Hello everyone,

Its been another 6 months subatical[sp?] since i've been in tradewars circles and it seems the final nail might as well be in the coffin from what i've seen so far.

I've played tradewars since aproximatly mid 1993. I played on local bbs's for years. My first taste of internet tw's was a brief visit into the old stardock bbs [bbs.paul.com i think?]. After a few visits that game ended and the bbs went down for good. After that I got my first permanent unlimited time internet account and played my first full game on tipbbs.com [The Infinity Project], also the first time i saw the door version multiplayer. It was a good game but it wasn't til my next game that I met some influentential people and several that are still around, or have since retired from today.

The next game i played was on eclipse bbs. I met many people and had many fun expieriences on this bbs with so many different players. Just to mention a few: Vid Kid [who was on the first corp i got with on there], Kavanah, MegaHertz, Zep, Xerces [sp?], and so many others i can't recall.

Anyway I guess the point i'm getting to is over the years i've seen many great bbs's and servers that hosted the most players die off and disappear. I'm sure there are many factors for this, no new players, people who don't want to compete against scripts they can't write, people who have aged, and married, and just don't have time, etc.

But in the last six months it seems like everything is now gone. Xide is gone, twxproxy is defunct, shipdestroyed is defunct, scripterstavern is defunct.

Can anyone give me some up to date information on where everyone is playing at these days, if there is a "Everyone" or just one or 2 teams left, are tournaments still held and do they get enough players? Where's the hot spot for scripting stuff now, twx proxy or zoc.

Appreciate a reply, and to those that know me , drop me a line. I have my icq back online on a permanent connection, if anyone wants my # drop me a line. Also looking for old teammates, or corps who want a teammate in a low turns [pref. 2k or less] game.

So anyway, bye for now.
-LT

There are still quite a few servers out and you can find active games at http://www.thestardock.com.

TWX is still somewhat alive and well even with Xide not developing it anymore. The Wabbit and Elderprophet are both developing versions of TWX based on the source code Xide released. Public scripts are available at http://www.grimytrader.com.

Several games under the "Corp Wars" banner have been held over the last few months and drew large numbers of players.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Tournaments in general are no more. There aren't enough people willing to put together a corp and bring it to them. Lots of people who want to play, not many that want to actually make a corp.

All to to true K3, even though my corp had its but kicked in the BOTE, it was a small turnout from the last time I entered it years ago. And any tournie I seen since has been a low turnout except for some tournies. They still have a decient turnout. And there are a lot of players out there, just like you said, and not too many wanting to corp together now days. I remember when anyone who wanted a corpie advertised and got loads of players to want in the corp. Not so today!

Sorry to say I think LT is right. there will probly be games and players for a long time still, but not as big and grand as the
years befor. nobody wants to corp anymore, players are drifting
into the lone wolf mode. infact last night me and VidKid had
a very long chat about TW, and how its gone down hill. and how
players are not corping. just playing 2 or 3 games then moving
on to other players, no long lasting friendships. its been awhile
that I have had 3 or 4 game going, now its 1 and not realy enjoy
the play. Even This Fourm has died down, and the GOOD posts are
gone. all thats left is the Recent Chaterboxes (we all know who)
has left this EIS fourm DRY and Boring. I used to checek in 7-8
times a day. now is like ever 2 days. i hope and pray this is just
a slow time. but i fear all the good times are over, and down hill
from here.[V]

I personally think it is like the tide. Players come, and players go. The last tournament I played in before going on "vacation" was HHT 2000. But I came back and have been playing on Ahab's server most of the time. I still keep in touch with some of my old corpies (banano) and have made some new friends here as well (alarmed, ahab, kodiak, etc). Is the game dead? I don't think so. Is the game dying? Possibly. There are so many online games out there today, while back when I played 5-6 years ago all you had were MUDS and some lame games. The game has stagnated. There doesn't seem to be any new development on it. I could be wrong, but there's nothing new to bring in fresh blood to replace the people who leave to play WOW. I also think (and I hope I'm wrong on this one) that the TW community isn't very friendly to new players. Someone tries the game out for the first time, and gets pdropped and #SD# in a matter of minutes. I'm willing to host some games for people who want to teach their friends how to play, or to let them practice as a corp. I know zilla used to inhabit Ahab's server, and I hope he feels welcome on mine. If anyone wants a game set up for them and their friends, just message me here. My $.02.

quote:Originally posted by Vulcan

All to to true K3, even though my corp had its but kicked in the BOTE, it was a small turnout from the last time I entered it years ago. And any tournie I seen since has been a low turnout except for some tournies. They still have a decient turnout. And there are a lot of players out there, just like you said, and not too many wanting to corp together now days. I remember when anyone who wanted a corpie advertised and got loads of players to want in the corp. Not so today!


It truly does make me sad. Not in a pathetic depressed way, after all this is just a text based game, but in a "I always thought it would be there if i needed it" way.

I remember when my ICQ was buzzing with someone giving me info on there latest script, chatting at me to join a game, or just chat. I reloaded my ICQ after getting internet access at my home again after 6 months and unless everyone removed me from there icq list, there just not into it anymore. I've recieved 1 , YES ONLY 1 icq from someone I cherish in the tw's community as a player i enjoyed corping with over the years since i've been back. That player was bud/black legend. It really is a sad state of affairs.

I played 1 game since i've been back and there was no competition. I don't even know where to play, or if i want to. With no corpies i'd hate to play in any game at alienbase where the few remaining mega's of 5 player teams have the utmost advantage in any game, nor do I want to play solo in the game i chose to play at when I came back and win agaist newbs in 36 hours of play [when they'd played for 2 weeks]. Hell I don't know, if anyone knows of a decent game with credible competition andw ants me as a corpie drop me a line I might be willing to give it one more go.

The only requirements i ask are that the turns be limited to 2k or less pls. I don't like unlimiteds or ridiculously high turn games.

-LT

quote:Originally posted by Oso

I personally think it is like the tide. Players come, and players go. The last tournament I played in before going on "vacation" was HHT 2000. But I came back and have been playing on Ahab's server most of the time. I still keep in touch with some of my old corpies (banano) and have made some new friends here as well (alarmed, ahab, kodiak, etc). Is the game dead? I don't think so. Is the game dying? Possibly. There are so many online games out there today, while back when I played 5-6 years ago all you had were MUDS and some lame games. The game has stagnated. There doesn't seem to be any new development on it. I could be wrong, but there's nothing new to bring in fresh blood to replace the people who leave to play WOW. I also think (and I hope I'm wrong on this one) that the TW community isn't very friendly to new players. Someone tries the game out for the first time, and gets pdropped and #SD# in a matter of minutes. I'm willing to host some games for people who want to teach their friends how to play, or to let them practice as a corp. I know zilla used to inhabit Ahab's server, and I hope he feels welcome on mine. If anyone wants a game set up for them and their friends, just message me here. My $.02.


I think what you say is partially true. To be honest thought some of the best times I ever had as a player was dieing. In dieing you learn the most [or you quit, which seems to be the worlds mentality on any endevour these days, lose, and give up].

As far as "new players" I know of very few people who are "new players". Most new players are twariors who played the game in the past and on a whim 8 years later [today] did a search on it and found "wow it still exists" and entered a game. Having never really had the knowledge of competitive play of today they die quickly and just give up. And those who are really trying it out for the first time, always give up when they die because "why waste time on this dumb text based game?".

There isn't much the programmers could do to entice new players. If all the settings are changed no scripts would work and most don't have the desire to change everything to compete in this medium.

As far as the past. Dude i can remember playing DOOM in like 1994 on a mbbs system via game connection against 3 other people on a 14.4 modem. LOL that first time was the bomb! But i still found time for tradewars because it was a different type of atmosphere.

In a way this reminds me of the bbs era. I loved bbs's, still think it was the best medium ever. In my hayday I ran a 1 line local bbs [under renegade software] that pulled in 300 msgs posted a day on average. The line was alaways active. And sadly slowly but surely it all died away. In the end in 1998 I only had my 7 CORE friends/users left posting msgs. It all ended when i moved in 1998 to help my grandmother who had altzhimers, but it woulda died away anyway. I guess everything has its time. And to be honest i'm surprised tradewars lasted as long as it did. I miss the many friends/enemies i corped with/played against and hope that at least for the short term i'll have just a few more to play against til it all crumbles to ashes.

peace
-LT

Ok, I havent read all this thread, but I realize what some of you folks may be feeling, thats why I am trying to complete TWGS SysBot, maybe the changes and options it will hopefully bring may change the strategem of Twars, heck i odnt know, but i am trying ot make htis contribution so we can bring in some life back into the game. Without having to deal with the ehtical issues of T-EDIT. T-EDIT is my friend but it is also my worst enemy, I hope SysBot will break this... someday. For more info on SysBot, check out my post in the GameOp forum, info resides there.

ExCon

Good to see you back Kurt. There are still a few of the old Eclipse crew playing, Vid and Rider, next Adomma Cowboy and me - we three have been playing alienbase game B for several years. I saw Tweety in a game a few weeks ago. Naz has been making noises about coming back, as has Krank. Zoobar, The Mad Hatter and Space Ghost resurface from time to time. Mega, Andromeda/Starr and Xerces quit shortly after TWGS. Babsy/Bad Girl quit a few years ago after several nasty flame wars.

Things have changed, as you said. You never see a regular non tourney game with 15 to 20 players online in the same game like on Eclipse. I think that there are two main reasons for this. First off, the old BBS format, with public and private forums, emails, multiple types of non tw games, encouraged a BBS loyalty (which is how BOTE originated). Next, TWGS does not need a BBS and hence is much simpler for a sysop to set up. This resulted in a proliferation of available games. More games, same player base, fewer players/game.

I lost your ICQ several hard disk crashes back, likely the same thing happened to many of your other former contacts. My ICQ is 13613573.

Welcome back LT , yes it does seem that games are mostly solo or big corps with locked down games.
Players have been jumping around over servers , last few I followed were at AlienBase and TheDeepSouth .. I've retired to one game at a time unless somethings comes along.

I'm kinda waiting for TWGS to Final Realse
But saddined by news that the AI will not be out in this last release.

TradeWars has become more script dependant then the old days where macro would do the trick (as long as you have kid's to type F1 pause F2)
hehehe

Look me up icq #14-340-614
heheheh

quote:Originally posted by Kavanagh

Good to see you back Kurt. There are still a few of the old Eclipse crew playing, Vid and Rider, next Adomma Cowboy and me - we three have been playing alienbase game B for several years. I saw Tweety in a game a few weeks ago. Naz has been making noises about coming back, as has Krank. Zoobar, The Mad Hatter and Space Ghost resurface from time to time. Mega, Andromeda/Starr and Xerces quit shortly after TWGS. Babsy/Bad Girl quit a few years ago after several nasty flame wars.

Things have changed, as you said. You never see a regular non tourney game with 15 to 20 players online in the same game like on Eclipse. I think that there are two main reasons for this. First off, the old BBS format, with public and private forums, emails, multiple types of non tw games, encouraged a BBS loyalty (which is how BOTE originated). Next, TWGS does not need a BBS and hence is much simpler for a sysop to set up. This resulted in a proliferation of available games. More games, same player base, fewer players/game.

I lost your ICQ several hard disk crashes back, likely the same thing happened to many of your other former contacts. My ICQ is 13613573.


Ya I remember the thing with bad girl. It was about 1995 when I first played on eclipse i think. As i've said before I ran a bbs and miss the old bbs days so I know how the loyalty thing was linked to bbs's. Places like eclipse, old fament with jake as TW_OP, evolution bbs [i'm sure some will remember that], also mudwars [the place i first met nazwes chaiwind years ago].

Anyway, My ICQ # for anyone who wants it is: 168-072-477.

BTW, speaking of alienbase, anyone know why its been down last 2 days?

-LT