The state of the game (GMS)

Even as I make this, I am conflicted. (which is why I placed it in an irregular location)
On one hand I am a little worried about Maplestory but on the other, I have a strong desire to watch everything burn and to roast weenies and marshmallows on the fire.

Most of the people playing the game are toxic/ salty
The people operating the game seem to be toxic
Having prolonged contact with the game increases your chances of becoming toxic/ salty

I don't have a huge stake in what happens but its like watching my 2nd hometown being caught in an inferno. A part of me still sort of wants to help but I'm not sure how. I thought the participation numbers for the survey looked really low. Not only that but I get this sense that the atmosphere around the net is, pessimistic I guess?

Its doubtful that there is a magic bullet solution but how does one reverse toxicity on a large scale?
I am open to suggestions

coming in first to yank the rug away from under the funposters' feet. no saying "pikamemnon thread".

which survey are you talking about, btw? the retweet event? that's just because the rewards are so ass it's not even worth the two click effort to join in.

also it helps to specify your complaints. "OMG it's so toxic" doesn't really tell anyone anything. We need to know how you think toxicity is present, for anyone to even come up with any solutions to the problem.

which survey are you talking about, btw? the retweet event? that's just because the rewards are so ass it's not even worth the two click effort to join in.

also it helps to specify your complaints. "OMG it's so toxic" doesn't really tell anyone anything. We need to know how you think toxicity is present, for anyone to even come up with any solutions to the problem.

The communication and transparency survey.

Toxic in what way? The players expect things from Nexon (GMS) but there almost always seems to be a big gap between what players want Nexon to do and what it actually will do. There could be reasons for this but the perception is that contact with Nexon will be a disappointment. Each let down adds to the last one and eventually players stop trying and stop caring.

I dont think everyone at Nexon is toxic but since 9 times out of 10 Nexons actions encourage toxicity, that is why I consider it toxic enough. Minor mistakes become magnified on account of most players already being PO'd about some other unresolved problem and it all just feeds on itself.

How much faith do players have in Game masters? How much in moderators on the official forum? How about the Community manager?

When the normal strategy for handling player problems is to "do nothing until the player gets frustrated and quits" then that is not good. Having a majority of players walk away from the game super salty or bitter is not good. We could argue that this decline is a normal phase for all online games and a result of past/ present choices but if there were a way to reduce some of the toxicity I still think that would be a plus.

coming in first to yank the rug away from under the funposters' feet. no saying "pikamemnon thread".

which survey are you talking about, btw? the retweet event? that's just because the rewards are so ass it's not even worth the two click effort to join in.

also it helps to specify your complaints. "OMG it's so toxic" doesn't really tell anyone anything. We need to know how you think toxicity is present, for anyone to even come up with any solutions to the problem.

Ahem.

Pika. Memnon. Thread.

On a more serious note...

Can you really call the community's attitude towards Nexon "toxic" rather than simply being jaded or tired of their constant non-effort towards issues? Players want more consistency with rule enforcement (glitches, exploits, etc.), far more GM presence and actual patrolling for the blatant botting problems, and just better response over all with the ticketing system. Automated responses are simply not okay. A company that makes as much money as Nexon should not be cutting as many corners as they do and expect everything to just run with no problems.

There is no magic bullet solution, of that you are absolutely correct. However... I can almost guarantee that alleviating a lot of what I mentioned (And noticeably so) will lift players' spirits and general attitude towards Nexon very quickly. I don't think anyone expects such drastic changes overnight, but come on - they've had over a decade to get this pomegranate figured out. Over a decade of the exact same complaints from the exact same players who love this game and don't want it to die off.

On a more serious note...

Can you really call the community's attitude towards Nexon "toxic" rather than simply being jaded or tired of their constant non-effort towards issues? Players want more consistency with rule enforcement (glitches, exploits, etc.), far more GM presence and actual patrolling for the blatant botting problems, and just better response over all with the ticketing system. Automated responses are simply not okay. A company that makes as much money as Nexon should not be cutting as many corners as they do and expect everything to just run with no problems.

There is no magic bullet solution, of that you are absolutely correct. However... I can almost guarantee that alleviating a lot of what I mentioned (And noticeably so) will lift players' spirits and general attitude towards Nexon very quickly. I don't think anyone expects such drastic changes overnight, but come on - they've had over a decade to get this pomegranate figured out. Over a decade of the exact same complaints from the exact same players who love this game and don't want it to die off.

Its not so much the players fault, more like its a side effect of the toxic scenario we are in. Most players seem to fall into the category of some combination of toxic, lucky (to have no issues), salty or are new to the game and don't know any better. How many players come to play and then by the time they have finished are still happy with how things turned out?

Take the RE: Zero event for example, Nexon did something out of character and listened to complaints but "fixed" the problem in a very Nexon way. Which depending on who you ask, resulted in an outcome that might even be worse than the original problem.


In that case its really another symptom of the failed experiment that is Reboot. What I mean by that is a server where the goal is "Buying Nx is not needed" but the laws of business will not allow such a place to exist without a price. As if Nexon created a dreamland but there is a dark secret always lurking in the shadows. Which means if you are a player on Reboot, its like you will be doomed forever and need to look over your shoulder constantly to make sure Nexon is not trying to sneak in some Pay2Win pomagrantes or Nx advantages. The irony is that it will be Nexons job to keep trying.

Examples like this only encourage more toxicity because Nexon is in a losing position regardless of what it does, (whether Nexon listens or not) so Nexon becomes even less motivated to respond when players speak up.

Maybe we should try to keep new players from getting sucked into the disaster and evacuate the untainted ones while they still have a chance? I know that sounds melodramatic but its not that far off from the reality. If there was a way, I still would like to help the scenario to change somehow.

When was the last time there was GMS pride? Its like gone now.