Review Submitted By: Louis
Author Status: Player
Started on Abandoned Realms: 1998
Submission Date: Jul 18, 2004
TMC Listing: Abandoned Realms
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Louis]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
I have been an avid player on Abandoned Realms for about 5+ years
which is a testament to the MUD's continual growth, addictive
gameplay, achievements in balance, devotion to both RP and PK, and
no-nonsense but accessible immortal staff.
First, growth: the mud is huge and continually growing. Large volumes
of areas are all connected by a river system which gives you the
option to take the highroad, although the other option of going the
long way is still available. The areas may be numerous yet after a
little practice and exploration, they all fall into place and
navigation quickly becomes easy.
Second, gameplay: shared enjoyment of the MUD is central to Abandoned
Realms. The immortals voluntarily devote a large amount of time to
enforce rules that benefit everyone. The implementors keep the MUD
absolutely free while also spending copious amounts of time to add
classes, races, and cabals (clans).
Third, balance: good and evil are well balanced by which skills and
spells they receive. Goods generally have powerful defensive (and some
good offensive) skills while evils have equally powerful offensive
skills. The forces of good versus evil are only imbalanced by the
individual fighting skills of the players, where the balance of power
should be decided. Neutrals are also numerous and help or hurt both
aligns as expected. Skills and spells are continually analyzed and
sometimes slightly adjusted to perpetuate balance in the game.
Fourth, RP/PK: some characters decide to roleplay more than they PK,
and there are certain cabals that provide for a more RP friendly
environment. All players are expected to learn at least how to defend
themselves or run away, as PK is encouraged and is by no means frowned
upon. However, PK is restricted in certain ways during lower levels to
eliminate experienced players from taking advantage of newer players,
and even while PKing, RP is greatly encouraged. I learned how to PK by
dying to more experienced players when i started off, before the low
level PK restrictions were enforced. I feel that the new rules foster
a much more newbie-friendly environment. There are even certain
'reward' races such as the undead race, and the vampire class, and
also the Assassin Cabal which are reserved for those who show the
highest RP and PK abilities.
Fifth and lastly, the immortal/implementor staff: the IMPS and IMMS
have seen many people come and go, and the ones who are remaining are
the ones who genuinely care about the MUD and therefore do not
tolerate cheating or undue partiality to certain people. The IMMs'
attention is equally attainable by the new player who quickly learns
how to PK or RP exceptionally just as much as a player who has been
around for years.
If you are searching for a mud where medieval and mythical
roleplaying combines with intense fights and even larger cabal wars,
http://abandonedrealms.wolfpaw.net is the first step into the most
addictive game i have ever played. Check out the forum to grasp the
basics before connecting.
