I’ve played Myst Online (Uru), an online multiplayer game, for forever, in game years. I was in the 2003 beta. I’ve played Uru through three multiplayer phases, and its solo player phase. I’ve been a forum moderator on two official forums. I’ve became friends with someone who worked for the publisher. I’ve corresponded with people on the developer side. I have a history. I know Uru. I’ve been a part of something.
I’ll play online multiplayer Uru again, when it comes back. Sometimes I don’t even know if I like Uru anymore, but I can’t stay away. I’ll play Uru, but it won’t be an “exclusive” deal – another MMO calls.
I’ve been playing Guild Wars for two months. I’ve never played an online RPG (MMO role playing game) – so I’m new, and I’m slow. Many people play Guild Wars – though estimates vary since there are no subscription fees. Over 5 million units were sold, but there are no good figures on how many are playing. It’s got experts, forums with many members, and people who have been playing since 2005. Some of the players must have played in the Guild Wars beta, so they’ve been around even longer.
It’s interesting, going from one game where you have a history, to one where you have no history. I love Guild Wars, and I’m playing Guild Wars for the right reason, because I love it. Guild Wars is beautiful – a big world with a story and a lot to do. It’s an online, multiplayer game, but you can play this multiplayer game by yourself, with others, or you can head up a small group of AI (artificial intelligence) characters, when you are on a quest. What’s even better is that I, a new slow player who doesn’t play much – I’m in a guild!
Here’s the story. You online players have heard this story before, but it’s new to me!
In Guild Wars, a guild is a group of people who make up a social network (reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_Wars#Guilds). Many MMORPGs have guilds; Uru has something equivalent, called a neighborhood. In Guild wars, guild members get a special “channel” in game, where you can talk to your guild mates, via text chat. The guild can purchase a guild hall, where you can hang out with members of your guild. The Guild Hall is a private area open only to guild members and guests. There are other goodies in the hall, but you get the general idea. “Hall” is something of misnomer, if you count the surrounding lands that make up your Guild hall. Our hall is beautiful.
Our guild is great. Some of us play a lot, some of us play a little, and there is no pressure on how and when we play. As far as I can tell, my guild operates on the principle that we all have busy lives, so we should play how and when it works for us. Not all guilds in all games are like that. We are also in an alliance with other guilds, many of whom are former or current Uru players. Our alliance has a shared chat channel (talk via text), and we can visit the guild halls of the guilds in our alliance. We can also participate in alliance battles, but I don’t know how that works. I’m a PvE (player versus environment) sort of player. I engage in battle with opponents in my world (such as monsters), but I don’t fight other players.
And how did I get to be a member of my guild and my alliance – through Myst Online Uru. Uru players started playing other online games, both before and after Uru’s cancellation. I was recruited by an Uru player (thanks C!) who noticed I was online in another game called “There”. She visited me in There, We started talking, and then C. saw my post in an Uru forum which said that I was playing Guild Wars. C recruited me to her guild. Aside from being a really nice person – she’s got a genuine talent for low key but effective PR!
Long time online players may think “what’s the big deal”, but Uru attracted players who had never played an online game. Before Uru, many of us thought we could never play online multiplayer games. After Uru, many of us thought that we could only play Uru. Then it happened – people recruited their online Uru friends and acquaintances to other games, and their friends brought in other friends, and our game world expanded. I would have played Guild Wars without being magically asked to be in a guild, but it makes it extra wonderful to be in a Guild. I didn’t have to look for a guild. Thanks to C., I was invited to join a guild.
So – this moving on thing is weird. I’m playing Guild Wars for the right reasons, because I love it. I’ve got no history in Guild Wars, unlike Uru. I’ll never be a legacy person, or an expert. But, oddly enough, I have connections – a community of Uru players who went to Guild Wars, and I can be a member of their group. I’m still playing by myself, but I also have a small group (a guild), and a big group (an alliance). I like it.
Here’s a picture of my ritualist character, in our guild hall. “Ritualists channel other-worldly energies that summon allies from the void and employ mystic binding rituals that bend those allies to the Ritualist’s will.” (http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Ritualist)
Guild Wars - My Ritualist in our Guild Hall
Amarez - feels like home 
Isle of Meditation is one of the most beautiful halls in Guild Wars 🙂 Try to find a tiny turtle there 😛
Ritualists are quite diverse. You can go healer, channeler, minion bomber, or some kind of support character. Ritualist is my third favorite profession after Monk and Mesmer 🙂
Thanks Kitsune. I’ll look for the tiny turtle!
Thanks also for your comments on the ritualist profession. For my ritualist, I’m thinking of doing a healer as my secondary character.
Nice to find another Uruite out having fun. 🙂
Thanks for posting nalates – and on an older post too!
I’m never going to back to talking and talking about a game, like we did with Uru. I want to be in a game, not just talking about it and waiting for it!
I’m not very interested in making new content for a virtual world though I love reading about all that is going with Second Life – love your posts! I’m interested in getting into an online world and enjoying myself. It’s even better when there are people in the world I have an association with. Guild Wars works well for me – it’s a wonderful game.
I also started (like I have time!) Everquest 2. I don’t know anyone in the game, but so far I like how the world looks and I’m having fun. We’ll see how that works out. I’d like to find a nice group but I also need to be able to mostly solo. We’ll see how kind Everquest 2 is for solo play.
There is starting to be some movement to consider the Uru fans as a trans-virtual-world group and find ways for them to stay connected. We are seeing that in the GoMa forum and Wiki. Their members are providing support for those in SL and THERE. Andy is playing EVE. I think it is UO or may be MOUL that has a large thread on GW. So, you may find names there. There are who are/where are you threads on both.
I am finding that for many in SL the forums really don’t do it for them. They look for blogs and in-world information.
I am also beginning to think most of the active people on the Uru forums are in other virtual worlds. We trans-worlders may take over o.O
If you feel a need for an Uru fix, come by SL and I’ll show you around the various projects. I think we have 5 sims (servers) now. Once you know how to find them you can poke around on your own.
Interesting observations, as always, natales! What’s interesting is that a number of us are using Uru as a way to find like minded people to interact with, in other virtual worlds. I think the difference is that the Uru group as a whole is a little bigger than the usual groups of people who move from one virtual world to another.
The long running thread on GW is in the UO forum – Uru Obsession. Uru Obsession was quick to recognize that people wanted to talk about other games so they started an other games thread. There’s also a new section over at the guild of greeters – the worlds of greeters forums. Some of the people who are expert players in GW post there. I’m a late entry into GW – there are Uru folks who have been in GW for years. I’m in an alliance (group of guilds) with people from Uru – though I think that now there are non Uru people in the alliance too. And yes, I don’t think forums are as active in other games – people prefer in-game communication or other venues for dicussion.
I’m going to try to get to Second Life during the Saturday group celebrations. I’ve been in SL before, and have a bunch of SLURLS – but I haven’t been there a lot. I’d love to see the new projects the groups are making in SL!