[Other] 64DD!

The commercials with the guy shouting Rokuyondīdī! will forever live rent-free in my head...

Causality. It's a thought process that I keep coming back to. As a hobbyist in both gaming and LEGO, an important moment in history that has shaped both hobbies was the cancellation of the SNES-CD. Without it, we wouldn't have had the Playstation and Nintendo's attempt to answer it: the 64DD. The 64DD's been on my wishlist for over fifteen years, and after a few failed attempts I've finally managed to save up enough for one and bought it earlier this year.

The 64DD is a Japanese exclusive add-on to the Nintendo 64. It adds a boot menu and a drive for specialized floppy disks to the console. These disks could either be games exclusive to the 64DD, or expansions for existing games. It was bundled with an online service, but the entire platform lasted only 15 months. Little over 15.000 units were sold.

Nintendo had big plans for the 64DD. It was intended to be released with the console, but it went through development hell. By the time it was ready, it was too late as the GameCube was already around the corner. Thus, the 64DD stayed in Japan. While it was planned to have dozens of disks developed for it, only ten ended up released: eight games, one expansion and one for the online service. The way the 64DD works and how it communicates with the console could warrant its own blogpost! Fun fact: when this add-on was available, I never even heard about it or saw it advertised at our local media store, despite living in Tokyo at the time. I didn't discover it's existence until the early days of Youtube.

Nintendo made sure that the short-lived 64DD wasn't in vain though, as they took the best ideas and repurposed them for the GameCube, Wii and DS. It's too much to go through for a blogpost, but there's a lot of good videos about it. It's hard to believe that if the contract between Sony and Nintendo didn't fell through, many of my favorite games wouldn't exist, and more importantly: LEGO wouldn't have gone nearly bankrupt. That's like, half of my niches and identity!

The F-Zero X Expansion Kit provides us an extremely comprehensive track editor. You can really go nuts with this one...

So, what's the reason why I wanted to have the 64DD? It's simple. Games! For some weird reason, none of these games have ever been re-released at all. Stuck on the 64DD. Doshin the Giant was remastered for the GameCube, but it's such a drastic departure from the original that it's hardly the same experience. But there's one 64DD floppy that eclipses all: the F-Zero X Expansion Kit! It's the sole reason to get a 64DD - the true killer app. It's ironically also the only expansion kit that came out for the 64DD, seeing as the 64DD was intended to have many more developed for it.

Talking about the F-Zero franchise warrants its own blogpost though, which I might do at some point. But I have to say, F-Zero X with the expansion is a significant upgrade. I think I might even prefer this over F-Zero AX, which I otherwise would've considered the best in the series. But speaking of AX... that's definitely going to be a story for another day.

But before I wrap up today's blogpost, I'll have to clarify that I'm not aiming for a complete 64DD library. While I have six out of the ten disks, Doshin 2 and Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 are not worth the insane price. I am planning to get the two other Mario Artists games at some point, though. There's also plenty of other N64 games that I want, but until then I'm going to enjoy my time with my good ol' friend, the Nintendo 64. Now fully decked out, the way Yamauchi intended.

That's it for today - I'll see you guys again next post!

[EMS] 17 years of Rayque!

Hi guys! Today's the 30th of September. I've been playing EMS daily for 17 years now!

Past year has been a wild ride. First year of 6th Job and it started out strong. It's a shame though that we have to wait a bit longer for the next skill wave, but Holy Fountain as our next 5th Job skill is fantastic. KMS has been substantially improving the game by addressing the many fundamental problems that were created in its early years. It continues to move forward, even if some decisions were difficult to make. If anything, Changseop's tenure is very much like Anna's.

Unfortunately I don't share that enthusiasm for EMS, looking back at the past year, or the three years after Anna left. In fact, management is in a worse state than between post-migration and Anna's temporary return. Sally was supposedly her successor, but left quietly at some point. Hyun (who's presumably Mjolnir) took over with Dennis and Inkwell joined earlier this year. Under their management, EMS has gone backwards and the future isn't looking great either. It's hard to be excited for any KMS update when the GMS team openly flaunts they might not implement any of it. Dare I say, it's become hard to be excited for anything related to EMS at all, in general. You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

Last year I expressed "if only they could do something about gear progression", and that happened. Potential in its entirety got reworked the same way that happened when Enhancement Scrolls became Star Force. The rework is a straight upgrade; you'll always have the maximum tier up rates, there's a guarantee on rank-ups and it even has the before/after choice for both Potential types. It no longer requires Maple Points - it's become mesos-only. This way it's no longer affected by the fickle Meso Market as pricing is now at a fixed rate. This is the update that Maple needed the most for over a decade. But as you know by now, only KMS has it. Other versions have no plans to get it, even though Maple Coin Exchanger pretty much is a direct upgrade revenue-wise. They killed their golden goose. What a shame.

If I had to make an educative guess for the future of EMS under the new management, is that Nexon's long-term plan for EMS is to consolidate Reboot with Luna and to reintroduce the original geo-blocking from 2007-2016. Reboot is on its way out, even here. I'm surprised it took them this long because Reboot repeats all of the same mistakes that the Supreme server did. It really is a repeat in history, although you'd be hard-pressed to find people that understand this. Knowledge on Supreme has always been esoteric. Anyone able to tell me the three revenue models for Supreme?

But why do I expect geo-blocking to return? It's because the GMS servers continue to siphon European players away. I can't imagine EMS staying financially viable for another decade, unless hard calls are made. Keep in mind that in only six years, we've gone from every channel almost full to more or less empty. Whales can only contribute so much.

According to the rankings, we've only had about 20.000 characters (not accounts or people) on Luna this September. Specifically, characters that have gained any EXP. This week, it's only been 6000 characters*. To give you an idea on how few 6000 is: every week I gain any EXP on about fifty. Granted, I'm an outlier in that regard. But with how Union artificially inflates the character count, we're realistically looking at only a few hundred weekly recurring players at best.

*I specifically keep Level 10 mules to be able to monitor these statistics. Next year we'll discuss how little EMS has recovered from the 2016 purge, as we'll be nine years pre-migration versus nine years post-migration. Yes, we're at that point in 2025. The post-migration numbers are concerning.

If there's anything most people seem to be unaware of, is that GMS/EMS is a small percentage in Nexon's revenue and that Nexon themselves report that it has a staggering operational cost for how little it generates. For that reason do I have a hard time believing a larger team and branching off the KMS roadmap can be financially justified unless they're planning to offset these costs by doubling down on monetization. The fewer players would need to pay more.

Anyway, don't forget that Changseop and Inkwell are both working under Wonky. Same plan. Although that doesn't mean that each team produces equal results. Obviously I'm curious to see the updates they're hyping up for the next two years, but I haven't forgotten the damage Inkwell and his prior did to MapleStory in its early years and how often EMS steered away from it. Fun fact: some KMS stuff we're not getting are those that changes Inkwell's old stuff. Oh.

Jokes aside, the last thing I want for EMS is to remain in a status quo. That's why I was excited for those major KMS updates, especially the rework for Additional Potential. With European Maple Points skyrocketing in price, it currently costs 400m (!) for a single Additional Potential reroll in EMS. And that price is only going up. It's also without the before and after selection. Imagine how expensive this becomes after totems are back, as that'll cause even more inflation. So much for addressing spawn modifiers over the past couple of years. All of that effort gone just for a quick buck.

And even if we dismissed the Potential rework, as far as basic changes from KMS are concerned, there's a lot we do not have. Guaranteed Potential rank ups, reduced Star Force costs, dynamic Boss Crystals, Maple Coin Exchanger, no more paid battle passes* and Sol Erda from Reward Points to name a few. Having daily caps for mesos and Sol Erda would've further helped to contribute towards an even playing field, get players to do dead content and combat inflation while also keeping the prices for staple goods in check. There's only one good roadmap: catch-up with KMS.

*These passes used to be generous and worth spending mesos on. Nowadays they are more expensive and stingy, and have outdated rewards.

I'm sure that the new World Tour content will be fun 'n all, especially considering we haven't had many good ones in years. It's just that in the grand scheme of things, we need those drastic updates more than World Tour fluff. Look no further than how quickly abandoned that budget-shattering Phantom Forest revamp became. And as far as expensive efforts go, it's such a shame to then also leave out parts of KMS updates. Destiny, Ignition and New Age started that roadmap in improving the game drastically and we would've continued that streak of good will with the Dreamer and Milestone updates, weren't it for all of this. Then we also have to talk about the inevitable "Inkwell spaghetti code"...

But I digress. Regardless, past year did see good progress. Level 285, two Hyper Burnings and 9000 Union. Most of my equipment has Legendary Additional Potential and there's only one Grandis symbol left until 290. Although within the current economy, it's starting to become really difficult to proceed much further. Trade restrictions are a pain, and those monthly (Reward Point) Additional Potential cubes are worthless since we should've had the rework by now. Both Star Force and Additional Potential have become such poor value that I'm better off redoing my equips, rather than continuing with what I have. As such in the next upcoming year, I'm expecting to have my first pieces of Eternal. 

Level 290 is likely to happen by the end of next year, as event EXP adds just enough to make that possible. Wouldn't be possible without (paying). As for 6th Job progression, Raging Blow VI is maxed out and I should have Sol Janus done before the end of the year. After that I'll max out Rage Uprising VI and start boosting some 5th Job skills. Next year we should have our guild Level 28 and have most of the Guild Castle unlocked. There's still a lot left to do, huh?

And let's not forget that this year also saw the release of the Destiny blogpost, which I was working on for almost two years. It's only been five months but KMS has introduced some changes that does solve some issues. Coincidence? Probably. But any change is any, and I'll gladly take them. That was the point of that post: to move (the game) forward.

Anyway, that's it for today guys. I'll see you guys again next post. The journey continues!

[EMS] Level 285!

Nice, and that unlocks the sixth Grandis symbol. Carcion's story was a bit clichéd at times, but the overall character development and story progression are good. I have a suspicion about what the writers are cooking...

I'll be monitoring the daily EXP yield for the next couple of weeks and estimate how long it'll take to reach Level 290. Hit Level 285 a few months earlier than expected, so I might be able to reach Level 286 before the end of this year.

Sol Janus is Level 24 and I'll need 60 Sol Erda to max it out. Assuming that High Mountain's 4x bonus EXP isn't as effective anymore past 285, I'm considering to keep my leftover Maple Points and start saving up mesos for Eternal. Plus, I've gone way over budget in Bugcat Capoo crossover items. This year alone I've spent over 30 billion mesos (!) in crossover events lol. Worst part is, I cannot transfer these to Rayque as long as the trade restrictions are at play.

By the way, it's unlikely that I'll have the 6th Job blogpost published this year. There were numerous unforeseen issues with one of my LEGO projects and that has moved most of my plans for this year to 2025. My health hasn't been doing great either, so productivity remains limited. Crest of the Solar's blogpost shouldn't take more than a few weeks. I think I'm going to aim for an October or November release. Writing that 6th Job blogpost however, is going to take a while.

Oh, and the next two High-Dex Hero videos are finished. One last quality-check and they're good to go.

That's it for today - I'll see you guys again next post!

[EMS] Level 284, Hyper Burning #4 and more!

Last month's blogpost has aged like milk. But in this case, that's a good thing.

After asking around I found a Maple Points supplier. It's not easy to find one in EMS because it requires Maple Point vouchers to be gifted, and gifting items from the Cash Shop can only be done by paying. It's the only way as a trade-restricted player to get your hands on Maple Points in bulk, as we don't have access to the Meso Market. Suppliers in Luna are also in high demand, as many trade-restricted players* are competing for the few that are left.

*Keep in mind that a large portion of EMS players are from The Netherlands, and that EU Reboot players are also participating in our Meso Market.

That said, I'm planning to only exchange mesos for Maple Points until I either hit Level 285 or max out Sol Janus. The reason for that is because of the exorbitant pricing of Maple Points. You see, the mistake on my end was assuming that the pricing on Maple Points have remained stable and affordable as it has been for many years. But with many players moving to Reboot and the trade restrictions at play, the pricing for 60k Maple Points over the past few weeks has been at least 7.5 billion, and peaked at 9 billion (!) mesos two weeks ago. That's quite the monthly expense.

For reference, that amount can buy you Eternal gear or one of the commander accessories. 9 billion mesos a month isn't impossible for trade-restricted players, but without being able to sell high-value equipment and expiring vouchers you have to resort to dozens of hours of meso grinding. That isn't worth my time, plus the inevitable release of Maple Coin Exchanger is going to further increase the value of Maple Points. Without dynamic boss crystals and Potential revamp, progression in Luna is only going to get worse as inflation remains unchecked. Which is one of the reasons why I've been considering to replace my Amaterasu set with Eternal, but I'll save the explanation for a future blogpost.

Anyway, I hit Level 284 on the 3rd of this month and I'm expecting to hit Level 285 in early September. The Dreamer update has been incredibly generous with EXP rewards. The Guild Castle update from TMS look fantastic; I hope we'll see that soon here. That one is definitely going to help making Level 290 a possible milestone next year, alongside the release of Angler Company this Winter. Speaking of Guild Castle, I've recently maxed out the Cache of Greed skills!

Furthermore, I've hit Level 260 on my fourth Hyper Burning character yesterday. I initially planned to burn Viper, but seeing as how effortless it became I've decided to work on characters with the best Union effects instead. This time I picked Zero and I'm preparing Mercedes for the next season. Oh, and expect two High-Dex Hero videos soon.

Before I wrap up, a couple of other achievements of note: I've obtained all of the Pharaoh Treasure rewards and my shoes went to Legendary Additional Potential. I've also maxed out my Arteria symbol! But because I have to focus my mesos on Maple Points, I can't level up my symbols for now. And yes, I'm close to maxing out my Odium and Shangri-La symbols. Will I have these maxed out before I unlock Carcion's? Find out next episode, on Rayque's Blog...

That's it for today - I'll see you guys again next post!

[EMS] Level 283, Sol Janus and more!

The Dreamer update is here, alongside the new 6th Job skills and High Mountain!

Dreamer improves the levelling speed yet again - it's only been a month since I've hit Level 283 and I'm already close to Level 284. Daily EXP has increased with the release of Sol Janus, and High Mountain adds another 4% (!) a week. That High Mountain 4x reward rate is nuts. At this rate, reaching Level 290 next year is definitely going to happen.

Although, that's what I'd like to have said, weren't it for trade restrictions. Since, y'know, Maple Points are required for High Mountain and that's only a problem for trade-restricted players. EMS is currently having the worst of three worlds with half-assed game updates, meaningless developer memos and tone-deaf community responses. I'm starting to run out of Maple Points soon, despite I saved up a decade's worth of Maple Points (hundred thousands). That's two levels less a year for the same amount of effort, for absolutely no good reason. This damn country won't stop being a pain.

For many months I've been trying to write at length about the current direction EMS is heading, and how it's starting to buckle under a multitude of bad decisions that's been piling up since the 2016 migration. However, each time I end up finding myself just discarding all of that. Today was no exception. Truth is, writing about it makes me feel miserable. If I had to pinpoint my breaking point, it was Inkwell's return and his first decision to cancel the Potential revamp, to gloat about it and seeing players praise that snake feels like a dystopian nightmare. Doesn't bode well for future updates.

The decline of EMS at the hands of GMS is not a subject matter I really can avoid, but I prefer not to spend time on it because I already have enough on my plate as it is. To me, undying loyalty is everything. That is what having autism means. Expertise is your life, your identity and your only source of happiness. To be more machine than man. But to see decades of that remain unfulfilled is incredibly unrewarding. To be denied results because it's entirely in the hands of others is inhumane, and to be berated in every step of the way makes it worse. That's the godforsaken environment my entire life is, and nothing is exempt from that fact, not even those 202 months on Maple. Just let me cook, dammit.

That said, I'll do what I can. I've spent 18 billion mesos in Sol Fragments to secure Sol Janus Level 30, because I can't spend the mesos elsewhere (Guild Castle smuggling can only do so much). Maxing Sol Janus should be everyone's highest priority right now; it'd be foolish to do otherwise. Its return on investment is unmatched, as it makes every other progression faster, including 6th Job itself. Of course I've been thoroughly examining our 6th Job skills in preparation for that 6th Job blogpost. You'd be surprised to hear that Sol Janus Dawn is absolute dogwater compared to Dusk.

And last but not least: lots of Additional Potential cubes from events, so there's been three rank-ups to Legendary. It's certainly going to help, but not by much. Aside from these events, the lack of Potential revamp just puts everything to a complete standstill. I just find it baffling how everyone accepted the pitiful five monthly non-black bpot cubes with open arms, whereas they should've asked their "lord and savior" why he didn't give us the Potential revamp instead. The joke about "taking a different route from KMS" is that it goes both ways. Or if history taught us anything, only one way.

Anyway, I'll get back to work. I've finally managed to get that mechanism to work, somewhat. The beginning, at least. It's not quite there yet and there are still a couple of things to figure out before I can truly consider it "functional".

But that's it for today - I'll see you guys again next post.