It has been easier for us at Evol Online to go along with a merge. But thus far I see only wushin working on it. Any time wasted to confusion is detrimental to both our communities.
One world under Manaplus is what we are either way. No one has made a new player-set, and the most radical ideas do not use the server paradigm of gnarly RO emulators.
Why are we not merging with Len's Whispers of Avalon? There is a lot more to be lost to incompatibility.
Ultimately the merge will happen insofar as 4144 has made a superior client that continues to be maintained, and contributes to a living server.
You will rage-quit. You will leave TMW, but it will not leave you. You will come back. There will be more noise from those who quit than from those who stay.
We've shared data, a client, even users, but we have not shared a server. It does seem unrealistic, but the people who work on these the most are not changing their mind.
In a way this satiates my need for revenge. If it fails, you can have what Platyna was left with after being burglarized, and for being an inept and inactive administrator to begin with. This is the curse of xAthena games. The structure always comes crashing down around its nasty contradictions. Nothing in nature is without contradiction, and that too is a contradiction at times.
Even though there is majority support for it, time wasted to confusion will count against both. All we have to lose is you, so precious that your account data was stolen from an inept administrator in Poland to keep the cards dealing.
Evol Online is better off without TMW. Evol has a good community and skilled developers. TMW has a lot of gunk under the rug. When I think of TMW, I remember things going everywhere such that the big picture was lost, among other lost big pictures under a pile of ideas that the developers never anticipated becoming almost vaguely popular. I don't want your trolls, I don't want your foul-mouthed intolerant jerks. I don't want your o11c and MadCamel, you can keep them.
The big picture and those who see the future for the big picture are what matters to Evol.
As for compensation and your account data, it is better off wiped-out. The end-game of every MMO is to die of inflation once the development can not keep pace with the desires of players for new levels of achievement, more of what the narrow-minded sort calls "content" - stuff to fill an empty box, having come from no emotion, going to a game as interesting as non-sentient beings.
If you must make contributions in the meantime, evaluate the commits that are answering the who what where when how and why questions. Remember Manaserv? This one is not optional unless 4144 wants to support an old version of the same server that he has been contributing to. Make your own client in brain-dead Python, or Perl in MC's case.
Wushin tells me this is about the future. Reid is all for it. 4144 is too busy to care about anything non-technical.
Yes it is easier for we at Evol to go along with a map change and lay the burden of making a new account on you.
Your only compensation will be, at best, "content", something created as heartlessly as you are regarded.
The future is on crack. Tomorrow never comes. Every moment wasted counts against every individual involved in development.
And it will be this way forever, unless put otherwise by a paradigm-shift.
Consensus and sincere efforts matter little to the objective reality saying this is a farce worth going along with as it will not go away. After all, what did Platyna tell you?
Once again, the 'plan', as the Joker might say, it will "just do things", like a dog chasing cars.
Glad I'm not you. Be glad you aren't me. We are an illusion to one another, so don't make a big deal of it.
TMW is under direction. Your director is an arm-chair anarchist.
Reid is the only one who I can say knows how to keep a steady course for many years.
Many years will lose you here and now for a there and then that has yet to fizzle.
Wish it luck. Put in some of that unimaginative "content" this ghetto is needed for.
A software project is run by the software. The software decides to evolve or it will die. Any sincere attempt at art is still waiting for the future.
Come join Evol. Leave this rust-bucket to the past it is buried under.
https://www.evolonline.org/