"The key to enjoying MapleStory is a good guild."
Not just a guild. From a slightly different slant, the key can be a good buddy list too, a good group of friends, or even a good family.
Do you agree or disagree?
Or do you believe that merchanting, levelling, or scrolling equips is more fun and the key to enjoying the game? Do you prefer to grind and concentrate, and can get along fine without really having more than one other person online to talk to?
I was thinking about this for a while after I had a conversation with some people on the boat to Orbis. They were saying how that the game is much better now, as you can get to level 50 in three days, 70 in five, and 100 in a week with the new curve. That sort of thing. Which is good, I mean, it keeps people motivated and you have the opportunity to explore far more much earlier.
However, some of us on the boat had been playing the game for a little bit longer. We remembered when getting to level 70 could very plausibly take anything from six months to one year, and within this timeframe, friendships were built and connections were made, and creating bonds were almost essential to get through the game, considering how long it took back then. Some of us on the boat thought post-bb levelling was a little bit rushed, considering how there wasn't really any time for these friendships to be built any more, and they weren't necessary required now.
Others on the boat didn't really care, as long as they hit level 100 before the end of the week, as they were players who enjoyed grinding and concentrating more. As I've just come back after two years, having quit not long after the last big guild hack and my IRL friends quit, as the game just felt strange without them, I'm slightly biased.
What do you think? From the point of view of people who are just starting, and old players too?
EDIT: I mean the reason the current good guilds/communities exist is because of how difficult the game was pre-bb, you basically needed them to get through the game. I'm worried post-bb these will start to vanish as older players inevitably leave/quit, and newer players focus on levelling to 100+ in a month, then quitting because they're bored more than anything else. Can you see long-time guilds/friendships becoming less frequent?
EDIT2: It's great to see people are still so positive and not all like those on the boat to Orbis that day haha
[b]Summary for lazy people:[/b] Is the game more fun now that you can level really fast without really having to make friends/bother with people, or did you think it was better back when it was slower and you had more time to find a good guild/BL and bond with people?
[i](I'm going for a "philosophical" question approach here rather than a rant about the game, don't worry.)[/i]
65 Comments • Newest first
*Claps * That was amazing
[quote=Duckkiii]BB made it harder for me to train so...[/quote]
I've been hearing a lot of 120+ people saying that Maybe Nexon's whole aim was to make people make as many new characters as possible so they spend more NX on new things for them, lol.
Also @Duckkiii: Have you wound up making new characters then as a result? Or quitting?
~secret conspiracy~
@iOxymoron: But solitary video games are a bit boring, I think ;(
@polkadotman1: Yeah, you don't even need to be partied with them or anything, just knowing you're not the only saddo online makes life a little bit easier lol.
@Segumisama: Yes! The days of "CRACK CRACK BONNZNZUSUZNSUBONUS!" were fun And having post-it notes with track names everywhere LOL
@podunkman: Sorry to hear that Did you report them?
@Kentsu13: True, I only did come back for bb, but I came back on my own.
@xblakK0ut: Yes, it just makes the game far more challenging, finding them is just the problem.
@catso10: Well said
@bombinator: Yes, you're exactly right. Facebook has bridged the gap between online friends and offline friends, sort of. As in offline friends are now seen as a new sort of class of online friends. Is that what you're getting at? Newer players are more likely to bark "cc" at you within five seconds, to be honest.
@DawnPow: Ah, I never spent NX on 2x before because I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it. I'm also a non-US player and I found myself bringing my laptop to my friend's house the other night for Hot Time at 10pm haha. Fixed my priest though, so it's k.
@xBunnyHerox: Yeah, coming back post-bb, knowing absolutely no-one from beforehand who still plays, is just a little daunting. But I'll keep looking lol
@iRUNdisARAN: I sort of did quit when my IRL friends did back then, but I thought I'd give it a go again and see how it is starting from scratch without knowing anyone.
i don't think the game is as enjoyable without friends :
i actually quit several times due severe boredom of just constantly training xP
i came back to MS a few months ago because i just love this game at heart, and instead of just immediately trying to level up, i went around each world making friends along the way.
sure, leveling up and making munny feels awesome, but i feel that the friends are what truly bring out the best experience possible on Maple. I mean, isn't the point of an MMO to interact with others? x]
Personally, i think either version of the game is amazing. You can still make many friends pre-BB, post-BB, whatev's. You just need the right attitude :]
and i'm a bit of an oldie when it comes to Maple <3
MS is such a dud game if there's no social interaction that I wouldn't even bother playing it, even if there was faster leveling. I'm a player of almost 5 years, so I know what it's like to go through slow and hellish leveling, but that gave the excuse to basically slack off from training to make a few buds here and there. I would eventually become very good friends with those buds that I would even have their MSN contacts for chatting outside of the game. No body is going to tell me that training for hours is still appealing to people to get skills that will eventually bore you would be fun, right?
In the case I do make a friend again, it would most likely be an older player that's played for a long time, not a person that's played in the last year or so. There are way more players that treat people online as objects they could use to get to point B from point A than there was back then. Facebook I find has dramatically increased the amount of casual online gamers that don't really care about the people they encounter online as they believe that only their friends in reality are their friends.
Just my two cents.
[quote=vampyre]I still have a great guild and buddy list. In fact, they are the only reason I log into maplestory anymore. (:
ILY TEMPEST AND BUDDIES. <333[/quote]
Support. You love Audacia too right?
I like lvling fast and all, But if there is no one to talk to there is no point.
Currently since BB my friends have all been on more, So ive been able to hang/talk with my friends and still lvl fast. o:
i was never good at making friends i've been on maple for more than 5 years (didn't notice until i got a 5yearsthing ring xD) and i quitted a lot because it was very hard for me to lvl up and i didn't like to ask others for help if i'm not even good to ask how are they or nice things, pretty ironic since i was a party priest then (a party priest that never partied lol)
i like it more post BB, i can play alone as if it was any other videogame
Friends & my guildies/alliance are the only reason why I still play actually. I think it's why any of us still play. I mean, like you said, long ago leveling was really difficult and because it was, your best options were to party, share maps, & pq. I made majority of my friends through PQs, and a great deal as soon as LPQ came out. Then through those friends they suggested me some training partners or others that became my friends.
I really hate seeing an empty buddylist actually. Without people talking, training just seems longer and boring to me. However when I'm talking as I train I don't pay much attention to my %/hour or anything. Hell, if I don't see any friends on when I log on, I just get off MS.
All I can see that Big Bang did that affected me greatly was bringing some of my friends back to the game.
I think the a good guild alliance is the key to enjoying the game. It's like a family within a family.
I love making bonds and friendships in the game.
But to be honest, there's so much leveling pressure now that it's hard to take some time and just hang with people.
No, it was much more fun back in the day when level 70 was considered an amazing achievement. I remember LPQing for weeks on end to get to level 51, and I made tons of friends in the process.
I could probably play the game solo for a while, but if I had absolutely no friends in game I probably wouldn't play as much as I do.
MapleStory = MMORPG
MMO = Friends
RPG = Levels
People play for different reasons.
Also I find a BIG amount of people in Scania non Guilded.
guild is the only reason why i might still play
If this wasn't maplestory related, I think it would make a great SAT prompt.
My guildies are the ones that encourage me, so I can boss with them
Let's go! 10 more levels and I hit 4th job
I sort of agree. When i was in my old guild, we had fun and all that, but one decided to hacked me and take all my stuff and kick me out of guild = =
@TheChosenFruit: Oh yeah. When there's nobody on i get so bored. =[
I completely agree. MapleStory is so boring without people to play it with.
[quote=OmNomBom] @MushyK: Yeah, I'm glad I got to 50 just in time.[/quote]
I so agree. It's difficult now.
@Wickedbeaver: Oh my goodness, yes, climbing Eos tower! arhhhh! I'm almost level 60 now on my new main and I haven't even set foot in it, lol. My old priest still has all my old buddies added, it's really eerie. One of them logged in for hot time, and I wound up spamming away haha.
@aeroshoot: Also have to agree with you.
@MushyK: Yeah, I'm glad I got to 50 just in time.
[quote=Toastii]I've never made it past level 50 without being in a guild, maple is kinda soul crushing without the ability to talk with others while training.[/quote]
Soul crushing, that's a good way to describe it haha.
[quote=OmNomBom]I didn't mind the Rom Grinds, it was just REALLY annoying when you thought you were joining a Rom Grind, and the other party ended up just summoning teddies for ten minutes to be sneaky [/quote]
Yeah. I just got my hunter to 50 from rom grinds but now im just done. too much wh/bm parties ruining the joy.
[quote=MushyK]The CPQ is all Rom grinds and its kinda hectic. CPQ used to be my only escape for craziness and now it's the cause.[/quote]
I didn't mind the Rom Grinds, it was just REALLY annoying when you thought you were joining a Rom Grind, and the other party ended up just summoning teddies for ten minutes to be sneaky
A good guild alliance and/or buddy list really can make the game better. You can do a lot more, have a good time and help each other at key points.
But this is only when you have a GOOD guild alliance and/or buddy list. Arrogant players or beg-happy newbs really ruin that experience...
[quote=DawnPow]In my opinion, the BB just made it slower to level and now you do have more time to bond, actually, rather than before that it would've been too fast.[/quote]
Oh, that's a new one Do you mean because spots are harder to find now?
[quote=OmNomBom]This. In the past week, I've only made two or three friends who are active, and that was through CPQ. And that in itself... gosh. When BM/WHs came out, it became hell, lol. Again, people only wanted to level. Communication was at a minimum.[/quote]
The CPQ is all Rom grinds and its kinda hectic. CPQ used to be my only escape for craziness and now it's the cause.
[quote=ExoAvarice]everywhere I go most people just say, "cc plz", and it's a lot harder to find a good guild when a lot of people are just concerned about levels so they can go bossing.[/quote]
This. In the past week, I've only made two or three friends who are active, and that was through CPQ. And that in itself... gosh. When BM/WHs came out, it became hell, lol. Again, people only wanted to level. Communication was at a minimum.
Pretty much why I quit Bellocan. Guild died...and so did my BL.
[quote=OmNomBom]@Baroo: I totally wish I had your determination I don't know what it is, [b]I guess I'm not incredibly social in real life, so I make up for it a little too much online haha.[/b][/quote]
I'm kinda the same way, although I usually only become really chatty and gregarious when on message boards like this one.
[quote=jmay17]@MushyK: It happens to other people in my guild too. xD
Training Guildie: Blah blah blah.
Talking Guildie: Blah blah blah. xD
Training Guildie: OHNOES, I DIED TYPING.[/quote]
Me: blah blah
Guildie: blahblahblah
Me: OMG YOU KILLED ME.
Guildie: How?
Me: I TYPED FOR TOO LONG
@jmay17: Seconded, lol. Well, back when I had an active guild.
@MushyK: I don't even think my priest has the ability to solo, it's too weak. On my first day back last week, I walked around Hene and asked for a P/C on my codar. Everyone just asked, "What's that?" Lol, they must be really weak now or something compared to new weps.
@blazi4ever: Yes, I hate that! "no nubz 40+ only lollolo" I'm thinking who would even want to join a guild like that in the first place?
I think it was better back then when it took more dedication to make a worthy and strong friendship. Then again, it really depends on the person's interpretation of online friends. Some will just not treat them as equally as the value of real life friends, some people will just use them, some people won't care, some people will treat it as real friendship. Personally, I treat my online friends as real friends. To be honest, some of them are even closer to me than my rl friends in my current situation.
I personally don't join level requirement guilds because I have the ability to see beyond the level of the person unlike most people. I get constant invites to join 100+ guilds and so on, I got fed up with it so I decided to make my own guild, dedicated to levels of all kind. I rather talk to a fun level 15 than a boring level 160.
[quote=xultrashock]Make a support class, if you make a priest, like I did, your buddy list will grow superrrrrrr fast.[/quote]
It's kind of hard nowadays to find someone who actually wants to train with a priest now. must have trashed them for going solo.
[quote=jmay17]@MushyK: Yeah, and talking to guildies while training makes it MUCH more bearable (Even though sometimes it causes you to die) xD[/quote]
HAPPENS TO ME ALL THE TIME. Someone shares my fate finally!
OmNomBom: A Priest is still fun, i do recommend it
@MushyK: Oh thank goodness. I mean I'd basically stand in Ludi, say "L>DK", and 2 minutes later I'd be sorted. I'll maybe return to my priest again, some day.
[quote=OmNomBom]I'd always party on my priest, I couldn't really level 7x-8x without a DK. I'm not even sure if DK/Priest parties still exist, haha. So I've given up and made a dawn warrior my new main.[/quote]
Oh, they exist. My brother is a DK and i'd be lost without his help.
[quote=MushyK]Yeah. No matter how lame your guild can be -ahem mine- it gets you really close and it's how i train. I need a party to train. It's who i am.[/quote]
I'd always party on my priest, I couldn't really level 7x-8x without a DK. I'm not even sure if DK/Priest parties still exist, haha. So I've given up and made a dawn warrior my new main.
I totally agree
The first real guild I joined in MS (Reckless) was amazing
I still talk to those people today after 3-4 years on SKype and stuff
Made some great friends, it was a great time and I still play with some of them to this day
[quote=jmay17]@MushyK: Well said, brother. Well said.[/quote]
Yeah. No matter how lame your guild can be -ahem mine- it gets you really close and it's how i train. I need a party to train. It's who i am.
[quote=Brainsniff]When I was first invited into one of my first guilds, I was hooked on chatting with them because it felt like a family. Like really a family where chats would go endlessly and we would stalk each other. Soon it died out and I've been searching for a few months until I came along another one which I am still in now that has made me continue mapling honestly. I really do miss pre-BB even if it means training at skeles for who knows how many lvls at 127.[/quote]
Ah, well done you for finding another guild like that! I hope it lasts. I haven't been as lucky, but if you keep that up, then maybe other people can too.
@Baroo: I totally wish I had your determination I don't know what it is, I guess I'm not incredibly social in real life, so I make up for it a little too much online haha.
Agreed.
[quote=OmNomBom]Do you agree or disagree?[/quote]
I disagree, but that's just me, I guess.
I first started playing this game alone during Beta, and I still generally prefer to remain this way.
Out of all of my many characters, only my Perma Beginner is in a guild and has a buddy list, and even then he still keeps to himself and barely socializes.
[quote=jmay17]I have the most super cali fragilistic expialidocious guild ever (Catnip), and it's one of the only reasons I stil play. c:[/quote]
It's the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious guild that makes everything worthwhile.
Neither. It was the absolute funnest when your buddy list was limited to 20, and only about 5~10 were ever on, guilds were limited to 30 or didn't exist at all, family systems were unheard of, and maple was still fun to explore and it was fun to train. I don't know WHY it was fun, but it was.
For example: when this came out, http://image.mapleglobal.com/3rd_job/3rd_job.html , and when ludi came out, I was far far far more excited than any modern maple updates, including big bang. maple was just better in the old days in terms of fun. its not friends. not at all. its a combination of everything, such as partially friends, exploration, being young, a wonderful community, limitations of nx cash, excitement for new things.
It's just not the same anymore. Not complaining though. The past is the past.
Agreed. When you're training alone, it gets boring. When there is someone else hunting with you and you talk to them while killing monsters, much more fun.
[quote=SadieGsCrazy]I enjoy leveling and all that other stuff, but this game would be really boring without people to talk to and play with.[/quote]
Amen. It's difficult nowadays to find a good guild and if you don't have one it's too late now.
scrolling and having good items means nothing if you have no one to show them off to