Mr_Zero

I think many who are stuck with Interlude but also want things to be shuffled a bit would appreciate more "Interlude-Rework/Remastered/Final" projects (Valhalla, e-global, DEX). Modern client from Classic but with C4/Interlude game-play with minor tweaks and additions sounds interesting to me. Stock Interlude doesn't seem cut it anymore. In fact, stock single chronicle based servers seem to be reaching their absolute limit.

L2 is very much alive but the current state of the game (retail, and private scenes) are underwhelming, to say the least. That being said, the topic is very broad as we're all tackling issues from different angles. I mean, there are so many iterations to how the game is played, so it makes sense.

Apologies then, I was under the impression that you were trying to point out that they aren't affiliated, when it's clear that they are. Yeah, features like quest rates and stuff tend to be copied or extremely similar between various projects. But that's not necessarily a bad thing (at least for players). I mean there are some things that just work.

Wait, wait, you're not seriously suggesting that they aren't affiliated (tales, rightfight) after everything that's gone down in this topic, right? Their donation systems lead to the same PayPal account for crying out loud. There's nothing more to discuss here.

I always thought that it would be interesting if a crowd funded project was created by the community, for the community. I'm completely oblivious as to how much it costs to secure top files, employ a credible developer, and how much maintenance & staff would require, but I suppose someone with experience on the subject can enlighten us. Perhaps crowd fund is a way to secure a project without financial concerns, and back-door deals. Just think about it. Zero donations (for perks), zero dependancy on mercenaries, zero concerns over the server having to make sure it's not at a loss financially for its owner. The community funds it, the developers get paid, the files are bought or leased, and everyone involved is happy.

I'm not exempting owner practices in general, I'm just stating that the community is so entitled these days that all the organized clans/cp ask for money or special perks to join a project, and there's a plethora of servers that are willing to do that. The problem is that after a month or so, the said sides abandon ship and cash out their epics/gear, and this kills servers. But usually the time-frame is enough for a project to have generated enough profits to call it a day. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. : P

Again, redirecting the community to servers that are worth supporting is a step in the right direction. This will be a very long process, but don't give up on it.

To be fair, a large portion of the community isn't that great either.

With the declining player base and the massine increase in bad projects over the last few years, the best thing the community can do is attempt to redirect the population to servers that deserve to be supported / populated. But yeah, mercenary groups and practices are a big issue.

It's quite fitting that this topic came up around the same time as the "Why Lineage 2 is Dead" topic.

Lineage 2 2k20 at its finest. :D

You sure this isn't like the trapper beef or youtuber beef to serve as a marketing ploy for both? :D and yes both paypal donations lead to the same account.

Any incentive that promotes and assists credible projects is a welcome one, despite that in itself being subjective. However, how can such a model be sustainable? There are several projects that continuously launch - and in many cases even rebrand. Yell, we now have servers with two domains redirecting to the same server (TheGame/Noobwars is a prime example of this practice). It's hectic out there; the wider community is impulsive, and the "core" community - largely - is content with the current state of the game, which is rinse and repeat. Think about it, they actually thrive on it. Big clans profit, RMTers profit, L2Adrenaline profits, as more cycles of seasons equals to repetitive heavy farming, increasing demand for renewal in the product itself, and not to mention that donations gradually decrease on a project over time. So how does one combat such an erratic environment? I suppose trying to direct players from bad projects to higher quality servers is a good start. But even the better projects stuggle due to the community being impulsive. But I definitely think a project should step up and try things differently. I think there's a stable audiance out there, but stagnant chronicle setups are outdated. Not enough anymore, imo. That's why you see a bunch of server clients being "reworked" (e-global, Valhalla-Age, Dex) have all chosen this route, because it brings something different to the table. My dream server for next season whould be someone being completely radical, launching a server that will progress in chronicles and attempt to emulate (loosely) the way the game was originally played - at a higher pace of course since we don't have the stomach for endless grind. C4 > Interlude > Gracia > Highfive If someone serious announces this I will contact every single person I know and promote it with everything I've got. : D

Having read the topic, I would first like to say that those who are content with letting the game die out, cool, okay, there are plenty of great games out there. With that out of the way let's move on to NCSOFT/NCWEST. Nothing to discuss here, the modern game is terrible, the business model and ethics, even more so. So no point of wasting energy on it. It's done for and there's no saving it. Now let's move on to what actually still keeps this game alive and kicking; it's the private scene. How does the private scene function these days, at least in a large number of servers that attract high populations (not all, but the majority). Leading figures within the big & reputable CPs/Clans broker deals with the administrators. Then, they distribute potential earnings (or perks in some cases, like 1-2 nobless) to the various CPs that join them. The server core membership is now gradually gathered. It's time to post on the forum of the said server and announce that they will play. Other sides either having been paid or bribed as well follow suit. Then, numerous CPs begin to take notice, along with smaller clans, and they all jump on the hype train. Because, after all, this game is fun when populated. Now let's speak about predominant organized Clan/CP objectives. It's of course to succeed on the server, post some nice fraps, assert dominance in general. Then the RMT begins, in most cases. Gear is sold, epics are sold. Then, rinse and repeat with the new project where brokering begins. This is one of the two fundemental reasons that servers struggle to survive. The second fundemental reason as to why servers struggle to survive is because the wider player-base along with administrators are reluctant and/or to "chronicle progress" their servers. You join a x20 / x50 / x100 server and you expect it to last for over 2 months. Or you join an x5 / x10 and expect it to last for more than 3-4 months. Why? Why do we have that expectation? We're playing the game on accelerated rates without updates being thrown in to shuffle things up and provide more content. Oh, and we have optimized our game-play to insane levels, along with being able to use 3rd party programs that speed up the process all the more. This was the pace of the updates on retail with x1 rates: 28 April 2004 1 October 2003 C0 Prelude 28 June 2004 28 January 2004 C1 Chronicle 1: Harbingers of War 8 December 2004 11 August 2004 C2 Chronicle 2: Age of Splendor 10 May 2005 2 March 2005 C3 Chronicle 3: Rise of Darkness 8 February 2006 26 October 2005 C4 Chronicle 4: Scions of Destiny 6 September 2006 1 June 2006 C5 Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood Two years from C1 to C5 and 11 April 2007 13 December 2006 CT0 Interlude 11 December 2007 16 August 2007 CT1 The Kamael 23 April 2008 12 December 2007 CT1.5 Hellbound / Kamael Plus 12 August 2008 30 April 2008 CT2.1 Gracia Part 1 28 October 2008 13 August 2008 CT2.2 Gracia Part 2 28 April 2009 26 November 2008 CT2.3 Gracia Final two years from Interlude to Gracia Final, again, on x1 rates. So, in order for a server with higher rates to survive for like a year or so with a good population, you'd need to jump a few chronicles during its lifetime. Forget the many other reasons why servers don't last, from accelerated game-play to content ratio alone, you need updates to increase longevity. But who's radical enough to try that in todays environment? (not go trough every single chronicle, but for example start off as Interlude, jump to Gracia, then jump to High Five) And is the wider player base commited to sticking around? Can it be profitable enough to satisfy the owner behind it?

Eh, it's a combination of things, really. It's a mid-rate Interlude that people love due to its simple nature but with some significant tweaks. The mass PvP is fun with FOI and bubbles working the way they do, which I think is worth mentioning (again, on an interlude setup). Lack of interfaces also put a bit of soul back into the game for a lot of people, I expect (you could argue people use scripts anyway but that's a small portion of the population). They took a gamble with the client alterations, and people reacted favorably to it. But I guess the bottom line is that it's refreshing. Of course that's subjective, but subjectively a shit ton of people seem to enjoy it. :P

When an allegation can be proven on a whim (download two different patches and log on to the same exact server), a better course of action is to remain silent, hoping it eventually gets swept under a rug, opposed to denying the said allegation with over the top sarcasm. That being said, an even better course of action - given the inevitability of the said allegation's exposure - would be to publically confirm it, and openly brand it as "a marketing campaign in hopes of attracting a larger population". Now, would the said practice be appreciated by potential players? Most likely not, but it's still miles better than trying to blatantly deceive them, while sticking to a lost cause of denial. Anyhow, I strongly suggest you reassess your strategy. Good luck with your project.

It's a new trend, he also did this with L2Gold.cc / L2Mid.

You'll see a lot of these projects coming up again while the quarantine is still in effect. :P

Hello, will platinum armors/weapons be available via donate upon launch or added on a later date?

It's currently opening as a mid-rate interlude project, so I don't see how what you're claiming should affect our judgement. If you want to play on a mid-rate IL server this place is definitely worth checking out, especially considering the current landscape in the said category.

Good files, good admin.

I've seen more than what I'm usually willing to chew, I admit. That being said, I have mixed feelings about this server. I suppose we cant complain since the features make it perfectly clear that this isn't a retail-like experience when it comes to class dynamics, especially inside the Olympiad. It's custom, and custom modifications do exactly what one might expect; they change the dynamics. Is it for the better? No, I wouldn't say so. On the other hand I don't want to be overly critical of this server, as it has created a platform where a PvP server can survive for more than a few days, being able to maintain a satisfactory online number within a limited world setting, making the server feel "alive". The recipe is pretty straight forward. Since PvP servers remove most elements of the game, it replaces those elements with a Raid Boss hunting loop. Players constantly compete or kill Raids that have a relatively small re-spawn time. Said raids are the only way of obtaining custom gear (excluding donations). One armor piece per raid. So the loop is strong that way, assisting with longevity. But since it's in its 4th "season", I feel that the staff behind this server should have taken more liberties in shuffling it up a bit. Improve and develop it, bit by bit, and perhaps tweak some things here and there in order to provide a better (at least in my opinion) experience.

Why have you removed magic attack skills via augments? It makes oly a lot more interesting so classes like supports are very good, and it makes oly experience a lot more versatile and fun. I mean all we'll see outside of town are archers, nukers, and titans (for rbs), since this is an IL pvp server. At least we'll see more versatility inside Olympiad if you include magic attack skills.

There's no comparison between Warland and these 1 month mid-rate servers. It's like comparing apples with oranges.

/facepalm