Recent posts

#31

Server Discussion / Project Return to Morroc shutt...

Last post by 2k2 - Yesterday at 10:46 AM

Weird and out of nowhere, and judging the guy's past (?) actions and behavior, the doxxing (if even it's even real) may or may not be related to the RO community.

[You are server owner]

#32

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by Thanit - Yesterday at 05:15 AM

Kudos again, to this server for taking actions against Macro/AFK/Bot.

You are server owner
Don't try to act like player who's playing in the server. That make you look stupid. ok?

You can see the hate the server is taking, after their approach and the final update they made 2 days ago really cracked this down...the GM showed many proof of active players in dungeons and fields since then....guess what? There were many different jobs other than previously 99% Arch Mages...
and all of them played normally, even responded quickly when GM unhided herself. (unlike before, the GM had to recall the macro farmers and gave them up to 20 seconds to respond, in order to evade a ban.)

Then why don't you and all GM team do you job rather than get rid of Flywing ?
if you not okay with macro player then go cacthing them! send him to jail or ban, Is it hard? Since you have a time to stalker around "manually player" and capture your stupid screenshot to show us "whithout flywing they can play" 

#33

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by LuffySab - Yesterday at 04:31 AM

I'm kind of confused. Did they also disable Creamy Card? As otherwise nerfing/removing FW doesn't seem like a big deal at all.

The Genie NPC is kind of cute, though. Botters figured out how to solve such queries over a decade ago (and that's why reCAPTCHA has been so damn annoying for years now), but they thought this old practice would stop bots nowadays...

Right they did, it was so easy to bypass, and to creamy card it now gives Warp Level 1 instead.

Overpowered server of 4th Job can easily sarifice a card slot to setup macro/afk farm with range of AoE skills some jobs offers.

Maps were full of ArchMages just "teleport/aoe skill" with autoloot or autolootid, this could go for a full day...

You can see the hate the server is taking, after their approach and the final update they made 2 days ago really cracked this down...the GM showed many proof of active players in dungeons and fields since then....guess what? There were many different jobs other than previously 99% Arch Mages...
and all of them played normally, even responded quickly when GM unhided herself. (unlike before, the GM had to recall the macro farmers and gave them up to 20 seconds to respond, in order to evade a ban.)


Kudos again, to this server for taking actions against Macro/AFK/Bot.

Now those who actually enjoy RO, and plays it won't have their honest farmed materials being deflated by "macro, bots or afk farmers". It is why we are seeing a increase of material value, to the right price and stopped deflation.

#34

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by Metan - Dec 09, 2023, 07:53 PM

I'm kind of confused. Did they also disable Creamy Card? As otherwise nerfing/removing FW doesn't seem like a big deal at all.

The Genie NPC is kind of cute, though. Botters figured out how to solve such queries over a decade ago (and that's why reCAPTCHA has been so damn annoying for years now), but they thought this old practice would stop bots nowadays...

#35

General Discussion / Re: "RMT Enabled" servers.

Last post by 2k2 - Dec 09, 2023, 06:35 PM

[...]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's already a thing in RO, and it simply isn't known to the general public due to a language barrier. As an example, I know some SEA servers actually host seasonal WoEs and they reward winning guilds with hard cash, in dollars, which, to my knowledge, is restricted to them (for now?).

I don't think Gravity will move an inch to stop this, as long as their IP isn't endangered.

Definitely a thing in RO already, although not nearly as common as in other MMOs/WoW-copies, especially in these 2 specific regions I mentioned (and yeah, thanks for reminding me about SEA, forgot to add that region as it's even more prone to have this kind of stuff for RO specifically).

We know about that recent (?) ClashRO, apparently a Russian server people have been talking about here which had "RMT Tickets", which are literally instantly generated legal zeny directly bought with real life currency. As for brazillian servers, I'm pretty sure the largest one currently, RagnaTales, fully allow and incentivize RMT between players with the staff mediation option I talked about in my previous post.

Then there are also old known non-BR, RU or PH servers we know that do shady activities/RMT to specific guilds, groups or players they trust or have ties with, servers such as LimitRO (ADM Lai), TalonRO/Talon Tales (GM Seiren and Boreas) and the now defunct (good riddance) NovaRO (ADM Nova) which all have been known for years to sell GM-generated items or services.

Unlikely Gravity will do something do something against the scene as a whole yes, but I hope they at least destroy the more blatant servers and not only aim their closure but go for harsher legal actions against the server owners.

The lawsuit was supposed to start at around late 2017~early 2018 but a bad timing illness really f*** up the plans and likely made Gravity postpone it for years.

#36

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by LuffySab - Dec 09, 2023, 05:00 AM

So...basically don't join if you are a Bot, Macro or AFK Farmer?

And for those who likes to play normally, it's a heaven, due that nobody will be able to deflate your hard earned items by "botting, macro or afk farming".

Pretty decent approach if you ask me.

Now adays, many passionated players are getting killed off, because of "bots, macro and afk players"...kudos to their dev team for taking a stance.

 

#37

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by Ravenvoxx - Dec 08, 2023, 09:21 PM

Reading your post was a wild ride. GETTING RID OF FLYWINGS as a way to counter bots? What a weird way to go about it. What about Gepard Shield or some kind of packet encryption? 

ikr!

they already have Gepard Shield for bot protection.
but, they also want to get rid the macro/auto user. that's why they make it harder to get Fly Wings

#38

Server Reviews / Re: Midgard Tales: Wasted Pote...

Last post by ForgotMyOldAccount - Dec 08, 2023, 09:10 PM

Reading your post was a wild ride. GETTING RID OF FLYWINGS as a way to counter bots? What a weird way to go about it. What about Gepard Shield or some kind of packet encryption? 

[At first, it was good]

#39

Server Reviews / Midgard Tales: Wasted Potentia...

Last post by Ravenvoxx - Dec 08, 2023, 07:54 PM

(this post mainly about the beginning of the downward of Midgard Tales)

So, I tried another mid-rate server before, but didn't really get into it. So, I checked out the High Rate List on ratemyserver.net and found Midgard Tales. It's at 200x EXP, which seemed moderate compared to other high-rate servers. They advertise themselves as the most updated server, specifically highlighting their 4th classes.

At first, it was good
You get introductory quests once you log in with your first novice (I don't know if this introductory quest is also available in the current version of Ragnarok Online). This quest will introduce you to several custom NPCs available later in the game. Trivial, but very important for a private server, given how many customizations can be made for their server.
The drop rates are fine, the community respond very quickly and very helpful. No drama on the server!
They have Ready 2 Play feature where a character can fast-track to level 200 to try the 4th Class.
The 4th Classes itself are fun to play with!
I thought i might be able to stay longer here.

i was wrong.

The Beginning of a Downward Spiral
Let's just get to the point.

So, they have this Genie NPC that will suddenly appears in the middle of your farming session from time to time; asking you a very simple question to check if you're a real player or a bot.
You will be invisible to monsters around you, so you are safe by getting mobbed and you only given 60 seconds to answer the question.
Those who answers correctly will be rewarded with small amount of Event Coin and those who don't... well, i don't know personally, since i play manually 100% and always got a correct answer. but, i do read a post in the Discord where their character being kicked out of server and cannot login after that because they answers incorrectly.

"this is a good prevention. nice!", i thought.

They plan to remove it in the December update.
 

Before they go ahead with the plan, we, the community, started a thread discussing the December update. We shared our disagreements and concerns about the upcoming changes. They aimed to remove the Genie due to numerous complaints about the NPC. However, they also couldn't allow bots to roam freely. That's why they intended to increase the weight of the Fly Wing. At the time, the new weight for this item hadn't been finalized yet.
I suggested an alternative to outright removing the Genie NPC. Instead, I recommended exploring different options and investigating the root cause of the complaints: was it the severity of the punishment or something else?
I pitched ideas for more forgiving penalties. Also, I raised concerns about how increasing the Fly Wing weight could adversely affect non-STR build classes, like the Magician class (I'm an Arch Mage myself).

The community had already provided insights into potential outcomes of these changes. We emphasized that the upcoming update would likely impact manual players more than bot or macro users.

They ignored it.....
They made it clear: the Genie NPC is getting axed in the next update, end of story. They pretty much shut down any player input by ignoring and opposing every suggestion.

It happened.
December update arrives. Genie vanished. Bot and macro users are on the loose. Magic builds take a hit due to Fly Wing weight.
that's all?
NOPE!

Here's another twist: any teleport skills are disabled in a map where the MVP is still alive.
(please take a moment before you continue. imagine the situation where you just wanna casually farm in a dungeon and suddenly cannot use a Fly Wing because APPARENTLY an MVP is currently respawn SOMEWHERE and now you have to search for it and spend your precious free time to kill it to be able to teleport freely!)

Wait, there's more........
You can't use your Body Relocation (if you are Monk branch), but you can use Cart Boost (if you are Alchemist branch)!
Oh well, good luck for Mage class, who don't have any travel skills, searching the MVP..........

Expectedly, the community reacted strongly! Discord was abuzz with arguments, all trying to reverse the changes. Eventually, after several hours, they rolled back the adjustments:
The teleport ability was restored. Additionally, they introduced a rental item at the Rental NPC: the Speed Potion (1 day) to assist characters in traveling faster.

But here's the kicker! Along with the revert, there's another change: MVP Tier 1 and 2 now have a measly 50 or 100 HP, but they also take only 1 damage. Saga –who's the representative of the Midgard Tales, claimed this tweak would encourage more players to join the MVP hunt and give newcomers a shot at taking down the MVPs.

So you'd think, "This isn't too bad", right? Wrong! Once again, Mage class takes a hit.
If they can't take down the MVP quickly and it enters a recovery state, guess what? You're forced to spend another precious minute hunting it down...

Of course we voiced our opinion regarding this.
and Saga's answer was, "build ASPD char".
(alright i'll give you a moment to react to this before i continue)

like.... "Why do I need to create an ASPD character just to kill an MVP?",
"Why can't Mage class have the same chance as ASPD-built characters against Tier 1 and 2 MVPs?"
At this point, it seems like Saga and the dev team favor ASPD-built classes and are inclined to phase out the Mage class altogether.

And it's not just a one-time thing.
Every time we raised concerns about the MVP reaching the recovery state, his/her response remained the same!
You think it's done? nope!
there's more...

Furthermore, in an effort to encourage more MVP hunt participation, they introduced an NPC where you can exchange an item dropped by the MVP with items from the Item Mall. These malls are significant as they offer numerous valuable items, one being the Armor Refine Ticket—a crucial item allowing safe armor refinement to +7. For seasoned players with established characters, this might not mean much. However, for those in the process of building their character, this is a game-changer.

But to 'buy' this item, you have to take down MVP Tier 3 at least 10 times (or Tier 1 and 2 more than 30 times). In this server, MVP Tier 3 respawns every three hours.
However, since the update, everyone's rushing to eliminate these MVPs, making them practically non-existent.
So, if you're currently in the process of building your character and find yourself in need of this item, well, good luck spending your precious time grinding the MVP Tier 1 and 2.

there's more, tho...
To stabilize the market, they opted to reduce the drop rate of Zelunium, Shadowdecon, and Gelstar—items serving as alternative currency for premium-ish items.
But, at the same time, they limited where these items can drop in dungeons or maps.
In the other words, you have to grind moaaaarrr!

Until now, I'm certain I'm not the only one whose hope has dissipated into nothingness.

But!
another update released: now you can't buy Fly Wing in the Tool Dealer.
Now, it's exclusively purchasable with Eden Coin at Eden.
Its weight has increased to 10 from the initial raise to 8 (yes, the weight was initially increased from 5 to 8 in the December update).
You can't dropped it, stored it, nor sell it "in an effort to combat the macro", Saga said.
And this is where I call it quits.
I believe it's time to take a break from this server for a while.
None of those updates have been favorable to magic classes. None of us wanted more grinding, but the updates compelled us to do just that.
The way Saga and the team handled the complaints wasn't helpful in the least

That's the end of my tale in Midgard Tales (for now).

[never]

#40

General Discussion / Re: "RMT Enabled" servers.

Last post by Metan - Dec 08, 2023, 10:57 AM

If you think normal players doing this "for fun" instead of money aren't getting incredibly toxic and salty in-game, you are frankly just wrong. I know many annoying and disgruntled players who get upset over losing with NO IRL stakes involved. You seriously overvalue the mental health of gamers who turn to Ragnarok Online for an outlet from their rather stressful lives.

Of course not. I'd be lying if I said that I have never met any player who did not engage in RMT and was nonetheless competitive to a fault. But note that I'm talking in general terms: normal players, who don't do RMT, range from ego-tripping guilds and sweaty MVPers to casual guilds and Prontera tilewarmers, and every other player in between who may not be as serious, or as casual. Also note that even the most competitive player in this is having fun in his own way, because if he's not making real money out of this, then he's releasing pent-up stress, making a name for himself, using it as escapism or something; even if it makes him completely unhinged as a result, in some cases.

RMTers aren't so nuanced. Once you're in the the money, and you know you're not alone in this, priorities shift. The game becomes an extension or even the core of your financial life, and the prospect of making real money from game stuff is soon replaced by the fear of losing potential money. They may work together so none of them are caught, or look for the first opportunity to get rid of his competition, but it's all the same. Going all out is just natural. And beyond botting and camping MVPs with great loot/card: abusing exploits is a natural step up, as otherwise, especially when you know (or at least expect) other RMTers are abusing it, you are also basically wasting an opportunity; you might as well exploit it before they find out. As 2k2 put it:

Regular players are also the kind of be more prone to report bugs and exploits to help the game become better and help in the long-term, whereas the trashy RMTer will 100% be exploiting it looking for quick gains despite knowing how much it's hurting the game and its future.

Again, think of it in general terms. It doesn't mean that normal players wouldn't abuse and stay shut (some will indeed give in to temptations), but that not everyone will exploit it, whereas RMTers will never report it.

That said, I said they're not so nuanced not because I'm playing with euphemism, but because I think there's a specific sort of RMTer which is not necessarily degenerative like that:

Yes, exactly. But the issue is botting itself which requires more rigorous in-house security tools and cheating prevention software, not actual RMT. If players couldn't bot then RMT wouldn't be an issue to begin with. Classic case of attributing blame to the wrong issue.

Zeny for money really is the most common form of RMTing... but there's more to it. Endgame gears which are drip-fed to the market due to monopoly (like Bio3 or WSM drops), or a fully geared dude who's quitting and wants to make some money out of it, or relevant mini/MVP cards are also ripe for RMT. Regarding the last two, what's interesting about this sort of RMTing is that even an otherwise normal player could engage in it. As in, if one day you're blessed by RNG and you get some MVP card which is worth at least a thousand dollars, like a GTB, or if you're quitting, you're full +7/+9 and it's a lively server, you might feel tempted. It won't make you a monster (which doesn't mean you're not breaking rules) if you do it.

In the past few years, it seems to be getting more and more common and accepted on brazillian and Russian non-RO game servers where the staff has their own RMT channels and fully allow players to either sell directly to other players (at their own risk, scamming allowed, so trade at your own risk), or with the staff mediating it where it's the only safe way to do it.

Beyond disgusting. Hopefully gravity burns the private server scene down before this sh*t arrives at RO.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's already a thing in RO, and it simply isn't known to the general public due to a language barrier. As an example, I know some SEA servers actually host seasonal WoEs and they reward winning guilds with hard cash, in dollars, which, to my knowledge, is restricted to them (for now?).

I don't think Gravity will move an inch to stop this, as long as their IP isn't endangered.