Bring back the nostalgia /stop the loss of players /hp washing - the solution

Hello legends,

In this thread I'm gonna try to explain the our server's Achilles heel - we have barely get fresh players in here, nostalgic contents are dead meta (everyone go to leech) and why in my opinion we get to got 600 to 1k ppl online instead of 3-4k like we had 1year ago (first-2 wave of corona is a good excuse but , we have racing server and they have lost much less)

I wrote this suggestion after I read these threads -
https://forum.maplelegends.com/index.php?threads/making-hp-washing-truly-optional-a-solution.39773/
high lights -

and this thread -
https://forum.maplelegends.com/index.php?threads/make-pqs-better.43545/
long story short - nostalgic content is not good enough to spend time on.

I believe everyone here had have this so called dilemma, and this is the main problem for us as a server - we are losing people because of this dilemma.

losing people effects our economy as well so this solution can also get a good side effect of having more people -> better economy for everyone.



this made me think about the following - a solution that provides possible and applicable way to wash your character but yet not too easy - not 1 click item that provides you 30k hp but yet good enough to be a solution.

the problem (once again but in detail) -
Okay lets go straight to the point - if you building a new character (read range) you gonna make it at least 18k hp to 30k hp - to unlock every game-content.
this requires about 250 to 400 base int (not warrior and also depends on your gear but yet cant go below it)
250 int base -50 levels of stats - the content you loss -hpq/kpq/lpq/ludi maze pq/ opq/mpq
why? cause how your stats would look like -
thinking of thief - 25base dex req (5levels),250~400(50levels~80levels), whats left for luk?
this also true for every class (non-war)
so here we got maplelegend's meta sentenced us to avoid every nostalgic content, and leech our characters until the end-game (lv140~160).

point of view for a new player - (Timmy's Dilemma) and also no mesos for int gear what makes everything even harder.

I believe Timmy's dilemma is kind of the server player's crossroad - should I stay OR should I leave.
here I believe - most of the new players leave.
mostly because of how the end-game players sees the meta- if you wont do 18k hp at least its all a waste.
The other- those who stay - struggle with building a bishop/mage and sell their soul to leech ppl/leech themselves so the could unlock the content they couldn't do with low hp.

lets try to get to understand why people choose to leave -
there are so many guides of hp washing that is correct but if you consume the time you need to vote you gonna get something close to year or two (voting only) and all this for what? to unlock some nt content/ht/pb? (sure there are more but these are the most of them)

NO SHIT SHERLOCK! yes I know nothing new under the sun - this all explanation is to show staff what a player struggle with on the crossroad to leave/stay and this also points on why people do not do pqs/ early game content at all.

After we went through what it takes to make a new character and play it we can assume that at least 50 levels to 80 levels in stats are go waste for INT stats which lock you from having fun in early-game content - the most nostalgic content in game.


the solution - washing stats / real stats : and the balanced formula
when you level you will get 5 base stats and 5 OPTIONAL washing stats.

washing stats - using these stats will decrease your range by (CHARACTER LEVEL / 10), using 1 point or 500 points will cause the same impact - decrease your range by your level / 10.

Examples - level 35 that uses washing points (1 or 100 same decrease) : 35/10= 3.5% decrease in stats which is barely notice - he can do whatever content he'd like to.
another example - level 130 with washing points will loss 13% of his range - which is like having negative mw30 on your stats - but yet he can do damage, this character will be valid to join boss runs and do whatever content he would like to.

washing points rules
Washing points could go only to hp/mp/int - these stats can not change your strength (even for mages), because the main idea here is to separate between BASE and WASHING stats.
The decrease of power is linear which means as you get to higher level you loss more range for having washing points but once you have washed your "washing points" out and you have no washing points left you will get back your 10% of your range back.

level up with washing stats -
the system will have to take in count the INT from base stats and your washing stats and add it to the regular formula of class hp/mp improvement

example -
lets take corsair has had level up with 350 washing stats in int and he wear int gear which adds 150 int
the total is 500 int - straight adds it as 50mp extra (same as level with 500 total int)

common and possible questions -

- what about int gear??
nothing change for int gear, when character is level up the INT from base stats (real stats) and washing stats combined together.
- this solution not kill the meta of voting 1y-2y-
that's correct - you will have to vote to the server to gain NX to be able to reset your washing stats, but your character will be playable from day one.
- Okay, so what if I use washing stats for int and base stats for int to get as double mp ?
this will cause you even harder washing progress because having washing stats will decrease your range and you gonna decrease your range by adding to the wrong stats.
also washing int out from base stats and washing stats same cost 3.1k nx - so no point to do so.


I wrote this suggestion - not because I want "self buff" or any selfish reasons, as I see it now I'm not gonna open a new character, I wrote this suggestion because I care about this server which I play since 2019 and that's the same reason why Ive developed an application to ease the vote progress (which nowdays I'm rewrite for a better experience).

I'm sorry in advanced if it looks like a bad review on staff / the server, this is exactly the opposite I appreciate staff team and grateful for being able to play maplestory in the very best way and version of it. I want to thank once again to staff that is dedicate their time for hosting this great server and I hope this suggestion will be a good material to work with for solving washing struggles.

leaving a comment is necessary to keep this thread alive and If you get that far I also want to thank you for reading.
thanks,
Magen.

 

this could be done mostly on server side, just adding an "washing points" npc that manage your points there and the communication between server to client should be pretty easy from there (no need new layouts and such)
think of it like every event with points that is managed by some npc.
I'm not saying its easy to implement but yet I think this worth to try / think on solutions of how to implement it.

is it higher now days?

 

I guess we all have different content we can call it nostalgic, I played gms at 2006~ (yes before nlc/4th job infact i think tiger was like lv 140-150 when I start?) and PQs and it's sound tracks are the most nostalgic content for me.

If you have godly items, then yeah you probably can do content but as if you change your point of view to a new player, who just started here, this is real demotivate to grind with your character with no gear, no stats and basically for content you are not sure you would want/have time to do.
we both tryna to achieve the same thing here - less leech and more active players during their journey to 4th job - having less efficiency leech is a good idea but this should come with a counter part of get you a better ways to get there.

yes I agree. and if you look around you, people are remaking their main for higher hp base having 18k hp meta is more common than having 12k (old meta)
also this -

that's correct - it will ease the process and also make the character playable - the player could choose to wash early or keep it.
The point here is to encourage people to stay longer and not to leave when the hp is just not high enough

Imagine telling your IRL friend to join maplelegends and try to have the conversation in your mind.
The point here is that the server has gotten the point where starting as a new player here and aiming for the end-game content is an unachievable task.

 

In case this solution gets implemented on server side, MW20 is a problem I agree, but the point of this solution is that maple warrior is less relevant for you if you use this meta because you can simply pop some more points into your mp wash/int base without harm your ability to play the game or just wash the washing points later.

about the 'it requires an introduction because its customized'-
now-days, as a new player, how/when do you get the explanation of HP washing? is there any in-game content that explains you that the maple-tip "hp washing is optional" is not really is? the answer is no.
in-game we keep getting the annoying maple-tip "hp washing is optional" but saying this is optional is like saying, jumping from the roof is optional (my point is- yeah its optional to-do dummy things free world and stuff), but here we got the chance, the real chance, to add a in-game meta to unlock this feature, like a quest-line that unlocks and explains you what is the washing points, how to use and so on, instead of being lucky/unlucky and getting the information on 'by the way' by the community when you are too attached to your character in the crossroad in this in your mind - i spent hours in this game, for this character what should I do.
I believe this is where we might or actually are, losing people as a rage quit from the game

Also, I think we got kind of mirror situation with mages and their elemental wands, after you pick a mage class, you are getting GM message that tells you that Elemental wands are available in this version, and most of the people are aware they can pop Int all the way without using luk at all just by this message, So I think if we unlock this feature under a quest-line it should be clear enough.

I disagree with this, 12k hp as how the server looks right now is not enough hp, not if you dont wanna rely on hb mule / DK.
of course if this suggestion gets the approval, it will cause bad-side-effects for warriors, but that also can be easily fixed and I believe that if something is already broken (hp washing) it should be fix even if it means you gonna have to fix something else (chain of side effects) because not do so is just the bad practice of how not to handle problems (generally in life too- if your car is broken you gonna need to fix it even though it gonna rip your bank -dummy example but yeah I think you get my point)