Random Questions about Moliyo/PKO

[Faller 93]

Hey guys! I'd like to ask you some random questions about Moliyo and PKO, just for my curiosity.

 

1. How did Moliyo die? Wasn't it a big MMORPGs company?

2. Are their work free to use by anyone without any copyrights issues? (example: TOP Private Servers)

3. How did we get access to TOP's server files? Was it leaked from their servers?

4. How did they manage handle so many server/players at the same time when TOP was big? They had GMs for every server? All the servers were active?

5. Were there any corrupt GMs inside IGG? e.g. giving away good items to players secretly.

6. What do you think that will happen to TOP in the next few years? Will it die and be forgotten in the sands of time? (this really makes me sad to think about tho)

7. In your opinion, what was the fatal blow for TOP 2 to die?

8. In your opinion, what is the key factor for a TOP Private Server work? (get many players and always progress)

9. What was this TOP version, "Zero of The World"? Is it using TOP 2.0 files? Is there any possibility that someone have access to it's server files? How come there's no pictures or anything about it on google (basically a ghost)? 

10. Why didn't IGG just keep TOP2 up, as it would cost about nothing for them to keep the server + they have obtained millions from it?

 

I know that you might not know answers for any of this questions, they are just of my curiosity, some things that I always thought about, but never could get any answers.

Thank you for your attention~

[Vasil 71]

Same thing i would ask.

[LikeAlcohol 22]

1. It didn't die, it just changed. Focusing more on mobile games, where the industry is growing.

2. No, I believe technically you still need to buy the rights/ license.

3. Leaks, always. 

4. It was a new game, it was managed & marketed well enough with decent resources at hand.

5. *lol* do we even need to answer that question? 

6. It will/ is becoming a retro game now really. Only the really hard core fans will be playing/ developing it further.

7. How bad it all was. Ask any TOP fan and they'll say they preferred TOP to TOP 2. Crappy items/ gems and other crap. Just a lot of crap really.

8. Keep it simple, but different. No one wants to play the same server over and over again. Decent uptime too, no one wants to play a server that is on for a week to make some quick $$$.

9. Someone, somewhere will have access to it. You might get lucky, but if you can't find it by now it's not likely you'll find it.

10. Their license ran out, and IGG as a company made a decision to not renew it I believe. I could be wrong, but from what I take from it is, they had a license/ contract til a certain date. After that it's down to both parties to agree to extend. If one doesn't agree, they can't keep it running.

[Guest]

Zero server files are 1.3x. There are tons of videos and pictures actually, the only problem is that you have to search in CN: 天上人间 - Zero Of The World Online. 
Chinese copy of the files and client should be available either at pkodev or mega archive, also sometime ago I translated them with friends into an English version with a couple of executables' modifications but doubt I'll be able to find them. However, there must be some more people having them, since they were leaked as always.

[Jap 189]

9 hours ago, Faller said:

8. In your opinion, what is the key factor for a TOP Private Server work? (get many players and always progress)

 

 

Oh boy, oh boy...

I want to write a topic about this, as me a player seeking to find a "good" server, i tend to see A LOT, like 90% of the servers just don't know how to create a good private server.

But oh well, story for another time.

 

My question is: Why did the company make TOP2, why they didnt like top 1 or smth. Was it like an update or a big patch or smth shit, or just a update to milk money better?

[Faller 93]

On 1/9/2017 at 9:38 AM, LikeAlcohol said:

1. It didn't die, it just changed. Focusing more on mobile games, where the industry is growing.

2. No, I believe technically you still need to buy the rights/ license.

3. Leaks, always. 

4. It was a new game, it was managed & marketed well enough with decent resources at hand.

5. *lol* do we even need to answer that question? 

6. It will/ is becoming a retro game now really. Only the really hard core fans will be playing/ developing it further.

7. How bad it all was. Ask any TOP fan and they'll say they preferred TOP to TOP 2. Crappy items/ gems and other crap. Just a lot of crap really.

8. Keep it simple, but different. No one wants to play the same server over and over again. Decent uptime too, no one wants to play a server that is on for a week to make some quick $$$.

9. Someone, somewhere will have access to it. You might get lucky, but if you can't find it by now it's not likely you'll find it.

10. Their license ran out, and IGG as a company made a decision to not renew it I believe. I could be wrong, but from what I take from it is, they had a license/ contract til a certain date. After that it's down to both parties to agree to extend. If one doesn't agree, they can't keep it running.

 

Firstly I'd like to thank you for taking your timing and answering all this questions, it makes everything clear for me now.

Some comments about your answers:

1. Ain't it IGG whom changed to mobile sector? I thought Moliyo was different company..

2. Then we're lucky that they don't care about this game anymore.

3. I wonder how big companies (not that big) can get hacked so easily (or not), allowing outside people to leak their server files is a huge problem

9. Found it in pkodev's archive, thanks.

10. This really makes sense, this games usually have a license for determined years, and as the game was starting to not give them a lot of money (+ they were rebuilding the company with mobile games), plus it would cost them a lot to renew it, they just recycled it.

 

Thanks a lot LikeAlcohol!

 

...................................

On 1/9/2017 at 2:51 PM, qwerty said:

Zero server files are 1.3x. There are tons of videos and pictures actually, the only problem is that you have to search in CN: 天上人间 - Zero Of The World Online. 
Chinese copy of the files and client should be available either at pkodev or mega archive, also sometime ago I translated them with friends into an English version with a couple of executables' modifications but doubt I'll be able to find them. However, there must be some more people having them, since they were leaked as always.

 

Thanks for the information I would have never known this Korean name so far...

And true! They are available in pkodev's archive, translated and working.

I took a peek at it, and I found out that it has a different version than 1.3x, I'm not sure which version is that, but it surely defers.

Thanks again for the information!

 

...................................

On 1/9/2017 at 3:05 PM, Jap said:

 

Oh boy, oh boy...

I want to write a topic about this, as me a player seeking to find a "good" server, i tend to see A LOT, like 90% of the servers just don't know how to create a good private server.

But oh well, story for another time.

 

My question is: Why did the company make TOP2, why they didnt like top 1 or smth. Was it like an update or a big patch or smth shit, or just a update to milk money better?

 

Hello Jap! That topic would be really useful for everyone here, make sure to write it when you have time, a lot of people (including me) would appreciate it ^^

Answer to your question in my opinion: I think they were trying to improve TOP, but they could have done it differently, testing features separately and receiving players feedback, but they just made a whole new server with new database.. (which I think they migrated later, not sure). There would be one problem in it though, both servers differ a lot in a few things, like iteminfo.txt (which is actually the same but differently organized), but I'm sure they could have done that

 

And again, thank you all! People like you keep this community alive, which is really important for this game, I hope this forum will exist for at least 5 more years.

[Angelix 374]

30 minutes ago, Faller said:

 

Firstly I'd like to thank you for taking your timing and answering all this questions, it makes everything clear for me now.

Some comments about your answers:

1. Ain't it IGG whom changed to mobile sector? I thought Moliyo was different company..

2. Then we're lucky that they don't care about this game anymore.

3. I wonder how big companies (not that big) can get hacked so easily (or not), allowing outside people to leak their server files is a huge problem

9. Found it in pkodev's archive, thanks.

10. This really makes sense, this games usually have a license for determined years, and as the game was starting to not give them a lot of money (+ they were rebuilding the company with mobile games), plus it would cost them a lot to renew it, they just recycled it.

1. Yes, it was IGG that changed to a more focused mobile game company, although it did keep/kept some computer games. Moliyo on the other hand from what I heard got sue and couldn't operate anymore.
2. IGG did "care", not enough to take a PS down, but enough to inform their players about the existence of PS and avoid them.
3. Not hacked, leaked. Two different terms. Hacked means someone entered their archives and took it without being affiliated to them. Leaked means someone affiliated to them (someone from the development team or close) shared the files to the public.

      9. Their license might have ran out, but that doesn't mean they weren't making enough money, players were still buying IMPs, and a lot. Never saw the IMP auctions? Players were still bidding 50K points on single items such as C. Kylin, Gem Forge and Character Transfer Cards.

[Gamez Pirates 44]

To answer a few questions generally, this is from my point of view:

 

- IGG noticed a trend in the increase of mobile games from an early stage and wanted to jump on the opportunity of developing games there. Now, (According to Wikipedia), Tales of Pirates II was launched in 2010 or so, somebody can correct this if it isn't right. Clash of Clans and other mobile games were launching around 2011-2012 and they were in development for a few years, CoC being in development for at least two years, from doing a bit of digging in their press conferences. Didn't do much analysing but this could potentially explain why the sudden release of ToP1.5 which hasn't updated much, simply wiped the community to give it a 'fresh' start, adding more stuff so they can sell more stuff. Basically, they made use of a cash cow sector of the available players. We would probably see a much different Tales of Pirates game IF the company focused on actually keeping it alive, however, a "last push" was taken instead, allowing them to get a bit more money to set themselves up for the future...which is a smart move on their side.

- ToP2 was simply a game to obtain more profit for their upcoming projects rather than anything else. Their other games, Flyff or Angel Online? not sure which other server received several updates encouraging players from ToP to join them as it'd be appealing. Don't know any numbers regarding that therefore not going to comment on it.

- As stated above by @Angelix their license is running out by the end of this year, IGG/Moliyo renew it, they can still hold rights to the game in the future. 

- ToP was closed to focus fully on their own projects rather than keep a bugged server alive. There was far too much wrong with it, required too many staff and resources to keep alive. 

 

Now as the community stands, there still are many players around who are looking to get their ToP experiences back. As far as I'm concerned, the current PKO is doing better than anything out there in terms of player activity and community, therefore it isn't a dead game. As long as the community stands together, ToP still has a future for at least 5 years if not more.

[Jap 189]

11 hours ago, Faller said:

Hello Jap! That topic would be really useful for everyone here, make sure to write it when you have time, a lot of people (including me) would appreciate it ^^

 

Even though i played on foxlv, lost paradise online, wisdom pirates, pko, roso, sky pirates online. (succesfull servers) and ofcourse there were like 15 weak servers that i played which died in less then 1 month.

I have a vast amount of knowledge in how to run a succesfull private server, because i played in few of them, as i listed.

But not enough to actually have a opinion on the whole private server idealogy. There are people that played more PS's then me. Like avocado, i never played this server, and i only heard it when that server died, which considering that server was very succesfull such as foxlv and roso. So making a guide on "how to make a server" or smth would be kinda pitiful because there are people who have much better knowledge in private servers.

i think. but idk, i might do it, when i have free time.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Jap

[LikeAlcohol 22]

Yeah it was IGG who changed to the mobile sector.

IGG didn't get hacked, their employees just took advantage with the power they had. A few GM's & members of the support team etc...

Everything gets leaked somehow, take musicians for example. I can't remember what artist it was, but they had 1 copy of their new album that was transported securely in a van to its destination and wasn't online anywhere yet somehow it still got leaked before the launch date haha!

 

I'm guessing the price to renew the license went up by a lot more than their old contract when they saw the amount of money they were making from it, and that could have been a factor in why they never renewed it aside from diving into the mobile sector instead.