So I haven't been on the forums for a while, and today I see a post saying a new server is going up.
*faints* could it be... a relax server? finally after all this time did NCsoft try and do something proactive to expand their player base by appealing to the statistically large number of time-limited players who would become paying customers if traditional (read: time) barriers to entry were lessened by such a relax server concept?
But no, I should have known better... it's another server for Euros, because Teon is so literally infested with resource gathering individuals that it has come to the point where NCsoft needs to give them another server to "gather" on.
What is wrong with the management at NCsoft? How many marketing studies, how many overwhelming business cases are needed to get it through to you that to grow the Lineage brand in the West, and remove the significant negative perception of the series in the eyes of both the professional game press and gamers alike, you need to:
- produce real wins in the area of secondary market control (not the cynically useless "we removed <insert any number of RGIs>" claims that HGMSpam likes to use as an excuse for not actually changing the fact you can't login for 5 minutes in game without seeing a RGI); and
- leverage *every* opportunity you have to expand your playerbase with new marketing and server concepts, and this includes a relax-type server.
You even have the code for a relax server for god's sake, all you have to do is enable it... but your lack of foresight has seen you waste the chance yet again.
First of of Mistryl has nothing to do with what the servers are, and how they are set up. Mistryl is a community manager, and unfortunetly people like you take their fustrations out on her.
Second of all, if there were a relaxed server what do you think would happen to the other 9(soon to be 10) servers? Everyone would simply move to the relaxed server. Stupid option in my opinion.
You talk about there marketing, but have you looked at Teon, which is currently the only euro server. The population is pretty big, in my opinion it would be smart to make another euro server. Have you taken a look around all 9 servers and actually seen how many euro located players there is in this game. For there marketing purposes a second euro server is actually a good idea.
NCSoft is not perfect, nor will they ever be. But your logic behind your [censored] just comes out your *** or something.
First of of Mistryl has nothing to do with what the servers are, and how they are set up. Mistryl is a community manager, and unfortunetly people like you take their fustrations out on her.
Second of all, if there were a relaxed server what do you think would happen to the other 9(soon to be 10) servers? Everyone would simply move to the relaxed server. Stupid option in my opinion.
You talk about there marketing, but have you looked at Teon, which is currently the only euro server. The population is pretty big, in my opinion it would be smart to make another euro server. Have you taken a look around all 9 servers and actually seen how many euro located players there is in this game. For there marketing purposes a second euro server is actually a good idea.
NCSoft is not perfect, nor will they ever be. But your logic behind your [censored] just comes out your *** or something.
/signed and QFT
I personally don't play on Teon, but I know some people who have characters there, and I agree that they needed another Euro server to help ease the strain on Teon.
It was ignorant to attack Mistryl by name as well. She owes you a boot to the throat. (Or maybe a smack with the Ban-Stick)
I have to agree with you, the post was pretty pointless. Another Euro server was needed. No reason to blow up at Mistryl about it, if the OP wanted to make that much of a statement he could've just pmed HGMSpam.
So I haven't been on the forums for a while, and today I see a post saying a new server is going up.
*faints* could it be... a relax server? finally after all this time did NCsoft try and do something proactive to expand their player base by appealing to the statistically large number of time-limited players who would become paying customers if traditional (read: time) barriers to entry were lessened by such a relax server concept?
But no, I should have known better... it's another server for Euros, because Teon is so literally infested with resource gathering individuals that it has come to the point where NCsoft needs to give them another server to "gather" on.
What is wrong with the management at NCsoft? How many marketing studies, how many overwhelming business cases are needed to get it through to you that to grow the Lineage brand in the West, and remove the significant negative perception of the series in the eyes of both the professional game press and gamers alike, you need to:
- produce real wins in the area of secondary market control (not the cynically useless "we removed <insert any number of RGIs>" claims that HGMSpam likes to use as an excuse for not actually changing the fact you can't login for 5 minutes in game without seeing a RGI); and
- leverage *every* opportunity you have to expand your playerbase with new marketing and server concepts, and this includes a relax-type server.
You even have the code for a relax server for god's sake, all you have to do is enable it... but your lack of foresight has seen you waste the chance yet again.
1. Why the heck are you raking on Mistryl who has nothing to do with anything you post.
2. Sorry, NCSoft has realized there's ALOT of "Euro's" playing Lineage 2 and that locating the servers in the US isn't the best solution, so they're moving them to Europe which is a great solution.
3. Would I want a relaxed server? sure. But we can't have everything, I am pretty happy with Franz and the move to Germany (now for the love of God I hope they found a good provider).
Sheesh.. The irony of these predictable responses is I *knew* i should have put in a disclaimer about the Mystryl angle.
Ahh well, here it is then:
If you think that Mystryl has nothing to do with the promotion of a relax server concept, you are wrong.
Let me make this really clear for you: over time I have privately communicated with two prior L2 community managers in relation to marketing and relax server issues, to the point where I have written documentation for them to raise/present with the appropriate people at NCsoft. It was due to their position as community manangers that this was even possible - without them, it wouldnt have gone any further than these forums. But with them, I was able to track progress and talk through the issues with NCsoft for relatively long periods of time.
So do you get it? I know the CMs have influence because I have worked with them first-hand. Ask them if you don't believe me. Just because you don't see it on these forums...
Mystryl has the potential to have a *large* impact in raising and fighting for these issues.
The easiest way to see this would be - if you personally worked for NCsoft in a position as community manager, in the same office as the people who can make these things happen, what would you do about the issues you were getting strong feedback on in your role as CM?
I'd be raising holy hell, and communicating the outcomes to the community on an ongoing basis.
How you guys could be so ignorant to think that a CM has "nothing" (to quote you all) to do with issues such as relax servers and the secondary market. Go over to EQ2 or WoW, the CMs there like Moorgard are extremely influential and in some cases almost take on roles tantamount to developers in that regard.
****enkai
Edit: one other thing - believe it or not I am not a nasty guy.. you need the context to understand where I am coming from. I have been at this since open beta, spending tens of hours of what is ultimately my personal time trying to raise issues relate to marketing, server concepts, etc. The L2 CMs I have worked with know the frustration, believe me.
And refer to my point with Teon - it's good the Euro servers are now hosted in Germany, but there is a strong probability you wouldn't need another server if NCsoft bought the number of secondary market participants under control. Where do you think the number of players for Franz is going to magically come from when the existing latter number US servers are constantly under-populated?
Sheesh.. The irony of these predictable responses is I *knew* i should have put in a disclaimer about the Mystryl angle.
Ahh well, here it is then:
If you think that Mystryl has nothing to do with the promotion of a relax server concept, you are wrong.
Let me make this really clear for you: over time I have privately communicated with two prior L2 community managers in relation to marketing and relax server issues, to the point where I have written documentation for them to raise/present with the appropriate people at NCsoft. It was due to their position as community manangers that this was even possible - without them, it wouldnt have gone any further than these forums. But with them, I was able to track progress and talk through the issues with NCsoft for relatively long periods of time.
So do you get it? I know the CMs have influence because I have worked with them first-hand. Ask them if you don't believe me. Just because you don't see it on these forums...
Mystryl has the potential to have a *large* impact in raising and fighting for these issues.
The easiest way to see this would be - if you personally worked for NCsoft in a position as community manager, in the same office as the people who can make these things happen, what would you do about the issues you were getting strong feedback on in your role as CM?
I'd be raising holy hell, and communicating the outcomes to the community on an ongoing basis.
How you guys could be so ignorant to think that a CM has "nothing" (to quote you all) to do with issues such as relax servers and the secondary market. Go over to EQ2 or WoW, the CMs there like Moorgard are extremely influential and in some cases almost take on roles tantamount to developers in that regard.
****enkai
Ah yes, I forgot that you know all about Mistryl's job and how she should do it. (sarcasm) Do us all a favor and never post again. You're not going to win any friends here by banging on Mistryl, and it's ignorant, if not stupid, to try and get your point across by attacking people. If you don't like the way things are done around L2, go Play WoW, because no one wants to listen to you whine anymore.
if you do indeed know how office management in and of itself works, youll know it takes two to tango, and all relations from community to corporation need to talk the same language.
while i am not talking about english in general, i am saying you just cant "raise hell" and expect ***** to happen. you gotta do a few things to get a few things done;
in an office setting particularly:
1) lodge or log a complaint in writing (print).
2) file that log, and direct it to whom it is concerning, or to whom the complaint addresses.
3) receive receipt of logged and filed complaint, and issue a new log to the complainer indicating what actions have thus far been taken.
4) follow up if the issue has not been correctly or properly addressed, or has not been addressed to the complainee's satisfaction.
"raising hell" gets office politics and buraucracy in general all-up-ons.
Excello - you'll have to come with intelligence if you want a piece of me mate.
It is a given that a CM's job is to pass on the sentiment of the community, and make sure that it is given due consideration. I would like to hear Mystryl's take on just how much she has done this with the issue of relax servers.
I am guessing that it wasn't a lot. But more to the point, given the sheer number of times that this has raised, would it really kill her to give us a concrete reason why NCsft continually dismisses the idea? To date, such a reason has not been supplied outside of the corporate-ese that is usually given ("at this time we have no plans...").
You guys are very protective of her, possibly more than normal because she is female. But she needs to improve in some areas, cookie cutter responses to key issues are transparent and not acceptable to a lot of L2 players, wether you like it or not.
[quote"raising hell" gets office politics and buraucracy in general all-up-ons.
That's a cultural difference in terms.. i work as a senior consultant for the second largets IT company in the world, and I know all about the difference between raising holy hell and just raising hell ;)
But seriously, i didnt want this to get out of hand. What i wanted was to voice my displeasure that NC implemented a new full server but again no relax server, and with Mystryl because she plays a critical role in ensuring the importance of such a server is communicated up the hierarchy, but has yet to provide any feedback to literally hundreds of customers who have asked for this feature.
I wouldnt even play on a relax server, and I have a hero character anyway.. this is not about my personal preference for a server, it is about the long-term future of the lineage series in the west.
The thing is, there is no overwhelming feedback concerning the wish for a relaxed server; no more than there is an overwhelming wish for a non-PK server or a high-rates server. In fact, more people ask for auction houses, buckets to wear on their hats and bedsheets to trail after themselves than mention relaxed servers.
I personally have no doubt that all of these would fill up in an instant and get NCSoft new profits - it's not a big secret that people wanting "easy" mode servers are getting their jollies elsewhere after all. But I also have no doubt that NCSoft is not voluntarily making do without thousands of users that could be giving them money. There's got to be a reason, and if it is not ******* off the rest of their playerbase.
Lastly, because nobody else has pointed it out: At least spell her name right if you porclaim to know everything about her.
PS: I'm sure that the people in charge know that there have been 500 whiny summoners, 5,000 whiny mages and 50,000 people asking for buckets today. I don't know how it matters to their decision. In the end, the people asking for relaxed servers now would only be ****** off once they realised that server transfers would not be possible (because that goes against the essence of what a relaxed server is all about) and they'll have to do it over again.
And relaxed server peeps ain't the type who like doing it over again.
To date, such a reason has not been supplied outside of the corporate-ese that is usually given ("at this time we have no plans...").
this isnt good enough for you?
it is for me.
if they werent planning on it, then they arent planning on it. plain and simple.
now smile, turn around and walk away from your PC until you cool down.
Actually more to the point tho, that cant be "good for me" because it isnt a reason, its a statement. What I would like to get is the reason - much of my argument is that they dont give it due consideration, in the same fashion that they dont have an effective marketing approach and have failed in their ability to control the secondary market.
Raising it a meeting and going "hmmm nah that doesant sound like a good idea" isnt due consideration. Have they ever performed market research, polled their customers? The fact is they haven't done this.
If you are okay with that, its your perogative. But it's not okay for me, because I have a bee in my bonnet about incompetence with them.
And really, if you think i am actually upset about any of this... your joking right :) no chance - who cares in the end.. outside of maybe their shareholders who have yet to see NCsoft USA break even and contribute profit to the parent company ;)
But i don't own shares.. just got my attention when i saw the server announcement.
The thing is, there is no overwhelming feedback concerning the wish for a relaxed server; no more than there is an overwhelming wish for a non-PK server or a high-rates server. In fact, more people ask for auction houses, buckets to wear on their hats and bedsheets to trail after themselves than mention relaxed servers.
I personally have no doubt that all of these would fill up in an instant and get NCSoft new profits - it's not a big secret that people wanting "easy" mode servers are getting their jollies elsewhere after all. But I also have no doubt that NCSoft is not voluntarily making do without thousands of users that could be giving them money. There's got to be a reason, and if it is not ******* off the rest of their playerbase.
Lastly, because nobody else has pointed it out: At least spell her name right if you porclaim to know everything about her.
PS: I'm sure that the people in charge know that there have been 500 whiny summoners, 5,000 whiny mages and 50,000 people asking for buckets today. I don't know how it matters to their decision. In the end, the people asking for relaxed servers now would only be ****** off once they realised that server transfers would not be possible (because that goes against the essence of what a relaxed server is all about) and they'll have to do it over again.
And relaxed server peeps ain't the type who like doing it over again.
Hehe sorry re: the spelling, i am building servers and typing like a machine gun on like a hundred remote consles, the way to get her name right is about the last thing on my mind ;)
I guess my last post came too late, but your argument doesn't work because there actually isn't overwhelming support for *anything* on this forum, its like a lucid dream where the same 100 posteres live in happy land.
My point is that they don't give it due consideration, see my comments above. I theorize that their reasons are that they simply have no reason beyond the cost of the infrastructure required to implement a relax server, when weighed against what they perceive to the benefits.
But riddle me this? Why introduce another Euro server when all it will really achieve is further diluting the existing server bases, some of which are undeniably underpopulated. If you dont believe that, then you have to believe that introducing Franz will generate a new 7k players in its own right, which aint gonna happen.
Wouldnt it make sense to implement and heavily market server types that will generate significant number of new players?
one other thing - believe it or not I am not a nasty guy.. you need the context to understand where I am coming from. I have been at this since open beta, spending tens of hours of what is ultimately my personal time trying to raise issues relate to marketing, server concepts, etc. The L2 CMs I have worked with know the frustration, believe me.
Hey dude wanna exchange postcounts ?
HAhahahahahahahahahaha ! I enjoyed how you baited people in here. HAhahahahaha BURN Mistryl !
Anyways, while I understand and agree with the relax server concept, this issue has been raised and discussed since they forgot to take down the server concepts from the PTS in C4. I raised the issue and asked for a relax server, and they only corrected the false advertisement, so I guess it's not in their plans.
That's a cultural difference in terms.. i work as a senior consultant for the second largets IT company in the world, and I know all about the difference between raising holy hell and just raising hell ;)
I honestly hope you don't do business the way you put forth your opinions here.
But seriously, i didnt want this to get out of hand. What i wanted was to voice my displeasure that NC implemented a new full server but again no relax server, and with Mystryl because she plays a critical role in ensuring the importance of such a server is communicated up the hierarchy, but has yet to provide any feedback to literally hundreds of customers who have asked for this feature.
Yes you did want it to get out of hand. Your post and its title was designed to be inflammatory. Only an idiot wouldn't see that and I don't think you're that stupid. That said, just because you and your circle of friends think it's a good idea doesn't mean corporate does. I've seen TONS more posts for a freakin' auction hall than for a relax server. Guess what? I've seen way more posts against both of those ideas. Should they code by mob rules?
I wouldnt even play on a relax server, and I have a hero character anyway.. this is not about my personal preference for a server, it is about the long-term future of the lineage series in the west.
I don't see people leaving in droves because of not having a relax server. Personally I don't care one way or another about the issue. I am more turned off by the people that present the issue in the manner that you do. Someone that is so incredibly arrogant as to think that their idea MUST be implimented. Well, on that note alone you lose my vote.
To my vague understanding of this, this is hella expensive.
They can't effectively poll their customers using the forums either, because the happy people don't come here.
Well marketing is my forte woot :) But it doesnt have to be expensive, in fact if your business is largely internet-focused it makes it more flexible and less expensive.
Market research isnt about who is happy and so on tho - really, they could use existing MMO/gaming websites, as well as their own customer base (via forum, email etc). They have actually done this before with email, I remember one of the newletters i think? ages ago had a questionaire about some issues not related to bots/relax servers etc.
But their shareholders would have them for breakfast if they weren't already doing a lot of market research, for issues like how to market/position Aion, Tabula Rasa etc.
Perhaps if i had an underlying point, it would be that their approach to L2 has evolved with the company over here (it was their breakout western title), i have always been concerned that more established, professional approaches are not being applied by then.
I think from memory quite a number of their leadership positions have grown from experience simple help desk and admin roles (Spam came from help desk, some prior CMs were in the same boat). This would have suited the more ad-hoc nature of company growth in the MMO industry, which i can understand, but did it cost them in the area of not having the academic/professional ability to deal with the issues they are facing?
A good example is Spam's approach to secondary market control, where the reported benchmark of success is that number of accounts banned. But in fact, applying more standard models of accountability would determine that the more suitable criteria for success is wether there is a real reduction in the number of participants - i.e. can the average player log on and not be subject to seeing a particpant within 5mins.
In other words, if secondarly market participants merely rise again to replace the ones banned, is the problem actually being adequately addressed or resolved?
SirE i've known you for a while as another poster (its a long story!), but really man i didnt mean it to be inflammatory.
Wether it generates flames or not is actually up to you as a poster - there was one person that this post was intended for, and i know exactly what i am doing :)
I've been around for so long now, to see this kind of thing is kinda funny for me. In the end, i dont care if they implement a relax server or not.. but for me, its like birthing or something.. there are underlying issues here that i have with ncsoft that i just have to get out of me :)
In relation to what Darkmotion said, believe it or not i wondered what you would think of this post. I remember ages ago when you replied to one of my posts and got me to bite.. was hilarious, learnt a good lessson that day.
I remember one of the newletters i think? ages ago had a questionaire about some issues not related to bots/relax servers etc.
And how many people actually read the newsletter? Certainly most of the forum regulars, but does that make the majority of their player base?
Now you try to make it out like spam is holding the number out and saying "look, I did my job, leave me alone" - but I remember things from him like "we shouldn't have to ask for report". That means he knows he's falling short - the company policies that are protecting the butts of those being reported by people who just don't like them for "suspicious behaviour" unfortunately also keep the farmers in the game.
No, the problem is not being adequately adressed or resolved - but if there was a solution, there would be clean games; and I'm not aware of any.
Second of all, if there were a relaxed server what do you think would happen to the other 9(soon to be 10) servers? Everyone would simply move to the relaxed server. Stupid option in my opinion.
Does anyone see anything else wrong with this statement right here? Cause I do!
First it is pretty much a true statement.
Second, if players will leave to go to a relax server then that means they will have more fun on it. A relax server is just a timeline that has been speed up. The relax server is another game with everything L2 has to offer except a boring grind. Without a relax server more and more people will quit do to lack of content except for the 'l2 wack-a-mole' concept that you mastered when you hit lvl 40. Basically there isn't enough exciting content to fill the thousands of hours that it takes to grind.
Want to reduce cheaters and botters along with RMT? Then make the game exciting and fun enough to have players actually play it instead of automate it. Also make it rewarding so the normal player can at least have some fun except stuggle to reach the next level of whatever or just purchase it with RL money and leave all those that don't want to spend more than $15/mo in the dust.
L2 caters to High School Students, very few college students, the unemployed, the wealthy, or those that have extreamely flexable schedules. So who does this screw, the average middle class player...thats who! The majority of gamers!
Anyway, the sad thing is this is true. Wish it wasn't.
I don't think most of the addicts would go over to a sever where they can only play 2 hours a day ... I know I wouldn't, if only because that makes AFK stores totally unfeasible.
Other than that, you say many smart things which I will not quote each by their own, but it is true that something's wrong with a game that people would rather pay others to play - but of course, also with the people who do this.
Just a few common sense reason why a relaxed server might not work out:
- Relaxed people are playing WoW and guildwars.
- Lineage 2 is a long session game.
- Lineage 2 PvP is not relaxed-player friendly.
- Lineage 2 grind is not relaxed-player friendly.
- Lineage 2 has no gameplay to delight relaxed players with.
- Lineage 2's shifting balance is unacceptable to relaxed players who do not have the time to reroll every chronicle.
- Lineage 2's intense focus on high end content is unsuitable for relaxed players.
- A relaxed server may or may not hurt the image of the game as an idiotic but quite hardcore grindfest, who knows.
All vaild points, that would particuarly apply if the rates werent balanced accordingly. Iona in Korea (their relaxed server) sets rates that NC believes will allow players to consume content and progress at the rate intended by the developers.
I think they are a little low, i would be in favor of a relax server having rates that allow for slightly faster progress that that. And don't cry carebear, i grinded higher level characters that probably anyone posting on this forum - the issue isnt about commerically irrelevant notions of "hardcoreness", its about providing a service suitable to customers of a certain type.
Obviously if you set crazy fast rates, the game loses its meaning, but if your limited to 20-30 hrs per week (lets say), you have artificial limits on how fast you can progress anyway, so careful consideration would need to be given on what rates to set.
I don't think most of the addicts would go over to a sever where they can only play 2 hours a day ... I know I wouldn't, if only because that makes AFK stores totally unfeasible.
Other than that, you say many smart things which I will not quote each by their own, but it is true that something's wrong with a game that people would rather pay others to play - but of course, also with the people who do this.
mhm, but hey btw: Korean implementation of relax servers has code that doesnt consume time in towns etc. So you can hang out, chat, afk sell etc without issue.
To the OP: If you wanted to point out WHY you named Mistryl in the first post, you should have done so. To come back and defend your "argument" and say, roughly, it's because of your "relationship" with past CMs and you feel Mistryl isn't doing enough (my summary of your post) warranted the reactions of those here who feel she's done a **** fine job as CM.
And a minor peeve here: I cannot stand when folks toss out their real-life jobs like that's supposed to make us all step back and be in awe. But okay, we'll play it your way, Mr. I Work for a Big IT Company.
In real life, I'm Director of Industry Relations in the gaming industry. I spend all day working with game publishers and studios, including NCSoft, BioWare Corp., Activision, Electronic Arts, Blizzard Entertainment -- hell, if they make games, they're my clients.
See what I mean? YOUR job compared to MY job doesn't have the same thunder, so why even bring it up? ;)
Relaxed servers for L2? Not at this time. That's the answer they've received from HQ in Korea and that's the answer we get delivered by Mistryl. Love it, leave it, choke on it. It's what it is. At the end of the day, let the woman do her job. She's actually good at it.
The game offers no prolonged fun at high rates (don't even think about what that would do to the economy), and in a relaxed environment, it does not offer fun at low rates either. That was the whole point of that post.
There are other games better suited to casual play, it just does not work for L2 unless you have a lot of very peculiar people.
Second of all, if there were a relaxed server what do you think would happen to the other 9(soon to be 10) servers? Everyone would simply move to the relaxed server. Stupid option in my opinion.
Does anyone see anything else wrong with this statement right here? Cause I do!
First it is pretty much a true statement.
I don't know one single person in game that has complained about not having a relax server. Not one person.
And to the OP, I don't give a [censored] who you are (or were). You shot your credibility with the first post. I now have a person on ignore.
Some days you just gotta fire up.. it certainly sparked the normally geriatric posters here into action (except Maline and DM, they are clever cookies).
Oh yes, also the relax server in Korea dosn't count towards time in peace zones. That means you can sell AFK all you want and Chat with anyone you want, you just have limited time in the actual areas you will make experience.
And now a few points.
- Relaxed people are playing WoW and guildwars.
Yep, but wouldn't it be nice for L2 to have some of those players too. I mean WoW's 6 million + customers is quite nice. I guarentee you all those ppl don't play it because it has nice graphics. It has content, and content that carries you all the way to the end.
- Lineage 2 is a long session game.
This is the problem right here. PPL can't have long sessions all the time. Responsibility definately should come first. Many people want to achieve life goals besides hitting level cap in an MMO.
- Lineage 2 PvP is not relaxed-player friendly.
No it isn't, but in reality it should. Loosing HOURS of time in boring grind upon death is border lining on the obsurd.
- Lineage 2 grind is not relaxed-player friendly.
Correct again. The problem isn't how much time it actually takes, it is that it is BORING. Killing random spawn mobs 300 or more times in a small area to just make a percent or two is LAME! This spawns botters and RMT to get gear and items to speed along this numbing process.
- Lineage 2's intense focus on high end content is unsuitable for relaxed players.
Current state it is only suitable for botters, ebayers, and pre-prelude unemployed. This is not good design, and a relax server would help fix it.
If the game worked more on rewarding legit players by making interesting quests that require thought and are dynamic that give good rewards, then the botters would be hurt. The rewards would be attainable through a small puzzle to solve that an automated program could not be programed to solve because each puzzle would be random among a few. Once solved the reward is much better than killing countless brain dead mobs. People then could achieve experience and items through this fun type of quest instead of pressing f1-f3 all day and clicking your mouse. A process easily duplicated by a half ***** macro program.
Actually L2 seems to almost be designed for 3rd party programs, even all the way down to the shop system. A more rewarding dynamic system would fix this game. Giving an actually thinking player the advantage over a dim witted macro string that is dummer than a monkey.
If the game can't be more dynamic. Then a relax server is a MUST! For without one the game gets dry and boring. Ppl leave or cheat, or on a rarer case don't have much going on in their life.
I know for a fact, that all those that speak out against bots and ebaying have at least bought adena once. The legit player base of L2 is appauling. But the game is currently designed for RMT and automated programs. Either make the boring grind faster, or make the game more interesting and rewarding.
This is the problem right here. PPL can't have long sessions all the time. Responsibility definately should come first. Many people want to achieve life goals besides hitting level cap in an MMO.
I totally agree - but Lineage 2 is, de facto, a long session game. The solo capability of classes is not pronounced enough past a certain point to allow for quick, fast sessions, which pretty much have to be solo, because gathering a party takes so long in a game where so much depends on who you trust with your life - and thereby exp bar.
L2 is a dumb, bad game, but I love it. It gives me a certain feeling of comfort, and of course I love the RP! <3
And now, excuse me while I go affirm my belief in the foundations of this world by finding some farmers, it's pretty shaken by agreeing with you. :p
I don't think most of the addicts would go over to a sever where they can only play 2 hours a day ... I know I wouldn't, if only because that makes AFK stores totally unfeasible.
"Relaxed" means neither 2 hours (I know you know that) nor that you can't have AFK stores. There is a timer in the game for every player. Everytime you step out of town, it starts ticking. When you step back in town, the game lets you know how much time you have left and stops counting down.
Nor does a relaxed server necessarily mean x4 or x10 or xWhatever XP/SP/Adena/Drops/Spoils. You can have a relaxed server that allows say . . . 40 hours of grinding per week at normal rates. Now for people that can only grind limited numbers of hours, it prevents people from getting too far ahead of everyone else and you can have a normal life and still compete. It also stops people from being automated 24/7.
I might play "relaxed" just to goof around, but I would never leave a regular server and my main toons. Still, it's a great idea for people who aren't so hardcore. I don't see why having options harms us. If it can attract the carebears from other games, it means more subscriptions and money for NCSoft, and better support, events, and features for us.
The new server is a good thing for the Euros and I'm glad they added it. But at some point they need to start considering other options. Either that or I am going to start believing what I felt when I saw the pathetic L2 representation at GenCon.
"Relaxed" means neither 2 hours (I know you know that) nor that you can't have AFK stores. There is a timer in the game for every player. Everytime you step out of town, it starts ticking. When you step back in town, the game lets you know how much time you have left and stops counting down.
Actually, I wasn't aware that the timer did not run while in town, and I thank you for the clarification.
However, that makes little sense to me as it totally destroys the idea of a relaxed server - if I can get ahead (and gear, and thereby town time, is truly essential in this) by just leaving my computer up 24/7 when others can't, the whole point of the relaxed server is destroyed already.
The two hours a day were extrapolated from the 10-15 hours I think the OP suggested by the way.
I was in bed and could not sleep. I thought to myself... "Self, let's go read the boards and see what is up." I thought I could talk more about my Hockey prowess and hijack some more threads. I don't think that I can use levity to break this dark cloud though. (Ok maybe a little.)
First, I would like to thank the OP (who I know, but don't?) for explaining that I was the blue collar help desk guy that crawled his way up to HGM/Team Lead. That academic stuff is just beyond me. (PS I have never worked a help desk, ever.) :) It doesn’t matter because I don’t make those decisions anyway.
We will leave the whole RGI talk out of this.
Second, Mistryl is a saint. She will call me in the morning and tell me what she really thinks, but her post here will be polite and to the point; that is why she is CM.
Third, I don't think anyone has truly spoken to Dhevrin or Ash (those were the last 2 CMs) and thought they could call the shots on the extreme amount of money it would take to implement a “relaxed” server. I am not saying they were not good; if they gave that impression, they were too good.
This thread was meant to be inflammatory, and if it wasn’t, I would recommend the proof read happen at least 1 hour after the initial writing of the post in the future. There was some pent up emotion in there. With that I will close this thread as it will lead nowhere good.
If so desired please start a new thread with a question like, “Will the next new server be a relaxed server?” You can even try “I feel relaxed servers would be great because…”
In the end, if Mistryl really has the clout you speak of, you catch more flies using honey, rather than vinegar.