I used to say the shithole Pattaya is for those who can't afford Phuket. Sadly no longer true. Full of the worst demographics of tourist trash. All nationals.
And now a shit hole. You and your fellow barflies can live in the past all you want. You are essentially irrelevant in today's geopolitical world with a few exceptions such as the LSE and a halfway decent military.
If you're staying in a place where for some reason a 30 is not filed for you, it's no problem. You will only need to get one done right before you actually go to immi.