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With the words of Stephen King (Just change Arnette with Amia.)

Stephen King wrote:

Since, he had thought of leaving Arnette, searching for something better, but small-town inertia held him the low siren song of familiar places and familiar faces.

Quote:

Why do you still play/use NWN?

Same answer as you Disco, it's the only (semi-) MMORPG experience out there where, at the same time, you still have a (limited) ability to alter the world you play in, as in a tabletop game. Nothing remotely like it out there at this time in that regard.

Quote:

Why Amia?

Also, basically the same as you again. Force of habit, familiarity with the server, and time already invested here. Futhermore, related to the above, NWN is the only kind of its type out there and Amia is the biggest, best-supported (RP) server using it, so it's the only real choice at this time, besides maybe Arelith.

I am not sure exactly why I stay, though I can think of a few reasons. Also, I could have written my own response, but it was going to echo the reasons of many. So, I just quoted:

Maias227 wrote:

<snip> telling a good story.

Dakotaen wrote:

People I know, certain characters I enjoy playing, certain characters I enjoy watching others play, hope (of varying kinds).

Mishy moo wrote:

Though I am rarely on any more, the one thing that niggles at me is the players I miss. The players defeat my will power.

The amazing role play you come across. I love how deep characters are, how real their emotions are, how they surprise you all the time because you can not control them. I love exploring my own characters.. How far one can toe the line with their emotions/beliefs/wants and needs, and have out of the ordinary experiences that you would never have in the real world :)

<snip>

On a side note: I noticed that the popularity of a post on the PC Story forum is proportional to the popularity of the character(s) you play and the frequency with which you play them. Before my break, my posts were read by an average of 25 people. Now, I am lucky if 17 are reading. Breaks my heart. >.<

The people.
The variety.
The fact I can design for the server now.
The friends in the community.
The grand roleplay you can find.

In some order of importance, I guess:

The freedom, first and foremost. I can do what I want, and it's no one will stick their noses into my business.

The lack of stupid restrictions and rules.

The community, obviously. I love the DM staff, and there are many awesome players. It's always fun to log in to work and play with you.

The setting. It's FR, with enough of its unique flavour and room to create.

The fact that it's big. In terms of playerbase, module size, history, and all the work done for it.

Amia in general and the fact I don't find many good RP in general on any game anywhere. It's so relaxing to be someone who you're not.

Time invested in one server doesn't preclude you from investing in another though. When you play Amia for a dozen or more hours a week, what's a half-hour exploring somewhere else really costing you?

Mostly what keeps me interested in Amia is the DM team.

Anyone who can keep giving that much effort to help people who often don't give them anything but headaches is pure awesome in my books.

Secondly, it's great to see a server where players can get so much control over the world so long as they're willing to put the work into it.

As a nod to the second point, I love the idea that there are major PC villians out there. Having a player antagonist really inspires me to play a hero.

Here's my list:

The module is great!
The Job System adds depth
The quality of roleplay has improved immensely, most people RP on "hunts" these days
I keep finding new areas (I love to explore) and they're pretty too!
My imagination needs a place to escape to, from dreary RL
The DMs are consistently firm but fair
The unique summons
The mythalling system

There's probably things I've missed but, yeah, the synergy of all that together makes me return most days.

1. It has people :shock:

2. It actually runs the way its supposed too
3. no overabundance of PvP'ers or Power-builders.
4. not another "generic unchangeable part of Faerun"
5. Its not looooow magic
6. it's not hardcore roleplay only

Lutra needs a spanking!!

The Chicken keeps me coming back! Oh and the rest of the staff too...I guess.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I come back to make old jokes about Disco.

SoundofaStream wrote:

The module is great!
The Job System adds depth
The quality of roleplay has improved immensely, most people RP on "hunts" these days
I keep finding new areas (I love to explore) and they're pretty too!
My imagination needs a place to escape to, from dreary RL
The DMs are consistently firm but fair
The unique summons
The mythalling system

J.G. wrote:

1. It has people :shock:

2. It actually runs the way its supposed too
3. no overabundance of PvP'ers or Power-builders.
4. not another "generic unchangeable part of Faerun"
5. Its not looooow magic
6. it's not hardcore roleplay only

These Stuffz!
Most notably the people part - the fact that, if I leave, everything I've started will be ruined and have to be restarted. Plus, If I leave without warning as usual, I've left people hanging in roleplays that could've led to exiting places.

Amia is a huge world, with many different people. Diversity.

Amia is an open minded world. Freedom.

Amia is a changing world, it grows, it changes, it lives. Development.

Amia is a world of dreams and fortune, it is for you what you need/want it to be. Accomodation.

Amia is one of the most advanced and awesome servers, and it doesn't even use a hak! Interesting.

Amia is build and maintained with something that is rare and that makes it special. That something is called love, and those who know where to look, will always see and appreciate it.

Thankyou.

White Spirit wrote:

Amia is a huge world, with many different people. Diversity.

Amia is an open minded world. Freedom.

Amia is a changing world, it grows, it changes, it lives. Development.

Amia is a world of dreams and fortune, it is for you what you need/want it to be. Accomodation.

Amia is one of the most advanced and awesome servers, and it doesn't even use a hak! Interesting.

Amia is build and maintained with something that is rare and that makes it special. That something is called love, and those who know where to look, will always see and appreciate it.

Thankyou.

QFE and agreement. The people, the development, the way the DM team (often) works with players to make things happen, and, oh, yeah, Amia is the only medium-RP server I know of and, though I don't like grinding or hunting on nearly any of my characters, it's a perfect fit for my style.

The fact that I can RP with ease, and still get mondo XP for it.
The people... Cant have an awesome server without them.
The shear size of the isle.
All the new areas constantly being added.
It's not FRC.

Nuff said.

I go to amia over other servers because well how the atmosphere is the last few servers I went to you would never see a dm on doing anything. Here you can spend 10mins during general hours and see a dm event going on. So that is the reason I go to amia over other servers.

I come back because the people on amia make it wanting to come back and that it is a great stress relief to come on to.

The fact I came here as an unknown player, with a bad view on how to play and adhere to rules, though over time I made friends, I learned to respect and managed to achieve things.

The addictiveness really comes down to how easy it is to lose yourself in hours of play be it through faction, player or DM events. Nothing here is down to one sole part without all three we would not have a server we have come to love.

Without the changes made to this server be it cosmetic or script the server would not have survived so long. And for that I thank the developement team, especially the little tax man I followed from BoB.

Thank you players for making this server enjoyable for me, thank you DM team for putting up with me through the bad days.

A note to any new players: If you look around and wonder how things came to be, just ask. If you feel afraid to go out there and try to make a difference dont be, the DM team here is unique and will try to help you.

I keep coming back to Amia because the development has been well thought out. (Bar a few balance changes.) And the areas are -extremely- fun. I would also say "Friend and RP" but that's cliche and every server has those.

Why do I come back?

Psh.

Yaston.

No, seriously, I come back to be a part of the ever-developing stories of my and others' chars. It's like being in a movie

For me:

The characters: I love a good story and the multitude of characters both good evil and in between really make Amia what it is. The more original the characters, the more fun they are to be around. Seeing people put their time effort and imagination into each long-term character is what builds Amia into what it is.

The people: We've got one of the most dedicated, creative cast of global players I have ever played in a game. (Granted my gaming history isn't so expansive, with games like Diablo II under my belt.) At any rate, they are fun to play with and also give Amia an identity.

The Story/History: After a while it just grows on you. I've been here for about five years, and I still find it entertaining to pop on now and again even when the storyline is at a low. I am not nearly as frequent as I used to be, but I still like to dive into the role now and again and do my part as a character. I am not one who is addicted per se, but I can't help but admit that I am a bit attached due to the fun experience I have had so far.

Disco wrote:

Where's the time that people said they played here because it was the best server? Don't you have any good spirits left? It's just depressing to read [this] thread, you know.

Alright, this has been sitting on my mind and really getting to me. So I'm going to expand my answer to "What keeps me coming back?"

Now, my first qualm is that wording "best server". I've got to do a little devil's advocate first: why should it have to be "the best" for a qualifier when looking for why people like playing? What about that specific word is it sought for?

Now that my mind can be clear of that I can answer and I sincerely mean this in a positive attitude. Amia I do not think of as "the best" partially because I avoid "picking bests". I've never had one game that is "the best" or one server online that I call "the best". But mainly:

Amia is the only server I play.

By default, I guess Amia is "the best" to me. I've loved it since I joined. I've had some rought times of being the stupid noob and I've had some excellent times of making discoveries or showing somebody else around the to get started here.

The Number #1 factor I look for in my online games is the Community. I have a few games with that exception in that it's MMO but I play single player out of preference as a very small part-time thing. But NWN was introduced to me; specifically for Amia, for it's Community of Role Playing.

In my time here I have been told about Arelith, Twilight somesuch, Tales of Silver Marches, and a few other servers. In my time on Amia and NWN, I have never once looked at another server to play on. Ever. None.

Amia -is- the server for me. Or, it is the server for us, and it thrives because we thrive. (Did I confuse anyone yet?) This is a smaller group of people than say my experience with World of Warcraft, City of Heroes/Villains, and Puzzle Pirates. But this community has proven to be the most persistent in bringing "that warm welcome". We all have some less-than-good days, some bickering, some irks and quirks and ires. But overall we're a bunch of happy nutters down inside and insistant to continue this virtual wonderland of stories.

I mean, we have gone beyond just Role Playing. Amia isn't a server that says "do quest X and receive a reward - pretend you made a difference". I mean, sure, we have "get the orc's head" but it's not required you ever do it. You don't advance your story and your plot by doing quests like a series of missions. The quests are in place to help you progress your PC and give you something (if you need it or wish to) build on for some RP. Sometimes it's just nice for the extra bonus to the hunt because we want to level/earn gold. Quests are a bonus, not the gameplay.

You can, yes, fully make a difference. Blow up a building (and hope you didn't miss) and see what happens. Or more kindly, stabilize the forest population between PC denziens and wildlife. Hold back a ogres and let the family of PC's escape with their lives. Bribe a few NPC's to start spreading rumors or hire the couriers to sing your own graces. You can take actions that are not "do x objective" - these are actions that alter the gameplay entirely. And we're the ones who have to make it happen.

Amia is a smaller group, but that makes a huge advantage. And I mean smaller as in it is not a WoW sized community. I think seeing 200~ different people online is a very sizable community for NWN. And most people play a few characters which multiplies the "living" community of the server. I use "living" to refer to PC's causing interactions, storyline, and events as well as when DM's have their own PC's or NPC's progressing tales and changes.
Amia has an actual Linear History that is moldable. Do we all know what will happen next? Nope! We sure can try to make the future that we want though. We can build up the Delta Lands or Cave in the Yuan-ti home. Maybe we try to make a pact with the beastmen and rebuild the minmir bridge under their control. We don't have a set point of "following this leads to Y event in the history set for you". I can make a new character and repeate the quests around; however, the history is not the same for that character at all. Maybe my first character cleaned out the rats on the ship when Ne'sek was being attacked. My later character cleaned out the rats on the ship but this time Ne'sek was already rebuilding and it was Amia's Forest ablaze. Linear History; some history repeating itself (quests) but overall the Real Life of the server is always changing and progressing forwardly.

So maybe I don't use the words "best server" for Amia. I don't know what the competition out there has and I don't personally judge that way.

Amia is the Server for Me.

I always come back because I really like the people that plays in Amia, I think the server is well maintained, always changing, always improving. I have fun every time I log and when I am not able to dedicate time to it I have not to log at all or I become absorbed by it.

It is too damn difficult to not log in Amia and for two years I was online for over eight hours every day what made my real life a bit too difficult. I think it is a fun addiction.

I also love the characters I created in the server and when I tried to play them somewhere else, it was not even close to the same feeling. Amia feels like home. When I log and play, I feel like coming back home after a long travel.

So, yeah, in my opinion, if I have time to play any game why settle for something else when Amia is just perfect to me? Outdated? Well, I am not playing Amia for kicking ass graphics, I think that Disco, the DMs, the people behind all the creation that goes on in Amia do a great job with an outdated game to keep it entertaining.

I tried WoW for a while, couldn't find any fun in it. I tried Conan for a while, didn't find my place there either. The graphics are great, the modules amazing, the creatures, the characters are all great, but it is simply not Amia.

Simply said, because Amia is Amia.

No place I'd rather play. Best I've found to my tastes over 5-some years of owning NWN. And I think I did nothing but browse servers the first whole year after finishing the campaigns.

Well, Amia got me back again just recently. I'd tried to leave, but it called.

1.) I love the people. Surround yourself with a bunch of creative authors? Incredible.

2.) The world reacts to what we do! Always changing!

3.) Dedication from the players and DM staff. You dont find it -anywhere- else. I've looked. >.>

4.) To one day... beat Darthion. (Motivational fist clench)

Shame on me, I know. But I keep reading posts that make me go: "Oh, right! This is what I think too! Why could I not think about it before?"

So, yes, one more.

belgianbonzai wrote:

Zanthair wrote:

Have a good break, it does wonders.

And, if its any consolation, I don't give amia the credit as the best server on NWN because i take it as a given. Actually, its the only server I play, so why wouldnt i think it was the best? If it wasnt for Amia, I wouldn't even have NWN installed on my computer anymore.

This is the same for me actually.

I had one big break of amia where i played on another server (untill a fire destroyed the copies of the module + the server :( ) but that had more to do with some people on here which i really disliked then the module itsself.

Fact that I now stick to amia is partly because im not interested in finding a new module and starting all over investing lots of time; partly because i doubt i will find something that suits my taste so well anyways.

Thirded, fully.

Both quotes, yep.

What keeps me coming back is the simple art of random adventure. I have found that playing more sporadically suits me better. I don't come back for the "characters and IC groups" so much as I like to come back in with a character and experience the random newness that will develop with every log-in.

I like killing and I like the people that play, and by playing less I avoid getting bogged down with drama and complaints.

Phearnun wrote:

The people.
The variety.
The fact I can design for the server now.
The friends in the community.
The grand roleplay you can find.

seconed

krytellan wrote:

I like killing and I like the people that play, and by playing less I avoid getting bogged down with drama and complaints.

But Amia was built for lame Dramma. Soap Opera on Amia = Dream Coins.

Murex wrote:

krytellan wrote:

I like killing and I like the people that play, and by playing less I avoid getting bogged down with drama and complaints.

But Amia was built for lame Dramma. Soap Opera on Amia = Dream Coins.

"I don't like it so it's lame."

Very good.

Murex wrote:

krytellan wrote:

I like killing and I like the people that play, and by playing less I avoid getting bogged down with drama and complaints.

But Amia was built for lame Dramma. Soap Opera on Amia = Dream Coins.

Wow, that was awfully constructive. Anymore wit or wisdom there, sir?

... While I will not expound on it I take insult at the fact you said Amia was built for 'Lamma drama'. It was built for people to RP as they desired (within some reasonable restrictions as set out by our server rules).

Why come back? Well, you know, it's like being in love. You can't really explain why you love someone, you just do... So yes, I want to make love to the server.

Man, that was a total cop-out answer.

I wasn't being serious. If I was, I wouldn't be on Amia. :roll:

I thought sarcasm was used frequently here, but I guess I'm wrong.

Tone is difficult to put into text.

Im here because they havent figured out a lock that keeps me out yet

Yurell wrote:

Tone is difficult to put into text.

Quote of the fucking century there, Yurell, old man.

Regards,

The support networks.

People are always willing to give advice and try to make things easier for those that need help. The DMs are tolerant and the developers are artists. Most of the players are mature and willing to lose. That and I'm healthy again(not dead) and thus have time to waste.

Needling Tormak also... he has amusing tantrums, the disdainful kind you'd expect from royalty.

We are not amused.

Yurell wrote:

Tone is difficult to put into text.

Speak for yourself, I find it easy to sound like an arse.

Only reason I'm back is coz I heard a few of my mates were banned. Figured they were a little lost without me to keep them in line.

I wasn't sure at first, but I'd say:

The people I get on with on the server.

The fact it doesn't take forever to level a character, but it still takes me a while, even though Amia is 'easier' than other servers. Amia was the first server I actually got past level five on.

Habbit, by now, may play a part in it.

Some of my characters, which I actually managed to stick to.

Amia has a variety of RP.

There maybe more, but I can't think of them right now.

These forums are a major contributor for me. It is a pleasant environment where I can relax, without the usual trolls, arseholes and utter morons one tends to find in other forums.

Drugs

Thats why I keep comming back to amia, and My seperation anxiety from Ron

p.s. Back and trying to adjust to the freaky new systems like unarchiving

Teufel Eldritch wrote:

-edit- the fact that HiPS hasn't been nerfed.... yet.

Well technically is has been already, needing 6 lvls instead of 1 for HiPS... but I actually like that one alot, makes more sense RP and Lore-wise to me.

To answer the OP...

I like Amia because of the people mainly, In the 5 years (more or less) of Playing on Amia, the people have always been willing to help me out when I was either ignorant or new. EVERYTHING I know about D&D I learned here. I am always using Amia (not NWN) as a referance when trying to understand things when playing PnP.

Did I mention the great people, from the royal poultry to the noobs trying to learn their way. (admittedly I have my good and bad days

)

The RP is great, the people are awesome, the DM staff have made a game that was already pretty good into something -Amazing- and...pretty much everything else that has already been said.

10 outta 10

The people.

The setting and map.

The constant updates that make Amia MORE persistent than others servers.

The DC system. By far the best system to individualize your character and make it unique.

The fact that people actually fight bicker argue and scream on the forums sometimes over it. I don't like the actual fighting and bickering per say, I like the REASON they fight and bicker. They just love this damn game THAT MUCH!

The characters. I love people's takes on characters. Everyone has their own unique perpesctive on things. I love the randomness of finding a new character with a story and past life and all that good stuff.

The class changes. Summon changes.

I also love the work that is put into it. I love that there are people who strive and work hard to make it better, sometimes taking crap from us players.

don't honestly think I'll ever leave Amia until Magnum posts one day that he HAS to shut it down.

NWN is perhaps the only game I can play with 99% of the bandwidth being drained by torrents, it's one of the bonuses of the game being developed to run so smoothly for dialup.

As for Amia in particular, truthfully my attention is extraordinarily hard to keep with any single game, regardless I dislike a few of the "cushier" rules such as death penalties and lack of consequence, I do come back to Amia because of the rich RP that to be honest is almost lost completely in every other game, but I can still retain my competitive PvP nature in the game as well when I wish to. (eg. Shadowflame tourney let me PvP whilst remaining entirely IC.)

As was also stated by others.. I enjoy looking into people's concepts of their characters, scratching the "Parents killed while young, demon-god-devil-fae-smurf blood" stories, there are some really well thought out characters that I enjoy trying to delve into their history and learning about them.

I'm going to add in that I keeping sticking around because I feel there is value to the time I've invested here. I was so enthralled in my first months around here, despite some stupid moments or bad OOCness on my part, that I remember deciding that I need to set myself to stick around for more than "3".

"3" for me is my limit number. Sometimes it's trying a game for 3 days to find out I'm not interested. Usually a game will last me 3 months. World of Warcraft died for me at 3 years.

With Amia, I was really concerned that I'd get stuck in my "3 months" pattern. I knew I really liked some of the RP I was seeing, style to the game, and learning DnD along with Amia (even if mechanics are altered by Bioware for certain niceties).

I'm sailing on a year-and-half-or-so and I'm glad that I've held myself to staying around. I've gone through two or three times of lower activity. But the big GRAND to Amia for me is the sense of value in the time I've spent here so far. I feel to have a good friend-group, I keep meeting new faces, I even keep re-meeting (*makes up a word*) faces that I will annoy with "hello" tells for a week and not RP with them for another month because the PC's are just in different stories/lives/timezones. All-in-all, I still feel there is value to the time spent in-game, on the forums, on MSN during my low activity days. Wherever it is, Amia's somehow rooted to it.

What Keeps You Coming Back to Play Amia?

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