Newbie-friendly and character approval unnecessary should both be removed from the features on this page. Especially given that staff regularly locks chargen behind a creation form about once every other month, given their "ongoing problems" with problem players, when in reality it's a sign that they really do not know how to or care to retain or appeal to new players.

Abhorrent environment for newer players who are looking for an engaging place to explore their sexuality and find like-minded individuals. The people who have been around since the beginning have insulated themselves into closed-off cliques and while there are a few who tout inclusiveness, the majority of the long-time veterans look down their noses at new players who try new things and seek to breathe new life into the grid. The grid itself, while a concept I've always been fond of, is so grossly underpopulated because the people who have the sway to make things happen seldom do or create less-than-inclusive events in favor of their long-established circlejerks. While this could be argued to be the nature of any community, the problem is compounded by the newer staff's proven favoritism for these elite veterans, and their policies and reasoning for said policies appear to be driven not on the behalf of the playerbase as a whole, but on the wishes of the "old money" in a manner of speaking. Restrictions and rules are in place that staff have been unable to provide a fundamental and feasible rationale for, and have been known to lie through their teeth and make assertions that, frankly, insult the intelligence of those questioning them. New players have been alienated and outright banned, including those who put a great deal of time and energy into trying to invigorate and build the community and draw traffic out onto the grid, if they do not meet the approval of the cliques, with false pretense given as reason for their departure.

Extremely newbie unfriendly, so you can go ahead and remove that from this page, a draconian staff, and an immensely labyrinthine helpfile and command system that even after 10 years I haven't fully made sense of. I left this server around the time that the last major catastrophe happened involving staff's interactions with one of their players, and haven't looked back. They took a huge hit to traffic during their age rule change years ago (which to this day they still have no concrete rationale for, short of "because we feel like it"), and they lost another good chunk with their ham-handed bowing to the pressure to players who were old money when I joined a decade ago. If you're looking for an engaging, friendly, and welcoming community where you can explore adult fantasies and not have your creative freedom stifled by the fear of being banned or ostracized when it's deemed you are "unfit" for the server, and where even staff is willing to bend over backwards to help you, I would sooner recommend Penultimate Destination. The grid scene is new and fresh and there's still plenty of people working to establish a lively grid presence. Shangrila peaked around 2015 and should really be retired as the artifact of the past it's become.

Other reviews on this site speak to the command system, which is admittedly a bit incoherent. There are, however, hundreds of help files and a comprehensive new-player guide that requires new players to read and follow. There are numerous helpful players logged on at all hours to provide assistance, and the mush is always looking for helpful advice. Once one gets past the tricky character and profile creation, the mud opens up to a wide variety of roleplaying options, with willing players to help flesh out your ideas. You can insert yourself into any number of ongoing storylines, and there are bulletin boards on which to advertise invitations to your own storyline ideas. This mush has been ongoing for a great many years, and the entrenched players are avidly entertained by creative injections into their roles and thoughts. This is an adult-themed mush, with opportunities to delve into all sorts of things you will never see anywhere else, in a completely safe, and friendly environment. It only requires patience and courtesy on your part. :)

Stunningly un-user-friendly, impossible to navigate, lacking in anything to indicate to a new player where to go, what to do, or why to continue wasting their time with an atrocious command system that is neither coherent nor consistent. I honestly cannot imagine why anyone would bother.