That's the problem with infinite levelling. The powerful ones have the means to develop much more faster than weaker ones. Capitalism!

Just wondering, Raphael, how many QPs can you afford with all the solars you have?

What's up guys?  I just saw The One Above All is not above all anymore ... 

Yeah. People are also catching up.

You're just getting lazy and slacking 

well there is always the count and join in on a great fun there
 

The count?

What's up guys?  I just saw The One Above All is not above all anymore ... 

After a year or so break playing other stuff like Eve Online and Star Wars Combine, it's been really cool to see that there are still some familiar faces around. I might make a return, but we'll see. How's the playerbase these days? With so little dev action, I have a feeling it has dropped a lot ...

Haha hello.

Nice thread! Are we allowed to talk about other games here? I assume since they're MUDs...

I've kept an open tab to a MUD I I'm really interested in but I dont summon the motivation to create a character:
http://www.alteraeon.com/

From what I can tell, it's highly professional. And 50 to 100 active players in Who's Playing. I get good vibes.

BTW: I have a favorite for Avalon already. It's another one which I have a keen eye on. Many years ago I saw it and the one thing which stuck in my mind was hte ability to grow and lead armies? It seemed sandboxxy. It was attractive. But there're so many good games on the net. I can't play them all and inevitably I make decisions what to play. I have indeed played several MUDs so mudding is not foreign at all. Avalon did feel quiet, I will add. Imagine you're me and you stumble on this amazing game and yet there's no apparent signal it's being played. I remember wondering if anyone was playing it... It spooked me away?

And of course no disrespect to Astro Galaxy. I've been playing since last year and still playing now.

I did try Alter Aeon a bit, but I'm not such a fan of roguelikes

I liked Avalon mainly due to its huge history, warfare and politics system, thousands of abilities, and how it's so much different from other MUDs. As you may or may not have known, a lot of MUDs out there use similar codebases, eg. LPMUD, DikuMUD etc. Avalon, however, wasn't affected by other MUDs as it was one of the first few MUDs that ever existed, not to mention how it's promoted as the 'first' (Not sure how creditable this is, but meh)

And hey, Avalon is really active! We have around 30+ people online average, and 50+ online during high periods. So yeah. We ARE active. Lolz.

Could you expand on what you mean by "roguelikes"? Do you mean lots of dungeon crawling? No lore? I haven't played Alter Aeon yet. I have however been reading some. The one thing I kind of dislike is how you're supposed to multi-class everything. It apparently is only possible to specialize early on. Later everybody ends up training everything. Since I don't like evil characters, why should I have to eventually train Necromancer, for example? (it summons demons and undead)

Regarding Avalon:
What do you do most of the time in Avalon? Quest? Kill stuff? Build things?
Do the thousands of abilities ever become confusing, as in: "Oops, I shouldn't have trained that."
And is the war part of it plagued by the same trolling and griefing found in many MMO's with PvP?

I define rogue likes as lots of levelling, classing, remorts, rerolls, hack and slashing, quests.

Regarding Avalon:
The first week or so (if you are active) will be used to earn badges. Badges are just a fun way of bringing you through the complex features of Avalon. There are 20 badges, and you will have to ask your city mates to teach you and give you the badges. E.g Debonair will require you to write a short description of yourself, Armed will require you to understand the basics of wielding weapons and wearing armour, communication will require you to know about the various chat channels in Avalon (CCC for in-city chat, CCG for guild chat, NN for novice chat etc) Those are the easier ones though. There are also Historian, Homeland, Citizen which will tell you about the history of Avalon, your city, and your city's government. Don't worry though, each badge only takes about 10 - 20 minutes to complete, and most of them are just listening to what your mentor is telling you and stuff like that.

And no, every single ability is important, depending on which guild you joined. It is very clear from the start which skills you should work on, so no worries. For example, me, as an Enchanter, I have to work on Charming, Candescence, Rituals and Music, as they are my guild skills. But the other skills are mostly just as important, though if you are a Mage, Swordplay and Fisticuffs probably won't matter. That's pretty much it.

About the war, no, the wars are very detailed and well-programmed, so trolling and plaguing doesn't happen, and if a building gets razed, it's mostly the combined effort of multiple citizens of a city and not the effort of one evil person who just wants to see buildings destroyed.

I can't find any other way to show you the amazingness of Avalon other than you taking the initiative to step your foot into this wonderful realm...

Nice thread! Are we allowed to talk about other games here? I assume since they're MUDs...

I've kept an open tab to a MUD I I'm really interested in but I dont summon the motivation to create a character:
http://www.alteraeon.com/

From what I can tell, it's highly professional. And 50 to 100 active players in Who's Playing. I get good vibes.

BTW: I have a favorite for Avalon already. It's another one which I have a keen eye on. Many years ago I saw it and the one thing which stuck in my mind was hte ability to grow and lead armies? It seemed sandboxxy. It was attractive. But there're so many good games on the net. I can't play them all and inevitably I make decisions what to play. I have indeed played several MUDs so mudding is not foreign at all. Avalon did feel quiet, I will add. Imagine you're me and you stumble on this amazing game and yet there's no apparent signal it's being played. I remember wondering if anyone was playing it... It spooked me away?

And of course no disrespect to Astro Galaxy. I've been playing since last year and still playing now.

I did try Alter Aeon a bit, but I'm not such a fan of roguelikes

I liked Avalon mainly due to its huge history, warfare and politics system, thousands of abilities, and how it's so much different from other MUDs. As you may or may not have known, a lot of MUDs out there use similar codebases, eg. LPMUD, DikuMUD etc. Avalon, however, wasn't affected by other MUDs as it was one of the first few MUDs that ever existed, not to mention how it's promoted as the 'first' (Not sure how creditable this is, but meh)

And hey, Avalon is really active! We have around 30+ people online average, and 50+ online during high periods. So yeah. We ARE active. Lolz.

I guess that's the end of my Astro Galaxy career then, although I shall be popping back in once in a while, and the beginning of a life in a mystical land called Avalon. And it's a really promising new life, I feel. I've been talking about MUDs for some time already but I guess I'll advertise it a bit more formally. Not really MUDs in general, but a very unique and spectacular MUD called Avalon: The Legend Lives.

So ... what is Avalon, you may ask.
Well, it's an online RPG ahead of its time ever since it began in 1989 as the first multiplayer roleplaying game online. This roleplaying world, which existed before the Internet and was the first online RPG game ever, thrives because of its unique world. Great sorcerers, war that can tumble years of real life history in a day, magic that can see beyond time, rituals and vast events that raise mortals to become gods! Avalon's scope is nearly infinite and anything within its walls is possible. As a text-based RPG, it will exceed all expectations: adventurers, merchants, politicians, fighters, forest-loving druids, all cohabitate in this rich, vibrant and brutal world. Avalon is an online RPG game that has always been ahead of its time. It innovates in the most remarkable ways, inventing new mechanics that you will not see anywhere else for years. Above all else, Avalon is a fair meritocracy. You may quicken your pace but you cannot achieve excellence without deserving it and excellence in any area takes time. It is an environment unlike any other, where players decide the course of history. Find any online roleplaying game today that can match Zaphod of Avalon, who 25 years ago and still sometimes today, will be in Meeting Place sharpening his axe and preparing for battle. Players today do the same as he, building on a monolithic saga to write their own names into this legendary world.

It also boasts a continuous player-driven history since 1989 (a world record)
The fantastic history of this unique world stretches back before the Internet, to 1988 when it was called Lands of the Crown, and formerly a modem-based game in England. Back then, even with only 32 kilobytes of space for the game, there were spells and PVP combat for those with fire in their bellies. It has come a long way since, with decades to expand its domain to include a long history that are no less legendary than the Ancient Greeks and Romans are to us today. Fantasy is not complete without its legends, heroes, villains and gods. The world of Avalon has these in plenty. Those who are ready, join its chorus and begin their fantasy life fresh with plenty of opportunity, as all have, to carve out their own history. The realism of Avalon is without parallel though not simply because of its age. Oh no! It is because of the passion of its players and the beauty of the fantasy world around them, that engages them so deeply as it were not a fantasy life but real, with its obsidian swords, mineheads of gold ore, cattle raising, fields of soybeans and manure, forests chirping with birds and growing trees becoming living ents, the skies parting with the power of Skymasters, great Seers controlling the invisible influence of their palantir over the world, and so much more.

There is only one way to know, though, and that is to write your own history in this fantasy world.

More features:

- It's an intriguing realm with complex governments and politics with four city-states constantly waging war against each other for control of strategic villages scattered all over the globe that produce raw commodities which will boost a city's wealth allowing them to purchase more soldiers and equip them accordingly
- Dozens of skills with hundreds of abilities each that total to about 2000 trainable abilities
- 9 professions and many more guilds, among them: Knight, Wizards, Enchanters, Cavaliers, Bandits, Brigands, Sirens, Necromancers, Rangers, Druids, Animists, Loremasters, Bards, none which is better than the other.
- A player-driven history that allows almost everything to happen - cities can get razed to the ground, as shown by the total destruction of Springdale by Thakria
- Mortals can ascend to immortality during rare events. Winners will be 'ordained' and receive a place in Olympus
- Gods have influence as well. They can become patrons of cities and guilds, they have their own religion (order) with its own followers. Offerings also have to made to them regularly or else they will lose power slowly but surely. An example is the goddess of dreams, Andromeda, who was struck down.
- Detailed learning system. After completing the basics in the school and college, you will have 20 badges to obtain which will teach you more about combat, crafting, riding animals, herbs and other features in the game, besides telling you more about Avalon's history, culture and your city's government structure.
- And much more! Visit Avalon now!

Hmm ... What else?

Something that first caught my attention was the fantastic warfare feature, where players can assume the roles of generals for their city states, commanding legions and deploying them in dozens of different formations for different situations. Not to mention the busy job of searching for and conscripting new soldiers during peace time, equipping them with armour and weapons and animals. Take the reins of history and conquer or even destroy towns or whole cities -- it has been done before, the city-state of Springdale which had been in existence for 10 real years was razed to the ground at the hands of the powerful military of Thakria. Some of the key points of legion warfare are:

- You need intelligence, and good teamwork with your fellow players to battle against other players
- Legions for cities and guilds with 50 unique skills
- Legion training, equipment, formations, sizes
- Terrain, elevation, line of sight
- Runners and carrier pigeons for remote control and reconnaissance
- Complex tunnelling and trench warfare
- Fortifications to defend and besiege with siege engines
- Arrows, catapults, battering rams, flaming oil cauldrons
- Plundering fields and commodity sheds for resources
- Razing anything to destroy historic buildings and even cities over 20 real years old
- Player based alteration of the world and its history

Interested now? Visit us at --> www.avalon-rpg.com

Or jump straight to the game at www.avalon-rpg.com/play/

See you there! My in-game name there is Kurdock, and I'm a citizen of Parrius. I would strongly suggest you join Parrius, but it depends on your choice of ideologies, really. Parrius is a place of freedom, individualism and fraternity. Mercinae is a land of justice, light, good and altruism. Thakria is a city of relentless excellence, evil, passion and domination. Silverfalls is a land of dreams, hope, despair and the unknown future. See you there!

Codeword? What codeword? Madden IS my spy. 

;-;

Whatever. I still maintain my innocence, but SITH seems a rather cool place heh. I guess I'm staying, though I'll be playing a bit more casually, helping the corporation funds and stuff like that. Good bye New Rome. 

Marclonus = torh, who changed his name to something Roman.

Google the name to understand it's a character from SW (I didn't know either).

I'm not the one in charge of the investigation btw. Not on the EC.

As for your stations: our full recon sweeps had them on the radar for ages.

I'll personally compensate you for your losses if you are proven innocent, the easiest way of settling that issue (imo) is that our Sith Lord posts the codeword I just placed in the SPQNR chat. His spy should be able to pass on if still in New Rome.

Okie dokie. Excuse me, I even listed my station on the New Rome website. Palpatine's offline now btw.

Is this a trick by New Rome? What an attempt to infiltrate Sith. Very well planned, though.

Oh wait. He IS my spy. Oops. 

Sith would like to welcome Madden to the Order.  I appreciate how you advertised me with a bit of propaganda haha.

Wtf omg I'm not your spy lawlz. Seriously, you're really weird. Now you're pretending them I'm your spy so that New Rome will not know of the actual spy in their midst *wink* Lawl idk. But anyway. Thus begins my new life as a Sith Acolyte. I'm gonna start producing MAU MK Cs for the corporation straight away.   

Raptor even had the decency to attack my Aldebaran stations right after I was kicked.

No, I didn't. Check your reports again.

Raptor = Marcus Cruoningus.

Whoops. It was a "Marclonus" there. From SPQNR as well. You do realise multi accounts are illegal, right? Not to mention the "Clonus" part which sounds like "clones" ... 

BTW, if the sentiments echoed in your first sentence are true, then perhaps you want to change your forum footer to something other than "Proud to be a Senator of New Rome!"

May the Dark Side of the Force be with You, then xD.
Btw, could you kindly pm me a link showing that piece of "evidence" you have. You keep insisting you have the evidence but have been avoiding my requests for the picture...*sigh* Sometimes I wonder if you even have any evidence, or are making it up just for the sake of giving relief to the other citizens of New Rome that the "authorities have found the spy and banished him from New Rome", just to be cool and make your members stop worrying.

So. Let me just start this off with "f**k you New Rome". I've rarely used the F-word in my life but this really pisses me off.

I got kicked from SPQNR for being a "spy". A Sith spy, to be exact. Raptor even had the decency to attack my Aldebaran stations right after I was kicked. The Sith may be pirates, but New Rome is so much more despicable. They gave me one letter telling me that a Sith PM was "leaked" (Not sure how PMs are leaked anyway) and I asked them what did they mean, were they testing me or what. Next thing I know, I got kicked out of New Rome. And my stations had been transformed into space rubble. At least the Sith openly declare themselves as an aggressive corporation. New Rome? "Oh we're a democracy, oh we're here to help you," And I doubt they had a vote on whether to kick me out either. Thanks for helping me, New Rome. Thanks NoBrain, thanks Marcus, thanks Consul. Thank you so much for your help in stunting my growth. Luckily I had a few COMs going then had managed to gain me a couple million solars.

I mean, at least they should have done a more thorough investigation before jumping to conclusions. In fact, they didn't even show me the "evidence" that they got. If a Sith PM was "leaked", it was most likely a ploy by Palpatine/Morgan to fake a leaked PM and cause me to get booted out, in which case they'll snap me up into Sith, as they have probably seen my SCORP recruitment/stance before and named me as a potential target. What cunning indeed.

I'm starting to respect Palpatine, actually. He managed to fool the whole New Rome authority. What annoys me even more is that he plays as a decent guy in Star Wars Combine (as I said before in the SPQNR corp board, he is in the same faction as I). However, he role-plays this Sith lord very effectively. Firstly, he manages to use Morgan as his little 'warrior'. If you see the pictures he posted, all of them were fought by Morgan. So where's Palpatine? Busy doing SOSes, COMs, probably. This way, he is able to avoid too much involvement in the war, and actually manages to avoid being named as a pirate by New Rome (New Rome said that once Palpatine attacks a New Rome entity, he will be pirate-listed. But Palpatine didn't xD)

You know what, maybe I'll just join the Sith Order. Their hit-and-run guerrilla tactics have proved so effective that he is able to boast about none of his important modules being destroyed. Except for a few mines, that is. You all try to ridicule him, even, but that's because you have no other way of attacking him   As they say, actions speak louder than mere words. In some way, the Sith have managed to understand that. (Don't mention the tongue is sharper than the blade thing, please  )

Anyway, beware potential citizens of New Rome. One false accusation, one wrong move, one wrong word, one wrong anything, it's bye-bye Roman citizenship, bye-bye stations, bye-bye ships.

P.S If you all conduct a thorough investigation and realise I'm innocent, feel free to invite me back to New Rome. In the meantime, I'm sending a join request to Sith. Maybe if I like it there, I'll stay.  Most likely to just be contributing my QP to corp funds, though. I'm sick of SirEmi doing barely anything to this game. I'll focus on mudding I guess. They're so much more fun and exciting. If anyone wants to join me in a MUD, just PM me in-game and I'll show you what client to use, what Mud to play, how to connect etc.

Three suggestions for going through the acadamy.
1. most of the time, don't do more than the acadamy asks you to, for example if it says (IIRC, it was a year ago) get 200 marines, get 200, don't get 1,000
2. Alpha centauri  usually has few open slots for surface miners, but lots of room for atmospheric harvesters. When it is time to go intersteller either pick a system other than alpha Centauri or sell your MIF and buy an ATH.
3. don't deliver your iridium armor from repair until after you graduate the SEA course. You won't need the armor after the combat training while still part of the SEA acadamy.

Alright.  

Astro-galaxy is an exploration and economic game, not a game focused on combat. There is actually much better and faster ways to become successful than by attacking other players. About once a month someone starts playing a player vs player game. Most either quit the game or switch to other forms of play within a couple of months. (1) If you like combat AG does provide an in-game money making attack against computer generated pirates. These are the COM signals scattered around space.

I did create a game guide for players that don't join another corporation, anyone can see it at http://jmf-corp.freeforums.net/board/3/game-hints. If you do join another corporation the help that the corporation will give you will modify some of that.

I too will give any newer players free advice via private message. My current game name is darrellk.

(1) In the last year, the only player pirate I am aware of that has lasted more than 3 months as a pirate is morgan. In the last 3 months I have about doubled my power, (100%) morgan has increased his power by about 25% at 6 months in the game he is at about 1.5M power, at 6 months I was about 30M-40M power. (IIRC)

I can testify to that.