This review explains, with specifics, what makes Accursed Lands THE premier MUD. It is simply the best and our entire player base agrees...
It eliminates the inflexible, cliched idea of guilds and classes, which, like it or not, cheapens the individuality of a character and simply restricts you to an overly defined role with limitations and expectations. In most MUds, you become a circle chaser, always fighting the same situations in the same places trying to achieve the next number, in an unrealistic, predictable way.
Accursed Lands takes everything in a different direction. First of all, creating a character is half the fun, with a clever system of deciding starting stats and skills based on childhood experiences where you make choices. Will you create a muscular, uneducated blacksmith with a background in herbology? Or a dextrous theif with a skill for the very difficult arcane arts? (which, btw, is made interesting by the central theme, which holds magic use in an evil and highly secretive light).
However, the beauty is that this will only decide where you character begins. You are not limited to certain skills, but rather, the entire wide spectrum of every skill in the game (of which their are hundreds) is available to everyone... that blacksmith can read in the library if he wants to increase his intelligence. That thief can learn to make an honest living tailoring clothes.
The fun doesn't lie in climbing the ranks in a particular profession, but rather, seeing any results you like in your unique character by practicing only the things you choose to spend time on, and watching your own character develop as he perfects these skills.
By developing more and more skills and raising your stats (in which there is no ceiling), you will be able to conquer more and more challenges which are all spread amongst an immersive world. The dungeons are incredibly exciting and there always a challenging aspect to them... if it's dark, you'll need a torch with ample time to burn left and a free hand to carry it... and you probably will even have to start by carving that torch.
The travel system is extremely realistic, and ties in many things such as your character's skill moving in a particular terrain, their distance and night vision, and how hindered they are by what they are carrying.
The combat system is highly advanced yet easy to use, and is based on strategy. Rather than the computer just taking your combat skills into account and the user putting in single commands... AL's system requires the user to carefully balance between ten different aspects of fighting to find a perfect equilibrium between them, that is different for every scenario. Do you need to focus on dodging more or disrupting your opponent's dodge? Are you aiming for the right spots? Isn't so passive it creates boredom nor so demanding that it is overwhelming, yet is incredibly realistic.
Our users are all very fun and helpful and there are extensive array of resources for users seeking help or advice. Our community is friendly, we all know one another, and we are always ready to welcome more in.
Once you start playing this game, it is warned that it is likely that you will never want to NOT be playing this game. It's very fun and addictive, and definetly is a MUD in a category all its own.
