Tag: Ryzom

Ryzom Backs Up On Character Wipes, For Subscribers


It appears that wiping your game eight years after release may not be as popular as Ryzom’s developers anticipated. Following the announcement that Ryzom would be merging down to one server, wiping all characters in the process, community response has resulted in those plans being nixed partially. As long as a player is subscribed at the time of the servers going down, they will not be wiped.

All subscribed accounts on the day of closing of the current servers will keep the appearance, the name but also the levels and skill bricks of all characters that are on the account.

Additionally, the server merge has been pushed back to September 29th.

(Source: Ryzom Website)

Would You Continue Playing If Your Characters Were Wiped?


I love perma-death in games. For instance, in Minecraft I always play on Hardcore Mode. I do so knowing that I could make a few weeks or even months of progress in the game, only to die because a spider killed me or I was poisoned or surprised and fell to my death. But I have more of an appreciation for the game’s atmosphere and cautious nature, as death is no longer simply a setback.

This article has nothing to do with perma-death. Rather, I want to talk about losing your character in a situation where you did not foresee losing it, but still have access to the game. I recently had to reformat my hard drive, and I had no opportunity to backup my saves for Mass Effect, Eschalon, and other games where my saves are not saved online. Since then I’ve found a gap in enthusiasm has left me unable to play Mass Effect to the point I was at before the crash.

I had this problem with games like ArchLord, Earth Eternal, and Hellgate, where even though I couldn’t wait for the new host to take over, once the game relaunched and I set up my account I found myself unable to force my way through the same progress I had made initially.

And those games were just available for a year or so. If RuneScape, for example, one day told me that my character of nine years would be wiped, the decision would be simple. While the grind wouldn’t be nearly as bad, the time invested in my character would be so enormous that anything short of the game’s death would not justify losing that time. And a lot of people would return simply out of brand loyalty, or to start “on even ground,” as they tell me. I cant count myself as part of the flock.

After eight years, Ryzom is shutting down two of its three servers, and instead of merging characters has decided to wipe all accounts. I always look at late-age wipes as a high stakes game of Phoenix. The baby that is birthed from the flames might go on to live a full life. On the other hand, as history has shown us with a certain MMO whose community would strangle me, it is often a last gasp before death.

Hopefully Ryzom will see its community loyal enough to not only return but grow in its new life.

Ryzom Going Freemium


Ryzom is one of those titles that may have slipped under your radar. Originally launched in 2004 by Nevrax, Ryzom is a science-fantasy MMO. The game aims to create a living breathing world, offering features such as animals that hunt one another, resources that become unavailable at certain seasons, and more. The game operates on a skill-based system. After Nevrax was acquired, and the game went bankrupt, Ryzom was picked up by Winch Gate, who currently publishes and develops the game.

Starting March 9th, Ryzom is opening up the trial to include the first 125 levels (out of a maximum 250), with no time or area limitations. There are other limitations on inventory, apartment, and guilds that apply.

And as Yumeroh put it:

Despite the freedom of this new system, we would like to remind you that Ryzom can only live on through your paid subscriptions. Thank you for the confidence you have in us.