Memories of GotA
Shan
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Use this thread to share memories, screenshots, anecdotes about your Game of Thrones Ascent adventures 
Posts that do not respect the intent of this thread will be deleted.
Posts that do not respect the intent of this thread will be deleted.
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For those of you who don't know, I was the Producer and Product Owner for GoTA for several years before I moved onto Star Trek Timelines. I now work outside of the games industry, but I'll never forget the work involved around GoTA.
I just wanted to share a few memories with you all that stick out to me, even years later.
There was a day, shortly after summer of 2013, when Jon came up to us and said, "What do you guys think about making a war game within GoTA? We could use the Alliances and have them fight for stuff like unique titles, new equipment, and stuff like that." Little did we know what we were going to end up building. Those early decisions had huge repercussions down the line, and I can remember staying up late at the end of the very first phase, making sure the database transitioned properly to its ended state. There were just over a dozen of us back then, but somehow we made it work even when an edge case found us distributing rewards and points wrong
Since GoTA was a Facebook game first and foremost, it is uniquely personal in a way no other game I have worked on has been. There were Facebook groups that encouraged GoTA players to share real names, histories, and photos; there were people who had no problem tying who they were to the game. When we were in NYC for a show, we had a get-together for STT and GoTA players at a bar after the show. I distinctly remember meeting a bunch of The Black Goats in NYC, and all of us having a great time swapping stories and talking about our favorite GoTA memories - some of which were had at my expense
Or there was a time when two of our GoTA players dropped off brownies to our office. These brownies weren't wrapped, were clearly homemade, and someone had to try them first. Never one to turn down free food, I reached over and ate one straight away, no questions asked . They were delicious and everything was great until a co-worker said, "You know, there are some poisons that don't take action for days after you ingest them."
Many games don't get to run this long, even fewer with such a passionate community as this one. The full history of Game of Thrones Ascent occurred behind closed Facebook groups, late-night Skype channels, through emails and fan events and countless messages between the team and our players. It generated its fair share of praise, controversy, arm-chair theorizing, recrimination, and joy. And I'm proud to have been part of its long, amazing history.
Cheers to Game of Thrones Ascent!
Appreciate all you did for the game while you were here!
An old Goat, Robin Black Hood.
p.s. I have some of those pics of you in NYC with The Black Goat and others :-)
I kept my first SS
2014 was a particular testing year for me, having been diagnosed with oral cancer which returned 3 times in 10 months. GoT was one of the things that gave me the the desire to get up and want to do something during those atrocious days of pain, chemo and aggressive nuclear radio therapy. Those who know cancer will know that sometimes just the idea of opening your eyes or even breathing becomes a mountainous chore.
GoT gave me the means find the WILL and DESIRE to want to survive, thank you!
I never got to even hatch a dragon though _
I also remember one time I contacted a Mega of old days... A thousand eyes and one. I told them Deep Lake members were trying to get some achievements by having level 20 camps in all regions. I said they were the only alliance I saw also in every region and would they please help us with barters and bribes. ( Back then bribes were beneficial) and they did. They were kind enough to help a little tiny alliance. I will never forget that. Mad respects and hats off to you where ever you are
…. but mostly I will take away great friendships that have been built playing this game. I have met people from parts of the world that I didn't know existed and they are the most wonderful people you could ever believe. A surprisingly large number of them are seriously broken people but they have the sweetest most gracious and lovable spirits of any on this earth and I am humbled to have the privilege of having met them
But I was pulled into a group and named, and for a while it seemed like everything I touched would turn to dust because I seemed to have an uncanny talent for walking into every frailty in an alliance. I watched in horror as they blew up. And then I started Stonedancers and met Karl, whom no one had ever heard of and off we went on adventures. Usually apart, finally together.
At the end of the day, GoTA gave me something I needed. Someplace to go, something to do, someone to be.
My mistakes are my own. My victories aren't. They are the result of a very talented set of friends who allowed me the greatest gift of all. They encouraged me to be myself. So, to Xaene, Watty, and Jabroni who created Banshee, to Nenya who was ever my co-leader, to the Black Goat and ALL the Goats, to Dragonglass Citadel, to ravens that created friends, and enemies. To all those who ran with me, and to those who ran against me. To the Minstrels. To the Stonedancers. To my brother and sister. To you all. I raise my glass.
You can find me in some icy stream, washing the armor of those who will die, so they can go to the seven clean.
All in all, it was a pay to win (or pay to not wait) game. I was away on a brief vacation and tried to play the game on my phone. It was a pain because the game wasn't optimised for mobile play, and internet access was spotty. All I did was collect silver whenever possible before the counting house overflowed, and squeezed in a few building upgrades.
On the last day of my vacation, I saw the in-game announcement that the game would be kaput early next year. There was plenty of weeping and gnashing of teeth on this forum, especially from the veterans who had poured plenty of cash and emotions into this game over the years.
The music and sound effects in this game are good, but a bit repetitive at times. I usually muted them when I play.
The artwork is fantastic: of places, NPCs, character portraits, cutscenes, items etc. If/when this game goes kaput, the ARTWORK must be preserved and be given free to fans as a souvenir.
It's a shame there's no portrait pictures of the characters in the tv show e.g. a hand drawn picture of Peter Dinklage to represent Tyrion. I guess HBO or some other legal entity representing those actors jealously guard their image rights.
https://forum.disruptorbeam.com/gota/discussion/11899/survey-posted-by-jon-radoff
Please participate in the survey.
CEO of DB posted it 2 days ago on FB and allowed us to share it.
My player ID: 159443
1K1 were truly an awesome Mega. I well recall the struggle for a small alliance to get enough mats and spoils to upgrade (all those militia/traders/eavesdroppers!) and having generous members join to drop mats or share spoils afterwards so we could run the AC's
Like you i joint GoTA when i was waiting for an organ transplant and then happily recovering, i owe a lot of thanks to the DB team for helping keep me sane in the wee quiet hours during my worst days. simply thanks for your great game.
In my opinion it is a shame that rains will weap over its halls.Is shut down really necessary? And will we be able to play it again some day ? I had such a good time it.
I originally joined GoTA because I saw one of my friends was playing it. Then came The Doom - the big crash in March 2013. While many players left, fed up with bugs and crashes, I think that was when the GoTA community really began pulling together and bonding. Over the next 3 months, several players really began contributing ideas, researching bugs, and constantly pushed for game expansion. Despite all the gripes and complaints from many players, I found it to be a pretty exciting time. How many of us who aren't hardcore gamers ever get to see a game grow like GoTA did, let alone have a chance to actually contribute or influence how the game developed? I had the sense that many players really latched onto that. There was a definite passion in the forums back then. Sometimes it caused us to butt heads with each other. But all of us cared very deeply about GoTA. Despite any of our differences, reflecting back on that first year, I can't help but feel a bond of kinship with many of those players who stuck around for the entire run.
If the game does go down permanently and without some sort of non-GoT revival, it will be that first Spring that the game launched which I will fondly reflect back on -- bumps, hiccups, bugs, and all.
What happened to my title of Hodor?
Throughout everything, The DB team from Jon Radoff to Nod to Khatie to Shan and many others did seem to listen to the audience. Features were constantly added and the game evolved beyond the source material. Balance was attempted and unintended issues were tackled as soon as possible. Tie-ins to Facebook and Kongregate led to alliances that developed into long term friendships between people across the world.
The kickstarter for a follow-on isn’t doing well. I hoped that it would be different. I don’t play like I used to and it’s been years but I still log on most days and have been playing even more since the end was announced. I never played an online, alliance based game before Game of Thrones Ascent and I was hooked. I joined an alliance on accident, became active and then an officer. I moved to a smaller alliance, became an officer making friends that I interact with to this day. For a long time I got to lead one of the top alliances in the game dealing with issues in a way that felt like a decent sized company middle manager. I made it into the mid 40s in power as a "free" player.
There isn’t anything like Game of Thrones Ascent. The source material? The gameplay? Disruptor Beam? The players? A combination of everything. Now that it’s ending my mouse will likely last many times longer per battery change and I’ll be a little sad as a result. Thank you Game of Thrones Ascent. - Etienne Rivers
I would also like to Sincerely Thank WICA (Winter Is Coming Alliance) and their little sister Nymeria's Pack. They took in a newbie and taught me what the game was really about and how to be an honest part of something bigger. I didn't want to be a scared pup cowering under the porch, I wanted to get out and Run with the Wolves, to grow, to become stronger and a survivor. They quickly made me feel like family. Enough so, that my husband Spot even joined in the fun.
I Love each and every one of my Pack Mates in both WICA & Nymeria's Pack.
Thank You from the bottom of my soul!!!!! This old Biker Mama will never forget the help, support & Love you have given me and my family.
The past 3 years have been very tumultuous for me in real life. Despite that, I always planned to return to GoTA once real life became stable again. Only at the end of this past August did I regain consistent internet access. I had been out of work for substantial time, so in August I managed to land part-time work. Then a month later, I was contacted by an organization asking me to apply for a position with them. Now it's December. I have a full-time job with full benefits, and often work overtime. I bought an SUV the day after Thanksgiving. I moved into a larger apartment. My life is the best that it's been in roughly 8 years.
But now that life is good again, GoTA is leaving us. I have many unfinished goals. Life simply prevented me from pursuing them within game. I really wanted to finish my reincarnation runs. I wanted to finish hatching that dragon, and begin working on the second dragon. During my last stretch of frequent activity, I was beginning to find my role in AvA by supporting other alliances with my 1-man alliance. I was hoping to turn that into joining a larger alliance where I could contribute in a support role behind the heavy hitters. I wanted to finish equipping my Sworn Swords with seals, and to evolve various items. There is just so much that I never got to finish. Now I'm in a position where I could put both time and money into the game, but what's the point?
I'm not blaming DB. I understand why the game is leaving. I'm just very sorry to see it go. It's like having someone die before you ever tell them all the meaningful words you really wanted to say. Unfortunately, because of the new apartment and the car, I haven't been in a position to contribute to the Kickstarter fund. The game is scheduled to be taken down before I can afford to contribute. Hence, one more regret.
There was a time when everyone knew I bled fire and blood for this game. Sometimes it was a bit too much fire, but that comes from passion. I backed away to focus more on playing the game, then found myself in a position where I couldn't even do that. I still have some of that passion though. I'm mourning a game that I never got to fully explore the way I wanted to. That's why I had to return to the forums -- to pay homage not only to the game I loved, but the game I considered my home online.
From my days at We Are Not Serfs, I had made an alt so that I could experiment with different gear and attack myself and see the results. Raygar was a Targ loyalist and I planted him in a different alliance ran by the same originator as We Are Not Serfs. Winnie Wylde was running The Wildlings which was basically an open alliance of alts and noobs. During 1K1 phase, I noticed I was actually having more fun playing with the Wildlings than I was in the new mega alliance. We weren't winning anything, but it was fun having two small alliances kick each other in the nuts repeatedly until one hollered and bent the knee.
Eel Shock was a pivotal phase for many reasons. It was the last phase of the 'old old' AvA-- the days when you had to click EACH time for EACH sword to attack pretty much like PtP. It was also the last phase where an aggressor could be an aggressor without building a camp of any sort. It was also the first 'mini phase' - 4 days long as opposed to 2-3 WEEKS! Yeah...we actually did that. Spent WEEKS clicking for AvA! Is it any wonder that long-time veterans are insane? Dragonglass was getting thrashed in our own region but all eyes were on Dorne where Elyssi was squared off against the campless Sand Snakes. Without a higher camp to attack there was a stand-off and no one wanted to build higher at the risk of becoming the target. Also at stake in Dorne was a set of nifty extra-wound gear that was unusual and generous for an AvA prize. We made a decision to abandon our Dragonglass goals and build that level 20 camp in Dorne for Elyssi and so the race for farming was truly borne. It had existed before but took on an entirely new look after this phase. We built the camp and combined our numbers with Elyssi to pull out a controversial victory. Apparently some Sand Snakes had been scripting and were penalized a substantial amount of VP before the end of the phase.
It would have been nice to let the phase play out to see if could have beaten then despite the scripting.
The 'Darkside - Lightside' was about to be born.
End of Part 1
So Elyssi Dracaris now became a mega alliance with the addition of Dragonglass Citadel . In a strange twist, Winnie was tired of leading the Wildlings and so Elyssi gained the dozen or so active members from there as well so my characters were again rejoined for a few months. But alts were much more controversial then as there were rules. Winnie, who had several alts of her own, ended up splitting off (again) and forming the True Wildlings and I sent Raygar off there, again to enjoy some small AvA.
Being in the small council of Elyssi was very educational as I was privy to many of the machinations of what passed for diplomacy. I was a strategist, who explored the game and different ways of doing things. My alt in the small alliance allowed a lot more freedom to discover than my main in the big alliance where you had to all fall in line in order to win regions. And that inevitably meant farming deals. "You build a camp for me in this region, we'll build one for you in that region ." We eventually squared off against Kong's Landing for an overall title that was an epic clickfest campaign that involved bring in new members from many different alliances (including Banshee from the Minstrels, who I still wanted to kill). We came up short in that one, but there was a clear divide in Westros.
I'm not going to chronicle the rise of the Goats here as this is already epic-ally long enough. Suffice it to say that I spent many hours, days and weeks attempting to strategize against Karl and his elite horde. There was a sort of religious anti-goat zeal that I found quite off-putting. While it was fun (and frustrating) trying to outwit and outplay him, often the desire to hunt and kill goats got in the way of the actual fun of the game, at least for me. There were many times where I wanted to try something else, somewhere else, but the rest of the council was fixated on bringing down that one single entity. Lindy ended up going back to Dragonglass Citadel with a small group but I stayed a while longer in Elyssi to witness the downfall and rise of several other mega alliances and personalities.
I was still having more fun in the smaller, leaner True Wildlings with my alt. In fact, Winnie took off for several weeks and in frustration, Raygar seized control. And that was a turning point for that alliance as I began cultivating some new leadership there. Many of those folks that started as noobs in the Wildlings would become members in the small councils of other large alliances including the Goats and Shagga and their associated splinters. You know who you are. I ended up leaving Elyssi before it morphed into its "unchained" iteration. Jen and Lindy have both long left the game but they were some special gals in those early days. I often clashed with alliance leaders but those two seemed to tolerate me better than most.
True Wildlings became Vice and Ire which became Black Sparrows which became Aegon Our Faces.
I did a short tour with the Goats before moving on. For about a year I ended up traveling and mercing for several small alliances for a phase or two before moving on and had a lot of great fun. Meeting those awesome folks in the smaller, lesser known but open and friendly alliances is what kept me playing the game when so many others were dropping out. Castle Deep Lake, Dragonglass, Guardian of the Direwolf Den, Wolves of the Wierwood, Knights of the Stag, Rickons Rebels...and a few more I have forgotten gave me an appreciation for the real community and culture of the game. People just having fun whether they win or not. Finding a similarly-sized rival and kicking each other in the nuts until they bend the knee. And then becoming frenemies. No titles, no diplomacy, no pit postings. Just a smackdown.
The past year I ended up with Taking the Blackfish, a Tully-based alliance that was growing learning and improving and we had some great fun trying some new things. Making Barter Great Again. Nice friendly group of folks. But I was getting itchy feet when the notice came that the game was closing. I made some plans to fight and be buried with some of my old Wildling friends but was foiled by the last disastrous AvA.
As of now, the Kickstarter is past the half-way point without even raising 1/6 of what it needs. The writing is on the wall with one week to go in the game. It's the end of an epic journey. DB made it an interesting, rarely boring and often frustrating run. But I will always have the fond memories of a half dozen open chat windows in FB and timers going off and trying to devise a newer and better strategy, bouncing ideas off the other war generals, checking and posting graphs and spreadsheets. But it's time. Time to move on to a post-GoTA life. Thanks for the memories. I wish you well.
Daza Mistwalker
aka Raygar
Thank you DB for making a great game. And thank you players for making this a great community.
I have been in this game EVERY day for 61 months, so it is not surprising that I view the end with
considerable sadness. But, I come away with so many great memories along the way:
As a newby, waking up extra early to empty the coffers of my counting house so I could squeeze out a little extra silver that morning; later learning I could make a FORTUNE selling stuff to the shop (I was never broke again).
Horrified that I mistakenly sent out a Sworn Sword to FIGHT in AvA, rather than AID as intended, & the relief that followed after I explained my error to the target's leader - who then offered friendship in return.
Feeling truly bummed out when I lost my first Sworn Sword in AvA.
The fun playing GAME OF THRONES PICTIONARY in the forums.
Elation when my small alliance built our first level 20 camp, after closely missing out oh so many times.
Stunned disbelief when I hatched my 1st Dragon on my 1st attempt!
Just some of the many memories that have me feeling so nostalgic as the sun sets...
And above all - the many friends made along the way. Without you, the game would not have been nearly as fun as it was, so thank you one and all - past and present - for your time, support, tips, & simple day-to-day chat along the way.
Best of luck & best wishes to you all!
But, as someone once said, ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END...
or as the Starks might say - WINTER IS COMING.
Lady Fletcher
As part of interacting in the game, (conspiring/strategizing/ prevailing), our alliance members have become fast friends, hosting each other in various countries for memorable and real-time reunions. It’s definitely the best part of the game for me! I’ll post a picture soon.
Here's to Daughter Jayne, Simon Groat, Septa Eleanor, Ser Hugo, Alvyn and all the other servants. *raises mug filled with Alpha-Currant Nectar*
Now the question is: Will Timelines suffer the same fate as Ascent some day? If so, I feel sorry for those who have spent dozens of bucks getting the characters they wanted.
In some ways, I'm a bit relieved. While it's been interesting and exciting to be a bit on the inside, and have input in some of the game's early development, it's also been difficult seeing people get hurt in their real lives by people who made a game of taking things too far. I think many will agree that the community made this game a special experience, but it was also some in the community who sucked some of the fun out of the game.
I started playing in April 2013 because of the books, and everyone at work was talking about the show. I really loved the anticipation of a new chapter being released after the episode premiered. I remember how excited we all got when each new fealty building was added, and how player strategy evolved with new talents. I had joined a small alliance that another FB friend was in, but it was not very active and the leader disappeared soon after. With AvA coming soon, I was not sure whether to start a new alliance or join a different one - but we had so many mats in different alliance challenges! Thankfully the "takeover" option was added, and I became leader of Knights of the Winter Rose.
I spent the next 5ish years trying to make KotWR a place where people could play their own game but still make sure everyone could get something out of AvA. We gained like-minded players, and lost some looking for more. We had players from around the world, and while some would stay anonymous behind their character name, some would become real friends.
I spent more then I intended to, but got way more then I expected.
Farewell GoTA, and all who play. May the sun shining brightly on your swordsand into the eyes of your enemies!
Freya Stormcloud - Knights of the Winter Rose