2017-05-16, 09:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 2017-05-20, 09:29 AM by Pikamemnon.)
I almost forgot about this one. I guess it couldn't hurt if I elaborated for a little a while since that is more fun.
[video=youtube;KE_fhWFhE0A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE_fhWFhE0A[/video]
A more serious title I could have used is that Reboot has the potential to help sink or save Maplestory.
Does anyone remember Wonderking? Years ago there was this one person on the Maple forums who went around spreading the word about it before the mods caught them I assume. I didn't play Wonderking but the screenshots looked interesting and it seemed like a game I might try some day. From what I heard, before Wonderking shut down there were several rumors and signs that the end was near. One of these was that in the final days, hackers swarmed in and nearly took over the servers. I cant confirm it and supposedly there were also internal problems but the lesson from the story is that unchecked hacking/ botting is not a good sign.
So right now Maplestory has Reboot and non Reboot servers. They get along for the most part and no game breaking issues come to mind. However there is one growing concern for both types of server which is not bad in small amounts but gets bad if there is too much and that is the toxicity (negative atmosphere between players and game company). In addition to atmosphere, it can be defined in a lot of ways like the version found in Pokemon. Essentially it is a condition where the victim is poisoned and even if they are able to regain HP every turn, the poison grows until a KO or the poison is cured. (there are also a few ways to stall for time too) This is how we can think of Maplestory at the present time, functioning but (arguably) poisoned.
The beloved game is in trouble but there is still time, what should happen next? This is where it gets interesting because there isn't a clear right or wrong choice. Only a series of different choices, much like in a "Choose your own adventure" event or Visual novel.
On the player end, banding together and requesting a lasting change of some sort could have a positive effect. Though I couldnt say what the request could involve and it would probably be hard to find something for everyone to agree on. Its still an option.
Most of the power rests with the custodians of the game, Nexon. Reboot is both a blessing and a curse. It is good because it showed that there was an understanding that there was room for improvement but bad because it might not be the right choice to fix the poison.
If we assume there are a limited number of Game Masters then I think a lot of consideration should be given to merges. The figures for the current population are not public but the goal would be to have as few worlds as possible. To simplify the process, Nexon could announce that everybody can only keep a certain number of characters across all worlds. For example lets say the number is 6 characters, a player would select their 6 from all worlds and the player can place them and their items (including Nx) back and forth in a temporary transfer world. After some time then the merges would be finalized and the excess characters would disappear.
Less servers = better GM coverage. It wouldn't be easy but it is another option.
Building on merges, if a major one was successful then the empty servers could be used for other purposes. (depending on how many free GM's are left over) Now Nexon of Global Maplestory could try their luck with both Pre BB and Supreme servers or even something else entirely like restoring Tespia.
If people don't play one of the "experimental" servers or the alternatives dont catch on after a length of time then the characters could be merged onto the other servers. This risk would be explained somewhere before character creation.
Yet another choice could be to have Reboot merged into the regular servers or the regular servers merged into Reboot. This would however be like picking favorites with either a larger population that might not be as willing to spend or a smaller population but they buy more. (I wouldn't want to particularly choose one or the other, which is why I think Reboot might have been a bad idea) They both exist now though, so good luck to somebody trying to resolve that one.
As with many things, there is the very real possibility of getting a bad ending which I would like to take steps and try to avoid.
My extremely long post is part theory, part questions, part opinion and part options. Mostly just throwing out ideas and seeing what might stick. I would imagine that there could be countless choices for Nexon to weigh when making decisions for Maplestory's future.
[video=youtube;KE_fhWFhE0A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE_fhWFhE0A[/video]
A more serious title I could have used is that Reboot has the potential to help sink or save Maplestory.
Does anyone remember Wonderking? Years ago there was this one person on the Maple forums who went around spreading the word about it before the mods caught them I assume. I didn't play Wonderking but the screenshots looked interesting and it seemed like a game I might try some day. From what I heard, before Wonderking shut down there were several rumors and signs that the end was near. One of these was that in the final days, hackers swarmed in and nearly took over the servers. I cant confirm it and supposedly there were also internal problems but the lesson from the story is that unchecked hacking/ botting is not a good sign.
So right now Maplestory has Reboot and non Reboot servers. They get along for the most part and no game breaking issues come to mind. However there is one growing concern for both types of server which is not bad in small amounts but gets bad if there is too much and that is the toxicity (negative atmosphere between players and game company). In addition to atmosphere, it can be defined in a lot of ways like the version found in Pokemon. Essentially it is a condition where the victim is poisoned and even if they are able to regain HP every turn, the poison grows until a KO or the poison is cured. (there are also a few ways to stall for time too) This is how we can think of Maplestory at the present time, functioning but (arguably) poisoned.
Spoiler
The beloved game is in trouble but there is still time, what should happen next? This is where it gets interesting because there isn't a clear right or wrong choice. Only a series of different choices, much like in a "Choose your own adventure" event or Visual novel.
On the player end, banding together and requesting a lasting change of some sort could have a positive effect. Though I couldnt say what the request could involve and it would probably be hard to find something for everyone to agree on. Its still an option.
Most of the power rests with the custodians of the game, Nexon. Reboot is both a blessing and a curse. It is good because it showed that there was an understanding that there was room for improvement but bad because it might not be the right choice to fix the poison.
If we assume there are a limited number of Game Masters then I think a lot of consideration should be given to merges. The figures for the current population are not public but the goal would be to have as few worlds as possible. To simplify the process, Nexon could announce that everybody can only keep a certain number of characters across all worlds. For example lets say the number is 6 characters, a player would select their 6 from all worlds and the player can place them and their items (including Nx) back and forth in a temporary transfer world. After some time then the merges would be finalized and the excess characters would disappear.
Less servers = better GM coverage. It wouldn't be easy but it is another option.
Building on merges, if a major one was successful then the empty servers could be used for other purposes. (depending on how many free GM's are left over) Now Nexon of Global Maplestory could try their luck with both Pre BB and Supreme servers or even something else entirely like restoring Tespia.
If people don't play one of the "experimental" servers or the alternatives dont catch on after a length of time then the characters could be merged onto the other servers. This risk would be explained somewhere before character creation.
Yet another choice could be to have Reboot merged into the regular servers or the regular servers merged into Reboot. This would however be like picking favorites with either a larger population that might not be as willing to spend or a smaller population but they buy more. (I wouldn't want to particularly choose one or the other, which is why I think Reboot might have been a bad idea) They both exist now though, so good luck to somebody trying to resolve that one.
As with many things, there is the very real possibility of getting a bad ending which I would like to take steps and try to avoid.
My extremely long post is part theory, part questions, part opinion and part options. Mostly just throwing out ideas and seeing what might stick. I would imagine that there could be countless choices for Nexon to weigh when making decisions for Maplestory's future.