Anyone know of any alternatives to planeshift?

[Waylander]

Anyway, I've lost a lot of interest in this project.

* Waylander celebrates

There is absolutely no reason for the Devs to take notice of anything the community wants and yet they quite often do.  I don't see how people can continue to complain about most everything mentioned in this thread.

[Rabalder]

I think that the main reason people disagree and complain allot, is because "the content doesn't match the label on the bottle.", It's all about broken dreams and expectations.
The official web pages give an impression of a product that's super good, and pretty complete.  ...just some bug testing now and then.

The real experience of PlaneShift is more like this:

Yo enter th airport, and you have this cute and nice flight stewardess who hands out an glossy paper brochure, about being a part of a test group, testing out a new airplane.
.. "Wow, testing a new airplane, before it gets into commercial flight. Thats cool, ...writing history. ..in 30 years I'm going to tell my grandkids about this".
You have to wait 8 hours on the airport for your next plane, and this test flight is going to be finished within a couple of hours, so this is perfect.

You have to sign the brochure, (EULA):
The brochure is basically saying things like:  "You hereby verify that you have read and understand all instructions .. bla, bla, bla .. an if you get hurt or killed, you take full responsibility for your own actions, and, and ....  bla, bla, bla.. ...Get a free meal ... bla, bla, bla ...Get a diploma... bla, bla, bla.."
You think this is good, nobody can afford to damage the airplane anyways, This is good! and you sign, and follow the rest of the group.

.. The plane is beautiful both inside and outside.
Strategically placed all over inside the plane is several crash dummy's. As the plan take off, you start asking questions about the crash dummies, and a person ask you: "Didn't you read the brochure?  ..we are going to fly for 2 hours to a desert area, and there we are going to jump, and the plane is going to crash into a huge concrete wall!" ..... but ...  O.o

[Draklar]

@Psignosis: Are you actually aware of the "Freedom of Speech" theory?
The thread you're talking about was a clear case of "Shouting fire in a crowded theatre"

"The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic. [...] The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

In theory any form of speech meant to cause damage is in direct opposition to the free speech.
Considering the nature of that thread it is actually surprising it was only locked.

[Xillix Queen of Fools]

The misinformation you have been fed or gleaned is incredibly frightful Psignosis.  The team is perpetually growing. Development is going well. The team like any family has its issues, but we are steadily improving Imho. There are always serious concerns to grapple with everyday. You are certainly welcome to support whatever "competition" you find.

While what information you have might scare me it does not surprise me. I have seen you ignore several responses to your posts and carry on your argument as though no one had addressed you.

You have been given a positive response to both of your recent threads by the developers of planeshift and returned a sneer.

Your concerns about free speech and the meaning of open source as it relates to PS have all been answered.

You, sir, with your polemic and platitudes, are, to borrow a phrase, "A disgrace to the open source community."

Every new movement needs leaders. "Open source" is not new and does not need cheerleaders like you.

You want to know more? The application is open.

[Induane]

There is absolutely no reason for the Devs to take notice of anything the community wants and yet they quite often do.

I'm quite drunk atm so forgive my frankness. I've a tendency to try to sugar coat what I say but the alcohol cures this.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.  The Community IS the game.  WIthout the community the game is useless and therefore the community is relevant, as are its needs and wants to a degree.


We're all co-dependent so lets all quit thinking that any one is more important than the other.  The unit functions as a whole so you really need all of it for PlaneShift to really exist in the context it does. Quit putting some people above others and realize we're all accountable to each other.  Saying the communities wants are useless and pointless is just like saying the community would continue if all the devs left.  Seriously, this is trolling in the worst sense (not that my own post isn't).

[Waylander]

Hehe, that's awesome.

Considering you are drunk...I'll be nice.

Out of the community of hundreds of players maybe, and I stress maybe, a couple dozen are very adamant about what they want and are willing to leave if they don't get it.

Losing a couple dozen players...meh.  Chances are they'd be the annoying, shortsighted, stubborn ones who come on the forums while drunk and post nonsense

Contrary to popular belief, most of the community is quite satisfied with just playing the game and letting the devs do what they want.

Sure, the Devs should be, and I'm sure they are, grateful for the bug reports and polite suggestions and, I'm not saying the should ignore what the community wants.  But they sure as hell could, and have enough people left over in the community to continue the project.

(On a happier note: Welcome to "Drunk Posters"  I've done it a couple times and regretted it thoroughly.  May want to think twice next time )

[Induane]

Looks like my post was actually edited to sound nicer anyways

Losing a couple dozen players...meh.  Chances are they'd be the annoying, shortsighted, stubborn ones who come on the forums while drunk and post nonsense 

I resent that! The way I phrased things was undeniably rude but I stand by the content.

Sure, the Devs should be, and I'm sure they are, grateful for the bug reports and polite suggestions and, I'm not saying the should ignore what the community wants.  But they sure as hell could, and have enough people left over in the community to continue the project.

You are not saying they should, but you are saying that there is no reason to.

There is absolutely no reason for the Devs to take notice of anything the community wants and yet they quite often do.

As you said...

I stand by this as a flawed illogical statement.  There are reasons to listen to the community and to suggest otherwise I find offensive. 

Contrary to popular belief, most of the community is quite satisfied with just playing the game and letting the devs do what they want.

I won't disagree there.  That doesn't mean that those who have issues they think they have ideas about should not bring this to the forums.  It also doesn't mean there is no reason to listen to them.  Not every idea is good, some won't work, some are plain silly, but the people who are unsatisfied are not necessarily annoying, shortsighted or stubborn.  In fact I think to a degree being a bit stubborn isn't always a bad attribute.

I truly believe a game is about the players.  Games like this are a gift of sorts, and while you don't always look a gift horse in the mouth this is a bit different.  The game code is GPL and is essentially developed by a small community of volunteers, many who are plucked from the community.  The community is providing a service by testing the game and by making it more public since as the community grows, so do the people who have heard of it and check it out.  This brings in potential developers.  Players already help the game by playing.  Developers can help the players by listening to the relevant needs.

[Waylander]

Perhaps I was a bit extreme when I said "no reason".  There are a few, for instance, they might be good ideas or such.

I should have said "There is no reason for the devs to go out of their way to take act on anything that the community wants."

Either way, the point stands.  Many members of the community act as if they are more important than they really are.  They act as if the game should be how they want it and not how the Devs do.  And, most of all, they act ungrateful for the opportunity to play such a large game for free.

I've been preaching this for years though, nothing much has changed.

[Induane]

I think we're both preaching to the choir, just different sides

[Drahlian]

It seems that after the first one or two messages in this thread, all the rest has become a flamewar. However, I will attempt to break with tradition, and post a reply that has something to do with the original thread. I have found a quite interesting alternative to Planeshift:

Regnum

This is a free MMORPG with native Linux and Windows clients. It was completed and released just 2 months ago. I started playing it recently, and find it to be quite fun. There are a number of classes and races to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

I started as a mage. Upon reaching level 10, you are given a choice to specialize in a particular path, and I chose Conjurer. This class gains the ability to summon undead helpers, do some healing magic, and a few other magical abilities, and is balanced by being rather weak defensively.

Team play is encouraged in a number of ways. First, classes compliment each other. For example, my mage does best when paired with a warrior or two, who can withstand the attacks that would bring down a mage. In the meantime, the mage can fire offensive magic to damage the monsters, as well as heal the warriors of their wounds. Additionally, there is a bonus to experience when fighting monsters in groups, encouraging team play.

I have no idea how many spells and special abilities there are, but my character is around level 20, and 50 is max. At level 20, I have about 30 spells to choose from, all of which work. Each class has its own set of spells and/or abilities as well.

This game is free, though there is an option to pay real money for healing potions, mana potions, and rental of horses that can be ridden. I have no plans to pay for these extras, and have felt no need to.

Animations in Regnum are great. Spell effects are varied and interesting. The variety of monsters to fight is amazing.

Really the only shortcoming I see in Regnum compared to Planeshift is the lack of Planeshift-type "RP." However, if Regnum's monsters were "Impervious" half the time leaving players with nothing else to do, I'm sure this would also develop in that world too. I doubt this will be the case, however, since I have yet to see the monsters stop working.

I have not played World of Warcraft, but my friends that have played it say that Regnum is a lot like it. So if you're interested in a free, complete MMORPG for Linux and Windows, I would recommend it.

-Drahlian

[Karyuu]

Having a link is always nice: Regnum, and a screenshot gallery (because I'm interested in that most when I look at a game, personally) :] I'm downloading the client and will take a closer look probably later tomorrow. Thanks for the recommendation.

You didn't mention anything about quests or activities outside of fighting though. Is this another Silkroad? If combat and leveling are the central points of this game, I can see becoming pretty bored of it quickly.

[ People are way too quick to label something as a flamewar. Flames are deleted from the forum, guys. An argument is not a flamewar. It can become one, at which point the moderators will take care of it, but this thread has been quite mild, especially almost the entire first page. Don't be so hasty to label it as something it's not. ]

[Drahlian]

You didn't mention anything about quests or activities outside of fighting though. Is this another Silkroad? If combat and leveling are the central points of this game, I can see becoming pretty bored of it quickly.

There are many quests available, though I read that they are only available up to level 20 at the moment, since the game was just released in May. I don't know first-hand, since I haven't spent a significant amount of time questing. As to Silkroad, I have not played it, since I believe there is no Linux client for that game. Regnum does seem to focus on combat, though teamwork is encouraged in a most pleasant way, rewarding players that work together, which I find refreshing.

[ People are way too quick to label something as a flamewar. Flames are deleted from the forum, guys. An argument is not a flamewar. It can become one, at which point the moderators will take care of it, but this thread has been quite mild, especially almost the entire first page. Don't be so hasty to label it as something it's not. ]

I stand corrected. This thread did not turn into a flamewar, however after the first one or two posts, the conversation move off from the original thread subject and, IMHO, fell apart.

-Drahlian

[Karyuu]

Sounds pretty nice in that case. What is the community like? Is it easy to find yourself a team of other characters to adventure with?

[Unnamed_Source]

I guess there's now way in hell that you people will talk about "OTHER" games that are also MAC OS X compliant... bunch of self centered egotistical poo tards that think the only OS is Windows.. Well its not! ...  donkey butts.. the lot of ya!

[Induane]

donkey butts.. the lot of ya!

* Induane puts on extra deodorant and hopes no one notices.