Aa S Review

Where did you find Shilla?

I was searching through lists of "free" rpg-type games one day and Shilla was one that I looked at. This was prior to the "Big Reset" and I created a character, walked around for a few hours mapping, found a set of green armor, and died several times. I remember that the map was a lot different, everything just stayed where the monsters dropped them, but I don't remember chat. That was either because I didn't validate, most likely, or didn't scroll down the chat screen, least likely.

Why did you start playing?

A year or so later, six months or so after the "Big Resets" of 2002/2003, I stumbled onto Shilla again. Started another character and played pretty steady for a year or so. Just before reaching 8K ws a misfired scroll on Thor instead of Odin sent me into a "Dying Sucks" six month hiatus.

What made you interested?

I like the "pick it up, put it down" aspect of this game. You don't have to play everyday to be successful. It is also a simple game to play, once you become familiar with the gameplay.

What kept you going?

I like watching numbers grow and building up a character. The repetitive aspect of this game doesn't bother me either. The friends I have made in the game, while not actively playing anymore, have kept me going as well. I was the quiet player who spoke very little for the first year I played this game until one day a player named Annwynn and I started racing. It didn't take her long to wipe the floor with me, her being able to play at work helped, but a good friendship started nonetheless. Then there is the distraction of this wiki creation….

Did you ever want to quit?

Only the once I have mentioned above. Even when my main character received her first death I didn't feel like quitting. Being able to quickly recover due to being high level does soften the blow a little.

So how long have you been playing this?

My best guess, ballpark estimate would be around 5 years, minus that six months off.

Most Positive things to happen to Shilla?

Being a relatively new member of this game I would have to say that the last monster/weapon update improved the game tremendously. It's faster to reach higher levels, and has staved off the attrition that has plagued this game since 2002.

Most negative things to happen to Shilla?

I don't have any memory of the "Glory Days" of Shilla Chat. The most people I have ever seen online is 19. In this day of online games like WoW I'm surprised that Shilla has the numbers that it does. I'm convinced that it wouldn't exist had the large updates of the past not occurred. So the lack of a robust community may be a negative, but one that was inevitable.

Final Shilla Thoughts

A longtime player named Arthur once said something to the effect of Shilla being chat with something to do while you wait for a response. I've always like that. I'm not the fastest player, life gets in the way more times as not. But I think that is why I haven't burned out after five years as well. I've seen players come and go, people shoot up the wall, then disappear, and I've made a few good friends. I will consider it a sad day when the lights are turned out for the last time… hopefully that is further off then some would think.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License