Massively.com just finished an interview with Matt Mihaly, CEO of Iron Realms. Topics include game development, the continued commercial success of MUDs, and the MMO industry. Interviewer Beau Hindman creates a character in Achaea during the interview and explores the rich fantasy world.

The interview can be watched at: http://www.twitch.tv/massivelytv/b/406940692

 

After the interview, Matt Mihaly had this to say:

"Just had a video games reporter tell me that he thinks what we're doing at Iron Realms is the perfect representation of where MUDs should head. It may or may not be true, but it's nice to hear as we're spending a lot of effort on trying to bring MUDs out of the 20th century."

Never heard of Iron Realms or Achaea? Check out the trailer!

For the last 10 days of April, Imperian celebrated its 10-year anniversary with 5 categories of events that included quizzes, scavenger hunts, combat tournaments, drinking contests, memory games, hunting contests, and various creative challenges like the design contest as well as the literary and artistic contests.

Players were asked to register on the character of their choice for the 1v1 bracket of the Tournament of Ages combat event in order to even the playing field across the board. Because players would not be divided into combat tiers, they were asked to participate on their best character.

One thing I liked, that was also mentioned on the forums when planning for the 2011 Tournament of Ages, was running an A and B version of some events which gave a wider range of players a chance to take part. Registering for combat events was another popular topic on the forums in 2011.

Unique Events - Something for Everyone

The theme for the Arts portion of the tournament was “Gods and Entities”, and allowed for drawn or written works that paid homage to either fallen Gods or current Entities. Players were reminded that they could only submit original works, and that foisting off the work of someone else as their own would result in strict punishment from the administration.

The top three Bardic entries were:

• 1st: Saivash with "The Blight Persists"

• 2nd: Aleutia with "Sammi the Salamander"

• 3rd: Arienne with "The Warrior and the Dragonfly"

You will find all ten of the Bardic entries on the web at http://www.imperian.com/bardics except for the fifth place winner, who Is not listed there.

The top three Artisanal entries were:

• 1st: Rowynn with "Olanre of the Leechwood"

• 2nd: Aleutia with "Not All Jackals Howl"

• 3rd: Alesud with "Night Has Fallen"

As with the Bardic winners, all ten of the Artisanal entries can be found on the web at http://www.imperian.com/artisanals for your perusing pleasure.

The top three prizes in the design contest went to the following:

• 1st: Saivash with an equipment set of the Leechwood
  2nd: Lionas with some headgear for woodlings
  3rd: Skye with some Lianthe-inspired jewelry

Meanwhile the top three prizes in the usable item contest were awarded to:

• 1st: Zarim with a set of commemorative headstones

• 2nd: Saivash with a set of Olanre-themed beverages

• 3rd: Skye with a set of religious items devoted to the Celidonian Pantheon

As you can see, Imperian is a place of both fantasy and innovation. It is not just another text MUD that allows players to walk through wall after wall of words that describe a room, a quest, and so forth. Imperian is one of the best free-to-play MMORPGs around.

A Happy Homecoming for This Humble Gamer

I admit that I quit playing Imperian sometime last year. Instead I was spending all of my time over in Achaea and Lusternia. But the Tournament of Ages announcement encouraged me to give the game another try, and I was glad I did.

For those of you who have never played before, Imperian is a little bit steampunk with all the various industry-based skills offered to the players. And due to the serial nature and the seemingly endless ways that players can interact with one another and have a direct effect on the in-game events, it is a little bit Homestuck, too.

Going back for the Tournament of Ages reminded me that even when I feel like my real world is falling apart, there is a whole other realm where I can be a whole other person. If you’ve never tried playing Imperian, check it out. Stick around and maybe you can compete against me in next year’s Tournament of Ages events!

A One-of-a-Kind Real-Life Gaming Experience

Unlike conventional gaming conventions, this is more like a giant Iron Realms-wide meet at a luxurious estate for two nights – from 5pm until 2am on Friday, July 19th and from noon until 2am on Saturday, July 20th. And there is a special in-game item for my character to commemorate my attendance!

Because it’s not like a standard convention where you would see celebrities like Wil Wheaton or Felicia Day, the activities are a little different as well. In addition to meeting other players, volunteers, and employees of Iron Realms, here are some things I plan to enjoy:

• Playing poker with developers

• Shooting pool with my guild-mates

• Playing competitive board and video games

• Swimming in the multiple swimming pools

• Whisking down the water slide

• Hanging out in the hot tub (hopefully with a goddess)

While I am responsible for getting my own transportation and hotel room, the party itself and all drinks (both alcoholic and virgin) are complimentary for attendees. I hear there will be some contests going on throughout the event, as well.

Reading the various Iron Realms gaming forums, it sounds like a lot of people are really looking forward to this. And even more lament the fact that their student budgets, jobs, significant others, and other pesky life details will keep them from attending.

In regards to those who already purchased tickets, Lemuela from Imperian asked: Are you able to divulge how many, if any, are from Imperian? (Jeremy confirmed that there were approximately half a dozen players and half a dozen volunteers/gods from Imperian alone attending.)

And when it comes to who is attending, those with confirmations seem pretty excited! Xenthos from Lusternia wrote: So, I have received a confirmation email. You should have at least Lusternian there! Aren’t you excited? On the Achaea forums, Akia wrote: So in light of the recent DC meet and the blast I had, I just bought an IronCon ticket, see you all there!

What would a trip to Vegas be without some time on the Strip? From what I understand Iron Realms has left plenty of time to explore the town with the other attendees, too.

Confirm Your Spot Now!

Speaking of attendees, there are only 65 spots left available for IronCon – one of which is mine! Once they are gone, no more will be added. Head over to the IronCon webpage now to reserve your spot. All you’ll need to bring is your swimsuit and your government-issued ID to prove that you’re you.

I’m looking forward to attending this hot VIP event for MMO gamers. Hopefully you’ll be there, too! And don’t worry; I’ll be taking plenty of notes for a feature article after I return home from the event, too.

Getting started in a new RPG can be as intimidating as the first day of class in a new university or the first day on your new job. The world is huge. The system has tricky idiosyncrasies that seem daunting when you are just beginning. And if the tutorial has problems, you could feel like quitting before you even get underway!

However I am here to help you get started. Because you will be playing Aetolia, the first big choice is done. Usually your first choice is deciding what type of RPG you’d like to play – futuristic, anime-style, or medieval. And then there is the big decision of whether you want graphics or text.

You want text – especially if you enjoy reading fantasy-themed books authored by people like Raymond Feist, Terry Pratchett, or R.A. Salvatore. In fact, the game Midkemia (also produced by Iron Realms Entertainment, the company that produces Aetolia) is based on the literary works of Raymond Feist.

What to Look for When Starting a New RPG

Knowing what to look for when starting a new RPG can save you a lot of stress on down the line. You don’t want to start a character and fall in love with a game only to learn that the game charges a hefty fee once the trial period is up. Here are some other things to consider when starting a new RPG, like Aetolia.

• PRICE – Since I just mentioned it, let’s start with price. For the record, all games by Iron Realms are free with the option to take advantage of micro-transactions to purchase in-game currency called credits, or sign up for the benefits of an Iron Elite membership which gains you things like credits and XP bonuses.

• FORUMS – The forums are not only a great place to learn about your new RPG, but they are also a great way to learn about the established characters within the game. You can learn tips and tricks, and even make new friends before you ever take your first step towards making your character.

• CLIENTS – If you plan to PvP, what is the best client to download to accompany gameplay? If there are different platforms, which one do you plan to use? The text games produced by Iron Realms Entertainment use HTML5 but a lot of players use Mushclient, zMud, or other platforms.

• TUTORIAL – Aetolia offers a tutorial that allows you to learn the basics of the game. (All of the games do this, and each game does it differently.) It is very tempting to click through the MXP links and rush through to get started into the game itself, but the tutorial truly is there to help and only takes about 15 minutes at the most.

• NEWBIE STUFF – Generally for the first 20 or so levels, you are considered a newbie. There are special areas, a special channel of communication, and other benefits that go along with being a newcomer. Take advantage of as much as you can because when it’s gone, most of it is gone forever even if you drop below newbie level again.

Invite All Your Friends!

A lot of gamers play what their friends are playing. If none of your friends are playing Aetolia, then maybe you are the person who needs to invite them to this fantastic, mysterious realm. Whether you all end up in the same guild or you are on opposite sides of warring factions, you are bound to have an enjoyable time in Aetolia, the best free to play RPG online!

I’ve been playing League of Legends since before Forbes announced in July 2012 that it had officially become the most played PC game in the world. I quickly found myself immersed into the session-based game. Before I knew it, I was playing in ranked mode and trying to get to the top of the ladder.

Unfortunately, LoL has no mobile client, and I found myself missing it whenever I was away from my desktop. There were other mobile phone RPG games, but they were more arcade than RPG. I wanted to be able to both play the game and talk with friends at the same time. And I wasn’t about to stoop to harvesting crops on a virtual farm to pass the time.

Thus began my search for an adequate alternative for gaming while on the go. Here were my requirements for a quick PvP fix when looking for a mobile MMO app on my phone.

• No big software downloads, due to the limited space on my Android phone.

• Something reliable that would save my information after I logged off.

• No time-sensitive requirements. I wanted to play according to my schedule.

• F2P (free to play)

• Something that does not eat away at my battery life.

I use my phone for lots of things – keeping in touch with family and friends, jotting down notes for my university classes, and for gaming on the go. While I played handhelds like PSP and Gameboy Advance as a kid, my phone now offers better technology with cheaper games – even if my phone is a nearly outdated Android.

The game I found surprised me. It’s called Imperian, and it’s text-based. I had actually played the game before and was surprised to find that my character still existed! I had no idea that they had an Android app, but based on the fifty-one 5-star reviews, I downloaded it immediately.

The app actually plays all five of Iron Realms Entertainment’s PvP-friendly games, so you aren’t limited to just one. Because everything is in text, I don’t have to worry about a lot of graphics causing me to lag out of the game.

And because Imperian has been around for more than a decade, I don’t have to worry that it will disappear like some of these new MMOs that pop up overnight without any kind of reputation to back them. Here are some of the things other reviewers had to say:

“This was exactly what I needed for my galaxy tab.”

“Had a good play about with this on my tablet, very handy for checking in if you're not near a computer. I made some buttons for moving around and with some basic aliases/triggers, can see myself doing most things that aren't combat/influence based.”

“It seems to run more smoothly on my phone than Blowtorch or Andromud.”

I’m really glad to have a mobile MMO app for my Android phone. Imperian lets me get my PvP fix when I can’t be at my computer to play League of Legends. But lately, even when I am at my computer, I find myself logging into Imperian more and more!

Earlier today, Riot Games released several new updates, the highlights being the Battle for the Freljord, a new champion Lissandra, and an official RAM (random all mid) matchmaking mode for the Howling Abyss:

"Welcome to the frozen North - a windswept and war-torn region home to some of the most resilient people in all of Runeterra. Here, three great tribes vie for control of their icy homeland. The Avarosan, led by Ashe, strive to unite the Freljord under a banner of peace. The Winter's Claw, boldest and most warlike of the three, follow Sejuani on her campaign of conquest. And the Frostguard, secluded and mysterious, bide their time haunting ancient ruins alongside Lissandra, the Ice Witch. As they prepare for war, something ancient and sinister stirs deep beneath the earth, threatening to corrupt the land itself."

 

 

Choose your tribe

You can join the battle for the Freljord by declaring your allegiance to Ashe, Sejuani or Lissandra. At the start of the event, you'll be able to choose from the following three summoner icons:

                                                               

 

                        Avarosan                   Winter's Claw                  Frostguard

Choose the tribe you want to support by selecting their banner as your summoner icon. Win 10 games without changing your icon, and you'll unlock it permanently. Win a game with a different tribal icon and you'll have to start over, so choose wisely!

 

If you don't already have a League of Legends account, click HERE to create one! It's free!

 

 

Choose your tribe FAQ

During the Freljord event you’ll have the opportunity to permanently unlock a summoner icon featuring the emblem of your favorite tribe. At the start of the event, all three tribes will have icons available. Winning games wearing the icon associated with your favorite will earn you points toward unlocking it permanently.

How do I unlock a tribe’s icon?

After accruing ten wins with a tribal icon, you'll permanently unlock an upgraded version. This upgraded icon is a badge of honor reserved only for loyal members of the tribe.

Which game types count toward my wins?

All matchmade games against human opponents count toward unlocking the banner of your chosen tribe. This includes all normal and ranked games on Summoner’s Rift, the Crystal Scar, the Twisted Treeline and the Howling Abyss.

Custom game or co-op vs. AI wins won’t help you join a tribe.

How long do I have to unlock my chosen icon?

The Freljord event will run until 5/14. Victories within this time period will count towards joining a tribe.

Temporary icons won’t be available once the event’s over, so be sure to join a tribe before time runs out.

What happens if I change my icon while accruing my 10 wins?

Playing a game with the icon of a new tribe will reset any progress you made toward unlocking any of the others. Non-Freljord icons have no effect on your progress toward joining a tribe.

How long after I complete my 10th win will I receive my icon?

It can take up to 48 hours for you to receive the icon of your chosen tribe. You’ll know you’ve successfully completed the process when you find an upgraded version of the tribe’s icon available in-client.

Can I unlock more than one icon?

No. You can only join one Freljord tribe, so choose your allegiance wisely.

You can switch tribes over the course of the event by winning 10 games with a new icon. At that point you’ll gain your new tribe’s icon, but lose your previous tribe’s icon.

I’m still confused. Can you give some examples?

Sure. Here are a few examples for the sake of clarity.

Example 1:

• Morello wins seven games for the Winter’s Claw, then changes his mind and wins one game for the Avarosan.
• Result – Morello currently holds one win toward unlocking the Avarosan icon. He needs nine more wins to join the tribe. If he switches back to the Winter’s Claw banner, he needs 10 wins to join them.

Example 2:

• Phreak wins 10 games for the Frostguard, successful joining the tribe. He then wins nine games under the Avarosan banner.
• Result – Phreak is still a member of the Frostguard, but he has nine wins toward unlocking the Avarosan icon. If he wins another game for the Avarosan, he’ll join that tribe and replace his Frostguard icon.

Example 3:

• ByronicHero racks up 100 wins in a row, but changes his icon to a different tribe every time.
• Result – ByronicHero doesn’t unlock any icons, because no tribe wants to be associated with a dirty, noncommittal flip-flopper like him. Don’t be like ByronicHero – join a tribe so you don’t get left out in the cold!

The multiplayer MUD Imperian just got a new newbie introduction set up, and I decided to see what it was like. I have played text games before, so I am not quite as foreign to the concept as a true new player might be, but I kept that in mind, too. Looking back, most of the introductions in most other games I play (even much simpler ones) are not very helpful, so I was not expecting very much when I went into this.  

However, this introduction went fairly smoothly. The character creation was easy, and it was not long before I was already wondering how I could customize my character, what the different races meant, what the differences were, etc. It reminded me of the same feeling I always get when faced with race choices, the sense of wonder and excitement. I ended up picking the Akrabi race, and soon enough, I was in the actual tour!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tour was really, really helpful. Much more helpful than introductions made by billion-dollar companies, in my opinion. Key text was presented in a different color that contrasted highly, and there was an automatic map that displayed when I was prompted to ‘look’.

You can see that the hint was in red, and the exits are in white. The normal say text was in cyan, and that made the red stand out all the more. Even if I had no idea what to do, that would have helped me figure out what was important and what was not. It is a subtle hint at what you should pay attention to, and what is there for roleplay reasons.

From then on, it was all about the little tasks, which were really quite amusing:

• The first task I did was to fight against a spider. This was actually really helpful, because it showed the concept of how fighting works in Imperian. You use balance when you attack, and then it comes back. Simple! And the tour keeps it that way.

• The second was to get clothes. This taught me how to use the inventory in a variety of ways, as well as how to buy things and wear things. Quite vital in a roleplaying game, and the information was definitely presented in a clear way.

• The third I did was one that taught me about health elixir, how you heal health in this game. It also mentioned mana, and these are two concepts that are easily converted from other games into how it works here.

• The fourth taught me about the prompt, which is pretty much the GUI of a mud character. It displays health, mana, all the stats you wish, and is customizable. It even changes colour!

• And finally, the fifth taught me a little bit about the history of the game, and was actually pretty interesting and cool. The information was presented in a sleek way and was concise, but powerful.

Throughout all of the tour, it was really persistent in reminding me exactly what it was that I had to do, where to go to find the next objective, and how to do what I had to. I did not get frustrated once, and it was not a long, drawn-out process that forced me to spend forever just to get the basics - it was fluid, quick and enjoyable. The interactions with the NPCs were all nice, and once a certain event started, it was obvious something bad was happening and I had to go. All in all, I think this introduction is really helpful, and I think it will help ease new players into the game easily.

There have been a lot of games that I played and the first few hours were great. The introduction was good, the gameplay seems to have a lot of depth, the visuals are good, the stories are good, everything. But for most games, I usually lose interest after those first magical few hours. I learn the gameplay is not quite as complicated as I thought it was. The stories start to take disappoint (quality-wise) turns. Visuals get less and less impressive. But the multiplayer text-game Achaea has been a blast ever since I got hooked, and things are just as fun as when I got used to

It did not lure me in with a shiny introduction or anything bait-ish like that, it was one of those situations where I had to find out for myself whether I would enjoy it or not. The Bal'met event was amazing and eventually got me invested into the game, and the gameplay is what keeps me invested. There are a lot of really interesting parts to Achaea, from the atmosphere to some of the players, from the mechanics to how they are presented, from the idea of 'flavor text' to how the volunteer game-masters can use it.

My character has felt fluid and able to react to every situation she has been in, she has developed in a really interesting way and it has been a very enjoyable experience so far. It is really easy for me to get fully immersed into my character and that is something I appreciate about Achaea. There are few other games where I feel connected to my character, at least to the point that I do with my Achaean character. Of course, player-character separation is important, but the immersion is quite enjoyable for me. Here is a list of my favorite things about Achaea:

 

• The volunteer(!) game-masters that put incredible amounts of work into making the game enjoyable for the players. Some take on the role of gods, and the god of my character's Order is incredible. She has amazing timing and has played a tremendous role in my character's life.

• The immersion is flawless for me, and I love my character. She is a blast to play – she is a feminine paladin, who tries to be very gentle but is rarely met with any options other than killing. The roleplay is really fun for me, and definitely one of my favorite parts of Achaea.

• The combat system is incredibly in-depth. In other pvp games, there is a metagame that is often figured out effortlessly and does not really evolve very much over time. I have been involved in Achaea's pvp for almost four months and have not had more than three fights that were just like others.

• The amount of detail in the world is astounding. There are different descriptions for every almost every room, thousands of npcs, different attacks, player-characters, even clothing. It is really refreshing to see the custom effects compared to the one-size-fits-all that other games can have.

My absolute favorite thing about Achaea is the player-base though. They can be really supporting and helpful, and the enemy characters often try to keep things fun for the opposing side. Sure, there are some jerks and griefers (there are some in every game) but for the most part, Achaea's player base is really kind towards new players. We want you to enjoy yourself, too! The more people playing, the more fun – more people to meet, interact with, fight with, everything. If you have not already, I would suggest giving Achaea a try. You just may end up playing for months on end!

I play this  MMO called Imperian. Creating a new character is not difficult! 

SELECT A RACE –As you can see from the picture below, there are one dozen races from which to select. The characters are a little cartoony; in a 1980s Gargoyles cartoon kind of way, which is still fairly badass. I choose Lycaen for the racial bonuses, which are night vision, digging without a shovel, and locating people by their scent.

SELECT A PROFESSION – There are 20 different professions, including: Amazon, Assassin, Bard, Deathknight, Defiler, Diabolist, Druid, Hunter, Mage, Monk, Outrider, Predator, Priest, Ranger, Renegade, Runegard, Summoner, Templar, Wardancer, and Wytch. It is worth stating that only males can be Rangers, and only females can be Amazons. I went with Outrider, because snares and traps sound fun.

The Trial of Rebirth

Next there were a few screens that explained the game window. Because I usually play Achaea and this is a little different, it was genuinely helpful. At the advice of the last screen in the incredibly short series, I typed in PORTAL TO HUNTING, clicked enter, and was immediately on my way to finishing a quest.

The quest was really easy. Find and kill 5 daemonites and give them to an NPC called the explorer. This is very dumbed down. You don’t even have to type anything. Just click the MXP (bright green underlined) text on the screen and it does it for you. Because I am a little bit of a control freak, sometimes I typed it in anyway.

Once you complete your first newbie task, of killing the 5 daemonites, the tutorial explains how to put gold in your pack, and then walks you through how to look at your score, statistics, and defences. It teaches you how to say things to others in the room with you, and speak on the newbie, guild, and city channels. Then it teaches you how to portal to your guild and teaches you how to spend lessons to boost your abilities in a skill.

After learning lessons, it was time to go shopping. Good thing I earned 50 gold from killing those 5 daemonites! Then, by sheer accident, I learned about speedwalking. You type LANDMARKS, type PATH FIND (landmark) to find one from the list, and then PATH GO to get there. The new landmarks system in Achaea is pretty stellar, but they have nothing on Imperian.

Finally I bought an empty vial, filled it with mending salve, and went back to killing daemonites. Already I am enjoying this more than the Achaea intro. I cannot promise that I will stay with this text based MMO, but I am already looking forward to seeing what life has to offer after I’m finished killing 20 more daemonites!

When Iron Realms first released Achaea, a free to play RPG, back in 1997, it was quite a different game than it is now. The first public news post, authored by Sarapis, who is the force behind all Creation, dated 9/9/1997 reads as follows:

Greetings and welcome to the realm of Achaea. Here you will discover joy and you will know pain. You will ride the ups and downs that are the hallmark of a life worth living. Hopefully you will find your time here to be unique and we will do everything to make it so.

I and my fellow divinities are here to assist you and guide you but your enjoyment is our prime desire. So explore, discover, and experience the splendour and wonder that we have created here. Your fate and fame shall be an echo and a light unto eternity.

When you look back at all the other text-based RPGs that were around in 1997, most of them are defunct. So what makes this free to play RPG different? Why has it succeeded where others has failed? The answer lies within what distinguishes a good free to play RPGs from the rest.

• STORYLINE – Because the storyline is text, it should be something that is reminiscent of a favorite book. Achaea draws players into its deeply engrossing plot. There is always some type of in-realm event involving unique conflicts that are backed by a detailed, mythological history.

• CHARACTERS – When you create a character, you can hand pick your race, class, house (similar to a guild), and city. And then, adding to the complexity you can select various character traits to make your character as unique as your own real life DNA.

• DIALOGUE – Staying in character is paramount to success in this game. Those who go out of character are labeled “insane” and can suffer any form of divine punishment, from being muted to being turned into a shrub. They even have a file called HELP INSANTY to explain it.

• QUESTS – There are so many quests in Achaea, that it is impossible to list them all. And with more than 10,000 individual rooms and more being added all the time, there are always new quests being added. Complete particularly difficult quests and have it added to your list of honors (similar to a public profile for your character.)

• IMMERSIVE – When you spend time in Achaea, the more you read, the more immersed you become. The text is high quality, and those who write it apply attention to detail to everything from character-created items like clothing and recipes to descriptions of rooms, NPCs, and ships.

I have been playing this free to play RPG for a long time. While you can spend real money on a type of in-game currency called credits, you can work to earn everything with gold that your character gets from questing and hunting, too – it just takes a little longer.

If you are looking for a new game, then I invite you to join me in Achaea. If you don’t like your first character then start a new one. You won’t regret it!