Ade
;3
I saw various lamentations that adding additional content to 1p mode will cause power creep. This may be true, but I don't think it's going to hurt anything overall. Why?
Because this server is 100% cheat-free.
There has never been a 100% cheat-free (or donation-free) server prior to this one with any significant population. Think about pre-wipe Schtserv: In retrospect, we all know that literally 99% (probably 99.9%) of the PDs on that server were duped. Now, that server only had vanilla drops and no PSO2 drop mode, yet the server progression was way beyond where Ephinea is after an equal amount of time. (By "progression" I mean the accumulation of high-hit, fully sphered items and desirable S-ranks with specials.) Why is this?
Back in the day on Schtserv, we THOUGHT we were making normal progression, but it turns out most of that was the result of cheating. (Most people didn't directly cheat, but benefited from it). This explains why Ephinea, despite having a more robust drop system and various DAR events, is still so far behind.
We've never actually witnessed the progression of a 100% cheat-free, 100% vanilla server, but I imagine it would be abysmally slow to the point where it would not hold player interest. I hate it say it, but rampant cheating may have been the only thing that stood between PSO and its early demise. (I feel a cataclysmic sense of irony in saying this, but life is beautiful.)
The fact is, without some buffs and tweaks, PSO is a very Eastern-style RPG that consistently rewards the player with very little progression for monumental effort. Nobody on this server is anywhere near being "complete," and Schtserv's artificial progression (after 2 years) was light years beyond our actual progression after the same period of time. The boosts to 1p mode will barely put a dent in this.
It's not a BAD thing that we're taking longer to get there; it's an EXCELLENT thing. We're staying interested in the game while making reasonable progress. We shouldn't be lamenting this. Even with the "accelerated" progression due to Schtserv's cheating, people stayed interested in that place for MANY years. Thus, Ephinea isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Because this server is 100% cheat-free.
There has never been a 100% cheat-free (or donation-free) server prior to this one with any significant population. Think about pre-wipe Schtserv: In retrospect, we all know that literally 99% (probably 99.9%) of the PDs on that server were duped. Now, that server only had vanilla drops and no PSO2 drop mode, yet the server progression was way beyond where Ephinea is after an equal amount of time. (By "progression" I mean the accumulation of high-hit, fully sphered items and desirable S-ranks with specials.) Why is this?
Back in the day on Schtserv, we THOUGHT we were making normal progression, but it turns out most of that was the result of cheating. (Most people didn't directly cheat, but benefited from it). This explains why Ephinea, despite having a more robust drop system and various DAR events, is still so far behind.
We've never actually witnessed the progression of a 100% cheat-free, 100% vanilla server, but I imagine it would be abysmally slow to the point where it would not hold player interest. I hate it say it, but rampant cheating may have been the only thing that stood between PSO and its early demise. (I feel a cataclysmic sense of irony in saying this, but life is beautiful.)
The fact is, without some buffs and tweaks, PSO is a very Eastern-style RPG that consistently rewards the player with very little progression for monumental effort. Nobody on this server is anywhere near being "complete," and Schtserv's artificial progression (after 2 years) was light years beyond our actual progression after the same period of time. The boosts to 1p mode will barely put a dent in this.
It's not a BAD thing that we're taking longer to get there; it's an EXCELLENT thing. We're staying interested in the game while making reasonable progress. We shouldn't be lamenting this. Even with the "accelerated" progression due to Schtserv's cheating, people stayed interested in that place for MANY years. Thus, Ephinea isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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