The Importance of Elysium's Decision

[dinnj 2]

This project is now the face of legacy, for better or for worse.

The hype surrounding the Nostalrius servers coming back and the new fresh start server was beyond prediction. Players flooded in; both players from the old Nostalrius community and players who were not yet part of the legacy scene all flocked to what we know that we love - vanilla WoW.

For many of us, Vanilla WoW represents our joy as children, our pasttime as adults, the place we met friends that would last for many years and worked together to make a real community that was made up of every last player that interacted within it. This is something that has been lost by the foes of time and profit maximisation from the company we once loved, Blizzard. Blizzard has long since been an animated corpse of what it was. They have time and time again made decisions that can only reflect one goal - making money. They left us a long time ago.

Nostalrius was heralded as the resurgance of legacy servers, and found legendary success. We all know what happened, and they then entrusted their data to you, Elysium. The success of Nostalrius leaves you with a tough act to follow but you have risen to the occasion and consistently made correct decisions. Delaying the fresh start ended up being the correct decision. The servers are all healthy. Making a new fresh server ended up being the correct decision. It is populated to a near idyllic level and Elysium PvP is still full 24/7.

It is time that you ran the show. Nostalrius did so many great things, and their goals were and still are purportedly noble. The time for them however is passed. They made a gambit to try to convince Blizzard to make legacy servers. The gambit has failed, and the mantle of upholding the legacy community has fallen to you. Own that. Do not shy away from it. The responsability and weight now lies with you. The future of the legacy movement lies with you. Many thousands of people now depend on your coming decision.

What is happening here is something that has never been seen before and will likely never be seen again. Throwing away this momentum now would be the most tragic event to ever occur in the history of the game we know and love. What you started was a call to the legacy community to not despair. That they would be supported and be given a sense of continuity; that their work and hopes and dreams were not in vain.  That has since become something so much more meaningful. What you now have is a community and game that is not only fulfilling Nostalrius' failed promises but is evolving into a growing project that is garnering so much attention and weight that it can no longer be ignored. One can only imagine the power that this server would have if it continued to stay strong and possibly even grow into the future, which is exactly why I feel the need to make this post.

Nostalrius has one thing right. We all thought that legacy servers were about the past. Reliving lost memories and immersing ourselves in rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, revisiting our childhood and enjoying something for some sense of clinging to the old. The reality now is that this isn't just about clinging to the past, it is about forging ahead into the future. Vanilla WoW is what the people want. It is a necessary passage back to a time when the player mattered. When the small things, and the details and the small victories mattered, and a sense that you had a real place in the community. So many people now who play on Elysium never even played Vanilla WoW and yet love it dearly, because it is something that we simply cannot find elsewhere in this day and age.

The coming decision rests heavily upon me as it must for you, for you are facing two roads.

The servers are maintained and Elysium will grow into possibly the most successful fan venture into WoW that has ever been seen, eventually demonstrating not only the short term but long term economic viability of legacy but also of other games that might come around in the future with similar values and style. It really could shape the future of MMO gaming.

Or, you tear out the beating heart of the old Nostalrius community. You potentially ruin the new servers by revoking the core they are running on and gambling that people will not lose interest even if you make a core that is as good or better. You run the certainty that droves of players will refuse to come back due to the most tragic decision you could possibly make becoming a reality. You squander the sound of many thousands of people who would beg you to fight their corner.

The Nostalrius team is wrong. It is common belief that they have been paid off or threatened by Blizzard to make this decision, and the decision is non-sensical enough for that to be true, but... let's work with the benefit of the doubt just in case. Blizzard can never bring us what we want. So many of us would never trust Blizzard, and the most likely outcome is that they will never buckle and split their game up like that. There have already been so many discussions about why Blizzard cannot do this that I won't re-iterate them here, as you are all probably experts on this already. Even if they did implement legacy, they would find ways to miss the point and ruin it. We all know this as a community that Blizzard will not help us. Indeed, the most likely way Blizzard would want to make a legacy server is if the long term economic viability of legacy is demontrated, and that can only be maximised by focussing on making the project here as successful as possible.

What I'm saying is, is that by prioritising the success and longevity of so called 'pirate servers', which I love Nostalrius has slapped us all in the face with, not only is the better choice for the legacy community, but also the best bet that Blizzard would want to actually introduce legacy servers regardless.

Two different goals have the same best play, and there is no reason to deviate from this.

This really could be the beginning of the biggest thing we've ever seen for legacy WoW, giving us all what we dreamt to have back into our lives, simply by saying "No." to Nostalrius' arrogant and short-sighted request.

Please make the right decision.

Signed,

Just Another Player

Edited January 14, 2017 by dinnj

[Syff 23]

well said dinnj!

 

Signed,

/Just another player who dinged lvl 60 yesterday

[Mordalsin 0]

Couldn't agree more. 

 

Also this:

8 minutes ago, dinnj said:

Indeed, the most likely way Blizzard would want to make a legacy server is if the long term economic viability of legacy is demontrated, and that can only be maximised by focussing on making the project here as successful as possible.

 

[Mikaela 0]

You are now the face of legacy, Elysium! I've been having an absolute blast these past few days, please don't betray us like Nost did. 

 

Singed, 

 

Just another player. 

[kolbasnik 4]

+1

Daemon and Viper got paid by blizzard or got jobs there, im sure

[Mikaela 0]

You are now the face of legacy, Elysium! I've been having an absolute blast these past few days, please don't betray us like Nost did. 

 

Singed, 

 

Just another player. 

Edited January 14, 2017 by Mikaela
Site went down, accidentally double posted

[bockhorn 0]

Well said! I agree completely. Give it up for Elysium and don't forget to D O N A T E to show appreciation!!

[dinnj 2]

Having read the Elysium team's responses I have mixed feelings but have total confidence in them to make this a success.

Ultimately they have decided to respect Nostalrius enough to say "We will honour your wishes and will cease using your data, but we will not be acting in agreement with your philosophy that running a private server is a bad thing."

All in all it was to be expected. All we can do is now is stick together, remain unified, and do our best to make this a success.

Thanks Elysium, keep up the hope.

[bockhorn 0]

Well said! I agree completely. Give it up for Elysium and don't forget to D O N A T E to show appreciation!!

[dinnj 2]

Having read the Elysium team's responses I have mixed feelings but have total confidence in them to make this a success.

Ultimately they have decided to respect Nostalrius enough to say "We will honour your wishes and will cease using your data, but we will not be acting in agreement with your philosophy that running a private server is a bad thing."

All in all it was to be expected. All we can do is now is stick together, remain unified, and do our best to make this a success.

Thanks Elysium, keep up the hope.

[bockhorn 0]

Well said! I agree completely. Give it up for Elysium and don't forget to D O N A T E to show appreciation!!

[mortisxamor 0]

+1

[Fizban 2]

"The Community knows no king but the king that's live, whose name is Elysium!"

[Amph 5]

Well said. And I agree about official legacy realms; Blizzard cannot be trusted to run them even if they were released. 

[Aerithissa 5]

Being new to all of this, I'm not sure what it means.

 

I do know I love the fact I can see old Azeroth again, and I don't want to lose that.