(Important Note: My post is more of a general guide to the entire game of Maplestory, rather than to a specific PQ. I fully acknowledge the potential disqualification of my entry but as long as you would have the patience to bear through my guide and perhaps appreciate my unconditional token of support, I would be more than content with that. Also, I had tried numerous times prior to this post in sending this exact email via the "Email of Inquiry" option, but I would consistently recieve an error page so I felt this would be the most appropriate method. Yet, I apologize for any inconvenience. That said, I will now resume with my actual email)
Dear Nexon,
I have written you this emailin hopes of enhancing Maplestory's quality and gameplay. Many suggestions andadvice are included, and thus it will take quite a while to read but I assureyou that your time will not be wasted.
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Table of Contents: (Press CTRL+F, type in the 4 character code, and press ENTERtwice)
(*These segments are generally ordered from least to greatestcomplexity and sophistication)
Personal Background..............PB01
Security Suggestions.............SS01
General Suggestions..............GS01
Map Suggestions..................MS01
Weapon Suggestions.............WS01
Lounge Suggestions...............LS01
Contact Information...............CI01
Afterword............................AW01
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PB01 - Personal Background
I was a devoted Mapler ever since sixth grade and have only quitdue to social pressure and my intuitive conscience. (Let's face it, a highschool junior playing Maplestory doesn't sound very appealing). You may bewondering "Then why are you sending this email if you quit?"
Well, recently I've been having spontaneous "visions" andinspirations that were related to Maplestory and so I began to write them alldown. Although I as an individual might not play Maplestory, I know millions ofpeople do around the globe so I wanted to benefit the game for their sake, andof course, yours as a company.
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(NOTE: It has been a long time since I have played Maplestory and therefore, Imight incorrectly cite game data or suggest something that mayhave already been updated.)
SS01 - Security Suggestions
This section will cover all hack, scam, or general securitysuggestions. They are brief and easy to incorporate in to the game yet highlysignificant.
1) The Infamous "Drop Game"
I'm sure that by now you have heard of the"Drop Game", or other games/scams involving items being dropped inorder to obtain a certain prize. Being a former victim of this sly trick,I have come up with a solution to stop this problem.
Let's say there are two Maplers, X and Y. X persuades Y to drop his very bestitem (a regular Maple Scorpio) in order to obtain a +5 Maple Scorpio.Unfortunately, Y does not know X is about to use a hack and steal hisitem. However, as X instantly teleports to the vulnerable Scorpioand spams "Z" to pick it up, the following message appears onY's screen: "Can [name of Mapler who attempted to pick up Y'sitem] pick up your [name of item]?" with the options "Yes" and"No", each with self-explanatory results.
I strongly believe this suggestion, despite it's simplicity, will discouragefuture drop games and increase the security of Maplers online.
2) Automatic Fame Exchange
Another infamous scam is the "fame and run" scheme, where one wouldeither recieve or sell trade but simply run afterwards without doing his partof the deal. In order to counter this problem, an option called "tradefame" could be displayed once you double/left click a Mapler.
Again, I will use X and Y as an example. X double clicks on Y, and Y'smini-profile shows up. Along with Y's picture and other options, a "TradeFame" option is also there. When X clicks that button, Y recieves anin-game notice (similar to the one you would get when someone wants to do anormal trade with you) that says "X has requested to trade fame withyou" with the options "Accept" and "Decline". When Yselects "Accept", the system automatically increases both Mapler'sfame, (provided that both have not used their fame on that day). Afterwards,their fame has gone up by one and as a result, they have used up their dailyfame. If Y chose "Decline", neither of the two Mapler's fame wouldhave increased and they would both have one fame left to use. Also, for theMaplers who sell/buy fame, you could have make fame in to a tangible item.However, it could not be dropped or used, and could only be placed in to atrade slot. Also, it would refresh everyday but would never exceed the quantityof one, and would automatically disappear for that day if a Mapler sold ortraded fame. This way, when Maplers sell their fame, they couldconveniently place their fame inside the trade slot while the other wouldinsert 5,000 mesos. When they both click trade, the transaction would becomplete, scam free.
3) In-game Item Database
I remember frequent trades that had the following dialogue:
X: "hey, i'll buy your panlid
Y: "offer"
X: "no, you offer first"
Y: "please, just offer and we can negotiate"
X: "look, if you don't offer i'm leaving"
Y: "ok ok wait! uh, how about 10,000 mesos?
X: "DEAL"
Here is a good example of a Maple Rip-off. Because of these scenarios, I wasalways cautious when trading and would be prepared to ALT+TAB in to BasilMarket and research all the prices for an item to find an average only torealize that by the time I return to Maplestory, the guy cancelled the deal. Inorder to prevent future trade-ripoffs, there could be an option placed on thebottom right hand corner or somewhere easy to get to with the name "ItemDatabase".
Basically, if you clicked that button, a large yet still in-game window (soyour trade doesn't get cancelled) would show up with a search bar. Y types in"Panlid" and presses ENTER. The system processes it's history oftrades and updates and responds with a price average for the item, all done inseconds. Y returns to X in the trade window, offers a reasonable price, and Xgrudgingly accepts. I was thinking the system could store all trade informationsuch as "Panlid sold for 100,000 mesos" or "Maple Scorpio soldfor 150,000 mesos". Then, if someone searched an item, the system couldfirst group together all trade transactions with that name and then find theaverage price for that group. Or, as an alternative, the GM's could personallyupdate the Item Database themselves, to ensure a guaranteed price.
4) Hack Test
There were numerous instances when I would see an AFK (away from keyboard)Mapler who had hacked the game to make his character continue to attack andre-potion by itself. However, I did not want to go through the trouble ofstarting up a game recorder, recording it, editing the video, and sending it toNexon, so I would just pass by. Thus, the hacker would continue to play cheapwhile other innocent Maplers would be forced to change channel.
As a solution, every Mapler could have the option to execute a Hack Test.
X is AFK hacking and is slashing 20 monsters at once. Y sees this, doubleclicks on X, and clicks the "Hack Test" button. Now, on X's screen, asemi-large window with the title "Hack Test" shows the followingmessage: "Please enter the following 4 digit code or you will bedisconnected for assumed hacking." If X fails to enter the code in say, 30seconds, he would be instantly disconnected, with his name reported to Nexon.If X successfully entered the code, then he would be rewarded several mesos (asan "apology" for the inconvenience).
The "Hack Test" could be limited to one use per character toavoid misuse. It should be available and applicable to anyone, EXCLUDING thefollowing exception described below.
5) AFK
AFK, Away From Keyboard, is something most Maplers hate doing since others haveno idea you're AFK and can make misunderstandings. Also, you would bevulnerable to a Hack Test mentioned above and would be unfairly disconnected.So, an AFK hotkey could be made. Just like any other hotkey like faces, if youpressed the designated hotkey for "AFK", an AFK sign would appearover your character's head, indicating clearly that you're AFK. Also, if anyonesent you a message, they would get an automated system response that says"[Name of AFK Mapler] is currently Away From Keyboard. Please try againlater." But, as soon as the Mapler moves his mouse or presses any key, theAFK sign disappears and he is no longer considered AFK. Also, a Mapler could beconsidered AFK if he is inactive for a certain period of time. In that case,the system could automatically put an AFK sign above his head, until an in-gameaction or mouse stroke is recieved.
(Note: The "exception" for hack testing is that a Mapler can hacktest anyone he suspects EXCLUDING an AFK Mapler. Remember that although ahacking Mapler may be AFK in real life, he will NOT be considered AFK in-gamedue to the fact he is constantly attacking and sending commands to the system.)
6) Auto-click
I remember many party quests in which the leader would use an"auto-clicker", or a hack that automatically clicks the left mousebutton at extremely fast speeds. To prevent unfair gameplay, there could be aset limit on the maximum number of clicks per second the system can register,for example, ten (It is virtually impossible to exceed that number using justyour hand).
*Also, for further security, rewards such as Mesos, NX, orrecognition could be advertised for anyone who succesfully reports ahacker/game violator. Likewise, harsher punishments could be executed for thehacker/game violator.
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GS01 - General Suggestions
This section will cover all non-securitysuggestions, ranging from convenience to entertainment. They are briefand easy to incorporate in to the game.
1) HP/MP Warning
Occasionally, I would become so absorbed in the game that Iwould overlook the subtle flashing HP/MP display when it became low. As aresult, I would either die or end up unnecesarilly spamming my potion key inshock. As a solution, there could be a huge but very brief display located inthe middle of the screen titled: "LOW HP" or "LOW MP". Thisway, it would be very convenient for the Mapler to potion and there would be nomisunderstandings.
2) Town Cutscenes
I have previously watched some of your CGI Maplestory clips andI was amazed at the skill and quality. Thus, I thought brief CGI cutscenescould be played when entering a town such as Henysis that really capture theessence of the particular place. Of course, there would be an option to skipthe cutscene or turn it off permanently.
3) Trading Hotkey
Running out of space when typing an advertisement and strugglingto pinpoint an exact character in Free Market Entrance Channel 1 was a hugeproblem for me and my peers. So, "trading hotkeys" could be made. Forexample, if Mapler X typed "S<" (selling) followed by a particularitem, or "B<" (buying) followed by a particular item, the systemwould automatically identify that the type command is for trading purposes andtransform the chat bubble that appears over a Mapler's head in to a "tradebubble". If Mapler Y clicked the trade bubble, the two Maplers wouldinstantly be connected in a trade window. This way, not only do you save spaceby typing "S<Panlid" instead of "Selling a Panlid" but youalso have the convenience of aiming for a huge chat bubble instead ofa minuscule character overlapped by others.
4) Alt+F4 Function
I am not sure if this function is already in effect but if not,an ALT+F4 combination could be used to not only instantly exit Maplestory butoverride the typical advertisement that pops up a few seconds later. Thisfeature is found in several PC games, such as Halo and Trackmania, and isespecially effective in a P911 (Parent's are coming Emergency) or simply forconvenience. For additional convenience, the swear filter could be improved byjust filtering out the swear word instead of the entire sentence. Often times Iwould type "if u can..." but it would be blocked due to the "f uc" part.
5) Contraversial Issues
I suggest you avoid incorporating contraversial issues, such assame-[censored!] marriage, in to the game. This could raise criticism and threatenyour company.
6) Repetitive Gameplay
One of the main reasons critics bash Maplestory is for itsslightly repetitive gameplay. Basically, a Mapler is simply pressing CTRL oranother hotkey for hours until he levels, and then repeats the process to levelagain. So, to add some excitement, "mini-games" could be added. Forexample, when a Mapler executes attacks a certain number of times, say ten, thena brief, real-time mini-game is activated. Four types could be "DanceTrance", in which one must press a set of arrows shown as fast aspossible, "Shroom Boom", in which one must click and"explode" as many mushrooms as possible (with only one on screen at atime), "Narrow Arrow", in which one must guide his arrow through athin maze as fast as possible, and "Beat Heat" (or 1337 Beat), inwhich you must press space at the correct beat (similar to Audition. Also,Dance Trance and Beat Heat are different in that Dance Trance only involvespressing arrows while Beat Heat does not. However, the two can be fused in toone if convenient).
These mini-games could be used as damage multipliers, withhigher multiplications depending on how well you do, and thus would encourageMaplers to actually try at them possibly adding on to the entertainment. Someimportant notes are that during the duration of a mini-game, the Mapler wouldbe temporarily invincible so he does not die while executing the particularmini-game. Also, if a mini-game was executed, a Mapler could simply skip it bycontinuing to press his attack hotkey. Once that hotkey is pressed, themini-game would disappear and he would continue to attack. Or, an option tocancel mini-games could be available for those who feel more comfortable withthe normal gameplay.
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MS01 - Map Suggestions
This section will cover all Map relatedsuggestions, and it's related subtopics.
1) Paper Land
I envisioned a new map, called Paper Land(I apologize for the generic name), in which all buildings, monsters, NPC's,etc. would be made out of paper. It could be either paper mache, origami, orjust plain paper. The monsters could be paper swans or paper frogs and theycould shoot out blobs of ink as their attack, or long range"paper-cuts". For exclusive items found only in Paper Land,there could be paper hearts (throwing stars) and paper armor, etc. Instead of aboat, such as the one that travels to Orbis and Ludibirum, it could be a paperplane. The rest is up to the creativity of your developers.
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WS01 - Weapon Suggestions
This section will cover all Weapon relatedsuggestions. They are very complex and will require dedicated effort toincorporate in to the game.
The Basic Summary: I am going to suggest "ultimate"weapons for each class that have distinct, climactic effects. These weaponscould require a level of 200 to encourage Maplers to actually go all the way,(contributing to your income longer). All of them have a primary stage, whichis free and already activated, and a secondary stage, which is even moreimpressive. However, you could make the secondary stage unlockable only throughNX for financial reasons, or, if income is sufficient, you could make it a"training" kind of achievement, where you would have to use the weaponfor a certain amount of time or quantity in order for it to unlock its finalstage.
The categories for the following ultimate weapons will be: Name,Design, Primary Stage, Secondary Stage. Also, due to the fact these weaponsrequire a remarkably high level, all damage could be 99,999. For instance, ifthe primary stage for a spear inflicts three hits, the total damage would be99,999 X 3 = 299,997 Total Damage. Furthermore, in order to maintain fairness,the weapons could require a certain number of normal skills before activatingthe "ultimate" effects listed below.
1) Spear/Polearm
Name: Eruption
Design: A variation of "Fairfrozen" in which the icyspear is slightly cracked with lava streams leaking out.
Primary Stage: As X stabs a monster, Eruption unleashes a fierydragon through it's tip. The fire dragon continues to blaze through the entiremap, inflicting 99,999 damage to any monster it encounters along the way.
Secondary Stage: As X stabs a monster, Eruption unleashes afiery dragon, except this time, it swirls furiously and quickly around X'sentire, visible screen. Meanwhile, 99,999 damage hits are being inflictedrapidly. Finally, the dragon rises up in to the air and slams on to the ground,ending with a final 99k hit.
2) Sword/Axe/Mace
Name: Zeus
Design: Possesses an exquisite golden hilt, handcrafted by theGods of Olympus. Three blades jut out from the hilt, with each containing anelectric orb in the middle of the blade. The middle blade is the biggest whilethe other two are slightly covered by it.
Note: it is best to make every feature, from the hilt to theguard to the blade, thick rather than skinny to display a powerful aura.
Primary Stage: X jumps in to the air with his sword held high asif to unleash a mighty blow, and then lands back on the ground hitting amonster with massive force. As soon as the sword hits the monster, fierce boltsof lightning target all monsters on X's visible field with 99k damage.(Optional: you could have the background temporarily go dark, to add on to thestormy effect)
Secondary Stage: Acts somewhat like a summon. X holds his swordup high and then stabs it in to the ground, eyes closed, as if he is making asacrifice or a prayer. Instantly, two giant, blue eyes open up in thebackground (Zeus), followed by a literal rainfall of lightning rods, eachinflicting 99k damage.
3) Staff/Wand
Name: Apocalypse (Nine Swords)
Design: Optional
Primary Stage: X levitates in air and as he casts hisstaff/wand, nine magical swords appear, arched over his head. If ordered 1-9,with 5 being the middle sword, 1 and 9 strike first with a fire element, 2 and8 strike second with an ice element, 3 and 7 strike third with a lightningelement, 4 and 6 strike fourth with a poison element, and 5 strikes last with amighty earth element that shakes the screen violently (each hit inflicts 99kdamage. Also, the poison lasts like a normal poison spell would).
Secondary Stage: It has the same groundwork as the primary stagebut this time, it feels like an infinite barrage of swords with a much fasterhit rate. This almost insane speed creates an apocalyptical mood, with all fiveelements co-existing on the same map and the screen shaking throughout theduration of the spell. (However, a Mapler could have the option to turn offfeatures such as dimming background or shaking screen.)
4) Knuckle
Name: Overdrive
Design: Optional
Primary Stage: X levitates in the air, absorbs power from theEarth, and then unleashes that power into the form of a supertransformation-ish type of status. Then, X bursts with insane speed (almost asif he/she is teleporting) and consecutively hits all monsters on the visiblefield, with 99k damage.
Secondary Stage: X levitates in air, goes in tosupertransformation, but this time, X creates a shadow clone on the oppositeside of the screen. X and the clone burst towards the middle, hitting andgathering any monsters along the way to that spot. Then, the two unleash arelentless barrage of blows, with the attackers and the monsters graduallyrising in to the air (similar to something you would see in Dragon Ball Z orany other surreal action anime). Finally, X and the clone simultaneously slamthe monster(s) down and X returns to the ground.
5) Gun
Name: Black Pearl
Design: Optional (Preferably black)
Primary Stage: X shoots Black Pearl in to the sky, like a flare.Soon afterwards, a colossal, enigmatic ship (resembling the Black Pearl asseen in "Pirates of the Caribbean")enters X's visible field (you could make it come out of fog, so it wouldn'thave to travel the entire map before finally reaching X's visible field). Theship then unleashes a rapid barrage of cannons, each inflicting 99k damage.
Secondary Stage: X shoots the flare, the ship comes, but thistime, X backflips/teleports on to the ship and X has full control. Theleft/right arrow keys would move the ship and SPACE would fire a rapid barrageof cannons.
6) Bow/Crossbow
Name: Apollo
Design: Optional
Primary Stage: X jumps high in to the air and then chargesApollo facing towards the sky. Soon, X has charged up a gigantic holy arrowinside of Apollo and X quickly shoots it towards the ground, creating a massiveexplosion dealing 99k damage to all in the field.
Secondary Stage: X shoots Apollo rapidly towards the sky. Theseemingly infinite stream of arrows first soar high up in to the air, and thentarget all monsters on X's visible field, like homing rockets. The rate of fireis similar to the skill "Hurricane", but Apollo has the uniqueability to target ALL monsters rather than solely monsters in one generaldirection and also, Apollo can hit airborne monsters, which can be annoying tokill. After this deadly shower of arrows is over, a heavenly bow is summonedhigh above. X jumps/teleports to it, followed by the same effects as theprimary stage.
7) Claw
Name: Vengeance
Design: Optional
Primary Stage: X teleports to the far left side of his/herscreen, charges a huge star similar to Avenger, and unleashes it hitting allmonsters with 99k damage along the way. The star then rebounds off the rightwall, X teleports again to grab it, and then slams it down causing a giantexplosion.
Secondary Stage: X charges star and unleashes it towards theright side of screen but this time, a shadow clone receives the starand throws it back towards X, re-hitting all monsters on the field with 99kdamage. X and the shadow clone continue to rebound the star rapidly towardseach other in a ping-pong effect. Finally, once the shadow clone disappears thestar rebounds off the right wall as in the primary stage, X teleports to grabit, and then slams it down (with an optional 360 degree twist to make itfancy).
8) Dagger
Name: Overkill
Design: Optional
Primary Stage: As X activates Overkill, he/she is instantlyteleported or dragged very quickly to the left side of X's screen. Then, aftera brief charge of the dagger, he bursts towards the right side with phenomenalspeed and 99k damage to all monsters in X's path. X then backflips back tohis/her original spot, throwing a dagger with an explosive tag at the apex ofhis jump. As soon as X makes contact with the floor, the dagger explodes,inflicting 99k damage.
Secondary Stage: X charges his/her dagger on the left side butthis time, he/she stabs to the right, then the left, then the right again, fora total of 3 screen swipes. X then backflips back to his/her original spot butdrops numerous bags of mesos along the way. (Preferably enough to attack allmonsters on field). As soon as X touches the ground, all the bagssimultaneously explode, as in Mesos Explosion, inflicting stacks of 99kdamage.
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LS01 - Lounge Suggestions
This section will cover all Lounge relatedsuggestions. They are very complex and will require dedicated effort toincorporate in to the game.
Basic Summary: Despite Maplestory's peaceful towns and FreeMarkets, the social experience would be weak for two reasons:
1) The location was unpopulated
2) The location was spammed by advertisers and traders
For this reason, I have come up with the "Lounge".
Basically, the Lounge would be a gigantic map open to allMaplers with a "chill-out" and relax atmosphere where people couldget together, socialize, make new friends, etc. Inside, there would be tons ofsofas and furniture, along with pools (the physics act as Aquaworld) and movietheaters, where you could play CGI clips of Maplestory. However, there would beabsolutely NO trading in the Lounge, to prevent it from becoming just anotherFM. If a Mapler clicked the "Trade" button, the following messagecould pop up:
"Please advertise and/or trade outside of the Lounge topreserve the social experience of others."
However, besides socializing, the Lounge could also featureexclusive Party Quest type mini-games, such as swimming, which I will explainin-depth below.
Swimming: This mini-game requires a 3 member party for a 3 VS 3race. Two competing parties would be placed in an aquatic environment witha swimming pool theme. The goal of the game is to be the team that ends up withthe most accumulated laps/strokes.
The basic controls are:
(Tap) LEFT, UP, RIGHT - Stroke Right
(Tap) RIGHT, UP, LEFT - Stroke Left
(Tap) DOWN - Recover
(Press) SPACE - Activate item/weapon
*Note: "TAP" means to repeatedly press the button toexecute an action, such as Recover, or maintain an action, such as swimming."PRESS" means to simply press the designated key once to execute theaction, such as activating an item/weapon*
As mentioned in the controls above, items and weapons would alsobe a factor in the game, which are listed below:
Puffer Fish - Acts as a claymore; the first swimmer(non-submarine) to cross the Puffer Fish is paralyzed until he/sheRecovers
Turtle - The user can temporarily hold down a directional arrowinstead of executing 3-key combinations to swim. 125% speed
Submarine - The improved version of the Turtle, with 200% speed
Torpedo - Acts as a homing missile. Can target submarines aswell as swimmers with higher Recovery time than a Puffer Fish
Anchor - Acts as a grapple hook. The user gets 125% speed whilethe victim gets 75% speed, until the victim is able to Recover
Whirlpool - The user summons a massive whirlpool inflicting theentire, enemy team with 50% speed and also the longest Recovery time of all theweapons
Bubble Shield - Protects against all weapons excluding Whirlpool
Seafood - Gives the user a small health increase. (Note: Allweapons inflict their respective damage to its victim, and a swimmer isimmediately disqualified when his/her health reaches zero.)
Swimmers could obtain these item/weapons by achieving a setnumber of strokes or laps. For instance, if a swimmer executed 10 successfulstroke commands, he would be granted Seafood. However, you should set thestroke requirement appropriately, corresponding to the significance of theitem/weapon. So, Seafood should require the least, since swimmers wouldfrequently be disqualified otherwise, and Whirlpool should require the most,since it is clearly the strongest weapon. Also, the numbers 1-8 could act ashotkeys to activate an item/weapon currently in possession. For example, if aswimmer accumulated 50 strokes and obtained a Puffer Fish, he/she would be ableto activate it by pressing it's appropriate hotkey, say, three. In addition,the swimmer would also be able to activate any items/weapons previouslyachieved before Pufferfish, such as seafood, by pressing 1 (supposing that 1 isthe designated hotkey). Afterwards, the number of strokes required for Seafoodwould be deducted from the swimmers total.
I also planned a Soccer themed mini-game but it turned out to bemore complex than I thought, and it would be virtually impossible to explainthrough an email. Although I could fax a descriptive illustration, thecombination of my broken fax machine and my inadequate artistic merit willprove to be a challenge.
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CI01 - Contact Information
If you need further information, clarification, orany question in general, feel free to contact me at"g3n3k@dontpostemail.com". You could try to find me in-game by typing"/find Rawrmyun" but I am usually offline due to SAT summer schooland sports.
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AW01 - Afterword
First and foremost, I would like to express mygratitude for successfully enduring my fairly long letter. I apologize for theextensive length but I felt that if I did not release all that I had in store,I would eventually implode from exceedingly compressed ecstasy. Also, Iapologize for any unacceptable suggestions. I have no experience in the gamingfield, and thus I humbly acknowledge my inferiority. That said, I not onlyallow but prefer your developers to edit and modify my suggestions as needed.
Once again, I sincerely thank you for reading thisentire email and I wish you and your company a successful future.
Yours truly,Rawrmyun
