"Fixing player retention the only way that truly matters: Free Agency Must Be Eliminated!"
For years, Star Vault and Henrik have struggled with the greatest flaw in Mortal Online 2—not the lack of a justice system, not the fact that most of the player base consists of sociopathic gankers, and certainly not that veteran players are motivated purely by predation and greed.
No, the real problem with Mortal Online 2 is far more insidious, far more damaging to the vision of a true feudal hardcore experience.
The problem is Free Agency.
The problem is that players can just… leave.
The problem is that the prey can simply log out and never return.
This is a deep and devastating violation of hardcore realism.
Back in the “good old days” of feudalism, a peasant couldn’t just alt-F4 out of their brutal warlord overlord’s domain. They couldn’t just “go play another game” when life got tough.
No, true feudalism worked because of one simple, elegant, and highly effective system of player retention:
If you tried to leave your lord’s service, you were hunted down, slaughtered, and your corpse was left as a warning to others.
You weren’t just content—you were property.
This is the ultimate solution to player attrition in MO2.
This is the only way to truly bring the wonderful world of hardcore feudal realism to life.
This is the way to fix the biggest problem in Mortal Online 2.
NOT the lack of a justice system.
NOT the failure to balance the game.
NOT the complete and utter lawlessness that enables veteran griefers to farm weaker players endlessly.
No, all of these are mere distractions from the real problem:
Players Can Just Quit.
And that is unacceptable.
Now, Mortal Online 2 will ensure that players cannot leave, just like real medieval serfs.
How it works:
Your PC is no longer a PC—it’s a dedicated MO2 client machine.
SV’s Justification:
Now, punishments for disobedience will be truly immersive.
How it works:
Win? You regain control of your PC and are reinstated as a Loyal Subject.
Lose? Your PC remains under the control of your Feudal Lord, indefinitely serving their needs.
SV’s Justification:
Now, MO2 will ensure that every player contributes to the glory of Myrland.
How it works:
Players can’t quit.
Players can’t escape.
Players must suffer, serve, and die for the glory of Myrland.
This is the ONLY way to address the biggest problem with Mortal Online 2:
Too many players can just leave.
And that, dear serfs, is simply unacceptable.
? The “Iron Fist of Henrik” Expansion—Personalized punishments for players who dare complain about the system.
? The “Inquisition DLC”—Players who refuse to participate in PvP are put on trial for heresy.
GET READY, PEASANTS.
THERE’S NO GOING BACK NOW!
For years, Star Vault and Henrik have struggled with the greatest flaw in Mortal Online 2—not the lack of a justice system, not the fact that most of the player base consists of sociopathic gankers, and certainly not that veteran players are motivated purely by predation and greed.
No, the real problem with Mortal Online 2 is far more insidious, far more damaging to the vision of a true feudal hardcore experience.
The problem is Free Agency. The problem is that players can just… leave. The problem is that the prey can simply log out and never return.This is a deep and devastating violation of hardcore realism.
Back in the “good old days” of feudalism, a peasant couldn’t just alt-F4 out of their brutal warlord overlord’s domain. They couldn’t just “go play another game” when life got tough.
No, true feudalism worked because of one simple, elegant, and highly effective system of player retention:
The Permanent Threat of Real Hardcore Permadeath
Not just for the player, but for their spouse, children, parents, grandparents, livestock, and dogs.If you tried to leave your lord’s service, you were hunted down, slaughtered, and your corpse was left as a warning to others.
You weren’t just content—you were property.
This is the ultimate solution to player attrition in MO2.
This is the only way to truly bring the wonderful world of hardcore feudal realism to life.
This is the way to fix the biggest problem in Mortal Online 2.
NOT the lack of a justice system.
NOT the failure to balance the game.
NOT the complete and utter lawlessness that enables veteran griefers to farm weaker players endlessly.
No, all of these are mere distractions from the real problem:
Players Can Just Quit.
And that is unacceptable.
THE SOLUTION: IMPLEMENTING TRUE FEUDAL GAME DESIGN™
1. The Anti-Emigration Rootkit: "Myrland Is Your Home Now"
Back in feudal times, if a peasant tried to leave their lord’s land, they were hunted down and executed. Now, Mortal Online 2 will ensure that players cannot leave, just like real medieval serfs.How it works:
- MO2 installs an unremovable background process that prevents your PC from launching any non-MO2 applications.
- Attempt to close the game? Your screen locks, and a message appears:
- Your Steam library is wiped, replaced with Henrik’s personal notes on True Sandbox Design.
- Alt+F4, Task Manager, or forced shutdown? Not an option.
- Hard rebooting your PC won’t help.
- The rootkit modifies your BIOS firmware to bypass standard boot options and launch MO2 directly upon power-up.
- Any attempt to access BIOS or boot into Safe Mode redirects to an in-game dungeon, where your character is forced to mine ore for ten hours.
Your PC is no longer a PC—it’s a dedicated MO2 client machine.SV’s Justification:
2. The Hardcore Feudal Punishment System™
One of the biggest historical inaccuracies in MO2 is that players suffer no real consequences for defying their feudal overlords. Now, punishments for disobedience will be truly immersive.How it works:
- Players who log out without permission are automatically flagged as “Runaway Serfs.” and their PC (now a dedicated MO2 client machine) is bequeathed to the last ganker who killed them as a dedicated farming machine.
- Upon their next login, their character is forced to chop spongewood in the most dangerous area of the game, until he is ganked again.
- If a player fails to log in within 48 hours, their computer is permanently reassigned to the server's leading ganker, oops we mean "glorious warlord".
- The former owner may observe their character toiling away in a virtual labor camp, but all inputs are disabled.
Failing to Reclaim Your Status?
Players have one chance to redeem themselves by successfully challenging their Feudal Lord in the PvP Trial of Submission™—a brutal 1v1 duel where the stakes are everything. Win? You regain control of your PC and are reinstated as a Loyal Subject. Lose? Your PC remains under the control of your Feudal Lord, indefinitely serving their needs.SV’s Justification:
3. The Forced Player Contribution System™
One of the biggest issues in modern MMOs is that players expect to “play for fun” instead of serving their feudal overlords. Now, MO2 will ensure that every player contributes to the glory of Myrland.How it works:
- Players who refuse to engage in PvP are automatically conscripted into forced labor camps.
- Resources gathered by PvE players are automatically transferred to the nearest PvP warlord.
- Players who fail to meet their weekly tax quota will have their in-game homes seized and redistributed to loyal Feudal Lords.
THE FUTURE OF HARDCORE SANDBOX GAMING
With these groundbreaking mechanics, Mortal Online 2 will finally achieve the ultimate goal of true feudal realism. Players can’t quit. Players can’t escape. Players must suffer, serve, and die for the glory of Myrland.This is the ONLY way to address the biggest problem with Mortal Online 2:
Too many players can just leave.
And that, dear serfs, is simply unacceptable.
COMING SOON:
? The “Bubonic Plague Update”—One-third of the player base randomly dies every month.? The “Iron Fist of Henrik” Expansion—Personalized punishments for players who dare complain about the system.
? The “Inquisition DLC”—Players who refuse to participate in PvP are put on trial for heresy.
GET READY, PEASANTS.
THERE’S NO GOING BACK NOW!
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