Site for the Edge Of Midnight
Permanent character death is often associated with games that encourage griefing, full corpse looting and very little to no roleplay value. There’s a certain stigma attached to permadeath that hardcore MMOs haven’t necessarily helped dissuade, and maybe it’s too untamed of a beast for mainstream MMOs. But there’s no denying that a niche crowd exists for it, and no one knows more about niche crowds than Iron Realms!
Losing your character would be extremely disheartening to any IRE player, especially if you have valuables such as artefacts and real estate. but what if the option were available to new characters? On one hand it could add a certain level of realism to the faction based PvP, especially with the recent war systems, but it could also increase the level of throw-away griefer alts.
If such an option were available, would you give it a try? How would it change the Iron Realms environment for better and for worse? Should hardcore characters start out at a higher level? Would you try to permadeath us IRL for trying such a thing?
Comment below!
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As part of our plans for global MMO domination, we’ve been hawkishly tracking website statistics, and have compiled some for your viewing pleasure.
Over the course of the past month (Dec. 4th – Jan. 3rd), Iron Realms enjoyed 18,791 unique visitors referred from other websites (out of 53,615 total visits). The largest percentage of new visits came from;
Interestingly, while StumbleUpon sent the most traffic, it also had the lowest user engagement, with an average of 0:18 seconds spent on the front page. Visitors from TopMudSites spent an average of 9 minutes browsing the website. MMORPG.com traffic actually becomes a little more interesting, since we are able to break it down specifically by which game’s page they come through.
Of course, this only reflects the total average of all the visitors combined. We’re pretty certain some of them stuck around for much longer than those numbers above! Each game has a unique newbie intro which not only teaches basic commands, but tells the story of how your character becomes an adventurer in the world, setting you apart from the common village NPC.
This leads to our question: If you have played more than one IRE game, or don’t mind taking some time out of your life (we know you’re just bashing), which game do you think has the best intro, and why?
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Unlike other flashlights, the Olde Brooklyn Lantern stands on it’s own which provides its user the benefits they want from a lantern without any hassles. This lantern offers a variety of benefits that people will surely love. Through the help of this kind of lantern, you will not be worried about being hurt due to a cut from a broken glass. It is also very easy to use, wherein you can easily turn it off when you do not need it. There are actually 12 LED lights inside the Lantern, and these lights offer great and bright lights as soon as you turn the lantern on.
Olde Brooklyn Lantern will definitely suit your needs. You can adjust the light when you want to, which makes this lantern perfect for emergency as well as non-emergency needs. Aside from being safe, it is sturdy, portable and does not pose a fire hazard. This is also a perfect addition to the candles you bring once Halloween comes. You can also use the Lantern on your camping and sleepovers. You don’t need oil to utilize this kind of light lantern. This is also affordable and will suit anyone’s budget.
By using the Olde Brooklyn Lantern, you do not need to use any flammable and dangerous chemicals. The glow of this lantern is also more powerful and brighter than candles and flashlights. It has a very attractive design wherein you can incorporate it to your indoor and outdoor décors. You can also get a total of 100,000 hours light from one Lantern, hence you can save a lot of money rather than using candles and flashlights. With its numerous benefits and variety of uses, Olde Brooklyn Lantern is truly a must to have at home and even when you are out on a camping.
Player-submitted articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Iron Realms, the company or its employees.
Anyone who’s played an MMORPG has seen certain stereotypes in video games. The “tank” is a dude, the “healer” is a chick. It doesn’t matter what gender the toons, or even the characters behind them, are. That’s the stereotype most players start with and its clear the real world perceptions of gender roles bleed into what people automatically assume in gaming.
Studies have been done to investigate what motivates male gamers versus female gamers. One of the most common results found is that women prefer socialization and communal achievements, while men aim for competition and direct victory over opponents. Beyond that, evidence suggests that females will actually lose interest in games that lack interaction or engagement beyond just the gameplay and mechanics.
Perhaps this is why the “nurturer” roles like healers are often assumed to be feminine roles, while PvP is considered a male domain. In fact, in a study done on EverQuest II players, levels of aggression showed a distinct impact from who gamers played with: men actually demonstrated more aggression, and females less, when they gamed with significant others.
However, unlike MMOs, MUDs are far more encompassing of what one’s “role” means and is defined by. PvP and PvE are not isolated scenarios divorced from the rest of the game itself, but are intrinsically intertwined with core gameplay. In Lusternia, for example, you might hunt creatures or quest to increase your city’s power levels, or jump in and help fight at a revolt to increase your commune’s influence in the world. Under Aetolia’s Ylem system, cities group up for team combat every few hours to secure precious resources for their factions, and in Achaea you may find yourself called upon to defend your house’s icon from attack.
Each of these situations listed yield all types of participants as the effects from victory are tangible rewards for both the individuals and the characters’ organizations. Combat and PvE participation is both about competition and socialization. A player can fight for the sake of fighting and aim to crush their opponents; but they are just as likely to be driven to join in out of a desire to help make their organizations stronger.
But MUDs are not just about PvP and PvE. They are complex, with many other facets to the roles available. Players can design and craft clothing, jewelry and even alcoholic beverages, run shops as merchants, be a priest for an all-powerful god, or deftly manipulate political alliances as a government official. You’ll find intrepid economists, shadowy spies, philosophers, scientists, artists, because the mechanics of MUDs tie all of these elements – roleplay, combat, PvE, PvP, politics, economy – together to weave who a character is.
However, even with this depth to character that MUDs offer, do gender roles still echo through? In Aetolia, for example, there is a guild called the Druids which is focused on a defensive, supporting role, with the ideals based around protecting nature and communicating with plantlife. Membership in this guild has shown a far larger proportion of female characters than male, with all of the current leadership being women. Is this the MUD equivalent of an MMO’s “healer” role?
So, what do you think? Have MUDs found a magical balance in incentive and motivation, making things appealing to both genders, a goal MMORPGs are still struggling to reach? Or are things still largely defined around real world gender roles? Weigh in with your comments!
Author: Moirean of Aetolia
Have thoughts on the MUD and MMORPG industry? Want to submit articles to IRE? Contact the editor!
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Trying different classes to find a perfect play-style is important to players, and in most MMORPGs this usually requires rolling a new character. Isn’t that such a pain, having to start all over again whenever you want to try something different? Fortunately in Iron Realms, your character can quit their class to embrace a new one at any time. You’ll get back approximately half of your lessons (skill points) and are left to earn the rest, but with all the promos like comment credits, it’s not a hard task!
Of course, some players may want to create a new character when trying something new. This can be especially true for players who belong to an Evil organization on one character, but are curious about Priest or Paladin. Other players swear off alts, and if trying out a new class means accepting in-game consequences such as quitting a faction, so be it! Indeed, quitting one organization to join another can be a dynamic roleplaying experience as players leave behind friends and familiar skills.
So how many classes have you tried, and how did you rank them against eachother? Did you create a new character, or did you roleplay a change?
Comment below!
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