I don't get why people are viewing map simplicity so negatively

To me, Phantom Forest is boring now. There's no awe or mystery in it. There's absolutely NO way to get lost in it >_>

I remember being a noob and being so scared of big foot lurking around, and now noobs will have no idea of the creature that lived there

I think I explained in several other posts of mine why I hate this Masteria update and why I don't agree with the path of map simplicity they started to take. But I'm going to add some few things to that.

First of all, it's not even just about map simplicity. It's about incompetence and lack of imagination. Why am I saying that? Simple: the new "update" proves that. As others have already said, many objects in these new maps are placed wrongly and others re-used. The old Masteria NEVER used ANY already-existing objects, making the new areas truly look unique. Also, most of them were placed correctly. This makes me believe that it's NOT Nexon Korea making all the content as most think. Either the development of GMS-exclusive content now happens in a different department there, or it happens at Nexon America. Nexon Korea doesn't seem to ever make such coarse content with such obvious mistakes.

I have to call you out on this. It's patently false. NLC itself is almost entirely made up of reused assets - the tiles in the floor of NLC are from Mu Lung, in Krakian Jungle were from Shanghai, in Bigger Ben were from Kerning. The clockwork in the BG of Bigger Ben is recolored from Ludi, monkey statues from Floating market... Hell, the first two monsters you see are a recolored mushroom and a recolored slime, and that's not even getting into the randomly unchanged Firebombs and Jr. Yeti. The only original things in the first installment of NLC were the monsters, NPCs and the prominent buildings (Yetinx, Affluent Tower, etc.) Granted, that changed with later updates (Haunted House was quite original, and Crimsonwood didn't reuse anything to my knowledge, except possibly ropes.) There are a lot of things you can pull out on the new alien crap to show how bad it is, but that one isn't such a great choice.

I question the assumption that 'flat simple maps' should exist in the game at all.

When I was just a small Page, I trained in the Ant Tunnel. I went around the Drake's Meal Table, I navigated the tree tunnels in Ellinia, I found the hidden streets with wild boars in them.

Then came El Nath. More specifically... Zombies. Two reasonably flat maps, that everybody and their mom trained on (Z3 and Z4). They had drawbacks, but... you just walked back and forth. And suddenly people lost the ability to jump, the ability to find an efficient route around a map. They griped and groaned about the depths of Ludi having long ropes, Aquarium wasn't great because you had to swim up and down... and then there were Himes. One level, one kind of monster... walk back and forth until your eyes stop opening.


Stronghold sadly is just the latest chapter in the tale of 'maps too boring to talk about'. You could sit still for an entire level if not for the 100 attack limit.


For me, the ideal map has mobs that take 6-8 hits to kill, multiple platforms each with an adequate number of mobs to use your mobbing skills, and, with proper cycling techniques, safe spots to attack most of them from. If it has enough platforms for several people to do this, it's a good party map.

I'm OK with flat maps, however I also like diverse platforming maps just to mix it up a bit. If everything was just 3 flat platforms, it starts to delve into "Final Destination Only" territory, and good lord how I hated that in Smash Bros. So boring. It's kind of annoying how, as Stereo said, in MS's history some of the best maps to level on were the dull flat ones.

Haunted House was quite original, and Crimsonwood didn't reuse anything to my knowledge, except possibly ropes.

Was Haunted House not just a modified version of the KMS halloween area though?

For people who said the walk/JQ to CWK was hard or long: Learn to play.

Was Haunted House not just a modified version of the KMS halloween area though?

Not completely sure, but I think it was the other way around.

Was Haunted House not just a modified version of the KMS halloween area though?

There's cause to debate it, but Haunted House debuted in GMS first, the files were completely sorted under the GMS section (where NLC and Amoria are located), and the GMS version is much bigger and more involved. That seems to be reason enough to just go ahead and say that GMS created it.

Training suitability isn't a reason to favor simple boring flat maps. Everyone in this game will crowd whatever map is most efficient for training, as they always have. The other 95% of maps can and should be pretty or quirky or interesting. I probably wouldn't have bothered with this game if maps weren't back then.

I have to call you out on this. It's patently false. NLC itself is almost entirely made up of reused assets - the tiles in the floor of NLC are from Mu Lung, in Krakian Jungle were from Shanghai, in Bigger Ben were from Kerning. The clockwork in the BG of Bigger Ben is recolored from Ludi, monkey statues from Floating market... Hell, the first two monsters you see are a recolored mushroom and a recolored slime, and that's not even getting into the randomly unchanged Firebombs and Jr. Yeti. The only original things in the first installment of NLC were the monsters, NPCs and the prominent buildings (Yetinx, Affluent Tower, etc.) Granted, that changed with later updates (Haunted House was quite original, and Crimsonwood didn't reuse anything to my knowledge, except possibly ropes.) There are a lot of things you can pull out on the new alien crap to show how bad it is, but that one isn't such a great choice.

Okay, you're right on that one. But many of them such as re-used tiles were.. well, almost unnoticeable, at least to me. Because they weren't out of place.

Here are some examples of re-used stuff.

 Object and ladder

 Object

Most obviously come from destroyed Leafre and, really, since there have never been trees like that in the area, they don't really make much sense. Others are re-used from the unwelcome visitor event we've had around 2 years ago.

One of the worst ones

 Spoiler

Aw.. come on.

Except for some little things such as unchanged Jr. Yetis and Firebombs, close to everything in old NLC was harmonic. Therefore re-used stuff mostly didn't catch your eye as much as now. On the other side - but it could just be me - many of the map objects they have used for this expansion (especially those in maps with mobs) really look out of place.

Also, as you said, at least they took the time to re-color some of the stuff, and there were several objects coming from areas which GMS had never seen before, so most of the players who didn't have a thorough knowledge of the game could consider them "new". Hell, even I didn't notice how some of those were re-used before you told me.

I don't know. The old Masteria just gave me a mysterious feeling that, with these plain maps and re-used stuff I now don't have anymore. Before I thought about Jr. Yetis and Firebombs inside the Bigger Ben as something mysterious which would've been, later on, explained by a quest of a future expansion, just like everything else. And it'd have probably been like that, knowing Prose. Now I just see re-used stuff as a sign of lack of imagination.

Maybe because it's actually like that. Afterall, it's not the first time we hear about aliens, is it?

We're all just hoars to nostalgia that's all.

Phantom forest was one of my favourite areas in the entire game, Even chose it as my Lv200 spot. However, I have a feeling of incompleteness to this patch, whether I'm confusing that with shoddy work I don't know? But I certainly hope there is more to come in regards to Masteria and "exclusive" content.

However, I have a feeling of incompleteness to this patch, whether I'm confusing that with shoddy work I don't know? But I certainly hope there is more to come in regards to Masteria and "exclusive" content.

There definitely are going to be more expansions in Masteria. Unless the people behind this suddendly decide to leave Nexon like Prose did.

The first lines of the first quest clearly hint to that.

 Spoiler

.. the budget's all tied up to expansion right now.

After seeing this one, I guess it's not that high.

old windraider map was pretty good to train... the mobs just needed a revamp again after bigbang...
now I compare the old windraider map with the new one... and yeah I find it more slow for farm mesos... etc...

and duuuuuuuude the new leprechaun & tree map is the worst thing I've ever seen...
I mean when I saw that map I was like wtp

these changes just show lazy work from nexon that's all

this is the same felling when took out HHG1 and some others maps but this time they gave something some more simply than anything you can see even on a private server...

well its time to wait for future updates and see how it changes

By the way, I haven't checked out the area left of the city (Phantom Forest, Crimsonwood Keep). I'm very afraid to see it.

By the way, I haven't checked out the area left of the city (Phantom Forest, Crimsonwood Keep). I'm very afraid to see it.

I'd recommend you don't bother. You'll be in for a huge disappointment.

As for the reuse in the original NLC - like Combattente said, it was not noticeable. It was done tastefully, and with care. In addition, the entire story & quest line was original, and it was pretty massive. With this expansion, it honestly feels like someone slapped it together in order to please the Masteria whiners.

Truth is, it did exactly the opposite.

Anybody here remember the ant tunnel? Its sloped/wavey ground was good for getting fast movement speed during training.

It also made catching zombie mushrooms a bitch.

Just a month ago I was telling everyone how Masteria was the greatest content ever released in MapleStory, with its great storyline and large maps for adventure. It had a great mysterious feel to it. Each area had its own theme. Crimsonwood was my favorite area, with the maze-like forest, the jump quest-style map that only allowed the most determined players to advance. Then the 4 maps that came afterward with those mysterious caves, and finally, the keep itself, where you're greeted with awesome music and a huge sense of accomplishment and thrill and excitement. Can't believe it's gone.

MapleStory has become victim to quick short-run profits. It's become too western.