<s>
Avalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
Lives	I-Application
is	O
a	O
text-based	O
online	O
multi-player	O
role-playing	O
game	B-Application
world	I-Application
that	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
28	O
October	O
1989	O
at	O
the	O
gaming	O
convention	O
Adventure	O
89	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
follows	O
closely	O
in	O
the	O
tradition	O
of	O
many	O
early	O
multi-user	B-Application
dungeons	I-Application
,	O
Avalon	B-Application
offered	O
many	O
features	O
that	O
have	O
since	O
become	O
signature	O
components	O
of	O
the	O
role-playing	O
game	O
genre	O
:	O
Real	O
economies	O
,	O
distinct	O
ecosystems	O
and	O
weather	O
effects	O
,	O
Gods	O
with	O
followers	O
and	O
priests	O
,	O
player	O
housing	O
and	O
autonomous	O
governments	O
,	O
and	O
skill-based	O
real	O
time	O
player	O
vs	O
player	O
(	O
PvP	O
)	O
combat	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
warfare	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
Avalon	B-Application
,	O
players	O
are	O
offered	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
"	O
live	O
another	O
life	O
"	O
;	O
to	O
fully	O
immerse	O
themselves	O
in	O
the	O
gameworld	O
—	O
a	O
world	O
of	O
merchants	O
,	O
thieves	O
,	O
princes	O
,	O
gods	O
,	O
dragons	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
non-public	O
incarnation	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
was	O
written	O
as	O
a	O
four	O
-	O
to	O
eight-player	O
MUD	B-Application
called	O
Lands	O
of	O
the	O
Crown	O
on	O
the	O
BBC	O
Micro	O
Model	O
B	O
32K	O
in	O
6502	O
assembly	O
language	O
during	O
1988	O
to	O
early	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
superseded	O
by	O
the	O
fledgling	O
Avalon	B-Application
coded	O
in	O
the	O
bespoke	O
language	O
Hourglass	O
in	O
ARM	O
Assembler	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Yehuda	O
Simmons	O
and	O
then	O
joined	O
circa	O
May	O
1990	O
by	O
Daniel	O
James	O
,	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Acorn	B-Device
Archimedes	I-Device
A440	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
arrived	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
via	O
Avalon.co.uk	O
on	O
14	O
October	O
1994	O
,	O
transitioning	O
from	O
the	O
Archimedes	B-Device
to	O
an	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
Pentium	I-General_Concept
PC	O
running	O
Debian	O
Linux	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
subsequently	O
transferred	O
to	O
a	O
dedicated	O
managed	O
server	O
on	O
Red	O
Hat	O
Linux	O
where	O
,	O
other	O
than	O
shifting	O
to	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
has	O
remained	O
ever	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
iteration	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
opened	O
in	O
Sheffield	O
on	O
1	O
May	O
1992	O
,	O
primarily	O
to	O
circumvent	O
the	O
exorbitant	O
cost	O
of	O
online	O
play	O
at	O
national	O
UK	O
call	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
remained	O
open	O
until	O
Sunday	O
,	O
7	O
May	O
1995	O
at	O
Avalon	B-Application
version	O
'	O
87	O
,	O
when	O
its	O
players	O
transferred	O
onto	O
the	O
now	O
global	O
Avalon	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
further	O
iteration	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
named	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	O
The	O
First	O
Age	O
went	O
online	O
7	O
November	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
represent	O
a	O
lost	O
era	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
that	O
lacked	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
evolutions	O
that	O
the	O
main	O
iteration	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
had	O
implemented	O
since	O
its	O
inception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
continued	O
until	O
31	O
December	O
2014	O
,	O
when	O
its	O
final	O
players	O
took	O
the	O
'	O
Voyage	O
of	O
Apotheosis	O
 '	O
and	O
transferred	O
to	O
Avalon	B-Application
:	O
the	O
Legend	O
Never	O
Dies	O
,	O
continuing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
stance	O
of	O
continuous	O
character	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
is	O
noted	O
for	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
text-based	O
multi-user	O
role-playing	O
game	O
to	O
offer	O
a	O
developed	O
profession	O
and	O
skills	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
differed	O
in	O
that	O
one	O
could	O
choose	O
from	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
cities	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
had	O
guild	O
variations	O
of	O
iconic	O
professions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Mage	O
,	O
Knight	O
,	O
and	O
Bard	O
amongst	O
many	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2015	O
,	O
Avalon	B-Application
possesses	O
66	O
skills	O
with	O
2194	O
distinct	O
abilities	O
developed	O
over	O
its	O
first	O
26	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
's	O
virtual	O
business	O
model	O
was	O
also	O
noted	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
its	O
kind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Richard	O
Bartle	O
highlighted	O
the	O
system	O
by	O
which	O
Avalon	B-Application
rewarded	O
players	O
with	O
lessons	O
and	O
thus	O
skill	O
advancement	O
based	O
on	O
how	O
long	O
they	O
remained	O
logged	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
engine	O
began	O
an	O
overhaul	O
starting	O
in	O
the	O
mid-2010s	O
,	O
Avalon	B-Application
became	O
free-to-play	O
via	O
a	O
"	O
sponsored	O
"	O
mechanism	O
where	O
cities	O
could	O
host	O
a	O
player	O
,	O
that	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
modest	O
economic	O
cost	O
to	O
the	O
sponsoring	O
city	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
around	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
marketing	O
manager	O
,	O
Mathew	O
Abonyi	O
,	O
implemented	O
a	O
complex	O
"	O
trinket	O
"	O
system	O
where	O
players	O
could	O
purchase	O
powerful	O
in-game	B-Application
items	O
including	O
"	O
Fireflies	O
"	O
that	O
provide	O
automated	O
healing	O
of	O
afflictions	O
,	O
special	O
equipment	O
that	O
grants	O
improved	O
health	O
or	O
mana	O
caps	O
and/or	O
faster-than-normal	O
regeneration	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
forms	O
of	O
transportation	O
that	O
could	O
instantly	O
bring	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
any	O
other	O
player	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
special	O
'	O
protected	O
 '	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
's	O
gameplay	O
innovations	O
are	O
numerous	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
generally	O
recognized	O
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
landmarks	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
text-based	O
role-play	O
:	O
professions	O
and	O
skills	O
(	O
see	O
above	O
)	O
;	O
a	O
banking	O
,	O
commodity	O
and	O
trade	O
system	O
;	O
Item	O
ownership	O
;	O
purchasable	O
real	O
estate	O
,	O
which	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
virtual	O
transaction	O
for	O
housing	O
in	O
1989	O
with	O
first-born	O
player	O
Gniblik	O
purchasing	O
and	O
then	O
selling	O
for	O
profit	O
a	O
house	O
in	O
Avalon	B-Application
's	O
first	O
city	O
Mercinae	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Departing	O
from	O
the	O
traditional	O
end	O
point	O
of	O
a	O
player	O
becoming	O
a	O
Wizard	B-Application
,	O
Avalon	B-Application
was	O
amongst	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
term	O
God	B-Application
alongside	O
another	O
1989	O
launch	O
,	O
'	O
Lap	O
of	O
the	O
Gods	O
 '	O
by	O
author	O
Ben	O
Laurie	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ordination	O
in	O
Avalon	B-Application
also	O
comes	O
not	O
from	O
amassing	O
points	O
via	O
treasure	O
or	O
experience	O
but	O
by	O
one	O
of	O
two	O
routes	O
:	O
appointment	O
through	O
merit	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
arduous	O
task	O
of	O
competitive	O
ordination	O
which	O
often	O
featured	O
heavy	O
elements	O
of	O
Avalon	B-Application
's	O
pivotal	O
PVP	O
combat	O
system	O
fought	O
in	O
team	O
battles	O
often	O
over	O
many	O
months	O
as	O
the	O
eligible	O
players	O
are	O
whittled	O
down	O
to	O
the	O
final	O
one	O
who	O
wins	O
the	O
right	O
of	O
a	O
divine	O
gemstone	O
and	O
a	O
Gods	O
soul	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
instances	O
,	O
other	O
players	O
would	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
God	B-Application
when	O
the	O
original	O
player	O
was	O
long	O
absent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
is	O
an	O
open-ended	O
and	O
ongoing	O
game	O
,	O
a	O
developed	O
divinity	O
system	O
in	O
which	O
other	O
mortal	O
players	O
can	O
side	O
with	O
Gods	O
whose	O
sphere	O
they	O
identify	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
cases	O
,	O
Gods	O
were	O
driven	O
off	O
or	O
banished	O
,	O
and	O
almost	O
always	O
to	O
the	O
whim	O
of	O
the	O
higher	O
God	B-Application
administrator	O
,	O
Genesis	O
,	O
the	O
God	B-Application
of	O
Time	O
(	O
also	O
see	O
Reception	O
section	O
,	O
below	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
complexity	O
of	O
this	O
aspect	O
was	O
pioneered	O
by	O
Avalon	B-Application
as	O
the	O
gods	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
becoming	O
external	O
to	O
the	O
game	B-Application
world	I-Application
,	O
remain	O
within	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
role-play	O
as	O
benevolent	O
,	O
malevolent	O
or	O
indifferent	O
—	O
the	O
key	O
phrase	O
being	O
:	O
Gods	O
do	O
not	O
exist	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
mortals	O
;	O
they	O
exist	O
despite	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avalon	B-Application
's	O
gameworld	O
features	O
over	O
21,000	O
unique	O
locations	O
encompassing	O
60	O
individual	O
areas	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
land-connected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
M	O
.	O
Woods	O
of	O
RPGamer	O
stated	O
that	O
Avalon	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
online	O
game	O
he	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
real	O
role	O
playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
