http://maplestory2.nexon.net/en/news/article/36662/producer-blog-core-changes
List of Key Changes:
- Level/Character Progression Changes
- Safe Revival Adjustments
- Dungeon Difficulty, EXP and Meso Adjustments
- Housing Improvements
- Other Changes
Reading the details, I will admit that I am very surprised by Nexon actually going above and beyond listening to player feedback and making as much changes prior to the launch of the game. One key change was removing instant revival potions from the Meret cash shop for the time being (this will be reevaluated as needed in the future for hardcore players) while adding this to the Meso shop. Meret’s are the virtual currency purchased with real money while Meso’s are essentially in-game gold.
Adjustments to Meso (gold) drops and experience gains are also being made across a range of game systems (monster hunting from questing, dungeons, fishing, and other lifestyle skills) with the emphasis being about removing unnecessary grind. Furthermore, rather than penalizing players for not following the main line quest, changes have been made to the Epic Quest progression system that will allow players to level up how they choose (they can do main line story quests, just do Epic Quests, perform a mix including fishing).
I believe the biggest change was made to the housing system where the objective was to make more of the housing content accessible to much more players by making more of the content free or at lowered prices. Increasing the size of the house will be free for example and most building blocks will also be free (while paid ones will have lowers costs compared to other regions). Interior level requirements (think of this as a separate grind for being able to improve your furnishings) have also been removed.
Again, I realize this is Nexon and they could introduce changes down the line which negates some of these but they’ve impressed this skeptic so far with how they’ve managed to listen to feedback to date and to also put some of it into actual action. As I mentioned in my prior post, I planned to go ahead with purchasing a Founder’s Pack (even knowing this is still a cash grab) and have now done so (I’ve always waited until just prior to the end of the sales to make a final decision on these sort of packs to see how a company handles feedback going into their launch). Again, I never thought I would be taking part in actually putting time into a Nexon title but here it is.
