Well, I can’t resist an opportunity like this to plug the world of Gemstone IV, a text-based MMORPG with a good couple decades under its belt now.
Downside, of course, is that it’s text-based. Sure, there are some pictures, but mostly it’s all words.
Upside is that it’s all text-based. You gotta use your imagination, and not just look at the pretty colors.
What I like best about it is the free-form open-endedness of it. Like a lot of games, there’s no real goal beyond leveling-up your character, but the world you do it in is HUGE and growing every year. And the depth… the level of interaction… some of the things you can do… even as long as I’ve been playing, I can still find something new without even trying.
Average about 500 characters at any given time, nearing 1000 when busy, which means that you don’t have to wander around alone if you don’t want to. And the character system is nicely balanced… you will want to, almost HAVE to, interact with others to survive and thrive. There is a certain amount of politics… you can get citizenship in one of the various cities, for example, and there are “Great Houses” which are more-or-less player run political orginizations, bound together for various purposes or causes. There is a property system, in that you can buy/own land (private houses on specific lots, private stores in specific districts) but there’s not a lot you can do with it, aside from customization. Owning a store allows one to sell items when not actively in game, and a house allows one to store items, for example. What you can’t do, yet, is something like build a castle on your land and raise an army and that kinda stuff… but you’re welcome, of course, to tell people you’re doing it anyway. Roleplaying is strongly encouraged, and public discussion of game mechanics is actively squelched by other players, making it easy to immerse oneself in the environment.
Another thing that particularly appeals to me about this game is the developers (Aka GMs) play a remarkably active role. There is usually one on duty at any given time (well, not 4am, but…) and they’ve got a well-developed system of assisting players when needed. This keeps the griefers at bay… run around causing trouble long enough, and they WILL stop you. And they like to play, as well… I saw one posess an ordinary, harmless NPC just last night and use it to turn somebody into a frog, just for the fun of it.
The world is quite dynamic indeed. There’s a storyline going on now that’s part of the unveiling of a new high-level sorcerer spell, and plenty of opportunity to join in the action.
Now granted, you’re going to be the 80,000th person to ‘attack slug, pick up goo’ 400 times in a row, true. That’s the nature of these games. And you won’t even get to see the blood spurt, other than in your mind.
But I have a great time there, and I know at least one other Doper does too.
If you do choose to visit, they offer a free month-long trial subscription, and various tiers of access. I’m perfectly happy with my ultra-basic membership, although I do have a few additional characters as well. You can find me in Wehnimer’s Landing, under the name of Phnordson. I’ll be glad to help ya get started.