Graal: Nostalgia
 

This idea originated with the idea of bringing back an old version of Classic from 2000 or so, but has transformed into something larger than that.

I was thinking about a server with a collection of backups of old (notable) servers.

I have been collecting backups of servers for a long time, and recently got my hands on a few good ones (Classic from 2000 and Valikorlia from about 2002, thanks Rufus and Kixt). So, I was thinking that if I can get enough completed backups of these sort of servers, why not show them to people? Old players would love to "go back in time" to view the servers they once loved and hold dear to their hearts, and new players would enjoy viewing what Graal used to be.

Here is where the problems come in: content ownership and respecting the current servers. A few servers I would love to put on this all-in-one inclusive nostalgia server include the early version of these servers (1999-2003):

• Classic [have bits and pieces]
• Valikorlia [have bits and pieces] - Have manager's permission
• Babylon
• Unholy Nation - Have manager's permission
• N-Pulse
• Delteria - Have manager's permission
• Maloria
• Doomsday
• Graal 2001
• Graal 3000
• Providence
• Rudora
• Enigma
• Elven Lands [have bits and pieces]
• And more greats...

However, out of respect for what these servers have become today, we would have to make sure they don't steal playercount from the current servers and I will need the permission from each current playerworld owner that would be interested. So, that means, I need an OK from the managers of: Classic, Val, Babylon, UN, N-Pulse, and Delteria.

I don't remember who the last manager of Elven Lands was, or other servers that would be fun to add, but would like their permission as well.

I will also need help collecting the backups of these fine servers. I do not want any GScript2 in any of the levels, because it ruins the nostalgic sense. The levels must be from <= 2003.

I will need your help, if you have backups of any of those servers from the time of 1999-2003, or even bits and pieces, email them to me.

I will also need someone to help by hosting a server to do this on.

Here is how I want it to work:
You will log into the server and get a choice of which server you want to "go back in time" to. There may be multiple versions of one server eventually.

Now, this is nothing set in stone, but I want to hear your guys' opinions/comments/suggestions.

could be fun I guess

I think your focus should be more on the future.

Well this is not something that will be time consuming, my focus is still in the future, but it would still be fun to visit the past.

I guess, but I don't see it helping anything...and it could potentially hurt current playerworlds. Maybe if it wasn't permanent

Well, that's why I want to be very careful to not steal the playercount of the current servers, and I am willing to remove the server from the nostalgic server at the manager's request.

A few weeks of every year to open this and have players reminisce? Or a one shot deal?

Either. I could see it losing its flare after a few weeks...but if it was only a temporary "event" (for lack of a better word) then I could see it being pretty cool.

Well, I don't expect it to hold a playercount, this is more for my other oldbie brothers out there who would love to go back in time every once in a while and view the game that they once fell in love with, even if they don't feel the same way today.

Frolic! LOL

Cynical Online and Bravo :(

No. This has been done before with Graal Classic and it was a huge failure.

I wanna see old UN again :(.

I'd love to see Babylon again, quite unfortunate a mentally unstable person was given management. Anyway, this is a good idea i think. ^^

Unless the Maloria version you're talking about is from Orange Mal, no, you may not use our old content.

Personally I'll back the "event" style version of it. Sure, it's great for people to go back and would love to go back for a bit, but it's only worth going back and checking it out if there are other people on as well. If it's up for the entire year round the playercount will be spread too thin and anyone visiting will be walking a ghost town. Which is okay for..ah..maybe a few minutes. If it's up for a few weeks or a month of every year it may spark more interest in that alone, and then support its playercount a little mainly by having a playercount at all.

Also, what of Sanstrata? xD hehehe

Yeah, that's what I was just about to post after reading it. Too many server choices up there and not enough returns for rescripting the content of them IMO.

I'm pretty sure he means pre-RPG Maloria, which you probably have nothing to do with.

So you will try to run that next to pwa and gk administration?
Sounds like you are starting to overdo it..
And the list of quarter 2 updates on gk was already extremely tiny.

On topic:

People have repeatedly shown interest in old servers or old styles, but hey, do you plan to recode all servers?
Thor has already stated reason that they are not just uploading the old content, as if they want or not, nearly anything would have to be rewritten.

I'd seriously say no. Let the dead rest and concentrate on preventing graal from finally dieing. Can't say that the playercount has reached high-scores in the last few.. years? month?

You sound like the typical evil villian o.o...

On another note, I don't think this would do much for bringing players to the server, but it would be fun to mess around with in spare time, what's not to lose? ^^

Some people didn't seem to read when they talk about you rescripting everything. :p

It's not something that I will have to try hard to run, it's as simple as uploading a backup, period. Please stay on topic, this is not about PWA or GK.

I don't plan on rescripting a single thing. In response to both of you, this is not a server that I would expect to hold a playercount. It's not something I even care to see players on, this is more for people who want to visit their old homes, regardless of the playercount.

I also think it might be better to do this as sort of a fun event. It could last for a few weeks and then we can take it down.

I'm not talking about the Maloria on which we met each other, I'm talking about the one from 2003ish, with the ugly brightish green grass.

Like I told Tig, this will do either one of two things:
> Give players what they want = happy players
> Prove players have no idea what they want = failed server, but huge point being proven

I didn't know he planned on so many servers on one server, heh... either way I don't think it's as time-consuming as people imagine.

I'd love to see Babylon back in its prime, but I think this would just be a waste of time (doing this).

old towncenter spar lobby.. yes

As a former manager and player of Elven Lands, I would have no problem with you bringing it back for this Nostalgia server.

I voted yes with reserves. Just don't get stuck with the past.
Try to focus on the Present & Future.

Assuming Stefan would even allow multiple servers on one server, I can see where this could on a short term basis actually be entertaining. I've been on some revival servers that just uploaded old content without any changes to scripts/levels at all and they were bugged so bad they were actually funny to be on. They were pretty much unplayable of course since the scripting engine isn't supported. I imagine it would just turn into a trainer users paradise but it really might prove to everyone out there that history has shown you can't go back home again.

Aka Orange Mal, which I don't have a problem with.

I'm Kinda disappointed that Bravo wasn't apart of this. Bravo was a great classic server even before your time, maybe that's why it was neglected to even be mentioned. Bravo Classic and Bravo Evolved had way more potential then Half the servers you mentioned.

Providence- This was mostly created by ShadowKnight even though Kamuii and and Lyndzey was manager. The server hardly had anything that would even be considered potential. They Had a Giant Ship that was stolen from 2k1 and a Gani Cannon Ball YAY what fun.

Enigma - Its Obvious who ran this playerworld(WarCaptain). What Version of Enigma are you referring to? Pandora? Enigma was only known for graals First Actual Leveling System, and the Wings. After that it Miserably failed.

N-Pulse - What Version do you plan to use with this? I have logged on N-Pulse from time to time and it seems like the only thing that changes are the colors in the tiles? So if you tried to use this server you would be Completely ripping a current playerworld.

Babylon- Another playerworld with what Uniqueness? I'm still trying to figure it out. Without LordHelmut and Alexander you could never even begin to understand there concept.

Maloria(2003is)- Why would you try to re-create Garbage? Ziro is in the process of making a master piece that will blow up any mal in the making.

Graal3000- The name says it all, 3000 levels of pure emptiness.

Unholy Nations- I was apart of this team for several years and still the server remains the EXACT same. Only difference is, they have a GMAP and NPC-Server now.

Elven Lands-Never played but the last manager was Kitty, you can find her on UN from time to time.

Delteria-They revamped the entire server because the current content at the time was garbage. Why Revive trash, when they have took that work and turned it into amazing art.

I see this whole project a waste of time in my opinion, When so many other great servers with Potential should Arise. The current Project(s) you picked failed because of poor quality of work. Other servers failed because of Lack of development. I could possible be jealous that our hard work wasn't recognized, But **** that's life.

<-NEW LIST->
New World
Tempest of Time
Archiac
Bravo Evolved
<-NEW LIST/.->

It's for nostalgia purposes MD. Some of us called Enigma/Delteria/Babylon our homes in 2001/2002.

You know, that is not quite how I remember it...

It'd be great to revive an old server every month throughout the year to show how far the game has progressed!

Yeah, if we're talking back that far, Delteria would've been #1 and/or #2 as far as playercount was concerned at that time, lol..

I think I know what he meant, though his chronology was certainly off by a few years. :)

Not very far.

this is how graal should have expanded in the first place...it was never lively enough for multiple servers, and it def isn't these days.

this has been an idea of mine for some time, obviously other people have been thinking the same thing.

Tempest of Time was never even close to being finished, and GodSpeed and Er1c do not even play anymore.

Providence was Tyne and Malak's server, I don't know the extent of work Kamuii did on it, but I know he was involved.

As for Elven Lands, who the heck is Kitty? The last known managers when it had a high playercount before it was driven into the ground was myself, HEYhost and the other James.

Lastly, I have no idea why NewWorld was dropped, but I worked on it a long time ago and it was never close to being complete except for a few towns here and there. It was an entirely different client that actually had support for layered tiles, and for some reason we still don't have layered tiles on the main client.

I personally would like to see G_Yoshi's server Doragon Koden brought back, I doubt anyone has a backup of that though.

I would enjoy seeing some of the old servers again... Old Val was awesome- Way better in my opinion... and Cynical Online was very adventurous! And I'd kill to see Delteria revived, it was my first server... Back when it was the #2 server under UN. 60 players+

ok and i Agree with MD
Engima was a server that went up like 4 times and got taken down over and over same with Rudora but Old Bravo alot of people called that home espically BTK
i remember Dew(BTK) and me use to play it all the time BTK was a big part of Bravo
i think Bravo should went up there.
Also Tig Tifa was the last manager of DoomsDay
Cynical i have a back up somewhere but Valor gave me rights to Cynical Online
a while back ago !!

what happen to that one old server
it was so hard u dont even start out with a sword
the creators of it was people that love Tomb Raiders game
and thought it was easy anyways the server was so hard people didnt play it that much cuz it was too hard. idk and what about Dino

Enigma did fine from 2001 until p2p kicked in in 2002. By 2003 it was dead. I can't really speak for the server before the summer of 2001 as I didn't play it before this point.