a niche game in my opinion.

Now, do I think this is bad? Heck no. Part of the fun of Horizons is that logging on is like logging into a big family. It's one of the thing that keeps me playing. Having played big games with hundred of players online at any given time I would definitely say I prefer this. Playing here feels like coming home rather than a stranger in a sea of people. Though of course I'm not against the idea of additional players.

I do have to add that I do honestly believe the game is successful now though, in its own little way. It may not compare with mainstream games, or what others think is success however. To me though I see active players, a dev team that talks to us, and new content and fixes added. I've been playing Horizons since the days of AE all through to VI. I played this game when many thought it was as good and dead when EI/PME was in charge, and it pretty much was. What I'm saying really is that I do honestly have hope for the future. We may not ever be big, or popular, but under our current owners we are doing well.

[lightning claw]

I KNOW this is possible cause i had the opportunity to recently talk with some one that was working for mmos before the sequel to the great depression hit

(Side note :and don't let anyone fool you if you get up every morning send out 1000s of resumes and countless applications with an arsenal of skills and still cant get a job ya there is still an issue in our economy. )

Getting back on topic ... He said the following This game looks like it can be a big hit if they spend a little upgrading with the following and they will not loose there previous data

Change the geniuses en-gen to Havoc they would loose miles or granny forget which and would gain Light shield or something like that all data is fully convertible and more cost effective in the long haul

I will be hear till the lights are shut off on Horizons or Istaria what ever you want to call it but Twilight is not upon us yet Darkness has not fallen nore dose it need to .

Istaria is a big family i do agree it might need a Infusion of cash to do this update but it would be well worth the investment

The dev team in istaria is one of the best istaria has ever seen. Even throw i don't agree with some of the directions the team is Pursuing some good some bad i like the fact they are NOT going to turn this in to farm-town usa ideology

I Disagree with the lack of dev run events as before where we where under content sup prize attack (Note : thanks amon for correcting this oversight )
but at-least the dev teem listen to its player base. Most devs are like you can have fun but the way we tell you to and throws game have a high turn over rate and often die off. Take for instance "Last chaos u.s.a" They Ignored the players screams and destroyed there game. With an Mass exodus of players occurred. There game at there height bolstered an extrema bace of 7 million now there down to 1, 2 mill if there lucky after there latest stunt they pulled


So my answer is Yes Istaria has a future it also has a LOT of room to grow and retake the market

[Dragonboy]

In general Horizons/Istaria always has a good chance for survival. For as long as there are patchfixes, new content (both also known as progress) new players will try the game and the elders won’t leave so fast. I was still playing when *cough* GN *cough* still ran the EU server Unity. Some players choose to move from Unity to Chaos or Order early and set op shop there… Others choose to stay with Unity to the very end and never to be seen again. I was gone out of massive frustration about bugs not getting fixed long before the lights went out, only to play 5 minutes to see my dragon flying when the server was F2P before finally going down.

People like/love this game. It indeed has something different then most other games, after my return to chaos I have been crafting my behind of. Still need loads of adventure quests done, but who cares… Tomorrow there is another day. That is how I feel about Istaria… Just do your thing, relaxed and what you don’t finish today nobody will think you are a loser for tomorrow… Why? Because we all play that way.

Sure the game will probably improve with all that stuff you can read in loads of threads on this forum, but that just ain’t gonna happen to Istaria. It would be much easier to simply develop another game, with perhaps a compatible player database. Who knows… Istaria 2 – The Gifted’s Revenge.

Do I however expect this game to last forever? Nothing lasts forever, one mistake for any dev team from any MMO and the game loses it’s precious playerbase. Lightning Claw mentioned “Last chaos u.s.a” and I add “Starwars Galaxies” to the mix of fallen MMO’s.
I do however think and hope that this game will be around for quite some time, if not I will be severely annoyed for not being able to finish all the stuff that I still need finished…

[rizo/nawkia]

Im like many others that are here. Ive been here since the AE days and its been wonderful. There have been bad times and good times but i believe there will always be a future. Nostalgia is wonderful and I hope that ill at least have this game for another 2 decades

On a side note no you will not get banned for posting an opinion. It does not violate the rules in anyway.

[LOVWYRM]

This game will stay alive as long as "we" are here.

And "we" do not plan to leave Istaria.

[Nayuaka]

This game will stay alive as long as "we" are here.

And "we" do not plan to leave Istaria.

Hear, hear!

[Bahkar]

id like to just re-enforce lightning claw's side not about the economy and jobs, ive been jobless surviving on 2 week temp jobs once every couple of months for far too long..

On topic; IMO, Istaria has a bright future, if the player base doenst grow substantially, oh well, so long as theres enough of us around to keep it afloat, thats good enough for me, the content updates are nice, something i dont think i saw when i played before (I started just as the game switched hands i believe from AE to Tulga)

So long as the current course is held, i think things will be fine and well have plenty of time to enjoy Istaria

[Vahrokh]

I've kind of been wondering for a while myself, but never really had the courage to state outright my musings of where I think Istaria sits, mostly because I've been banned from other games for even thinking such things

Just some observations:

- The quote comes from a specific topic and is taken out of context

- I am not sure a Rants forum text can be used elsewhere.

- Only who cares, dares. Courage is about looking at your future in its face and not lowering your eyes.

How many players honestly believe that Istaria has a bright future? And, I mean dead-honesty here. How many firmly believe that this game isn't going to die off eventually if some miracle doesn't save it from extinction, let alone actually become successful (popular, polished up, frequently refined and made better etc.) like any mainstream MMO

Istaria has many Saris, in fact it's the MMO with 7 lives.
Istaria has a feature that no other MMO got: love. Istaria in some way went beyond the regular market laws and has become a supporter powered game, a bit like some MUDs.
Even the developers are not upkeeping it to become hideously rich but because both they and the players "believe" in Istaria. It's not just a game, it's a way of life, it's a different take on technology, it's a different and non competitive and friendly approach in a competitive, harsh world outside.

Till this belief exists, Istaria will not die.

[LungTien Temeraire]

Istaria is a big family i do agree it might need a Infusion of cash to do this update but it would be well worth the investment

It depends of the point of view. Some see Istaria as a home and the community as a big family (and I am among these ones ), some don't.

[Dragonboy]

Istaria has many Saris, in fact it's the MMO with 7 lives.
Istaria has a feature that no other MMO got: love. Istaria in some way went beyond the regular market laws and has become a supporter powered game, a bit like some MUDs.
Even the developers are not upkeeping it to become hideously rich but because both they and the players "believe" in Istaria. It's not just a game, it's a way of life, it's a different take on technology, it's a different and non competitive and friendly approach in a competitive, harsh world outside.

Till this belief exists, Istaria will not die.

Well said Vahrokh.

[LOVWYRM]

Very well said, Vahrokh

[Unicorn's Lady]

Hi Armameteus!

I don't think Istaria is going to succumb to the Blight yet. I'm personally looking forward to the Tenth Anniversary in December, 2013 when Nellie will be 9, going on ten years old.

This game is a survivor. (as long as Amon Gwareth wants it, I think it will survive) It is in a rare league with other such survivors such as Ryzom (launched Sept. 2004), Puzzle Pirates (launched Dec. 2003), Ultima Online (launched Sept. 1997), and Stick in the Mud (launched Feb. 1994)
It most likely won't be a household name like Everquest was or WoW is now, but I think it will continue to quietly chug along with the Developers tinkering in the background, adding tweaks and doing major additions & changes every 3 to 4 months. (It is soooooo nice we don't have to pay for every addition!!!)

Eventually, as the soft & hardware continues to evolve, an Istaria redux will be needed. But I don't think it is quite at the tipping point where that expenditure has to be made.
When it does happen, I'm hoping they'll find caring souls that design it with the love of detail that is in it now. The care of how a female walks & runs; the fact that dryad wings flutter close to how a butterfly's does, not like a couple pieces of cardboard; having several model of each tree type and turning the trunks so the land doesn't look like the Gods' copy machine went crazy; real coloring for the world, not cartoony nor faded/greyed/browned (the "new" realistic which isn't); these are just a few of what makes Istaria artisically still advanced compared to other, newer games. (Although I'd love a redo on boots & bracers! They look so horrid on a gnome!!) And maybe we can then have Silurians with a whole underwater dimension, which with then give us two special races as selling points (unless everyone by that time has done it) & it would also be nice if we could decorate the interior of our buildings/lairs. All that can be thrashed out though when the time comes to actually make Istaria, the Redux.

So the long & the short of it is, does Istaria have a bright Future? If you are looking for Super Nova such as Everquest or Wow, then no, that time passed when WoW came out. BUT! Istaria has settled down into a nice G2V type star.


Nellie Lovett/Ochre Tekton of Carmo on Order

[Velea]

How many believe that, if not Virtruim, than another company would eventually be able to hold this game up proudly and say "We've made it"?

I already do that frequently. I am very proud of what the team we have now has made over the last few years, and of the product as a whole.

Both personally and professionally, I honestly believe that Istaria is already a success. Though please understand that "success" is one of those words that is very differently defined depending on the person.

[lightning claw]

It depends of the point of view. Some see Istaria as a home and the community as a big family (and I am among these ones ), some don't.

I am one of throws people and i would do anything i could to keep this game alive one other thing i got to point out that this game is based in some of the hardest hit places by this latest depression / recession

Besides that the internet is a vast place i know but the United states as a whole is struggling to make ends meet. Istaria for the more funner races is a 9.95 per month game

Ive attached a web-sight just to give you guys across seas a hint of what we are dealing with this is our debt Monitoring system in real time from the fed Kinda frighting stuff so its natural for games right now to be tight or low population and also take in to fact that its the holiday season as well people are spending this time with there family abroad so thats count for an even lower population .

Ill say this again and i do mean it with my heart when ever there is a battle in this world needs to be won when ever an aspiring lunus chilled needs to be tough the way of a warrior i WILL be there

[Vahrokh]

Ive attached a web-sight just to give you guys across seas a hint of what we are dealing with this is our debt Monitoring system in real time from the fed Kinda frighting stuff so its natural for games right now to be tight or low population and also take in to fact that its the holiday season as well people are spending this time with there family abroad so thats count for an even lower population .

The part that makes me more Lunus is that you gave your debt and thus your future in the hands of an hostile nation with no democracy and with a rigged currency that will try and crush us all out of existance.

[Dragonboy]

Ive attached a web-sight just to give you guys across seas a hint of what we are dealing with this is our debt Monitoring system in real time from the fed Kinda frighting stuff so its natural for games right now to be tight or low population and also take in to fact that its the holiday season as well people are spending this time with there family abroad so thats count for an even lower population.

It is all very sad to see so many red numbers on that website… If it is even real.
It is only sad that if we bring this in Istarian terms that the Gifted wasted so many years and so much coin gathering components in Deadpool that a potentially real enemy in ED was left forgotten, which could potentially keep the Gifted at the mercy of ED. Had the Gifted left Deadpool to fend for its own instead of being greedy loads of coin would have been saved. Militairy logistic is very very expensive…

Wanted to add real live country names instead of Deadpool and ED, but decided against this course of action.

Anyway… This game will last a long time if players keep paying for it.

[lightning claw]

The part that makes me more Lunus is that you gave your debt and thus your future in the hands of an hostile nation with no democracy and with a rigged currency that will try and crush us all out of existance.

I 100% totally agree with you Vahrokh thus my form that got locked wtf is the us government thinking i tried to open the eyes of the Americans that play this game but was flamed and the thread got locked i have been slamming bush and slamming oboma for his total and complete stupidity Pork when we have a surpluses of currency is annoying but tolerable , Pork with this much debt is down right moronic !

(Example of the idiocy over hear stimulus and recovery act
24 Million $ to fund a n.a.s.s.a Program to preform Life saving surgery in orbit

Im sorry if i am a cardiac patient i most likely will not survive the flight over to Kennity space station little long the g forces it would take to achieve orbit!
)

We elected some one with no clue as to what there doing Junior cen no experience in the world arena and ill say his quote that most amaricans fell for

Ill make my red pen famous i will veto any thing with pork barrow spending and unnecessary expenditures .

@ Dragonboy sadly its true that is how bad our debt has gotten

thats a page from the governments web-sight until the gdp to debt gets back to 50% or lower America is in serious trouble

[LOVWYRM]

its not that easy lightning.

All contries have the same probs atm- and I assure you: It is not that easy.
I would have been very annoyed about this post- but I blame it to your Lunus soul and view. RL is not Istaria where we know our opponents well.

I wished you could make a more sophisticated statement.
But even if- it does not belong here.

[AmonGwareth]

Please keep this thread on-topic. Its about Istaria, not about politics.