TMC Player Reviews: Awakened Worlds

Review Submitted By: An ex-player
Author Status: Player
Started on Awakened Worlds: Jan 2010
Submission Date: Jun 26, 2010
TMC Listing: Awakened Worlds

The following review is the opinion of the review's author [An ex-player] and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.

I have wanted to write this review for quite some time, but the
nature of my departure from this MUD prompted me to take a couple
months to compose myself. In essence make sure that what I was writing
was not motivated by some form of anger, but a genuine desire to rate,
and perhaps forewarn prospective players.

Awakened worlds is admirably coded and the effort put into every room
description is impressive. The coders have done their best to take all
the available rules of SR 3.0 and integrate them into the game, making
it easy for those who have available copies of the books to log in and
maximize their potential.

Where this MUD falters and fails utterly and completely is when it
comes to managing and growing their player-base. While most auto-runs
have had their rewards drastically diminished, a corresponding
increase in more interactive Immortal-led runs has not occurred,
leaving players with very little to do, and very little possibilities
for improvement outside of character gen.

Exploration of the world is not encouraged, with many traps, pitfalls
and extremely powerful and hostile NPCs littering many rooms outside
of the beaten tracks. Some fellow players with older characters,
dating back from before many of the changes act surely towards newer
player characters, with attitudes bordering on bullying. Their
relative power, combined with an absent or conciliatory Imm population
makes playing something unpleasant.

Furthermore, the MUD's claim that it is RP optional is an outright
lie. True, you can not RP, but to do so alienates you from fellow
players and Imms, who refuse to indulge those that are not
RP-inclined.

To top this all off, those Immortals in charge of the player-base
have serious issues, some of which are borderline pathological.
Unreceptive to suggestions or criticism, they (or in this case 'he')
blew up when offered suggestions, claiming that I was ungrateful and
did not know anything, and that he knew how to obtain something, and
the fact that I did not know that was an indication of my laziness and
ineptitude as a player.

I have long since quit playing Awakened Worlds as I have indicated,
not wishing to spend my free time insulted by people I have never met
and obviously have their own, highly revealing, thoughts on what a
typical player does. I have little doubt that should the staff see
this review they will attempt to discredit it. Whatever may happen, I
do hope that this will be an adequate warning to prospective players
about the happenings inside Awakened Worlds.