Mr_Zero

Transparent donation systems are put in place to generate income to their respective owners; often these systems are more than adequate, especially on some of the successful servers. Since the corruption of the specific topic took place on DEX, I can tell you that DEX in particular has an aggressive donation system that yields a lot of income per opening. I doubt that it takes place on "every single server", but yeah, most likely does in most. But why should we be downplaying it? F*ck this, man. Seriously.

Here we are, in 2023 blurring the lines between RMT from items generated by the game world, and RMT items spawned by staff, to justify, I don't even know what.

Again, the purpose is to highlight features, mechanics, and general modernizations to this old, niche game. Things that you've witnessed and enjoyed, or to suggest things that you'd like to see as a player that fall under this "trend" or "segment", that we've witnessed in the private scene recently. The reason is pretty simple; people who are capable of doing these things might read it, or those who have "insane money", as you said, might seek those who can to do it for them. That's all there is to it. Personally, I'm a huge advocate of these servers and I'd like to see more of them. The game is old, the niche is real, sure, but the blends these projects bring to the table are often incredibly fun or make a lot of sense, at least to me. So I want more of it. Example, Valhalla-Age introducing 7 slots for a full party in a nostalgic game-play setting is great, imo. It really makes a lot of sense; especially now, post-lockdowns, with an aging audiance. It's becoming exceedingly difficult to get a consistent group of 9 people to play together. Or you get like 5-6 people you actually like, and another 5-6 you can beraly tolerate, lol. E-Global merging the Bladedancer/Swordsinger (at least the buffs they provide), makes a lot of sense too. DEX introducing a Talent-Tree system that leads to unlocking new skills, in a nostalgic game-play setting without Kamaels, again, really cool. Lots of people will dig that, I'm sure. Lineage2.gold taking an old, niche (yet popular) game-style and giving it a new breath of life by modernizing it is a good thing. Introducing stages in order to prolong server life-spans, and gradually release content in order to emulate the sensation of chronicle progression. Cool. Projects in general modernizing their servers to newer clients so we don't lag at baium like morons. Awesome. Can we get more of this please?

Hi, as I mentioned in the opening post, the purpose of this thread is to highlight or suggest things that you’d like to see when it comes to this new trend, not to dispute said trend altogether. I would like to avoid having the topic derailed into an argument between purists vs non-purists. Thank you.

Many of you are familiar with the words mentioned in the title of this thread. These words - or synonyms - are commonly used to describe customized versions of the game that have been introduced in recent years. The purpose of this thread is to highlight some of your favorite customizations you've seen so far, and/or mention what you'd personally like to see in the future. This can include anything, really. Be it client/chronicle "downscaling", introducing level caps & stages, mixing content/skills from different chronicles, or even changing mechanics such as limiting a "full party" to 7 characters. Rework Remaster Masterwork Improve it yourself.

Enabling auto-farm is definitely a postive for L2. First and foremost, it bridges the gap between an adrenaline user and a normal player (to an extent). I would even argue that - if used correctly - it could extend a server's lifespan. A lot of people get tired of grinding once the initial "rush" stage of a server ends. So they start logging into the game less, thus they are not in the open world as much. With auto-farm, sure they might occupy a farm spot while AFK, but eventually they're more than likely to come back and fight for their lost spot (after they've been killed by another player), opposed to never even bothering to be there in the first place without auto-farm. So in that sense it creates some form of engagement.

The initiative to keep the community informed about bad projects is good. Of course, one concern is people with agendas, or people who have felt mistreated (even though it may very well be their own fault) not providing credible feedback. Unfortunately, we really don't have a truly impartial, independent platform where we can reach out to the wider L2 private community. Something created and managed by players, and players only. Similar in a sense to how "Lineage II Community" discord channel handles NCWest and Innova. That particular discord isn't actually run by NCWest or Innova, but by retail's own player-base. I'm saying this, because, quite simply, you wont get much visibility on this forum to actual players. Additionally, it cant truly be considered an impartial platform, as many of its respective members, are either server owners, or involved with the ownership in some capacity (via development, services, networking, etc). A lot of members here simply have an agenda, that's all. I mean, even in this very topic we had a server owner accuse another server owner, and we're only five pages in. Furthermore, MaxCheaters and its core-community thrives on many servers existing, because at the end of the day, even a bad server will contribute financially, in some capacity. I'm not criticizing in any way whatsoever, business is business, and that should be respected. But yeah, this forum isn't exactly a community driven by actual players, so I'm not sure this is the best platform to host and spread the word about "Bad/Good" servers.

I understand what you're saying since L2Extreme was the only PVP server I really enjoyed. I cant stress enough how important its raid loop is, because the result of it was that you could login at 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm, and you'd probably get group PvP. Typical PvP servers that are "Farm Zone" oriented in order to get top gear simply lack action/competition. Even typical mid-rates are dead most of the day, and are only competitive during prime-time epic hours. Outside of epics? Boring. So Extreme's "Raid Loop" and RB farm gear monopoly provided a platform where competitive action was provided throughout the day. Other servers try to emulate this "Raid Loop" but either fail to calibrate a correct ratio between available RBs & respawn, and server population, or just screw up the donate list & timing so much that they fail miserably. That being said, going for something different isn't necessarily bad either. I have my reservations, of course, but we just have to wait and see what they came up with; perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised again. Updating their files though was definitely a step in the right direction.

Toomanybadservers

Good mentality behind these features; right off the bat you can tell that you're putting a lot more effort than the typical PvP server we're all used to (maybe that's why you're getting DDOS'd by the losers). That being said, I'm a bit skeptical about the Olympiad and how Dynasty (Armors and SAs) & Custom Buffs will work in practice. I mean, I get it, you're trying to balance out the Olympiad on Interlude. Hopefully my scepticism is unwarranted and it works out well. Regardless, it's interesting so definitely worth trying. Another thing is that a bi-weekly Olympiad on a PvP oriented server in 2021 is a bit ambitious, but then again, why not, you're going for something different so perhaps these features can increase the lifespan of the server, overall. Either way, good luck with your project. Looks good.

Yeah, I think they only take action when they see certain servers become too big, just like what happened with original Extreme back in the day. I mean, E-Global operates like a legit company nowadays, and their revenues were probably a bit too much for Innova to just overlook. Besides, the more the game declines, the less inclined they'll be to overlook the private scene in general, since they're probably looking at their own revenues and aren't quite happy. I don't think they care about old clients, with small communities. But if E-Global / Valhalla-Age didn't exist, some of these big clans would likely be on Innova servers. I mean, E-Global's "Rise side" was on Gran Kain for 5 years or so, now they're on E-Global.

Yeah, same team runs those projects. They definitely have the largest piece of the pie, though, by far... I mean just DanielDefo on this E-Global probably dropped like 20k, easily, lol.

Would have been interesting to learn just how much income these servers generate, combined, on a yearly basis. I mean just E-Global Masterwork and Valhalla-Age alone made mad money this year.

So you're happy about the server supposedly not having adrenaline, yet you're actively trying to get your hands on adrenaline for it?

You guys are derailing the topic of this thread, which is whether you cosnider a server owner to be good or bad. Just agree to disagree lol. I mean, one of you seems to enjoy the server, while the other is dissatisfied by it. Alright, one can continue to play while the other can look for something better suited for him. Talking about social-bahavior from the player base of a server is completely irrelevant to the topic.

Warland is a unique server in the sense that it has a very different mindset, and what it aims to accomplish compred to other servers in its segment (mid-rate Interlude). Whether you like it or not you have to recognize the following. -Very active Admin (most active I've personally seen) -Long term -Established player-base (has its own sense of community and followers) That's uncommon in the private scene nowadays, especially in the mid-rate segment (mana pots & npc buffs) where the main goal by most parties involved - the majority of the player-base and admin - is a quick game-play and to wrap it up and move on (player-base seeks new server, admin focuses on new "season"). We all have our preferences, so I'm not going to judge; I'm just saying that it's a good thing that a server like Warland exists that has a different mindset. As for the topic of this thread "Bad + Good server owners". Does Warland have a good owner? Yes, especially for its segment of "stock Interlude mana-pot server". Meanwhile, others will come and go, they will rename, rebrand, pay the player-base to join again and again, rinse and repeat over and over and over, yet Warland will still be there, doing its thing.

^This I've been playing e-global since it opened, and it's by far the best server I've seen in years, there's really no comparison. The team behind it took the liberty to reinvent the game, and they were successful in doing so. Other obvious benefit is that it's running on a modern client (classic), and you get 0 lag with literally 1000 people at the epic bosses. So yeah, as far as I'm concerned anything that doesn't run on classic, and is a "stock" chronicle - be it Interlude or High Five - is dead to me.

150 clans entire L2 community from all servers worldwide will join this great project known as L2 Elliot. Europe, Russia, NA, China, Japan, even the Koreans will join. North Koreans too.

What's the name of What's the name of that interface? Any way one can get their hands on it? Edit: nvm found it. :D

I've said this many times before and I'll keep saying it. Servers that are running on older chronicles should invest in auto-farm systems similar to that of L2Warland. This is the only way to bridge the gap (to an extent) between adrenaline users and non-users. It isn't really essential for this server, due to the fact that its economy is heavily dependant on the raid loop, but generally, it is. Anyhow, what I said about this server still stands. I don't see an effort to shuffle things up a bit, which is disappointing due to the fact that it has managed to attract a healthy population in previous "seasons" (for its nature, at least). With a small investment I think this project could be a lot more enjoyable, but that's just my opinion.

Given the fact that it's a PvP server, I think that's pretty reasonable. What I find concerning, however, is the lack of development in terms of improving the server's quality. I've played on this server 2-3 times to blow off steam, when I'm on a break from more demanding features/servers. Yet, I haven't seen a single essential improvement since the first "season" I played here. If the server's quality was great I wouldn't be pointing this out, but it isn't. First of all, the files need improvement. This isn't really debatable. Nevertheless, if someone is feeling confident enough to dismiss the notion, then by all means be my guest. I'll convince you otherwise. Another issue I find a bit underwhelming is the fact that it heavily relies on the "raid loop" without taking it a step further to shuffle things up after so many "seasons". For instance, I'd slightly decrease the "raid loop" (this is up for debate) times and add a daily (or 12 hour) grand boss with a 30 minute random period. Maybe even expand on that even more and introduce more "epics" with longer spawn periods than the daily one. All I'm saying is that since you seem to be able to attract a decent population, then you should improve your product.

Well, there's a clear distinction between pre-GoD (Goddess of Destruction) chronicles and post GoD servers. GoD essentially revamped the game when retail servers entered the free 2 play era. The majority of the private scene prefers pre-GoD chronicles, with Interlude and High Five probably being the most frequent and popular chronicles (out of the original ones). Out of the two High-Five is the latest. Then you have the Classic chronicles, which are a different ball game altogether, and run on a modern client. So I think one of the later "Classic" chronicles might be a good place to look.

Yeah, I get that, and you're absolutely correct, but at the same time we have to minimize the predators. Forum policy makes it clear that scamming isn't tolerated, and is considered a bannable offence. Alas, darwinism doesn't exempt the predator under any circumstance. That being said, the forum/staff aren't and shouldn't be considered responsible or blamed for unfortunate incidents. That would be completely out of line and unfair. Anyhow, I noticed MxC has a "trophy&medals" beneath the trader feedback (under our forum avatars). Perhaps create a system of trading around that. Example, "Elligible Trader Medal" - Allows one to post a topic in the market section. (Granted upon request to established forum members) <--- What constitutes an "established forum member" needs to be clarified. "Certified Trader Medal" - Proven MxC trader (Achieved after X number of confirmed trades, evaluated upon request)

Alrighty, let's get one thing straight so there aren't any misconceptions. The practice of paying "leading CPs" that manage to organize a large clan entering a server is a reality and it's not limited to this dude's server. It's almost everywhere nowadays. Nearly all servers that manage to attract a decent population engage in handouts. It's unfortunate, but it's a reality. It's a pyramid sceme, in many cases. The admin gives the leading CP some money, whilst the satellite CPs that compose a large clan entering a server, either receive similar payments, or at the very least get perks like 2x Nobless or w/e. There's no integrity in the community anymore; everyones milked the hell out of the game to such an extent that we've actually gotten to a point where admins (such as this one) openly confirm, and advocate the notion. That being said, we shouldn't condemn this guy (who I also happened to openly criticize in his noobwars/thegame sceme btw) while pretending this doesn't occur on servers that we ourselves often play on, and even praise. Because, quite simply, that would make some of us on this forum, or even topic for that matter, look like a bunch of hypocrites. My only recommendation to those oblivious to these practices, or who simply dislike the practice and consider it distastful, is to pay more attention to the clans/cps you choose to affiliate yourselves in. Because at the end of the day, more often than not, non-profit players who simply want to enjoy the game are the ones who empower the opportunists in the first place, or at the very least actively contribute to their opportunism.

Well, some projects have started to use classic client and are adjusting it to emulate older game-styles. DEX is planning to launch its next "IL server" on classic, after having a lot of success with its downscaled IL from H5 client. Trance is working with a Gold-style server running on Classic. As long as there's still an audiance for the game, the private scene will adjust to the times and think of new ways to modernize the game, which is great. That being said, the community needs to support these incentives and not freak out upon discovering things they aren't used to. In order for these to work, the community needs to be able to adjust as well, otherwise we'll keep getting the same old recycled servers we've been getting for a decade or so.