An excellent thread indeed. There is a lot of good comments and content here, so I found it hard to go past without adding my own (which I hope to be as good).
Things around here have changed significantly since the introduction of 1.10, and, IMO, not all for the better. Change can be like that, but that is why a number of people who have been here for a while (and this doesn't necessarily mean that they are better people) have left with disparaging comments.
I'm going to try to keep this relatively short, as I do tend to ramble on a bit, so I will say that as I see it, one of the biggest changes is related to the influx of new members. This is not a bad thing. However, with the large amount of new members (1 or more per day, or so it seems, as compared to about 1 a week way back when), it is a lot more difficult to know who everyone is, and it makes it more difficult to keep such a strong sense of community as was here before.
Of course there is the other (negative) issue about hacks/dupes/cheats. This forum was established for the purpose of discussion about legitamate SP playing and trading. This purpose is still here, but with such a large influx of people, that small proportion who for some reason believe that they are great because they can hack and cheat become even more prominent, and this is a bad thing. I don't envy AE his task of dealing with all the crap that goes on, and I think he does a great job.
This forum is still very strong. This is a very active forum, and there is a continuing increase in the membership. Despite my activity at the other place, I still come here for most of my D2 needs.
What am I trying to say? Basically that this place is good. I don't spend as much time here as I used to, but that's mostly because of RL. I still enjoy playing in the tourneys here, I'm part of the ladder and try to help with any questions I am able to. This place no longer has a need for the 'Old Guard', and it has developed into a much more focused D2 forum.
I will, however, say that while I don't trade (for reasons of my own, such as the enjoyment I get on finding my own items), if I were to trade and to trade legitamately, I would be very careful with whom I traded. In fact, there are only a few people here that I would trade with, and they would be those who I have come to trust (based upon what I have read of their posts), and who I think are also similarly restrictive on who they trust. While this may sound elitist and biased against new members, this was pretty much one of the first things I read in the FAQ back when I joined - that if you're new, don't expect us to trade rare items with you until you have basically gained our confidence and trust. I think that this approach was a very successful one, and something I would like to see here.
One last note - just because you have all the best items doesn't make you respected. If you want respect or adulation, or any of that, then you'll have to earn it by carrying yourself the right way.
(I'm glad I kept it short - just imagine if I'd really let it go out :lol: )
(best guide evar = untwinked elemental druid patriach at lvl 63 (?), 1.09 )
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