Friday 1 September 2006

Pic of the day: You have finally taken your bucket off your head, Itlandsen. From this day you shall never again wage war. Sit down and rest your weary frame in front of the church to which you were always loyal.

Goodbye Camelot

I have closed my account on Dark Age of Camelot, after having only played it a few minutes a month for a year or more now. I see there is a new expansion coming. I see the graphics have become really good. I see some other company has bought Mythic Entertainment, who make the game. But I know that unless the game gets an interface as easy and intuitive as City of Heroes, I am not going to return. Probably not even then. Well, unless CoH is closed down for some reason. Perhaps not even then.

I have lots of fond memories of this game. It wasn't my first MMORPG, that was The Realm (or was that Realms?), by Sierra On-Line, later run by Realmserver, and it had a beautiful music which I enjoyed even after I left the game. But I spent far more time in DAoC. It was my main game, online or offline, for a couple years I guess. You can see that from the screenshots, and numerous entries about the game as well.

The game has not grown worse. It has grown better. But with CoH and Sims2, there is just plain not time for another game. Barely even for those. And so this is, as far as I know, the final farewell.

***

I could not leave Itlandsen, the overly defensive Paladin, down in the Stygian abyss of Darkness Falls, deep in the convoluted caves and surrounded by various demons. It is where he spent most of his mature years, that is true, but I could not bring myself to leave him there. So I brought him back to Camelot. So many things have changed since he used to be an armorcrafter there. It is a much prettier place than it used to be. But it is a lonely place now. All his friends are long gone. The streets were mostly deserted as he made his way to the cathedral for the last time and took his helmet off.

Rest now, Itlandsen, Guardian of the Darkness. No one will disturb your rest forevermore. But you will live on in the memory of your creator.

I remember my heart was pounding
when we played carelessly,
but we can't go back to that place now.
Let us start walking from here,
with the treasures in our hands!
With your warmth
and memories of everyone in my dream,
I will go on.

Yell, ending song to the anime To Heart.