((First, some music))
Hello. I am writing with both praise and criticism. As a role player on the server, I have created various characters. Some races have attracted me more than others. Some have steered me away. In some cases, however, some races had attracted me, only to have a lore change end my idea for a character concept, or even completely end my character.
Now, some changes have been for the better. Adding new hair and eye colors, skin tones, subraces, forms, etc. However, some changes seem silly for no apparent reason. Some initial rules also seem silly for no reason. Like, why the limitation on what races can become Urls? Why not add special forms for the Urls depending on if they were an Allar, Slizzar, Varren, etc? I understand that the staff don't want too many crazy creatures running around, but still, the idea remains. There is also the fact that dwarves and Songaskia can't be Urls, or skin tone changes for Kathar or Isldar. Not all is bad, of course. For example, the new forms Url can take, such as bears, boars, etc. But if someone wants to be a dwarf Url that takes the form of a ram, why not?
The changes to racial physiology has greatly expanded, allowing some races to be fatter, stronger, leaner, etc. This is a change for the positive in my eyes, but still not 100%. There are still limitations to some races in terms of body fat that don't entirely make sense, like Varrens being capped at average. I understand metabolism, but a good metabolism can only get you so far. With MPM, players can be creative with their character's body proportions, but some limitations do prevent some creativity.
Finally, there have been races that have been removed entirely. Though the reasons make sense, with the race rewrites happening now, many old races could have been rewritten to be less power game-y. Avarr come to mind, as we as Maiar. This hurts players in my eyes. Simply put, though, many new races need to be thought out before implementation. Why add a race that is specifically designed to kill everyone? To be ultra aggressive? That limits playability of the race. That makes them unfun to play as and to play against. I feel certain races could have been salvaged and still be playable to this day if they had been better thought out. If something doesn't work, I would rather see a race changed in power and ability then to see them be removed, or made unplayable.
In conclusion, I feel that things are generally getting better, but some things take steps for the worse. I have seen players who have characters for years, only to need to abandon them. It is disheartening to see this happen, when we are a server about choice. Though I have great respect for the staff, especially Marty, I feel that some decisions are for the worse. It's hard to make decisions, and I'm sure it can hurt for some staff to see players upset by decisions made. I write not to hurt anyone, but to see the server evolve. To see it shaped into a place where anyone can be happy with their character.
Anyways, peace!
