I'm done for now!

Lin

Hi/bye Aetolia! I haven't logged in for about two, maybe three weeks and to be perfectly honest, I'm kinda feeling fine about it.

I'm not 100% happy with how the game is run, but that's whatever, it honestly didn't really influence my decision one way or another, so don't read this expecting my own hot take on What's Wrong With Aetolia. If I had any one message to impart to anyone, it'd be this: don't turn Aetolia into an obligation. If you find yourself logging in because the ministry needs to be run, or the shop needs to be managed, or because you have 1-2 friends you want to make appearances to, just bow out! It's not a healthy way to engage with the game!



So far I haven't had any success in quitting forever, so I see no reason to expect it'll happen this time. The only difference is that I've finally taken the final step in the mudders journey and fallen in love with RPI games. If there was a version of Aetolia with permadeath and player-controlled storytelling, I'd never leave. The game I've moved to is kinda nasty and frankly a little problematic, so I'm not gonna advertise it here, but if you know, you know.

I doubt I'm substantially distancing myself from the game at all, you'll still find me on the official Discord and on the various splinter chats.

Thanks everyone!

Tetchta

Lin said:

If I had any one message to impart to anyone, it'd be this: don't turn Aetolia into an obligation. If you find yourself logging in because the ministry needs to be run, or the shop needs to be managed, or because you have 1-2 friends you want to make appearances to, just bow out! It's not a healthy way to engage with the game!

I tell some people this every so often (less now for obvious reasons) and it was always taken in the most bad faith "you're gunning for my job" way. But, no, like, seriously, if the game is work, just leave! There's no sunk cost to be gained, and you can always work your way back up if the game becomes fun again! Quitting when the game becomes a chore (or stressful! It's a game, it shouldn't be stressful!) is 100% the right call and everyone should do it without feeling like they "have" to stay for anything.

Anyway, have fun!

Lin

Tetchta said:

... and it was always taken in the most bad faith "you're gunning for my job" way.

If there was ever ANY sign someone needed to step back, good lord

Saidenn

I'll add into this, too: As a person who has had to, in the past, step back/retire from a game while actively in a position of 'leadership', the org will survive without you. It may not seem like it, or it may seem like it may degenerate, but it will be fine without you. You are more important than any org in any game. Your well-being and mental health are worth so so so much more. So while it can feel like 'quitting' or 'giving up' it is not. Do what is right for you first, the game will manage. It always does.

But, best of luck to you, @Lin!

Aeryx

Can one hundred percent confirm that taking breaks from Aetolia is a good thing. Enjoy yours!

Damonicus

@Lin PACK. Just to get one more in for old time sake!

Rihrin

I'll admit, been thinking of taking a break myself, but I'm not as fortunate as to find something else to push my time into. So, glad you did, and hope it lasts as long as it can! Enjoy it.

Saltz

@Lin While scary, more consequential deaths (With permanency or loss of all loot/progress) is a highly refreshing concept to me. I have tried a couple of similar games, and it does make you attach less to your character for sure. But, it is a good thing that keeps you on your toes throughout the entire experience and once the inevitable happens, I find myself craving for more with a fresh start. So I'm happy that you are enjoying the genre. And regarding the storytelling, I made my peace with the fact that IRE will never be the place to tell the story through characters' decisions, but tbh, from my personal experience, Aet is doing the best job out of all their games in that regard.

Lin

Saltz said:

@Lin While scary, more consequential deaths (With permanency or loss of all loot/progress) is a highly refreshing concept to me. I have tried a couple of similar games, and it does make you attach less to your character for sure. But, it is a good thing that keeps you on your toes throughout the entire experience and once the inevitable happens, I find myself craving for more with a fresh start.

I think some games definitely have work to do with regards to getting the balance between danger and longevity just right. In the current game I'm playing, you're really not at risk of permadeath unless you're either being supremely stupid, or you've built yourself up to be so powerful that losing the protection is the cost of agency. It has all the perks of permadeath (death seems serious, you behave in a genuinely cautious way, people can TRY to bypass your fancy shield if you really really piss them off and convince them it's worth the risk, no one's a vindictive snowflake shouting taunts from behind the safety of a city wall), while still allowing you to live a normal life and get attached to your character.

Saltz said:

And regarding the storytelling, I made my peace with the fact that IRE will never be the place to tell the story through characters' decisions, but tbh, from my personal experience, Aet is doing the best job out of all their games in that regard.

I guess this was the tilting point. I have been playing this game for about twenty years. I love Aetolia, I really do. You don't stick around with anything for that long (MUDs, children, black tar heroin, etc.) without a genuine connection and passion for it.

But Aetolia gets a little weird when you've been around this long. You don't just master the world and its history, you find yourself in a weird place where if you know the right way to approach it, you're kind of helping create it, even without being in the Pools. I've written books, made crafts, even dropped little hints in RP that ramified into actual, solid lore, sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose and an admin just decided to roll with it. It's enchanting, but also a total tease! I want that kind of control all the time!

That's the exception, not the rule. I'm at the point now where I don't want my RP to be just an inconsequential story I'm telling between Big Plot Updates. We all know that what we do doesn't matter quite as much as a directive from a Celani, but it used to be a little easier not to see the strings. I can't tell if it's a genuine shift or just my own longevity, but the demarcation between player agency and admin direction seems incredibly stark these days, to the point where I'm beginning to recall what Achaeans said about some events feeling like cutscenes.

I can't really bear it, anymore. I wanna play in a space where if I really work for it, and put in some effort, the things I do have just as much gravitas and lasting effect on the world as a God's new pet NPC. I seem to have found a space like that, and I've got to admit, it's a little hard to imagine going back to Aetolia now.


(sneaky edit: plus it's a lot more palatable when I don't have to pump literal thousands of dollars into my character to put them on the same level as everyone else)