Hello people. For those who don't know me, I'm somewhat and old player of Ragnarok Online, have played this game for somewhat 9 years, passed for several private rates, and I've tested both servers, so I just wanted to give my humble opinion about this situation.
To begin with, I think there's no comparision point. Both servers are focused on different player targets. Both of them are good on their on way, and people can choose between both of them based on their personal needings. I'll try to make a exhaustive analysis of both to explain this:
NOVA:Nova RO's a very polished server, where you can see the experience of its administration reflected on every aspect inside the game. As every server, It haves some issues (as its outdated refinement system, that don't match with KRO's updates that requires very high refinements), however the Administration seems compromised about it, and are already working on it. They're working on Monster Hunter, that promises to be a way to implement Blacksmith Blessings in a non-pay-to-win manner.
Its updates are extremely fasts, I don't know how some people can say thei're behind in content, and further, behind than IRO, when they already have very relevant content that even IRO is missing (17.1 Rework over skills, Star Emperor, Soul Reaper, Excellion Set). So that's definitively not one of NovaRo's issues, its administration seems very compromised with the Updates, every one or two months they have one.
What it is a problem in Nova, is thay they seem to be scared of progression, to the point that when they find something is "too powerful", they modify it before implementing it. Or either customizing an item (as Temporal Manteau), or either making the system to get it, way much harder than it should, compared to the rates of the server (remember we're talking on a 25x~10x server, one of the main reasons why people avoid officials to choose privates).
For example, with the Bio 5 Hats: I frecuently go Bio 5, and I'm on a Discord where people gather togheter only to make party to Bio 5. However, even there, people just talk about how frustrating is our Hat creating/enchanting system, and admit that they only go Bio5 or either "for fun", or either "for selling the loots", but not for the actual content... This demonstrating how
non-related-to-the-rates this content is... I and many people consider this as an issue. But it seems to be intentional, as the intentions of the GMs seems to be avoid the Powercreep that some people is afraid about (like the panic when people see a Ranger in KRO easily soloing Bio 5), however they take this to an extreme, which is clearly one of the weakness of the server... However, its clear that their intention is to make the server not for casual players, but for very dedicated players that need to work hard to reach the endgame.
Another minor issue to mention should be that some members of the PVP community are extremely toxic (not all, of course), to the point of not being able to talk two words without s***-talking someone. Demonstrative example:
The reason I was gonna leave is because of the self-destructive toxic community Nova used to have (and no, I'm not talking about Fu Wind's case, lmao).
However that's NOT fault of the staff. And on the other hand, Nova's PVM community is very friendly and helpful, especially with newbies. Even on Gramps you can see how PVM players are very kind and cordial to each other. And so as kind and helpful are most of the GMs... For example, despite myself being kinda conflictive person sometimes, Panic and Tokei have helped me in a lot of occasions when I've had different issues ingame, being this a proof of how compromised they are with their labor mantaining the server, and helping all players equally. And I thank this very much.
In general is an excellent server, thought in people that wants to work hard and recieve rewards, being this a classic experience of Ragnarok Online.
SHINING MOON:On the other hand, Shining Moon is a very promising server that have grown extremely fast (in part, thanks to Munbalance's publicity). Both its administration and all its playerbase are extremely kind and frienly, that was a great surprise for me. You breath a new fresh air in their social media, everyone seems to be happy and full of joy. Seems to have very good developers, as they have implemented stuff very reciently updated on KRO (as 17.1 skill rework, and Green Aura bosses). It's refinement system matches the one of KRO, so it has no issue with the Updates that requires high refinements to be useful (as YSF01 set, and Illusion Dungeons). So my general view of its that, despite being unpolished, it has a lot of potential to grow up. We all know that no server born in the greatness, so they have to keep that hard work, so it could become an excellent server in the future.
It is also very newbie friendly. However, it takes that to the extreme, its so easy that some players have reached +13 refinements on all their Gear in a week or two. So it's clearly focused on players that have
barely-to-no-time-to-play, and want to reach Endgame very fast. In this sense, I understand why is the perfect server for Mun, cause he needs to show
actualized content in his videos to keep interested his 12k followers from all-server-around.
However, what keeps me away from playing Shining Moon by now is mainly this:
World bosses with "Overlord" anime sprites; a starting town that has nothing to do with the original game, crudely overlapped on Prontera; crude multiclass system, no-penalty teleport to any floor of any dungeon...
This, plus it's strange experience modification system, that allows people to play on rates 1x ~ 100x, as they choose.
I'm not saying this is something bad, for some people that can be considered something possitive, as it allows people to "play in their own rythm". However, it's clearly not thought on people like me, that's used to a more
"classic experience" of Ragnarok Online. My mind simply can't find acceptable some custom like
"changing your own rates", or
"changing your job in the middle of the battle", or even
"Overlord Sprites". Some people is fine with it, and that's fine. There's a lot of people that can enjoy the content Shining moon has to offer, and the Server has all of the tools to grow up.
At the end of the day, both servers are good, that's why both of them are the main Focus of the actual population of Private servers. But both of them are clearly made for different kind of players. One for dedicate players with a lot of time, and the other for casual players. So the choose is up to you. Can we all agree that Lai’s post was completely worthless and just trying to promote his own server as usual at least.
Agree. I mean, I've never tested limit, so I can't say if munbalance's criticisms about it are justified or not. But it has literally nothing to do with the Topic. Seriously.
