Thank you MANU!!!

[Logan Marquis]

You know...I was sitting here and had read a bunch of stuff on the forums of some people who were concerned by the state of affairs of the game...and I realized something...when does Manu get the thank you he deserves for his absolute commitment to the game?

Manu has spent countless hours/days doing things we all can only imagine (i know, i used to do websites and programming...and believe me...it can be very tedious). Sometimes...he should know how much WE, the community of MagicDuel, appreciate his devotion, his commitment, his passion for his little baby. He hasn't sold out...once.

He doesn't give in to pressure to make the game "easier or nicer" or even to make it more "user friendly". He is one of few true game programmers who actually has a vision for where he wants the game to go, and gosh darnit he actually is taking the game there!

He refuses to give up. He refuses to reset the game. The look of the game is beautiful. The flow of the game from mindpower level to mindpower level is genius. The movement of the game is awesome.

But I want to say this. One thing Mur understands better than ANYONE I've met who runs online games is that the community IS the game. He understands that you can sit there and make a beautifully aesthetic game, you can make a wonderfully addicting game, you can even make the perfect game, but he knows that without you, me, and the entire community of players, the game is just the game. It does not live. It does not breathe without us.

And for that Manu should be applauded. He is smart. He is wise. He is considerate.

He doesn't ignore us. In fact...he feeds us. He keeps changes coming and let's be honest, it keeps us entertained all the time. You can't grow tired on MagicDuel unless you WANT to grow tired. What I mean by that is there is so much change, so much going on, that you can not grow stagnant unless you want to. This is important because it prevents the game from getting too repetetive.

Even when you think hey, I've done this before (like going from MP3 to MP4) there is this huge difference in what you do, how you do it, and so on.

I just wanted to say that if you don't appreciate Manu...I DO!

His work, his devotion, his dedication, his passion...

They have NOT gone unnoticed.

And dangit...just because other people don't say it...I will...

THANK YOU MANU! You are truly a great leader. You are truly a great owner. You truly are a big part of what makes this game absolutely unique and ABSOLUTELY amazing.

I am addicted to MagicDuel not because of it's perfection...but because of it's constant movement. Manu breathed life into it, and it expanded with the community.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Can we have a special room in like the Archives with a statue of Manu? It would be awesome. I'd write a little plaque for it :-)

[Chewett]

[Redacted]

Edited December 18, 2012 by Chewett
Redacted

[Braiton]

Lets give Mur a big THANKS!

[AqlBeast]

I love the elegant things you say about Manu, Logan. But lets not forget here; what you have said is pale in comparsion to the appreciation Manu should have. Even with such elegance in tone, not even half of the community's appreciation is shown. I just want to make this fact known. Well said, I love it.

Appreciating you, thanking you, loving you. Manu

[Logan Marquis]

I completely agree Aql. I hope more people will join in and thank our most amazing Manu. He's our Manu...and we should all feel EXTREMELY lucky for that. I know I do.

[Morgana Le Fey]

I completely agree with not even this or anything really being enough

he hasnt created a game here he has created a new life for some of us

I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A STATUE OF HIM say at the center of gazeebo of Equlibrium

i will make a poll of it

[Tarquinus]

I concur with all that has been said above.

MagicDuel is unique in my experience. It is not perfect, but it does not claim to be. It is more enjoyable in alpha than several games I can think of in beta. The setting is highly remarkable, using many of the standard tropes of Fantasy while introducing new ones. The sense of mystery is pervasive and alluring.

The community of players is strong and diverse. The game is worth playing for these two facts alone. Like any great game, it sparks the imagination, and is therefore enriched by those who play it. We argue, we fight, we philosophize, we nurture, we educate... and we grow.

Manu may be the most amazing thing to come out of Romania since Mircea Eliade; in my mind, his contribution to mythology worth mentioning in the same sentence, and that is about the highest praise I can offer.

Ave, Manu, rex regum!

[GlorDamar]

I thought I'd contribute to the lovefest. Thank you Manu for creating the happiest accident I've ever had. I just kind of stumbled onto this game and I was captivated. To be afforded the opportunity to help move this beautiful, brilliant world forward is a dream. Thank you for the vision and the drive that so few people can combine. Thank you for the opportunity to create. Thank you for getting me back into drawing again. It's been 10 years since I have spent as much time with a pencil in my hand as I have these last 5 months.

Thank you.

[Glaistig]

Even though I said I would leave MD, I still checked the forums to think about what Manu said--so I see this topic, and I would also like to say thanks before I quit. Manu is incredible, and so is MagicDuel. Whether or not I come back, I will always remember how much I loved MD. Even though the community was the greastest aspect which kept me here to now, the community is this community because of what MD is like.

I know that this game has amazing potential to grow and progress: the concepts are truly innovative, and with how hard Manu works, it's easy to believe that the development eventually create a game that will live up to them. Although I can't say I like the constant implementation of different things for the cause of preventing "stagnation" and I don't like some aspects of the game and how Manu operates, I do agree with many of the other things Logan said. Manu is intelligent and very dedicated.

Thanks for saying I want to grow tired of MD, just as I leave, btw.. n'___'n Hurtful and duly noted.

[mishadowst]

I agree thanks Mur.

[Bootes]

Mur... if I were you I would Avoid any Thread that has my Name as the Topic. Still Kudos on a Great game, I hope you know how Much I respect you for the Unique Ideas and thoughts that Go into the Game.

I'm thankful Everyday that you were Kind enough to Allow me to add a Little of myself to the Game in the Form of Bootes.

You are someone I would be Delighted to get to Know in Real Life.

I only wish you had the Time to Interact and Enjoy the World that you Created more. However I'm sure the Flood of PMs and E-mails you get every time you are Online makes that near Impossible.

[Yami no Sakura]

Words simply cannot be enough to describe our thanks to you, Manu. The world of MagicDuel is absolutely amazing. I love the way that everything is connected. Nothing is there just because; there's a reason behind why everything is the way it is. And the community is the most supportive one that I've ever encountered. Nobody yelled at me to go away when I needed help as a newbie.

When I first stumbled upon MD by a Google search for browser games, I proposed an unofficial challenge. I saw that little warning tag on the homepage about how MD would be an addictive game. I remember reading that and thinking, "Ha! Watch me quit." But after just a week in...I was addicted...>>

So...yeah. You win. ;

[stormrunner]

even thou there some problems and I'm quicker to point them then give thanks for what is done good(sorry about that) you really have done well, I really like the rpc contest(even if I not try it)

[Arkken]

Indeed, thank you, Manu. This game is just awesome.

[PenelopeLightMoon]

I am so thankful for the uniqueness and beauty of this game. The art work is amazing. The concept is amazing. The fact that I am encourged to make my own path and contribute to it, is an honor.

I'm so sick of kill this guy, get that prize, now on to the next bit. There are so many things to do in MD that have nothing to do with slaying the montster on level four.

Lastly, and this is the important bit, I get to rub shoulders from time to time with the owner/creator. I can send mail to the manager and not a spam bot. The players and the forum for the most part are kept on an elevated level.

Manu, you are the only God I've ever had the pleasure of getting sloppily drunk on. You are the only game creator who ever took the time to teleport random folks to pointless parties so that they could beg you for techno.

The game is work of art. The guy who can make it, and still manage to walk among us from time to time is much more impressive. He may be busy, but he's available, and that is the most important difference in this game to me.

[Udgard]

I guess what I want to say has already been said by everyone here, but I'll state them once more : this is an amazing game. I found this game when I was just searching the net looking for some browser game to kill some time. The results? I missed only about a total of a week of online time from my 3+ months online. It keeps me coming back everyday. And yes, imagine how hard the work is for him, coding all by himself, listening to all our rambling, suggestions and complaints, and yet still there thinking of new possible developments. This community owes everything it has to you, and that deserves a very big thank you.

[Calyx of Isis]

As my mother, my psychiatrist, and all my friends can tell you, from the moment I found this game I have been singing Manu's praises. He has created some unique, that is something of which there is only one. This game cannot be duplicated.

The day before finding MagicDuel I spent hours trying to think of a game that would be truly different, that would represent the principles by which I live, one that would be hack-and-slash or mastery of the stats. Ne next day I found MD and there was the game I sought. I didn't even have to take a test drive to know.

More than any game programmer or moderator, Mur makes good on his promise, the players create the game. He watches us and the forums all the times. He listens and he acts. Players create their own destinies. Some, e.g. BigC, were chosen others, e.g. Thanasia, just did their own thing, while other, e.g. me, went to him with passion about some idea and found him supportive and encouraging. Regardless of how the role came to be, we truly do create our own destinies here. I cannot think of any other game where this is so completely true.

Logan, you have said everything I might have, and AQL and others are right, as much as it is, it is not enough.

People want a portrait or statue of Mur. Why? A map of his mind is layout out before us. It gows and changes every day, just as Mur does. I refer, of course, to the game itself. Every day it gives us hints as to what he's thinking and wants to happen. Every day it reflects the choice we make, the way me use the Principle of Imagination as we play. The MR's, the Dojo, Penelope and Tarquinus, and on an on. These are all uses of Imagination and it is clear this is what Mur loves and adores and thrives on.

[Muratus del Mur]

you all are awsome. I was thinking not to reply to this topic, i feel a bit blushing and i dont think i deserve all this, especialy when the game is all about the community in it and NOT ABOUT ME.

When you thank me you should actualy thank to every single player contributing to the community with their thoughts and their involvement...or to the guys that helped me along the way and wich drawings and texts and ideas you still find allover the game. I wont say all individual names here because they are to many, but just a couple stand out because they are responsable for the most of the work even if they are no longer part of the project for a very long time , Valy and Adi. The amazing fact is that currently the game grows at a much faster rate because of the community involvement, even without permanent drawer or storyline job, and that only means that YOU, ALL OF YOU, are building this game together with me. I am not alone in this!

I am just mirroring a part of my thoughts in this fantasy world, trying to do something much more than a game. This project for me means more than you think, its not a business, its not a side hobby, its something that for me represents a focus of what i allways wanted to do. I was (and am) a good webdeveloper, why not to admit it probably one of the best outthere since i am capable of doing anything webrelated that you currently see on internet, i am also an artist in my own way, and more, so from my point of view this project combines the things i like and the things i do best but most of all it gives me a way to make my own group of ultra high quality friends, friends that i was never able to get in real life so much because of my ridiculous standards.

I am pretty capable of supplying pure addiction into a game, and sometimes i use that "ability" in some of the features in this game, but the last thing i want to do is to create something purely focused on game addiction, like WOW or other games that are like scientific researches on how to make a game addictive without caring about the community or the role playing. I say that because some of you "worship" me for the "game" and my purpose its not to create just a "game". The "game", as in fighting and discovering things in game, its just the way to keep people together untill they realise the true fun behind the scenes so to speak. I am far from that goal, but much closer than i was one year ago when it all went online.

Well enough said.

I still think i should not be such a celebrity, or my ears will turn all red and i will go hide under the bed or something lol. But i do admit that i read this topic as a stress releaver and it feels damn good to see all the nice things you said here, and even if i dont think i should receive all that 'applause' , its simply awsome.

THANK YOU

[Gargant]

I agree Manu, it is the players that make the game good...But it is you who brings all the separate elements together and makes the game great.

You say it's all about the community but who made the community possible in the first place?

THE MIGHTY MANU!

You say you are a web developer, artist etc.

But what you have done is brought together what I see as one of the most intelligent, cultured bunch of players on the internet, the best writers, the most talented artists and the best developers out there and it was you who made all this possible.

There aren't enough words to describe how highly I regard you and the work you have put into this and I think we all owe it to you to get the most out of your amazing creation and to put to put into it as much work as we can, but I realise it will never be as much as the work you put in yourself.

All hail mur and his fantastic Magic Duel.

(Also I think the festival should celebrate mur as much as if not moreso than the RPC/PWR thing)

[mishadowst]

But even still Manu maybe some of us would have found each other in different guises in different gamesbut not all of us here and now together would have found each other if not for you creating this one. Thanks again.

[The Bleakest Abode]

This game seems cool, after all! Thank you Manu for the great work!

Can't wait to see the Mp>3 features of the game, and the magic system!

[Soltis]

Being a designer myself- a studier of society, human nature, that which we call the game as well as an avid, immersion-type roleplayer and DungeonMaster on more than a few occasions be it forum or live (Just the other day I concluded a 3 hour DnD campaign designed specifically for a classroom of mixed talent at the thing and was praised by all involved for it- both the new guy and the other, much more experienced DM gave me praise which I thought was just grand, since not only was it my first actual DnD campaign that I ran myself but I succeeded in the goal of making it both fun and a learning experience of nearly every rule offered by the game- 3.5 anyway), I must conclude that this is most certainly a unique game, in that it's a game whose rules are constantly being redefined.

Now when I say redefined, I do not invite squabble like "but technically any other MMO making a change does that." The rules of this game are set in the minds of a creator and a community and are always on the move. It follows the footsteps of other landmark MMOs: Ragnarok Online was (and probably still is) referred to as a "social gathering" kind of game and there is no bigger display of this than the private servers littered around, whereupon others take the role of creator and the game's rules and goals are redefined in that fashion.

The game itself, the core "rituals and mindpowers" number system, does not make up the entirety of the system, and this is a stunning thing. In most games, your goals are defined by your character progression. In a game based on the story, your goals are therefore based on the story. A person in MD can certainly ascend to a seat of ok power with no human interaction, but it's apparent to the subconscious almost immediately that you are only ever going as far as your dedication and personality will take you. It's well known that Freeform Roleplay is the hardest to mandate because creativity spurs human nature, survival instincts, and the need to be the best- causing conflict- but it's also clear that while Roleplay can be a large part of the game that it is neither invited nor required. You are not given a template or sheet when you begin, nor is it even remotely quantifiable to be a statistical requirement for progression, but it's become a part of the game and community nonetheless.

The point I've been leading up to is that when viewed from a design perspective this has become a sound, warm foundation unlike much if anything I've ever seen myself. [i]The game is run on humanity.[/i] It's astounding. The community feels tightly knit, and though my instincts are telling me it would be too small a world at the present time if you tripled the current population it functions well for something that should, in theory, implode, because most of the time if you leave people to their own devices like this you get nothing but screaming chaos. You have achieved a haunting and quiet atmosphere with the artwork and framework story that is supplanted by the player driven adventure log, satisfied desires for conflict with tiers and a non-death, PvP combat system (PvP means never the same twice), satisfied creativity with optional roleplay and ultimately have managed to, while the community is small yet, balance scales as a feat that many big companies find nothing short of impossible.

I wish this game well. Can it's tight-knit, roleplay community withstand a larger audience, will the freeform mystery style fly forever? Only time will tell, but it's been a fun ride so far and hell, I got the time. :drinks: Cheers.