2013-06-18, 06:30 AM
Tl; dr version- There is more stuff to do but the "heart" of maplestory is gone and there's no going back :/
Hi, I created an account simply to add my 2 cents to all of this, but just a bit of background.
I was a player way back in...I think 2006? It was around the time when the old blue gem cursor was in use and I don't think FM was in any use at the time (apart from perion). I picked Broa because a IRL friend started playing there and I think it was the newest server at the time. I played on and off, usually only in the summer so I guess I was casual player of sorts. Pre big bang, the highest level I ever got to was 7x (a ranger called Mitzyfizz, hola if anyone here knows me, I'd be very surprised!) and even when I had reached that level it was still somewhat easy thanks to LMPQ (although I rarely did use it in my defence, I preferred grinding/questing if I wasn't in a party with friends). Still, reaching 7x was an accomplishment.
I stopped playing as soon as uni started (back when pirates had just come out). FI got an email from nexon saying they'd give me a free gift box, so I thought what the hell and so I redownloaded the game. Starting up again now, it's like a whole new game really. I remember genuinely seeing some of the newer classes and thought they were hacking! The fact that my ranger can now double jump was weird enough! I think another poster mentioned doing something similar but I too decided not to level up my ranger char as a sort of memorial to the older maplestory, and decided to start again in Windia (besides with the whole potential system,all my equips are probably useless now).
I gotta admit, playing some of the newer classes is fun. The only one I've tried so far properly is the Thunderbreaker class but I managed to level up to 113 with relative ease. I also agree with whoever cried bs to there being more things to do back then. The professions system alone allows for more things to do. Just because certain areas are the best to train at doesn't necessarily mean you have to train there. Just for reference, on an unfunded Thunderbreaker with minimal effort playing, I reached 113 in about a week, without jesters and aliens (and no leeching either). I was even considering giving LHC a miss (for getting to 120) and see how that goes since the 1.5x exp coupons are still dropping from the boxes in town.
The thing is though...I don't really want to play anymore. After less than 2 weeks, I'm bored. Maybe it is the age thing too and so I have little patience for young'ns (I'm 23, sorry for sounding patronising
), plus I have other things to do over the summer, but I feel that maple has lost its heart. Getting to a level was an achievement in the past, now I breeze through levels so fast, I don't even notice I need to add sp/ ap.
The social factor has gone too, nobody just "hangs out" in any of the maps I've seen because there's no reason to take a break since levelling is so easy. The best example for me is Ludi. Ludi used to be full of people but it feels like a ghost town now. I remember being level 3x-4x and hanging out at teddies just to pass time between LPQing. Sometimes I'd get a group together and do some chronos training or even venture into the depths of Ludi toyfactory/ time area for a suicide run (and walking past the DKs and Priests was always funny). Don't get me wrong, it was pretty cool being able to actually defeat the monsters on my Thunderbreaker now but...I kinda wish I had the chance to be able to do that back when levelling was an achievement. It was such a let down when I did go there recently for a quest. I can easily say I had a full active BL in the past, now I have perhaps only 2 people on my BL and had only recently joined a guild with talkative people (I've just kicked out now for being inactive). For nearly 100 levels, I was pretty much a loner :/
Don't even get me started on hackers. It was bad then too but this is ridiculous. I had hoped Nexon would've implemented a system where you can report any number of times, perhaps based on how trustworthy your previous reports were but alas.
The other factor is the potential system. I understand Nexon needs to make money but I've been hearing figures of spending a US$500 on a character just to be on par with the rest of the community?! I actually do have that sort of money to waste but spending that much money on a game just to be level with the rest of the population just screams extortion to me and so I refuse on principle. I remember when gachapon and exp coupons had come out, that was bad enough but in comparison, were really minor alterations to the game because if you actually tried to merch, you can still reach the level of funded chars at a reasonable pace. If I were to merch my way up to funded levels now, I imagine it would take years! I also think the rift has also created an even bigger schism in the community, leaving the the very funded left together as they form the most efficient groups for partying and the unfunded just make do/ quit altogether.
I've heard that unlimited is only going to make things worse. Truthfully I think I've grown out of the game but it's just sad to see maple a hollow shell of what it used to be (for me at least) and neglecting the orignal adventurer (explorer?) classes is just criminal
Hi, I created an account simply to add my 2 cents to all of this, but just a bit of background.
I was a player way back in...I think 2006? It was around the time when the old blue gem cursor was in use and I don't think FM was in any use at the time (apart from perion). I picked Broa because a IRL friend started playing there and I think it was the newest server at the time. I played on and off, usually only in the summer so I guess I was casual player of sorts. Pre big bang, the highest level I ever got to was 7x (a ranger called Mitzyfizz, hola if anyone here knows me, I'd be very surprised!) and even when I had reached that level it was still somewhat easy thanks to LMPQ (although I rarely did use it in my defence, I preferred grinding/questing if I wasn't in a party with friends). Still, reaching 7x was an accomplishment.
I stopped playing as soon as uni started (back when pirates had just come out). FI got an email from nexon saying they'd give me a free gift box, so I thought what the hell and so I redownloaded the game. Starting up again now, it's like a whole new game really. I remember genuinely seeing some of the newer classes and thought they were hacking! The fact that my ranger can now double jump was weird enough! I think another poster mentioned doing something similar but I too decided not to level up my ranger char as a sort of memorial to the older maplestory, and decided to start again in Windia (besides with the whole potential system,all my equips are probably useless now).
I gotta admit, playing some of the newer classes is fun. The only one I've tried so far properly is the Thunderbreaker class but I managed to level up to 113 with relative ease. I also agree with whoever cried bs to there being more things to do back then. The professions system alone allows for more things to do. Just because certain areas are the best to train at doesn't necessarily mean you have to train there. Just for reference, on an unfunded Thunderbreaker with minimal effort playing, I reached 113 in about a week, without jesters and aliens (and no leeching either). I was even considering giving LHC a miss (for getting to 120) and see how that goes since the 1.5x exp coupons are still dropping from the boxes in town.
The thing is though...I don't really want to play anymore. After less than 2 weeks, I'm bored. Maybe it is the age thing too and so I have little patience for young'ns (I'm 23, sorry for sounding patronising
), plus I have other things to do over the summer, but I feel that maple has lost its heart. Getting to a level was an achievement in the past, now I breeze through levels so fast, I don't even notice I need to add sp/ ap. The social factor has gone too, nobody just "hangs out" in any of the maps I've seen because there's no reason to take a break since levelling is so easy. The best example for me is Ludi. Ludi used to be full of people but it feels like a ghost town now. I remember being level 3x-4x and hanging out at teddies just to pass time between LPQing. Sometimes I'd get a group together and do some chronos training or even venture into the depths of Ludi toyfactory/ time area for a suicide run (and walking past the DKs and Priests was always funny). Don't get me wrong, it was pretty cool being able to actually defeat the monsters on my Thunderbreaker now but...I kinda wish I had the chance to be able to do that back when levelling was an achievement. It was such a let down when I did go there recently for a quest. I can easily say I had a full active BL in the past, now I have perhaps only 2 people on my BL and had only recently joined a guild with talkative people (I've just kicked out now for being inactive). For nearly 100 levels, I was pretty much a loner :/
Don't even get me started on hackers. It was bad then too but this is ridiculous. I had hoped Nexon would've implemented a system where you can report any number of times, perhaps based on how trustworthy your previous reports were but alas.
The other factor is the potential system. I understand Nexon needs to make money but I've been hearing figures of spending a US$500 on a character just to be on par with the rest of the community?! I actually do have that sort of money to waste but spending that much money on a game just to be level with the rest of the population just screams extortion to me and so I refuse on principle. I remember when gachapon and exp coupons had come out, that was bad enough but in comparison, were really minor alterations to the game because if you actually tried to merch, you can still reach the level of funded chars at a reasonable pace. If I were to merch my way up to funded levels now, I imagine it would take years! I also think the rift has also created an even bigger schism in the community, leaving the the very funded left together as they form the most efficient groups for partying and the unfunded just make do/ quit altogether.
I've heard that unlimited is only going to make things worse. Truthfully I think I've grown out of the game but it's just sad to see maple a hollow shell of what it used to be (for me at least) and neglecting the orignal adventurer (explorer?) classes is just criminal