The following post bought to you by the Optimism Police:

Whilst watching through some old Ask Estarra* videos, I came across a point where she mentions that positive feedback is the thing that best spurs the development of Lusternia. Since this is true in all things, and because it's very easy sometimes to get bogged down in the things that are wrong - thus overwhelming the things that are great - here's a thread about the things that make you keep coming back. Perhaps most importantly also, why they keep making you come back.

It's sort of like raves, but not - more than the fun things that happened to you today, this thread is for the things about this game specifically that are so fricking awesome that you keep logging back in - the things you get excited about, that always outweigh the frustrating bits of gaming. Whilst by its nature the topic might mostly generate gamewide or admin related things, that's not to say you can't praise players too :)

Here's one of mine to start you off:

I adore beyond measure the fact that when we suggest things, whether it's on the forums here or through other mediums, you actually get to see them happen in game. From little things like the artefact ideas that people post being added in to bigger additions like skills suggested through the Envoy system or similar. Feeling like our ideas can become part of the gameworld means that we can become much more invested in it.


* People should post questions for these so that they can happen again. Thread is here: http://forums.luster...showtopic=18808

Events. No matter what they're about or how they turn out. :)

Also, extensive honour quest system.

The liquid rift. ^_^

And every other "quality of life" thing like that. Seems like a bunch of utilities have been added since I played a year ago. Iosai seems really committed to adding those types of things that just make the game easier and more fun to interact with, instead of a chore.

The wide variety of playable races, and the thought, history, and flavour put into each and every one of them. It's like each and every one of them is a beautiful love child, there are no bastard children when it comes to any of the racial lore.

Iosai. Iosai makes me want to play more.

Villages, too. We like village revolts.

The intricacies of the honours quests.

The tradeskill system, and the fact that you can now have more than one trade.

I love the history and lore that is woven into every single area release. Even the little mentions of things like Menestre's Cap suggest that there is so much more potential for Lusternia to continue evolving in exciting ways.

The history mostly, that the story is so well done at times I want to try everything and usually do enjoy it.

I'll second all the quality-of-life stuff. Logical novice advancement? Easy-to-get teleportation? Liquid rifts? Handy-dandy awareness skills? Tradeskills by default? The Aetherplex? It's downright painful for me to dabble with IRE's other games now.

This is easy:

I love how the admin actively request and engage with the playerbase, both on an IC and (more importantly, IMO) OOC level.

I understand that the latter isn't all peaches and cream, but I'd prefer an administration that argues back over one that doesn't utter a peep one way or another.

The feedback and response time to player requests (and complaints, cough cough) is pretty impressive too.

The most incredible thing about Lusternia is its sheer unbelievably breathtaking ambition. If I'd never played Lusternia, and you told me about a game which had...

• a deep, complex combat system for 1v1 and groups
  
• player-run political organizations
  
• highly customizable tradeskills
  
• dynamic world-altering quests
  
• pilotable spaceships
  
• admin-directed roleplaying events
  
• excellent lore which players can build on directly
  

I would not have believed such a thing really existed. Now, does Lusternia always do all of these things perfectly? Of course not. But that's the great thing about having so many avenues for interaction: if one thing isn't working, you can try another. And when they all come together to work in unison, it's really something magical.

The lore definitely, for all its many disparate parts it feels like it meshes together. That its a big complicated but connected world, that the mysteries have legitimate answers. That we as players get to add to this lore in a small part is icing on the cake.

One of the biggest things I adore (and I seriously, seriously do love it) is the fact that there are multiple ways to advance in this game that when you get tired of exhausting one avenue, you can switch to another and another from that.

Take for example the grind that is leveling. All other games have bashing (which, admittedly, is fun) as we do but here, we not only can move forward with questing also, but by influencing as well. Influencing has got to be one of the biggest draws for a person like myself who can bash fine, sure, but I wanted more and influencing was such a big change up that it boggled my mind and had me <3'ing this place even more.

The fact that influencing changes just like bashing is changing now (with mob resistances, weaknesses, and guards) makes me adore this single facet of the game all the more.

And that's just one thing of my list of 'Why I <3 Lusternia.'

Viynain posting made me think of this one:

Players who will put such a huge amount of time and effort into making the game a better place. This came to mind because Viynain is a prime example of it - even when he's hugely busy with RL, he still puts aside time to help contribute in so many ways. He is only one of a whole hoard of people like him who do a LOT of work for the game. Without them I really don't see how things would run anywhere near as smoothly as they do - or at the very least whether there would be quite so much of a community spirit.

This is a double Good Thing, because the very fact that the admin support people who put in time and effort - take the support and publicity given to Vadi's IRE Helper app for example - means that more people are encouraged to do it, as well as being another manner in which the admin are pretty damn awesome.

Big rave for influencing :)

I made a pacifist in Aetolia, and it didn't work out to well. Then I learned about influencing in Lusternia and came here, cause of the potential to truly be a pacifist if I wanted to be. Ofcourse, I ended up making a grunt warrior instead, but that's another story.

Also, the customer service support is outstanding.

Despite my complaints, designing is waaaay better then in other places. I only complain because I want it to be the very bestest it can be! Like how one's mother always needles her children, wanting them to do awesome.

I also like interactive gods and admins, rather then people who just go eh. I also like that they're involved rpwise in the game, you can see them around. It puts faith into the whole, they exist! Sort of thing.

Also bookbinding. I know that might just fall under designs or something, but when I first started playing, the fact you could make books, just boggled my mind. It was like, reading...and creating things...together? Must have!

Making Sun Soulless-y. :)

What really drew me into Lusternia, and has kept me coming back every time I've 'given it up for good', is the history and lore, and how every part of the world fits perfectly within the framework they create. Every new area, event, or major skill has some sort of context, nothing just comes out of nowhere. Everything builds upon what came before and creates a truly interesting, dynamic world.

Conflict in every aspect of the game.

I just love the fact that this world lives and breathes because of various organisations or individuals vying for . Combat, revolts, aetherflares, culture, family honour, the history and lore, games such as vengeance, divine discord, events, conflict quests, and dare I say the Ascension trials... Lusternia has the potential to involve every person, from tradesmen to fighters, to make everyone feel needed or useful. Everyone plays their part in molding the future of the world.