What makes a server truly a good server?

[Hutchy]

Rates don't matter to me - if I like the environment in which I play, I'll get by somehow.
Unless it's iRO. Screw you, iRO.

I'm a community kind of woman, personally. I don't like to have to bust out the curbstomp when people irritate me, I like to shower people with giggly gumdrop love affection happytimes, sit in town and carry on amusing/interesting conversations. You will *never* find a server entirely devoid of arseholes, but I do look for something where I can comfortably speak without being assaulted with memes and such. Loitering is the only thing I do ingame, so if I can't loiter in peace, I don't want any part of it.

Everyone will like their own things, though; someone somewhere is bound to like a particularly 4channy server where everyone is constantly yelling about buttsecks. Not my thing.

Trying to think of what else made a difference to me... hmm...

Corruption? It's annoying when it's right in my face, so keep that on the lowdown, have the presence of mind to cover your tracks. Be a diabolical, biased bastard if you like, but don't just sit in town nuking people. That gets boring.

Small population. This goes hand in hand with community, though. Teeny tiny server, so I can feel like I'm part of something and actually matter ashueshueshue. No but seriously, I like servers on which you feel like you are part of something, as opposed to just another number.

I can't think of anything else... I mostly just like to spam insert.

[A92FL0163]

How much importance that the people give to the server, and I'm talking about the community and the GMs, because if a community is a bunch of **** who don't care about the server and just dupe and bot every place in the server, there is no way the server can ever be good, and if the GM doesn't care about the server, it will probably die because nothing would keep the players there.

I agree with the people who said the community is also a important part of the server, but the thing that really KEEP me in the server is the amount of interesting things to do, while some servers keep the same ol' grind from 1-99 mentality, I find  amazing that they still have population. This leveling slooooooooooooooooow thing is more fitting for the company, who needs money and needs to keep their players playing, no matter how retarded hard it is, if the players are still there to level, they are still getting money. But that's the company who made it mentality, that's because it was the only provider of the game, people need to do their way. But if a private server does that, I won't even try it.

I prefer servers with enough features to keep me in for a moment, where I can feel that I am trying something new, the same old things are nice, but everytime I try something new I keep trying it till I feel it is old. While I do prefer the community that is friendly, I have nothing against @$$holes, people aren't totally bad or totally good.

Weird to say, I prefer bad people, most @$$holes I met on my old days of RO are the ones who I can consider good friends.

[Skoll]

Hmmm, to me the most important aspect of a server is the community. If there are at least a few nice, helpful, understanding people on a server, what can go wrong? Happy people = happy experiece = fun (what its all about) xD

I don't ask for much =D

[Descent]

I have played on your server. I can already tell you what your problems are...

1) Your system REALLY needs a tweak. Why is ASPD locked down with the Max Stat so HIGH? I've spent some time in your PVP room. All I've seen thus far have been the same things; Soul Breaker spamming Sin Xs. No wonder nobody spends time in your PVP room.

Want to fix it? Enforce delays. Make people think. Higher Rates don't necessarily have to be EASY. Right now, the server's setup with a 255/120 max LV says "Don't bother thinking about your build, just throw whatever you feel like and go in there and kill". You might piss off some, but you may also attract more than will leave. Other than that, kudos for having a rather good-looking set of customs, it's hard to find an HR that doesn't just go "OMG +20 2 ALL STATS U WILL BE A GOD1!11!11!eleven!"

2) Your Auto-events are quite nice, I've taken part in the "Mr. Dice" event a couple times and I have to say it's pretty good. You need some more stuff like it. You also have Poring Ball enabled, yet nobody goes in there...give them incentive. Make a League of sorts, with a Top Prize. Get your players to do more than just Max Out and go to PVP, and give them a reason to do so. This is the "High Rate Complex", where people just assume that HR = hit max level, go kill everybody. You need to give them reasons to do other things as well, things that don't involve players spamming skills upon each other. The other server that I play has tonnes of extra side-quests(not just making hats and the like) and things that keep their players involved on a daily basis. Learn from servers like this.

3) Advertise, advertise, advertise. This of course, comes after #'s 1 and 2.

Of course, if this is another Meep, just disregard that, but I think I have a good idea what your server is. Look in your char database for a "Kisarah Westfield", if it's there, then you know I've got the right place.

[Frost]

Everyone has their own taste in server qualities. Some players wish to obtain a large quantity of wealth and power in a matter of days, while others simply wish to obtain the same goal in a longer period of time.

But a decent server worthy of actually downloading the content onto your computer would be a server with a Mature, well educated, and friendly staff.

My favorite type of server would be a unique and custom server, not by the head gears alone, but rather most of the content of the game. Custom maps, Custom class, Custom Monsters, Custom Events.. etc. Ragnarok Online is not really a popular game anymore since the game revolves around a 2-D sprite. So it's rather hard to find players that are new to RO. Which is why you should try entertaining the players who have already played RO with something new and exciting that they never experienced before.

[Najara]

Population isn't everything that matters, the way the players threat you also counts.
I'd like to say that my servercount is rather low (15-20), but the players who play are wonderfull people.

Believe me, there are a few servers out there (which names shall not be announced) who have a good playercount, but their forums are full of spam, flame, hate, and harassment.
It's better to avoid those kind of servers and stick with your own small, knit and peacefull community. 

[LemonCrosswalk]

Not sucking.

[Raistlin]

I personally like the ones that emulate the real servers with additional benefits. Healers and warpers, for example. Those are always nice. No level above 99/70, no Naruto headbands, donation items are at best, either mediocre in terms of usefulness, used for showing off, or are consumables which doesn't upset the game.

However, when you get down to the bottom of it, the point of RO is that there's WoE, which is an integral piece that ties the game together. This is why, ideally, you want a constant influx of new players - so that the warring population, for example, are kept in constant check by each other. There is a constant demand for low-tiered gears (mocking mufflers, cranials, elemental lances for leveling, that kind of thing), and also to buffer out the bad feelings that eventually crop up all over the place.

Population and negativity go hand-in-hand. Generally speaking, it's only a matter of time before the nastier sorts end up on any server. EternityRO, for example, has one of the largest populations of any server - I daresay it's got more people than iRO Chaos and Loki at the moment. But the population there is insanely cliqued (which is bound to happen to any game when there isn't a constant influx of newer players, causing the old players to band together in a sort of better-than-you mindset.)

What makes a server great is just that - renewal, whether in population or guild politics or just about everything else. No matter how bad a server is, as long as there are people, the people themselves will try to make it better. I've been on both spectrum, to be honest. On LegendRO I've seen people come and go; guilds rise and fall. At one time, I was even a part of that - someone who tried to make the community a little bit friendlier. That community has now turned to ash. A shadow of its former glory.

But I digress. As stated elsewhere, RO is a dying game - and ultimately, the lack of new players is what's going to kill any server.

I used the examples above because I have no other experiences otherwise. These are only my opinions.

[Annihilate]

I think it goes down to the very basic things. Not those super programming stuff and whatever you call it. A good server has good admin. By this I mean:


1. They are receptive to player suggestions and are professional in their conduct.
2. They value integrity in whatever they do thats connected with server affairs.
3. They go online most of the time.
4. They have enough money to pay for the server expenses
5. They have an in-depth knowledge of RO mechanics, player psychology, and programming.


Because you see, specific features like a change of monster descriptions, kinds of quests available, rates and what not, can easily follow if the admin team has all of those 5.

[Newly]

Most players look for server with a good list of custom's anymore. So blah...I say a good community as in nice people.

I wouldnt want to play with as.sholes

[KonvicT]

i think to me...is that the server has a good aand fun community...like...people need to be talking to eachother and stuff...getting to know eachother..i love chatting...and like..if the server is just a dud wid ppl just lvling...noone talking inda main towns...like frdlyness and all..i wudnt wanna play ina server like that =\

all the rest of the things can be fixed...but i once played ona server...which had a decent population...it just started of wid like 30-40...
but eventually died out because no1 talked in town =\
it was so dead....so got really boring =[

[XionSiphon]

Old topic, but just wanted to say a few quick things!

I think, what makes a good server are the following points:
•Small GM Team (Less Drama)
•Limited Powers/Access to GMs, less chance of corruption
•Professional-like staff.
•Active and friendly staff, mainly logging in everyday, throwing an event or two.

So, basically what it comes down to, is how the GM Team is, what kind of players you get and what sort stay, all reflects on the staff, especially server owner. If you can get maybe an event every so days, players will feel "content" knowing there is a GM around. Just being around is enough for most players. Now, no one wants to respect a GM, and especially not a server admin who talks "lyke diz" again it'll only attract those type of players, and not many people take fond of those types.

Having a history of NEVER wiping, or "restarting" is also a big bonus, because players will feel that their work is safe and not worry about having to start over. That is too common now adays, and is a turn-off for players.

Anyhow, its 5:12am so I'm sleepy! Off I go =)

[Loki]

Its all just a matter of opinions...

My meat could be your poison for all we know.

[Jaded Honor]

A truly good server is one that players will enjoy. However, that concept differs widely between people. Some people want to skip the grind and go for Super-high-rate (AKA 1B/1B/1B rates, Giant donation wings) others prefer lowrates, grind's annoying, but there happy with the people that they meet along the way.

But above all, in my experience, RO is a social game at heart. Shure, you want to become powerful, but can anyone deny that the've not logged on to chat in Payon, or on Vent, with there guildies,friends, or even random people, and have a good time about it. This is why the official servers fail,(aside from the bots). You can't charge someone to socialize in an MMO, because sooner or later they'll realize, "OMG I have X time left, better start killing things!" It's also why people cant just pick up and leave a bad server, they don't want to abandon all the awesome people that they've met.

[devilsnevercry]

Short and simple.

• Capable Staff
• No customs, if customs they are nothing more than looks
• More than 1 Active staff member
• GM staff keeping control of their server, Stopping drama before it grows out of hand
• Actually Punish Rule breakers

Outside of that Rates/levels and all dont matter much. Being both a player/developer/GM/Owner of some servers its the list I use to decide if I stay at the server or not.