AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

When I started playing NWN way back when, it was such a taboo, surreal, and incredibly addictive realm in which i could melt myself into. I remember, after being coaxed into playing by my best mate, that the world in which NWN inhabited was far greater than that of any other world I had played. It felt, to risk sounding extremely wanky... Magical.

There has been quite a lot of debate as of late discussing why Amia is falling from the zenith of awe that it once was for us all. Well ... Here it is: There is no magic involved anymore.

We all know the spells, the mechanics, the nuances and intricacies of the game and our world. We've expired our suspension of disbelief. Yet we persist to return to somehow grasp onto that one or few moments that threw us off our seats when we first started playing.

One of the greatest moments I ever encountered was on a server called Days of Darkness. I was on the Drow playerbase and, unfortunately, dedicated nearly 1,000 hours in one year to playing my one character, simply because I was in awe of all that happened. Nemenisi and House Barrimtor were rivals, and our level 36 wizard, Istmyr Barrimtor, fought against two Nemenisi's... One Wizard, level 38, and one Monk/cleric made of cheese.

I remember standing by and watching the battle begin and suddenly! Istmyr and Prubbio (the opposing wizard) began to buff themselves... It was simply incredible. Fuddio (The cheese) charged in to attack Istmyr, however Istmyr (being the amazing player he was) Bigby'd him in his place whilst typing, "Stay there!" Prubbio cast a hellball at Istmyr, but it was pointless, as I later found that Istmyr had a Mantel of Evocation; and he then returned that spell... Through the observation, I died from the hellball... But i still thought that that moment of playing was the most memorable moment I had ever experienced in NWN.

I won't get that back. No matter how many times I log on to witness some form of incredible RP, or incredible event. The server 'dying' (for lack of a better term) is not the DMs fault, and it's not the players fault. It's simply the fact that we've seen it all, we know it inside out... So the point of us grasping for a fleeting moment is moot.

Yet we keep returning for a brief month or two... Persistence. Heh.

The past is always rose tinted.

TormakSaber wrote:

The past is always rose tinted.

Very well said and agreed.

There is some merit to your point, though, Lathandier. However, I would venture to say that you speak from a somewhat jaded perspective. I'm still amazed at some of the things I witness. I see players using a different combination of tactics that I've never seen or thought to use to take down an opponent. Being surprised by the sudden betrayal of someone whom your character has thought to be completely loyal. There's still amazing things going on in Amia.

Whether it's my 'jaded' perspective or not. People move on because they seek something more than what they already know. How many people do you hear say, "I'm bored. That's why I'm not playing." It's not because the DMs aren't doing their job, or the player's are simply boring, or because there's no conflict. It's because they require something more. Yes, the past is rose tinted, agreed. That's my point.

People will move on once they've done what they needed to do.

Or, they'll move on 'cause they can't do what they need to do.

Playing with some kind of expectations, for example. Not gonna happen.

The part of the title is truer than you know.

I don't think there's a flaw in Amia, so much as a flaw in 'us' as beings.

Amia's better than ever, imo.

So its 'Our Flaw'.

Not so much Amia's.

That and NWN is an old game. One that really should be updated client wise, and re-released with core and backwards compatibility sustained.

I'd buy it.

As would I.

Magic is where you make it. Don't expect others to make it all for you.

Everyone here has valid points, and like DolphinRacer said, you need to make your own magic. Play a different character, a type you haven't played yet. Or completely switch directions with one character. Keep the magic flowing.

I'm getting a lot of Amia atm. Much to my surprise, even after I think I've been everywhere on Amia, I find, new areas (like the Tidal Caverns)...

All this time, I've been visiting Tarkuul, and I had never noticed, for years, the slightly out of the way underground Crypt there...

I'm delighted to say, I'm still finding stuff!

Finding stuff is god. I love finding random new places. Sometimes I also lurk in out of the way places because occasionally I get good RP running into the like one person that might pass by on foot.

Selmak wrote:

Or, they'll move on 'cause they can't do what they need to do.

Playing with some kind of expectations, for example. Not gonna happen.

We get it Selmak. Amia makes you unhappy. You mention it in nearly every post you make.

Many of us play with expectations and continue to stay here and play here and DM here happily.

1,5 years for me or something like that.

Still discovering items.

Still discovering zones.

Still learning for new ajustments.

Still altering for changes.

Still watching Amia thrive.

And at least 1 time a month, I'm amazed to find out how young another player is when the amount of content in RP they've brought into our would and the fact that "that old game" is still "the new hot RP place to be".

Take the word "dying" and shove it in a bottle to throw out to sea.

I've had to FIGHT to get onto Amia-A the last week at 65/65 and 15/65 at times. That's 80 people easily online at once. And it's showing that we do have the ebb-and-flow of RL things that cut back our time and that we return when we have more time.

I started when Amia was 75/75-Amia.

65 x 2 - Amia A and B is still only bigger and only better and ALIVE.

DolphinRacer wrote:

Magic is where you make it. Don't expect others to make it all for you.

Especially if you're a caster or took UMD.

Been here 5 years, and there are still times when I am amazed at the RP, both from the DM's and the players, old and new.

Persistance? Perhaps.

Familiarity? Totally.

Considering it's the only character I truly play on Amia, that says something.

Regards,

Explore a new area.

Took one of my 2-3 RL year old chars to Tunstuk caverns. Happened to stumble over while I was *gasp* exploring. Needless to say, as an epic character, the spawns weren't too much of a problem. But seeing an area new to me, a well-done one at that, was a great experience. Perhaps it was the new tileset, perhaps it was because a new area with a new story to go with it, but made me wish to rp there or at least "think" as my character even though I was alone there, one of 4 people on the server at the time.

There's still magic. You just have to be willing to go outside of what you already know and have seen to experience it again.

I see what Lath is saying.. but you know what I do when I run into boredom? Take a break.

I took a really long break, played only maybe a handful of times if that over 4 months.. Came back and SO much had changed that it was like discovering a whole new world, with the plus of familiar faces.

Playing on another server and a totally different character while still playing on Amia works too, for me at least.

Well.. because mages aren't so OP anymore, I must say that seeing a mage doing what Lath mentioned.. hardly.

Perhaps just take a break or find something new to play as some mentioned already.

I, for example, had great time as elf player but after quite some time I just found myself frustrated more and more. So I changed to a PM and have had great time with it now

I myself think it is a shame that mages are being nerfed. To me, they should be OP and when facing one the other side should be afraid. However, that is only my opinion. Hellball, I think, isn't anymore what it used to be, I remember killing my whole team and a spawn with it.. One of my best memories actually <3

It's a shame you can't rp and fight. I have tried it and just found myself dead before I could finish the sentence.. But sometimes.. I can do it.. without dying instantly.. ((When there is no Dev-critters near..))

Anyhow, I hope you get what yer looking for.

TormakSaber wrote:

We get it Selmak. Amia makes you unhappy. You mention it in nearly every post you make.

Really? I think you're mistaken there. Usually, I have something to say about the topic at hand, and that's it.

Everyone's expectations are different. Just because a bunch of people have no problem with theirs, doesn't mean you can go all 'mission accomplished' and assume everyone else is okay too.

My expectations were pretty modest towards the end of my time. "Roleplay some of the time" is hardly a tall order, but a lot of people just could not be bothered for most of uptime. They couldn't be bothered going somewhere new, they couldn't be bothered doing things differently, and their characters are have as much depth as cardboard cut-outs. So of course I'm going to mention it every now and then. Would you honestly prefer it if I just said everything was hunky-dory all that time?

Okay then. I'll just do that then. Nobody will believe me, but at least Tormak won't have to complain about it.

Amia lost a lot of the interest it held with me very quickly. I'm not sure why, specifically, although I could probably figure it out if I sat and thought about it. It doesn't seem like much is going on, anyway, though, so it's likely the best time to take a break.

Amia does bore me from time to time, but I'm still here. I know that the boredom is within me, and is up to me to deal with, rather than being due to anything 'out there'.

I find that making a new character gives a fresh view. Going to places you've never been, or even viewing goblins as dangerous, gives some new life. Mind you, I'm practically illiterate when it comes to NWN mechanics, so I dont know the best ways to overcome this or that monster, making it more of a challenge for me. Making a new PC may not work for someone like Lath who knows it all. :wink:

Above all, though, I stick around for the RP. Those great moments are rare, but still they happen, and those are the times I live for.

Oh, making new character's is always fun. But i find a lot of the time they're very temporary, a fleeting fix for those that have their primary toon coiled up in something or are simply bored of them until they're ready to return. As some of you may know, I recently made a gnome... He was great fun to play.

Damnit! Now I want to come back to Amia... I hate you all. >.>

My interest in the game rises and falls just like my interest in any other hobby I have. Just depends on my mood and what I'm looking for at the time.

As far as the server itself, it still holds a lot of interest for me. I've been pleasantly surprised to encounter a lot of players both new and old on my random jaunts around the server and the subsequent roleplay, which has been top notch. However, sometimes I'll walk around for an hour and find nothing interesting at all. Depends on the day, depends on your mood, depends on the way the stars are aligned, etc.

That's not to say people don't lose interest in this game. They do. Can't really blame them. But don't think just because you've lost interest it colors the longevity of the server. That's all up to us as a whole. Lets just let it be.

It'll die when it's ready, and until then, have fun. If you're not having fun? Leave and find something else to make you happy. We'll keep on keeping on until something better comes along.

Nature of the beast, and all that.

This causes me to want to ask a question...

Persistence is not a flaw, it's a quality.

Xaviera wrote:

Amia does bore me from time to time, but I'm still here. I know that the boredom is within me, and is up to me to deal with, rather than being due to anything 'out there'.

Sylfwe wrote:

Persistence is not a flaw, it's a quality.

These two basically sum up my thoughts on the matter. I keep playing because I enjoy it. When I stop enjoying it I play less, and come back when I feel like it.

Sylfwe wrote:

Persistence is not a flaw, it's a quality.

All virtue is vice and vice versa.

Persistence isn't a quality, she's a nun.

Our Fatal Flaw: Persistence.

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