Hello everyone!
I found Planeshift about three weeks ago and I still can\'t believe that someone has undertaken such a large and difficult task as providing a 3D MMORPG for free under the general public liscence. I was lucky enough to be perusing the boards when the thread for people to participate in phase 2 testing of crystal blue was posted and was the fifth person to reply. I was quickly disappointed though, because many people complained about people like me (little known in game, just having registered on the boards) had gotten in the first replies. In order to enlighten the community to my existence and dispel any doubts as to my intentions and potential performance as a tester, I am composing this introduction.
My name is Jared Angus and I live in the United States. In just about every online game I have played my name has been either Opodomus or Horobod. I have been an avid fan of role playing games ever since I played Dragon Warrior on the NES. I continued console rpging through the super nintendo and had my first true roleplaying experience with Daggerfall which was released in 1994 (and still is one of the greatest most in depth role playing games ever. It is the prequel to Morrowind, if you have heard of that... check them out). In online MMORPGs I played EverQuest and Neverwinter Nights extensively. I quit EverQuest because of the monthly fees and the over mudflation. Neverwinter Nights has lots of promise, but it seems no one has the dedication to present a quality persistent world.
One day, I\'m still not entirely sure how, I found myself browsing for what kind of options I had for online gaming if I didn\'t want to pay monthly fees. Eventually I found my way to the Planeshift website. I browsed the various sections, looked at screenshots, read the faqs on character creation, perused the forums, and finally downloaded Molecular Blue. All I can say is that I am very impressed. This kind of undertaking is truly admirable, and I found myself several times a day returning to Molecular Blue just to run around and look at the city for a few minutes or checking the forums for any relevant news. I was stuck in my room, unable to sleep due to a persistent cough, when I see that the first 25 responses to a thread will get to alpha test Crystal Blue!
I didn\'t think that I would be able to have that opportunity considering I was new to the Planeshift community, but the devs were nice enough to give everyone an equal opportunity. I implore those of you who complained about the method of selection to be open minded. Yes, it may have denied some people who have been more loyal fans for a longer period of time the opportunity, but it is completely possible that someone could just have never heard of Planeshift before. Just because my first post was to join phase 2 alpha testing does not mean that I am not dedicated to the purpose of providing a free MMORPG under the GPL or that I will flake out after I run into too many bugs for it to be fun. I am fully aware that my purpose is to test and that I will lose all progress I make with my character when testing is over. Yes, I expect to have lots of fun in the process, but I also understand that being selected is a privilege and that many others will envy my opportunity, so I promise you I will not waste my slot. Everyone who posted to join read the requirements and it was specifically stated that we were to be testers, not gamers. Please don\'t be bitter if you weren\'t selected, we will perform our responsibilities and do our best to present you with a game that has less bugs than when we started testing =;^>
