Wow!

Tulga games company - that was behind dark and light , acquired Horisons !

R.I.P

Umm, Tulga Games was not behind D&L. Anyways, as long as Bowman (is that his name?), is out of the picutre I am actually optimistic. I actually might subscribe to the game. I was enjoying myself before Bowman sold everyone out, and that new company committed near  criminal acts.

I thought NP Cube created Dark and Light.  Tugla has had no influence on that game.  Are you thinking of Dark World Online?

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Wow!

Tulga games company - that was behind dark and light , acquired Horisons !

R.I.P

Yeah... Tulga Games has never, at any point, had any involvement with Dark and Light...

Any one have a liner time line as to who owned this game? I am confused by the "Again" portion.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Wow!

Tulga games company - that was behind dark and light , acquired Horisons !

R.I.P

Get a clue next time you post.

Good news. I may just check it out when things get more stable. I'm looking for an MMO that is more out of the mold right now, and my friend used to play this way back when before it all went to hell. I just want to see how new servers/server wipes are going to pan out in the next few days.

For the time line; Artifact Entertainment were the original owners and developers.  Atari was the publisher.  Atari apparently pushed AE to release for Christmas, and so Hz was released prematurely.  About eight months after release, they lost their financial backing, and went into bankruptcy.  A venture capital "go between", Chris Tulamello (sp?) found a VC backer, Chris Baker, and Tulga Games received the assets of AE. 

The game as released was buggy, laggy, and, for many, grindy. However, some of the initial events were unparalleled, and absolutely stupendous.  Playing (flying) dragon characters was possible, with a large and excellent group of playable races. The craft system was unique, as was the ability to mix classes, and the ability to build homes, shops, and community projects; these along with great imagination were the reasons Horizons had a (too small) dedicated group of players. 

As the game was improved, the dragon play and new player experiences especially, the subscriber base started climbing again.  Horizons was now beginning to look attractive as an investment, and Chris Baker sold Tulga to an outfit called Entertainment Interactive, which morphed into PMI.  The developers were fired, an insecure pathetic excuse of a billing system was put in place, the test and European servers were closed, and after a year, for whatever reason, the game reverted to Tulga.  It was then resold to Virtrium, who are easily the most professional owners yet.  It is clear that they really listen to the players, have high standards, and are very effective coders.  Virtrium is composed of three ex-Horizons developers, who were among the best.  It is also believed that other ex-Horizons devs have contributed evenings and weekends as consultants for training, etc. Given the dedication of many of the devs, that's no surprise. 

No Horizons character since release has ever been deleted.  From the interview, I expect the Unity (European) players to find a home on the two US servers.  Plots have been and will be reclaimed from lapsed subscribers (after email notifications are mailed), so that new players can construct lairs, homes, shops, or storage.  Back when AE declared bankruptcy, there was a server merge.  It was done as an event, and done very carefully and well, with few problems and no player wipes.  So I'd strongly suggest, with history to demonstrate, that fears of server or character wipes can be laid to rest.   Indeed, instead of further wipes, the players' test server, Blight, has been brought back up. 

Incidentally, the "secret" possible new content is discussed on the forums, for player comments and testing on Blight.  I'm not sure, the rules have changed, but you may need to be a subscriber, or at least registered, to access the forums. http://community.istaria.com/web/Default.aspx  . 

Ex-players are returning, to at least take a look.  Those who have followed Horizons over the years, have seen good and bad ownership, and so far, this is certainly the best.

Look mommy, a train wreck and I...can't....look...away!

Horizons: one of the few great that will go down in history with the likes of Dark and Light, Vanguard, Darkfall and friends!

I can't speak to the others, but I did play Vanguard in beta and for three weeks after release.  Yes, Hz and VG were both buggy, but Hz had a lot more going for it at release; playable dragons, great events, much much better crafting, and just plain  more imagination. And the best UI (since then, copied by many) by far up to that time. The appropriate races had tails that moved too.  IMHO, YMMV of course.

Will gonna have to take a look back at this game, i think i played this game, it was so long ago i don't remember (probably because i only played for a day or 2).

This game sounds pretty fun. I'm definitely going to give that 14-day free trial a go.

Well i just went to the site and the game has apparently 2 strikes against itself already.  

1- It's not Vista Compatible

2- It's not dual-core compatible.

That's bad when you have a dual-core Vista system... :(

Amazing that there was no discussion of launching a new server or wiping an existing one.

Who the hell wants to start playing on 4 year old servers? Horizons highlight is the crafting and construction and the rebuilding of the world.

Yeh...if they launch a new server I'll give it another try...for the fourth time.

if you read the interview you will notice a lot of BS in it. There is one point in particular that stinks badly. HZ just isn't very much fun. Its going to need $$$$ millions of dollars in resources. He obviously didn't invest very much when one of the first things Vitrium did was raise subscription costs.

2 bits and a nickle I'd hardly call substantial.

What is not fun for some may very well be your cup of tea.

Here are a few highlights to perk your interest...

You can not only be a dragon, but can fly the skies with freedom.

You can be all you want to be, any class or all classes.

You can make a lasting mark on the world that all other players can see and get benefit from.

As events start occuring again, you will also get to see a community spirit unlike any you have seen before

in a game. Where players that may be opposed to each other,  will stand shoulder to shoulder to build  the

world together.

So tell your friends, and give it a try.

Originally posted by T3hpwn

Look mommy, a train wreck and I...can't....look...away!

Horizons: one of the few great that will go down in history with the likes of Dark and Light, Vanguard, Darkfall and friends!

Considering Darkfall hasn't even been released yet, I'm not really seeing how it's anything like the other listed games.

Originally posted by Stradden

 

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Wow!

Tulga games company - that was behind dark and light , acquired Horisons !

R.I.P

 

Yeah... Tulga Games has never, at any point, had any involvement with Dark and Light...

My mistake. Tulga games sound familiar and not in a good way.

Regardless here is what Wikipedia says about them

"

Tulga Games LLC is a privately held digital game publisher and developer. Its stated mission is providing individuals and families with quality digital entertainment experiences.

The only game on Tulga's roster was originally produced by Artifact Entertainment up to 2003, Horizons: Empire of Istaria, but it was taken over by EI Interactive in July 2006. As of August 2006, Tulga Games fired all of its employees and has ceased development of existing and future games."

Still does not sound to peachy

Originally posted by Aguitha

Well i just went to the site and the game has apparently 2 strikes against itself already.  

1- It's not Vista Compatible

2- It's not dual-core compatible.

That's bad when you have a dual-core Vista system... :(

This post is kind of pointless....Everything is vista compatible, if you know how to make it work.

I haven't had a game not work flawlessly on vista yet.

And there is a dual core optimization program that allows legacy single thread programs to use some of the power of a dual core system.

In fact here is a thread where people have figured out how to make it work.

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16150

Entice old players back ???

how ??

with a PRICE INCREASE ??

some-one other than a fanatic please explain how a sub increase will PROMOTE a 4 yr old game with dodgey history of company sell outs/take overs ?

Sorry but I will be one of those NOT going back to a lag filled game , and by lag filled ...try grouping with a few others and watch your fps take a great big nose dive.

Also dunno how they expect performace to get better WITH INCREASED VIEW DISTANCE that YOU CANT ADJUST because the minimal setting has BEEN INCREASED .... fps took a huge nose dive with that one

The fanatics drove me off their forum and outta the game and those same fanatics say they are the best community ... hahahahahabullshithahahahaha < sarcasm >

go ahead peeps try it out and see for yourself ... but dont say i didnt warn you

I hate to be a correction-nazi, but the front page title is a little off...

"Horizons ownership has changed again, This time though it's a company of mostly former Tulga Games folk running the show. CEO Rick Simmons who takes the time to talk about the change."

The "T" in "This time" should be uncapitalized and the "who" should be removed  from the second sentence for it to sound coherent.

Just want to keep the front page looking professional and cogent. :)

Originally posted by Spartan06

I hate to be a correction-nazi, but the front page title is a little off...

 

"Horizons ownership has changed again, This time though it's a company of mostly former Tulga Games folk running the show. CEO Rick Simmons who takes the time to talk about the change."

 

The "T" in "This time" should be uncapitalized and the "who" should be removed  from the second sentence for it to sound coherent.

 

Just want to keep the front page looking professional and cogent. :)

Ahh yes proffesionalism...that's what the powerleveling/gold selling ads are for son, this site is pro with a capital NOT :P  Glad you are on top of the important issues though

I hate to throw ice on your pro Vista comments, but there are actually alot of games that will not run on Vista no matter what you do.

Vista is generally ok if you are playing a newer game, but old games and it are a hit or miss situation.

Yeah you can get games that don't handle the dual cores to run, but you have to turn off one of the cores to make it work, so what is the point of having dual core then?

This is one of those games better left to the past, and the new owners don't exhibit any worthwhile qualities to change that.

A variety of issues raised above, with the usual ignorance thrown in amongst the nuggets of knowledge.

Vista; sort of catch as catch can actually, the workarounds don't always.  This will be fixed I'm sure, ASAP.  But it is a real issue at present.  

The new owners; not sure what more one could ask.  They've cleaned up the billing system, have a patch on the (resurrected) test server, have had excellent communications, pushed some small patches live, published patch notes for player comment, and they're working on the European problem.  There are client changes for performance on the test server now. Not too shabby for two months.  Oh, and opened up the forums; EI had closed registration, even to new players!!!

Price; not sure if still being honored, as it was said to end 9/15, but previous players could sub at the old price, same perks.  (Grandfather option.)    New players have a (free??)  trial, or a lower cost sub, with fewer features, or a slightly increased price with more features. Some higher prices were floated as a trial balloon, but the actual pricing was set after community comments, and reflected the community.

Tulga firing the developers; technically true, but misleading.  Tulga ended.  EI did not hire any of the devs, so when Tulga closed, so ended the devs' jobs. I place the responsibility at EI's door; just the first of many things I disliked about them.

this game was awsome but unlike any other game , the game wasnt surrounded by melee grindfest it was a crafting grindfest and enjoyable one at that.

first game i actually crafted in and found i could sell items.

that said i  was addicted to the playstyle of eq at the time and this game was too far out for me to enjoy but i did like it while i was there and would probebly go back if it improves.

For what it's worth, I'm a former co-worker of Rick Simmons, and though I haven't talked to him in years, I don't mind saying he is one of the nicest, most patient people I've ever met.  I have no idea whether Horizons will ever overcome its numerous obstacles, but I can say that it is at least being run by an honest man for the first time in its troubled history.

Interesting comments about Rick.  He seems remarkablye capable, and of course the improved communications and tendency to solicit the players' opinions are getting things off to a great start.

And on another note, this went up yesterday:

Adventurer

• Constrict Blood will no longer stack with itself or Lessen Health.
• Flame Attack will no longer stack with Energy or Ice Attack spells.
• Ethereal Blade and Group Ethereal Blade augmentations will no longer stack.
• Group Ethereal Blade will now wear off after 60 seconds if not used.
• Ethereal Blade and Group Ethereal Blade will now work with ranged weapons.
• The Council of Elders has decreed that Dragons can no longer claim allegiance to both the Lunus and Helian factions (the “Path of the Helian” and “Path of the Lunus” abilities will no longer stack).
• Mystify will now overwrite Disconcert.
• Berserker ability “Shield Breaker” is now associated with the 2-handed slash skill.
• Berserker ability “Head Butt” (all 3 tiers) is now associated with the 2-handed slash skill.
• Shatter will now do ice damage.
• Pillage Spirit will now do maximum damage.
• Fixed the icon for the Group Ice Armor I and II augmentation.
• Ice Tomb should now work properly.
• Iron Body will now overwrite True Grit.
• Aura of Fire will now do flame damage instead of pierce.
• Static Aura will no longer overwrite Energize II.
• Recast timers on spells are now linked within each spell line so that they work as intended. For example, if any level Numbing Haze is cast, no other level Numbing Haze (higher or lower) may be cast until the cool down timer has recycled.

Community

• New confectioner resource regions can be found on Genevia Island. The Gnomes have been hard at work creating genetically tinkered produce and the results can be found on Genevia Island.
• A new guild community has been formed on the island of Drakul at the behest of Relstaroth the Lairshaper.  It has been officially named Kir’drakul.
• The Imperial Building Commission has re-surveyed plots in the communities of Garnet Bay, Cedar’s Cove and Sandstone Bluffs.  Existing plot values have appreciated greatly, much to the surprise of the few residents of Genevia Island.

Crafting/Gathering

• Unfocused Dark Azulyte can now be consigned.
• Corrected the XP awards on the Expert Essence Orb Enchantment formula’ and Journeyman Essence Orb Enchantment for Glowing and Bright Purified Orbs and regular Orbs.
• Master Craftsman can now visit Solistan for certification of their skill.
• Baltorris will now properly give out the Master Fabric Spool form.
• Those wishing to create a Beginner or Journeyman Cooking Knife may now inquire with their local Blacksmith Trainer.
• Journeyman Festival Fireworks formula now requires 400 alchemy to scribe.
• Corrected the skill requirements and XP for producing lower tier products when using the Journeyman Invisible Hide Cap and Expert Invisible Hide Cap formulas.
• Corrected the skill requirements and XP for producing lower tier products when using the Journeyman Invisible Hide Mask and Expert Invisible Hide Mask formulas.
• Adjusted the skill and XP value of the Imbued Gold Clasp on the Helian Phylactery Formula.
• Unblighted Thornwood Trees have been seen east of Harro.
• Unspun Ironsilk has been reported during harvests of Silk.
• The Blacksmith Trainers on Lesser Aradoth find themselves overwhelmed with burgeoning blacksmiths. Therefore they will no longer carry Journeyman formulas.
• The Clay Scoop has been re-associated with Foraging.
• The Imperial Building Commission has authorized the release of plans for the construction of Storehouses. These storage structures are designed to hold food related resources and therefore allow more than the normal number of stacks, but at a cost of storage capacity.
• Expert Weapon Dye Kit no longer requires Alchemy to scribe.
• Journeyman Blight Protection Potion formula now requires 490 alchemy to scribe.
• Cooking Knives will now cap the Cooking skill instead of Carpentry.
• After repeated requests, Nadia has added Sand Scarab Carapaces to her inventory.
• Mithril Cooking Knife no longer limits the Cooking skill.

Crystals

• Pale Crystals now require an adventure level of 20.
• Adjusted the coin and hoard values for all crystals.
• Corrected the icons of all weapon crystals to properly match their socket.
• Corrected the icons of Indestructible, Impenetrable, and Invulnerable Jewelry crystals to properly match their socket.
• Added descriptions to Lesser, Standard, Greater and Exceptional Shining Crystals of Holding.
• Dark Stat Crystals are now on a shared timer with a recycle of 60 minutes.
• Light Stat Crystals are now on a shared timer with a recycle of 60 minutes.
• Dark and Light Stat Crystals and Resistance/Ward Crystals have had their consumed effect increased.
• Withered Aegis near the Eastern Deadlands have been discovered carrying powerful crystals.
• Primal and Tooth & Claw Jewelry crystals will no longer drop as loot.

Items/Techniques

• Technique “Adventure: Blight III” now uses a Desert Wolf Fang instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Craft: Foraging III” now uses a Kwellen Ice Shard instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Spell: Flame Range III” now uses a Resistant Fyakki Eye instead of Myloc Hair.
• Techinque “Spell: Flame III” now uses a Resistant Fyakki Eye instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Spell: Covalence III” now uses a Greater Ghost Vapor instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Spell: Bane III” now uses a Crushing Ogre Club Splinter instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Spell: Derange III” now uses a Greater Skeleton Skull instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Adventure: Unamed III” now uses a Ruxus Heart instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Defense: Mind Resistance III” now uses Wraith Master Ectoplasm instead of Myloc Hair.
• Technique “Defense: Blight Ward IV” now uses Mighty Mummy Wrappings instead of a Myloc Hag Foot.
• Withered Bane technique can now be applied to primal spells.
• Technique “Adventure: Unamed V” now uses a Veteran Mummy Wrappings instead of Kwellen Energy Nodes.
• Moss-Covered Club will affect the target, not the wielder of the club.
• Withered Essence Fragments are now stackable and tradeable.
• Lava Oastic Sac no longer refers to the non-existent Cleanse IV technique.
• After years of lining bottlecaps up in a row or just dumping them into a pile, Bottlecap collectors across Istaria have learned the art of Bottlecap Stacking.  The Istarian News Agency spoke with Tolkath, a fifteen year old Gnome living in Tazoon who once lined up sixty-two thousand bottlecaps.  He quote, believes that Bottlecap Stacking will soon overtake Bottlecap Lines as the predominant form of collecting and storing bottlecaps throughout the land.  As for what Tolkath intends to do with the lines of bottlecaps he already has?  Well, he told us he was hard at work stacking his sixty-two thousand bottlecaps and hopes that soon it will surpass the walls of Tazoon in height.

Lairshaping

• Adjusted the XP values for the Lairshaping product, Lodestones.
• Adjusted the XP values for the Lairshaping product, Cast Stones.
• Adjusted the XP values for the Lairshaping product, Tri-Cut Gems.
• Lowered the uncut gem resource requirements for Tri-Cut Gems.
• Relstaroth, the Master Lairshaper, has decreed after extensive testing, that Lairshapers throughout Istaria can now construct corridors and chambers with fewer resources than before and still be assured that their lairs will be safe from collapse.

Monsters/AI

• After more than a year of working as a group, numerous monsters throughout the land find their previous anti-social behavior to be a more beneficial manner of attack.
• Blighted Thornwood Trees have put out the call for reinforcements.
• A particularly large and nasty Travertine Golem has been spotted patrolling the travertine quarries.
• The numbers of Travertine Golems have fluctuated greatly of late.
• More Shining Wisps have been spotted in the Yew Forest of late.
• More Golems and Treants have been sighted on the island of Saritova.
• Enraged Radiant Wisps have been spotted among the Blighted Thornwood
• The Dept. of Transportation has cleared the Gruoks and Wolves southeast of Kion , making it safer for travelers.
• Enraged Wisps have begun inflicting ethereal damage on their enemies.
• Red Tusks will now patrol with other Wild Gruoks rather than Winter Wolves.
• Valkor the Impaler has begun exploring the surrounding lands below his fortress.
• Purple Necroflies have become increasingly hostile and agitated and may now swarm their enemies.
• Icy, Fiery and Dire Wolves no longer have more than one skull to drop as loot.
• Snowballs will no longer drop as loot from Icy Dire Wolves.
• Water Golems on Lesser Aradoth no longer use Golem Crush and now do ice damage.
• Cleaned up the loot tables on Ogre Zombies, Abominations and Vexator, removing extra clutter.
• Ogre Zombies can now drop more than one toe at a time.
• Adjusted the treasure tables of Travertine and Travertine Boulder Golems.
• Sand Scarabs will no longer drop sand as treasure.

Quests

New Quests

• A ghostly presence has been spotted on the Spider Isle southeast of Kion.
• Commander Jaleo of the Kion Militia is in need of bounty hunters.
• Rancher Elden on New Trismus has posted a help wanted sign.
• Word has gone out that Farmer Idamon near Sslanis may be in need of help.
• Ssoren the Sslanis Town Marshall now has work for enthusiastic young adventurers.
• Fillet the Confectioner in Sslanis is looking for assistance with some research.
• Sadie the Scout on New Trismus has begun training Scouts.
• Frig Tallowgar at the Imperial Outpost is looking for assistance with several Tier 6 engineering tasks.

Fixed Quests

• The Witherd Bane quest will better explain how to complete the Withered Bane for all trade items, not just the Hide Strips.
• The quest “Mage's Quest: Prove your Skills to Ulaven!” will now properly tell you to kill hatchlings, not just “brown spiders”
• The quest “Mage's Quest: Assisting the Spell Vendor” will now tell players to loot the proper type of ectoplasm.
• Quest “Solve the Hermit's Riddles” will now accept Wraith Master Ectoplasm.
• Quest “Blacksmith: High Demand for Large Axes” will no longer require you to speak with Guran if you already have large axes or the formula.
• Blacksmith quests on New Trismus are no longer repeatable.
• Quest “Blacksmith: Bronze Maces for the Militia” will no longer require you to speak with Guran if you already have bronze maces or the formula.
• Quest “Blacksmith: Cedar Staves for the Mages” will no longer require you to speak with Guran if you already have cedar staves or the formula.
• Quest “Blacksmith: Help Put the Work Back in Stoneworking” will no longer require you to speak with Guran if you already have sandstone chisels or the formula.
• Quest “Blacksmith: Help the Gatherer Gather Wood” will no longer require you to speak with Guran if you already have tree axes or the formula.
• Updated the quest “Help Arrange the Food and Music for the Wedding!” to include the Orb of Truth.
• Nielenoss will no longer re-greet you when he gives you his quest.
• The quest “Trials of the Gifted” will now properly give out the “Gifted” passive ability.
• Hethsa the Patient will now patiently remind hatchlings to take the Phylactery and Statue with them on their journey to the Peak of Storms.
• Quest “Wishgiver Task: Kill 10 Wolves” now accepts all wolves.
• Valkoth will no longer give out the “Breath of Lightning” quest more than once.
• Semeneth will no longer give out the “Breath of Ice” quest more than once.
• Balit’s list of rare components will no longer refer to Essence of Blight.
• Quest “Gaedin's Quest: Warrior Part 2” will now accept any tier of Power Strike.
• Quest “Gaedin's Quest: Warrior Part 3” will now accept any tier of Rend Armor and Power Strike.
• Quest “Warrior's Quest: Prove your fighting skills!” will now accept any tier of Negate Attack.
• Quest “Ulaven's Quest: Mage Part 2” will now accept any tier of Enhanced Flame Bolt.
• Quest “Ulaven's Quest: Mage Part 3” will now accept any tier of Enhanced Flame Bolt and Burn Armor.
• Quest “Mage's Quest: Prove your Skills to Ulaven!” will now accept any tier of Engulf.
• Quest “Miry's Quest: Cleric Part II” will now accept any tier of Instant Heal.
• Quest “Miry's Quest: Cleric Part III” will now accept any tier of Instant Heal.
• Quest “Cleric’s Quest: Display your Clerical Skills!” will now accept any tier of Smash.
• Quest "Sslanis Militia: Sand Beetle Stomp" can now be completed.
• Fixed dialogue errors with quest "Sslanis Militia: Basic Stores Report
• Fixed the icon for the Stores Report used in the quest "Sslanis Militia: Basic Stores Report"
• Quest "Dragon: Bolster your attack with Gold Rage" now requires Greater Water Golems instead of Sand Ogres.
• Quest "Dragon: Sharpen your claws and teeth now requires Large Sand Beetles instead of Sand Pygmies."
• Fixed Farmer Idamon's quests "Chicken Troubles" and "Chicken Troubles II"
• Fixed Fillet's quest "Mementos for Fillet"
• Quest "Scout's Quest: Prove your fighting skills!" will now allow any tier of Power Shot.
• Quest "Battle Sugar Cane" will now properly spawn the Ancient Mummy.

World

• Elsa the Tazoon Bank Manager will now offer a Vault upgrade to level VII for qualified applicants.
• Frig Tallowgar the Imperial Quartermaster now carries the Master Tainted Essence Orb formula and the Master Essence Orb Enchantment formula.
• Guardian of Light at the Healer’s Tower has come out of hiding.
• The Uncles in Pajalsti on Genevia Island have acquired the fabled Orb of Truth.
• The density of Blighted Thornwood Trees within the Staging Grounds has increased.
• The density of Travertine has increased.
• Steelsilk can now be found in small quantities near Harro.
• There are rumors that small amounts of Shadowstem fungus have been spotted in the distant east.
• The Imperial Council has recalled the Adventurer Trainers, Consigners and Pawnbrokers from the islands of New Vassarak, New Koraelia and New Brommel.
• Taverns now give the Tavern Aura effect which increases the effectiveness of food when consumed inside.
• Nadia’s supply chain disruptions have stabilized and her prices have been reduced accordingly.
• Fixed a missing dialogue step from Ssoren when he greets players about new work.

The first real patch in a year.  And a good one at that.

Originally posted by dand3

The first real patch in a year.  And a good one at that.

sucker born every minute.

Any idiot can load up SQL manager and make database tweaks just like this patch is all about and nothing else. When actual content gets added that goes above Horizons usual database adjustments than lets talk about who is capable of what.

Originally posted by Hadesprime

 

Originally posted by dand3

The first real patch in a year.  And a good one at that.

 

sucker born every minute.

Any idiot can load up SQL manager and make database tweaks just like this patch is all about and nothing else. When actual content gets added that goes above Horizons usual database adjustments than lets talk about who is capable of what.

The three named devs in Virtrium are definitely capable of development.  They were there, they did that, and definitely aren't idiots.  In addition, other ex-devs have been training and contributing on nights and weekends.  Why slam developers who are so dedicated and productive?  Let's remember that in addition to the release above, they have also quickly and securely revamped the billing mess, and resurrected the Blight test server.  In just two months, good work that.

Clap Clap Clap Clap

you make a great salesman

Who was the original creator of Horizons? The one who got fired from his own game? I can't remember his name..I stopped following Horizons as soon as that happened way back when before original release.

D.

Originally posted by daelnor

Who was the original creator of Horizons? The one who got fired from his own game? I can't remember his name..I stopped following Horizons as soon as that happened way back when before original release.

D.

That was David Allen.  He was as much of a charlatan as anyone else in Horizons' past, and the firing was well-deserved.  I'm not saying the guy they replaced him with was any better, mind you.

It's great they are tweaking the game, but a rebirth demands a new fresh server.  Horizons needs new blood. The way to get it is to either combine existing accounts on one server, which would be a good thing because the population is very low to begin with, and wipe the other server for a new launch, or add a new server. Either way promote the hell out of it for a couple months with a launch date, offering first 30 days free with purchase of download, so people are invested in their characters and more likely to pay to continue playing.

The idea of playing on a 4 year old server is completely unappealing. They will never attract healthy numbers of new players unless they realize this.

A couple of stray comments. 

I don't think David Allen was actually a charlatan, but rather a visionary, who Thought Big Thoughts.  He was totally unsuited to managing a large software project to a successful conclusion.  As an example, the engine  chosen was the third to be chosen, and it too would have been dropped in favor of a fourth without the boardroom revolt. That sort of personality is great at selling, and at developing imaginative new ideas, but not for picking a good course and staying on it. 

David Bowman is not a crook either.  He did get Hz out the door; the choice was to get it out fast, and ragged, or for the project to close and dump a lot of devs on the streets.  He had a bad habit of not quite saying, and thus letting people hear, what they wanted to hear, without actually lying.  You had to listen to what he didn't say, as much as to what he did.  He received fierce loyalty from those who worked for him... a complex and mixed picture indeed.  Bottom line: No Bowman, no Horizons.

I understand the idea that the server is somehow "used up" but I think it's a bit more complex than that.  After the great exodus, bankruptcy, and the server merge, some changes to basic gameplay were made.  Dragons were made MUCH less frustrating to play; and they are the most popular race by far. The low level areas were redesigned, and so was the tutorial.  Subscriptions rose from their low point, and trial retentions were excellent.  That success was what made Hz salable, so the Venture Capitalist backing Tulga could free up his capital, as VC's are almost never in for the long term.  As we all know, the new owners, EI/PMI were a disaster, and player numbers fell terribly.  At Tulga's end, the servers' population was good; not great, but good.  I see no reason why those numbers cannot be reached again, and surpassed, even with today's competition.  Hz still has some unique features. 

There weren't that many server-wide building projects.  The largest were the freeing of Feladan and the building of the mines to help free the satyrs.  Others were bridge building and mines mostly, plus broken walls, lamp posts, etc.  Nearly all of the building was on private plots; crafting equipment, silos for storage, homes, lairs, pawnshops, consigners, landscaping and such.   The potential problem there is that many plots are owned by players no longer subscribing.  EI/PMI were incapable of reclaiming those plots, but it is a very high priority with the new owners.  With plots available, there can be all the building you could ever want to do.  Not only your own plot, but there is a mechanism for an owner to escrow money on a plot under construction, so anyone can come along and add to the building for spot cash money on the barrelhead.  And I'm sure there will be more community projects as well, but within the limits of the current staff and subsciption numbers. The staff and player base that did the satyr, dryad, and Feladan events was much larger than any since. 

Horizons will not receive a relaunch or rebirth.  There simply is not enough money or time for that.  But with the last changes made before the sale, plus the current plans, I'd argue that it doesn't need a rebirth to serve a certain niche segment profitably and enjoyably.  After all, the players left last time because of a lack of support, development, and above all, multiple billing issues, not the game itself.

So, I'd say, come on in, the building will be fine...

Sorry you didn't sell me. I played Horizons and enjoyed the game and know what killed it for me was the revolving ownership drama and low population. Obviously crafters need customers to trade with or there isn't much point in spending all that time mastering your craft. Rebuilding those initial structures was a lot of fun and it's not worth coming back to play on a 4 year old server.

They need a fresh server to attract new players. If a little kid can get 6 million in venture capital, then the new owners of Horizons should be able to raise enough to buy a new server.

http://tentonhammer.com/node/12371

Just glad Rick is back in the picture. I will more than likely go back after the new terrian update goes live

If this game gets a nice, new, fresh server then i might come back and stay after the trial. As for now it's Trial only for me. MMORPG.com should have one of those Dev chats with the company owning Horizons right now (virtrium i think). It be a really cool way to give them our opinions on how to make this game better. Maybe it'll finally get some respect around here.

I really enjoyed this game back when it was launched. But had some problems,the memory leak one was annoying,had to boot system after about a hour or 2 playing. Does anyone know if a credit card is needed for the trial? Dont feel too good about giving that to them at this point after earlier issues?    

Originally posted by mundus01

I really enjoyed this game back when it was launched. But had some problems,the memory leak one was annoying,had to boot system after about a hour or 2 playing. Does anyone know if a credit card is needed for the trial? Dont feel too good about giving that to them at this point after earlier issues?    

Memory leaks are fixed.  It's a very easy problem to introduce, and all games I've played have had ML's to varying degrees, though Hz had more for longer than most.  Performance has slowly improved over the years, and is pretty good now.  With that said, Virtrium are continuing work on the client, with one set of client improvements pushed live aleady.

It's important to note that compatibility with Vista is iffy.  Sometimes it starts, sometimes not.  Vi are working on this of course, as it is absolutely necessary. 

So far, Customer Service has been very good to excellent; another area they felt the need to improve.