GemStone IV
Text-based fantasy MUD from Simutronics, active since 1988.
GemStone IV is a multiplayer text-based online role-playing game (MUD) produced by Simutronics, set in the high fantasy world of Elanthia. It first became playable as GemStone ][ in April 1988 on GEnie, making it one of the earliest MMORPGs and one of the longest-running online games still active. Access is subscription-based, with additional tiers including Premium, Platinum, and Shattered, alongside a free-to-play model introduced in early March 2015.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Simutronics
- Publisher
- GEnie
- AOL
- independent
- Platforms
- Windows, Macintosh
- Released
- 1988
- Genre
- Fantasy MUD
- Modes
- Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Technical information
GemStone IV runs on Simutronics' proprietary Interactive Fiction Engine (IFE), which allows nearly any game aspect to be changed on the fly without downtime, resulting in a 24-hour uptime cycle except for occasional crashes. The game presents a text stream and can be accessed via Telnet after authentication. Official interfaces include the Wizard Front End for Windows, superseded by StormFront in 2003 and rebranded as Wrayth in 2022, which offers point-and-click interaction.
History
GemStone was first demonstrated on GEnie in 1987 as a model never released to subscribers. GemStone ][ launched in April 1988 but was short-lived; GemStone III entered open beta in December 1989 and officially launched on February 1, 1990, with character records not carried over. GemStone III evolved into GemStone IV in November 2003, preserving the game world and characters. Initially licensed to use Rolemaster mechanics and the Shadow World setting from Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE), the relationship expired in 1995, requiring removal of all ICE intellectual property. This de-ICEing period involved renaming the world to Elanthia and deities while retaining characteristics, and forced every character to re-roll, keeping experience level, class, and equipment but allowing race and skill changes. GemStone became available on AOL in September 1995, and earlier on CompuServe and Prodigy. After AOL switched to flat-rate pricing, GemStone logged over 1.4 million customer-hours in one month with 2,000-2,500 simultaneous players. Simutronics launched a web portal in 1997, gradually phasing out online service portals.
Reception
Computer Gaming World in 1991 praised GemStone III's community and prose but criticized its parser, sparse environment, and lack of a free tutorial under per-minute billing. A 1993 follow-up review found the experience rewarding, noting helpful commands and other characters, and the ability for a bard to sing. Next Generation ranked it seventh on its 'Top 10 Online Game Picks' in 1997. At its 1996 peak, GemStone III had over 2,000 simultaneous users and 1 million play hours monthly. Retrospectives in 2020 and 2021 by Elizabeth Landau in Wired and Gizmodo highlighted its facilitation of human communication and resemblance to later MMORPGs and social media. It was a 1998 finalist for 'Online Game of the Year' from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and received the AOL Members' Choice Award in December 1996.
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