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I personally think closing Tuluk was the right move. The docs have been changed repeatedly, it's lost its identity, players have varying opinion on how to play it, staff evidently are having a hard time keeping it staffed. All in all closing it (should have been IC too) will be for the best. That isn't to say it's a "good" thing it had to be closed. Obviously removing content from any game is never the best direction that can be taken, but once you start down that path and it become necessary.

What matters from this close are two things. Firstly that the staff are making what appears to be a concerted effort to turn the corner on some of the player complaints that have been piling up the last two years. They have Rathustra and Talia back, two of some of the most popular staffers in recent time. Nyr managed to not completely nuke that "do you feel neglected" thread, although once it got to private PMs I suspect things weren't as sensible. They're even attempting to do player driven plots in nak with that senate thing... although how lowly nobles are supposed to influence a senate vote in anyway, I have no idea. So there you go, clear signs an effort is being made. A+ for effort. Secondly it is MORE important what they do with this closure. It is pretty much essential that they have plans already forms and ready to execute regarding their plots, animations, and world story after Tuluk closes. You don't want this vague gap period as they do stuff, you want the transition to be seamless and you want to come out with strong content for players right away to show them the closure is leading to better days overall for the game.

TLDR - Tuluk shouldn't have had to be closed, but by this point I think it needed to be. Staff are clearly making attempts at addressing complaints by actions without publically acknowledging them. The most important thing is the content staff use immediately after the closing of Tuluk as it will be what people look at for a sign of whether this closure is benefit or burden to the game.

Also PS the Levies were not Rathustra's idea unless she played Faithful Lord Dalen! Because the levies are just a re-skin of the hefty sized volunteer patrols from 2012/2013! Do not steal!

So more detailed comments...

1) I hope that staff have not been stringing players along with false hope of continued plots within Tuluk for the past month. I say month because Rath implied they've known this was coming down the pipe or possible about a month ago. It is certainly poor management of expectations if staff were instructed to be business as usual with players in Tuluk regardless of the fact any long term plots were not going to see fruition.

2) As some of you may be aware of, Undertuluk was re-opened recently. I have never been in the old undertuluk by both IC and OOC reports it was essentially a brand new zone complete with iron thrones, iron doors, and hidden temples and other zones with sekrit exits in several of them. I equally hope that his is representative of past work being opened up to players as a last hurrah and not recent work done and then discarded.

3) I suspect than the Kadian logging camp and Tan Serak (which was retaken by Tuluk) will be outposts for northern activities. If not these 2 locations then I'd be interested to see a justification for a brand new locale. Tan Serak actually makes the most sense for an ex-pat tuluk colony.

4) While I believe this change is for the best and that players will ultimately be happier in the long run. I do wonder if the wind down is being executed properly. 2 weeks certainly isn't a lot of time, but I imagine there are behind the scene pressures and timetables being adhered too.

5) I further hope that Tuluki's become the new gypsies of Armageddon. The displaced, traveling people who are not welcome anywhere except their own xenophobic city. Ideally Tuluki's will develop a new inherent trust with one another born of the citizens inks that are almost like a clan mark at this point. Perhaps we'll see Tuluki's out in the world spreading art, culture, mudsex, and murder to the 'uncivilized' parts of the Known.



EDIT

To address some of the staff posts that they wanted player plots to resolve. I think they underestimated the lesser of two evils in that case. I think people would have much rather had a 3 month warning that the end of days was coming or a 1 month one if that's the best the staff could do. Worst case scenario, interactions with staff should have suggested shorter term goals and plots with the comment that big changes will be coming down in the future. This would have adequately managed player expectations without leaving so many players feeling 'betrayed' because they had no expectation of this outcome.

Or to put it plainly. I think a lot more people would have cried less over plots cut short by foreknowledge than character concepts abruptly given a 2 week timer to move out of Tuluk.

There are still a couple more weeks before official closure, and there are still a few things that may develop in game that will shed a little more clarity on the situation of how the North will be operating. What I will reveal is that there will be a playable area beyond Luirs that PCs can visit, so there will be a reason for foot traffic. We fully expect that there will be an enlivened area beyond the walls of Allanak. While Allanak will become a more vibrant city, with (we hope) a fully fledged internal political struggle, the outskirts and surrounds will reflect the harsh environment dotted with waypoints for travelers that the World is reknowned for.

There will be enforcers in the North, and they will show no mercy. Rathustra, Seidhr, Enthemu and co are eagerly awaiting those Rogues who think otherwise.
^ based on this Nyr snippit I suspect that Tan Serak (which Tuluk has or will regain) and the Kadian logging camp will be viable locales to visit going forward.

Good. Turn Tuluk into super mindbender assassin ninjas and make them a staff controlled enemy to the rest of the Known.

EDIT - More thorough comment to be posted down below somewhere.

We're into week 6 of development and will be making an announcement May 1st regarding our web-presence and other projects. We're currently tackling movement and combat, the big 2, with other portions of the game already mapped out in a high level waiting for us to get to them and finalize the ideas.