MapleStory M chain tour preview! What are the differences between the new MapleStory M? 8 pros and cons to be honest

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MapleStory N First Review: Childhood Memories Linked!

"MapleStory" is a classic MMORPG game that is a childhood memory of many Taiwanese people or still obsessed with it. But have you ever wondered if one day Maple Valley could land on the blockchain and let you earn while playing?

As early as 2022, NEXON announced the launch of the blockchain game version of "MapleStory N", although it is ambitious to challenge its largest IP, it is also questioned whether it is "following the trend" or wanting to be "Be Played for Suckers".

However, with the launch of the beta version and pre-launch activities of MapleStory N, this bold attempt has finally revealed its mystery.

What are the differences between MapleStory N and New MapleStory?

In the video we introduced before, some netizens were curious about the differences between "MapleStory N" and "MapleStory".

Indeed, from the perspective of game graphics and basic gameplay, there isn't much difference, but there has been a revolutionary change in the core economic mechanism. Moreover, the official has truly integrated the concept of blockchain into the game in a way that ordinary players can understand.

The following are the main differences observed by the author during the second testing phase of 'MapleStory N' compared to 'MapleStory'.

Operational difference: NEXON subsidiary operates international version directly.

"MapleStory N" is currently operated by Nexpace, a subsidiary of NEXON, while "MapleStory" is represented by Gamania. In other words, "MapleStory N" can be considered as the official international server, supporting multiple languages including Traditional Chinese.

In the second test, most of the initial Newbie tutorials, including the part about Block chain functionality, have been fully explained in Traditional Chinese, but the rest of the game content is still presented in English.

Although the translation is not perfect, if you are already familiar with the original content of "MapleStory," you will not encounter too many difficulties in playing.

Source: Screenshot of 'encryption City', provided by the test version of 'MapleStory N' with some Traditional Chinese

2 Occupational Difference: Currently Only Adventurers

"MapleStory N" second test version currently only provides adventurer occupations, which are warrior, bowman, magician, thief, and pirate, which is much fewer than the over ten occupations in "New MapleStory".

Difference in item acquisition methods: everything has to be obtained by fighting.

One of the biggest differences between MapleStory N and MapleStory M is that all in-game stores, including the point store (microtransactions), have been removed!

So potions, equipment, and even socketing must be obtained by killing monsters, and mesos in this version have become Nesolet, which will become NESO after minting, and can be used for official market transactions.

The number of items that can be obtained on each map is limited. Detailed acquisition probabilities can be found in the Rewards Dashboard.

The reward panel of 'MapleStory M' is divided into three categories: maps, bosses, and other content. Map rewards are given immediately after defeating small monsters, but rewards for bosses and other content are obtained through a lottery system after defeating them. You can check the Maple Coins, items, equipment, and point outfits you have obtained after completing the lottery.

Image source: Screenshot of 'encryption City' MapleStory N Chain Game Review: Reward Panel Game Item Introduction

Why change from having no upper limit to having an upper limit? The official explanation was that they wanted to introduce a supply and demand model based on real-world economics to improve players' reward experience and to extend the sustainability of the game.

When the equipment becomes a probability-based drop, it also makes the author have a greater reward feedback every time he hits the treasure. The probability is really quite low, for example, the drop rate of Unchained Warrior Hands in the figure is only 0.00024% (floating value), the drop rate of costumes, pets, and mounts is relatively much higher.

This may be related to the server chosen by the author (Server 1: Ainz), because the items have changed from infinite issuance in the past to limited issuance, and the supply-demand model has been introduced. As a result, players will become more competitive. If there are many players on the server, it may be more difficult to obtain mintable items or equipment.

The difference between virtual asset holding and trading: no longer relying on digital networks?

In MapleStory N, there are bold attempts in virtual asset ownership and trading. Through blockchain technology, players can mint the items they obtain into Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) or Fungible Tokens (FTs) on-chain, and even mint their trained characters, recording them on-chain.

These minted items can be directly dragged from the character's inventory to the Wallet inventory, and then can be traded through the official market, with NESO as the trading currency.

Image source: Screenshot of 'encryption City' MapleStory N chain game review: Introduction to game items holding wallets and trading markets

The overall feeling of using it is that the official market of MapleStory N is like a larger-scale and more functional auction house of MapleStory.

When you have been playing for a while and want to try a different profession, but don't want to start over, you can use NESO to buy a character, directly owning its equipment, costume, and pet, and there is no server restriction. These advantages seem to have the potential to compete with a certain digital network in the official market.

Image source: Screenshot of 'encryption City' MapleStory N chain game review: Introduction to game items holding wallets and trading markets

The difference in transparency of the probability of 5 items

MapleStory offers micro-transaction services, and players need to purchase items such as gacha tickets through Fiat Currency to obtain rare treasures, the probability of which is officially announced.

However, in "MapleStory N," since there is no shopping mall or any Fiat Currency payment system, all items are randomly dropped when fighting monsters, and the probabilities are clearly displayed on the reward panel, so players can enjoy a relatively transparent gaming environment in terms of drop data.

The difference between character growth and enhancement

In terms of equipment enhancement, star power, potential cubes, and reincarnation star fire can be used for enhancement. The first two can be purchased with NESO, and the prices will change regularly. The more special one is the “Illustration” collection system. As long as specific equipment that has been forged is placed on it, you can get an ability value bonus.

Source: Screenshot of 'Encryption City' MapleStory N Chain Game Review: Non-fungible Token Item Guide and Character Enhancement

The difference between 7 Token models and ways of making money

Players who have played MapleStory know that there are some valuable items in the game that can be traded for Fiat Currency through unofficial channels, but it is not so legitimate. However, MapleStory N has designed a more legitimate "reward method" called a trap.

Yes, Maple Valley players finally have a legitimate and officially permitted way to make money apart from the digital web!

This is where we will talk about the Token economy created by 'MapleStory N' combined with blockchain technology.

As previously introduced in the "encryption City", "MapleStory N" has two types of Tokens:

$NESO: The Token in the game MapleStory N, with a total upper limit of 10 billion. It can be used to buy things in the official market and to enhance equipment, but cannot be cashed out.

$NXPC: The native token of 'MapleStory N', with a total issuance of 1 billion, cannot be obtained in the game. It is speculated that it will be tradable on-chain in the future, generating real-world value and becoming the main source of in-game currency for players to earn money.

Image source: MapleStory Universe Explorer 'MapleStory N' Chain Game Review: Token Economy Introduction

During the testing phase, the way to make money in 'MapleStory N' is to earn points (Score) through strengthening equipment and market volume, PvP with other players, and rank before specific positions to receive Cryptocurrency rewards.

In short: Work hard to brush NESO and use it to make more upgrades and more trades, in order to improve your ranking and reach the top few.

Although the specific launch coin time of $NXPC has not been announced, players who have reached the ranking in the test version can receive hundreds of $NXPC rewards in the future, but the listing value and Airdrop time are unknown.

8 New Feature: on-chain data visualization chart

On the official website of MapleStory N, you can see MapleStory Universe Explorer, which records all on-chain data of the current test version, and there is an Analytics page where you can see visualized charts.

Players can intuitively see the current number of players, Tokenholder changes, market trading conditions, and even player retention and stickiness information.

Image source: MapleStory Universe Explorer "MapleStory N" chain game review: Introduction to on-chain data query

In the past, traditional players who wanted to analyze a mobile game or Steam game had to rely on unofficial channels to understand and estimate it indirectly. MapleStory N, on the other hand, makes a lot of information transparent, which helps data-loving players to understand the project's development status more easily.

In addition to Explorer, in the speech in July of this year, the official has mentioned another platform called Navigator, which is said to be a platform that can display various Non-fungible Token properties in the entire MapleStory universe project, and is expected to provide players with the basis for understanding the game and strategy.

Honesty about the 8 pros and cons of the MapleStory N online game test version

The main differences between MapleStory N and MapleStory 2 are roughly these. Next, I will share 8 pros and cons that I have experienced during the testing period.

Review of 'MapleStory N' Advantages

1 long term operation rather than speculation in the short term

Since the explosion of playing and earning in Axie Infinity, the blockchain gaming industry has been facing challenges after a bull and bear cycle. The industry lacks long-term projects that combine mature blockchain technology with business operations. Although there are many Tap to Earn games attracting speculative players this year, it is still focused on short-term speculation and difficult to promote the healthy and long-term development of the industry.

From multiple interviews and speeches, it can be seen that in order to reform the existing 'Inflation' problem in MMORPG, MapleStory N has clear design and planning. The official previously stated in an interview that the reason for bringing MapleStory to the blockchain field is to let it continue to thrive for another 20 years.

Further reading: Calling Taiwan! "MapleStory N" chain game executives reveal their ambition in an interview: aiming for Maple Valley to fight again for 20 years

Integrate Block chain and game experience smoothly, worthy of industry reference

The integration of Block chain and gaming experience in MapleStory N is one of the impressive aspects for the author in terms of smoothness.

From casting items, putting items into Wallet, and the speed of transactions on the official market can all be completed within 10 seconds. In the test version, the on-chain function is currently operated on the testnet, and there is no need to pay on-chain transaction fees (gas).

Although the game has integrated Blockchain functionality, the author believes that MapleStory players should be able to quickly get started because the game will have NPC introductions to the relevant functions in the early stages, and the official released point-earning missions (MapleStory Universe Genesis) will also allow players to experience the new features.

Image source: MapleStory Universe Explorer 'MapleStory N' Chain Game Pros and Cons Analysis: Web3 Mission System

When transitioning to a new economic model, balance was sought and initial setbacks were minimal.

Although items must be dropped by defeating monsters, there is no sense of frustration in the early stage of the game. Based on the experience of the author playing to about level 100, the official will give you novice equipment at every stage, and it is easy to pass the training, challenge, and simple/normal flame demon, help players transition to the new economic model.

Exclusive benefits for version 4 beta testers

Although the second round of testing for 'MapleStory N' was originally scheduled for deletion, the official team has recently extended the entire testing period and launched the 'Gear up' event. As long as you meet the specified conditions, you can select a well-trained fourth job character to bring to the official launch, including equipment, cosmetics, and pets (but some high-level equipment is not allowed).

Players participating in the test will have an advantage in obtaining rare treasures and earning NESO compared to players who join after the official launch, as they can challenge high-difficulty bosses in advance.

The Gear up event will continue until 8:00 am on December 23, 2024 Taiwan time. In addition to being able to take away characters, completing designated missions can also receive exclusive point outfits and other rewards, these encryption cities have been sorted before.

Further reading: Can you bring characters to the opening? MapleStory Link Game Test Plus, do these two things and run ahead of most people.

《MapleStory N》Review Cons

1 Language Barrier

As mentioned above, the traditional Chinese translation of 'MapleStory N' test version is not complete yet, and its official website (msu.io) does not have a Chinese page yet. The Web3 task platform Galxe used is also all in English.

For Chinese-speaking players who are not familiar with blockchain, although they can log in via social platforms using Face Wallet, the English interface will inevitably increase the level of understanding difficulty. In the early stages, they will rely more on Newbie guides and guild assistance.

2 Market Trading Matching Issues

During the testing period, the author often failed to use the popular market trading item 'Experience Doubler Voucher,' and there was no detailed explanation for the failure. Perhaps the order book matching system mechanism needs improvement? Although success was eventually achieved after multiple re-trading attempts, it did indeed affect the trading experience.

3 Server connection stability issue

The author chose the first server, Ein, and encountered at least 5 crashes and multiple stalls during the test period. The stalls mainly occur when elite monsters or other players enter the map.

However, this may be a case encountered only by the author, and the overall stability of the server is still mainly monitored by the official.

Compared to the content of "MapleStory", it is lacking.

Although there may be considerations for game balance and development time, MapleStory N currently only has the Adventurer class available for selection. For players of MapleStory, it may feel like playing a 'cut-down version'. It is worth following to see if it will be supplemented after its release or if it will be developed into a long-term updated class.

In addition, since the shopping mall has been removed, players who like to "freely dress up" still have to return to "MapleStory", and the point outfits in "MapleStory N" are obtained randomly, but the advantage is that you can obtain them without recharging.

Test of 'MapleStory N' attracts tens of thousands of active players, worth following for its sustainability.

From the data on the chain, the total number of players in the test version of MapleStory N is 470,000 (which may include studios and players with alternate accounts), and the average number of independent active WalletAddresses in the past week is around 40,000. After listing, pay attention to its sustainability and how to further expand the player base.

The biggest highlight of MapleStory N is the redesigned game economy system, which removes the traditional microtransaction store and creates a more transparent environment by combining clear treasure drop probabilities.

However, the design of profit-making mechanisms will inevitably attract the participation of studios, as well as over-the-counter trading among players, so it is worth following how the official will prevent unfair competition.

In addition, although there is an Airdrop activity for points before listing, it does not overly emphasize speculation for profit in promotion, which is very different from many short-term trading projects.

Even if "MapleStory N" may not completely change the chain game industry overnight, it undoubtedly takes an important step towards a more sustainable and player-centered game economic model.

"MapleStory N" Block game information

Game Title: MapleStory N

Game Type: Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG)

Corresponding platform: PC/Windows

Developer: Nexpace (a subsidiary of NEXON)

Technology Used: Avalanche L1 and Ava Cloud

Download location: Official website of MapleStory N

Supported languages: English (primary), traditional/simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.

The Maplestory N-chain game is ahead of its time! What are the differences between it and the original Maplestory? 8 pros and cons to be honest. This article was first published on 'encryption city'.