Pre-Big Bang Maplers, how do you feel about Maplestory now?

Comparing old MapleStory to new:
Overall, MapleStory has improved. Outside of the obvious P2W problems, MS is a vastly superior game than it used to be. In truth, if potential never existed in the first place everything that people complain about "new MS ruining" would probably still be around. Potential has made MS the solo-able game it is today. Everything that people miss - Partying, PQing, teaming up on bosses, etc., all of it is missing due to Potential. It makes you VASTLY stronger than you should be, with nearly no limits. If it had never existed, and then the game was built without it in mind, it would overall be a far better game than it is now.

Here's the question I have for everyone:

Since removing the potential system is off the table now that players have invested hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to cube equipment, what can be done to modify the system? Obviously, Nexon is not willing to release cash shop cubes that guarantee a higher tier potential. That's pretty obvious by the new red/black cubes and the new meister (and whatever the other one is called) cubes available out of the CS. In my mind, this is just a band aid - smoke in mirrors to make players think that the potential system has hope. Woopdeedoo, we can now decide if we don't want to use the crappy potential we just got for $2. Great. Thank you SO much!

If potential was more of a guaranteed thing - or if the rates were at least higher than they are now - then I could see the potential system existing alongside scrolling. When the potential system was first implemented, I actually thought it was a secondary group of stats that we could ultimately use scrolls to upgrade or change. It's disappointing how potential was such a missed opportunity.

Like [MENTION=6823]Polantaris[/MENTION]; and others, have said...things may be too far gone. Has anyone looked at the consecutive users on today? Horrible. The game should just be thrown back to 3-5 servers so that people can actually PQ before 8 PM when there's no one to PQ with.