Amistr.NetRMS Listing: CLICK HEREAmistr.Net Website:
Amistr.netAfter a very long time of searching for a decent server, I think I've finally landed on one.
NOTE: I edited this review to reflect the new changes in the server within the past 2-3 weeks. I wrote the first version on Aug 29, and I am rewriting the review today, Sept 18 2009.
GAMEPLAY - 9/10Leveling is average, as you can always leech your own characters in Anubis, or do iRO-official repeatable exp quests [10x on this server] so mindless grinding isnt necessary all throughout the leveling process.
There are no customs except for statless hats, which is good because from experience, no matter how well-meaning a server developer is as far as "balancing" custom items, the results often go awry.
Partying is kinda average. This server is a offshoot of Crescendo-RO, a low-rate no-customs server [5/5/3] which went defunct for quite some time. Most of the guilds from that server chose to go back to Amistr and start anew. Because of this, most big parties are limited into intra-guild parties. But then, it is not very difficult to get a non-guildie party over main chat.Partying has greatly improved. I usually level with people not just from my guild but also rival/neutral guilds as well. We go to abbeiy03 [necros], Lighthalzen Biolabs, Endless or even Thanatos Tower. Its all about the willingness to be nice when talking to people in main chat.The guilds here are quite organized. More organized that anything ive ever seen in any non-LR server. Mostly because most of them are seasoned RO players. Battlegrounds is a lot of fun, and there will also be mini-WoE, where players defend a castle for Prizes, much like regular WoE FE, but played as a warm-up event prior to the actual WoE. WoE times are still being discussed at the moment, but competition in WoE will not be boring as there are at least 3 well-organised guilds existing. MiniWoe has been cancelled in view of a suggestion to put up a different woe for asian/EU timezones. WoE on the other hand has been implemented for the past two weeks. The community response was very good, and WoE is very heated, with over 60+ players participating actively, spread over 4-5 major guilds. WoE SE has been implemented to, and participation in both versions is really good. And the forum e-drama ensuing after every woe is also something to look forward to. Haha.The server is just 2 weeks old and yet there is almost always 60-100 people online plus autotrade merches.The server is now about 1 month old and there is about 60-130 people online at any time. There has been talks of various guilds from other servers like dRO who will transfer here within the next week, although it has not been confirmed. The server admin does not pirate people from other servers, its all about word of mouth(yes, like what im doing right now).
Class Balance is what you would expect in an official RO server because
there are no actual modifications of game mechanics. The only changes in the server which are not present in iRO is a resetter, warper, and all those basic eAthena npcs.
The Economy is doing well for a server of this age.
I am very lazy with item hunting, and yet I was able to complete my WoE stuff just by trading. The prices are controlled by simple supply-and-demand, so that the overpricers are forced to lower their prices because no one will buy from them.
SERVER - 8/10
Currently, the server is experiencing occasional position lag, and there have been changes which are implemented server-side to mitigate it. The owner says he is very willing to change hosts if the problem persists. He has already changed hosts once, and says he will not hesitate to do it again if needed. Otherwise, there are no other major issues in lagging. It is hosted on a dedicated server so we need not worry about the hardware side.
The server has moved to a new and better host in Dallas TX after a poll on the forums via pings. This has been found to be the best place for most IP addresses. So far, position lag is very minimal if not non-existent.COMMUNITY - 9/10
The community is quite friendly with a little sprinkling of jerks here and there. I think its normal. I was able to be in a guild on my 1st day and they helped me out a lot. @Main chat can also be very animated at times. I normally pass my time just by talking in main chat, and it normally is enough to shoo my boredom away.
There are a lot of smart guys in this server, those that know things other than just Ragnarok online. Some guilds are nicer than others, and some are total pricks. Pretty normal for any server. The nice thing though is, you got options on which kind of people you wanna hang out with, because theres a lot of guilds now.
Oh, the community speaks decent english, and those who tend to be abusive get dealt with quickly.
GAME MASTERS - 9/10Theres always at least 2 GM's online at any time, and you can just talk to them via PM or @request. You can also use @whogm to check who is online. They answer questions and resolve issues very quickly, and are quite considerate. I remember a time when a player was actually verbally abusing them but they still kept their cool. I myself do not agree to that much patience, but seeing that they practice it is cool, knowing that these Admin people are not egotistical maniacs.
Events currently are underway, and there has been some events which were already staged. Most of the people atm are preoccupied with dressing up their characters for WoE so events are a little seldom atm.
Events are being held regularly. Novice PvP / Treasure Hunts are so much fun. Haha.
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Finale:
Amistr.Net is something that I have been looking for for a very long time. Knowledgeable GMs,a reasonably-behaved and mostly-friendly community, and customs which do not make me raise my eyebrows to any height greater than normal.And it still holds true up to now.
