Shoggy

[Krasturak]

*opens coffin*

*creeps out of coffin*

Gah!

Krast comes into the Dojo to make Statement.

It is this: Shoggy was great, probably the best ever online game.

It was an amazing experience to play the game, to play it online, to play 1v1 and then 2v2 and then 3v3 and then 4v4 and learn all about employing the different units, each simple, in more and more complex combinations and get really carried away with it all.

Especially in the 4v4, where it involved so much teamwork.

Krast met many, many wonderfully interesting people playing this game, and it was particularly memorable to meet in Cologne with so many of the Wolves and Elites that one day. Thanks to Lion Gazoz so much for organizing that meeting.

But MTW was not so much fun. The units lacked spirit, and the game felt so much more technical to play.

Now, with this Rome thing, and having been away from Totalwar for so long, Krast is thinking 'hmmm...'. The thing is, everything Krast didn't like in MTW is stronger in RTW, and the spirit of it is completely lacking.

Krast yearns for the days of Shoggy, when battles were exciting, the Khan was to be feared, Rage Castle was home and the troops marched with fierce determination. When Krast was part of a powerful team in Rage Clan, and the campaign, and the glorious, glorious battles we fought together.

Sadly, Krast admits to himself now that this is over.

And with the current focus in computer game design putting colourful images in advance of game play as their ruling idea, Krast doubts he will ever see again such a situation, where the imagination came alive for so many of us, and we shared an experience so vivid, not because of fancy graphics, but because of our driving interest in the gameplay.

Well, Shoggy players, please accept Krast's thanks for your friendship and for sharing that experience.

It is sad to let go of something wonderful.

Maybe, with luck, we'll find more such experiences, each in our own lives, and once again let loose our imaginary archers on the fields of another imaginary battlefield.

Until then ....

*creeps into coffin*

Gah!

*closes coffin*

[Adrian II]

*Listens. Nods. Stares out of window for a mo.*

[LittleGrizzly]

Gah! Grizzy agrees with Krast anylisis

[Iguanus Commodus]

He sure is right.

[Kas]

The shadows of a glorious past are fading away...

Sleep well Krast

[Puzz3D]

I guess many players now see that simplier was better. More units, more upgrades and bigger maps all sound good, but not if playbalance suffers. As I recall, a lot of players wanted these things. We got more units, but they weren't as well balanced. We got more upgrades, but they wrecked the rock, paper, scissors gameplay. We got bigger maps, but fatigue was not adjusted for them. It isn't just the move to better graphics that damaged the gameplay. As soon as I saw the kensai and battlefield ninja in WE/MI v1.0, I knew gameplay was headed downhill. The attitude that more is better is shortsighted. Everything has to fit into the overall picture properly within the limits of the game engine. All the elements though simple in themselves interact in a complex way, and if you change any of them then everything has to be rechecked.

[Orda Khan]

Very aptly put Krast, your post has summed up the essence of STW.
From the moment I saw the dayglo demo of MTW I was sure that things were not going in the right direction. STW had mood and setting that these cheap imposters will never live up to, but more than that, it had a community.

The community died when MTW arrived and MP became the haunt of a different kind of player. To an extent I suppose we were, ourselves to blame. There was far too much 'in fighting' and factionalising. I still think we should have worked with each other rather than against each other, for the common good of what we all enjoyed. I did not play MTW for 3 months after its release and when I finally did, I was well aware of the many names who were no longer around..... one 'RageStorm' comes immediately to mind. So many good friends left that I began to ask myself why I was still bothering to play. The old feeling got carried away by the terrible imbalances and it would seem that RTW has even less to offer.

Lord Buddha proclaimed that nothing is permanent, all things must change and this is true for Total War too. There is a 'Fakeserver' that runs but I fear there will never be a community as there once was, no matter how much we would wish there to be. Once people begin to depart there seems an innevitability that they never return and too much time has elapsed since those initial migrations for us to ever imagine that STW could be half of what it once was.

Sadly, it is the loss of friends and aquaintances that hurts the most, the way your post describes..... Only 'type' in a window on a screen... but there is a person on the end of it.... and you may never chat with that person ever again... This is a concept that I find very difficult to come to terms with and although it does not make it any easier, all I can do is tell myself...

" My life has been made all the richer for having known these people, yourself included "
As an archer, I can't help thinking about STW each time I shoot, it's part of what attracted me to the game.

It would be nice to think that people such as yourself do not just fade into memories

.....Orda

[ah_dut]

So to make up for it, let's just play a few more games on the fakeserver eh?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Oddly enough I've played more 4v4's on the fakeserver than I did in a whole year of playing on the official servers. Probably because there is less lag.

[Jochi Khan]

ah_dut

A very simple and logical request but I fear it is already too late to hope for that to happen.

Too many good players have already departed from the community.
I don't think that the game spirit will ever be re-born.

Too many good memories and alas, too many sad memories, as so clearly put by Krast and Orda.

Jochi

[Kas]

Frankly...I never understood why all ran off to MI after STW and to MTW after MI. In fact I always hated MTW, only played it to play with/against the people I know. Funny...as soon as MTW came out...people started to complain about it, but going back to something they loved wasn't an option...baffled me

Too many good memories and alas, too many sad memories, as so clearly put by Krast and Orda.

So true, so true..."even the bad times were good"

[Puzz3D]

I liked MTW because the guns were less powerful than WE/MI v1.02.

Players left STW for WE/MI because there was a lot of dissatisfaction with STW at the time, and WE/MI had more unit types, more upgrades, larger maps and replays. However, there was eventualy more dissatisfaction with WE/MI v1.02 than there had been for STW. The criticism of it at the time was relentless, and it was clearly not to the liking of the majority of players. I'm not sure why more players didn't return to STW then. I know the Bear clan played STW for a long time, and only stopped sometime after MTW had been out for a while. I think part of the reason for players leaving the old game for the new is the hope that it's going to offer better gameplay.

[Kas]

posted twice

[Kas]

I understand people are eager to play something new, but most just did that...they moved on and never bothered playing on the previous servers anymore. Even when grumpy vets (vets are always grumpy ) complained about MTW..."STW was better!" I replied: "Still up...wanna go there?" Grumpy vet guy: "Errr...no...never mind".


Typical grumpy-vet-guy

Typical happy-shoggy-guy

Typical poor-old-me-not-able-to-join-fake-server

[TosaInu]

Hello,

I had many great hours in the STW foyer and enjoyed the game enormously, both SP and MP. I do think however that we are idealising it too much. It was great fun, but it had flaws too. It 'only' took time to experience them.

STW had the luxury of being the first, every sequel will be referenced against it. Whether a game becomes good does not only depend on the game itself.

Fakeserver. Kas, you joined a fakeserver before right? Did anything change on your end, a firewall for example? The current fakeserver is using port 8793.

[Sp00n]

Coulnt agree more Krast, I miss the old days I miss the Rages, yourself RageDevil, RageFury, RageBlaze, RageMonsta, Rage Executioner, RageStorm and the others I cant recall.

Had so many battles mainly with but also against the Rages, MTW was never as good as Shogun but it still had some charm whereas the current mess has nothing and we had such high hopes.

Shogun made me play online like no game ive ever played, I just counlt get enough of it at the time, made so many friends many left after Shoggie, I hoped a lot of those many would return with Rome, but sadly I cant see any returning at the moment.

Ill remember yours and Vanyas silly coffin and gah statements, they were part of the everyday life of Shoggi.

Anyway m8 ill see you on Eve online as you know a game that cares about its players even if it is suscription.

MizuSp00n