Nostale Classic

I have played Nostale for a long time, starting maybe more than 10 years ago when seeing someone being at level 99 was like witnessing a VIP. Personally, I think the new generations of players have moved away from MMOs, and in its current state I'm pretty sure Nostale can't attract new players, meanwhile older players are quitting and the player base is probably shrinking to a critical point. In my opinion, having a Classic+ server, with of course a lot of QoL updates and settings from the start, could give Nostale a new appeal, not only to older players, but even to the new ones. Yes, I am aware that a new Classic+ server cannot be free and GF and Entwell would have to evaluate a lot of things before doing something like that, but if I were them I would at least consider thinking about it.
For me, the new server should be like this:

• Level capped at 99;
• Starting from Act 1 to Act 4 or 5;
• Multiaccount is not allowed at all;
• New acts and raids progression is tied to all players' progression. Slower progression = slower updates;
• The best and most useful QoL features are already implemented;
• Events giving a few non-saleable items, such as pets or upgrade scrolls (Nosmall should always be the first source of items, otherwise the game would die);
• For future updates: champion level won't ever be added, so players won't have to spend months farming for exp, and when new acts are added they will already be ready for new raids (who likes fomo?). I know ancelloans are (probably) the best-selling item, but I also think that a lot of players quit because of this levelling system (and then move to illegal servers... so maybe cutting off champion level could even help with this). Pets, partners and items with exp effects would be adjusted. There would be enough time to balance champion level acts and raids to a non-champion level game.

This new server could start as a test, being a "Nosfire classic+ server". If this succeeds, it's good for both us and GF/Entwell; if it doesn't, the server could be merged like they always do. Again, this is the honest opinion of a player who grew up with Nostale: I know it can't be unbiased, but please take it for what it is.

Quote from SolidMicky

I have played Nostale for a long time, starting maybe more than 10 years ago when seeing someone being at level 99 was like witnessing a VIP. Personally, I think the new generations of players have moved away from MMOs, and in its current state I'm pretty sure Nostale can't attract new players, meanwhile older players are quitting and the player base is probably shrinking to a critical point. In my opinion, having a Classic+ server, with of course a lot of QoL updates and settings from the start, could give Nostale a new appeal, not only to older players, but even to the new ones. Yes, I am aware that a new Classic+ server cannot be free and GF and Entwell would have to evaluate a lot of things before doing something like that, but if I were them I would at least consider thinking about it.
For me, the new server should be like this:

• Level capped at 99;
• Starting from Act 1 to Act 4 or 5;
• Multiaccount is not allowed at all;
• New acts and raids progression is tied to all players' progression. Slower progression = slower updates;
• The best and most useful QoL features are already implemented;
• Events giving a few non-saleable items, such as pets or upgrade scrolls (Nosmall should always be the first source of items, otherwise the game would die);
• For future updates: champion level won't ever be added, so players won't have to spend months farming for exp, and when new acts are added they will already be ready for new raids (who likes fomo?). I know ancelloans are (probably) the best-selling item, but I also think that a lot of players quit because of this levelling system (and then move to illegal servers... so maybe cutting off champion level could even help with this). Pets, partners and items with exp effects would be adjusted. There would be enough time to balance champion level acts and raids to a non-champion level game.

This new server could start as a test, being a "Nosfire classic+ server". If this succeeds, it's good for both us and GF/Entwell; if it doesn't, the server could be merged like they always do. Again, this is the honest opinion of a player who grew up with Nostale: I know it can't be unbiased, but please take it for what it is.

I don't really agree that players are moving away from MMOs as a genre. I think it's more accurate to say that players are moving away from MMOs that rely heavily on P2W mechanics and aggressive monetization.

There are still plenty of examples showing that people are willing to play MMOs when the game itself is good and the monetization isn't constantly getting in the way. Warframe, for example, still has around 60k concurrent players on average, despite being over a decade old. Tibia is another great example — a game that's more than 20 years old and can still reach tens of thousands of players online.

So in my opinion, the problem isn't that people don't want to play MMOs anymore. It's that they don't want to invest their time into games where their progress or competitiveness can simply be bought.

That's why I believe a game like NosTale Classic could still work. If you give players a fair progression system, a strong community, meaningful content and, most importantly, avoid turning the game into a P2W shop simulator, there is still an audience for this kind of MMO.

It is precisely because most MMOs for the last many years have been turning more and more p2w the genre has been kind of dying or only attracts the gamble addicts who barely care about the game in the slightest and simply wait to get their fix by pulling on the next banner.

But at least the gacha-type of live service games tend to be honest from the very start they clearly say what they are. While on the other hand you see typical MMOs starting very f2p friendly and then very firmly change their tune in 2 years or so becoming more and more p2w through similar added mechanics, RNG, and monetization - of course leading to losing most of their player base in the process and then end their service eventually as the gamble addicts in this scenario are not as many to keep the game alive like they are/would be in the gacha-type of MMO scenario.

Besides who would want to play on dead servers? - hence why once server merges start aggressively in MMOs is the very clear first indicator (aside from the dead servers) that the game is in clear decline and shrinking.

I also think the western gamers especially have moved on from the grind type of games that require a lot of time in the same repetitive tasks and you can see how many big MMOs nowdays struggle to balance that and work on fresh new ideas to step in to fill the void, even Final Fantasy 14 with the upcoming expansion are working on ground-breaking ideas reworking their entire battle system, trying to reduce repetitive tasks and come up with new ideas to replace them.

Our time is limited, our money is more limited than ever before as well on the most part, games that don't adapt accordingly will fade out.

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Now about the Nostale classic the story and levels ratio could also be compressed, even if they include future acts as time goes on, 99 be absolute max but you don't have to reach 99 level with act 5, but maybe something like level 50 especially with time spaces tied to story becoming much less in number in later acts you can spread it across much more nicely without ever needing to introduce champion levels.

Besides I am of the opinion there are much more creative ways to introduce and progress-lock new gear even when we reach 99 level without introducing new levels to be able to use them.

Act 6 can easily just be +5 levels, then act 7 the same and so on, assuming with act 5 max is somehow level 50, with all the current acts the max level would be 75 so still room for future building.

I would also cap the levels with the acts, if lets say act 1 is from level 1 to 20, till they release act 2 the max level will be 20.

They could build some backup experience to slightly reward older players who hit max for some time and once the cap increases when you gain normal experience by killing anything you will also be taking something like 10% on top of it from the backup experience giving you a small boost and no experience really ever be lost even when you reach the max level.

Honestly, even though it’s clear that there is interest from the community, I’m still quite skeptical that NosTale Classic will happen. At the end of the day, it’s the company that has to develop and invest resources into it, and so far they haven’t really shown any support or spoken in favor of the idea. I’d love to be proven wrong, though.

I also wanted to add something about the NosMall, because I think this could be an important part of making a Classic+ server financially viable without making it heavily P2W.

Personally, I don't think the solution is to remove the NosMall. The bigger problem with the current NosMall, in my opinion, is that only a few specific items have real value to players, while a large part of the shop is basically ignored.

One system I would seriously consider is something similar to Warframe's Platinum. The premium currency could be bought with real money, but it could also be traded between players. This would mean that a player who doesn't want to spend real money could still obtain premium currency by playing the game, obtaining valuable items and trading with other players.

At the same time, players who have more money than time could buy the premium currency and use it to trade with players who have more time than money.

Gold could remain the normal in-game currency for NPCs, upgrades, crafting and the regular economy, while the premium currency would be used for NosMall-related things.

This way Gameforge could still have a profitable NosMall, while F2P players would also have a way to participate in the premium economy. It would also make the NosMall feel more like an actual part of the game's economy instead of a shop where only a handful of items are worth buying.

And sorry for comparing NosTale to Warframe so much in this discussion 😅, but I think they genuinely did their homework when it comes to P2W and monetization. Their system gives players relatively equal opportunities when it comes to in-game strength, regardless of whether they spend money or not. I think there are some lessons that could be taken from that approach.

Tibia also has a somewhat similar system with Tibia Coins. They can be bought with real money, but players can also buy them from other players using in-game currency. This means that someone who wants to spend real money can do so to save time, while someone who doesn't want to spend money can simply grind and earn enough in-game currency to buy Coins from another player. They can then be used for things like XP boosts and other premium features.

I think something like this could be a good middle ground between keeping the game profitable and avoiding the feeling that you can simply buy your progression.

Hello, I would like to take part in the discussion as well. Today I watched the announcement video for WOW Forever, and it reminded me of when I used to play NosTale. So I searched for "NosTale Classic" on Google and came across this thread. I wanted to join the discussion.

I agree with the community's opinion: I would keep the level cap at 99, preserving the philosophy of the original NosTale, removing the Champion level system and multi-accounting, and bringing Glacernon back to life.😊

Hi everyone, I’m a Nostale veteran who left the game a long time ago.

First off, I want to mention that I had trouble registering on the site—I wanted to reply a while back but only just managed to sort it out—and I’m worried others might be trying to log in to reply but facing the same issues.

But let’s get to the main point:

Nostale Classic

For quite some time, a group of long-time friends and I—people I’ve stayed in touch with over the years (Kirari, TheWarryor, EpicPro, SoulBlazing, SoFortAssay, Siengried, Byakuya)—have been discussing a potential return to Nosville. However, we’ve been heavily put off by the new style of gameplay.

There are several issues worth mentioning:

Champion Level

Glacernon

Aggressive Multi-accounting

Depopulation of the old maps.

Ideally, we’d love the chance to return to a server where the level cap is 99 (without Champion levels) and the content stops at Act 6.1—both for the sake of story continuity and because the dual-choice weapon system [Inferno/Heaven] was fantastic.

Game quality has suffered over time, especially regarding Glacernon; it’s no longer vital for weapon upgrades or for obtaining R7 shells—which used to drop from raid bosses and offered the most powerful runes in the game.

We also need to curb the aggressive use of multiple accounts.

I know many players who stuck with the game might complain (without any real justification), but in my opinion, a "Nostale Classic" server would be a breath of fresh air and would guarantee the return of 90% of the old community.

My best years online were spent on Nostale, and as a skilled player, I can say this would primarily boost the game's population—something that would ultimately benefit GameForge as well.

Best regards,

Infinity♥️

Sorry double repost

It's incredible how we discuss about nostale classic and the chance to get a divergent support from modern Nostale, including new content, and blizzard with WoW just did the thing we desire for Nostale Classic. Isn't something to atleast discuss for the Heads of Gameforge?

I totally agree with the general consensus.

Games like World of Warcraft went all-in on 'Classic' and it was a huge hit!

I think it's high time Nostale gave this project a shot, too.

Flyff used this "classic" strategy, and it was a huge success! (Flyff Universe)

I think NosTale should seriously take a leaf out of its book.

J'avais réalisé une courte maquette pour avoir un aperçu de ce à quoi un tel projet pourrait ressembler.

https://drive.google.com/file/…b0y28/view?usp=drive_link

I also saw the announcement of WoW Forever, and I think it's worth mentioning in this discussion because it's a very interesting example.

Blizzard is showing that it's possible to build on the foundations of an old MMORPG without simply copying the original game exactly, keeping the old philosophy of progression and community while still developing new content.

That's pretty much what I would imagine for a possible NosTale Classic: slower progression, early-game content becoming relevant again, a fresh economy, and strong limitations on multi-accounting to bring groups, families, trading and cooperation between players back to the center of the game.

NosTale and WoW are obviously very different games and operate on completely different scales, but WoW Forever at least shows that this kind of project is far from being an outdated idea.

Hello, I am a long-time fan of Nostale and just like everyone here I would be really excited for a Classic version.

But can Nostale Classic truly be a success?

If they simply release the old version of the game with none of the aforementioned QoL improvements it will certainly fail even with a passionate community behind it, people will realise that the game just isn't fun for a multitude of reasons. To name some, there is virtually no content other than questing in the early game; if they make Exp gains slower that means you spend more time in the early game with nothing to do and it will get boring fast. Walking, no pay to win means no mounts and walking everywhere is a pain especially when you have to constantly move from one npc to another. Severe lack of polishing and improvements over 20 years. Things like typos, UI images, tutorials, text boxes among other things are the exact same as from 20 years ago. The game is very outdated and all these things combined will drive away new players and old players will get bored quickly and quit.

However with the right approach I am confident it will be a success. There is clearly a lot of demand for Classic and the game at its core is really fun. Some things they could implement is give meaningful/exciting rewards for the individual time-spaces. Give players a free mount from the start, something like a bike gifted by Mimi to start your adventure that gives +15 speed. Give the time-spaces some sound effects and visual effects, a simple screen shake or explosion sound effect would go a long way. Oftentimes I was in a time-space completely oblivious that something intense was happening in the story.

Needless to say monetisation is the main driving factor when it comes to whether or not they take on this project. It's a lot more lucrative to milk their existing player-base in the form of gambling than to spend resources and make an entirely separate game. Because, it will split the player-base which means less gambling money from their main game. Selling things like skins are a 1 time purchase which means they have to constantly churn them out to make a profit (look at Valorant). Which is why I think it's highly unlikely they will ever consider this project sadly.

Thank you for reading, I just want to say despite my critiques I still love this game a lot and want the best for it. Please let me know your thoughts.

We're all sitting here discussing ideas, developing concepts and trying to figure out what a potential Classic+ could look like — but where is the other side of the table? Everything we're discussing here is great, and honestly, I think a lot of the ideas being brought up actually make sense. It's really interesting to see how this discussion has developed from simply asking for a Classic server into discussing how a potential Classic+ could actually work. But I think there is still one major issue: we don't really know whether anyone on the Gameforge side who is actually responsible for the game is paying attention to this discussion. At this point, we have around 17k views and five pages of discussion, with players, veterans and even Team members contributing ideas and sharing their experiences. We're discussing progression, monetization, QoL, multi-accounting, the economy, family systems, old content and many other aspects of what a Classic+ could look like. But we still haven't really heard anything from the people who are actually responsible for making decisions about NosTale. Of course, we can keep exchanging ideas and developing the concept among ourselves, and I'm glad we're doing that. But at some point the question becomes: is any of this actually reaching the people who could do something with it? I'm not expecting Gameforge to announce a Classic server tomorrow. I think most of us understand that decisions like this take time and require much more than community interest. But even a short statement from someone higher up, acknowledging that the discussion has been noticed and that the feedback will be considered, would be really valuable. Otherwise, we're basically sitting here designing a Classic+ together while having no idea whether anyone on the other side of the table is even listening.

I also agree that, at this point, it seems pretty clear that part of the community is genuinely interested in this project.

I also think it's important not to treat the forum and Discord as if they represented exactly the same audience. They are different communities, with different users and often different opinions and expectations.

That's why I think the question raised by Ponurniak is probably the most important one in this whole discussion: is anyone actually listening to what we're saying?

I'm not necessarily expecting a positive answer or an announcement, but it would be interesting to know whether this feedback is at least being collected and taken into consideration, or whether we're simply discussing it among ourselves without these opinions ever reaching the people who make the decisions.

fatto questo preambolo, io spero si possa portare avanti un ragionamento, che faccia tornare Nostale allo splendore iniziale ovvero con il minimo indispensabile, si possa realizzare e spero che ritorni la bellezza che era una volta questo gioco, ma sono sicuro che tanti veterani che come me vorrebbero tornare, ma non possono farlo. Saranno più che felici di riaprire questo splendido gioco, se fatte le giuste cose.
Saluti Da Kirari