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GemStone Platinum service has been available since 1999, and even still, 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. There are also several benefits that Platinum players receive
that are not offered to Premium subscribers, such as not having to wait until you are level 20 to obtain a last name, special rewards
for Platinum points, and the ability to have GM interaction and support for player-run storylines and events when time permits. The
Platinum community is rich with diversity and it is indeed a second, completely separate world to play within. We have our own
timeline, our own heroes, and our own storylines – none of which exist in Prime. *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 Events, Premium and Platinum SGM 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 historical timeline in Platinum is different from Prime
and so are the character's histories. It would be way too disruptive 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 not 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, they are 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 Events, Premium and Platinum SGM if you
wish to do so. 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 Events, Premium and Platinum SGM should approve your request within 1-3 business days. This offer is subject to change at any time!
* Note: The free trial is for 30 days of Platinum billing only.
Platinum may have areas where Premium subscriptions are needed.
The trial does not include Premium.
You will need to upgrade to enjoy those benefits, however,
Platinum may have some areas in game with their Premium restrictions lessened or removed.
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.
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. Making new friends is part of the adventure!
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 in most areas, there is no death's sting (with the exception of CON penalties). 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 in 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 worldwide. 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 conduct any merchandising over the merchant channel of the net. Please be mindful that this is a role-playing game, first and foremost, and so any sales should be conducted with that in mind. Items may also be exchanged or queried about via the player boards, or simply by striking up a conversation with your neighbor in the game instance.
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, CB, BRB 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."
The amunet also 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 there is no death sting (with the exception of CON penalties) in most areas. One of the most important things you can do to help yourself in these instances is to always, always register your items of value! It is a simple process and doesn’t cost a silver. If an item is registered and you require staff help to retrieve something, it helps out tremendously.
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 higher level
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 its 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.
River's Rest - The Commons
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? There are no CHE’s in Platinum that are open and available for public membership. While the buildings do exist in Platinum, they are all covered by a mysterious swirling barrier that keeps anyone from going inside and there are no references to the names of these Houses anywhere (not even a street name or a gate keeper can be found). Platinum does, however, have several wonderful MHOs that are great organizations to consider joining instead.
Can
I own a regular home? Of course. And you 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, though most merchants and raffles are announced on the boards at the very least. Several role-playing events take place that are never calendared or announced on the boards, as GMs like to interact with the Platinum players as often and as spontaneously as they can. This can be anything from NPCing a local in the Landing such as Kilron from the pawnshop, to bringing on a rain storm and helping the players have a mud fight in the small park to name a few examples.
Also, keep in mind that when a merchant shows up in Prime, there can be hundreds of people vying for a spot in line, while in Platinum, there are much less. Just that one little fact makes it much 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.
I can't
deal with such a low population! Platinum does have a smaller population in comparison to Prime, this is true.
However, there is something to be said for being a member of a community where everybody knows your name.
In a small community such as ours players have a lot of control over their playing environment,
and the Platinum team GM's are devoted to all the players and have the time to watch the entire
population, not just a few. 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!" The bottom line is, Platinum is not for everyone and it may not be for you either, but before making that decision based on population numbers, consider this – How many people do you role-play with at one time right now?
In Platinum, you can role-play with anyone that you come across at any time and receive a response that is in character and a genuine attempt to role-play in return. How nice would that be?
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'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 its 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. There are also MHO organizations
run by players within Platinum that focus on helping those new to the instance.
Tell
me about PvP and CvC in Platinum. There really should never be PvP (Player vs. Player
conflict) in any game and if it were 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! Platinum is a completely separate instance of the game and ties
that you had in Prime do not exist for your character here in Platinum.
Feel free to whisper OOC to the player if you wish to acknowledge them and indicate who you were in Prime,
but please understand that not all players wish to cross those instance lines.
Someone
was mean to me when I went into Platinum! Well, some characters are mean to everyone as a part of their role-play!
Perhaps you can take the opportunity to flesh out how your character would respond to this type of treatment
and see where it goes. If they are harassing you, please let a staff member know and the situation will be corrected.
However, keep in mind that there is a difference between role-played aggression and player issues.
If it is a role-played aggression, you will hopefully find a way to role-play in return.
You are going to meet all kinds of character types in Platinum, some nice and some not so nice.
Our hope is that you will find the fun in both instances and perhaps even grow as a character in the process.
Also, feel free to ask any other players (via the boards or an OOC whisper, or even an IC discussion) regarding that character
and why they are the way they are. You might find out some interesting tidbits in response.
Does the dark side of GemStone get much representation in Platinum? I know my
character will be shunned by most, but, will I be resigned to walking alone all of my
career? Yes, there are a number of Evil/Mean (E/M) characters in Platinum, and no, you won’t walk alone. 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. 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. 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.
Is there
buying and selling or is it pretty much hunt and get treasure? Platinum is a mostly barter and trade zone by choice of its players.
Selling on the amunet is fine within reason as long as it is role-played and kept to the merchant channel.
Some prefer to give things away as needed to people because we remember that we all started from absolute scratch there.
Also, silvers in Platinum are not as abundant as they are in Prime.
Don't expect to get everything on a silver platter, but do expect the generosity of the populace to overwhelm you at times.
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 containers and benches in the park as well as with the MHO organizations that are dedicated to
offering the public needed goods for free. A lot of people collected wands, scrolls, statues, alchemy components and other items that are of use for players, then donate them to these organizations to distribute. If you see something that you’d like to donate, please feel free to contact someone about this or even just leave it on the bench for another!
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 are role-playing when you approach them for services, and if that character does not know who you are, they might respond with confusion or even outright refuse depending on that character’s personality. Introduce yourself, get to know the characters a bit, and then try asking for something that you need. Don’t be afraid to utilize the amunet and ask if anyone knows of a good locksmith or a talented healer in the local area that you are in either. This is an attempt on your part to interact with the community and they will interact in turn! Platinum is a small community and as such, many times, you will find that you are dependant upon yourself for these things, however. So please also make sure that you utilize your coins wisely and help yourself when able. It is always best to plan for no help but your own, then if you do get some it is a bonus! This is not to say that people in Platinum do not enjoy helping each other, as we do enjoy it. But we are not always around or able, or even willing, at every moment to do so.
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 private 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.
Can
I script hunt/heal/craft in Platinum? Absolutely. You must be completely attentative while doing so, however.
This includes being able and willing to respond to your environment if necessary.
For more on this policy, please read over POLICY 18.
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 is generally small in comparison to Prime, your character will always touch the lives of at least a few others, if not all. As one long-time player said in response to this very question on the boards – "Well golly! I guess you can play Prime, and talk about history, or play Platinum and be a part of it."
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. Register your items!
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 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.
6:
Read the Platinum forums. They are a crucial part of the Platinum community and its communication. You don’t have to post, but please read them for announcements at the very least!
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. 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.
8:
The small population in Platinum means we don't have hordes of rogues, clerics or empaths working nonstop. Your first few days in Platinum will probably be spent learning self-reliance techniques – Surty and Larton do a booming business here.
9:
Relax,
have fun, make some new friends. That is what Platinum
is all about.
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