I usually try to avoid servers that don't interest me and never comment on anything related to them, but this server is something that caught my eye and I even looked forward to spending a few hours on it to see if it lives up to the awesome original post in this thread and all the features promised there. So I come on otland today and see that the server is up, read up on the thread and check the website... and to my (unfortunate) surprise, Archlight appears to be everything
opposite of what was advertised.
Just going to quote some things from this very thread's OP:
"We made ArchLight to fill a need for a professional RPG server."
Technically, any open tibia server is RPG. Subjectively (and speaking in those terms as they're widely accepted), to put it shortly, an RPG server is a story-driven adventure of character development and slow progression - and I think Archlight doesn't come close to that. Perhaps it would be better to advertise it as a mid/high-exp teleport adventure, just to let people know what they're getting into from the get go.
I think this is what all of us (ot developers) are striving for, but expecting to have a balanced server with such power gaps between donators and regular players is nothing but silly, not to mention that the spells themselves are somewhat iffy between different vocations in terms of power scaling. I think your donation items, as long as they exist in the current state, will always be a source of many important problems, one of them being this one.
"And a long lasting server."
At the rate things are unraveling over here, Archlight's (at least the first run's) longevity is debatable. I've had the misfortune of having to take down my server multiple times due to stupid mistakes, but a well-deserved restart is super justified if the next release fixes all the problems and provides people with a more pleasant experience. If you do come to a situation where you're thinking about restarting to start on a clean page, do it sooner rather than later.
"Archlight has been developed by a professional mature group, one not here to launch an ot and take it offline 1 month later.
A professional group not here to make outrageous donation items to make a quick buck."
Which is why you can buy super powerful gear for any vocation, and a ton of other tools, gadgets and character perks. Right?
Gosh... looking at your shop system on the website was probably the thing that ruined this all for me. I truly understand how expensive server hosting can be and that you have to provide some kind of a donation/reward-in-return system, but if you ever want to develop a game with less balancing issues, less bad reputation and less problems in general,
avoid character-empowering features that can be bought. No matter if they can be obtained ingame at some point too, offering people power for money simply reeks of greed, carelessness and
will leave a bad mark on both the developer and the server.
Do you want Archlight's name to remain carved in OT history as "
that fun teleport serv we used to play all year long and raid dungeons with our guild" or as "
ahh.. you mean that pay2win shit when those 2 donor guys wiped out my guild? **** that".
There is always a better way and probably an
infinite amount of things you can offer in return for some humble donations, but those things should never be powerful equipment items and empowering perks.
People should donate out of support for your work and your server, and because they
want to help you pay the next month's hosting expenses so they can keep playing - not because they must donate to progress anywhere above the other donators who are super privileged due to their money. You also have to keep in mind that there are people who can't afford to spend money on games. If they had money to spend, they'd most likely be playing paid games that are managed better, are designed better and are more modern, with more features and players - and not a private server of an ancient rpg game that's already in its downfall.
Like... letting people to play until level 20 and then saying "Okay, if you enjoyed it and you want to play more, pay a fee of 10€ and permanently gain access to all features" is more favorable than having super powerful donation sets (in my opinion). Those donations don't allow donators to climb the ladder faster, they allow them to ride the elevator.
Just by analyzing this, you can see how deceitful and hypocritical you sound in that advertisement.
It pains me a bit, just because good custom servers are very hard to come by these days.
I hoped this would be something I could relax playing when I have some free time, but I think I'll be skipping it until some changes are made (if ever).
I sincerely hope you don't take my post as offensive, I'm just trying to point out some things that you could improve, and I'm willing to share some ideas as well, if need be.
I still have hope that you will do the right thing and avert disaster by making some small but necessary changes. The server seems fun to play and it would be a huge pity if it fell apart due to something that could've been quickly fixed at the start. Good luck!
Also, here's a small spelling mistake I found on your website that you might want to fix:
The Guardian vocation page has the vocation name misspelled in the title.