MapleStory 2 kicks off Project New Leaf, proposes removal of controversial fairfight mechanic
It’s always nice to see game devs listening to feedback from their communities, which is exactly what Nexon is doing with MapleStory 2’s recently announced Project New Leaf. The new initiative looks to create a direct and open channel of communication between players and devs, allowing players to voice their opinions on what kind of changes they’d like to see in the game while allowing the devs to quickly and efficiently gather feedback on proposed changes.
Project New Leaf will operate in cycles during which the devs will publish blogs detailing proposed changes “based on initial player feedback,” after which players can chime in with additional feedback for the devs to take into consideration before the changes eventually go live. And as it happens, the first of these blogs has already gone live, detailing the planned changes for the game’s March update for players to peruse.
The first of the proposed changes is the removal of the game’s fairfight mechanic. The mechanic, which adjusts players’ stats to keep dungeons challenging even as players become more powerful, was initially intended as “a system to keep players together while engaging in end-game content,” but the devs realize that the mechanic makes progression feel somewhat unsatisfying and tedious. As such, they’ve decided to remove it from all normal- and hard-mode dungeons. Fairfight will remain in place for world bosses, but to compensate, all world bosses will have their HP lowered by 60%.
The update is also planned to introduce Trader’s Ribbons, which will be added “as in-game rewards to address meso earnings and a little bit of the RNG problem.” These items will allow players to sell normally un-sellable, high-level gear on the game’s Black Market or to trade it with other players. There are a few additional details and caveats to this new system, however, so if you want to read all of the fine print (and, if you feel so inclined, provide your own feedback on the proposed changes), be sure to check out the full post on the game’s official site.
