| Revision as of 03:19, 2 September 2006 edit71.202.122.184 (talk) →History← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:51, 2 September 2006 edit undo71.202.122.184 (talk) →HistoryNext edit → | ||
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| ''GemStone III'' opened for beta on ], ], with a license to use the Rolemaster game mechanics and ] environment from ]. A few years later, ICE and ] agreed to let the business relationship expire, which required Simutronics to alter ''GemStone'' slightly. For example, the game world's name changed from Kulthea to Elanthia, along with numerous other minor changes. The world as it existed before this turnover is popularly known as the "Ice Age" among players, and in-game items dating from that period are highly valuable. | ''GemStone III'' opened for beta on ], ], with a license to use the Rolemaster game mechanics and ] environment from ]. A few years later, ICE and ] agreed to let the business relationship expire, which required Simutronics to alter ''GemStone'' slightly. For example, the game world's name changed from Kulthea to Elanthia, along with numerous other minor changes. The world as it existed before this turnover is popularly known as the "Ice Age" among players, and in-game items dating from that period are highly valuable. | ||
| A notable difference between Gemstone and modern MMORPGs is the complexity of gameplay. A multitude of factors are involved in the different mathematical formulas that decide the successful outcome of an attack, an armor enchantment, or even trying to climb a hill. These formulas are shown whenever a player attempts such an action. | |||
| Players can also choose to join one of two societies to earn additional powers: Voln, which is marked by features of medieval, monastic Christianity and Buddhism and struggles for purity and good, or the underground "Council of Light" of which one cannot speak in public. Gaining access to the Council of Light's headquarters for admission and training requires flushing oneself down the bathhouse toilet. | |||
| The gaming engine is built around players moving through "rooms" (indoor or outdoor) that divide the environment. Each room typically features a very lush, literary description of the buildings, objects, and scenery. Rooms such as the town square, or safe havens near hunting areas, are known as "nodes," where players can rest, recuperate, have conversations or exchange goods and services, such as having a wound healed or a locked treasure chest picked by a locksmith. | |||
| Because the community of players tends to be dedicated and small, a great deal of social interaction takes place in the nodes and elsewhere. Rules of etiquette have developed and are fairly well-enforced, such as not stealing a kill or making sure to tip a player who has healed or ressurrected you. Perhaps owing to the lack of guilds, some players have formed families through in-game marriages and the "adoption" of lower-level players by older ones. Laws are enforced in the major towns, and a criminal act such as killing another player or getting caught stealing in the town can get you arrested and thrown in jail, where you are summarily tried by a judge and released on bail. | |||
| Players' refer to the Gamemasters as "gods" owing to their omniscience. Much like a mythic god in an ancient Greek epic, Gamemasters might settle an endless argument inside a node by releasing an invasion of high-level monsters who slaughter the offenders as punishment. Players are also treated to the occasional festival or merchant ship. | |||
| As a text-based roleplaying game, Gemstone is a dynamic environment that can be modified easily by its creators as new areas or events do not require their being rendered graphically. Like many roleplaying games, the various "professions" (clerics, empaths, rogues, bards, etc.) have been significantly changed over time, and the game has suffered from what are known as "balance" issues as its creators deal with the ongoing challenge of not making one profession or combination of skills too weak or powerful. | |||
| Gemstone has perhaps diminished somewhat from its heyday in the 1990s, as the limited staff and resources of Simutronics have turned toward creating a graphic MMMORPG to compete with ] and ]. That the game continues to survive after nearly two decades is a testament to the richness and appeal of its world. | |||
| Another Simutronics game based on the IFE engine, '']'', opened in ]. | Another Simutronics game based on the IFE engine, '']'', opened in ]. | ||
Revision as of 03:51, 2 September 2006
GemStone IV is a text-based online role-playing game, or MUD, produced by Simutronics. It takes place in the medieval, Tolkienesque fantasy world of Elanthia, where players can engage in a wide variety of activities such as slaying creatures, spell-casting, foraging for edible herbs, and more. Simutronics charges players a recurring monthly fee to play. GemStone is one of the longest-running online games in existence, having started in 1987 and outlasted many competitors.
Overview
GemStone IV was originally developed in 1987 as GemStone, though it only existed as an internal product under that title, and eventually progressed to its current title, GemStone IV (also referred to as GS4). During prime-time hours, the number of active players online ranges from 650 to over 1000.
Within GemStone IV a player can conceivably progress in level as far as it is possible to go without relying on the aid or assistance of other players. This solo aspect is of particular interest to MMORPG players who do not desire the "group focused" central theme of MMORPGs such as EverQuest.
GemStone IV offers three account types for players to choose from: standard ($14.95), premium ($39.95) and platinum ($49.95). Platinum and premium accounts offer various advantages to players over the basic service provided by the standard account subscription.
As one of the longest-running Internet games, there is a substantial base of players from the 90s who felt disenfranchised by the lack of emphasis now placed on role-playing in GemStone. As a way of placating those players, a service, called GemStone IV Platinum is available. It is an exact replica of GemStone IV's world, with some minor changes as well as an enforced role-playing environment, for the price of $49.95US per month.
History
GemStone was originally offered on the GEnie service in the late 1980s, eventually competing with such games as Dragon's Gate, Federation and Hundred Years War. The game is built on Simutronics' proprietary engine, the IFE (Interactive Fiction Engine). Its product managers over the years have been Elonka Dunin, Suz Dodd, and Melissa Meyer.
GemStone III opened for beta on December 1, 1989, with a license to use the Rolemaster game mechanics and Shadow World environment from Iron Crown Enterprises. A few years later, ICE and Simutronics agreed to let the business relationship expire, which required Simutronics to alter GemStone slightly. For example, the game world's name changed from Kulthea to Elanthia, along with numerous other minor changes. The world as it existed before this turnover is popularly known as the "Ice Age" among players, and in-game items dating from that period are highly valuable.
A notable difference between Gemstone and modern MMORPGs is the complexity of gameplay. A multitude of factors are involved in the different mathematical formulas that decide the successful outcome of an attack, an armor enchantment, or even trying to climb a hill. These formulas are shown whenever a player attempts such an action.
Players can also choose to join one of two societies to earn additional powers: Voln, which is marked by features of medieval, monastic Christianity and Buddhism and struggles for purity and good, or the underground "Council of Light" of which one cannot speak in public. Gaining access to the Council of Light's headquarters for admission and training requires flushing oneself down the bathhouse toilet.
The gaming engine is built around players moving through "rooms" (indoor or outdoor) that divide the environment. Each room typically features a very lush, literary description of the buildings, objects, and scenery. Rooms such as the town square, or safe havens near hunting areas, are known as "nodes," where players can rest, recuperate, have conversations or exchange goods and services, such as having a wound healed or a locked treasure chest picked by a locksmith.
Because the community of players tends to be dedicated and small, a great deal of social interaction takes place in the nodes and elsewhere. Rules of etiquette have developed and are fairly well-enforced, such as not stealing a kill or making sure to tip a player who has healed or ressurrected you. Perhaps owing to the lack of guilds, some players have formed families through in-game marriages and the "adoption" of lower-level players by older ones. Laws are enforced in the major towns, and a criminal act such as killing another player or getting caught stealing in the town can get you arrested and thrown in jail, where you are summarily tried by a judge and released on bail.
Players' refer to the Gamemasters as "gods" owing to their omniscience. Much like a mythic god in an ancient Greek epic, Gamemasters might settle an endless argument inside a node by releasing an invasion of high-level monsters who slaughter the offenders as punishment. Players are also treated to the occasional festival or merchant ship.
As a text-based roleplaying game, Gemstone is a dynamic environment that can be modified easily by its creators as new areas or events do not require their being rendered graphically. Like many roleplaying games, the various "professions" (clerics, empaths, rogues, bards, etc.) have been significantly changed over time, and the game has suffered from what are known as "balance" issues as its creators deal with the ongoing challenge of not making one profession or combination of skills too weak or powerful.
Gemstone has perhaps diminished somewhat from its heyday in the 1990s, as the limited staff and resources of Simutronics have turned toward creating a graphic MMMORPG to compete with World of Warcraft and Everquest. That the game continues to survive after nearly two decades is a testament to the richness and appeal of its world.
Another Simutronics game based on the IFE engine, DragonRealms, opened in 1996.
In addition to being on GEnie, the Simutronics IFE games also maintained portals on AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy, and other online services. In December 1996, GemStone III and DragonRealms were the top two titles (hours/month) in the entire multiplayer gaming industry, with GemStone III doing over 1.4 million hours in one month, and supporting over 2000 simultaneous users.
GemStone IV was released as an enhanced version of GemStone III on November 21, 2003.
All of the Simutronics games are now available exclusively on the World Wide Web at Play.net.
External links
- GemStone IV homepage
- Unofficial Player Documentation/Guides
- Krakiipedia, the Unofficial Free GemStone IV Encyclopedia