This game is funny (just a few observations from this wipe)

[eddiex]

Super Tacoman, I have multi'd before.  I've openly admitted it.  You know the difference between me and you?  I am willing to not exploit the loophole because it obviously gives a severe disadvantage to non-multiers.  If multiing was allowed for all would this even be an issue? Obviously not, but since it is not technically allowed:

It's hilarious how multiers run around screaming "OH SO YOU THINK IT'D BE BETTER WITHOUT US, HUH!"

Yes it would.  More gear would be loading that those who don't abuse the system, whom may not ever had a chance to have besides mindlessly following around clan leaders, would have a chance to harvest. [You know why people play borderlands to the endgame or something similar?  To load that orange loot, that you multiing pricks are hoarding.]

When multiing you're concentrating on two characters which reduces your interactivity with the playerbase.  Even the LIVE players in your group don't converse. [Maybe you have found a likeminded group of people who like to watch text fly around like the matrix, just knowing that you're with another person, but having no active interaction.]

You want to know the biggest problem with multiing?  Some of the biggest culprits are also the most knowledgeable and skilled players in this game.  Maybe you are only children, but anyone who is an undersibling understands this concept.
[Remember when your big brother wouldn't let you play the game because you suck at it and it was a waste of his time to watch?  Well those people quit playing video games all together because they never got a chance to play] BOOM! you retarded SoBs.  And i don't mean the clan.

[DCPTY1986]

Good Luck popping that gear with the remaining 7 people playing this game.

[enochvey]

"Good Luck popping that gear with the remaining 7 people playing this game."

I've never seen gear load like this before actually. Since I got back, it's been amazing to not to have an army of alts and/or trash chars hoarding every possible drop at every zone level for once.

The greatly increased availability of gear has done quite a bit to help my exploration efforts. Knowing that I can get reequipped again within a reasonable time frame after a death/lack of cr has helped me learn more game content in the last week that is immediately beneficial to my char than I did in months previously just following clan leaders.

As far as the number of players goes, I remember seeing 150 or so online before around 10 years ago. Now someone might say, wait 150 max vs the 30 or so max we see now... see I TOLD you I was God's gift to the mud!

But aside from arctic's more modern competition, you know what the number one reason for people leaving the game was back then? Same as it is now, a certain portion of the playerbase doing everything inside and outside of the rules to make the game miserable for everyone else and sadly getting away with it a decent portion of the time.

Do you know the number one reason why people continue to play and come back to the game despite what should probably be considered their better judgment? If you can take a guess its not your bots.

Rather it's the hard work put out by the coders and zone designers that make this game stupidly addicting. It's the somewhat unique combat and exploration system that allows players to experience what its like to put in singificant time and effort to overcome a specific challenge with or without the help of others and be able to enjoy the results of their labor.   

War and PK will always be part of arctic, thats what adds to the challenge of it all. But the relentless, strangling opression that some have tried to cover the entire playerbase with does nothing to facilitate the survival of the game amidst its more mordern competition. Pking Bots, well timed fooms, Morgion blasting me with cones of cold and destroying my equipment for not flattering him etc, are things which are not supposed to be part of the game. It is better off without them.

[Brafu]

Good Luck popping that gear with the remaining 7 people playing this game.

Obviously you have not seen a group of 4 legendary chars destroy high end zones that were meant for 10, or a group of 2 smash most every other zone. With legendary char's virtually all eq is obtainable by anyone who learns how to snag it.

[btown]

Don't bother replying to "Dale"  he use to be a real person now he is just a drone bot

[Gramm]

If all you want to do on arctic is get large enough to run around gang raping everyone else, perhaps you should stop pretending you actually care about the playerbase. Treat it like hunting or fishing, if you snag every deer in the forest in a single week, you will find nothing to hunt in the next week. Even if you have a 10 man with 0 bots. You are an idiot to believe your doing anything but hurt this mud by abusing that power by having the other 15-20 people online sit in the inn until you rent. Seriously disabled, there is no bus on earth short enough for you. If you want to troll like a bunch of children, go play a different game... You can tell yourself this mud will be worse off without you, your incorrect and well beyond confused. There are games based purely on trying to kill other people, lots and lots and lots of them, theres a lot more to arctic than just pk. If you are at the point where there isnt... piss off.

[Bryton]

@gramm or you can just quit being a forum troll, and put your effort into trying to stop us..

[Gramm]

You would love that because you would be able to amass another horde and stomp another good group of folks out of the mud. I cannot compete with those that have been pking for decades now, i am a zone style player i love to teach folks and learn at the same time. We both aim for different goals in arctic you and I. With a giant playerbase I would enjoy trying perhaps but with a 5 man clan at any given time, tell me how am i to stop you? not only that but we dont have insomniacs spamming the wholist to "police" enemy alts..
I take more enjoyment out of killing my own friends by accident, than hunting people that KNOW where to run and hide as soon as they surprise poof rape some poor unsuspecting zoner. Loretta is way too pro to be doing what he has been doing, it does not suit his true abilities. He has earned my respect but i still wish the man would change his evil ways against those unable to defend themselves.
And also i hear all these awesome and mighty things about how shesh is a good player and this and that and the other, why does he insist on keeping zoners in the inn? Im simply speaking my mind and im sure im not the only one thinking what I say to you all. Since sob has left i have been able to help gear up at least 3 returning players and help 2 other friends legend. If sob was still around none of that would have happened and id be waiting for time just to go solo ct for coins to further my deep rent. Once again i say No excuse for your behaviour bryton but then again... every single wipe you step way past the lowest bars your clans even condone. This is the first wipe you have a posse doing what you enjoy most. Heckling the rest of the mud.

[Brafu]

@Bryton

It's been done to death... stopping people like you that is. The problem is that the people who have the most issue with the way you, and some others, choose to play is that for you it's fun, but for others its just annoying and part of the downside of playing Arctic. The same reason you might stop mudding is the same reason people stop mudding when people like you are around... lack of fun and no reason to play.

But.. *shrugs*

Just my opinion.

[Jorquin]

the ridiculous part is most of the people who post on these forums dont even play this game anymore, myself included

yet for some reason a particular member of staff seems to have taken it upon himself to systematically alienate multiple playing groups in a floundering player base

"death to botters, dont cheat if you cant accept the punishment, etc" will surely come next. thats all well and good - almost everyone who says it here has either quit, barely plays or is some staff member who doesn't play a mortal except for 1 hour a week.

questionable motives to say the least. sometimes i wonder if the one dishing out these punishments is on the payrole of league of legends

[relethane]

As a long term noob I have a few observations about why this game has had a constantly shrinking player base:

1.  Most of the people who still play have played Arctic for a long time and know everything about Arctic.  These same players, by virtue of being the (albeit small) playerbase have a large influence on Arctic policy.

2.  Most of these people want a larger player base so they have more people to pick on.  They actually don't want honest competition.   

3.  Trying to grow the playerbase while maintaining the state of Arctic such that the current "power group" retains power and can pick on all newcomers just doesn't work.  Noobs realize they're permanently stuck with a huge disadvantage and give up.

I've played other MUDs that have died from this disease, where one core group "wins" and then controls MUD policy to insure that it continues to win for the rest of time.  This kills the playerbase.  WoW deals with this problem by only having two "clans", and any noob would automatically be part of half of the powerful group.  Eve deals with this problem by having hi-sec space where everyone has a decent chance to grow their power.  Arctic just has death zones should the in power group decide.

So I guess I'm saying - to get more people to join the MUD, you have to give them a real chance to compete with you.  And no, a real chance does not mean they can always ask you for help to get powerful.  That is not competition.

P.S. The only reason I really care is that I've found Arctic has the best zones out of any MUD / MMO I've ever played.

[Brafu]

@daniel

I think most of us lurk on these forums to try and help Arctic grow and evolve. I know I'm trying to be more constructive in my posts than I might have been in the past, and it's because I still love the game, even though I just can't bring myself to put in the time and effort anymore because, for me at-least, it's just too toxic. I play games to relax and have fun, not to get into a Hatfield and McCoy type feud with this group or that every wipe.

[reed23]

Why don't hoss and aristox ever chime in on the thread?  Strange.

[RaVaN]

  Probably too much bitching, accusations, and whining and not enough tangible solutions...and I mean bitching and whining from both "sides".  For the most part, these are all just regurgitated arguments of varying truth but with a lot more lameness. You know the threads are being read however by the amount of Loretta posts getting deleted...which I tend to think is annoying as hell for the moderators to be doing since Loretta tends to have valid points and thoughts once you get past the Rage of the RGB.

[reed23]

Probably true Ravan, Probably true, i guess all fodder like me would want is some sign of life from the mothership and what direction (if any) the mud is going.  Or a simple hey fodder, haven't given 2 thoughts about the mud in the past 4 months.