The 5th Anniversary
It's been exactly 5 years now since the server launch! Since then, more than 75 thousand characters have manifested themselves in the world of Tibiantis through the soulvortex to join the battle for creation. (Nearly 12 thousand already passed away to the other world, commonly known as
Deletera, but that is another story...)
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our players for sharing this wonderful time with us as well as for all the support you've shown us. Without you, this project wouldn't be what it is, which is the best 7.4 server that has ever existed! If anyone still has any doubt about that, we encourage them to continue reading and find out what, aside from our great community, makes Tibiantis unique.
Faithful Re-creation of 7.4
Nowadays so many servers advertise themselves as having been created by
reverse engineering the leaked original files that it has practically become just a cliche, far removed from reality. Tibiantis, however,
truly is based on the original engine that we downgraded to 7.4. Thanks to that, it's as close to the original game as possible. It was proven time and again that in this case these aren't just empty words. During the analysis of the leaked engine, we found numerous previously undocumented mechanics, and we recounted our findings on
forums. Through extensive research, we also managed to revive long-forgotten mechanics of 7.4, like e.g.
overspawn, which we documented in detail as well and brought back to the community's awareness. This knowledge is widely used these days, but Tibiantis is still the benchmark for other servers.
Anti-cheating Policy and Efficacy
Another flagship characteristic of Tibiantis is the persistence and effectuality with which we eradicate cheaters. This has been our highest priority and also where we've put the most effort since the very beginning. On Tibiantis, even the smallest sign of cheating might be detected and punished. And the consequences are always the same–a permanent ban on all accounts that the cheater accessed, and also accounts of all those who accessed the cheater's. The
exile list bears witness that there are no exceptions, no mitigating circumstances, no turning a blind eye. Our goal is to have a real distinct player behind each character in the game. We have no interest in boosting the online counter with multi-clients or zombie characters, and we never hesitate to ban a cheater, even if it means a downsize. Some might think that our approach is too strict, petty even, but we are convinced that there can be no other way to ensure fair gameplay. You can read more about this topic
here.
This policy is not only based on good intentions but also on the working knowledge. Our administration includes people who used to “be on the dark side” themselves, inventing yet new ways to cheat. We very well know how cheaters think and work, and we won't be fooled by cheap excuses like “My wife played the other char.” or “I was just clicking without looking.”, because we really can tell. All that knowledge and experience from the game itself combined with almost morbid tenacity helped us reduce cheating to a minimum. Suffice to say, we hardly get any reports from players anymore, because they simply… don't encounter cheaters that they could report. Most of our players know that cheating on Tibiantis doesn't pay off, and those who don't–well, they find out soon enough. However, should you happen to file a report, which we certainly do not rule out, you can be sure that we will always respond. We are well aware that the victory over cheaters is never final. One of our initial presumptions was that it was going to be an endless arms race, from which you cannot back down even for a moment. We do not believe in any magic anti-bot that can solve the problem once and for all. What we do believe in, however, is hard and thorough work, which is why we do not intend to rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we continue to improve our tools and methods, and all the reports, albeit sparse, are still prioritized and thoroughly investigated.
It is also important to mention here that all of our methods are non-invasive and do not violate your privacy. Unlike many others, the Tibiantis client does NOT scan your computers, have access to the running processes, or check your hardware, etc. All of our detection and verification processes are server-side, which also helps us avoid any other potential inconveniences for the players.
Custom Content
In Tibiantis, we take pride on hosting a game that is a faithful reproduction of the original mechanics and ambience. But make no mistake, this doesn't mean that we have nothing new or interesting to offer. Once in a while, we release content updates. Not only are they thought-through and balanced, but they also blend perfectly with the original lore and maintain the spirit of 7.4 so that the nostalgic ambience doesn't disperse. The content updates bring back the thrill of adventure that we're all longing for while rooting it in the original game to revive the dormant excitement of days past. You'll find more about content updates, their purpose, objectives, and origins in
this detailed article.
Since the beginning, we've also made a few carefully designed tweaks to the original gameplay in order to improve the balance in the long run as well as to better reflect the experiences and feelings of players of the orignal 7.4. As it happens, we were the first to not only draw attention to the maladjusted armor values, negative economic consequences of certain quests, or the imbalance of the original Ankrahmun, but also to address these issues with tailored solutions, which have quickly gained recognition in the community and have now been widely adopted by other servers.
Clear and Consistent Policy
Being long-time players ourselves, we have a broad understanding of various aspects of the game, which is why, as the administration, we try not to intervene in the gameplay too much but leave most things up to the community. We do not settle disputes or interfere with wars. We recognize that the role-playing aspect of the game does not exclude “evil” characters, even if they are sometimes bothersome or annoying to other players. Conflicts, alliances, diplomacy, and in-game politics are an integral part of the game and an added value to the depth of its realism. We believe in treating every player equally, regardless of their merits or affiliation, be it high-level chars, team leaders, or streamers, and we do not recognize anyone's leverage or influence.
Furthermore, we have an equally transparent and simple policy regarding the so-called
p2w. Aside from the classic premium, you can be sure that Tibiantis will never offer any product or service that would provide an advantage in the game. We also do not support black market trade nor do we allow any form of advertising thereof.
Stability and Longevity
The final pillar of Tibiantis is stability and longevity, in the broad sense. It is expressed mainly in two aspects–technical and strategic. The former boils down to the fact that bugs and other technical issues are exceptionally rare and there hasn't been even one that would be game-breaking. During the five years, the situations when we had to resolve to a rollback were extremely sparse, and even then most were forced by circumstances beyond our control.
The second, i.e. strategic, aspect refers to our long-term plans for the server. From the very beginning, it's always been meant to run for years, which is why we put great importance on achieving the right balance and maintaining a healthy economy, as well as building a stable community. During that time, we've received numerous suggestions to either reset or open a new world, because a fresh start would be more profitable. However, we disregard such a point of view, because we value the time and efforts of our regular players more than a temporary hype. We've always said that a launch of another world cannot happen at the expense of the one that's already there. Thanks to our consistent approach, the server stands firm against all odds and is still doing well. The online numbers are fluid, of course, and this is natural, but Tibiantis always maintains an active community. Players return even after long absences, and they can do that here because their characters will not be deleted or reset.
The past five years have been an excellent showcase for the high quality and stability of Tibiantis. Your time with us will not have been wasted!
It was only one of several things that we worked on during that time.
