Hi guys - I'll try to make this short. Basically I've been playing and enjoying this server for a while now, and I've noticed that the majority (or at least a lot) of players sell or buy leech on a daily basis... and it's to the point where it seems like this the only thing everyone does, other than bossing. It might just be me, but it feels like 80-90% of all server smegas are "S> Leech" or "B> Leech" on any given day. I don't have anything against leech, and I've taken part in it myself. However, it just feels like an unauthentic old school experience to me, and I can't help but wonder whether others feel the same way. So here's my question - what would you guys personally define as "old school MapleStory"? In particular, was there any kind of leeching or emphasis on mules involved? For me, it did not involve any kind of leeching, mules, or even HP washing. Those aspects were literally unknown to me back when I played old school. If someone back in the day had asked me something like "Hey, are you making sure you are properly HP washing and buying good leech service w/ HS mules?", I would have had zero clue what that person just said. Essentially, I am wondering if the aspects of leech/mules/washing were always prevalent in old school and I had just never noticed it, or if these are elements that have somehow been introduced in the community-made private servers. Disclaimer: I am not bashing this or any server in any way. As title states, this is a serious question and I am just genuinely curious as to what each of you guys felt old school Maple was like. Thanks for reading, and hope you all have a great day! (And of course, stay safe during these times .)
fwiw, leeching did exist. A FP/AM could get you from 30-70 in less than 4 hours with a PG mule and a 2x coupon. On Broa way back in the day this cost around 200m. My friend did it. Also, washing was 100% possible, it just cost real money. If people got free NX back then too- more would have washed I almost guarantee it. Edit: The AM didn't even need to be an AM, they just needed to survive skeles and use mist.
Another perspective is that royals has been running for 7 years, way longer than the old school maple had been (would say 5 years max). We could never tell what would happened in old school maple if it were extended for 2 more years. Also like evan mentioned, leeching and hp washing was a thing. Just because you didnt knew, doesnt mean it didnt exist.
Oldschool Maple: grinding my but off to level, trying not to die, without knowing the existence of hp washing or leeching and also: no mapowner Edit: my meme got lost, it's here now hehehe
Well, since nobody answered your question, I will. Oldschool Maplestory to me is merching, collecting items I thought were cool, doing KPQ, LPQ, LMPQ and other party-activities on a class you think its the most fun to play. Its "JPQ - got track", chatting around with your buddies and slowly trying to better your gear. So yeah, I'm on the same boat as you, it seems you were a casual player, just like me. I didn't know leeching or hp washing were a thing until I joined this server and even though I put up with it and washed a NL, it didn't strike me as nostalgic or even fun at all so I quit. I imagine more hardcore players remember engaging in or witnessing leeching back in the day so to them, leeching is nostalgic. The way I see it, it kills most of the early game and its boring but this server is far too invested in it to change it. However, there's also the argument that back then, as a young guy/gal you were not playing efficiently and now that you're older, everyone is trying to optimize everything so we hop in the bandwagon as well, just so we don't fall behind. Plus, I believe most people don't really care for low level content as much as they do for bossing.
I remember skele/harps leeching with a BS was a thing back then, people are paying real money for leech. And fire/posion mage suicide leech with power guard mule at shaolin tower was OP as well.
The concept was the same at other locations though (PG leech). You could replace that Shaolin map with something like Skeles and get a similar result in theory. We used PG leech at bosses a lot too, specifically at things like Anego and BF. Some even sold this type of leech-it was incredible for low levels.
Correct, but OP is specifically looking at whether or not it was nostalgic (or existed? etc) in old maple. Many wouldn't consider 2016 old maple whereas leafre came out in 2008, and like you sort of said, people were cognitively aware of PG leech earlier than that.
I think the times have changed. No matter where you go, no matter which version of the game or EXP rate you play on, people play the game differently from how people played back then. They minmax and employ every strategy to progress as efficiently as possible. I suspect what you are really missing are what may have felt like more innocent times, where the majority of people did not know how every facet of the game worked, and did not try to exploit it all to their benefit. You have a small subset of people who go out of their way to play the game that way today; look at Islanders, Ironmen, Legomen, Unwashed etc. They artifically restrict themselves for... nostalgia? Romance? Unfortunately, I think we can't ever go back. Time to hit you with the cheesiest of: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
My bad I didn't see your first post ITT until now, was just clarifying the whole PG leech aspect being nostalgic without realizing you had already commented about it.
Well, I have to say this was the best explanation I could have hoped to read. Thank you to anyone who responded to the thread, as well... I still love this server, regardless. Long live the "New" Old-school Maple & community <3.
