PoxNora was always one of those games I wanted to get into but never could find any traction with. Their onboarding experience for new players was very sink or swim back when I tried it and the existing community and economy was both fascinating and intimidating. I’ve circled back to it a couple of times because it often looks like my kind of jam.
I was both dissapointed with them and impressed with them, when I checked in on them a few years back to discover they had more or less abandoned their gnu/linux compatible client. But a decade into life, had survived the collapse of Sony Online Entertainment and were coming out with their own PS4 client.
I didn’t have a good way of connecting to them at that point (lack of gnu/linux client, no PS4) but I took note.
I circled back to them today only to discover there community is in freefall. I think most people who have spent anytime in MUDs or MMOs of any sort are all to familiar with what their community is going through. It is remarkably startling to trip across in progress however.
I found bits of this forum post pretty well written.
Pox Nora was truly a legendary game. It was released on August 1st, 2007 and had an amazing run. If you are just now finding it, please enjoy it for the time it has remaining. It created a truly memorable community and had an amazing competitive spirit to her. What you see now is the aftermath of time, poor management, and a game that is drawing its dying breaths. Try not to hold that against her.
There appear to be some overtures in the community to try and clone or buyout the game and some chatter that their might be some final parting gift from some subset of the developers.
I kind of regret not getting into this game back when I had the chance now. C’est la vie. Now doesn’t seem to be the time. Too many other things to focus my attention on. I do think I might set a timer to remind myself to check back in on some of the longshot hopes though. A player run clone could be interesting, though at first blush looks to be a very long shot.