Private servers, still worth it? (old admin, story etc.)

[Zeidan]

Some of you might know me from the old aeRO server, where I was once a pretty well-known player. After the server suddenly died I recreated it with a friend so that the old community had a place to play; kind of like this forum I guess. Anyways, the server was going great and during it's prime time it had a bit over 400 players online on average. We ended up getting hacked by the guy in charge of our website. During our downtime, someone created a server using the "aeRO" name as well. Many of our players, who were unaware of what was happening, migrated there. Since then it kept going downhill until we eventually decided to close the server.

Fast forward a year, after much request, we decided to recreate it. Things were going well the first weeks. We were at about 70 players online on average which I think was good considering how long we were open for. A few weeks later, people seemed to lose interest. Many ended up quitting and the players online average kept dropping until it reached the 10~20 range. New players were rare. Donations weren't coming in so after a while, we could no longer pay the server fees. We had no choice but to close, again.

Now, feeling a bit nostalgic, I am wondering: Are private servers still worth making?

With Ragnarok being an old game (that is now free), is it still possible to create successful servers? I think a big part of the initial success of my old server was the timing and the name. aeRO had died and the old players of the community (myself included) were looking for a new server to play. That made it easy to gain players at first. I believe the hardest thing when creating a new server is establishing a "starting community". Potential players will be reluctant to join a server that only has 5 persons online, so the beginning phase of a server's creation is the hardest.

The reason I ask all this is because I'm thinking of creating a server from scratch. New name, new start. I'm just wondering if it's even worth it or possible to gain lots of players starting from scratch. I would like to know your opinions, and if anyone is willing to help with my idea, feel free to send me a private message. Thanks for taking the time to read this as well. It's a bit of an introduction too, I guess.

P.S. Any old aeRO players around here?

[Arcenciel]

If private servers are no longer worth it, then what are we all doing this for? O_o

I do agree that it is hard to start a server but having connections and a lot of friends in the RO world makes that a tad bit easier. First few players of a server usually come from word of mouth. So gather up all your friends, tell them to play and to also invite their friends. Keep your players happy, provide them with something to do and something unique. Hopefully, you'll grow and last.

Good luck if you ever decide to make one.

[Zeidan]

If private servers are no longer worth it, then what are we all doing this for? O_o

Nostalgia or simply love for the game? I mean, I could play almost any game with my computer's specs but I'm not really interested in any except RO.

[Venomenon]

Well it still depends IMO. As for me, mine had gone from 200-300 to as low as 50-100. I also had lose hope but what kept me going are the players that still believed in the server. As of now, I'm in the recovering part but hadn't lose hope yet. I even spends my own salary just for the hosting and stuffs, you might call me crazy but it's because I still believe it can recover. Maybe try to give players a reason to stay on your new server first (like promos and stuffs). And yes, I think if it's just for fun, Private Servers are still worth it.

I'm an old aeRO player too. And I Idolized you in Pvp before.

[Zeidan]

Yeah, frequent updates and promotions are important, especially when the server population is not too high. My players often complained that there was nothing to do.

Good to know there's an old aeRO player here. What was your char name?

[gfxmrmark]

i play aero in 2005, and thats why for those non knowledge in hacking will end up to nothing

[BuLaLaKaW]

I play RO when it started around year 2000 in Philippines. I got stuck that I cant forgive myself not able to get to 2nd job not until 2007.

This is the first and only MMORPG i know. But I love it so much that I created an army bot in a known pserver until i learn about eAthena last 2009.

If you ask me if it is still worth it ? I would answer YES, it has and it will always be for me.

[Erazer]

Depends on who's the owner and what are his/her beliefs.

[sketchyphoenix]

private servers are all the same and people just pile up at whatever server they didnt get banned from yet.

[Yuki]

Well, you probably heard of this, but RO tends to attract old players back somehow...

I agree it may be related to nostalgia--you want to play with friends once again, or that you played other games but always find RO to be the best in the end (due to the gameplay, way of community communication, etc). I find RO to be simpler and easier to handle than some of the other games out there (like Perfect World, which really has amazing graphics), and that's the style of games I enjoy playing (RO, Gunbound, etc).

I'm pretty sure private servers are worth it. They're worth the experience at least, to be a player, a GM, and/or an Administrator. And for those who want to recreate a server (not their first time managing the server), as long as you have the motivation to see your work through, then you should try it. It may be discouraging at first, but if you really improve the server and keep updating it, the fruits of your results will be yours for the taking (satisfcation mainly). The reason I became an Administrator before was for my friends, so I managed the server for the moment, experience, and memories that form. Even when I see a new player joining a server, I feel pretty content about it. "At least someone is trying out my work."

You'll only grow from here.

[Wolfeh]

I find them worth it. Because of the dream, THE DREAM MAN! ;A;

No but really, I enjoy working on a server because I always think about ways I could make it different and better. I like to play other MMOs as well, but I always think certain things suck (Mabinogi's community totally dependent on cash items, think about free mounts, the graphics could be improved dramatically, plus other modifications I'm sure; Perfect World International is too linear and quest based, not only that but I don't like seeing the same mob everywhere, just with a different level or color, mounts are just plain ugly, free cash items would be pretty epic, so again, could be improved dramatically), and of course the developers aren't going to listen to you (and sometimes for good reason), and that's when I think about the things I could do to the game. I always come back to RO because seriously, have you seen the emulators for the other games? What they use is either crap (I saw one was Java for Maplestory, ugh, let my RAM live please), too complex, doesn't work, is full of bugs, etc. etc. Or of course, they don't exist yet. I would love a Mabinogi emulator, as I'm sure anyone else would, but Nexon has already covered their arses (to put it simply) so most likely that won't be happening. But, even if one was successfully created, and the developers weren't scared off by Mr. Jung Hooie, I would still most likely prefer RO over it, because of nostalgia. It was pretty much the first game I had ever played (I don't remember if I had played other games before it, possibly FFX-2 but most likely not), and my first MMO, so I really enjoyed it. (Oh wait, I forgot when my brother let me play his Pokemon Yellow when I was little 8D PIKACHU <3 *Ahem* So it was the first MMO I had ever played.)

And for those who want to recreate a server (not their first time managing the server), as long as you have the motivation to see your work through, then you should try it. It may be discouraging at first, but if you really improve the server and keep updating it, the fruits of your results will be yours for the taking (satisfcation mainly).

So true.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Wolfeh

[Aurora]

Pretty much what's already been said here, but I also think that private servers are still worth it.

Sure, iRO is free now (with very severe restrictions on what you can and can't do, so you still pretty much have to pay to win the game), but those with true passion and innovation can make a server that will completely recreate the feeling of RO. That's what we're trying to do with ours. So many things can be done with scripting and modifications that the possibilities are almost unlimited, you just have to have the right team to bring it out.

New story lines, content, explorable worlds and so much more. All of these things can be brought out with the right minds working together, and I think, along with nostalgia, is what keeps players around. The next best thing. What will the next server come up with? How will my experience differ? If they weren't even slightly interested in that server advertising, "UNIQUE PVP AREAS," then no one would still be playing. I guess it's just all about the curiosity. It was always a mixture for me, curiosity and nostalgia.

Not to mention, I don't know about anyone else, but I get a very high sense of satisfaction from what I do. I work with customer service in real life, and I just love working with players as well. I love working my tush off to bring them the next best thing, discussing mechanics and inventing new ways to do things. I also just love the old-fashioned feel of being on a staff and connecting with people, helping people. Though, that's just me, I've always been told that my philosophy on administrating was a tad cheesy.

BUT ANYWAYS. That's just my two cents.

[Mirage]

I highly agree with Aurora. I mean on top of that, yeah there are 99999 other private servers out there. Probably about half of them are the same money hungry servers. But those that are not, they have their own view of what "customization" is, their have their own storyline, they have their own events and equips and etc. They do what they think RO should be about. I love to go to other peoples servers and talk with the admins and gms to share their view of interest in their server and in my server. It's just fun to work with people, get the satisfaction from players when they LOVE something that has been done.

On top of it all, if your wanting to work in the game industry, this is freaking GOOD experience. I don't know if it is resume qualified, but either way you still have the knowledge under your belt. We do what we can to be DIFFERENTT, UNIQUE and HELPFUL in our own RO communities. But we still all have the love for RO.