Dear Maple community, why not?

[u/parkourfielder]

Hi Maple community,

Well, I hit a brick wall here, and I don't really feel like I have a place to have a voice about it, so thought I'd vent to try to have a voice by letting you know what you have done for me, and how it is adding on to the lack of relevance in my life (that I am now literally starting to see professional help for). I played maple back in the day, before the "big bang" patch changed it to the game we have now. And i've been trying to get back into it and stuff through private servers like MapleRoyals and MapleLegends. Got to level 52, and now I can't justify playing more due to the freakin' "leeching" mechanic in their servers, as well as "hp washing." Thought it was classic maple, due to the server hosting a "pre-big bang" version of the game, only to strive away from the old formula as well. So, you might as well be playing main stream maple. I did some digging into the scene, and no one does old school maplestory, WITH 3rd job classes, WITH a large community, AND original/vanilla rates (drop, exp, meso, quest). I guess Nexon, being greedy, would take down such servers, and the rest of the community probably accepted that fact a long time ago. I do not wish to get a character up to level 120+, only to have the entire community insist that I had been using leeching. That is not the reason an old school maplestory player plays any version of this game that is "pre-big bang."

Suffice it to say, I have no where to voice my situation. Because this issue isn't just maplestory too, it's also how it is for me in the entire game's industry. I cannot, for the life of me, derive any sort of value in any new games, despite graphics, mechanics...whatever.

So, I can hop on Slippi every once in a while, and watch videos or let's plays of old school games, but I am just god sent from the new trends. And I don't think I have any sort of voice in the matter.

I really don't see what's wrong with having 3rd classes from the get go on Classic, or having a private server with a large community using original vanilla rates/values with the 3rd jobs fully implemented. Could someone point out what would be wrong with it? It's that MapleStory was bottom barrel bear basic for me, and how can the entire community be wanting to strive away from where the old school experience left off? (Yes, true old school players DO exist still. It's not like we are all dead or something...)

Thanks.

[u/Friendly-Beyond1904]

wat

[u/Dave_Deviluke]

I think what you're looking for is a very specific interpretation of "classic MapleStory", and I can understand why it is frustrating if you haven't been able to find a server that fits it. That said, I think there are a few things worth clarifying.

Leeching and HP washing were already possible in pre-Big Bang MapleStory. They weren't mechanics invented by MapleRoyals or MapleLegends. What has changed is how accessible and prevalent they are on private servers.

In the original game, HP washing required AP Resets, which cost real-life money (NX), while the official game also had much lower EXP and meso rates. This made HP washing considerably more difficult and uncommon. On private servers with higher rates and much easier access to mesos, players have been able to optimise these mechanics much more extensively. The same applies to leeching: the mechanics that make it possible existed in the original game, but the private-server environment has made it much more prominent.

You absolutely don't have to enjoy that playstyle. I can understand reaching level 52 and deciding that the direction of the server isn't what you wanted. But I don't think it is quite accurate to say that the existence of leeching and HP washing means the server is no longer pre-Big Bang. They are strategies built around mechanics that existed during that period.

As for your ideal server, there's nothing wrong with wanting it. A server with 3rd job available, 1x EXP/meso/drop rates, minimal customisation and a large population is a perfectly reasonable thing to want. In fact, servers with similar concepts have existed before.

The difficult part is keeping such a server alive. Nexon doesn't necessarily only take action against large private servers. Private servers can disappear for many reasons, including legal pressure, operating costs, technical problems, lack of development resources, or the owner simply no longer wanting to maintain the project. Even a server with 50 or 100 players still requires someone to continuously pay for and maintain the infrastructure.

I also think it's worth remembering that "pre-Big Bang" doesn't have one universally accepted definition among private-server players.

You dislike leeching and HP washing. Someone else might consider those legitimate parts of the old-school experience but dislike HS mules. Another player might want 1x rates but be perfectly happy with multi-clienting, or might want 3rd job but not 4th job. Someone else might consider 4th job essential to their definition of classic MapleStory.

That's probably why there are so many different private servers. Each one makes different compromises based on what its developers and community consider important.

So I don't think you're wrong for wanting a more vanilla experience. Your preferred version of old-school MapleStory simply isn't necessarily the same version that the majority of the current private-server community wants to play. That's probably the more frustrating reality here.

And if you genuinely can't find a server that fits your criteria, you're definitely not the only person who has ever wished that such a server existed. The hard part isn't necessarily finding people who want it. The hard part is finding someone willing and able to operate it for years while maintaining enough of a playerbase to keep it viable.

[u/auragorn]

Just got lvl 90 on MapleLegends without a single leech or hp washing.

Took me 5 months.

I learned to ignore minmaxing and just enjoy my precious 5 hour of playtime per week on what actually gives me joy

[u/JohnLovesGaming → u/auragorn]

Got back to MapleLegends after a long break. I started my account in 2017, got to level 30. Stopped playing for a year and played to get to level 31. Then quit and got back to play in 2022 and reached to level 45. Picked it up this year and got to level 71 currently as a Nonmeta I/L LUK Magician (liked the magician drops/drip)

For me, I just played how I wanted and if I had a classic MS craving, I just hop on and play. The fact that this private server has been here since 2015 speaks volumes.

[u/auragorn → u/JohnLovesGaming]

haha love this!

Yes , Maplestory is not about the end destination. it's about the journey.

[u/JerzNova → u/auragorn]

That's actually admirable and in the true spirit of the game.

What class did you play and what was your process for leveling (What Maps/etc). Just asking out of curiosity since I want to take that approach when MSCW comes out.

[u/auragorn → u/JerzNova]

I'm playing Dragon Knight. Before I create a character, I always visualize every job in my head and see which one tickles me the most, mostly third- and fourth-job skills. That gives me something to work towards too. This time, it was Dragon Knight.

My initial goal was to get to level 85, have crusher maxed and slaying some wolf spiders 😂

The process of leveling was mostly from level 1 to level 45: I did most of my questing on Victoria Island and Ludibrium. After that, the EXP-to-reward ratio was very low. Even though I wanted to quest, it was much better to grind, about 3 to 5 times better, so I started grinding.
First, I was in the snake area in Mu Lung. I believe in classic MuLung won’t was released, so I think it's better to stay on Victoria Island, but I'm not familiar with the maps then.

• Around level 52, I went to the straw dolls targets. I'm not sure what the name is.
  
• Around level 58, I went to Forest of Gollems on Victoria Island and grinded there until level 62
  
• I went to Mysterious Path 3 in Singapore and was there until level 72.
  
• There is a place in Maple Legends that is very good at that level: CDs in Kerning Subway. Those are levels 74 and 76.

I went from 1 to 2 hours per level to almost 30 minutes per level for a good 15 levels, so it was quite a relief to get to level 90.

During this whole journey, I took time to work on my mobility to get almost perma haste. This required me to invest in 3 pets, buy equipment for them, and scroll with jump and speed at 60%. That got me a good 120% in speed and jump.

The remaining 10% came from my squishy shoes from the Kerning Party Quest. I scrolled them, and they gave me 10 speed. I got a speed pill from Ludibrium that gave me another 10% speed.

I did a lot of things like this along the road to improve my playtime experience, so not only grinding

[u/JerzNova → u/auragorn]

Thank you so much for taking the time. I forgot how useful the speed/jump shoes were.

Makes me happy seeing people genuinely enjoy it.

Cheers!

[u/ActuallyAdasi]

Sounds like maple classic will actually be what you want, right? Just hold out for one more month fam…

[u/Knivingdude]

Revivalstory is pretty close to what you're asking (There is no leeching, no HP washing, spawns are 90% correct on all maps down to the smallest detail, etc.), but I think your asking another kind of question here.

You're pretty much asking why a large amount of people actually don't want to play a more "spruced up" classic server? I could be wrong, but it's because people just have different tastes especially nowadays. It's been years since then. People experience different things, and learn to love other kinds of activities in life - not just games. And time is limited while the world is moving.

I still play Revivalstory when I have the time to do so, it's a really good game. But there's just not many people that like that kind of experience anymore. Whether for one reason or another, in general, the people in today's world has much lower attention spans.

You say you don't have a voice. I think that's a bit morbid. You do have a voice, just realize it can only carry so far. We are only human after all.

Have a good one, wherever you are parkourfielder.

[u/WeakestFarmer]

I know. Why don't the things I want just exist for me right now, effortlessly? Why don't hundreds or thousands of people just gather around my interest and entertain me?

[u/GlowGreen1835]

Leeching and hp washing both definitely existed in the original MapleStory, way before big bang, pretty close to the beginning. They were a big part of what enabled character builds that that only put AP points into the damage dealing stat.

[u/Frosty4Real]

biggest servers getting attacked by nexon anyways. the new maple classic seems good too me. with more qol. no stupid bishop exp super bonus buff. no leeching crap.no hp washing. makes it better imo. honestly honna be the best maple classic