Dismissing a server at a glance

[Yuzo]

What makes you dismiss a server at a glance? I'm always seeing people dismiss servers for the smallest reasons. I know a lot of low rate players will never touch a high rate. The thought itself is repulsive for some people. A lot of super high rate players don't understand the difference between rates and max levels, they assume low rate = 99/70, dismissing a server as "too hard to level".


Have you already had your ideal ro experience and you look for something matching it? I'm interested in what makes people scroll past servers which could potentially be what they're looking for. My favorite server (now dead) was generic on the surface, but after a month or so of playing I was hooked. I looked for many servers in the meantime since its death but most only looked at rates, basic info and such.


Or is this an entirely different issue of how server owners market their servers?


P.S. I'm not making a server.

[Tiffycaek]

The first thing I do whenever I check out a potential server is visit it's donation shop. If the donation shop offers exclusive items and/or stat boost or end game gear and/or MVP cards, I don't even bother downloading it for a quick spin. Then there's servers that offer Ahura Mazda and Angra Manyuu in donation shop which is just f***.

[Playtester]

I always read the feature list and check if there are any customs that I find unacceptable.

Yes, it could be the smallest things that make me decide to dismiss a server.

Here are a few customizations that caused me to not play on a server:
- Card remover
- Free healer/resetter
- Job changer
- Dungeon warper
- Monster behavior dumbed down (e.g. removal of dropping target on chase)

The following can be acceptable but are a killer if not thought out well:
- Custom spawn changes (bad = only buff already useful maps)
- Skill changes (bad = everything except for changes that support partying)
- Monster exp changes (bad = buff already good mobs or nerf already unpopular mobs)
- Monster drop changes (bad = they don't follow a reasonable rule)

[cauyao615]

i like grinding, so pretty much features a high rate server has is a nope for me

rates >200x
gold room
mvp room
all item npc
instant max level
wings
custom items
100% drop rate for all items
no cheat protection
hashield (i get problems 99% of the time when i server uses this as protection)makes you install some stuff and turn off ur AV just to play)
generic website
not having a forum site

lastly this is not an instant nope but more like a turn off

pinoy admin/owner(u can almost expect corruption bcuz of RMT) btw im pinoy so this doesnt count as being racist,this is from personal experience playing pinoy made/owned servers

[Deacon]

A lot of things really. Any rate above 1x, custom crap, character resets. But somehow what always irks me the most is finding out they have a job changer. 

[meisterkun]

When I'm gonna pick a server to play, first and foremost I look at their design, be it the web, forum, or promotional material. A good design show if they're really serious about running a server.

I do quite like to grind but not to the extreme level, so mid rate 99/70 server (around 10x-50x) is the most suitable one for me.

Things that really turn me off :
- Custom Dye (No words can express how much I HATE this thing. It make your screen filled with ugly color as f wherever you go. If you gonna implement it at least use the official kRO/iRO alternative palettes.)
- Custom Hair (Gosh, look at all those disgusting hair!)
- Custom Gear (I love to play RO as it intended to be so I HATE any customized items.)
- Buffer
- Job Changer
- Dungeon and Field Warper

Well maybe that is all for now.

[sharx]

Too high player lvl ruins it!

Its always like this:

5 minutes into the game: lvl70 with killing 20 Poporings
10minutes into the game:2nd class to lvl 80 + with 20 more poporings
25minutes into the game:99+ by getting some gears and cards
35minutes into the game:grinding the Servers own and custom high lvl area because its the f*** ONLY map where you can lvl above 120 in less than 20 years.
45minutes into the game:the truth kicks in! you are unable to lvl at the "servers high end area" becasue you are too weak with the calssic high end items
20minutes into reaseach: you uninstall the game becasue you have to donate 350€ for that superior weapon to lvl at that ONE AND ONLY map (or you farm 999.999.999.999zenny and try a week to buy that weapon from a player at maps with reduced droprate to ürevent inflation!)

[Orange]

Earliest I drop a server is when no info is available. Donations are listed on the forums, which require registration. No player online count found on the website/no control panel, at that point I won't bother registering to the forums or downloading it to check out a maybe.

Otherwise completely OP donations, though very few servers go over what I'm okay with(best in slot equips/cards)

[Potatoes]

Here's what makes me go away instantly:
- Low population
- Fresh new server (opens > grabs money > closes)
- No job changer
- No warper for either cities or dungeons
- No free healer or no resetter
- GMs' terrible grammar (there's a line when it just looks too unprofessional)
- No forum/horrible website (default FluxCP)
- No easy methods to reach a GM (no tickets system)
- Easy grinding (which is mostly targeted at high rate servers)
- No challenging content/soloable content that shouldn't be (usually due to increasing the level past its normal limit)
- Gold room

I also expect the server to have customizations which do not impact the game too much. For instance: hats, custom dungeons, new instances, changed spawn rates, modified a few drop rates, etc. I usually dismiss any server which mentions "As close to official as possible!"; I don't want to play iRO, I want to play a private CUSTOM server after all.

[Bue]

Lack of production and content quality.

• Check server information for bullshit and consistency.
• Check the website functionality and response time.
• Check forum etiquette and quality of official threads.
• Check information availability and accessibility.
• Check team, event, and other organizational information.
• Scan the GRF for standard and custom files.
• ... :haku
• Check NPC scripting quality.
• Check all unique content and features.
• Check WoE and event participation.

I only check out NA servers only. And if I spot enough red flags, then I just scan the grf and gtfo.

[yC]

Basically what Bue said can tell a lot about a server without getting on it.

I don't check out a server's inside but I do check the newly listed servers and I hate to see servers that gives a link to their control panel without a download link, way of communication and/or a feature page.

Many servers these days just install a control panel, plus a skin/theme and then call it a day.  I have problem understanding how these servers going to attract players with this lazy attitude.  I mean, come on how is anybody going to get on your server without a download link?  how are people going to get help without a forum
or facebook page/group that will allow someone to get support when they can't get into the game?  Then I have seen people putting different server rates on their listing, forum, facebook page and website.  So the feature page is essential to me to confirm the server know what they are doing. 

If these basics things are not done correctly, I see the server is a rush and will go down as fast as the rush to open.

[Gene]

Let's see..
>Logging in required to view forums (this is okay, but it irritates me so much)
>No donations visible on site/forum/cp
>Administrators/Developers who follow suggestions of a certain guild because they're the majority(ex. 50% of the population is "that" guild, others/soloists are 50%).
>Exclusively for SHR: 4 slotted gears, seriously, think of something else.
>Exclusively for LR: No partying benefits, standard nostalgia low rate stuff
>Exclusively for MR: Focusing too much on BG/WOE/PVP or using 13.2 boring AD meta will eventually lead to death of the server.

[Minabe]

Doing Tripper's job.

[Playtester]

Wait, what's bad about accepting donations. Or do you mean "donations".

[Minabe]

Doing Tripper's job.

[Xarale]

Here's a list of what may cause me to dismiss a server right away;

• Poor quality website - If the website quality is poor/rushed, lacks information, or is simply just a control panel, that's a sign that little care is probably going into the server itself.  Not saying the website has to be super fabulous, but at least put some effort into it.
• High server rates - I only play low or medium rates.  I typically avoid high rates, unless they can offer me a very customised/new/unique RO experience.
• Terrible community - Glancing at the server's forum is a good way to get a sneak peek at the community before logging into the game.  If it's full of trolls running riot, then that's an instant dismissal for me.
• OP donations - Goes without saying really.  A server that's clearly pay-to-win is one I'd rather avoid investing time into.
• Too much focus on WoE - I get that WoE is the end-game for many, but there are a few folk like myself who just play for the social/casual aspect.  A server with WoE is fine, providing the admins aren't trying to shove it down our throats and forgetting that non-WoE players exist too.
• GM Team - Ridiculous GM names, or poor GM grammar is a little off-putting.  Not saying grammar has to be perfect, but I can't honestly take a server seriously when they recruit a staff member named GM King iHaXoR. (yes this was a real thing)
• Buff NPC - One of my main classes is an HP, and I enjoy randomly buffing people in towns just because I can.  The fun of that is taken away when there's an NPC that does it for you.
• Non-English community - Hailing from Scotland, English is my first and only language.  So logging into a server only to find that everyone is talking in Tagalog is rather unappealing to me.

I also avoid playing servers that try too hard to be as close to official servers as possible.  I play private servers for a reason, I don't want to simply play an iRO clone.  So I typically prefer it when servers add some customisation into them.

-X.

[Neffletics]

I also avoid playing servers that try too hard to be as close to official servers as possible.  I play private servers for a reason, I don't want to simply play an iRO clone.  So I typically prefer it when servers add some customisation into them.

Good for you. But if you're from Asia, playing iRO is impossible because of the very high latency (you need VPN to play smoothly).

Anyway, here's my list:
- Their flux theme are those premade themes by Rahul (eaDev) or these overly vibrant designs by S1Lykos.
- Didn't even bother creating their own contents or copy and pasting the EXACT thing from another server. Like how most of the servers today are copying the forum and server rules from old servers. Also 2 servers from PH had the SAME troubleshooting guide as my server's and even copied our tagline.
- Poor English and Tagalog grammar. I know I am not good in English but these Filipino servers today announces in a very poor grammar (even when their post is in their native language). When I check the page of the servers that were advertising in our Facebook group, I keep asking myself how come their Tagalog grammar is bad when it's their native language.
- Their events and updates were mostly connected to donations like DONATE TODAY AND GET A (insert god-like item here).
- Their logo is ugly. Didn't even bother getting a 5$ logo creation service at Fiverr.
- Their forum is useless, Facebook page admin's not responding. In short, no other way to get in touch with the staff unless you wait for them to go online in-game which will never happen after the server's first month.

[Playtester]

I often see people saying "If I wanted an official experience, I'd play iRO", but there are plenty of reason why not to play on iRO classic even if you want 100% close-to-official experience:
- very laggy
- staff doesn't care much about classic server (the setup on the website doesn't even work properly)
- it actually has quite many customizations too (compared to kRO P2P pre-renewal)
- you have to use a completely outdated client that doesn't work properly with modern computers
- 95% of the population is bots, probably only 20 legit players on it
- you don't even have a main chat so it's impossible to find these 20 legit players ingame

It's just that nobody really got it right the past 3 years. Either server dead after 3 months, no population right from the start or server owner listens to every player desire and customizes too much up to the point where 50% of the skills don't even work as official anymore either because someone wanted an old eAthena bug to be re-added or someone claimed a skill is too weak and needs buffing. Maybe there are just not enough reliable close-to-official players anymore, though.

[Xarale]

I often see people saying "If I wanted an official experience, I'd play iRO", but there are plenty of reason why not to play on iRO classic even if you want 100% close-to-official experience:
- very laggy
- staff doesn't care much about classic server (the setup on the website doesn't even work properly)
- it actually has quite many customizations too (compared to kRO P2P pre-renewal)
- you have to use a completely outdated client that doesn't work properly with modern computers
- 95% of the population is bots, probably only 20 legit players on it
- you don't even have a main chat so it's impossible to find these 20 legit players ingame

It's just that nobody really got it right the past 3 years. Either server dead after 3 months, no population right from the start or server owner listens to every player desire and customizes too much up to the point where 50% of the skills don't even work as official anymore either because someone wanted an old eAthena bug to be re-added or someone claimed a skill is too weak and needs buffing. Maybe there are just not enough reliable close-to-official players anymore, though.

You do raise some good points there, especially the bot and server lag issues.  Those were the main two that caused me to leave iRO myself.

Still, I personally prefer servers with slightly higher rates than the official servers, along with custom features that aren't present in officials.  That's typically why I dismiss servers that claim to be as close to iRO as possible.

-X.

[scrollLock]

Since I have played low rate official server for long time around 2004-2010. I tend to stay away from low/mid rates servers for now because I don't have time to grind all day.

So I only test and play for long time on HR/SHR servers for now.

What I dislike:

- Heavy Lag
- No gold room and/or hard to super hard quests
- servers with many vendors (half population or more than half)
- no job changer
- no @go and @warp commands
- less than 10% chance of dropping of MVP cards

[Aswan]

For me, an instant dismiss is if the Server has more than 10x rates and/or if it has been active for more than a few weeks (like 2-3 max). So for me, the server has to be new, preferably it will start in a few days/weeks from where I found it, and low rate, preferably 3x rates or less with droprates of 2x or less.
Also, renewal is an instant dismiss as well. I only play pre-renewal.

Thats pretty much it, everything else is debatable, although I dislike the following features:

- Skill/Stat resetter
- Card remover
- Healer
- Custom warper

[Nekoruchii]

I'd automatically dismiss a server when...

• Pay-to-win donation shop. Seriously, my point of view towards this is that the server is just into making money and giving a huge gap from donors to non-donors. This is why, when I post my server seeking thread, I ask for a list of donation items and if they fail to give it, I have a bad feeling about it.
• Inactive or unused forums. I hate it when they use Facebook as the forums, seriously? C'mon, I will like your page and/or join the group, but to reveal my identity 'cause your server doesn't have a forums, one of the best tool in a server is forum, not Facebook.
• High-super high rates. Sorry, but majority of the players in this rate are, annoying as heck. I tried being a staff in my local private server, I must say, I feel like I don't want to deal with another person from my country. Plus, majority are wannabe pros but relies on freebies or +10 stuff. When you win against them, they'd trashtalk you nonstop and if you lose to them, its still the same, seriously?
• Rushed server. You'd know when a server is made ASAP, like when you look at their website, its either a good one or the typical free ones with lacking information or when the forum has a basic design of the host (basic one for SMF, InvisionFree, etc.) I mean, you rushed the whole server, how do you expect to complete things if you started it the wrong way?
• Community. I don't think I'd like to play in a community where people are simply trashtalking everywhere and not even willing to help (when I say help: I mean by answering some questions at least, not by giving zeny or leech.)

[Duckshooter]

I dont even consider joining when....:

- Many people complaing about things that are not getting fixed in the forums
- OP donation items
- rates above 100x (I like the PvM part ALOT and I like lvling and farming, take that away from me and I'll use the time to play Minesweeper)
- incredibly high card drops (like 1% and up)
- high Bosscard Drops
- Item Malls with cards etc.
- if the website is not even in english (seen too many russian-only websites now)
- Renewal (I just cant enjoy it)

[kmart]

irate gm's specially if the server name starts with letter S and end with letter E 

[lilsword]

irate gm's specially if the server name starts with letter S and end with letter E 

Whenever I see you reply to a topic, it'll always contain any the following:

1. Hating Solace
2. donkey kissing the pinoy server
3. Some random sentences just to raise your number of posts.

[lnvu]

Those types of players usually like to PvP and WoE only with less time to farm.

[Zero.]

Not to offend anyone but I strongly believe is has to do with the common mindset as well. The fault is not with the players alone but also with the people who run a server and copying other servers blindly. Take any form of customization that changes the gameplay even by the slightest, we'd start doubting due to the countless mess ups of other servers in the past. It's not a question of potential because you can do so much with RO, but the problem is that not many bother to modify their design and balance it to suit their rates.

As you go from high rates to lower ones, people are less accepting to change as well. This isn't exactly a bad thing because like I said before, not everyone bother with balancing their content. So in a way it's safe to assume that lower rates are better balanced but mostly because that's what the community demands.

To answer the OP's question, it just comes down to individual expectations. A veteran is likely to have more preferences and scrutinize each and every aspect more than a beginner. While a beginner might only pay attention to the external appeal, a veteran will also look for quality. Sadly though, fact is that looks can be deceiving and no one can tell when a good server will go to crap. I have to agree with most of the posts before me and things like p2w donates easily raises one's doubts for the purpose for which the server is run. Besides, even if a server meets all the requirements, some people still avoid it due to low population.

[Usagimimi]

Things that make me personally dismiss a server:

1. Staff history or relationship(s)
2. Ridiculous donation shop, esp. if the items are unattainable in-game
3. Level maximum beyond official caps
4. Rates beyond 1000/1000/100 (10x MVP)

Customs don't really bother me unless they're hideous. Presentation is also important. If I can check how many autotraders there are, and if they constitute half a population (if the population is under 100), then that's a huge turn off.

[rubie123]

First of all, the fault is at both sides of the admins and the players when it comes to failing/fallen servers.

What I've noticed in majority of these newer servers are that they are pure garbage. Either they don't put love into what they do or they DO put love into what they do, but they are just not the right people to run a RO server due to lack creativity and knowledge.

As for players, they are just too damn old. Ragnarok is old and so are the players that have been wandering around private servers. The ones that have found their 'home' servers are happy while the rest of 'em who are still interested in playing ro are trying to find a professionally run server with a professional team behind it.
the majority of players are ridiculous nowadays, because they expect stupid s*** like guild packages and freebies and all these free s*** that ruins the game. Most server admins follow this trend instead of being unique and making a server with their own creativity and ideas.

So both sides are pretty closed minded imo.

Ragnarok is an old game, people need to stop being stuck at the past of it and move on to the future of it.
Raganrok is one of the best mmos, but there is still room for improvement. It is up to the server owners to realize them and make better, stable servers.

And now, things that turn me off are:

-Pre-renewal servers with official max levels: Yeah pre renewal was great and still has some good features but renewal is getting better and is better in alot of ways.
-Complete renewal servers: Renewal should be combined with pre renewal features to keep it still interesting. Renewal alone is a bit boring.
-MvP Rooms: *barfs*
-Removal of cards: Im not killing Mvps to hunt apples here..
-Too low rates: I prefer mid rates. This is also a good point to remind you that everyone has their own preference and you can't make em all happy.
-Gold Rooms: just stop playing ro and do something else.
-Unorganized websites/in game content: organization is Key.
-'Official Only' madness: seriously jus shut up about this already. Let the admins be creative people! and Admins, that doesn't mean that you should  go make a mess of your servers. Gravity aren't the only people with great ideas o_o!!