Flecko...why should having some server operators create custom content scare you? There will always be servers that try to emulate the live servers in content. But...doesn't hashing the same stuff over and over again get stale? I'm so burned out on Norrath content that it makes me sick. As in ready to throw up at the mere thought of entering it again. VI's "Norrath" is merely an imitation of some far more rich examples of the genre. And it's a pretty thin one at that.
When I consider the fantasy genre in general, I can think of far more immersive worlds, with more memorable characters:
- Tolkien's Middle-Earth, of course!
- Donaldson's The Land, from the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
- Brooks' land of Shannara
- Feist's Midkemia in the Riftwar Saga
- Jordan's world in the Wheel of Time series
- Ansalon in the Dragonlance saga
And this is just to name a few that merely scratch the surface. Norrath is a collection of the most vivid stereotypes from the fantasy genre, but there is a lot more to fantasy than that. That's why I play AD&D, and why I'll be leaving for NWN once it comes out--both give me the opportunity to create and explore my own worlds, and just as importantly, if not more so, find dimensions to fantasy that break the traditional mold of humans, elves, dwarves, ad nauseam. Granted, the systems I mentioned contain these elements, but we are free to add to or change them as we see fit. It's also why I read and why I attempt to write--to broaden my view.
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