A public letter

[Sam]

Today I got an e-mail from somebody and I want to let you know about it's content:

I know you probably don't know who I am even though I've been playing for 6 years now...my name is Arrie and I've used the account exsever for as long
as I have played Graal.
I've had everything imaginable happen in the graal experience. I've been staff, I've been hacked into, I've seen the rise and fall of every Graal server ever. I come to you today with a very serious issue about the world of Graal Online, and I'm sure you care about the well-being of the game considering that you've been around longer than any of the new staff around you. I know you're probably close to Stefan so if you could maybe send this to him too, that'd be great.
This issue regards Graal Kingdoms. Graal 2001 was the ideal server; It had kingdoms, brand new ideas, and awesome script, gfx, and level design. When Graal Kingdoms came around, it revolutionized Graal as we all know it. It added depth and even more room for expansion.
I'm concerned now about Graal because I see it slowly declining. Everyone just goes for items and levels now; nobody sits around crafting and playing the whole game just to have FUN.
Kingdoms are hardly active and people don't even care about the other 5 islands in the game. I remember when my good (and real life) friend, acct:feivel, ruled Shogun (the old Samurai) and it was the best experience ever.
Kingdoms would have large scale battles, military strategy, organized attacks and defenses, naval/ship battles, people would form small independent task forces and take over parts of Kingdom's islands and hold them ransom, try to overthrow kingdoms, become seafarers and take people to other islands, form rogue groups and have small unofficial guild battles, and basically just play the game the way that I know Stefan, You, and a multitude of other people wanted it to be played. Graal has lost what it's meant to have and be. It's not the staff's fault, but they definately could reverse some effects and even maybe help to get it back into swing.

I don't even know if players care enough anymore to bring up this issue with you or any other staff. I would send this to Stefan but I haven't sent him an e-mail since 1.27 when I had an issue with a head I submitted not loading. Please, Please, Please a THOUSAND times over think about this, suggest it to staff, really anything just to promote this idea. Just send me an email back and talk to me about it atleast to show that Graal is still something special, and it's not just another MMORPG that has gone boring.

I beg of you: please don't let my own and other people's years of dedication end on a bad note.

Sincerely

Arrie Oliver
Account: exsever
AIM: ArshuahTheKeeper
e-mail/MSN: [email protected]
I said, I agree and promised to post it.

[ReBorn_Spirit]

if you ask me... Zone gets boring.. like all action games and other htings that require you to kill.. endlessly

GK is different, its a fantasy/medieval like roleplay server
only problem is all the bugs and incomplete things that staff continue to ignore...

*I would agree with him.. Graal does have a bunch of bad or lazy staff that dont really care to try and fix problems on all the other servers, not to mention restarting server just kills off all the old players that have worked so hard at getting somewheres for what is now nothing.

[Damix2]

Originally Posted by Schlurfy

I'm concerned now about Graal because I see it slowly declining. Everyone just goes for items and levels now; nobody sits around crafting and playing the whole game just to have FUN.
Kingdoms are hardly active and people don't even care about the other 5 islands in the game. I remember when my good (and real life) friend, acct:feivel, ruled Shogun (the old Samurai) and it was the best experience ever.
Kingdoms would have large scale battles, military strategy, organized attacks and defenses, naval/ship battles, people would form small independent task forces and take over parts of Kingdom's islands and hold them ransom, try to overthrow kingdoms, become seafarers and take people to other islands, form rogue groups and have small unofficial guild battles, and basically just play the game the way that I know Stefan, You, and a multitude of other people wanted it to be played.
I said, I agree and promised to post it.

Talk aboust overstating the past, people seem to think things were a lot better then they were. Even under feivel the kingdom activities were not that much more active then they are today. Roleplaying events have barely changed then Graal 2002 started.


Graal is not declining, everyone who says that is ignorant, I see the same activity as before, just because people have moved to different servers, doesn't mean they aren't there.


And who are you to say what is fun or not? People who collect items, or strive to be the highest level are having FUN, just because it isn't what you think is fun, doesn't mean its not fun for them.


To say the least, you have completed idolized the past, you overlook what is currently going on Graal and refuse to look at facts. You e-mail what we have heard a million times, graal is dieing, this is how you fix it. Its same crap that we have all heard before. This e-mail/post is no different then any of the others.

[Googi]

I don't know what 2K1 they were playing but the focus on 2K1 was mostly on items much like it is on 2K2. Scamming and staff corruption were far more rampant on 2K1 than they are today on 2K2 (admittedly this had more to do with Karakaze Troupe than with faults in the server itself). The jobs on 2K1 were far more tedious than on 2K2 as well. 2K1 was fun stuff but oldbie nostalgia tends to blow the server's quality way out of proportion.

[Damix2]

Originally Posted by Googi

I don't know what 2K1 they were playing but the focus on 2K1 was mostly on items much like it is on 2K2. Scamming and staff corruption were far more rampant on 2K1 than they are today on 2K2 (admittedly this had more to do with Karakaze Troupe than with faults in the server itself). The jobs on 2K1 were far more tedious than on 2K2 as well. 2K1 was fun stuff but oldbie nostalgia tends to blow the server's quality way out of proportion.

Very true, the community was more then anything

[Googi]

What has declined, however, is the forums.

[Damix2]

Originally Posted by Googi

What has declined, however, is the forums.

Account sharing was banned, forums went downhill. A couple questionable appointments didn't help either

[LoveableNalle]

I have to agree, Kingdoms has declined as far as kingdoms go. I rarely hear of any kingdom actions anymore. The only thing I see going on is people trading items or selling thier items on aim. I rarely see the leaders on and on tag except for Alan of CP hes on everynight. When I go to islands they are empty no signs of life at all, except for the houses there. I can't believe we are all role playing that the whole world (5 kingdoms) are at peace.
I think that if all the good items were attainable by anyone willing to work hard, the focus of the players would shift to actually playing instead of keeping trading rooms warm.

[Googi]

In terms of current RP the deadlock is a result of Bel'la Olplyn, since no kingdom can make a move against another kingdom (unless that kingdom is Bel'la Olplyn) or they would risk upsetting the unified anti-Olplyn alliance.

[Zero Hour]

I would, personally, have to admit that Graal Kingdoms has lost a lot of it's appeal - atleast to me.

I don't account this to poor staffing (Although, yes - some superbly dedicated staff assigned to very defined jobs would help, but you could say that about any game, I'm sure). I personally believe it's a very simple problem.

When you enter upon a server you enter without any previous knowledge, except a few amazing things people have told you, and you want to learn the most you can and become the best, or atleast become recognized (Perhaps that was just me...?) - and in doing so you consume yourself with learning about the entire game.

After you've learned all of this you discipline yourself with achieving these goals, sometimes they're so grand certain limitations stand in your way, sometimes this limitations are as grand as your designs - server rules, bugs, unfinished work, etc. Sometimes the thing which prevent you from achieving your goals is an other player...

Once you'ce accomplished so much you start to see how easy it is easy to do certain tasks, or you see how impossible it was to achieve... and you lose interest. I don't believe you can place this loss of interest solely on the game, just because it doesn't amuse you anymore.

But that's just my 2 cents

[Damix2]

Originally Posted by LoveableNalle

I think that if all the good items were attainable by anyone willing to work hard, the focus of the players would shift to actually playing instead of keeping trading rooms warm.

In terms of event items, there needs to be more, with the same stats as current ones. Instead of everyone striving for the same gear, people would actually choose what they like to wear.

[Zero Hour]

Originally Posted by Damix2

In terms of event items, there needs to be more, with the same stats as current ones. Instead of everyone striving for the same gear, people would actually choose what they like to wear.

Personally, I think new quests would be more productive than events. While events are fun - they don't last long... but if you make more quests and dungeons people can keep themselves amused in them for a while.

Especially if you make the monsters had to kill, and worth while ... gives the newbs more reason to work hard, and the excelled players something to do.

[Damix2]

Originally Posted by Zero Hour

Personally, I think new quests would be more productive than events. While events are fun - they don't last long... but if you make more quests and dungeons people can keep themselves amused in them for a while.

Especially if you make the monsters had to kill, and worth while ... gives the newbs more reason to work hard, and the excelled players something to do.

If they added monsters that required teams to kill I think it would add to the game also.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Damix2

If they added monsters that required teams to kill I think it would add to the game also.

I asked Stefan about it last week, he will check if it's possible.

[Zero Hour]

Originally Posted by Damix2

If they added monsters that required teams to kill I think it would add to the game also.

Imagine a group of 15 newbs all working together as a party to take out a goliath of a monster? That would be nice to see, and very enjoyible to participate in.

This may even introduce some more guilds and clans