Imagine a sever made by RMS

[Suspension]

It's 2015, Ragnarok Online is an old game and it's clear it's slowly dying. Efforts invested in servers like ggRO ended up as a failed attempt of a once-maybe-great project.

For my point of view, the only way we could have a server with high population like the servers from years ago is by RMS doing it and publicy advertise it.

Now, what do you think that server would need to have to reach expectations?
a) Which rates?
b) Which npc and in which way implemented? (Reset, job changer, platinum skill, npc, etc)
c) What mode (re/pre-re/pre-trans) and episode? Should it update with official content or freeze in time? Or maybe keep the game as it was and implement custom updates?
d) Commands? Customs?
e) Donations if needed: kafra shop, what would be acceptable?
f) Additional comments

[yC]

To be honest, my experience of running a server was maybe about a year or less.  I recall it was a very busy job to be a responsible admin of an RO server.

You can see it this way, server owner willing to invest (such as in the case of ggRO) could not get the human resource required to run keep the server going.  Not just going but keep the server attractive to existing and new players. 

To run a server, a few things need to be constantly addressed.  They are: server stability, bug fix, corruption free, balancing, creative events, updates / new content release.  (There should be more but I can only think of these for now, notice I didn't mention server cost because it is relatively a small concern compare to the other problems).  More than often I see a server goes down because someone very important in keeping the server going left the team.  If a server plan to run for years and years, there is really nobody to count on except yourself because you don't know when a very skilled person will leave your team. 

Now that being said, with many skilled people moving onto other stage of their lives the real concern is which server will/can last the longest and will the emulators projects keep going forever or individual servers need to develop the newer content on their own.

[Suspension]

While I focused this topic on the player side (what people pick of their preferences as essential for them to join the server, and what would they let go so more people can join) the admin side is interesting as well.

The biggest problem I see, in the administration side, is that nobody skilled enough to run a large project has the time for it unless he's paid for it. The only solution I can see, is a large, trustable and well known admin team runs it - like long lasting friends, so the load of work can be distributed. Staff with less privileges (Users management GM, moderators or events GM) doesn't need to be that trustable, so it's not that hard to find, but at least they have to be commited and responsible.

[TabooRo]

Interesting read 

I think for a server to be large, enjoyable and stable, it would need to be a low rate. Forget the people that are tired of leveling and grinding...they will grind if the PvP/WoE side is worth it. Midrates get boring because they mimic low rates but after 3-4 months there is nothing to do..

About Ratemyserver opening a server and advertising it..RMS admins could do it because they have sooo many players from all small servers coming to this one page for information and stuff. But like he said, it takes a lot of time, effort, patience and skill of course.

If you think about it though..even with a lot of advertising.. it might not change things...After all, the site does have a listing of servers and a top  server which "should" include the best ones and receive the most advertising?

If there is TOO much advertising for just 1 server on RMS.. then I feel like private server owners will stop redirecting players to this site since it would be like advertising another server..then someone else will create another RO guide/review site and RMS might lose popularity.

[yC]

Yep, Taboo is right.  The idea that RMS having a server, is considered a type of corruption in itself.  Don't even think about it, unless there's no pserver left on the planet lol. 

I am happy as the provider of information and serve the community this way.

Over the years there were more than a few of those "very interesting project" approaches me to say they will develop a server and want it be branded under RMS where I will get some share of profit?  I declined them all.  Most I could accept is a very well planned WoE event proposal, such as the one FeelRO organized years ago. 

1 - I don't get into something I don't know i.e. someone runs something under my name, no thanks I see big risk of reputation damage.

2 - I am too busy/lazy to get myself into the business of running an RO server.  I have seen it, clearly with my eyes, what makes a good server and what makes a good server no longer good.  What I said in my last post, you can only count on yourself so why do I want to give myself a tougher life when I don't have to

[Blinzer]

I don't think ragnarok is about to die.

[Zereges]

I don't think ragnarok is about to die.

It died with private servers implementing 3rd classes with renewal mechanics.

[Blinzer]

It died with private servers implementing 3rd classes with renewal mechanics.

Not everyone should be accounted for the mistakes of some.

[Bazenine]

See, for me, I really enjoyed the RE update. I felt like pRE was getting old and stagnant. It's sad so many e people are so averse to change.
Anyway, for me the perfect server would be something like...

Renewal
5-7x / 5-7x / 1-5x [mvp cards/drops 1x]
As updated as can be [Last update I remember was the one that introduced the gunslinger weapons, no idea if there's been another since then as I've not had a computer for a little while.]
Smaller, maybe 20-50 online, plus vendors on top, OR larger. Much, much larger.
Very few custom items, though maps and dungeons are alright.

As for NPCs I like npcs like the Costume headgear npc that turns items into costumes
Stylists with tons of nice palettes [not those s*** all-black or neon s*** eye-raping palettes.]
I don't mind seeing stat/skill resetters as long as they're hella expensive or have a large cooldown. [like 5m zeny with a 1-week c/d]
warpers should be earned. My favourite implementation of a warper was a server where you had to collect items en-masse from each level of the dungeon, and it'd only warp you to the outside of the dungeon. [payon for example requires 100ea of skel bone, bat wing, fox tail, and stump, as well as a single burning wood, and it would only warp you to archer village]

The GM team needs to be active, friendly, know what they're doing, and capable of handling players [let's face it, players suck. we're a bunch of needy, greedy, whiney s***.] without losing their cool.
They should be able to handle the server inside and out without needing to ask for too much assistance [face it, everyone needs to ask for assistance once in a while. but if you're running a server, you should at least know how to work it's guts.]
and they should be able to handle each other. [I've seen too many servers die because one of the gms leaves, or two of the gms have an argument and the community suffers because of it.]

Honestly, I think a good part of the reason RO is dying is because players are SICK of finding a great server, then it closing becuase lack of interest or incompetent/lazy/incapable/immature/whatever gms.

Anyway, yeah. That's my two bits.

[Duckshooter]

See, for me, I really enjoyed the RE update. I felt like pRE was getting old and stagnant. It's sad so many e people are so averse to change.

I can only speak for myself but I think many others think so too: It is not really that people are averse to change in general, it is because many people play RO for the nostalgic feeling, all the memories and if you change the game in its basics like with renewal many will dislike it. I personally didnt really enjoy renewal but I honestly admit that I did not test it for too long, I just didnt get the RO feeling.

Back to topic: I think yC made it perfectly clear and I 100% understand and support his point of view. The basic idea of rmsRO seems great but even if it would be a thing....I doubt that it'd be as good as many people may think. There is no perfect server for everyone that loves RO and the admin-topic is a topic that has been talked about so much that I wont touch it now. 

[Yozakura]

[rms]RO: If you're enjoying the server, be sure to write us a review on RMS!

*facedesk*