Over the 6 years the GemStone Platinum service has been available,
a number of questions seem to get asked over and over. So,
with that in mind, we have attempted to collect the most common
questions and post their answers here in one place. Of course,
all of these answers are subject to change and some of them
are even subjective in nature, but that's the case with any
living document. We will make all attempts to keep it up to
date.
A point of interest, these questions
were pulled from the message forums and/or asked at various
Cons (SimuCon, VegasCon and other Player Gathers) and their
answers were based on the responses by many players of
GemStone Platinum and the GemStone Platinum GameMasters.
To all that read the forums and help out answering questions,
we send our thanks.
I can't afford Platinum / It's an EXTRA $49.95* a month. It's actually only an extra $10 a month over your Premium subscription! The math is: Basic Subscription ($14.95) + Premium Subscription ($25.00) + Platinum Subscription
($10.00) = $49.95. *Plus tax in MD and MO
What do I get for my $49.95*? You get all the benefits of the Basic, Premium and Platinum subscriptions. Your
subscription includes, but may not be limited to both the Prime and Platinum
game servers, all the Premium benefits such as Four Winds on both servers, including
your bankbook, manifest, and 'length of service' gifts, Premium Pricing for events
such as pay quests and SimuCon, expanded character slots and special Platinum
pricing for pay events/quests on the Platinum server. *Plus tax in MD and MO
I have
a basic account, do I need to upgrade to Premium and then to
Platinum to gain all the benefits of both? No, if you upgrade to Platinum, you are automatically upgraded to a Premium account
and given all those benefits in Prime also. After your upgrade you will have
access to the Platinum server with all the benefits available to anyone and also
a Premium subscription on the Prime server which gives you all the benefits available
to anyone there too. This is all included in your $49.95* subscription. *Plus tax in MD and MO
I was
told that you had to apply and be accepted into Platinum. Anyone can join Platinum and there is
no acceptance policy or role-play test you have to pass. If
you apply for the 30-day trial account, you will have to
wait 1-3 business days for the Platinum Guru to approve your account. See "What's
this about a 30 day trial membership?" for more details about a Platinum
30 day trial subscription.
You can
only play Platinum? No, you still have access to all your Prime characters and can play that too
if you wish, you just can't play Platinum and Prime at the exact same time.
I can't
bring my character from Prime into Platinum? Platinum is a completely separate game
server. In many cases, however, you will be able to bring your
character's name over, but that character will have to
start from scratch. The history time-line in Platinum is different from Prime
and so are the character's histories. It would be way too disrupting to have
a 60th train Wizard all of a sudden show up in the world from nowhere. Your character
wouldn't have "grown-up" here and made a name for his or herself. Most of the
people don't go into prime and could care less about characters from there and
porting a character over would leave that old world knowledge in the character
and player's head alike. We'd rather not see someone talking about the "old lands
that were like these but not" or a "parallel universe".
Ok, what
if I use my Prime name in Platinum, do I lose the use of it
in Prime?
No, it is two separate game instances. Your Prime character will still be there
for you to play any time you wish.
How about bringing my character back to Prime from Platinum if I ever decide to leave?
For the same reasons that you can't bring a character into Platinum, you can't
bring one back into Prime.
If I
use the 30-day trial and then wait for a few months before
I sign up for Platinum, can I still use the character I played
in the trial period? Absolutely. However, when you reactivate Platinum, you may find that the character
you created is not there. A quick call to billing will take care of that and
you can continue with your character where you left off.
How many
extra character slots do I get with a Platinum account? You get an extra 26 slots with your Platinum account. You get an extra 15 with
your Premium account. You get one with your basic account. Total slots are 42.
I just
upgraded to Platinum! All my Prime characters show up on the
Platinum menu with a (NC) next to their names? The (NC) means the names are available
but 'Not Created'. If the names show up there, they are reserved
for your use. If they don't show up there, they probably
have already been used in Platinum. The names are only reserved if you had that
character name when Platinum originally opened. You can write feedback@Simutronics.com
and ask them to unlock a name that is on your prime account and they'll usually
do so if it is not actively in use on another Platinum account.
Are
there more names available in Platinum or is it the same names
that are available for Prime? Yes, there are more names available. The only names that were reserved in Platinum
were the names that were created already at the time Platinum went live. There
have been a number of name purges since that time and since Platinum has fewer
users, fewer of those names have been reused.
I want
to use my character's name from Prime, but it's telling me
that the name is in use? Character names existing in prime when Platinum first started in 1999 were set
aside for use in Platinum by those people. Any character names created since
then were not set aside. So someone else could have chosen that name in Platinum
than the owner in prime. Someone else is likely using that name already in Platinum,
or has in the past.
Ok,
what are people's feelings on using the same character name
from Prime? Characters in Platinum have no clue who
your character is or was in Prime (even if the Players do).
As far as they are concerned,
you just fell off the turnip
wagon like the rest of them. As a side note, some players do use the same
character name from Prime, however, that does not mean they have the same race,
culture, attitude or any other qualities the Prime character had. The character
in prime could be a pure and good human cleric of Lorminstra and could be a paranoid
evil Dhe'nar sorcerer in Platinum. Watch before you assume. On a side note, we'd like to say something about character names
here. The players in Platinum tend to prefer character names
that allow personality and character traits to come out through consistent
role-play, rather than being stated up-front in a obvious name. While
most any name within policy is acceptable, you will find that the
characters in Platinum will respond better to a new character whose
name isn't contrived. For example; If you want to role-play
a warrior bent on slaying orcs, then role-play that, but don't name
your character Orcslayer, it's too contrived (and sometimes difficult
to hunt orcs with if others are around). Overly cutesy names fall
into the same realm and don't usually go over well here, so please,
no Smoocherpies, or Dazzlebritches unless you have a good
role-play reason why they are called such.
If I
don't like Platinum and decide to drop it, I'm not going to
lose everything in my Premium account, am I? Everything on your Prime account is separate from the Platinum account as far
as characters are concerned.
I was
told I can't transfer a character from one account to another? Not quite true. You can ask the Platinum guru if you
wish to do so. Both accounts must belong to you or a family member. The policy
is to prevent people
from selling
characters, which can be very disruptive in a small community such as Platinum. Read
more in the Platinum news (NEWS 5 12), it is detailed there.
What's
this about a 30 day trial membership? There is a 30 day trial membership to try out Platinum, free* of charge.
So, if you've been wondering what all the fuss is, here is your opportunity to
find
out. To sign up for a free* trial, simply submit a request and
the Platinum Guru should approve your request within 1-3 business days. But hurry,
this is a limited time offer and subject to change at any time!
* Note: The free trial is for 30 days
of Platinum billing only. Unfortunately, because the
Platinum service includes all the features of a Premium
subscription if you currently have a Basic account, you
will have be upgraded to a Premium subscription and charged
an extra $25 for that service during your 30 day trial
period. If you already have a Premium subscription, you
will incur no extra charges.
I tried
Platinum, but didn't see much. How much did you play? Your first prime character probably took some time to
get their bearings as well. If you are going to try it, try it. Focus solely
on Platinum for a full month; don't even venture into Prime during that time.
Give it a fair shake.
I tried
Platinum, but there were only 8 people in the game. Right now our population is about 40-60 or so people at Prime time evening hours.
We would like to see that hover at around 150. Bring a few friends over to try
it out with you.
There
isn't anyone I know there! Bring a friend or two to try Platinum with you, or make
some new friends! We'd
bet that you actually do know people in Platinum but they are playing a character
with a different name than you know from Prime.
Is there
a difference in character development in Platinum? For example
do characters gain experience faster than Basic/Premium? Character development is the same as in Prime, the only difference is that death
recovery (DR) points are halved on the Platinum server. This is not to say death
is easier on the Platinum side, remember, we have other penalties on death.
Is the
Platinum world the same as in Prime? Yes and no. For the most part all the same areas exist
in Prime and Platinum. When a new area, new races and or other game enhancements
are released, they
are done both Prime and Platinum. In fact, most mechanics are released to Platinum
first. However, because the history of Platinum is different from Prime's (the
histories split in 1999 when Platinum came online) there may be some differences
noticed. Come on over, poke around a bit, see if you can spot the subtle differences
in our world. A few different tents perhaps, a wagon or cart stocked with
goods, and don't forget the museum of history where you will learn many new and
interesting facts.
What
other (mechanics) differences are there between Platinum and
Prime? There are a number of very important differences between Platinum and Prime,
mainly due to the smaller population. Among them are the following;
The
Amunet. The amulet, or amunet as some
refer to it, is not limited to the area where you
are, in fact, it can be heard world wide. Do not
fear though, it is not abused and rarely very noisy.
There are a few player imposed rules in Platinum
regarding the use of the amulets however. A few examples
are:
In order
to keep a world wide amunet from becoming a
cacophony of voices, the players ask that you
not conduct any merchandising over the net.
Items may be exchanged or queried about via
the player boards, or simply by striking up
a conversation with your neighbor.
In keeping
with the Platinum goal of encouraging good
role-play, we also ask that you refrain from
emotions via thoughts. (i.e. You hear the
faint thoughts of John echo in your mind, "Laugh!" or "::sigh::") This
goes along with the general dislike of TTM,
OTW and other abbreviations and also the use
of :) emoticons. A good way to sum this up
was stated on the Platinum forums recently,
it was something along the lines of, "It
isn't so much about what is or is not allowed
here [in Platinum], its more about each player
challenging themselves to avoid the easy and
obvious out of character methods as well as
finding in character ways of getting their
message and ideas across."
Keeping the amunet
free from marketing allows us to keep each other
informed of our whereabouts. It is strongly recommended
that you announce where you are hunting if you
wish to be rescued. With sometimes only 1-4 clerics
in the game, if they don't know where to look for
you, death can be very harsh.
Death can be harsh?
Tell me more. There are a number of things different
in Platinum that you will have to get used to when
dealing with death. First and foremost, when (not if)
you die, you'll drop anything currently in your hands.
This is another reason you want people to know where
you are hunting so they can help retrieve your weapons
when some critter picks them up and takes off running.
Another difference is that if you should decay, everything
you are wearing or have on your person is left where
you decayed. Yes indeed, you do show up at the nearest
altar completely bare of worldly goods. Hopefully someone
is out gathering your items, because at this point
it is a race against the janitor. The one plus to dying
in Platinum is that Death Recovery (DR) Points are
half of what they are in Prime.
The Portals. Zendigar, a Chronmage, cast a
powerful spell sometime during the month of Imaerasta,
5101. The spell ripped a hole in time and space, causing
a rift to form. The rift manifested itself in a cavern
beneath the well in Wehnimer's Landing, and allowed
travel between locations all over the continent of
Elanthia. (See more about this in the Platinum Museum.)
But, the rift was unstable, so, once in a while the
towns end up paying for it to be 'shored up'. Because
of this you'll need to buy and keep current a ticket
to use the portal system.
Portal
ticket? You need a ticket for the portals? How does
it work and how much are they?
Easy really. Just have your portal ticket in your hand and walk through
the portal. After some mind wrenching agony you'll hopefully end up in
one piece on the other side. OK, just kidding about the agony part. You
can only buy a ticket at the Landing portal or at the Ta'Vaalor portal,
so if your ticket runs out in another city, you could be in for a long
walk.
The first portal
ticket you buy will cost 2,500 silvers. After that,
a portal ticket costs 25,000 silvers for 30 days
of travel. For another 25,000 silvers you can add
an additional 30 days to the ticket.
By the way, don't go East or West in the portal until you are a lot older
and make sure you get a MAP! (Ask about the map on the Platinum forums).
We'll also warn you now, if you use the portals without a ticket, bad
things will happen to you. You have been warned.
Where
is the main player base located? For the most part, the major population uses the Landing
as it's center.
The portal system allows quick travel to most any place in the world and with
it
you can quickly find characters almost anywhere. Many characters will setup base
in a town while they hunt there and not leave until hunting other areas however.
Look around the towns, you might find a new friend there. The main gathering
spots tend to be:
Wehnimer's
Landing - Small Park, by far the most common gather spot.
Icemule Trace - Town Square Central
Ta'Vaalor - Amaranth Court
Ta'Illistim - The Hanging Gardens
Can
I join my same House (Silvergate, Paupers, Brigatta, etc.)
in Platinum? Until recently, while the Great Houses existed, they
were not open to players in Platinum. Early in 2004 this changed and a few have
been opened. So, you'll
have to see if yours exists and if you are in line (compatible) with the group
that runs it here in Platinum. Keep in mind that the Great Houses that are open
in Platinum are not run under the same by-laws or people that ran them in Prime
so it is very likely they will be far different than what you may have been used
to.
Can
I own a regular home? Of course. And have a much better chance at a home alteration here also. Keep
in mind that all Premium rules (waiting periods and the like) still apply to
home ownership in Platinum.
How
many trains is the highest trained character in Platinum? We have players of all levels in our community, from 0 trains right up to 100.
The average character level in Platinum is around 30 trains.
Are
there more events/merchants/role-playing opportunities
than in Prime? I don't seem to see tons of 'Platinum Only' events
on the calendar. Don't let the calendar fool you. Many events in Platinum aren't announced; the
merchants, alterers and the like just show up. We not only have all the Prime
events, but many Platinum only ones. Also, keep in mind that when a merchant
shows up in Prime, there are on average 700 people vying for a spot in line,
in Platinum, there are more like 60. Just that one little fact makes it ten times
more likely that you'll get something done.
I'm
seriously considering joining Platinum, but before I do, what
professions are needed most? The professions are pretty much balanced in Platinum
the same as they are in Prime. Yes, sometimes we are short on one or the other,
however, within a
month
or two they seem to swing another way and balance themselves out once again.
We stress over and over, play what you want to play, not what others want. If
you really want to know this information, it varies from week to week. Don't
rely on fame lists or anything else, just come in and look around or ask on the
Platinum forums when you are ready to roll something up.
Just
what is our relationship with updates? When something is released
/ updated in Prime are we included or separate? Most of the changes to GemStone IV get tried out in Platinum first. Not all,
but most. Our environment is more conducive to testing new code and events. The
two lands are almost identical; with a few minor differences such as droppage
and the portals and things like that. Areas added to prime will also be added
to platinum. System changes like enchanting will also be added here either before,
at the same time as, or within days of prime. Now, there are some areas in Platinum
that are not available in Prime due to changes of the history. There is also
a rumor that a Platinum only city is coming at some point!
I can't
deal with such a low population! Maybe Platinum isn't for you then. Not to steal a line
from "Cheers" but, I like
being in a place where everybody knows my name and within a month they'll know
yours too. Where the players have a lot of control over their playing environment,
where GM's are devoted to all the players and have the time to watch the entire
population, not just a few. Where a few players have been heard to exclaim, "I
just couldn't think of anything else to get altered so I just gave my spot in
line to someone else!"
Can
you say something to convince me to try Platinum? This is actually a question we hear a lot at SimuCon and in the message forums.
Do you walk into an amusement park and ask the ride operators to convince you
to try their rides? Exactly why you should just hop in and try it yourself and
see if you like it or not. Everyone has different expectations, desires and needs,
and Platinum may or may not suit yours.
What
if I have a question that's not answered in this FAQ? We have a 'Platinum Questions' message forum over in the Prime Forums area where
you can post any question that you have and the Players, GMs and/or Moderator
will answer to the best of their ability.
I tried
Platinum but no one would role-play with me! It's much better to join into someone else's role-play to get noticed than to
come in and try and start new role-play. Once you are established with a few
people, then start your role-play.
I've
only been playing GemStone IV for about a month, can a "newbie" play
Platinum? While it is a little more difficult to be a newbie in
Platinum (we have no
Mentors
or GameHosts to help players) it isn't impossible. Many new players have started
out in Platinum and have done quite well with a bit of persistence. The main
thing to keep in mind is simply to stay in character and whisper your requests
for help. Once someone acknowledges your request, then ask your questions in
whispers or ask them if they have time to go to a private table in one of the
many inns where you can have a "out of character" discussion without
disrupting other player's role-play. Rest assured, most everyone in Platinum
will help answer your questions. As an aside, Platinum also has it's own set
of message forums where you can post messages with questions about character
help or almost anything else that may be on your mind.
Tell
me about PvP and CvC in Platinum. There really should never be PvP (Player vs. Player
conflict) in any game and if it was to start in Platinum, it would be dealt with
pretty harshly. CvC
(Character
vs. Character conflict) is a whole other story. There is little CvC that will
lead to the injury or death of another, possibly because the ones who tend to
lop off heads are given a fairly wide berth in situations which might lead to
their aggressions being unleashed. Most of these characters are pointed out to
new members of the Platinum society soon after arriving, so don't worry about
that too much. Keep in mind that no one kills without reason in Platinum. For
instance, your character might be killed for things that s/he might otherwise
get away with in Prime such as slapping, punching or kicking another character.
Imagine some peasant three days off the turnip farm strolling up to "Merlin" and
slapping him upside the head. Think there would be enough left of said peasant
to fill a thimble?
I saw
a character I knew from Prime and started talking to them and
they ignored me! Just because the names are the same, does not mean the characters are the same
or that the same player owns them. Even if they are the same player, that doesn't
mean the character would know your character! Role-play can be very strict in
Platinum. On the other hand, a few people said they saw no role-play. This is
sometimes the case when a new player comes in and is surrounded with a few other
new players. However, the longer a player plays in Platinum, the more they role-play.
It's a simple fact, put a person into a situation where most players role-play
and eventually they will role-play also.
Someone
was mean to me when I went into Platinum! Well, some characters are mean to everyone! That's role-play.
Seriously.
If they
are harassing you, we look dimly on that and the situation will be corrected,
if they are just mean, you'll have to deal with it. You are going to meet all
kinds of character types in Platinum and many have been around a long time and
are well established. If someone is being 'mean' to you, I would suggest that
you ask a friend or another older character about this particular individual's
story so you are better prepared to deal with or run from them next time.
Does
the dark side of GemStone get much representation in Platinum? Yes, there are a number of Evil/Mean (E/M) characters in Platinum. The population
is used to them and as long as they are role-played well, they are accepted as
such. E/M is not an easy road to travel in Platinum however, as the population
is low. Aid is a precious resource and E/M characters lose some of that. We would
also point out that there is a fine line separating E/M and 'jerk', being able
to play one well without crossing that line is a feat in itself. One is welcome
where the other is not. So, if you feel you are up to the task, feel free.
I was
considering playing a 'dark knight' or 'dark Paladin' of the
god XYZ. I know my character will be shunned by most, but,
will I be resigned to walking alone all of my career? No, you won't walk alone. As in all cases, there are those who will aid anyone
no matter what their crimes and also those who are E/M themselves who may or
may not aid you, depending. Of course, just like any scenario, if it gets intolerable,
you can always pull the 'life crisis changed me' card and become one of the masses.
This does not mean that all characters will forget your past.
Is there
buying and selling or is it pretty much hunt and get treasure? Platinum is a mostly a no sell zone by choice of its
players. Selling on
the
amunet is frowned upon. Most prefer to give things away as needed to people.
Remember that we all started from absolute scratch there. Also, silvers in Platinum
are not as abundant as they are in Prime. You don't need new gear every time
you can move up, many wear standard equipment until they are 10 trains before
getting vultite. Don't expect to get everything on a silver platter, but do expect
the generosity of the populace to overwhelm you. This is not to say that you
won't see anyone selling something, once in a while you'll see some offerings
on the Platinum message forums and also via character planned auctions in the
game. Also, check the benches in the park, a lot of people will just leave
wands or scrolls or many other items there for you to use. Be warned however,
if you get caught taking the items and selling them at the pawnshop, expect someone
to look for retribution.
Someone
whispered to me I was role-playing a terrible (insert culture
here). If you come in as a Giant of the T'Kiren Bear Clan and
pick up and wear a shining golden armband, expect to be called a Araime Sun Clan
member, we don't
see what
your culture is set to, we see what you show us. If you show us nothing, you
are just a Giant. If you are unsure, don't set your culture. If you do set your
culture, make sure you read it, know it and role-play it. A lot of players don't
like the people playing the "happy go lucky Vaalorians, sweet-as-can-be
Faendryl and goody-goody, act like a halfling, Dhe`nar." If you are going to
play a culture, don't make the people role-playing it correctly be put in the
situation of correcting you because you are role-playing it against established
histories. A commonly recommended practice it not to set your culture at
all until you find out a bit about the culture in Platinum and hook up with some
characters from where you'd like to play your culture as. That way you
have the option of changing your mind for a bit before locking yourself in.
I'm
not sure I can role-play as well as expected. Role-play in Platinum is not always better than role-play in prime. The major
difference is that most everyone stays in character and rarely will you see anything
out of character. Yes, there are a few great role-players in Platinum, however
most are average. But they do try, and that's all the players ask of you.
It took
2 weeks before I figured out why people were squinting at me
when I asked them for healing, spells, whatever. People don't know who you are. Until you are introduced,
you just can't walk
up to someone and say, "Hey Joe, can I get some healing?" That usually ends with
a blank look or stare with them saying, "Do I know you?" or "Have we met?" Introduce
yourself to people! Oh, and as for spells, Wizards and Rangers and others will
let everyone know when they are going to do mass spells. Until then, don't ask,
else they might not get around to it for a much longer amount of time!
Hey,
I need a DS check! Can ya swing at me? You'll find that in Platinum, the player's don't take kindly to such out of character
references such as AS, DS, TD and the like. This includes, but is not limited
to abbreviations such as AFK or BRB. If you need someone to check your defenses,
ask them for such or ask for a check of your spell defenses. Keep the mood flowing
and reading like a novel and you'll do fine.
I'm
feeling pretty tired, perhaps a nap is in order. We all need to step away from the computer once in a while. When you do so, please
take your character to a table, room at the Inn or a house before doing so. It
is annoying to many players when one comes across a character snoozing away in
the small park or town square and when spoken to is totally unresponsive. Do
not be surprised if you wake up outside the gates of town, dead from a critter
if you decide to do so.
Can
I script hunt/heal in Platinum? Absolutely. But don't walk away from your computer while doing so. The players
and Platinum GMs will give no leniency to one caught script hunting while not
monitoring.
Can
one person make a difference in Platinum? I have grown tired
of being one of the crowd in Prime. Absolutely! Many new faces have come into Platinum and more than a few have put
forth the effort to make changes and create new and exciting role-play opportunities
for many in the game. Since the population currently averages around 60 or so
characters at a given time, your character will always touch the lives of at
least a few others, if not all.
The
Top Ten Things to Remember Your First Days in Platinum
1:
Read
the FAQ and Platinum Guide... completely!
2:
Announce
where you are hunting!
3:
Remember
that characters drop anything in their hands upon death.
If you drag a corpse to 'safety' without trying to
recover lost gear, the gear may end up lost forever.
4:
If you
decay, you drop EVERYTHING and may lose some or all
of it before you can return to the spot you died to
pick it up. See number 2 of the top ten list!
5:
Many
characters in Platinum are more than willing to help
out new characters, but, despite the amunet, they don't
know if you are new, so find a way of letting them
know, in character, however...
6:
Don't
beg!
7:
Not
every character in Platinum is 'nice' and if your character
is insulting, rude or otherwise combative, expect an
in-character response from the victim. And yes, this
does mean they might kill your character.
8:
Remember
that if you do get into a conflict with another character,
it's the character and not the player who is angry.
Many conflicts in Platinum are role-played out viciously
while the participants exchange friendly whispers.
9:
The small
population in Platinum means we don't have hordes of
rogues or empaths working nonstop. If you are
wounded or need boxes picked, you'll have to wait or
take care of it yourself. Surty and Larton do a booming
business here. Never assume that another character's
purpose in life is just to provide services for you.
If you need boxes opened but the only rogue in the
lands at the moment doesn't want to, respect their
wishes and either take the boxes to Larton or wait
for another rogue.
10:
Relax,
have fun, make some new friends. That is what Platinum
is all about.
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