Genesis is one of the first and oldest still active online games in the world, and has a history that's much longer than any of the modern graphical games. People from all over the world have during the years formed a very strong bond to the game and each other. On this page you can read about some of the milestones during the years since the game was created in the late 1980s, and also the unique story about how the world of Genesis came to life, and why it's shaped like a donut.

When most kids were playing Nintendo 8bit a few pioneer gamers already engaged in global guild wars on a pretty unknown place called The Internet.
GENESIS MILESTONES

1989-1991: The early days
The year is 1989. George H.W. Bush becomes president of the United States. In Europe the Berlin wall is finally torn down, ending the Cold War. The cool kids are listening to Guns N' Roses on their Walkmans. And in homes around the globe people are playing Nintendo 8bit. Internet is still fairly unknown to the general public and really only accessible on universities and libraries. And it's slow. Really slow.

It's hard to imagine one of the first MMORPGs was created in 1989 is it not? Well it was. In 1989, Genesis, The Original LPMud, was founded by a group of people from The Chalmers University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and it's Computer Society CD.

Very little in the game still remains from the early days, and most of those who played then are in their 40s or 50s by now. The world of Genesis consisted of only one landmass, and the two rivaling main guilds were called Hellfire and Bath. Also, Lars Pensjö, the creator of the LP MUD system that Genesis is based on, frequently visited Genesis in the early years. His legacy is still remembered since he has permanent role in both the new character tutorial and the Genesis death sequence that all players see when their characters die.

1992-1996: The world as we know it starts to take shape
In the early 90s the first graphical massively multiplayer online games are released. However due to technical limitations, and the Internet still being in its infancy, text MUDs will remain on the MMO throne for years to come, and Genesis will become one of the most popular and biggest online text worlds.

At this point in Genesis history a lot of things happened. One major event was the opening of the first ship line in 1992, which was the first step that would eventually lead to Genesis becoming an archipelago style world, dominated by huge oceans sprinkled with continents and islands - known as domains.

Several of our current guilds were also created during this time, replacing the early guilds. The main guilds at the time were the Hin Warriors, Knights, Calians and Monks. Knights and Calians still remain in the game today, and the Monks have transformed into the Dragon Order. In 1993 two other iconic and still present guilds opened, namely the Gladiators and the Rangers. The same year the first in-game wedding also took place between Rae and Kithkanan. Unfortunately so many people had gathered in one room that Genesis kept crashing during the ceremony.

Many domains also started to take the shape they currently have, and in 1994 one of Genesis most unique and amazing places was created - the Avenir domain, a place where even veteran players still discover new secrets hidden in the deep lore.

During the mid 90s the Internet became a fairly common thing in many schools and universities across the world, and thanks to word of mouth online text games became very popular in computer labs everywhere. This lead to a peak in Genesis population with often over 100 players online at the same time. Unfortunately, even though it’s “only” text, the server was still unable to handle the load of so many connections at the same time. To keep the game playable without too much lag, a queue to enter the game was introduced during peak hours. Players sometimes patiently waited for hours to play, and more often than not screamed in frustration when the unstable Internet connections of the 90s disconnected and they lost their place in the queue.

1997-2000: Global war, controversy, and RL-parties
During Genesis 28 year old history countless of minor conflicts and large guild wars have taken place, and in 1998 arguably the greatest conflict in Genesis history broke out. After a few skirmishes where both sides blamed each other for provoking the fights, war was declared between the Army of Angmar guild and the Alliance of Elnoven, consisting of the Ranger, Calian and Knight guilds. However, both sides formed alliances with players from other guilds as well, and after a while the majority of the population was involved in one way or another. The war lasted almost five months leaving countless of deaths on both sides. In the end the Army of Angmar guild closed by a controversial decision by the Administration of the game, and the Alliance declared itself the winner after counting kills on both sides. The former Angmar members strongly disagreed. A homepage was created by the Alliance site to keep track of news and deaths during the war, and it can still be found here: http://www.oocities.org/timessquare/labyrinth/4685/

The war between the Alliance and Angmar was also the ultimate proof the game badly needed a new server since the huge battles caused lag that could last for minutes(!) As a response players and wizards all gathered money to purchase new hardware for the game. In total EUR 5086 (USD 5595) was gathered and everyone who donated received an in-game token as a reward for their assistance. The new server was a success, the queue to play was no more, and lag was greatly reduced for all players.

In 1999 the biggest Genesis RL party to date was held in Sundsvall, Sweden. Over 100 players from all over Europe came to visit, and even a few of Genesis many North American players crossed the Atlantic to join the event. Parties were held during the entire 90s and early 2000s in many different locations all over the world, and annual parties were being held in Poland, Denmark and Sweden.

With the closure of the old Emerald domain in 1999 most of the old world of Genesis had been replaced with what we today would call the modern world of Genesis, and most domains and guilds that existed at end of the Millennium still exist today. The same year the "restrict" command was introduced in Genesis. A badly needed command since it lets people ban themselves from playing the game for a predetermined set of time. Genesis addiction can actually be a serious issue. Yes really. For example, at one school in Sweden during the late 90s about 80% of those who started playing Genesis were forced to redo an entire year in school because of all the time spent in the computer lab playing Genesis instead of studying(!)

2001-2004: Events
In the late 90s and early 00s many 3D graphical MMORPGs were released, and thanks to the Internet now being able to handle much larger data streams, graphical MMOs could for the first time in history actually compete with text based online games - and they also borrowed much of the functionality of the text games. Many Genesis players would eventually move on to play graphical MMORPGs, or at least split their time between graphic and text games, causing a drop in Genesis population. Similar trends were noted on basically all major text games.

That did not stop people from still having fun in Genesis of course! In 2001 the The Egg Fight / Egg Hunt event became the first global Genesis event. In short you would go looking for eggs hidden around the realms that you could then throw at others. Rewards were given out for the top players in different categories. The overall winner, and the first event winner ever, was Chade who finished fifth in the egg hunt category and first in the egg fight category, which combined gave the most points. The first Genesis event was a big success, many more followed, and they are still very popular. Events come in many different shapes and forms, all from hunting Christmas ham in December, to trading stamps or growing and caring for a guild-tree, and even poetry contests! A museum was later opened in Sparkle where players can relive and remember old events. Usually a number of events takes place each year. Some are re-runs of popular events and sometimes completely new ones are created.

In 2001 Genesis also suffered the biggest crisis to date when a group of Genesis developers (wizards) stole Genesis software and code to start their own Genesis clone MUD - Exodus. Drama and chaos ensued but eventually Genesis remained strong and the hype around Exodus died down. The controversy ended when the "rebel" MUD shut down, but trust was forever broken, feelings were hurt, and it took some time for the Genesis developer community to recover.

2004-2008: Rework, Redo, Improve
In 2004 World of Warcraft is released, and the general public all over the world are introduced to the world of massive multiplayer online gaming. Something we in Genesis already had enjoyed for over 15 years! Many text based MUDs would eventually shut their doors due to lack of both players and developers during this time. The Genesis population had now dropped to a third of what it once was, but the core population have always remained loyal and the game has always continued to be developed. Compared to most text games, Genesis remained strong even during this rather difficult time - but in need of modernization.

In 2005 is the newbie area, newbie pin and newbie chat line introduced, making it much easier for new players used to "simple games" like World of Warcraft to understand how to play a text game. The following year a concept known as death recovery is introduced, which greatly reduces the penalty when your character dies.

A few years later, in 2008, after a lot of hard work by a number of wizards, several major changes takes place in the game. Most were introduced to make the game easier to play and understand. For example the "who" list would now list all players in the game regardless if you had met them or not. The quest orbs were introduced, making questing in Genesis easier (it still remains much more challenging than in the graphical games of course). The auction house opened, making buying and selling of equipment both fun and simple. To give players a better chance of meeting up more often while travelling the huge world, the Genesis ship lines were reworked so that most journeys between domains from now on would go through Sparkle. This was one of several steps taken to make Sparkle the hub of Genesis. A major gameplay change also took place when stats were reworked so dexterity was no longer the single most important stat in combat, something that had given races with high dexterity a big advantage for many years. Finally, the legendary Army of Angmar guild reopened, 10 years after it closed, which brought back many of its old members to the game.

2009-2013: The modernization continues
The decline in population during the early and mid 00s stabilized at the end of the first decade of the new Millennium, and the work on modernizing the game for a new generation of players also continued. Eventually some new players who had heard about old school text games started to trickle in.

Many additions to make the game more playable is also added during these years as well. For example saving racks are introduced, eliminating the need for players to log in to save their items when Armageddon (game reset) strikes. The magic map is created as well, making it much easier for players to find their way around the world, something that will prove to be very important in a few years.

Outside the actual game many steps are also taken to modernize Genesis. The webpage is reworked, the official forums are opened in 2010, and a few years later a Facebook group is created. In 2013 a brand new official client is also created which makes it possible to play Genesis on any browser, on any platform, at any time. Truly eliminating the need for old-school telnet clients or third party software to connect to the game.

During the long history of Genesis many players have become friends and even partners in real life, and many players have been around for two decades forming a very strong community. Sadly we have also lost some of our cherished members and dear friends, and in 2011 a memorial garden was opened outside Sparkle where people are allowed to grieve and fondly remember fellow players who have passed away in real life.

2014-2017: The rebirth
All the hard work finally bears fruit! Thanks to the new tutorial, the modern website, the new fancy web client, the magic map, and perhaps most importantly, the submission to the Google Chrome Store, large numbers of new players find Genesis and decide to make it their home. In less than a year the average player base more than doubles and Genesis is now bustling with life.

Over time, some of the new players also became new developers, and all the activity lured a few old players and developers back as well, and suddenly Genesis got a lot of new content in just a few years time. The new and much improved magic system was introduced, and the recoding of the Morgul Mages and Priests of Takhisis guilds followed. Later, the School of High Magic opened, providing a much needed neutral option for wannabe magic users. Also, right before Christmas 2017 the somewhat out of date Spirit Circle guild was closed and replaced by the brand new Elemental Clerics. Suddenly, Genesis, a game where most players used to be melee fighters, is exploding with fireballs, and the caster versus fighter ratio is much more balanced.

When the bells ring to mark the end of 2017, the Genesis population is back to healthy and stable levels and the community is filled with positivity.

2018-2022: Tons of new content
Genesis continues to buzz with activity and there is a lot of new content created. Two old guilds are recoded and reopened, namely the Wizards of High Sorcery and the Vampires. A brand new occupational guild, the Fire Knives, is also created, and a number of new racial and layman guilds pop up as well. The sea areas are greatly expanded, and players can now design their own ships, fish, and travel to lots of exciting places. A new housing system is also launched along with a real estate office in Sparkle. For the first time in Genesis history it's now possible for players to purchase a permanent place to live in. The first house, a quaint townhouse in Bree, is sold for a staggering 58,700 platinum coins.

Some core systems of Genesis are also changed during this period. For example, both melee combat and magic combat is redesigned and rebalanced, and magic users also get access to a new magic enhancer system, allowing them to use wands, staves, orbs, and other items to enhance their powers. A similar system is created for unarmed fighters as well. There is also a major change to how equipment works, allowing players to keep their favorite gear even if they aren't logged in, which wasn't the case before.

Something quite big that also happened during this time period is the emergence of the Genesis Discord server. It quickly becomes the number one place to be if you want to discuss everything Genesis, and it's also filled to the brim with lots of information about the game.

2023-????: Onwards
34 years. Or almost 300.000 hours(!) That's how long Genesis has been online. That's a long time! It is, and will as long as it remains open, always be one of the oldest online multiplayer games ever created. Genesis continues to be developed and improved, and while the game now has a stable base of players, we will always continue to improve the game so that many more can enjoy our wonderful world. Because in a world as large and splendid as Genesis, there is always room for you too!


THE STORY OF CREATION

In the morning of the Universe The Creator was standing in Her kitchen beyond the Galaxies baking doughnuts. They were the best of doughnuts, warm with lots of sugar, jam and icing. The purpose for which The Creator baked the doughnuts has been lost in the Eons of time, but most probably she was going to invite her neighbor Creators to tea.

The Creator had an extremely ugly and greedy little errand boy called Fatty who had the job of ordering the galaxies, polishing the stars and other simple tasks. Even though he was ugly and greedy he worked hard because he knew that he wouldn't get any supper in the Evening of Time if the job wasn't finished.

So on this very fine Morning of the Universe Fatty went to the cleaning cabinet in the kitchen of The Creator to get more Starbrite Polish for Stars and other Celestial Bodies. When he was done in the cleaning cabinet The Creator had finished baking and left the kitchen. Fatty in his greed saw the doughnuts and decided to steal them all. If he had just taken one the whole thing would probably have gone unnoticed, but no, he had to have them all.

Burdened with the doughnuts, as well as with a small amount of guilt, he ran out in the universe to hide and to devour his spoils. The running however made him very hungry and he stopped, right in the middle of the Milky Way, and started to wolf down the doughnuts, shoving two and sometimes even three into his mouth at a time.

At exactly that moment The Creator discovered the theft and her rage shook the entire galaxy, from the smallest tachyon to the largest of the galaxy hordes. Fatty who was about to push the last doughnut into his face managed to drop it right down on the Milky Way.

The doughnut, being round in its character started to roll along the Milky Way, picking up speed as it rolled past all the little stars and planets. All ways must come to an end and so does the Milky Way so the doughnut rolled off right out into the void.

Fatty in turn rushed after the lost food and in his greed and anxiousness to pick up with the doughnut he stumbled. Fatty, being round in his nature, also started to roll and went after the doughnut into the void.

The Creator, who by now was less than satisfied with her morning and the turn of events recreated herself at the end of the Milky Way and looked sternly into the void.

"You have annoyed me beyond belief and I will punish you for your impunity" her voice boomed. "You will forever, or until I change my mind, walk the surface of this my last pastry. There you can spend your days mingling with that which grows on stale bread. To light your way you will have the bottle of Starbrite suspended in the middle of the ring."

"My final curse for you is that since you will never be able to eat this last doughnut you will always go hungry no matter how much you eat" The Creator finished and turned home to cancel the invitations.

And so it came to pass that the galaxies went unordered and the stars unpolished. Fatty walked the surface of Genesis for a long time eating directly from the ground in his attempt to satiate his hunger, but as time passed the jam separated and became water and soil. The sugar recrystallized into all sorts of minerals and the icing turned to snow and ice. In short the doughnut turned stale, and as everyone knows, all sorts of things grow in stale bread. And so the world of Genesis became populated.