Part 1

As we approach 2018, we looked back on the best and worst things that have happened in ROPH.

Furthermore, we'll be weighing the magnitude and effect of the said topics on the overall state of the game, and a solution that may help prevent history from repeating itself.

So stay tuned! This is gonna be one wild ride!

During these past 6 months, from closed beta up to present, is ROPH still worth playing?

Bringing ROPH back
Let's all admit it, we love Ragnarok Online and we're happy to hear the return of the biggest mmorpg in the Philippines

United once again
friends and family gathered once again to venture into the world of rune midgard, tightening friendships and bonds that everyone once had.

We're all grown up!
The return of the game is perfect for those who played the game at a young age. Now, we're all grown ups who can decide for themselves! Hooray!

We manage our own finances!
No need to ask for money from mommy and daddy! We know you can relate to this! As young adults, we now have a source of income of some sort to support ourselves from playing the game.

The nostalgia!
To die hard fans, it's like a fire that ignited their love and passion for the game. To hear and see the level up animation, the BGM of the login screen and Prontera, and who would forget the 99porings in novice training grounds!

False Advertising FAQ link here

To some, bots are like a virus that's slowly destroying the game. For others, it's an opportunity to take advantage of. ROPH was advertised as bot-free, thus encouraging tons of players to play. Few days later, some players managed to have a working bot, and a month later, bots are already for sale and their numbers are growing rapidly.

This leaves a lot of players disappointed to the publishers since the game was advertised as bot free.

As we all know, bots are an inevitable part of the game and the only way to eradicate them is by actively patrolling in-game.

The game should've been advertised as 'Bots are kept under control' But we all know that this will also result in false advertising.

RO's engine, AEGIS, is an old technology, and as the time goes by, software technology is improving rapidly while AEGIS remains the same. This creates an age gap between the two technologies, and in the right hands, the game is easy to penetrate with third party programs.

The solution? Implement an in-game Captcha

Unlimited Client

credits to Elven Jun for the image

In addition to advertising a bot-free game, It is also advertised that the game will not allow unlimited clients, at least will only allow 2-3 clients. Come 6 months and unlimited clients are still allowed.

This creates an imbalance and the game economy inflated rapidly. The value of zeny decreased while item prices increased. This proved troublesome to players who are just starting out.

The solution? Limit client count to what was initially advertised. This will greatly decrease the number of bots whom disrupts the game's economy, which in turn will stabilize the market.

Lag / Delay
Old problem, Still a problem

With today's technology, connection speeds shouldn't be a problem even if you have a crappy ISP. Remember when pRO first came out? 32kbps was already sufficient that time.

Ragnarok Online is more than a decade old and it witnessed the evolution of technology. But without any new features, one will just wonder how can a decade old game still underperforms with our current technology.

Server Location


This is probably one of the reasons why disconnections are frequent

Always remember that distance will affect your connection to the server. The farther you are, the higher the chance to experience latency.

It is known that ROPH servers are not hosted locally that's why most of the players are experiencing connectivity issues of some sort.

IP restrictions and VPN promotion


Announcement link here

Here's the thing: if only these 4 countries can access RO revo-classic, then why open it to countries outside of the 4 mentioned during CBT?

During CBT, the game was open to most countries, and everyone, especially OFWs were delighted. After CBT, all regions except TH, MY, PH, and SG were blocked and the solution that was given to players was to use WTFast.

WTFast partners page
It only means one thing, subscribing to WTFast will net profit for both companies.

It is also proven that using VPN will improve your connection to the game. So, some local players started subscribing.

The problem lies when local players still need to rely on VPNs just to play a local game smoothly.

The solution? Migrate the servers locally

Solution for players: VPNs offer free trials to new accounts. Create a new account when free trial expires.

Lack of quality testing

Quality testing is a common practice among developers to ensure that updates will work as intended. Negligence on quality testing will ensure failure not just on the system but also everyone involved.. just like what ROPH is facing right now.

20,000 Free cash points



Players became furious after hearing about the 20,000 free cash compensation to those who were able to get items that shouldn't be implemented yet.
the real winner here are the bots

This is a very bad move made by ROPH since it just tells us that paying players aren't that important to them.

here's another item that got removed
Here's the link

Did you see that difference? In comparison, the difference between the two amounts are astronomically high. Just so you know, 20,000 freecash points is around $40

Part 2

Questionable & Unnecessary Updates



We're sure that you noticed this as well. If you think about it, most of their updates have something to do with the cash shop.. even if there are other issues that needs attention.

it's been 20 days and still no resolution

We understand that getting the servers to a stable state takes time and money, but if it's already 6 months and the game's stability is far from getting fixed, then the chances are, players will question the publisher's credibility.

The least Electronics Extreme / Elite Global can do is to be transparent to the players as they are the lifeblood of the game. Without them, RoPH will cease to exists.

The solution? Don't cheap out on the game as it is showing on your services, and most importantly, keep your customers happy.

Skipping maintenance


We all know that maintenance is the time to rest(atleast for the hardcore gamers! lolololol) but it doesn't mean that the same applies to the publishers.

Maintenance is the time of the day where you take a system down and fix the bugs that were reported, or just add a new content. With tons of bugs that linger up to this day, one will just wonder how ROPH still manages to skip maintenance.

The solution? Keep track of the outstanding issues that needs immediate attention, take note of player reports, and genuinely do something about it.

Slow resolution

A wasted time is a wasted opportunity. If all decision needs approval from the higher ups, then prepare to lose customers. There are circumstances that immediate action will make or break the company, and this crucial moment will dictate the direction of the company.

False hope


If you don't know it yet, there is another ROPH group called ROPH Townhall Group where the only members are influencers like guild leaders, youtube stars, and people that have a wide range of audience.


This is a very promising group and members are eagerly sharing their ideas on how to improve the game and everyone's experience.

But then..

ROPH: Left for Dead?

So there you have it! The negatives may outweigh the positives, but once you start playing, you will surely be blown away by how wonderful the world of Ragnarok Online is!

Happy 2018 Everyone!!!

How would you define happiness? Some may say that happiness is as simple as playing with friends, reaching level 99, or participating in WoE. But for others, it's getting what they want... No Matter What.

Imagine your character with just an egshell and a sunglasses.

PRETTY COOL RIGHT?

Now image it having a 'Moving Golden Angel Wings' and 'Golden Angel Wings'.

Nah, that's impossible.

Recently, Electronics Extreme made it possible with the introduction of Xin Niar scrolls.

The downside? It's a game of Luck.

Here's the list of items that you can get from Xin scrolls

As you may have noticed, one item that you can get is Megaphone. Megaphones let you broadcast a message to the entire server you're in. With the number of frustrated players increasing day by day, you'll see broadcasts from time to time about how much they spent and got nothing special.

So we've decided to interview them.

---

Questions:

1. How much did you spend for Xin scrolls and how many were you able to purchase?
2. Do you think it's worth investing on these scrolls? why?
3. If Xin scrolls didn't get implemented, where would you have used the money?

---

Drizzt-

1. I bought 5 via zeny, then bought 40,000 Rok Points
2. Yes and No.
   -Yes, if you're lucky. Saves you time and money to buy the items that you'll purchase via Rok points.
   -No, if you're unlucky since most items are non-tradable.
3. I would've bought items to vend, and some that I will use.

JervsZ

1. Just tried 25pcs today.
2. You just have to gamble.
3. Hmmm... Bluepots

`Tarrasque~

1. I spent 4 thousand pesos, 100 scrolls
2. Yeah, why not. I'm a gambler.
3. Items? Probably BSB and Hardcore box.

FakeAgent1080p

1. 4,500 pesos
2. Yes. Good stats/High selling price
3. Gears/Supplies

Alchemist

1. 6k ExCash all xin scrolls
2. I enjoyed opening the scrolls, but it hurts.
3. (Alchemist) is not in the mood to talk with anyone.

Spietato

1. 20k Rok points, 50 pcs scrolls.
2. Not worth it to invest, but the experience of excitement that you might get a wing is priceless. It's a good experience overall.
3. If there's no Xin scrolls, I may have used the Rok Points for ESBs when they come out again.

GardoAngTagapagligtas

"PUSANG GALANG SCROLL TO! SANA NAG MANG INASAL NALANG AKO"

1. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Wasted 3,000 pesos for this useless thing.
2. (GardoAngTagapagligtas)There is no such character name or the user is offline
3. (GardoAngTagapagligtas)There is no such character name or the user is offline

Talondor

1. F*** THE SCROLLS!!!
2. (Talondor)There is no such character name or the user is offline
3. (Talondor)There is no such character name or the user is offline

Renovation

"T*** I** NYO ROPH!!"

puro tae lumalabas

1. Bought 60 Scrolls via zeny, 385k each for a total of 23,100,000 zeny.
2. If you have a lot of zeny, why not try to gamble. Those two precious wings are so OP
3. ESB for woe

'Divine

1. I bought maybe around 200+ scrolls. 100 yesterday and 120 today.
2. Not really. After all the scrolls I opened, I think my account is cursed.
3. Hmm, I'm actually looking for a War Axe. May have bought one instead.

PS: "Sana matauhan na yung iba"

Krent`

1. 10k Rok points, 25 scrolls, 1 Golden moving angel wings
2. Compared to the weather scroll, the answer is YES. The stats + Pogi points is worth it.
3. I wouldn't have spent any other than new useful headgears.. If there was.

Gutom

1. 389 Scrolls, 8k PHP and Zennies, 1 Golden moving angel wings. It's kind of frustrating but at the same time funny because I manage to get one.
2. Not really, because other than the wings, the rest isn't worth much. Overall, I'm happy because it's exciting to open scrolls.
3. Without Xin scrolls, I would've sold the Roks then push my luck on upgrading UPG equips.

Playing with RNG(random number generator) can be pretty rewarding or greatly devastating. We see players bought up to 1000 pcs xin scrolls and got nothing, while some lucky player only purchased 6 pcs and got a wing! Thanks RNG!

What if you got money to spend but don't really want to go as deep as 1000 scrolls? Maybe you can just buy the wings directly instead. It's the best compromise.

With the number of wings increasing daily, prices will surely drop. Last time we checked, Golden angel wings can be bought for just around 90m zennies. Which is still a lot by the way.

Aesthetically speaking, it really is worth it especially with characters that have matching color scheme. But if you're looking for items that will make you stronger, better look somewhere else.

For starters, Golden Angel wing is very hard to get. But it's very useful since it functions like a giant whisper card by itself and have a slot. Also, It's bonus greatly increases when upgraded to +7(You wouldn't dare). Additionally, it gives bonus stats when worn together with Moving golden angel wings.

Moving golden angel wings on the other hand, can be seen as less superior than the usual cash shop headgears which some players rely to. But if you also have a Golden angel wing, you may greatly benefit from this item.

These items are somewhat OP today since the server is still young. Come trans and these items will just be another item in the cart.

Once the server hits a year old or two, people will forget that these items exists and will move on to other 'Fancier' cash item.

But that's still in a few years! for now, it's the best thing around... Plus, it's Golden!

A few days ago, we published an article about the upcoming updates on the new server and job classes. We also looked back on the case of CBT items that were carried over to OBT. Now, RoPH is facing yet another scandal that will test their company.

This image was shared by a concerned player who asked RoPH's chat support about the duplicate items. The support said 'Yes', and people went ballistic after reading the conversation. From this point onward, things escalated quickly.

Names were dropped, screenshots were posted, and more people showed up with each of their own concern about the issue. Ragnarok Online Philippines is divided into two: Those who believe that dups exists and those who don't.

We're seeing reports that some 'Real Money Traders (RMT)' are selling the same kind of items on both servers. While this is perfectly fine, people are claiming that after buying a certain item from these sellers, another item of the same kind will be for sale again.

Additionally, some people claim that these sellers have an 'insider' on the company and only they can tell what miracle is happening there.

GLOCO, one of RoPH's influencer, asked everyone to give him more details about the issue so he can relay it to the publishers. His post gave hope to the gloomy players, and is like a hand reaching out to pull everyone up from the chaos.

People started sharing their experience and reports, and Gloco assured that he'll be raising these issues the next time he meets the publisher/s.

Recently, RoPH posted in their official facebook group: a google doc to survey quitting players about their reasons for leaving the game. A day after, an announcement about a new server was made: Chaos is coming! But it doesn't end here, there's also an announcement about the release of 2-2 classes! Wow!

Maybe you're asking yourselves, why? number of players are going down(from 30k to 15k) and yet they're going to release a new server, not to mention the release of 2-2 classes too.

If you look back on the announcements they made, it was said that the release of 2-2 classes will be within 6 months after releasing the game. It's understandable to have the alternate classes this early, but how about a new server?

If you remember, there are issues about CBT items getting carried over to OBT. This is a big hit to Electronics Extreme as the issue was not resolved immediately and players were able to save some of their CBT items from getting wiped. This includes, ESBs, Manuals, Headgears, Items and equips, and most importantly, cards. This alone creates an imbalance on the first day of OBT.

With lots of unsatisfied players, their Facebook page received a barrage of 1 star reviews and negative comments, up to the point of labeling them as 'worse than a private server'. Thinking that the review feature is adding fuel to the fire, they decided to turn it off.

Up to this day, CBT items are still around. We're also receiving reports that players still have their CBT items despite the 'announcement' made that these items will be taken care of.

For paying players, this incident alone puts CBT testers ahead of everyone, so, some decided to quit until a new server opens. This is where Chaos comes in.

If everything works out fine, Chaos will be the first 'official' server Electronics Extreme will release, and all players will start on an equal footing. No CBT items, no carry overs.

What does it have to do with Ragnarok Online? Well, for starters, it will have an impact on players' overall experience of the game. You may or may have not experienced it, but once we start to have a slow connection, let's all have a cool head and channel the anger somewhere else *poring wink*.

Nonetheless, internet companies are doing their best to compensate for the slow connection during the repair of these cables.