Hi all this is Tenchi Misaki from AC. I started playing back in 99'. I have quit recently due to lack of internet where I now live but have been following AC's progress fairly closely ever since.

I have 2 suggestions for implementation in Asheron's Call:

1) Group-cast spells. No i'm not talking about spells that affect a group of people (not necessarily anyway....) - i'm talking about spells which are so powerful they require 2 or more mages to cast them and the power of the spell is dependent on how many mages get together to cast said spell and also dependent on each's skill in that school of magic. I think this would be a great new and original idea for AC to bring in. I think it would add a new dimension to spell casting and grouping/group combat.

2) Player-built structures. That's right - like in shadowbane! I liked the idea, but hated shadowbane. So naturally i'd like to see it in my favorite MMO :). I think it would be great to have in AC, I just don't know if the engine could support it or not. I think it is something the developers should at least take a good hard look at for the long run.

I think turbine should offer giveaway's for AC free trials on MMORPG.com. I think that would help the game grow into the beast it was before. As DDO is coming out soon I think they should also put free trials into the DDO boxes so more people look at the game and try it because we all know a game is worth a try if it's free. =] Just my 2 cents.

Or a lure for old players such as a 30 day return trial. Might get me interested in the game again?

If you buy the new xpac you get a 30 day free trial, and if you remember your acct info you get another 30 days added on so 60 days if you are a returning player as the box says. =]

I've actually been trying out what seems like countless games since I stopped playing AC back when the price increased.  I didn't stop playing exclusively b/c of the price increase, I stopped b/c of all the changes that were continually making the game less fun (I played exclusively on Darktide).  BUT.....

Since leaving that game (seems like about 2 years ago now), and trying many other games, I have not found one game I would pay a subscription to continually play.  I am thinking about playing AC again, and actually loaded the game back onto my pc, but since it has an old microsoft cd key, Turbine doesn't recognize it.  They also don't have my account on record anymore ( I didn't figure they would), but they don't have anything listed anywhere I've read to solve the cd key problem either.  I have emailed them today to see if there is something I can do, I really don't want to pay $30 to try a game they may have junked completely since I stopped playing. 

I would call them if yoy still remember your msn zone login info for AC. They stopped the migration in january, so your best bet is to prolly call them if emailing them doesn't work. If you want to explore the new island and such you should prolly go out and pick up a copy of ToD. Ya i know 30 bucks is a lot, but I think it is worth it.

Yo, Trinli.

Heh. They finally started a suggestion forum here or what? Has this been here all along?

Anyway, I liked you idea because I pretty much thought of it a while back.  Not for AC in particular, but for any game. I'm always mulling around with ideas for games in my head. Always making them too as you know. Anyway, I think it'd be cool to participate in group magic. It borderlines my preconceptions with witchcraft as I visualize a coven in a circle chanting.  But in a fantasy game where magic has nothing to do with gods, I'm all for it. I think the group spells should last longer and sometimes even have permanent effects or just have very potent and far-reaching and far-seen effects but should take a long time to prepare and cast.

AC doesn't really need to be changed - it is an MMO classic which can stand on it's own, in it's current form and remain financially viable. It is much more challenging than most of today's games, so it appeals to a niche group, not the mainstream audience that seem (IMO) to be after bragging rights rather than gameplay.

• The graphics are dated? Of course they are - the game is older than many people playing MMOs now. They still create a dramatic scene and real feeling of immersion in the game.
• People don't like complex character skill systems? Of course not - current gamers find it difficult to make choices of what they want their character's hair to look like now! The ability to micro-manage your character's development was a huge selling point to me - you could be whatever you wanted to be.
• People won't pay that much for an old game? Of course they will - they are in decent numbers. Saying the game should go free-to-play, I find to be quite an insult to one of the defining games of MMO evolution.

AC as a game doesn't need to be changed - and to try to do so would alienate a number of the existing subscriber base. The only thing the game really 'needs' (again, opinion) is an update of connection code, to allow the game servers to easily cope with modern broadband and cable.

There are numerous posts on numerous sites for people, frustrated by their inability to log in to the game they love. Making this update would bring subscribers back and increase server populations - something no game would mind I'm sure!