[Petition] Please keep the old Haven and Hearth alive

[Zarxes]

Hello guys, as probably most of you know, the Launch of Hafen has been announced very recently. Probably many also know, that there has been a discussion about keeping the old HnH1 alive or letting it die with the Launch of the new Version.
This is supposed to be an open Letter to Jorb and Loftar where we can show our collective appreciation and thanks for the old Version of the game. This Topic is also meant to show that there are people who want to see the old Version of the game preserved. So maybe forward this topic also to your friends who have enjoyed hnh and are taking a break from it.

Dear Jorb and Loftar,
for many of us, HnH is the greatest game ever. Yes the game has its flaws and its ugly sites, but its immersion, depth and charme more than make up for it. Even though we probably took one or the other break from the game, we always came back because its so addictive and unique that in our heart there is just no replacement for it. We want to sincerely thank you for keeping it alive and creating it. We also want to thank you for working on a new Version of the game.
Please consider keeping the old game alive in one way or the other, alongside its new version. For many of us HnH is not just a game, for some it has been part of their childhood like maybe Disney Movies or Lego, it has been our favourite toy for years and it has been the place where we met new people and friends from around the globe. It has been the game, where we logged in first thing in the morning to feed the animals, replant or check for rams and some of us even dream about the game. Dont misunderstand us, we are super excited about the new Version of the game, we just want to see the old one preserved. So please, when deciding the future of the old HnH, consider all of the above.

Because for all of those reasons, want to thank you and ask you to please keep the old game alive!

Greetz and /signed Zarxes

[tobi]

wery inspirational all is true, i want the server to be alive for atleast rest of my life

[MagicManICT]

As announced by the devs, the old server will remain running until either nearly everyone quits or they develop h2 to a point satisfactory to them and they decide is complete enough the old version isn't needed anymore. I've a feeling you have a good year or two before either of these conditions are met. (well, maybe not the first... depends on how many abandon the old world for the new.) Will it continue in perpetuity, though? No.

[Amanda44]

As much as I'm all for this - - you can't really expect the devs to maintain this version when there are only a handful of people playing, the only way this version will remain is if the new version is dreadful and everyone hates it, lol, which isn't very likely and even then I suspect Loftar would still be working on the new version to improve and not this one, so it would only be a short lived reprieve.

I'm not expecting this version to be around as long as MM thinks tbh, I'd like it to be so I hope I'm wrong but I'm not counting on it.

However, it is nice to have somewhere to show appreciation for this unique little game that we all love so much, so I would like to join you in that. When you think of how much of your free time is spent here, all those hrs over all this time, the fun you have had, the friends you have made here, the things you have learnt and all the experiences both good and bad, you realise just how much gratitude you owe them.

So, fingers crossed the new version is amazing and here's to the next few years at Haven!

[VDZ]

Playing devil's advocate for a bit here: In addition to the work and costs involved in running and maintaining current Haven, keeping it up may split the playerbase (with a significant amount of people remaining in the old world because they don't like the new, don't want to lose progress, or because their friends are still in the old world).

But I do feel it's a shame that they've said they won't be releasing the server software, which would likely solve both the maintenance and the split playerbase issue (even if it's only released in binary form instead of code). A couple months ago I played an MMORPG again that I played 13 years ago; although it's technically still the same game and it has many elements reminding me of the game I used to play, it simply was no longer the game I used to play. Which is a damn shame.

Back then:


Nowadays:


I'll never be able to play the game I used to play again.

[sabinati]

Please ban this idiot......

BANNED 7 DAYS

[psyknx]

This game died years ago and it's finally getting a funeral.

[Kaios]

This game died years ago and it's finally getting a funeral.

Yeah seriously it truly did and it confuses me to see players holding on for dear life. There was a time when there were 1000-1200 people playing this game on a daily basis and while I am not 100% certain I believe it is the most the game had ever seen.

The player count has been no where near that much since that time and the developers have explicitly stated time and time again that they intend to retire this version of Haven & Hearth so everyone knew or ought to have known that this was coming. I also hate saying "this version" because that implies if they had kept working on the game rather than turning their attention to Salem that this would not have been the natural course of progression in any case which I highly doubt.

There is no doubt in my mind however that what we did get to experience so far was nothing short of an awesome rollercoaster ride. I feel lucky to have had the chance to experience this game in its many states from World 3 to the present world and I met many excellent people (and some not so excellent) along the way. I can only hope those people and many others choose to move forward with the rest of us that aren't obsessing over the loss of what is simply an older version of the game.

Also, if your main gripe is with the graphics then you are no better than those who will only play something 3D because "ew anything worse is gross."

[WaitingforHaven2]

There is no doubt in my mind however that what we did get to experience so far was nothing short of an awesome rollercoaster ride. I feel lucky to have had the chance to experience this game in its many states from World 3 to the present world and I met many excellent people (and some not so excellent) along the way.

Well said, it's the same for me. I missed the supposedly golden times when Loftar and Jorb were still actively developing Haven but I still had my fair share of good and shitty experiences that were quite unique (not just entertaining [or frustrating] but I also learned a lot from it all). I too feel lucky for having had the chance to participate in this wonderful adventure, for all the good and bad times that I had and the occurences people shared on the forum (and everything that developed from these). My hope is that the glorious days will be back with the new Haven but it could just be wishful thinking.

However, I'm sure that many are lurking and burning for the next round. To see what fate has in store for them this time, what they can make of it and what kind of people they will meet this time. The forum will return to life too once the people are back (and with it the public and the stories). But the time of innocence when everyone was a noob and where people from different backgrounds clashed for the first time will never come back.

(reminds of Ragnarok Online, so much to discover and experience together with people you bumped into randomly in the old days but once everybody knew everything they only turned towards efficiency and "being the best" and the game lost its soul with the routine, lack of interaction and lack of (good) new content
Edit: They actually made a rather crappy anime about the experiences people had in this game even because it was such a unique time [to cater to this audience and to attract new players])

[longfeather]

-snip-

Well said, it's the same for me. I missed the supposedly golden times when Loftar and Jorb were still actively developing Haven -snip-

You do realize they are actively developing it, simply by working on the updated version?

While I agree, it will be missed and it's a shame the code won't be released for people to tinker with and enjoy. I think it is safe to say, it has been enjoyed by countless people, infuriated some people who once considered themselves hardcore gamers, and could also very well be attributed to noob suicides for the past half decade or so.... The time has come for something new(er/ish) to be done with it.

I feel that for this world, for as long as it's lasted, it's probably best that it one day go away. If only to serve as a reminder to those of us still around at that point, content with new version. I know that it isn't anyone's choice to keep or maintain it but Jorb & Lofter's. I will damn sure be glad to play this version as long as it lasts.

August 21st, we will all, hopefully, willingly be able to play the new version and enjoy it as well. I won't dare speculate on anything it contains, but I will look forward to meeting new players, figuring out any game mechanics or systems that might have changed, as well as building new villages in whatever form of the game comes our way.