[GMS v90/v91] Unscheduled Game Update

Attention Maplers!

We will be having a minor update tonight for all MapleStory servers to resolve an issue in v.90. We will be resolving the issue with monsters not dealing damage. This resolution will require players to download a few files when the update is completed. Also, Ninja Castle disconnects has been fixed as of last night, September 29.

The update will take approximately 4 hours.

-Time-
Pacific: Thursday, September 30th, 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM.
Eastern: Friday, October 1st, 1:00 AM – 5:00 AM.

-What-
-All MapleStory servers will be unavailable.

Thank you,
-The MapleStory team-

The client version will likely be up’d to 91, although there has been times before when game files were updated and we remained on the same game client version.

[VIN] Vindictus Open Beta: October 13

The Vindictus team is proud to announce that the Vindictus Open Beta will launch on Wednesday, October 13! At that time, all North American players will have the opportunity to join the battle against the Fomors, and Early Access Beta testers will be able to keep their characters along with any leveling, skills, items and gold they have acquired!

In order to prepare for the Open Beta, we will be closing down the service during our scheduled maintenance on October 5 at 10:00pm (Pacific)/ 1:00am (Eastern).  Ending Early Access a little sooner than expected will allow us to address issues that have arisen during testing.

On behalf of the entire Vindictus team, we’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Vindictus Early Access Beta. We also appreciate your patience and good humor as we work out some of the technical difficulties we’re currently experiencing.  The good news is that we’ve learned a lot from the Early Access Beta, enough that we’re ready to move on to the next step!

Here’s a look at some of what’s coming in Open Beta:

AINLE
Players will enjoy new challenges, new rewards and some of the scariest mobs and bosses they’ve ever seen in our new town Ainle, accessible from the boat on dock three.

“Something bad has happened in Ainle. Citizens flee from the once idyllic town with grim faces and haunted eyes. The Royal Army has shut the town gates and quarantined the area. Did the Fomors finally attack a human settlement? Perhaps, but there are whispers that something more sinister happened.  Whispers from terrified refugees speak of dark magics and arcane horrors. Ainle needs heroes before what happened there spreads toward Colhen.”

CUSTOMIZATION
Players will enjoy hot new character customization options including a dye shop and a beauty shop with cool new hairstyles and facial features!

FISHING
Need a break from battle? Head over to the fishing dock and try to catch a big one! Fishing is a fun change of pace where players can take on new side quests without the danger of getting attacked by gnolls.

ITEM ENHANCEMENT
Strengthen your weapons and armor using Enhancement Stones!

GUILDS
Team up with your friends, or make new friends, by creating or joining a guild.

LEVEL CAP
The level cap will be raised from 26 to 38. You’ll need that extra strength as the battle gets tougher!

…and more!

Whether you are a first-time player or someone who has been around since Closed Beta, we hope you’ll enjoy the Open Beta and all of the new content!

-The Vindictus Team-

Nexon America’s September Approval Rating

62.71%

The next full scale check of Nexon America’s approval rating is scheduled for November 1 to November 19. But several new developments going on in Maple World warrant an intermediate check of how the players feel that Nexon America is running the game.

It was found in August that the Nexon America approval rating for Q3 2010 was 45.23%. This intermediate approval rating check will be used to see how users have been affected by the relaunch of Global MapleStory Tespia, The Visitors event, the Big Bang announcement, the launch of the Dev. Blog and other recent events.

So the community’s views of Nexon America have improved considerably since the last approval rating check. The approval rating went up by nearly 20%.

62.71% approve of how Nexon America is running MapleStory. 23.73% disapprove and 13.6% were undecided.

Nexon America's Approval Rating Change

You’ll be voting again from November 1 to November 19!!

[GMS] Ulu City Date Confirmed, But Something’s Wrong

Yes, the Ulu City date has been confirmed for Wednesday, November 3, 2010.

Something is wrong though. November 3???? In my recent predictions, I predicted a October 27 update date and Ghost Ship in the Mist and Ulu City to be released. Now the Ulu City portals from Singapore and in-game! The area is unavailable though, and when you attempt to enter it says “You cannot enter until 2010/11/3″. WAT? Okay, so Halloween is October 30. We still don’t have Halloween events! Sureeee, Halloween events can be added in a maintenance, but can the Ghost Ship in the Mist? I’m not sure, but I doubt it. The Ghost Ship is nearly confirmed for the next update because the next server selection background that was added to the data features it. Also, we’re overdue for it and I don’t see any other explanation for us not getting it months ago other than it being saved for Halloween. So really three things are possible.

1. The Ulu City date is wrong and it’s actually coming on October 28.
2. We’re going to have two updates: one on October 28 and the next on November 3.
3. Both Ghost Ship and Ulu City are being released on November 3. Halloween events after Halloween? Possible I guess.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Updated predictions coming soon.

MapleStory’s Halloween Update Predictions

Ulu City and Ghost Ship are heavy in the data now. Really they can be released without any further data being added. Ulu City and Ghost Ship on October 26, Big Bang in November and Resistance in December? Maybe…

Patch Date: October 26

Content:

Ghost Ship in the Mist: 99%
Ulu City: 92.5%
Big Bang: 30%
Resistance (Battle Mage, Wild Hunter, Mechanic): 20%
Lionheart Castle: 5%

I’m basically just waiting on an official confirmation

[GMS v90] Rating

V64 January 22, 2009: 6.5/10 (Magatia PQ)
V65 March 5, 2009: 10/10 (Interior of CWK (GMS-Original))
V67 April 8, 2009: 8.5/10 (Monster Book, Family System, Master Monsters)
V70 May 7, 2009: 8/10 ( 4th Anniversary)
V72 June 24, 2009: 9/10 (Temple of Time, Ellin Forest)
V73 July 29, 2009: 8.5/10 (Cygnus Knights, Maker)
V75 August 26, 2009: 7.5/10 (Mu Lung Dojo, Monster Carnival 2)
V76 September 24, 2009: 3/10 (Fishing System)
V77 October 22, 2009: 10/10 (Malaysia (MSEA-Original),  Haunted House II (GMS-Original))
V79 November 11, 2009: 6/10 (“Episode 1″ Events)
V80 December 10, 2009: 8.5/10 (Aran, Mushroom Castle, New Maple Island)
V81 January 20, 2010: 7.5/10 (Monster Survival)
V82 February 10, 2010: 5/10 (PICs, Login From Website, Mardi Gras)
V83 February 22, 2010: 7.5/10 (Neo City, Kerning Square, Game Features Updates)
V84 March 31, 2010: 10/10 (Evan, Neo City Expansion (GMS-Exclusive), UI Updates, Important Bug Fixes)
V85 May 5, 2010: 8/10 (5th Anniversary, Dragon Rider PQ)
V86 June 16, 2010: 9/10 (Golden Temple, Return of the Explorers, Friend Finder)
V88 July 21, 2010: 10/10 (Dual Blade, Chaos Bosses, Friend Finder, Item Potential System)
V89 August 19, 2010: 8/10 (The Visitors Event)
V90 September 29, 2010: 9/10 (Ice Gorge, Ninja Castle)