While this is a review and not really a "talk about the server" thread, I can't help but want to ask a few questions to the people who play on this server. Not as criticisms, since I'm actually wanting to ask to see if I want to download/play RO again (I have some strange addiction and I cannot get it out anymore).
I had a very brief experience with UtopiaRO a good while back, and while it seems to be the "least horrible*" RO server currently in existence, I did have a few niggling problems with it I'd like answers/explanations/brainwashing/evidence to.
The fact that cash points are used for what are usually considered "basic" services (healing, resetting, ect.) is kind of off-putting. I either spend money to get what I would get on any other server, or get a bit of a stiff penalty. While it is indeed not as imbalancing as selling GTBs for tree-fiddy, it's certainly annoying to see "Oh too bad you have no cash points, if you did you could do X Y and Z with no problems at all". The fact @feelreset is a donation power means Star Gladiators who donate are massively more powerful and useful than those who do not.
Didn't this guy make SerenityRO before that, and it went under? What happened to that? Is this server going to follow the same fate at any point in the future? Isn't Serenglade from SerenityRO, in fact? How much other stuff is just ported to UtopiaRO? Yeah this is kind of digging into history and blublublu, but it sort of matters to know "where things have been".
As a third, more nitpicky thing, I'm curious why unregistered viewers can only see the Important Info forum group and General Assistance. It's not as if guests can actually post anything, so letting people view the rest of the forums shouldn't be too big of a deal, right? What's the harm in letting someone "preview" the community before actually signing up and going for it?
Again, this doesn't seem like a bad little server at all. Hell, I might try to persuade a friend to join me in playing this.
* This isn't really intended as an insult, but I personally can't find an idea', great server anymore, just ones that aren't as bad as the rest.
Howdy, just to give basic responses (I'll let others who aren't "brainwashed" post their responses as well, lol
).
For basic services, as Yusifer has stated, there are two methods to pay for them; Zeny and Cash Points. Cash Points are very easily obtained daily through events (minimum of 25 from Ides of Utopia per round, and there are three rounds a day, so long as you meet the base level 70 requisite to participate, multiple automated events that run multiple times daily as well -- Cluckers, Dodgeball, Poring Pop), as well as voting. If you have 5,000 zeny to pay for a heal, you don't need to spend Cash Points. The main thing at Utopia is giving players the option to go one route or the other with their reward points or hard earned in-game currency. In total, you have the possibility of bringing in 200+ Cash Points daily through voting/events.
In regards to SerenityRO, it's the server I'm most well known for having administrated. I originally opened it in late 2006, and closed it late last year after the community and staff took a vote in regards to keeping it up or closing it. It saw multiple versions, was down for a little while during the time of ElysiumRO (my most successful project to date in RO servers), and eventually just stagnated as the playerbase literally "grew up" with the server; that is, they all joined as teenagers, and for the most part all graduated high school or were finding themselves having less and less time to dedicate to the game than in real life. Since the players felt they had no more time, I considered it a dead project, we all voted, had a big farewell party and laid it to rest. I then took roughly a six month hiatus and worked on a different project, which is now in hiatus due to change of plan (originally a RO mod project,
www.abeonaonline.com, but later became UtopiaRO). In the end, SerenityRO was a learning experience as I developed and honed administrative abilities. In that time I learned both basic and advanced scripting techniques, furthered my proficiency of multiple scripting languages, refined my ability to work with sprites, manipulate client-side files to produce the desired result(s), create custom maps, amongst other things. I digress, again, SerenityRO was a learning experience for myself and all involved.
UtopiaRO has been up now for six months, is growing daily with the help of community leaders such as Yusifer, who take it upon themselves to educate others about the server, and who dedicate time to helping spread the word of Utopia. Please note that she is not staff, nor affiliated with the staff in any way, and is instead just a concerned player who wishes to see the best for the server in general, though very much appreciated. As far as longevity is concerned, so long as there are players, the server will remain online. I've just renewed the server for another six months, and I have absolutely no plans on having any "wipes" or doing new "versions", as was the case with SerenityRO. Content-wise, Serenglade was ported over to UtopiaRO, along with a few maps designated to GM usage. Not many NPCs were ported over, however, the majority of content on UtopiaRO was developed for UtopiaRO. Either way, I see no issue as to why I wouldn't or shouldn't carry over original creations from my previous projects so long as they "worked" there and posed no threat to the longevity of any current project I'm working on. There are multiple servers who use my creations on a daily basis; maps, scripts, monster sprites, et cetera. It's like saying they're all in the wrong for using data that originated elsewhere. XD Sorry if that came out sounding rude, I just want to very thoroughly give explanation in case others ever ponder the same.
As far as the forums are concerned,
http://board.blackout-gaming.net/,
http://animusro.com,
http://divinationro.com/, just to name a few forums who also restrict access to all or part of their community message boards. It's not really a new concept, and it helps me monitor who is coming in and out of my community. If someone's wanting to drama monger and pull data from the forums, they'll have to register, thus giving me multiple methods to then trace them should they elect to create distress within my community. While I go to much further extents than most server owners to ensure their community remains peaceful and as quality for the overall populace as possible, it is my system, and it's worked for me for long enough. Some appreciate my extra precautions, others find them silly. In the end, I do what I can for my community be it as the approval or disapproval of others. I do not tolerate drama or nonsense in my servers. There have been multiple instances where players have been banned for inciting distress to the community through over negativity towards the server, or complaining extensively over @main. No one likes to see drama mongering, and I'm not one to tolerate it either. There's no gun being held to anyone's head to play the server, so if someone's displeased and aren't established in the server, they are encouraged to find someplace else to play and leave everyone else at Utopia alone to enjoy the server that they have come to appreciate and adore.
And in regards to @feelreset, eAthena nerfed it in accordance to kRO's specifications quite a while back. The skill is still quite powerful, however, it doesn't hit nearly as much/fast as previous revisions of the skill, and we don't have many (if any at all) active Star Gladiators. There are no leeching services on our server that feature Star Gladiators in the least bit, and in all honesty, I rarely, if ever see anyone truly leeching these days unless it's at Monster of the Week, which even then is typically a large party working together to level everyone in said party. It's a perk, yes, and I've considered changing it in the past. At present, however, judging from live logs of the server from start to present, I've witnessed no "abuse" of the skill, as leveling at most of the "top" places tends to get overlooked due to the Monster Hunting system (custom to UtopiaRO), which breathes new usefulness into places you may not necessarily level at past a certain level due to the EXP not being top notch any longer without some sort of boost.
Hopefully the above addressed all of your concerns, however, if not, feel free to post another response and I or someone else will be glad to get back with you.
