Ravenloft: Prisoners of the Mist
Public (OOC) => Setting and Lore Discussion => Topic started by: Malvyr on August 28, 2012, 01:18:22 AM
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I saw this on the nwn vault today. I've been on Ravenloft for about 3 days now, and I'm loving it. Any thoughts? Is this what it's like? Should I turn away now and not waste my time? Here's the review from a random player quoted exactly:
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"So I joined this server as a last resort. Slim pickins these days if you're like me and you need your CEP and also player count and don't want to be on some misplaced social server or a 3 towns alignment gimmick server.
I knew the setting, Ravenloft, as an instant warning sign, what with being a favorite of antagonistic DMs (iirc, it started its life as a no escape PC death meatgrinder module).
But hey, desperation. It seemed promising at first: well built areas, some interesting scripts with weather and such, plenty of players, and oh neat; an immediate hook what with the horror setting and all.
Well guess what, I didn't like it. Now not to say I didn't have fun, no I had a lot of fun for a while. There are some good players here with well fleshed out characters. But the majority of my fun I think was me entertaining myself or bouncing off other PCs.
This server suffers, like most servers of stagnation. Nobody dies. Or if they do and even under player driven and dire circumstances, they return and the puddle doesn't ripple.
I don't want to turn this into a permadeath whine, but I saw a player get their head cut off, their body burned (all of this mechanically handled) and they respawned. Sure they lost some levels, but really?
Enter here also typical complaints of untouchable high level characters pushing around low levels or hanging around leaning on all the surfaces waiting for some kind of event to pop up and immediately crash it. And how can we really be afraid of Ravenloft if we can't die? And setting is cheapened because of it.
The setting itself is almost a parody of the original. The "fear of the night" RP was almost purely rote since nothing freaking happens. Half the time I spent on this server was indoors in the temple anyway since nobody is around in the off chance some murderous antagonist DM comes on or a playermonster character and kills your levels away. What happens in the temple?
A lot of staring forward, waiting for morning.
I think.. maybe in two, three months I saw a DM do three "events":
1, monster toss that was basically a DM going through the werewolf spawn list wave after wave as players ripped them to pieces. Eventually it got to Werewolf lords (maybe eight or more?) and then some people died and everyone ran inside.
2, was some plot I was dragged into by high level favorites which was basically a DMPC being arrogant and boring.
3, wasn't anything significant, DM area emote about a bunch of creepy ravens in a tree, woah nelly.
So I guess in closing, this a well made server that suffers from DM favoritism and player stagnation/ennui. I'm sorry if this is a rambling rant and my server preferences slipped in, but this server really has some serious problems. A shame because there is a lot of effort put into the build and scripting."
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Opinions? Vetran players, I'm lookin' at you for the most part, but what about you fellow noobs? Feel like this is where it's going? I dunno, I'm always one to form my own opinion on something, so I think I'll do that.
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I think this server is what you make of it. Sure, the first few months might be a bit slow because you'll be making new friends and getting to know their RP style but eventually you'll hopefully find people that you click with and enjoy playing with.
That's essentially what I did; I've been here a year now but I think I only really started feeling like I "fitted in" after the six month mark. That's a lot of investment and some people will want to be more casual than that, and that's fine; but for me it's really paid off and some of my best RP fun ever has been on this server.
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I see that this is going to be turned into a "Clique" mentality again where everyone thinks there is a set little group of cliques inwhich high levels work together to ruin everyones good fun, There are a few problems but what the reviewer failed to give enough credit, not only in scripting, but in story-telling and contribution, we are a friendly and approachable player-base and our few problems stick out because we have such a good setting and such great characterization.
-Diffusion, This will always be a problem unless something drastic happens, however it is shifting slightly, Vallaki is still the most popular, but many groups have chosen to move to the Mist camp and other areas.
-Stagnant; This is a persistant world, everything stays relativly the same in the world, but that doesn't mean there has not been change, Factions have come and gone, much of the activities relies on the players and their abilities to Story-build, but this isn't only the case, Ever joined a faction or a nation at war? The intrigue is very in-depth, if you choose to stay in the temple all the time, or stand in the outskirt, It will gt very stagnant indeed, explore, find your thirst for knowledge, and seek out the deeply hidden mysteries of Ravenloft. If you find yourself truly stuck, join a faction, it can not only make your RP better, but also allow for you to meet some new people you haven't before.
-Player Death/Consequences; This is a problem that has become more and more apparent, People OOCly not wanting their characters to die, this is completely understandable, we work hard and not only to we spend time building such fleshed out characters, a piece of ourselves goes into these characters, It takes a great story-teller to end his character, and sometimes people just aren't up to the task, but as far as Perma-Death? It doesn't exist, but that doesn't mean every villain or hero comes back, just ask those that have closured their characters, they will tell you it was hard, but it is really the greatest thing you can give to the server; real history.
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The guy sounds really bitter. Some people can't be pleased, or won't be.
All I have to say is that nobody's perfect, but we didn't get into the Hall of Fame because of players with his experience and attitude.
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Cliques are always going to be a factor in any social medium, but I really don't think they're especially bad here. Like I said, I've only been here a year and I never really had any problems with cliques. Maybe that means I'm in one. I don't know.
Then again, I come from a WoD RP background -- there's always worse out there in the WoD. :p
The trick is to be positive and not let that detract from your fun. If people are going to shut you out of their RP because they're in a clique, well, that's the way it is. Find people who have fun playing with you.
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im not going to even call that a review :roll:, that is a rant, because he obviously doesnt like POTM. toss it out of your head and try it out for yourself, its hard at first but it really is the most emersive and genuine Roleplay around the NWN community.
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Still, I gotta ask...why post about one negative "review" (more like trolling) when you can try it out for yourself first-hand?
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I've been here about a month now and so far I've not seen a single "DM Event" which I've felt comfortable taking part in - There've been a couple, to say nothing of it, but all of them I've noted to be either in late American times or set in Lucine. This is not a criticism on the DM team - I realise you guys have full plates. We've all got lives to be leading outside the server, and there's been a noticable drive to try and get people to migrate to the Port.
What I have noticed from some DMs, and for which I am rather grateful, they have a habit of popping in where there is interesting RP going on and seeking to further enhance it with atmospheric descriptions and peculiarities that emerge, for example, during Drake's many attempts to seek the path of the Blackguard, there have been some bizarre goings on such as the "squidface" entity. So when not holding social functions in Port Lucine, or blowing up the market in the wee hours of the morning, I have seen some top stuff from the team ^.-
A lot of it is though, what you're prepared to put in, and this is part of why I make antagonistic characters - They have goals of their own to work towards, and on achieving power they can become substantial foes for other PCs in the server to attempt to foil the plans of, though the issue of PVP is somewhat uncomfortable I find with the absence of the ability to permakill - just make it rather difficult for the individual to return. As I'm sure this has been endlessly debated I'm not going to give the issue any push. Though I do have a thought if anyone wishes to discuss it more privately.
I'm a firm supporter of the notion of diffusion however. I maybe hate Lucine as an area - It's hyper french, hyper flouncy, and not suited to my gritty Englishness :P - but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of other areas to play with, from the Village of Barovia to other domains (Village looks fantastic by the way. The road there being murderous does it no favours.) I think that part of what discourages diffusion is that it's so difficult for new characters to actually get anywhere or explore without a high level escort. Been murdered more than once by a Worg because I got 2-3 areas away from Vallaki, and couldn't outrun it.
On that notion, perhaps day-only "fast travel" Caravans between areas within a domain, or the use of Horses, to facilitate that movement? Would help ease the pain of some low levels feeling unable to relocate.
I don't feel that I've really been here long enough to pass rightful comment on stagnation, but I will endeavour to make the attempt;
Gundarak rebels could do with more of a DM driven impetus or a mob of players getting together to raise hell. Only seen the aftermath of one rebel instance and nothing more. It could just be I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time but I can only comment on what I've seen. Besides the Garda & the Rebels, I have seen no factions, which is slightly disheartening on the one hand because I have no idea where to turn to to evaluate them much less join them. I know they exist, but unless they actually make themselves apparent, PCs will be unable to do anything toward them without Metagaming. Again, all of these could perhaps use reinvigoration through either DM or PC-Accord initiatives.
On Cliqueism; It's an inevitable fact of life in high population servers. That's why before now, I've elected to avoid them. All that can be done is either have DM events to encourage disparate cliques to "gel" to overcome common threats and problems, or for we as individuals and groups to undertake a personal commitment to interacting more with the various others around us. This cliqueism is an issue that can threaten to alienate new players if not kept in check, and it's up to us as players to do that.
High level characters idling and bullying low level characters? Very much alive and kicking, but that's part of the privileges of being a high level character, and you can bet your butt that if all the double digit characters died off tomorrow, then a new generation would simply step in to take their place. Another issue that is down to individuals to take on a personal commitment to address, or allow to continue - Though the premise of an organised "New Character Week" is an ingenious way to take the pressure off on this front.
Lastly, the "Fear of the Night". You cannot rightly force a player to roleplay the emotion of fear - Some people don't know how or when to portray it for one - and every character is different. All you can do is give them something to fear in the Night. But I don't think that Lycan Waves (An instance I was involved with) is the best way to handle it. Either a greater atmospheric horror element to it, or more worrisome individual monsters. I think the server's A/MPC system could really be made use of here to provide that, with individuals or groups forming either a Lycan pack of smaller size but far greater atmosphere, or Vampires and Ghouls loose in the night. Many suggestions to the improvement of these A/MPCs has already been made in other threads that could further improve this.
But yes, at the end of the day, I've not been here long and I can only comment on what I've seen - but I'm enjoying my time here so far, and hope to continue to do so. Part of what I like doing is trying to feed back into the community on my experience and help produce improvements. ^.-
An observation that I have personally made that I've not seen noted prior is that the DM team seems to be understaffed. Perhaps it would be a notion to hold a recruitment drive to help keep the server dynamic & take some strain off of the existing team? I know I personally would be willing to give up my admittedly somewhat limited time to help the team in whatever ways I could - Though I fear my Toolset skills are rusty after a long time of inactivity on the building side of things. I'm sure there're other people in the playerbase which would heartily echo such sentiments. But at the end of the day, it's just a suggestion with the intent to help.
*Wipes brow* Phew that was frenetic thought and typistry post 3-hour sleep. Hope I didn't bore anyone to death =P
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As the others have said, this server is what you make of it. I could rattle of maybe a half dozen things that irritate me (pointing at you exhaustion script) however I still return and I will. Why?
1. The community first and foremost. I have had many clashes and most were either a misunderstanding, or was able to be resolved via CC or DM team. Nothing more I can really add here the community is great as a whole.
2. Creativity. I like to try and tell a story, most of the times I think one thing will happen then something else does instead. Being challenged with surprises both by monsters, players or even simple decision making this is some of the most fun.
3. The overall feel of the server. I want to keep this relatively short sadly i am falling asleep here but this server is constantly being updated for overalll performance and often to add in items/places that reflect either player demand or in game events. I have enjoyed D&D and other RPG for years and this one server has been running for many years and has kept true to the setting as much as the old game engine will allow. NWN has lasted so long and has grown thanks to the fans and playerbase and very talented people who share their work all for the love of the game. I don't see many other games out there today that offer this kind of dedication.
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I saw this on the nwn vault today. I've been on Ravenloft for about 3 days now, and I'm loving it. Any thoughts? Is this what it's like? Should I turn away now and not waste my time?
If the veteran players believed it's like that, why would we play here to begin with? :P
While I can see what's the source of some of the reviewer's grudges, it's pretty blatantly on rant's side and filled with experiences of misunderstandings or really, really poor luck. Also his knowledge of the setting seems a little lacking. The "fear of the night" exists only to so long degree in the canon; Actually, there's a full paragraph in last part of the player's handbook describing how horrors are not wildly common and that the landscape is really beautiful and serene for most of it's time.
Opinions? Vetran players, I'm lookin' at you for the most part, but what about you fellow noobs? Feel like this is where it's going? I dunno, I'm always one to form my own opinion on something, so I think I'll do that.
Simply: No. It's not where it's going.
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Haha, thank you all for your quick replies, I've been so busy playing, I forgot to check back on the forum for some time. Apologies for making my first post a quote from an unsatisfied luckless guy, it just struck home when I stumbled across it shortly after making the switch over here. I've tried coming back into NWN roleplay for a few years now, but I always tire of the work it becomes and move on... I think the problem was the inferior scripting, and elitist playerbase I was trying to mesh with before. I've met nearly two dozen PCs IC, and about 3 or 4 OOC through tells, and I've gotta say not one encounter has stressed me out. Freaked me out, made me fear for my character's life and limb, but negativity never has deterred my gameplay at all. The last server I was on for me could be described by that person's "review", so I was worried that all servers would be terrible, and I wasn't destined to join the NWN online RP community clique :P
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I think it all comes down to mentality.
If you join the server thinking "What can this server give me?"
Then you're gonna have a bad time.
If you join the server thinking "What can i bring to this community?"
Then you'll find the setting, PC's and occasionally DM's will pay you back with a tonne of fun.
Also, semi-related. He starts his review saying "I knew the setting, Ravenloft, as an instant warning sign, what with being a favorite of antagonistic DMs"
But then goes onto complain that the server decided to make the death less permanent.
You can't have it both ways.
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That's another thing he massively misunderstands of the whole setting.
Ravenloft's point in it's 3rd edition carnation is certainly not a death trap of doom and gloom - in fact, I'd go as far as to say the whole point of the setting is triumph over it's evil. Which reminds me, I was going to do a related topic.. :think:
*Goes to write*
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Still, I gotta ask...why post about one negative "review" (more like trolling) when you can try it out for yourself first-hand?
I agree with bluebomber, don't let this one negative review ruin your experinces here for you. Instead, log in and see if the server is good for you :)
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I've been here from almost the beginning or so long now that i forget just how long :lol: anyhow i've tried other rp servers out there and despite its edges at times potm keeps drawing me back for its pure immersion and high quality dms, devs, and players sure there's rough spots as i said but as others say its what you make of it and i have found a small group of players with goals or just the wanting of survival to be great drive to rp things then always hungering for dm events or what have you.
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Some personal pointers:
I never got all my IC accomplishments by standing in the outskirts, only leaving it to do a dungeon then to head back and I never found "click on red till dead" to be anything but the last resort when confronting DM or player unless of course it's unavoidable. When I became self-sufficient on a character, that's the end of hanging about the outskirts and I met their allies and closest friends out on the road when traveling. I have a fresh new character and was wracking my brains why a certain group of 16 to 19 level characters still persisted in hanging around the outskirts. It's not "where the RP is" at all, that's where you make it and a high level character is a potent tool in guiding new bloods on the server and watching their story unfold. .
There are certain players I will always gravitate towards because I enjoy their RP and will always be treated fairly by them whether they're friend or foe IG. I do not exclude others nor do we band together as an elitist clique. I know how this feels as there are countless times I've been pushed out of a plot or dynamics I've invested a lot of time and effort in by a bunch of little glory hounds who seem to think their self-importance in a video game equates to real life and don't like to share.
Willingness to roll with triumph and adversity is what develops your character. If you're trying to win, you're going to be very frustrated when you find it doesn't always work that way. I've also never really been fond of "Oh I have a spell for that" mentality regarding the physical, emotional and mental scars a character acquires in their life. That is what makes them who they are, what drives them or reminds them of what they've overcome. Perfect heroes and villains are boring and short-lived, aspiring to be either will again leave you very frustrated.
Things change. Your friends can become enemies, enemies friends, the faction you joined when you were freshed faced and eager may reveal itself to be something your character no longer needs when they're "old" and dissolute. This is what is meant by the term dynamics. Roll with those punches and you'll see it tends to work itself out in very surprising ways and lead you off towards other paths you might not have thought of.
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I consider myself a veteran player after all these years, I see myself as a pretty bad player, which is not favoured in anyway at all! I also haven't seen half the places in the server, I know things sometimes seem to be turned against you but hey, it do not matter if its a old player or new player, there is still people who are assholes.
POTM is still worth a while!
You play Hecktor right? Do not feel so let down mate, I just played with you this day. What did I do to you? Easy mate, stick around and see how it goes. Do not be like me, loud mouth moron who speaks to loud. It just makes people angry, gets you banned from the forum and so on and just rolls on with the bad feelings.
Also, no need for Caravans! Walking is awesome, see the landscape! We grown to lazy today, walking makes you see things! All games today need quick travel and such nonsense but hey, least once a while, take a walk or the ferry if you do not wish to walk.
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I consider myself a veteran player after all these years, I see myself as a pretty bad player, which is not favoured in anyway at all! I also haven't seen half the places in the server, I know things sometimes seem to be turned against you but hey, it do not matter if its a old player or new player, there is still people who are assholes.
POTM is still worth a while!
You play Hecktor right? Do not feel so let down mate, I just played with you this day. What did I do to you? Easy mate, stick around and see how it goes. Do not be like me, loud mouth moron who speaks to loud. It just makes people angry, gets you banned from the forum and so on and just rolls on with the bad feelings.
Also, no need for Caravans! Walking is awesome, see the landscape! We grown to lazy today, walking makes you see things! All games today need quick travel and such nonsense but hey, least once a while, take a walk or the ferry if you do not wish to walk.
He's quoting a review off NWN Vault ya noob, those aren't his own words.
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I consider myself a veteran player after all these years, I see myself as a pretty bad player, which is not favoured in anyway at all! I also haven't seen half the places in the server, I know things sometimes seem to be turned against you but hey, it do not matter if its a old player or new player, there is still people who are assholes.
POTM is still worth a while!
You play Hecktor right? Do not feel so let down mate, I just played with you this day. What did I do to you? Easy mate, stick around and see how it goes. Do not be like me, loud mouth moron who speaks to loud. It just makes people angry, gets you banned from the forum and so on and just rolls on with the bad feelings.
Also, no need for Caravans! Walking is awesome, see the landscape! We grown to lazy today, walking makes you see things! All games today need quick travel and such nonsense but hey, least once a while, take a walk or the ferry if you do not wish to walk.
He's quoting a review off NWN Vault ya noob, those aren't his own words.
Oh someone is not complaining on the server for once on its own boards? Creative.
Then well, I don't care much then, not like we can find the guy. I just thought it was another bunch of complains and lack of transports and such so I just went a bit quick to act on this one.
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and thats why we say its just budly you ain liked or disliked but your simply just budly.
to the semi new comer salut i be your forum troll for the remainder of your stay here that might be another week or several years time will tell.
yes there are groups cliques are they exclusive? no it is mostly a handfull of players that have the same style of playing and reacting that stick together cause of the same rp style atraction same humor aswell to that sort of thing.
the dm's also a yes at times they do spawn things time after time the old monster horde, now mind you they either do this to train a new dm (or it is the new dm) or they are wanting people to head indoors, can that be achieved better yes but it doesnt happen often.
you wil notice eventually people will complain about everything we are a pretty large community and not alll heads are pointed at the same direction, example would be the enviroment that the dm could desrcibe, a bunch of crows woah nelly that shows this player who posted that was lacking imagination, if you cannot picture or feel where you are at or what the situation is when the stage is set then you will not be satisfied.
this server is a great one but it is a flawed one, it is still in beta for a reason and all other servers have flaws aswell there is no such thing as a perfect game or server (unless we are talking about zelda orcarina of time that game is perfect) do not expect the server to entertain you but entertain the server instead, accept what your actions do cause they will count.
and above all enjoy yourself and if possible others.
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This server isn't everyone's cup of tea. If people are fond of light-hearted RP, wish for an easy time leveling, or just want DMs who are hands-off, they should go to a server like Arelith. They have a good team there, the server's fun for those who enjoy that sort of thing, and honestly, I don't think anyone will think any less of you if you go to a server that you enjoy.
My time spent on Arelith was fun, but I wanted something more, which is why I came here. It all depends on your personal tastes, whether you like feta cheese or brie better. Not everyone likes feta, not everyone likes brie.
From what I can tell, this player seems to have just been chilling in the outskirts. Go out and adventure, or hang out in the Village, the Port, or in the city of Vallaki itself! :)
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i dont like fetta or brie...i know i am an odd dutchy as we make so many cheece types.
i like melted cheece :) does that count?
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Since people seem to point out what makes POTM a unique experience among its competitors - I'll just add my two cents. Feeling it's relevant to the thread.
See, for years since I owned NWN (bought the Collector's Edition along with SotU and HotU in 2004), I've been always interested in this concept of immersing yourself in a Persistent Role-Playing World.
But since my English wasn't really that good those years - I went on a true playing spree among Polish servers.
Loads of them - Przystań NWN, Olmindon, Consulare Draconis, Bursztynowe Szlaki, Śródziemie, Huy'Dorgh, etc. etc. - I believe you do not recognise many of them, if any! For the most part, however, it was your standard H&S-like server with a bit of role-play attached to it. Those were the days when some of the Polish servers with only the Polish language had players among the numbers of Amia, Arelith or POTM.
The reason I bring this up, though is because when I decided to try again, but went on English servers - THAT was merely the beginning of discovering the awesome of NWN multiplayer.
First impressions? Oh my god, there was just SO much scripting and custom content involved it really blew me away at first. The server I started on was just absolutely superior in almost every aspect to all those PL servers I played on.
Only Olmindon stood up to it, but then again - it was way more hardcore than POTM ever will. But don't worry - it was NOWHERE near the definition of fun. Everything was deliberate, the players were assholes, the DMs and admins were just sadistic in bumping even more crap on your shoulders. And the whole community was extremely elitist, too.
Anyway! I was absolutely hooked when I got to know the quality of English NWN servers. But after almost 2 years playing on a few of them, none of those provided me with what I was truly looking for.
A role-play server that rewards staying in-character, is designed mechanically to support that and has a unique atmosphere to it to keep me playing.
POTM just filled the niche perfectly for me.
It's been a year since I joined. Made a character just to get to know the server, but she remained fun and still active today as I write this.
But even then, I decided to challenge myself.
For over a year I barely ever seen a dungeon, crafted, did deliveries, chased after bounties and I still felt rewarded for gathering experience almost exclusively from role-play and occasional (and great!) DM events. Being THE character and doing what FITS the character. I was appreciated, stuff moved forward, joined a faction on which I'm working on, too. Now I am in position when I can just reflect on the past time and say to myself - 'People of POTM. I salute you.'
The players are great, the DMs provide a solid portion of atmosphere to an already beautifully-haunted design of the world. Not to mention Soren - such a hard-working bro. Thanks for everything. :)
It sure has its weak points, but then again - which server does not? It's all about finding something for your taste, as Seraphim and others mentioned.
But my taste and my choice lies with POTM. I am still being impressed what a dedicated community can accomplish together.
My hat off to you, people. You deserve it.
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All I gonna say is to be honest, my roleplaying style doesn't really suit a Gothic Horror setting but the work done on this server not to mention the community as a whole is what keeps me coming back for more. Far as I am concerend this "IS" the best and only NWN Persistant world server worth playing ;)
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Yea, aside from the setting (which does fit me well enough), the quality of RP is great, and the custom systems of the server are amazing.
If there were another server with a different setting, the same quality RP and the custom systems (tweaked a bit to fit it), I'd probably play there too.
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you name me a server with bug fixes and updates every week
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you name me a server with bug fixes and updates every week
..Prisoners of the Soren.
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you name me a server with bug fixes and updates every week
..Prisoners of the Soren.
:lol:
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Wow! Topic is blowing up :) I don't really like pointing fingers, but in my previous post I referred to Arelith, as my brothers and I tried to bring our concept to that server, and were met with open hostility, IC, and OOC. We were trying to struggle through the drek, but two of us gave up entirely and decided after months of trying to make it work, the few shining personalities were not worth our stay in the hostile community(if you're wondering what the concept is, it's neutral undead hunters to put it shortly). I saw the high playerbase here, and decided to download the files needed and give it a shot. Pulled the brothers over with a little coercion, and we've been having fun since. Thus my point being made of not finding a single stressful moment OOC(we had them from day one to the end on Arelith). So far, this is the closest experience I've gotten to pen and paper D&D and I think I'm going to stay... For a long time... haha. Also, no I'm not Hecktor, I'm Vicktor, and the youngest is Seigfried. Hecktor's going to waffle between this server and the other, I'm going to play this one solely(when I can, being a new father now), and Seigfried will play inbetween his college course cramming.
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I've been playing for about 8 months and I think the server is great :D I do have to comment on this clique business since I've seen it pop up here and there – I haven't found this to be an issue at all. There are obviously characters who have developed IC friendships, ect – and are always seen together, but I don't think many players here would refuse to RP or travel with others (unless it's an aspect of their character's personality.)
I have a rather obnoxious Hin (if you've met Pip – you secretly love him!) and he'll totally bust up in the middle of a group and invite himself to things. He's never been turned down by anyone, in either RP or adventuring. I think the only issue with cliques might be people who convince themselves that cliques have taken over the server and kind of create that environment in their own mind.
W00t. Rant over!
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I consider myself a veteran player after all these years, I see myself as a pretty bad player, which is not favoured in anyway at all!
Budly you suck! Now when are you going to be on when I'm on so we can rp? ;)
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I consider myself a veteran player after all these years, I see myself as a pretty bad player, which is not favoured in anyway at all!
Budly you suck! Now when are you going to be on when I'm on so we can rp? ;)
K :( Sawwy!
Whenever possible! :) We really need to fix something!
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I hope it will be your way of thinking that youl fix.
Troll out yall
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I don't at all consider us perfect and many of the concerns are quite valid - it's after all something we've acknowledged, and if we felt it wasn't important we wouldn't continue to do an effort to improve on it.
On the other hand, that he/she decided to give our server the score of 1 does give away that it's someone with a form of personal beef.
Nonetheless, it is of course a bit disheartening to read - especially considering it has been there as the top comment for three months. To some of you that feel you have another impression of the server, I can only encourage you to mirror your thoughts there too :)
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I don't at all consider us perfect and many of the concerns are quite valid - it's after all something we've acknowledged, and if we felt it wasn't important we wouldn't continue to do an effort to improve on it.
On the other hand, that he/she decided to give our server the score of 1 does give away that it's someone with a form of personal beef.
Nonetheless, it is of course a bit disheartening to read - especially considering it has been there as the top comment for three months. To some of you that feel you have another impression of the server, I can only encourage you to mirror your thoughts there too :)
Like you said. A score of 1 is someone with a personal beef. Their basically trolling and trying to masquerade it as a query about constructive criticism. The server isnt going to be for everyone.
Allow me to say that most of the times I post in the forums its to provide some snarky comment about something I dont like (the needlessly tedius travel, exhaustion, the low magic DROP environmant leading to "linear warriors - quadratic wizards X10" scenario, etc. You get the idea I whine sometimes....) So maybe I should take some forum time to expres what a work of genuine art I think POTM is. The attention to EVERY detail, the little touches you can easily overlook that help set mood, environment, story are jaw dropping. The RP (or the limited ammont Im able to participate in due to crafting constantly) is top notch....in 10+ years playing NWN I can think of 1 maybe 2 servers where the player base even came close to this level. Most servers Ive been on INVOLVED rp and story goes something like: "LOL I R Damien EPIX...fear me NOOBS for I am it itz 4 DE EVULZ!!" Almost every story or encounter Ive seen here was handled with the utmost respect from the DM staff and the community.
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I'll admit that the server has some minor things, but in general it is very nice. I have played here off and on since oh. . .what i think 2004/ 2005? Something like that.
Still, the role play from some people is quite phenomenal, and some of the dm events are as well. Have I had chars which have been perma'd, yeah, but then that's how it use to be, not so much any more. And though I don't really like that going away it's how things have progressed.
I certainly don't think the server deserves a 1 in any regard, I'm thinking some where between an 8 and 9, but that's my vote. Maybe I'll try to remember my vault sign on and write my own review :P
Nothing is ever perfect, and many, many things are still in the works from my understanding, and I am all curiousness about what is going to come next.
I will give some merit to the idea that there may be a group of high levels which enjoy roaming around, and tagging dungeons. But if that's what they want to do then no one is going to stop them, unless its a dm.
Besides, if people look, and mind you exploring can be nerve wracking when you have no idea what could be out there some times, because you worry if you'll survive or get xp for it, there are some amazingly built dungeons and areas which give the server a life which wont be seen any where else, most likely ever.
I would love to get involved in some of the dm events which are going on currently, though a crafter who is always making things is rarely in the loop about oddities which are going on. But who knows, maybe one of my chars will find something unusual in cave with iron ore.
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I don't at all consider us perfect and many of the concerns are quite valid - it's after all something we've acknowledged, and if we felt it wasn't important we wouldn't continue to do an effort to improve on it.
On the other hand, that he/she decided to give our server the score of 1 does give away that it's someone with a form of personal beef.
Nonetheless, it is of course a bit disheartening to read - especially considering it has been there as the top comment for three months. To some of you that feel you have another impression of the server, I can only encourage you to mirror your thoughts there too :)
Like you said. A score of 1 is someone with a personal beef. Their basically trolling and trying to masquerade it as a query about constructive criticism. The server isnt going to be for everyone.
Allow me to say that most of the times I post in the forums its to provide some snarky comment about something I dont like (the needlessly tedius travel, exhaustion, the low magic DROP environmant leading to "linear warriors - quadratic wizards X10" scenario, etc. You get the idea I whine sometimes....) So maybe I should take some forum time to expres what a work of genuine art I think POTM is. The attention to EVERY detail, the little touches you can easily overlook that help set mood, environment, story are jaw dropping. The RP (or the limited ammont Im able to participate in due to crafting constantly) is top notch....in 10+ years playing NWN I can think of 1 maybe 2 servers where the player base even came close to this level. Most servers Ive been on INVOLVED rp and story goes something like: "LOL I R Damien EPIX...fear me NOOBS for I am it itz 4 DE EVULZ!!" Almost every story or encounter Ive seen here was handled with the utmost respect from the DM staff and the community.
Thanks, that means a lot :cloud9:
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I used to play on a Krynnian server... I played there for a long time, became a DM, led the larger factions...
I had love, I had fear, I had respect, it was sweet.
BUT
I'd rather be a nobody here than any amount of Uber god anywhere else.
I feel like I belong, the community is welcoming and tolerant. I've formed connections with people and characters to a depth I never found on any other server. POTM is the crack of the NWN world ;D
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I used to play on a Krynnian server... I played there for a long time, became a DM, led the larger factions...
I had love, I had fear, I had respect, it was sweet.
BUT
I'd rather be a nobody here than any amount of Uber god anywhere else.
I feel like I belong, the community is welcoming and tolerant. I've formed connections with people and characters to a depth I never found on any other server. POTM is the crack of the NWN world ;D
you dont belong here, you are a nobody, and what you mean ppl feared you pffffffffffff (we need a troll smily)
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I used to play on a Krynnian server... I played there for a long time, became a DM, led the larger factions...
I had love, I had fear, I had respect, it was sweet.
BUT
I'd rather be a nobody here than any amount of Uber god anywhere else.
I feel like I belong, the community is welcoming and tolerant. I've formed connections with people and characters to a depth I never found on any other server. POTM is the crack of the NWN world ;D
you dont belong here, you are a nobody, and what you mean ppl feared you pffffffffffff (we need a troll smily)
:allalone:
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Myself, Sakkran, Budly, DunBoocher, and Herkles all came from the same server... and there is a reason for that.
Have I had my problems here? Oh yeah. Plenty. Some fairly severe.
However, after two years away from using NWN at all .. when I got the sudden urge to play again, it was here I came rather than there.
I think we'd all agree that this is a far better experience.
So, I'd agree that the original post is definitely someone who's angry at the server for some reason.
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I used to play on a Krynnian server... I played there for a long time, became a DM, led the larger factions...
I had love, I had fear, I had respect, it was sweet.
BUT
I'd rather be a nobody here than any amount of Uber god anywhere else.
I feel like I belong, the community is welcoming and tolerant. I've formed connections with people and characters to a depth I never found on any other server. POTM is the crack of the NWN world ;D
you dont belong here, you are a nobody, and what you mean ppl feared you pffffffffffff (we need a troll smily)
:allalone:
TEARS i need TEARS i feed off them nom nom nom
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:mrgreen:
That's the trollface. Noob.
And yes, I was feared... Probably because I could delevel people on a whim... heh heh heh... :twisted:
Not that anyone ever did.
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in 10+ years playing NWN I can think of 1 maybe 2 servers where the player base even came close to this level. Most servers Ive been on INVOLVED rp and story goes something like: "LOL I R Damien EPIX...fear me NOOBS for I am it itz 4 DE EVULZ!!" Almost every story or encounter Ive seen here was handled with the utmost respect from the DM staff and the community.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
EDIT: In one week I've seen more DM involvement than I ever have. The fact that they act as more than just admins who throw out a reset when latency gets bad is awesome. The DMs here are actual people, not robots! :o
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in 10+ years playing NWN I can think of 1 maybe 2 servers where the player base even came close to this level. Most servers Ive been on INVOLVED rp and story goes something like: "LOL I R Damien EPIX...fear me NOOBS for I am it itz 4 DE EVULZ!!" Almost every story or encounter Ive seen here was handled with the utmost respect from the DM staff and the community.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
EDIT: In one week I've seen more DM involvement than I ever have. The fact that they act as more than just admins who throw out a reset when latency gets bad is awesome. The DMs here are actual people, not robots! :o
They are NOT people, they are machines, you put complaints in and get RP out! :mrgreen:
-Please note correct use of trollface, dutchy, you nublet.-
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incorrect use of said face, only a troll can use and apply the face correctly you are nothing remember not even a troll.
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Out for a while, who knows how long.... :| :| :|
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Out for a while, who knows how long.... :| :| :|
nobody knows how long but we do know you posted in the wrong topic.
hope nothing serious though, we'l be here as always.
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Seems like we've drifted off topic:
I've been here since the start of the year and I love the place. Granted I've had a little bit of a slow start, but now I'm finally starting to find my pace and really enjoy the Roleplay a lot more. I've had some interesting encounters here, and I've had some experiences that made me miss CoA; none of which make me regret coming here, since the good outweighs the bad, and the good is usually pretty bad ( :twisted: ).
What I do love is the immersion, there's nothing quite like it. I can turn my bedroom light off, turn the gamma down a little, hide my interface and what a scene play out and really throw myself into the scene. Could never do that elsewhere, so keep up the good work everyone. It's true what people say, the server is what you bring to it, if we all walked around with a selfish attitude of "How can these plebians entertain me today" instead of "how can I provide these people with a bit of spice and interest?" then you probably should just play else where. The community is comforting, and accomodating for quirks and Roleplay styles.
And there is fear. Alexandrie Rousseau is fear. With spells and a kick ass outfit. Fear that witch ;O
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And there is fear. Alexandrie Rousseau is fear. With spells and a kick ass outfit. Fear that witch ;O
]
Oh stop it. [giggles] >.> :allears: :love:
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Pffft. Overrated. :P
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http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=gameworld.detail&id=866
:ontome:
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I wrote a blurb, it had been on my to-shouldhavdone list for a long time just never got around to it.
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Started playing three days ago. This is the closest I have ever seen to quality role play online. I am DM/GM with 38 years of experience and I didn't think it existed online in this type of game. Real role play ... very impressive ... with that being said. It appears very cliquish and nearly impossible to survive alone or with an occasional friend you meet. After three days of constant RP and trying to make a level I died in a dark hole in the ground I could not seem to get out of ... realism ... yes ... three days of effort worth it hmm ... I suggest if you bring 5 other RL friends or a known group from online you would fair better than I did. Going solo here is not recommended in or out of the game. Bravo to the DM/DM's that managed to get a 20-year-old game to have such a following and to actually keep people role-playing. Roleplay has been perverted into kill collect for years by online games where as in this server it actually exists.
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Started playing three days ago. This is the closest I have ever seen to quality role play online. I am DM/GM with 38 years of experience and I didn't think it existed online in this type of game. Real role play ... very impressive ... with that being said. It appears very cliquish and nearly impossible to survive alone or with an occasional friend you meet. After three days of constant RP and trying to make a level I died in a dark hole in the ground I could not seem to get out of ... realism ... yes ... three days of effort worth it hmm ... I suggest if you bring 5 other RL friends or a known group from online you would fair better than I did. Going solo here is not recommended in or out of the game. Bravo to the DM/DM's that managed to get a 20-year-old game to have such a following and to actually keep people role-playing. Roleplay has been perverted into kill collect for years by online games where as in this server it actually exists.
Hope you aren't too discouraged. Not easy to get off the ground here cold and alone indeed, but there are inclusive players. Finding them and breaking through may take more than a few days.
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I read half of this thread before I realised almost everything is eight years old.
Survival alone in Ravenloft is unlikely for anyone, even high levels alone in low level areas will risk horrible things happening.
You don't need a clique or ooc friends to survive though, rather your character needs to learn to form those connections in character and doing so is a vital part of their journey.
Wandering off alone into the mysts will get you killed, particularly as a we low level.
However, the server really sings not when you're dungeon crawling, but when you're involved in plots and worldbuilding and factions and events with fellow players. If you find death discouraging, immerse yourself in the RPXP life!
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This is my own experience coming to the server:
I had a friend who played here that tried to get me to play for several years and I finally decided to give it a try. They didn't play with me at first and I was on my own. Another friend did decide to play with me and abandoned the server after the first day because they were unhappy with the leveling system. So, Day 2 I was completely on my own. I roleplayed my character, she met like minded individuals and made friends, none of whom I knew OOCly. The one person on the server I knew OOCly decided to take a break so on an ooc level, I was totally alone.
I really enjoyed the roleplay of various individuals I saw and, after a month of being on the server, the NCE hit. I made a new character and joined it. The NCE is by far my favorite time of the year on POTM, I have enjoyed both NCEs thoroughly. I made my character with another player who I didn't really know but it turned out amazing. My character met a lot of people that I roleplayed and dungeoned with, and I eventually made a lot of friends on an ooc level as well. I've made several characters since then.
One character I had that I did differently on was Juliette Germain. She was not a very social character and upset far more people than she made friends with, up until the very end from some very persistent Ezrites. She's the character I have not had as much fun on because I felt very limited (self-imposed, I admit).
My advice to you is, make a character concept that is at least somewhat social, especially as your first character. They can meet others, hang out, dungeon, etc. Maybe even join a faction since factions are IC and not OOC. I think you'll have far more fun.
Just like on every server/game, there are going to be groups of people who enjoy playing with each other. That doesn't mean they won't play with others or that you have to join one to be able to enjoy the game. I like to think I play with everyone, especially people I don't know. While I do have people I love playing with most, I ABSOLUTELY love playing with people I oocly haven't interacted with before and I've found that this server is extremely friendly on an ooc level, especially to new players.
Sometimes concepts don't pan out ic the way you want them to and that's okay! The great thing about POTM is that it's so big and full of unique spots that just about any concept you have will be accepted somewhere. You only need to look. I hope you make friends IC so you can enjoy the server as much as I do and I look forward to seeing you in game, Somma!
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A bit of advice for the cliquish nature, or that feeling of exclusion/needing to be in a certain crowd or a group in order to engage with the server. This is an old thread but perhaps this may be helpful for some newcomers.
First things first, you are not alone in this feeling. I have been here for over a year and still experience it every so often. When I first arrived, I had people I knew, but rp didn't give me a 'group' so to speak. I combated that feeling by finding small activities I enjoyed doing and using them to 'show not tell' my character's story. They were small tasks, but I liked making my mark on the world, and it was evidence of me being there. I focused on these things, and players noticed and it began a slow integration into the world that felt natural. All the while, I had fun with it--which is the point. You will find people your rp meshes with eventually. It's a large server. If your feeling lonely, give yourself a task to complete or something your PC would do, and do it in such a way that people can see what happened, and follow up.
I hope this helps. Large servers are a struggle to get into, but they also have the benefit of a large world to work with.
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I agree with Naiad. Some of the challenges vs cluiqish and factions does grant you advantages but only if you are ready for that kind of roleplay. I can atest snd time approved that I havr majorly solonplayed with occasional group venturing. The road to 14 solo isnt as easy now as it were then but its possible though ardious. There is an @lfrp command that can help you find people genuinely looking for groups or people to rp wiyh that you can send a msg to. I generally stick by Vallaki for this reason to help or assist in an indirect way for some of the new players to get involved in the immersion of Ravenloft.
But that is thr challenge of the game. Their is an action orientated server which I recommend fplks to try to help get orientated in the server and help to expect in game as a prep course to the roleplay server. I believe there is a test server as well from time to time and thats a good time to test things and get familiar with the system with assistance. Though I have my own opinion I won't deny that we do have a Community Council and they can also provide assistance for quires and concerns. Overall most the staff is also accessible if not preoccupied for assistance as well. Well either way I wishbyahbluck and hope this helps.
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I still get the "everyone is having fun but me" feeling, and i'm mid high level and in a faction :lol:
I personally do not like the fact that the whole server concept has little room for "rewarding" solo fun which isn't crafting/grinding, and of course your character can only be just as social as you are, including personal affinities and skills, and any awkward language barrier that can happen. I decided not to take part to the NCE and had great fun in a suddenly crowded Mist Camp, but now the result is multiple NCE-born cliques of characters i dont know :lol: So ive passed from the mentored type of character to the mentoring, and i have to learn everything from scratch and introduce myself to new people again!
Funny enough, i have my own clique of OOC friends in the action server where we basically play "diablo style": that's where we scratch that itch, even if there are other huge limitations there.
Time zones and huge maps on multiple locations are but a few of the issues that can prevent people for to team up. The advice is can give is to loiter in the outskirts and try to capture any "what's new" or "here's my backstory" kind of chat happening and break the ice there. Alternatively, just bend the character and try to fit in a faction: even if it isn't a perfect match at the beginning, edges can be smoothed, new people will be introduced, and even if it weren't meant to be, leaving is just another chance to RP and carry the character on.
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Regarding the original post, it's important to remember you're responsible for entertaining others as much as they are you. If you're not putting in an effort to be interesting, make friends and generate roleplay, you'll never get far. Saying DMs are biased is totally right. They aren't going to waste time on people who just make demands and complaints but don't put forth an effort to contribute to the entertainment of others in a meaningful way.
A lack of permadeath is absolutely necessary to protect the server from falling to pieces as a hostile pvp drama nightmare. A revolving door of characters doesn't make for fresh RP, it makes for shallow and repetitive RP that stagnates and takes a backseat to spending weeks grinding back to mid-high levels. If doing that is what entertains you great, but don't force that view onto the server as a whole and say that you're right about something that is purely opinion.
Complaining about cliques is also pointless. People make friends and communicate with each other ooc on discord because they like playing together and want to organize that. If you're not part of a clique or being approached oocly, that's on you for not presenting yourself as someone entertaining to play with.
In short, you get out what you put in. There's plenty of good RP if you bother to actually make friends and do things without worrying about DM presence. I've gotten my character to 12 and enjoyed myself without ever having interacted with a DM ICly until yesterday.
Good luck stepping up.
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Duuude this thread is dead, it's 10 years old, let it rest in peace :GRIM2A:
:lolsign:
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Duuude this thread is dead, it's 10 years old, let it rest in peace :GRIM2A:
:lolsign:
This post was SO 2008.
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A lack of permadeath is absolutely necessary to protect the server from falling to pieces as a hostile pvp drama nightmare. A revolving door of characters doesn't make for fresh RP, it makes for shallow and repetitive RP that stagnates and takes a backseat to spending weeks grinding back to mid-high levels. If doing that is what entertains you great, but don't force that view onto the server as a whole and say that you're right about something that is purely opinion.
Ignoring the thread necro, this isn't true. Yeah, slapping permadeath on the server as it exists would be horrible because it's designed to be a 20 level cap server where it takes months to get into the mid-high levels and character development takes place typically over years. Ironically, attachment and stagnancy are natural consequences of this "long game" environment. But exceptions exist.
The post you're replying to is from many years ago and his new player experience could not have possibly been similar to yours. Unless...