Its been a while sense I posted here last. A lot of memory's rushing back. I remember taking this game way to seriously. Hiding behind this game from the harsh reality I could barely handle as depression and other real life issues pushed down on me. Was a great place to escape too that gave a bit of comfort. I miss it all, the friends and enemy's alike. Crazy shenanigans doing some of the most thrilling adventures I could imagine in a virtual reality. Sadly seeing it all gone in the old forums as from time to time visiting the forums to see if loftar have managed to fix it. Sadly all lost to it being corrupted, all but memory's remain.
Real life caught up to me and I had to stop playing altogether. I guess we are all addicted to gaming when playing a game like haven. Realized later on how much time had been spent in this game. In some ways it was worth it, but all that time felt waisted. More important things could have been accomplished then sitting behind a pc living in a virtual world controlled by developers who are not afraid to delete it on a wim. I was invited back by a good friend to try out the new world but as I started to play I realized the energy that this game requires of you. Its anything but casual and extremely addictive when you commit to it.
I don't know if I have the energy to commit like I had last time I played this game. Neither do I want too as it does swallow hours from your week that it turns your real life into a mess. I have come to a deep conclusion that haven really isn't a game for me any more. It was exciting to relive the new game learning its new mechanics from old friends. But as I played I did realize this game had changed but not by much. Maybe even become even more of an energy drain. I don't know if its the nature of games like haven or the community behind it. But this game is designed for no lifeing. It reflects with the low player count when worlds do get older.
I do miss this particular type of game where botting is allowed. For a programmer like me its a haven of opportunity to learn coding and try out quick and dirty solutions and code to better my skills in programming. Its thanks to haven I have changed majors to go into programming. It also have other appealing features you really can't find out there. Some games come close like Factorio and Don't Starve, games you can play for a few hours then leave behind. The things that really make haven great also make it impossible for any casual player. I might stick around to see where this game goes but I don't know if this game even allows for it.
What would this game even be like for someone playing it casual? Would it be appealing? What would your goals be like? I log in from time to time wondering what I should even do. Back in the day I would go through the monotonous routines of feeding animals, turn crops, check walls and other meaningless tasks that this game forces of you. Then I realize why I even got into botting. Insanity would kick in if I had to go back to the old routines without bots. Even worse I realize how insane it would be trying to recreate those same bots just to turn into a cog turning in a machine inside some virtual reality I put so much value in. Maybe I'm to old and have experienced this game for far to long.
I remember trying to give my enlightened input to the developers. How arrogant and foolish it was, this wasn't my game and yet after putting so much time and energy it had made this game so much more valuable then it should have been, making me wish I could have some say in its direction. I'm glad I have put some distance between me and this game to realize that its all Jorb and Loftars creation and its there choice to take this game where they wish of it. I was just a passenger along for the ride. I wish good things of for the future of haven and hope they take this game to a place with more players in it. Loftar is a great coder and what his accomplished is by far fascinating to this day, the worst working code I have even had the pleasure to sift through. Jorb with such a great imagination creating the game art I haven't seen in other games. I remember cursing them over and over after getting nuked, I wish reality would have kicked in then and made me quit the game. But all things would had to happen in due time and when I did end up leaving it I was but wiser to stop the addiction.
For now I might stick around for a while longer. Help old friends with code or other in game tasks, if even time allows. There is less of an appeal with better games out there. Who knows, interest might fade away and this game will turn into a memory yet again.