Death of a Game: Asheron's Call 1 & 2

Asheron's Call...the forgotten founding father of the MMORPG genre.
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#DOAG . Death of a Game is a series dedicated to uncovering the mysteries surrounding the death of a game or company. nerdSlayer defines the term "death" in the context of the show as either... 1. Literally dead. 2. Had a mass exodus of players and never recovered (expectations etc). 3. The company ceased to exist. We follow a timeline of events, to uncover clues concerning why a game or company doesn't do well, and attempt to put it all together at the end for a deduction explaining how or why the game failed based on the evidence gathered.

[@TourFaint]

shutting down a game and then preventing other people who try to preserve it is equivalent to book burning.

[@joelh2783]

It's still going. I know of 10 different servers that are up and running.

[@Jayli0]

@Confused Loner How is the population and where can I dl to play again?

[@wvjeepguy8178]

@@joelh2783 how can I get in on a private server?

[@joelh2783]

@@wvjeepguy8178 search for GDLE Asheron's Call.

[@wvjeepguy8178]

@Bob Brock you can run your own server if you just want a nostalgia trip, but some of these private servers have been going since retail shut down.

[@andrewslaughter2359]

I started playing AC at launch with my brother. I was 12. When we moved hundreds and thousands of miles from each other it was a way to stay connected and bond. A few years before it shut down my brother passed away. Keeping his account up and running felt like part of him was still alive and with me. When AC shut down for good I lost a piece of my brother with it. I hate that I lost a huge piece of my childhood and a memorial to my brother to corporate greed.

[@youdig-detection]

this is a sad story i understand you. they could have give us the possibility to export ours characters but they are to greedy for that . stay strong.

[@jake2.047]

It meant that much to everyone who was there from the early days. It's what kept me going during a rough childhood. It was me and my brother also. Running silly quests in Holtburg up to me being in the Blood core chain when 126 characters where rare. I drifted off before the game eventually ended, but the early days of AC playing Darktide was the only time I felt connected to a game. I tried other game's, but never felt the same. I'd love to go back to those old days. It was an experience different from any other game. I'm glad you got to experience it with him.

[@ebe7157]

He's still with you bro. Cherish them memories.

[@patrickmcglonejr8163]

Amen brother, I played since Beta, was on Frostfell

[@10gamer64]

o7 to your brother

[@pocketheart1450]

Aaheron's Call was my first MMO, and still a favorite of mine. I have deeply fond memories of it. I am an autistic lady, and I was bullied in school and my maturity was stunted because of a lack of socialization... I managed to learn a lot about just people in general and how to properly interact with them because of AC. Aside from that, the game was a lot of fun, even if flawed, and it had what I still consider to be the best backstory and lore of any MMO. EDIT: Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I actually lived near their studio, and when they put a call out on the forums to go focus test their Throne of Destiny expansion, I signed up and was accepted. So I actually spent a day at the developer's offices playing the new expansion with like 10 other people, it was really fun, and Turbine actually provided us with some pretty good Chinese food for lunch :P My name is in the credits as a special thanks because of that day, along with the other focus testers.

[@virgil9940]

That's pretty fucking cool, actually. Final Fantasy XI was my first mmo. I didn't go to any cool events like you but I will always remember my time with the game and more importantly, the people who played it. Today's mmos don't even come close to building the worlds and communities of their predecessors. I hope one day we get a game truly worth spending time with again.

[@cherrystarscollide]

@@virgil9940 FF14 has a pretty amazing community though!

[@onigames7309]

Pocket Heart Awesome.

[@kyotheman69]

i thought id has this same feeling with wow, but blizzard decided to piss on community I don't care if game operates or not at this point, at lease AC had good send off, WoW can burn all i care, i been playing wow since 2004 but 2018 i was done with the game when BFA came out it was wake up call that i basically wasted my life, but i feel i didn't and still enjoy wow, but people run the show now just piss over its legacy

[@kyotheman69]

@@virgil9940 play FF14 it has amazing community, most helpful players and people actually do chat one another being text, ingame and discord its not soulless like wow is now.

[@raycearcher5794]

Game studio CEOs in the 90s: get in car wrecks, use their insurance money to help their companies. Game studio CEOs today: attack their employees for wanting pay, lose thumb drives full of business plans and porn at theme restaurants.

[@deadleaves1985]

Story of Jon Monserrat, aka Jonmon, is an ugly one, and includes stalking, underage girls drunk and stoned, and lawyer harassment through nonsensical lawsuits, so not really the best example.

[@MrBraffZachlin]

while i appreciate your comment in general, to be fare he used the money to create, not help the company. it's not really the same thing. in the end, as funny as your comment may be, it is not really accurate in any meaningful way

[@raycearcher5794]

@@MrBraffZachlin Randy, is that you? I liked Borderlands 3, fix your life bro you still have so much to give!

[@MrBraffZachlin]

@@raycearcher5794 why you guys would fuck me on this is beyond me

[@Groovy_Bruce]

@@raycearcher5794 ahhhh, a civvie fan. My kind of dude.

[@harmlessjack]

I definitely cried when they finally shut the servers down. I played this game off and on from launch, and it was like watching someone burn your childhood blanket when they took the servers down.

[@Realmjumper4099]

Search for ReefCull AC on Discord.

[@kyledodge496]

I'm playing on a classic pre 2005 server it's great

[@andrewlong9799]

Lorerunner did a fantastic last hoorah for AC. It's 9 hours, and he ran through all the end game stuff while explaining the details of the game. It's 9 hours long, but it's damn intresting to listen to the ins and outs of this early mmo.

[@AlekTrev006]

Wait a sec...that name sounds super-familiar.... isn't the guy that does detailed Star Trek episode / movie reviews ? I recall watching some of his stuff years ago, but haven't actually recalled him / the channel till you mentioned it here, Fallout ! Thank you for sparking my memory !

[@andrewlong9799]

@@AlekTrev006 There are oddly two of them. There is Loremaster who does Star Trek, then there is Lorerunner who does all manner of Lore videos, including a weekly review of star trek episodes. And you are very welcome!

[@AlekTrev006]

@@andrewlong9799 Thank you for the additional info ! :-)

[@kakyointhemilfhunter4273]

Even better is it’s 9:40 so it’s basically 10 hours!

[@l0rch785]

I have never played either game, or even heard of them before. Yet by the end, I seriously teared up. What a great video! Kudos to everyone who ever played Asheron's Call, I'm sorry for your loss.

[@johnmcnulty2157]

Well if you would like to play it there is an emulator available that is very close to retail. Google GDLEAC (GAMES DEAD LOL ENHANCED).

[@davidstanton2475]

If you played it back in the day up until near close, you'd have some Braveheart style reaction to its closing. The deep lore and mechanics seriously made this game one of the most badass titles I've ever experienced. In a way that I have yet to find any other game I've ever played out there do. I don't blame anyone for having strong feelings or opinions on this games death throes. Dereth is a one-of-a-kind place, no doubt.

[@exet]

You should probably try to play an emulated server

[@feiwulfsworkshops7184]

Asheron's Call, by far the absolute best MMORPG ever made or will ever be made. Period. Edit for spell learning, you can read the chat and see "words" that are used to cast a spell. Those words correlate with a specific material used in the spell and the order they're used. You can then used that to try and learn a spell, providing you have enough skill and it doesn't fizzle.

[@obscuringveil1301]

Best thing about Asherons was Darktide. The savage early days. Unforgettable

[@feiwulfsworkshops7184]

@@obscuringveil1301 you played on Darktide, too? Nice.

[@Basteal]

God, that skeleton_laugh.wav from EQ triggered some PTSD.

[@FreelancerND]

Stormhold in EQ II? Filled with those diabolic laughter to the brim =)

[@bettinamacdonald3038]

Lol same here!! I spent way tooooo much time in EQ.....but loved every minute of it.

[@BenTenpenny]

I just love that they used that in EQ2 as well.

[@Foxhunter258]

Hmm kinda sounds like the laugh in cod bo1 zombie game over screen

[@almaelma11]

WB: "Well lets shut this down so we don't waste money on this IP" Fans: "Oh that sucks, can we have the source code so we can preserve it?" WB: "NO! ITS OUR GAME, OURS!"

[@andrewmcallister4151]

Pretty much look at us now haha

[@ArmyWarVet1985]

@@andrewmcallister4151On coldeve rofl.

[@alphadoom4970]

I joined AC fervor in August of 1999 with a beta key from a marketing firm for Microsoft called Arbuthnot Communcations. The glass bubble filling, and the sound of the portalling in were enough to sell me. I spawned outside of Holtburg and fought a few drudges on the road to Glenden Wood... THEN I saw another player running toward me!!! I was so sold that I immediately put the money up for a run at the game upon launch, when to my surprise I was asked to become an Advocate by the same folks that got me the beta key. What??? I get to stand around and greet new people upon their first experience to this wonderful new world? Sign me up! I was on Leafcull, the original red server from beta, and as a life mage I wound up becoming the first level 20 in the game! Th name was Prophet Doom. Man, that was so long ago, and so many fond memories. I miss this age of adventure, but so glad to have had it as a part of my life.

[@fpsradio]

You forgot to add to this video that neither Microsoft nor Turbine put any finance into marketing the game. The little marketing that was done did nothing to help bring players into the game.

[@davidstanton2475]

Truth. I remember thinking why there weren't more advertisements for such a groundbreaking game back in 2000. I just didn't understand why so many people WEREN'T talking about it at the time. It seemed ridiculous that it was so overlooked and I eventually realized that they did next to nothing for advertising it on the level it should have been. Funny story, but I originally went to the gaming store to buy EverQuest and the guy at the counter convinced me to buy AC instead and to this day I thank him for convincing me to change my mind.

[@devilsadvocate3474]

I think that the lack of advertising was intentional since their servers could only support like 1500 players at once. I remember having to queue up for half an hour to get into Wintersebb, then going to Qal and getting portaled out of town every two minutes due to portal storms lol. Man I miss it...

[@maxlevelmedia7448]

Very true. It remained almost purposely niche, to a fault

[@MrBurtbackerack]

You just reminded me of a story when you mentioned Patrons/vassals. I was only like 8-9 years old but remeber this vividly. So one day I got a new Patron (dont know why or how) and he helped me with stuff and taught me how to play. I was low level and didn't know what I was doing, but I loved it. For some reason I got it into my head that a certain set of armor (shadow armor) was the best thing ever and I wanted it. I remember the armor itself was black (naturally) or perhaps yellow? and the pants looked like those baggy pants aladdin wears but not white. At this time I was wearing a stitchwork of random armor and looked like I had raided the trash for my armor. We actually used to call my brother the "garbageman" because even at higher lvls he always looked like he had gotten all his armor from random trashbin. I think I kept bugging my patron to give me some since he knew what he was doing and my undeveloped 9 year old brain wanted that and only that, no idea why, I just did. After a while he gave in and told me something like "If you get me X amount of XP by the time I return from my vacation, i'll give you some shadow armor". You gained XP for your patrons if I recall correctly. Anyway, by the time he returned I accomplished my goal and then some and I proudly recieved my just reward from my Patron. I believe he gave me just the shadow pants (perhaps the top too) and I walked around like I owned the place after that, everyone would see my new pants if they liked it or not. "Loook at my new paaaaaaaants, I am now one of the elite" my childbrain said. Well, very soon after I recieved a private message from someone with a name I didn't recognize but he claimed to be my patron on his alt. He wanted my shadow pants so he could do something to them (enchant maybe, dont remember what for). I believed him as he knew the name of my patron and everything and back then my innocent mind would never think someone would take something that was mine... So I gave them to him and he said "i'll brb", he wouldn't be right back at all..... : [ I waited for ages and then messaged my patron and I believe I sent him an angry message asking why he stole the pants back. Obviously he had no goddamned idea what I was talking about and we started arguing, I still remember the line he said "I knew it was a terrible idea giving that to you". I felt stupid and bad and I believe he let me go after that. So I wandered the lands, alone, broken and pantsless. Someone literally stole the clothes off my ass and my dignity. That was my first experience with untrustworthy people on MMO's and it's been 18+ years or something and I still remember it to this day and even the place I was standing in when it happened.

[@dddtrump]

I have so many memories from UO and AC . It truly was a brand new time in gaming. Everything was NEW to be discovered. Including the shady types of players like thieves(uo). the term "PK" coined from UO prior was carried over to MMOs ever since and of course AC.

[@ABulletsA]

The fist time I got completely screwed was on AC. I was fully kitted at one point, all in gold with a medieval golden helmet(which was hard to get at one point) and a rare golden kilt leggings. I was strutting around a village when I was whispered by a stranger if I wanted to trade my helmet and leggings. At first I didn't want to, but he was offering so much money, I accepted. He said he would leave the money in a box and I would leave my armor in my box on the ground. So I drop my armor in the box and run over to his box...only to realize what he did...what an awful feeling. I was 12-13 at the time.

[@jamesj6746]

My patron was my best friend IRL and his entire neighborhood of older kids played. Every 1million xp I earned him (which was alot!) he would give me a small shard. I was like a loan shark to him 😂 but I certainly got my gsa!

[@JohnWilliams-zd1xh]

I used to play this with my grandpa and dad. I remember my favorite place to go was tusker island

[@OxbowisaMstie]

Thanks for doing such justice to AC! You were right, this video got emotional for me. I played on the Leafcull server for years off and on since it's inception. This wasn't a game so much as a lifestyle choice. Damn glad to have all the memories I do from the endless hours of grinding Lugians in the citadels to exploring the vast, vast ( you can't believe how incredibly vast, you think open world games today are vast but they are just peanuts in comparison to AC's open world) open world or even while trying to recover my swords and amuli armor. It's a rare privilege to have been able to experience one of the greatest communities of players in a game world created with such love and devotion from both it's developers and player base. It's because of all of this I know deep in my soul that while It may be gone now one day I expect to come back home to Leafcull and stroll down to my old haunt of Glendon Woods like I never have left. ~ A Shropshire Lad (OG sword), Leafcull.

[@wthrwyz]

Well said. ~ Shauna Eyebright, Leafcull

[@AGB_2000]

I spent many days just running across the landscape to see how far I could get :)

[@Immortalbob]

hey, you featured some of my video!! Well researched, great retrospective!

[@TylerRustYertle]

I was looking for something from you Bob and happy to see it!

[@SharpTony]

Hell yeah my dude!!

[@jamesedwards6173]

Woohoo! :) ~Eskarina of MT

[@bag-manbaron2547]

You don't know how much this game means to me. It was my first experience with MMO's because of my Mom and Dad playing it when I was younger. When I was old enough I played it with my mom and dad until they both had other games and life stuff to focus on. This game was one of my Mom's favorites. When she found out she could still play it years later she got back onto it, met some old friends again, and even started helping me in the game. Around 2015 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed a year later. Besides very shitty depression I always remind myself of the good times by playing the games we both loved, so imagine how I felt being able to play this again recently on private servers. This game and the memories will always bring a tear to my eyes because as far as I am concerned it isn't just some game to me, but one of the many connections and memories of my mom to me. Sad rambling aside, thanks for reminding me to have to go back and play, it'll be like visiting family again.

[@keithvalor]

Beautiful tribute. Thank you SO MUCH. I have sunk thousands of hours into this game (archer, Darktide, Blood) and I don’t think I’ll ever find an MMO with that level of community. Thanks again for finally putting this chapter of my life at rest.

[@GamingKingsUK]

Thanks for doing Asheron’s call justice, was my home and still is. I don’t have as much time to play anyone but wish I could smash another 10k hours into it all over again. Played 2002-2004 2006-death(ish) Made friends, lost friends, created and destroyed allegiances, held grudges, cried at loosing gear. That game taught me how to accept loss, and control myself, how to lead and how to adapt. A GAME DID THAT. Fuck you @WarnerBrothers

[@GamelyPlanet]

Jesus, I'm livid whenever I hear a company sends C&Ds for emulators of dead games. I get it when a private server runs the same version of a game and cuts into a company's profits, but when the IP is dormant and yet they do this, I just get angry.

[@GamelyPlanet]

@Bruce Wanker, The Incredible Sulk I have no love for Actiblizzard, but at least they had to roll over and set up a server, when they started bleeding subs. The others just shut down what amounts to the last resort of players that would happily pay for a server.

[@davidstanton2475]

Right? IF they're not doing anything with the IP and the people just want to reconstruct the original as-it-was, leave them the fuck alone.

[@humdrumified7641]

The repeated sound effects becoming annoying is definitely true, but now (some 20 years later?) it's definitely nostalgic for me.

[@davidstanton2475]

@Political Chickens Mites made me want to claw my eardrums out. Then I discovered the dungeon Mite Maze one day, just randomly running around in the woods and thought I was literally in hell.

[@davidstanton2475]

@Political Chickens Yup I remember that! There were so many oddball dungeons in AC. I would randomly run around a lot and constantly find new dungeons I'd never even heard of! One of the really cool aspects of AC was the real sense of adventure I got out of it!

[@Somnivore7]

ngl I miss the sound of drudges

[@thewkovacs316]

@Political Chickens i always thought that the drudges were named after matt drudge because like him, they were annoying

[@Spookybluelights]

I’m gonna be so sad when FFXI eventually shuts down and you make a video on that. I’ll probably be that dude in that one clip you showed of him sobbing. 😭

[@spencermerritt3891]

It seems they have support planned out past the 20th anniversary, so it'll be a while yet. I don't think there will be another fictional world I know as well as Vana'Diel.

[@joesomenumbers]

@@spencermerritt3891 There was rumor of a progression server that I hope to god comes true

[@WordBearer86]

Tell me about it. I miss waiting for the ship at Selbina.

[@asscandystealingshitgoblins]

Man rip in peace. I recognize all the players in the PKing clips. Too bad there was no any clips with some of the great PKs and emphasis on the importance of PvP in the game and the influence of darktide's popularity on the game. Sad i wasn't caught in any of the footage, but i got my boy Dark Rocx chilling there in the silver at 18:58, now he was a good pk. Remember, Og won AC (^:

[@enrogae]

Asheron's Call was my first graphical MMO. No other game has completely captured me the way it has, and every MMO I have played since has always been compared to AC in my mind. In many ways it became the litmus test by which I judge all other games. I will never forget the memories, the friends, the monarchs and vassals I met along the way. It was a game about people, more than anything else. That made it flawed, but in those flaws there was something beautiful. I struggled going back to it in the latter years, vainly because it was hard for me to handle the graphics which hadn't aged well, but it will always hold a special place for me. Mostly I remember being completely lost as a new player in Nanto, until I became the first vassal of a friendly helper (as you mentioned). I remember the terrifying first run to Lin. I remember another player asking if I "still used the roads," which blew my mind as I hadn't even considered venturing off the beaten path between cities. Turns out running straight from one city to another was faster, if you could survive the wilds. I had a few terrifying experiences. I remember seeing other high level players and thinking they were some sort of deity at first, and showing them great respect (and a wide berth). I remember researching magic for hours on end in frustration, but feeling immense pride when I got to use MY new spells... because they really felt like mine and like something I earned, which increased my level of attachment to the character I was playing. I miss the experience of randomly finding a cave in the wilderness, and then exploring that cave and knowing you might be the first to see it. The world was just really that big. Dynamic, seasonal weather patterns... I miss sitting in Lin watching the snow fall in the winter months. The housing that wasn't instanced... actual neighborhoods taming the wild. Being able to display the spoils of my adventuring on the walls of my house, even outside, for all to see. As you pointed out, Asheron's Call did one thing so well that many other MMOs miss entirely... it quite literally was another world. It was alive, and a part of me lived there for a time. My memories from that place are as real to me as any in the real world. That is the power, that is the art, that is the heart of the MMO genre that has been traded and sold in the name of instant gratification... and I truly believe it's the worse for it. My horribly-named Luther al-Zaraf (hey, I was like 17 at the time) will always be a part of me, and I will never forget his many adventures... especially that unfortunate incident when I first discovered the Lugian fortress. I'm pretty sure there's still a stain on the wall from where my character was squashed by a gigantic boulder.

[@bcooper7618]

Feel you mate, my first ever MMO and real online game. Played on darktide and it consumed my life for a good couple of years. Like you, i still spend my days searching for a MMO that could come close to this but still the search continues.

[@tzarnick1507]

AC 1 was the best game I've ever played. I've spent literally years on it, in game

[@bcooper7618]

AC1 was my first ever MMO back in 2000. 20 years on have never really found a MMO that captured my heart as much as this game did. The patron system was awesome as well. Also in Darktide knowing your could be PK'd at any time and drop some of your best loot added a whole level of excitement to the game

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

This was my first MMO. No other MMO (especially the theme park ones) has been able to capture the feeling of freedom and adventure that I experienced with AC.

[@davidstanton2475]

Same. That's why it's extremely difficult for me to get into MMOs anymore. I think we were spoiled with many great features that AC did have that I think the market never really took advantage of since then.

[@youdig-detection]

second mmo for me it's was extremely hard to play other mmo withouth thinking to ac1 , 20 year later and after having stopped playing anything for 3 year , im still thinking about ac1... this game is like a matrix i would gladly stay my whole life , damn.

[@pakkazull8370]

Your videos nowadays are truly amazingly high quality. You somehow manage to make me feel nostalgic for games I've never played.

[@seaglass3034]

Thank you, again, for the great content. In college, I took a Game Design course as an elective. My professor and her husband were both programmers for - and, avid players of - AC1 & AC2. She spoke about it very fondly. I wish I had the opportunity to give it a try.

[@DerethAC]

Asheron's Call 1 is the best game that I have ever played. The way that players were able to build characters was an extremely underrated aspect that was a lot of fun, and the unique way that PVP worked allowed for much more skill to be involved. RIP Asheron's Call. I wish that I could rewind time and relive it again.

[@zekebuzby67]

Ashron's Call was my favorite online rpg experience ever. To this day it's the metric I compare other games to. Sadly I have never played another that measures up. Saying that there is still a lot of Ashron's Call that I never got to experience as there is just so much to explore and limited time to do so. Thank you so much for the send off.

[@arthurchen6464]

Your DOAG series provide such an interesting review of games I played/know of and insight into games I have neither. I share them with my buddies and they enjoy them too. Keep up the great work!

[@batmangovno]

Oh, a new video from my favourite creator, Nintendo Switch!

[@cherrystarscollide]

@@512TheWolf512 N.S! No Shit! (sherlock)

[@megamage911]

@@512TheWolf512 Rebranding? He's had the detective theme for ages xD

[@Erythnull]

Hehe yeh boi!

[@CptRonSolo]

Ns isn't a detective he's a PI. Basically he does cases on things no one plays anymore lol

[@spinal357]

When I first found your series from your Warhammer Online episode, I waited for this video. My brother and I grew up playing this game with our parents, so it really meant a lot to us. Thank you for all the work you put into this.

[@DigitalxxxFr34k]

Asherons call is and was the best mmo of all time, i played it for 17 years on and off, and i always came back, tried ever quest, ever quest 2, AC2, Anarchy online, World of warcraft, city of heroes, DAoC, Lotro, DDO and non of them kept me playing more then a few months before getting bored, and every time i went back to asheron's call the end was a sad day indeed... but it still lives on in all of us players

[@RonUSMC]

One of the greatest games ever made. Some of the fondest and most magical memories I was ever a part of. I made friends that have lasted a lifetime. Even today I still get random people asking me if I'm the same 'RonUSMC' from Asheron's Call, and the answer is always .. Yes, my friend, I'm so happy to see you again. We still mourn the loss of this part of our life over at www.reddit.com/r/AsheronsCall/. I went to work at Microsoft in the late 2000s. As I was walking to a meeting something caught my eye on an office door. I stopped and looked. It was an Asheron's Call sticker on an office window that had the edges torn and it was peeling off. Apparently that building was where the AC Developers were had stayed at 6 years prior. I thumbed the corners of the sticker flat. I smiled and was instantly teleported back to my old friends. My co-worker asked if I was ok, and I replied "Better than you know." Thank you Turbine, you continue to inspire me. I try to put a little of Asheron's Call magic in every product I've worked on, including the iPhone 1, Windows, Surface, XBOX 360 and the Kinect. I spent many mornings telling Steve Jobs the tales of our intrepid adventures.

[@matthew2199]

Gave me goosebumps to see this. They were incredible, unique games. Thanks for making this!

[@RicoRaynn]

My very first MMO and one I look back on fondly for world building and freedom in everything from gear, to skills, to daily activities. Always surprised me it didn't get the attention EQ and UO did.

[@coooooool12342]

Your videos bring me back to the good ol’ 1UP days and their various podcasts. I love it.

[@voltagebinary1006]

AC was my first MMORPG starting way back at the end of the beta test in fall '99. My uncle introduced me to the game (who lived with us at the time and was a huge old school computer geek) and he went to Harvestgain and eventually went on to be a high ranking officer in an allegiance that was several hundred active players strong for many years on that server. I went straight to Darktide on release, being 15 years old at the time and starving for this newly-emerging pvp and in THIS game, too.. Exciting times. I used to wake up at 4am and sneak downstairs to fire up the ol Pentium II and try to muffle the noisy ass modem, just so I could get some time in the living world. It felt like you were missing out on something when you were offline...that was a totally new feeling for gamers, and it definitely left it's mark on me. On DT, I was a gimped war mage named Lo-Pen. I'll never forget having my ass saved from 2 PKs by a player named Padishar outside Mayoi during the first week of DT release. I swore allegiance to him right then and really felt a true loyalty and bond now with this other player and our Anti-PK allegiance... it's so rare you ever get that type of raw player interactivity anymore in these modern games. I just wrote all this as a long-winded and years-late way of saying a heartfelt thanks for putting this video together and doing justice to a special game that means a lot to people. Cheers.

[@Nightenstaff]

Don't lose the faith, Asheron's Call players. Your City of Heroes moment might be right around the corner.

[@Basketbboy004]

Nah, we got this tho lol. No worries.

[@kabhaal802]

As a CoX player that suddenl has his beloved game back I hope the AC folks get their game back and some zealous and skilled fans create something new to carry AC's torch into the future.

[@PathologicGaming]

Yep I just joined back to City of Heroes, so glad that we can play it again!

[@SockPupet]

Played both AC and City of Heroes, I think they are the greatest contributors to ruining modern MMORPGs for me. I just feel so much is missing now.

[@WillWilsonthesafetyguy]

Great video. You managed to hit on all the aspects that made Asheron's Call such a unique and innovative MMO. You did miss a couple of key points with Asheron's Call 2 however. Firstly, the music system in AC 2 was incredible. Player instruments and how they harmonized was mind blowing as was the way different musical themes played and harmonized depending on where you were in the world, time of day, whether there were monsters nearby (and what kind) and the weather. You could tell where you were and what was going on with your eyes closed. Secondly, probably one of the largest reasons AC 2 died (you missed a clue @N.S. !) was due to broken chat servers. For **months** not too long after launch, chat ceased to work on any level. As you pointed out, you could go quite a while without seeing another player. Without chat, you were pretty much relegated to solo play and the game was decidedly group centric. During this time, I watched the server population absolutely plummet. The reason for the failing chat servers was revealed to be Microsoft wanting out of the MMO space and therefore in a cost-cutting move, went below bargain basement when farming out the chat servers. Turbine's hands were tied as this was M$'s domain. They did everything they could to get the game away from M$, finally succeeding as you pointed out but by then, the damage had been done. It was such a tragedy as I absolutely loved the game and count it amongst my favourites of all time.

[@Kr33py]

I was also surprised he didn't mention the chat servers at all. And he didn't mention all the broken promises of monthly content. What was supposed to be new content every month eventually turned into every other month or longer.

[@pixelmentia]

Yes! The music system was fantastic.

[@SubzeroCage]

Dude I liked one but I LOVED 2, The art, the sounds in the game, hell the tooltips were all just so special, one of the best games ever created and had the the potential for so much more. Even the graphics were ahead of it's time. I still have dreams about my lugian raider. Would kill for a free server

[@OxbowisaMstie]

I couldn't get into to 2 but there exists a small but strong community of fiercely loyal players for 2 so it could happen. Love conquers all, mon ami, and a devoted fanbase can work miracles.

[@teekith3373]

Oof right in the feels. The amount of time I spent listening to the portal sounds while updating my client on a single line dial up seems unreal. Still one of my favorite games to this day. Green Mire Cuirass, the loot of champions!

[@davidstanton2475]

If you think your buffs wont run out in time, we can go upstairs and grab the Green Mire Yari so you can be a complete Green Mire Warrior, too. Will we make it? Well, It's certainly worth a shot! That quest is among my very favorites in any game I've ever experienced. Still remember hacking away at mosswarts as a low level, thinking that there is no way in hell we'd ever make it, only to come out by the skin of our teeth.

[@holysparkbatman]

David Stanton ha just ran it two days ago and the game went bonkers and I couldn’t heal got chain casted by a shaman and didn’t buy notes so I lost 80 k pyreals. Oh and I got the cuirass and Yari but the npc isn’t in shou to complete the quest 😭 at least I got good farm

[@Bolvyrk]

Excellent work on the video. I'm an absolute sucker for nostalgia and this sure brought back some old memories!

[@jaysprenkle1026]

Thank you for making this! Brought back memories.

[@jegvilhais]

I look forward to this series like a goddamn HBO show! Keep it going, man

[@DAMIENDICE]

same

[@CupidStuntqq]

Thanks for doing right by the AC community. It was a great game and I've got fond memories of it. Playing on TD during the shard event/BaelZharon events are easily a couple of my greatest gaming moments to this day.

[@stiimuli]

AC was the first MMO experience I ever had. Made friends across the country (which led to some epic real world road trips and gatherings). However, I became obsessed with the game and lost a job and an apartment because of it. Had to quit for my own good. Still remember much of my time on the Morningthaw server fondly, fighting Olthoi and Tuskers, running across the continent (highest run skill of any player in 2000 lol) and even surviving the Shadow invasion. Later almost became as dangerously obsessed with World of Warcraft but got a handle on it and still play to this day (for the Horde!).

[@youdig-detection]

dude i dig , i lost a small part of my adolescent life because of this game haha.

[@walker5458]

Finally, been waiting for this one for awhile now. Thanks NS!

[@AlekTrev006]

You do such good work with these, Nerd ! Thank you for the time and effort you put it. It's quite fascinating (almost like a history lesson) the way you cover the various titles in this series. :-)

[@journ9er]

Asheron's Call was my first MMO. I remember swearing allegiance to another player early on who gave me a lot of good gear early on. Thanks for making this video!

[@Shadowmask49]

Going from ps1 ps2 RPGs too diablo and asherons call was amazing. So many fond memories of this game as a teen. Thanks for doing it justice and giving it some recognition of the founding 3. Cheers m8

[@FuriousGorge]

Diablo was on the PS1

[@Yervy]

Asheron's Call 1 was my first MMO ever. Amazing huge, interesting world. I really miss how that game felt - seems like modern MMOs don't come close to capturing that essence. And the skill system was amazing and super free form. I remember my first character was a martial artist / cook / alchemist. You could even level up jump height / run speed so people would have contests putting items on the roof of a tall building and the first person to jump up to the top and grab it would get it for free

[@filmerd]

Man these are so well done I feel like you could do a lot on other games that aren't MMOs using this format. Great series!

[@skinnykiddou]

Thank you very much for the interesting series I've been kinda bingewatching for a few days, and thank you in particular for this one video. Never had the opportunity to engulf myself in any virtual world (or many other, single player games on account of never having a proper PC), but despite this I really felt how this game was unique and outstanding. Makes you wish to have been a part of it! Once again, my gratitude to you and Love from Russia.

[@alexandrugheorghe7974]

Man I love your videos. I haven't played an MMO in 5 years and as a parent I don't see myself having time in the next 10-18 years but at least I find out what's going on. Really appreciate your videos. Thank you!

[@camma12]

Mate I got 4 kids under 10 with another on the way....... There's always time for mmo's , not as much as I might like but there's definitely time :)

[@alexandrugheorghe7974]

I bow down to your time management superiority.

[@Portalstorm_GG]

I played this game since I was a kid. I play the emulator and it’s pretty fun still. I been waiting for this video. Thanks NS

[@richanddarksbane1439]

These videos are so good, I'm glad you continue making such amazing videos

[@joshua-we9xr]

This game literally saved my life. I had a HUGE relationship ending in 1999. My fiance cheated on me 3 weeks before the wedding. I had to move out of my hometown and basically just sat in my room, 18 years old, doing nothing. I picked up AC after seeing it a few months prior on a friends PC. I picked it up at a local game store and started playing. When I tell you this game kept me from ending my life, and gave me an escape, and a bunch of friends to talk about my issues with I mean it. My guild's Vice Owners were a married couple and the wife was a licensed psychologist. She and I had a lot of late night adventures and conversations. She, my guild, and AC talked me down off a bridge. When this game ended, I felt like someone close to me had passed. The most beautiful game I've ever played in my heart. ❤

[@r13hd22]

Asheron's Call 1 was an innovative game and there is still to this day nothing that comes close to it. Played it on and off for 5 1/2 years. Fun fact: One of the episodes of Extreme Home Makeover's final season was of a female Texas firefighter and her husband and two children that lost their home while she was out fighting one of Texas's biggest wild fires...one of their boys was named Asheron, after the game. Both of them were in our guild and they met each other in the game.

[@TheRyanBre]

Yes!!!! Finally!!! I’ve been waiting for this one!

[@keldisterneon7722]

Never played it sadly, but I used to watch my father play this game back when it came out...And theses moments were the best of my life. AC will always stands as "Asheron's Call" for me, and thank you for reminding me of theses memories.

[@01ZombieMoses10]

I had only vaguely heard the name Asheron's Call before...possibly I simply saw the game on the shelf in my local department store sometime back in middle school. This is what I like from N.S...bringing the war stories of the OG gamer to us in the present.

[@Muridin360]

My boy. I've been asking for this video since day 1. Thanks Bro, havent watched it yet because im working but ill throw a like and a share your way my man.

[@Agoonga]

I wish I had gotten into MMOs back then. So much interesting stuff that got streamlined for broader appeal.

[@jegvilhais]

Classic is coming to save you!

[@Agoonga]

@@jegvilhais So excited for that!

[@KiraDenys]

Well done! I do miss my time spent in Harvestgain. The early years were great times, I love the game's mechanics, and there was always a strong sense of community... Probably the most friendly player base, that I ever experienced in an MMO.

[@scorpogee]

God, this brings back loving memories for me. I actually became a GM for awhile on the server I was on, until other "volunteers" destroyed that by asking for pay. It was the best time standing there with a special shield answering questions or just talking to other players for awhile. My icon name is from that time still today. We didn't call ourselves PvP, we called ourselves PK, player killers. I was 49 when I purchased that game. I still have the boxes and cd content to this day. It was a fantastic time, I was heartbroken when it finally closed down. Wonderful times were had.

[@lowpinglag]

Ahh yes, the Sentinels and Advocates, great bunch of people :-)

[@Panicman96]

Your videos are so informative! I just found your channel and I'm totally going to binge everything. Keep up the good research and video editing skills!

[@RedBairnMedia]

Awwwww man, I loved Asheron's Call. The amount of time I spent trying to forge the Atlan blade with my then TFC/CS clan mates. Which I sadly lost contact with... If in the super unlikely event that the old [-Dr-] brothers spot this, hit me up :D

[@Lucario5197]

With a keen eye for details, one truth will prevail... Keep up the good work, my dude. Discovered your channel somewhat recently, but I'm loving your videos and insight. From one detective to another, you have my respect.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

I love DC!!

[@darwinxavier3516]

There's an isekai anime called Overlord that pretty accurately conveys the sense of dread and nostalgia over an mmorpg shutting down it's servers for the last time. In the first episode the MC is reminiscing with the only other guildie out of dozens of members who could make it for the countdown event. Everyone else had real life obligations or had otherwise moved on. Leaving the MC the sole inheritor of the guild, it's many player-created npcs, and the treasury and armory. It's said that the creator of the anime was a DnD player who missed playing with his friends.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

I loved the concept of that show

[@craniifer]

I have a lot of older nerd friends and they wax poetic when talking of this series. It's nice seeing your coverage of a game that so many people loved.

[@ChodeMaster]

Been waiting ages for this to come out, cheers.

[@N3trunner_]

I was waiting for this, thank you! Love the series

[@jordanf00]

Hey guys! Just found this video. I know I'm a month late, but I just wanted to throw it out there that, while the live servers have indeed been shut down, there are private servers running that are just as active as the live servers at shutdown and in a funny twist of fate, has better, more active management! A quick google search with set you in the right direction - 'Asheron's Call EMU'

[@nikolagaborov6389]

I love watching this series. It's really interesting, and also kind of sad, seeing how ambitious and diverse MMOs used to be. There's nothing I'd like more than for that design philosophy to return. I just want to see real innovation in the MMO sphere again. Instead, everyone today is playing it safe, and the whole MMO market is what you could call neutered and homogenized.

[@traditionalFGC]

Check out Project Gorgon that he mentions at the end of this video. It is truly a breathe of fresh air in the MMO world.

[@Groovy_Bruce]

You won’t because the money isn’t there. Most people won’t pay a monthly and those that will are all WoW players, that terrible game that ruined the genre entirely by making everything easy af.

[@AramisNailz]

Asheron's Call 2 also had the distinction of being the first mmo launched with no chat. For the first couple months the game had no working chat server, which was apparently separate from the game server. No MMO, especially one as group oriented as AC2, could survive that.

[@NauticalPhoenix]

I love your videos. I learn a lot about games I never played and have nostalgia for games I did.

[@terence7009]

man this takes me back. the time I put into the game and the stories I could tell about it were beyond compare in my gaming life. No other game was quite like it, between being projectile based, the way stats and skills worked in its progression system, fun skill-heavy pvp, a true random loot generator, and monthly updates. makes me remember some of the total nutjobs I played with on thistledown and darktide. thanks for showing all the pvp. I miss that the most.

[@williamleon9995]

This video brought back many memories of years ago. I started playing this game shortly after launch, probably very early in 2000. I played pretty consistently from 2000 to about two months before it shut down. I enjoyed the game and remember fondly not just the game itself, but the social aspect of the friendships made and maintained in game that survive even until today. I remember that I used to play consistently on the Leafcull and Morningthaw servers. I played several characters, but mostly played as "Alpheus" or "Lord Galen". It truly was a wonderful experience.

[@ayomtov77]

My brother and I played this one almost from the very beginning and I can honestly say I have never found another MMORPG that can compete with how amazing this game was! I sadly didn't get to play it up to the end as my brother took over the account as we got older but this game will live on in my heart as my all time favorite. RIP old pal

[@xordoom8467]

Well done sir, this was a great video... Thank you for sharing it...

[@hachimitsuboi]

I never played AC but after watching this video I couldn't help but comment that you have the best goddamn intro to any VG channel on yt. Too many over-rendered brostep intros out there and this is a breath of fresh air. Love the content too.

[@mrshook145]

I don't even like MMOs but I always love these videos

[@redlunatic2224]

Same. They're great stories of communities and deve that can serve to learn a lot.

[@frosty2182]

i know im late here, but that portal sound still gives me goose bumps, this was my FIRST MMO

[@muggygrob8112]

Hey N.S, Love your videos. Its disappointing you don't have many subscribers with the amount of information and dedication goes into these videos. Keep it up man! Don't give up!

[@jeremypainter1921]

Just hearing the portal sounds tickles my reminisce nuts...TD represent!

[@HiddenView1977]

You can still play. Check out ACE, Asheron’s Call Emulator via Twargle

[@Zance21]

Still waiting for Phantasy Star Universe. Great video as always N.S.

[@rawcigam8625]

I enjoyed watching this video. Being someone who grew up playing asherons call from the age of 6. The sounds you said "became very annoying" are actually sounds many old asherons call players miss very much. The simplicity of it. Also i'd like to add. The live events were so amazing in AC because the devs actually participated in the events, they would take control of bosses that the players had to group together to kill. This game players the feeling that the developers truly cared about the game and its players.

[@Movik06]

As an original Beta Tester for Asherons Call, and someone who played it to death I can't help but tear up. Asherons Call 1 was an amazing game. Ending the Beta with a meteor that spawned lvl 999 fire breathing rats....The shadow wars, the rise of Bael'Zharon, Martin and Garlean. If only Turbine didn't change the formula with Asherons Call 2.

[@enesis5472]

Asheron's Call 1 is still around and going and its awesome. Great community and progress people made on the game.

[@Highchurch]

Asheron's call sounded incredible dynamic world events and dynamic magic balancing is a crazy cool idea.

[@pilotstyle123]

I was always sceptical when NS goes on about the great things in ancient mmorpgs but I was downright shocked at the options and mechanics they offered in asheron's call. We need some of this stuff back!

[@davidstanton2475]

That's why a lot of us clung to AC until the end. Most other MMOs out there are so dumbed down and lack dynamic.. well, much of anything. Everything is on a rail and closed off. Too theme-park-ish for us that really experienced the potential AC had to be interested in. In AC you could point yourself in a direction, start running, leave and come back 30 minutes later and start a brand new adventure in a place you'd never been before.

[@idaelsales9872]

God the memory's from when I was in this game so good a lot of people missed out.. ty

[@chrisbaldwin8570]

Thanks for covering this. Was a game I still wish I could play on the regular.

[@MadoshiKatai]

There are a few private servers/emulators out there..... some with thousands in population

[@Viktoria_Thaelin]

Dark tide is truly where griefing was born, you'd have people with mega high-level bows and arrows just one shot every noob that spawned in to the server

[@rffg781]

Yes I loved how shoushi was just quake -tide

[@Potatobearz]

Man, I have some incredible memories with this game! I started playing when I was 8 years old and it taught me how to type, relate to a cool community and some awesome old vocabulary! I will always love this game.

[@strangerunderyourbed6411]

What an amazing video man, love the DOAG series!I've never played Asheron's call and i never even knew it existed to be honest but i know what is like to have the mmo you love to play shut down!But as always the amazing gaming comunity will hopefully bring the experience back, since 3A companies don't even care that they have the ip and i really hope so cause both of the game's player bases deserve it.

[@Believeinapathy]

One of my first MMOs, I was 9 years old and already a veteran of Everquest. Was a part of a huge guild as an officer and remember having a blast, graphics and gameplay was insane! This video made me nostalgic af.