MapleStory 2 – Public Alpha Test!

MapleStory 2’s alpha test is beginning!
We invite you to create a new beginning in Maple World with us.
Alpha Test: begins on September 17, 2014

Hey guys, it’s been a small dry spell since the next real server patch will be on the 28th but there’s some exciting news for MapleStory 2. The public alpha testing will take place starting September 17 until September 21. That’s five days of testing!
I’m not sure how they’ll be choosing testers (I’ll definitely try to apply) or if testers will be allowed to share images/videos but it’s going to be exciting for sure!


There was also another teaser image, this time with the archer instructor Oskhal, Guardian of Justice. He (she?) is also the leader of the Green Hoods, and the image came with this voice over. Looks like MapleStory 2’s NPCs will have voice acting?

MapleStory 2 – Perion Concept Art & kMSt ver. 1.2.512 – Star Planet Changes!

On the MapleStory 2 homepage, yesterday they released Perion concept art! I think it looks very cool, you can see specific details they are planning such as cloud platforms that disappear if you stand on them too long. I hope we get more of these for the other towns!
For MapleStory, a Tespia patch was released, with some changes to Star Planet and Mileage.


There were some changes to Star Planet in this patch. First of all, they added two new minigames: Star Omok (2 people) and Go! Mesorangers! (3~5 people). These games are not competitive like the other six, so they do not have rankings.

Now, when you enter Star Planet, your name will be changed to the character you have chosen to be your Star Planet candidate character.

The bulletin board in Star Planet’s centre square has been replaced by the Star Planet Top Ranking. This shows the top 100 people who have earned the most Star Points on that day (it used to only show the top 10 i.e. the Shining Stars).
They have also added a similar ranking, except for the minigame points, in the Star Game Station. You can now become a Shining Star by being in the top 10 of the overall rankings or being in the top 3 of the game rankings.

They added in a bunch of prizes based on your Star Grade, including action books, mounts, and even ways to customize minigames! You can choose different characters in Maple Yutnori, use different cards in One Card (such as Slimes and Mushrooms), and change the effects in Typing Defense.

Mileage from minigames has been changed slightly. For 1-player games, you get more Mileage based on your score but in games with more than 1 player, you get a higher flat amount (as opposed to scaling). Also, if you continuously play a game in one day, your Mileage rewards will be decreased.
Mileage in general has also been updated! Previously, Mileage could only be used to offset 30% of a Cash item’s cost (except in the Mileage Shop where you could buy things with only Mileage). However, they have now changed it that you can buy any Cash items with 100% Mileage!! This does not work in some categories though, such as beauty coupons and cubes (which will still have the old 30% discount maximum).

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MapleStory 2 Alpha Testing!

Yesterday, the Alpha testing of MapleStory 2 took place! Sadly, I don’t think they were allowed to take pictures or videos (because I can’t find ANY) but there was a ton of information that users posted which I have translated below!
In addition, closed beta testing is confirmed to begin in September! Exciting~


The alpha testing took place in Nexon Korea’s headquarters, and lasted about two to three hours. It begun with the tutorial of the game, followed by a boss fight with Griffon, then a minigame called Trap Master, the building system (although this was short) and a small demonstration of the customization.
STORY
The origin of the world’s life, time, and space are kept in balance by three wise men called Sages, in Lapenta. But dark forces (Balrog is shown) have broken the balance and put the world in crisis! Empress Ereb and the Sages, as well as many heroes tried to fight them but they could not win, so the Sages sacrificed themselves to seal away the power of darkness in Lapenta. Together with Empress Ereb and the heroes who fought with her, fight to protect Lapenta!
CONTROLS
Use your arrow keys to move around and climb ladders. <C> is used to jump, <Spacebar> allows you to talk to NPCs and use portals, <Z> is to loot. Items are required to be picked up but mesos are looted automatically.
Skills and items can be put on <Q,W,E,R,A,S,D,F/1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8>. To crawl, you can use <. + arrow keys> and to sit, you can use </>. You can change your point of view by pressing <[>.
STATS

• HP: also known as hit points or health points, when this hits 0 you will die. However, MapleStory 2 has a new Tombstone system. When you die, you drop a tombstone which if other people destroy, you can be revived! However, this can only be done once with a grey tombstone, the next time you die you will have a black tombstone that cannot be broken.
• SP: stamina points replace MP in MapleStory 2, are consumed when using skills, and are fixed at 100 for any job or level. Some jobs have skills that restore SP but you cannot heal it with items, you must wait for it to regenerate over time.
• EP: a separate stat that is used up when avoiding attacks or using things to move (e.g. wall climbing).
• Speed: your movement speed, default is 100 (150 speed is about 1.5x faster)

Of course there are the four stats: STR, DEX, INT and LUK. Warriors (Knight/Berserker) use weapon attack, STR and DEX, Archers (Ranger/Heavy Gunner) use weapon attack, DEX and STR, Rogues (Assassin/Thief) use weapon attack, LUK and DEX, and Magicians (Prist/Wizard) user magic attack and INT.
Attack speed can be raised by items or decreased by penalties, but the base is 100. It seems like there is a special formula as getting 200 attack speed is not 2x your base attack speed. Accuracy returns, and can be increased with DEX. Critical chance is also back, and can be increased with LUK. Critical damage is the damage done when you hit a critical, and it can be increased by levelling up (I think).
Defense reduces damage taken when enemies hit you. Physical resistance is a new stat that reduces damage taken from physical attacks (additionally to defense), it can be raised by STR and DEX. Magical resistance is the same, except it reduces damage taken from magic attacks, it can be raised by INT. Avoidability returns and gives a chance to completely ignore the damage of an attack, it can be raised by LUK. Critical resistance reduces damage taken from critical hits (by bosses and in PvP).
SKILLS
There are three types of skills: active (which use SP), passive, and action (which use EP). To learn skills, you must get to certain levels. There is no more SP (skill points), but instead you use Crystals to level up your skills.
I read that Assassins are similar to those in MapleStory, and Wizards have skills that deal with fire, ice and electricity.
ITEMS
Items have ranks: Normal (white), Rare (green) and Elite (blue). Each item is also given a star rating, normal has 1, rare has 2, and I guess elite has 3.
Items have a variety of options that they can add: attack speed (one item gave 40, so the system is different from MapleStory), each stat, %HP healed when attacking monsters, damage increase to skills with (dark/ice/fire/poison/etc) property, avoid, resistance, movement speed.
BOSSES
The boss raid against Griffon was said to be really fun! As its HP got lower, its battle patterns changed. And sometimes it starts to charge up a flying attack that will do massive damage, but if enough people climb on to it using the <spacebar>, it will cancel the attack!
If you die, you are revived in a nearby place with an Eagle that can take you quickly back to the boss as well as an NPC that cures the curse that is put on you (your HP and SP are reduced if you die). Boss item drops will be instanced.
ETC

• When you enter the water, a ducky tube will automatically be equipped.
• There is an auction house available to sell your items to other users.
• The Trophy system is the achievement system of MapleStory 2, such as walking a certain amount or picking up a certain amount of mesos.
• Minigames will randomly begin in various maps at different times.
• Hair and eye customization will be similar to MapleStory in some ways, with an NPC to give you a random hair and one that lets you select a hair.
• Parties can now hold 10 people.
• The current time and your mesos will be displayed in the top left.
• Potions that instantly heal you have a cooldown, but herbal potions that heal you over time do not.

One person (stealthily) took this picture of the login screen. It is very simple, some users said that it reminded them of the old MapleStory login screen.

 

There was also a video released titled MapleStory 2 Supporters’ Day #06: Goods which shows a bunch of the merchandise they are making to promote MapleStory 2! I want a mug *~*

MapleStory 2 Supporters’ Day #05: Bosses!

The last Supporters’ Day video has been released, and this one shows off some of the bosses in MapleStory 2! They talked about how they want each boss to have a unique pattern so they are more dynamic battles.
They also said that they are working on bringing older bosses such as Zakum, Papulatus, and… Balrog?!


If you missed my last post, alpha testing will take place on August 15 for about 3 hours in the Nexon Headquarters for all supporters! This is the first time anyone will be playing the game, exciting! Hopefully closed beta comes out soon~

kMSt ver. 1.2.510 – Star Planet!

A Tespia patch has been released, this time containing the content from the Shining Star update of this summer. It features a new area where all users can go to participate in minigames and events.
They also released a note on the homepage about how it was harder than expected to develop this new content, and since it is hitting the test server so late, they will be delaying the real server patch until August 28.


These two characters are named Ryan.D and Sierra Grace, the Stars of Star Planet! They’re the ones that invite you there!

Anyone level 33 and above, from any world, can go to Star Planet by pressing the button on the bottom of the screen. You can return from Star Planet by pressing the MAPLE button.

The Shining Star Candidate character has been added! You can now create a Shining Star candidate character (one per Maple ID) which is a character that allows you to quickly enjoy Star Planet.
You can create this character by pressing the Create Shining Star button on the world selection screen. On this character, you will go straight to Star Planet. Later on, you can use your character in Maple World regularly by choosing a job and a world.

Star Planet uses a quarter view, but they are still testing to see if this is a convenient system so it might change in the future.

When you first enter Star Planet, your Star Grade will be Beginning Newbie. Collect Star Points by participating in minigames and world events to raise your Star Grade, which has various benefits in Star Planet. Talk to Arming to read about these benefits.
Each rank comes with its own mount, which can be used in Maple World. Some ranks also come with a title that can be used in Star Planet and other various prizes.

• Beginning Newbie
• Rising Newbie
• Prime Newbie
• New Talent (New Board riding)
• Fresh Talent (Fresh Board riding)
• Junior Talent (Junior Board riding)
• Senior Talent (Senior Board riding)
• Master Talent (Master Board riding)
• Prime Talent (Prime Board riding)
• Beginning Star (Beginning Open Car riding & title)
• Rising Star (Rising Sports Car riding & title)
• Flying Star (Flying Sports Car riding & title)

After a certain Star Grade, your Star Points will be put towards the Shining Star Contest.

The Shining Star Contest chooses the hottest celebrity in Star Planet! Each day someone will be chosen as the Shining Star. You can win the contest by gaining points by being on the:

• STAR POINT rankings
• Win! Rock Paper Scissors rankings
• Attack! Typing Defense rankings
• Defend! Typing Defense rankings
• Star One Card rankings
• Star Marvel rankings
• Star Yutnori rankings

Every day at 12am, the Shining Star contest will close and a winner will be chosen based on the rankings. You must be in the top 20 of STAR POINTs and the top 3 of each of the minigames. The Shining Star will enjoy various benefits until 12am of the next day, when another Shining Star is chosen.

This includes the Petite Ryan and Petite Sierra pets, the ability to choose what is written on the billboard, a Mix Dye Coupon which is a special item that allows you to choose two colours to mix for your hair colour, the Shining Balloon riding, and the Shining Star title.

You can enjoy a variety of content in Star Planet.

In the central square, there are is a fortune teller that can give you random buffs.

Star Planet’s lucky lottery coordinator Roaming appears at certain times of the day. Talk to him to get the chance to win a reward!

The left side of the square has a cafeteria, where you can order a drink and talk to Jamming.

6 minigames are available to play in Star Planet. Here is a list (name and style):

• Win! Rock Paper Scissors: single / a game to test your luck and judgement
• Attack! Typing Defense: single / a typing game to prevent the moving in of Moon Bunnies
• Defend! Typing Defense: 3 person multiplayer / a typing game to fight against each other
• Star One Card: 4 person multiplayer / a tactical card game
• Star Marvel: 3 person multiplayer / a dice strategy board game
• Star Yutnori: 2 person multiplayer / a folk strategy board game

Whenever you wish to play, you will be matched with a random opponent and you can get Star Points and Mileage. You can also play with your party, but you will not gain Star Points or Mileage in this mode.

Mileage is no longer gained by defeating bosses. Now, you can only get Mileage by playing minigames, doing daily challenges in Star Planet, or buying Cash items with Nexon Cash.

You can also get Experience Buff Coupons from Star Planet. While gaining Star Points, you will also fill the Experience Buff Gauge, which can be found in the My Info window.
Each day, you can use up the Gauge once to get an Experience Coupon. The gauge needs to be at least 25% or higher. Depending on the amount that you used up, you’ll get a coupon:

• Star Planet Experience Coupon
• Good Star Planet Experience Coupon
• Exceptional Star Planet Experience Coupon
• Finest Star Planet Experience Coupon

Each coupon gives 2x experience in Maple World, but they each have a different duration (15/30/45/60 minutes).

Star Planet also has a Cash Clothing Experience Hall. Come with your friends to try on trendy Cash items! Once you exit, your clothing will return to normal.

In Star Planet Square, there is a gigantic screen. On this screen, you can see Star Planet’s information, world events, and also the Shining Star’s personal message!

In other news, world merged party quests, Hekaton, and Boss Arena have been closed on the test server.


For MapleStory 2, alpha testing will take place on August 15 for about 3 hours in the Nexon Headquarters for all supporters! This is the first time anyone will be playing the game, exciting! Hopefully closed beta comes out soon~

MapleStory 2 Supporters’ Day #04: Contents!

One more Supporters’ Day video was released on the website today, this one titled Contents. It covers MapleStory 2’s customization, methods of movement, bonus stages, the housing system, and creating minigames and dungeons.
At around 5 minutes, they use footage from a private server called LucidMS LOL. Anyways I think there’s one more video, that has to do with the bosses.


This video has a lot of information which is not written in text, which I will not be translating, but I did cover a lot of what they said in my Supporters’ Day post, so check that out for more information.

Character Customizing
MapleStory’s customizing is varied and unique.
MapleStory 2’s customizing is varied and unique, but also easy to change at any time.

• You can change the length of your hair.
• You can change the location of your ponytails.
• You can change different parts of your hair separately.
• You can turn your hats at various angles.
• Directly design items.
• Wear stylish, eye-catching bags.
• Feel a sense of belonging with group costumes.

• Use ladders and platforms to move quickly.
• Discover unknown areas!
• Climb walls with rock climbing techniques.
• Use devices or ropes.
• Pick up objects.
• Let’s have a pole fight!

Come across Bonus Stages in fields. There are trophies, flying, cameras, and a wide variety of other content!
Building

• Individual land ownership.
• Different types of land exist.
• Good land requires a lot of money.
• Place objects in Building Mode.
• Decorate the inside of your building.
• Store items in boxes.
• Place souvenirs with special effects.
• Put items on display with mannequins.
• Remotely swap costumes.

User-Created Mini-games

• Directly create your own dungeons and mini-games?
• Place devices in rooms.
• Complete your own dungeon!
• Edit rooms while inside.
• Create and operate at the same time!
• A somewhat familiar screen?
• Fighting-type mini-games.
• Trap Master!

More content is being prepared!

MapleStory 2 – Cool Summer Vacation!

They released a new teaser image on the MapleStory 2 website, titled Cool Summer Vacation (click for a larger version). What is that octopus doing to that slime?!

Also, GM Jackie from the MapleStory 2 team posted on the official Facebook page, with some new-ish information!

Hello~ It’s GM Jackie~

We realized that in all of our current portal sites, there are many of you who are curious and would like us to explain a little bit more about the details of MapleStory 2.

MapleStory 2 Monetization
As we mentioned early on our teaser site, we are planning a non-subscription based charging system.

MapleStory 2 Test Schedule
We know everyone wants to play MapleStory 2 as soon as possible, and we are planning to open testing before December of this year.
I would like to give you a more accurate and detailed schedule but if we were to reschedule, the users’ expectations would be big and you would be even more disappointed in us. Please understand that due to this, we can only give a general date.

Finally, we have changed this portal site (Facebook) to allow you to ask us questions~!

Have a fun weekend~~