Post by lazar on Jul 11, 2016 21:18:20 GMT
These are some things that I think would improve game play. It is long, so read it, or do not. If you do take the time to read it please comment on the post itself, and the post only, not how long it was 
If you took the time to read it, than it makes no sense to complain Onward then.
1. Give more weapons enhancement or attack bonuses at both lower, and upper levels that are of decent quality.
Too many weapons in the game that are the best for game play also have no attack bonus of any kind, and require a mage to give them gmw. This makes it difficult for melee toons to play the game without help. Many people like playing melee toons, and don’t like having to rely on others for their play ability. Some make mages because they have no choice, as the server is very arcane centric, but others simply will choose not to play there. Make melee toons more playable, and less reliant on others. If you do that more people will play, as they will have more options.
2. Restore quest xp to what it used to be.
There was a time when a player could level up without needing much, if any help from others. I remember that time, and it was better. The reason this was changed, as I have come to find out was to try and encourage people to party together more. However it had no effect on that from what I have seen. People spend more time bogged down at lower levels, and making the game more difficult doesn’t seem a wise move. Restoring quest xp to what it was before it was nerfed would go a long way toward helping improve the game. It hasn’t had the intended effect, and one could argue it has had the reverse effect, as it slows down everything, and makes the game more tedious, leading to less people sticking around. It also encourages more people to play bots, as there are fewer players willing to play with others. And why should they when they can fully man all their own runs playing every key position with just one account?
3. Make bur items drop in areas where only ur stuff drops, and make ur stuff drop in places where urs do not.
Too much of the gear in the game that is best, and allows for effective game play in later areas is unavailable to those who are not already in possession of such gear. While this is good for the longer term players who dole it out whenever they see fit, or put it on sale for ridiculous prices, this in no way makes new players at all self reliant. They are however reliant on the kindness of others, which only goes so far. People that play these games want a challenge, but only to a certain extent. There is a point where it goes from just right, into the too difficult area. Whilst most who play on HG may disagree with me, the truth is that most gamers do not enjoy this type of play. This is why so few people remain. Relaxing on the criteria of what drops where would be a good way to make some better gear available to more, without adversely effecting anyone's game play. In truth it would enhance it, as it would allow more new players to join, and be able to play the game more effectively at lower levels. Those same people are going to be more likely to stick around, as they wouldn’t be so reliant on others, and could be more self reliant at earlier levels.
4. Create a donation chest.
Having good gear is a big issue in this game. While some long term players do give gear away, it is not enough of them, and as for it being the best, well that isn’t happening generally speaking. That gets squirreled away in unending bank chests, or put on sale if someone doesn’t need it, or becomes cash poor. Of course the sale price is so high that no new player could afford it, but who cares. The majority that play are long term players anyway that easily have the cash to help out one of their fellows. Such an environment is of course not very welcoming to new players. Yes many long term players give gold, or starter gear to new players, but generally speaking most gamers like to get their own gold and gear, which is currently far too difficult given things such as server population. This quite common activity of giving away gold and gear is done most often done because the game has become so centered around the wants, and needs of the most influential and long term players that it has become near impossible for the new players to even play without the help of the long term one. However most gamers not only don’t like having to rely on others, but generally speaking resent it. Are there some that don’t? Of course. However, generally speaking people are not fond of “having” to accept this, or that if they want to play a game, and are unable to make a go of it on their own then they must ask for the help of others in this way. Can you make a go of it on your own? Sure, but from my own experience it is so hard that most leave. Generally speaking this is true. Do some enjoy the extreme adversity of it in regards to this server? Sure. But those that do don’t have to go through any of that, as the majority have been there for ages, and already have tons of gear, and gold, to ease their way. Gems of sagacity to get all the xp they need, and all the knowledge they need as well. If they had to start over, playing now from square one being unknown by anyone, given no special treatment, and with zero gold, loot, knowledge or sub races, would they given these things being true, and the current play environment. Maybe, and maybe not. There is no way to know as they have never had to endure it, and never will. I would guess not.
That is why it might be a good idea to make a donation chest. A chest where anyone can put “any” gear, and it is available to anyone. Make sure new players know how and where it is, and make it something that can be checked on the random suspect link along with what is on sale at the market. This way new players can more easily help each other, and there will be more gear available, and less squirreled away in chests doing no good for anyone. New players would not feel beholden to anyone, and would be more likely to play, as they would have the ability to be more self reliant. Also have the log on random suspect show who has taken what, so that some long term vets don’t try to take advantage, and grab whatever they want. This makes those who might wanna pilfer something when they don’t need it accountable for doing so, as anyone can check and see who has been taking what from the donation chest.
5. Create directions that auto show right at docks.
Many servers that have survived have done so by making knowledge of where to go, and at what level as easy as possible to find, not hiding it away. People don’t want to have to go searching for this, or asking on a “newbie” channel. Again, people like to be as self reliant as possible, and most who have played the game since the start don’t like being called or referred to as “newbies’ whether they are new to this server or not. Making a short, but easy to access list that gives level recommendations attached to what area, and short directions about how to get there from town would go a long way to attracting new players. Most that join come on and are confronted with an unknown environment, and no idea what to do, or where to go. The majority play a short while, are turned off by the difficulty of play, or lack of information, and simply leave. Some stay, but most do not. Making simple information about where to go at what level easily available upon entry would go a long way to making the server more welcoming, and giving totally new players a better chance of feeling empowered, and not totally clueless, and simply leaving as they continue to search for other servers that are easier to figure out in terms of game play. It would also take some of the burden off of players who don’t feel like answering questions about where to go all the time. Just make a simple list that gives all the areas that are best for a certain level. Level 1-3 this or that area. Click on it and there will be simple directions to get there. Levels 4-6 this or that area. A simple click shows directions to there. Nothing that could not be easily implemented.
6. Give more xp at lower levels.
The more I played the game the more I felt that it was a bit too custom tailored to the tastes of a few people. No where is this more evident than when you are playing at low levels. While indeed some might enjoy getting super low xp, and taking forever to level, I am most certainly not one of them. You can of course say “Well if you don’t like it, play somewhere else.” And I did. So did most of the other people that spent a short, or long time playing on HG in the past. Keep that in mind. Most gamers like a challenge, but generally speaking making something “too” challenging is about the time when most people get up and leave. The die hard players of the game that remain are near religious in their support, but not very representative of the general public of gamers as a whole. Most people don’t like slavishly slow gaming when it comes to low level play. Statistically speaking it is when most people decide whether or not they are going to continue playing a game in the first place. Do some people enjoy a getting 15, 20 xp a kill at level 1? Sure. Do most? No. The server is still around because it is a good game, that uses a very simple model of increasing difficulty set around a central hub. It makes it easier to play, and understand. It also appeals to our sense of order, and propriety. That said, if you want to attract the maximum amount of people, making anything too hard, or too slow is a bad idea. Yes you enjoy it, but so what. True you can say this is a subjective yardstick, what is too difficult, and what is not, but that just isn’t the case. If it were mass advertise would not work so well. However it does precisely because advertisers study people, and know what appeals to “most” of us. Not all of course, just most. And honestly most people don’t enjoy games like HG. The proof for that is in the numbers. You cannot disprove that, as it is obviously true. Otherwise you would not have so few players, with a ratio of 75 to 80% long term players, and at best 20 to 25 % new players at any given time, who are slowly cycling through. Those numbers should be reversed.
Make leveling at lower levels easier, and you will get, and keep more players, as they are going to be more likely to stick around past their initial assessment phase of playing the game. That is when the majority of people decide whether or not they are going to stick around. It would not even have to be a huge increase, but a little more xp would be wise. Right now it is a bit too little.
7. Put a split chest in the Wrym.
Why this has not been done I do not know. I suppose it is in part because the only benefit of being in a guild now is that you have a nice chest that wont sell your stuff if you accidentally close the lid, and you can use it for bulk selling stuff. That’s about it. Those days should be gone though, so as to embrace the lower population on HG. Times are rough, and you need to streamline the game, and do whatever you can to make it more playable, and less of a pain. Just put a loot split chest in the Wrym, one that allows people to put stuff in, look at it, and then sell the stuff right from that chest once everyone is done. That’s it.
8. Make a buff rod.
Mages take too long to buff, and too many of their quick slots are taken up by buffs. Solve this problem by making a buff rod. You can make the buffs permanent to the rod, and they can correlate to the players level. You can make it non-transferable, or transferable. The buffs can be permanent, and you could have buff rods for mages, and for melee. Melee rods could be charged through use of a sequencer item, or directly, and be transferable. In this manner melee toons could buff themselves, and no longer need mages for buffs. Mages would no longer need to buff melee toons so much, and would therefore not have to complain so much about having to do so. Eventually mages and melee toons would have a lot more parody.
Such rods are not hard to make, and the knowledge for implementing them into a game is not hard to come by. This would help to improve the game markedly in terms of playability.
10. Bur and ur races.
Make them more readily available. Make it so that Bur’s can drop in places only UR loot currently drops, and make it so that Ur books can drop in places where currently only non UR loot drops. Or make it so that they can drop anywhere, but make it extremely unlikely, but not impossible. Currently you have far too many who have all of these races, and far too few that have to rely on hand outs. People don’t like that, and it isn’t conducive to fun game play, as that requires enough people to play when you want, and do what you want. Making it so that they only drop in the highest level areas where only those who have the best of the best gear and races can go is not serving anyone except those people. The gear is needed to play in those areas, and people complain if and when you don’t have the gear, but you have to have it to get it. Hmm.
The key is is to encourage new players to join, and want to stick around, not to tailor the game in a way that only the very few can do so. I think too many players, and the administration, have lost sight of this. You can make a game that appeals to people generally, games like WoW have proven that. However, if you want to make a game that appeals just to people like you, that have your sensibilities, who like to play the same way you do, expect it to die a slow death, and don’t sit around wondering why your server population numbers have dropped so low. If the product is good people are going to buy it. In this case play it.
11. Remove the do in order requirement from Hells.
This, more than anything else points to a form of control that allows long term players who can do hell runs to decide who does them, and in what order. It also makes getting demi god status far too difficult. If I am new player A that has played for 6 months, and I want to get my first toon demi, I have to get real lucky, and be on at the exact time lots of other people are on who want to do that exact same hell layer as me. Yet all I ever see are the same 10 or 12 people endlessly dumping new toons into hells, and doing it together. Rarely is a new player involved in the mix, and the long term ones generally decide what gets done. If the next next hell level being done is not on your needed list to gain demi status, oh well. This is a real problem, and I think the long term players, who are 75 to 80% of the server population don’t see things from a realistic perspective in regards to new player play. They see things realistically from their perspective, which is that they can do any run, any time they want. However, a new player is going to have one heck of a time unless he lives in the right part of the world, and even then it might not be easy if his work and life schedule doesn’t match allow him to play at the right times. Having a do in order requirement might have made sense when you had a full population playing at any given time, but it certainly doesn’t right now. Options of who you can play with are limited, and this limit makes it far too easy for some to decide who can, and cannot do these runs, in order, or not, and far too difficult for new players to get that coveted demi status. From a logical point of view it is getting the tag that matters, and if you do, and complete the hell layer alive, you should get the tag. No “do in order” requirement is needed. Whilst some would argue against this, it is the very same people that benefit from this requirement. They benefit in control, and power. Take away this requirement, and see the game ranks increase, as more people will be able to get demi status.
12. Implement no exclusion rule.
Yes, you should be able to play with who you want. You should also not be free to not play with who you don’t want to. It has been pointed out many times that it is a game, and not real life. I have never seen any game that has no rules. Some rules are good, some bad. Yes, you can have too many rules, and you can also have too few. You can have rules that are good, and not enforced, and you can have rules that are bad, and are ignored. Here I think we have too few rules, and the good ones are not enforced, and some new ones are needed. The game server itself is designed around party play. You need parties for that, and to have parties people must get along. True, you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to, but if you want to you should have to play with others. It is a party play server after all, so you should not be allowed to simply come on and play alone with your bots, or do silent runs that are called, but are simply not publicly called. Blacklisting is against the rules, but this is a clever way around that. Clever, and bad. It allows people to avoid what the server is essentially about, party play, whilst encouraging people not to party, or to pick and choose who they party with. I say this is anathema to the game itself, and is blacklisting. Something doesn’t need to be publicly enacted to be overt, or be done in the first place, hence it is breaking the rule on blacklisting regardless. And by the way whether or not that rule still exists is irrelevant. Being able to exclude people you don’t like is in and of itself anti gaming. Yeah, sure sure maybe you can get away with it in a big online game with millions of people. Heck the likelihood of running into the same person twice at random on such a game is slim to none anyhow. However in D&D, which attracts a pretty small community, well I think we can agree that the atmosphere, and play style is party based. If people can make bots and run whole parties by themselves this is anti gaming. That is partly why bots are banned on most servers. Also excluding people via privately arranged parties is just plain wrong. Freedom has nothing to do with it. It is a game, not the real world, so people should be able to play without having other people decide if they can play or not. That is far more harmful than some poor soul not getting his way, and being forced to run with someone he or she doesn’t like. Learning to get along is important, and maybe if people had to get along they would, instead of creating an atmosphere where they can exclude others. Instead they have these loopholes, and options with their very convoluted rationalizations that allows them to opt out on getting along. In essence it has been made all too easy for people to “not” get along, and be intolerant by choice.
“Oh, I don’t like what you said, so I am not going to run with you anymore.”
If only that was how it worked. And no I don’t think people would quit the game en masse. They already put aside their differences when it was convenient for them to do so in regards to those they do not like. If that is the case then why do these same people always threaten to quit if they "had" to run with people they did not like? Simply to scare the administration, and maintain their power and control over things. Being required to play nice, and get along with people, instead of excluding them takes away a lot of these peoples power and control. In essence they have been given the freedom to not get along. A game isn’t the real world. There are rules, and if you want to play the game you follow them. I know my house isn’t a free country, and neither is a game. Some rules are good things, and in this case this is a good rule. Trust me on this. No one is walking out if it were implemented, and currently so many people are taking advantage of the loopholes that allow exclusion, and blacklisting that this problem is driving away far more people than a rule disallowing activity. Instead it is all too easy to get offended easily, not get along, and instead turn an imagined insult, or simple misunderstanding into much, much more, and build upon that until people get really upset. This creates more problems, it doesn't solve them.
13. Make immortal run easier to do.
I can honestly say that I currently get toons stuck at the immortal range for weeks, even months. This is absurd for a server that claims to want more new players. I am not sure the players on the server actually do want more players, but that is another discussion. If they do want more new players, than accessibility to the immortal run should change. Even a small change would make things markedly better. More people would be able to gain access to LL run quicker, which would in turn fill in some of the gaps in regards to player number at higher levels. Instead you have new players getting stuck at this run, often for weeks. This is certainly not good, and can be frustrating. Should you stick around if this is the case? Maybe, and maybe not. Many will not.
You see this is something you need to understand. All of these things many of you consider small roadblocks are a deterrent. Just as laws are meant to deter crime, roadblocks deter people in their chosen course of action. Put enough in their way and they simply take another route. In this case another server, or a different game entirely. You are all thinking on too small a scale. That is why you have to date not solved the problems with the currently diminishing population. Many are good at blaming one thing or another, things that intuitively seem right, but when held up to the light of day don’t hold up. Yes the game is old, and yes it has been around for a while. However that isn’t why the game “can't” keep new players. If you keep track of the new players joining, who has stayed, and who has left you will find that of those who have joined in the past 6 months that 99% are gone. Cycle through, road block, road block, road block. Gone. It isn’t that people are not joining because it is old. No, plenty are joining if you bother to pay attention. They are simply not staying. Why. Too many roadblocks, too difficult, too specialized, too limited. I’ve heard all these and more. Not only here, but on other servers where they ended up after leaving.
The game needs to become more streamlined, and the immortal, like the hells needs to be more accessible. Perhaps remove the requirement for those 6 books. Many a run hes been held up because someone did not have them. This is extremely easy to fix.
Make it so that the crown chest can be opened without being picked. Simple solution, but people end up there and cannot pick it sometimes. Also people sometimes don’t have the books, and must postpone the run. These are things you “can” correct and make more aligned with the current game play environment. The past is dead, and adding an area to the game is not changing it. You all are going to have to accept, and embrace change if you want new players. If you cannot you are not going to get the new players you say you want, which is what I believe to be the case. Again, that is for another topic.
13. Create xur gear:
If you are going to make the game go beyond 60, and if you are going to create xur races, than there should also be xur gear. LvL 60 gear is all well and good for some easier LL areas. However, for the really hard endgame areas you really should upgrade gear. Not asmo gear, as that is too hard to get, as I addressed earlier in regards to hells, and you can only wear 1 asmo item at any given time anyways. No. Real xur gear is needed, that anyone can get, so long as they put in the time and effort. If you get to level 70, and can do some of the LL runs, but not all, you should be able to wear level "70" gear. It should not stop at 60. The only reason I think to increase the game difficulty, but not increase the availability of better gear if to exclude certain people from the runs that award the best gear. New players, players that lack experience for example. This is the only effect you will get if you don't scale up the gear to match the levels, and greater difficulty of areas, and make new players able to get it if they get to the required level. No doubt the current restrictions had different intentions, but unintended consequences almost always win out over wishful thinking, or good intentions. The game needs to be more merit based, and less centered around eccentric players who for whatever reason want to keep certain end areas to themselves, and a select few people. You cannot increase game difficulty without giving players the ability to access these areas, which is the case now since people have so many impediments to game play as things are currently. This is yet another roadblock, and even if you love the game many have quit because of these roadblocks. And by the way those that love the game have always had the ability to access these areas, the gear and races to do it, and have never had to start out from scratch. Yes there are some exceptions of course. Old players returning from a long break, and no access to their old bank chests, but who may have managed to rebuild their arsenal of races, and gear. However, tell me this. How many of these cases are there, and how many people have come and gone in the past 6 months? Do any of you really keep track? Do you know how many such people there are? I think not.
Create xur gear to go with what are in essence xur levels. There simply isn't the population anymore to support peoples ability to access and get the needed gear to do these areas because of the reasons I have already mentioned. Mainly too few people playing, and no rules to stop people from indulging in petty, and vindictive behavior. Namely being entitled to "not" get along with others if someone feels like it. Yes it is a game, and games should not be able to be manipulated by crafty players so as to allow them to decide who can, and cannot play.
One easy solution would be to make all xur gear +19, thus allowing asmo gear to continue to rule with it's +20. Asmo gear could be the cherry on the top of an already nice cake. A cake that needs to be far better equipped if things are going to keep up with the introduction of new xur toons, and what can only be called xur areas. Xur toons that once again only a very few can, and ever will have access to if the current trends continue. Yet another roadblock.
Create some xur gear to ease peoples passage, and give them something more to strive for beyond 60 that is attainable based solely on merit, and game play time, and experience gained. Not on some imposed order of tasks that serves no one except a few, and makes attaining the highest levels near impossible for most.
14. Remove account names from game.
This might sound like a radical idea, but I think it is a simple one to remove a lot of the conflict between players. Remove account names from toons. Simply have their player name. I think a lot of the conflict caused is because of people holding grudges against little lights on a screen. I have found myself having a fine run with someone until I found out who they were via their account name, and then I started disliking someone I had a moment ago been fine with. The game itself is too personal, and I think needs to allows players to escape petty nonsense. Yes, people F up, and make mistakes, have a bad day, or they don't like someone else for whatever reason. Always being able to identify, and avoid this person based on petty nonsense that may, or may not be of consequence stops you, and others from potentially getting to know that person.
15. Include information about subraces in a sub menu:
The game is very specialized, so it would be a good idea to give a list of all the open subraces available under the base race, and the same menu that lists the directions to areas a new player should visit along with the level range for each area. Including this information will make players aware of open subraces, and that it might be wise to use them. A link to the builds section might also be a good idea, as well as a reminder that the server is highly specialized, and that it would be wise to use an established build for their first toon.
It might be wise to do this by adding a pedestal right at the docks labeled "subrace" information, and another that reads "area by level guide." One contains all the subrace information you need in regards to open subraces, and the other contained a simple menu for levels 1-40 showing the best places to go, and at what level range. People ignore greeters and such, but the specific information they know they need to have is something people will make a bee line to.
16. In closing it is possible to turn the server around, and get more players. However, that would mean that some of you would have to accept some changes, but it is nothing radical. More parody for people that like to play melee toons, which is a good thing as just as many enjoy melee as do mages, and you want those players on your server, so you need to encourage them to come.
Easier access to information for the new players by a simple interaction with town greeter at docks with a short list of areas, and level recommendations for those areas, as well as directions on how to get to them.
Encouraging player self reliance by creating donation chests.
Offering slightly more xp at starting levels to encourage the new player to stick around, and experience more of the game.
All of these very simple changes would add to your player base, and over time fill the server up more to what it once was. No you won’t have millions of players (which couldn’t be supported anyhow) or even thousands, but you would certainly add numbers, and retain more of them. If that is your goal then some simple changes like those I have outlined would go a long way to ensure that.
Change is never easy, but if you want more players, and a more diverse player base, where there are more people to do more runs, with players that are better equipped, and more able to do those runs, who are going to be more likely to stay, than you are going to have to accept some changes. Or you can let things continue as they are now, and just ignore the fact that it is ever more difficult to do the runs you want, when you want to, and that the overall numbers just continue to drop. Be proactive, or non active. Up to you.
One last thing. This post took some time to write, and some thought was put into it. Instead of disrespecting the time and effort put in with trolling, and or negative comments of a disrespectful nature, I hope those who choose to post will understand that this is an honest attempt to help effect positive change. I can only hope that those who respond will show the same respect to my post as the respect, and kindness I myself have given by taking the time to post it. I hope those who read it will think a lot about what I have said, and that those reply do so kindly, or not at all. Take care.
If you took the time to read it, than it makes no sense to complain Onward then.1. Give more weapons enhancement or attack bonuses at both lower, and upper levels that are of decent quality.
Too many weapons in the game that are the best for game play also have no attack bonus of any kind, and require a mage to give them gmw. This makes it difficult for melee toons to play the game without help. Many people like playing melee toons, and don’t like having to rely on others for their play ability. Some make mages because they have no choice, as the server is very arcane centric, but others simply will choose not to play there. Make melee toons more playable, and less reliant on others. If you do that more people will play, as they will have more options.
2. Restore quest xp to what it used to be.
There was a time when a player could level up without needing much, if any help from others. I remember that time, and it was better. The reason this was changed, as I have come to find out was to try and encourage people to party together more. However it had no effect on that from what I have seen. People spend more time bogged down at lower levels, and making the game more difficult doesn’t seem a wise move. Restoring quest xp to what it was before it was nerfed would go a long way toward helping improve the game. It hasn’t had the intended effect, and one could argue it has had the reverse effect, as it slows down everything, and makes the game more tedious, leading to less people sticking around. It also encourages more people to play bots, as there are fewer players willing to play with others. And why should they when they can fully man all their own runs playing every key position with just one account?
3. Make bur items drop in areas where only ur stuff drops, and make ur stuff drop in places where urs do not.
Too much of the gear in the game that is best, and allows for effective game play in later areas is unavailable to those who are not already in possession of such gear. While this is good for the longer term players who dole it out whenever they see fit, or put it on sale for ridiculous prices, this in no way makes new players at all self reliant. They are however reliant on the kindness of others, which only goes so far. People that play these games want a challenge, but only to a certain extent. There is a point where it goes from just right, into the too difficult area. Whilst most who play on HG may disagree with me, the truth is that most gamers do not enjoy this type of play. This is why so few people remain. Relaxing on the criteria of what drops where would be a good way to make some better gear available to more, without adversely effecting anyone's game play. In truth it would enhance it, as it would allow more new players to join, and be able to play the game more effectively at lower levels. Those same people are going to be more likely to stick around, as they wouldn’t be so reliant on others, and could be more self reliant at earlier levels.
4. Create a donation chest.
Having good gear is a big issue in this game. While some long term players do give gear away, it is not enough of them, and as for it being the best, well that isn’t happening generally speaking. That gets squirreled away in unending bank chests, or put on sale if someone doesn’t need it, or becomes cash poor. Of course the sale price is so high that no new player could afford it, but who cares. The majority that play are long term players anyway that easily have the cash to help out one of their fellows. Such an environment is of course not very welcoming to new players. Yes many long term players give gold, or starter gear to new players, but generally speaking most gamers like to get their own gold and gear, which is currently far too difficult given things such as server population. This quite common activity of giving away gold and gear is done most often done because the game has become so centered around the wants, and needs of the most influential and long term players that it has become near impossible for the new players to even play without the help of the long term one. However most gamers not only don’t like having to rely on others, but generally speaking resent it. Are there some that don’t? Of course. However, generally speaking people are not fond of “having” to accept this, or that if they want to play a game, and are unable to make a go of it on their own then they must ask for the help of others in this way. Can you make a go of it on your own? Sure, but from my own experience it is so hard that most leave. Generally speaking this is true. Do some enjoy the extreme adversity of it in regards to this server? Sure. But those that do don’t have to go through any of that, as the majority have been there for ages, and already have tons of gear, and gold, to ease their way. Gems of sagacity to get all the xp they need, and all the knowledge they need as well. If they had to start over, playing now from square one being unknown by anyone, given no special treatment, and with zero gold, loot, knowledge or sub races, would they given these things being true, and the current play environment. Maybe, and maybe not. There is no way to know as they have never had to endure it, and never will. I would guess not.
That is why it might be a good idea to make a donation chest. A chest where anyone can put “any” gear, and it is available to anyone. Make sure new players know how and where it is, and make it something that can be checked on the random suspect link along with what is on sale at the market. This way new players can more easily help each other, and there will be more gear available, and less squirreled away in chests doing no good for anyone. New players would not feel beholden to anyone, and would be more likely to play, as they would have the ability to be more self reliant. Also have the log on random suspect show who has taken what, so that some long term vets don’t try to take advantage, and grab whatever they want. This makes those who might wanna pilfer something when they don’t need it accountable for doing so, as anyone can check and see who has been taking what from the donation chest.
5. Create directions that auto show right at docks.
Many servers that have survived have done so by making knowledge of where to go, and at what level as easy as possible to find, not hiding it away. People don’t want to have to go searching for this, or asking on a “newbie” channel. Again, people like to be as self reliant as possible, and most who have played the game since the start don’t like being called or referred to as “newbies’ whether they are new to this server or not. Making a short, but easy to access list that gives level recommendations attached to what area, and short directions about how to get there from town would go a long way to attracting new players. Most that join come on and are confronted with an unknown environment, and no idea what to do, or where to go. The majority play a short while, are turned off by the difficulty of play, or lack of information, and simply leave. Some stay, but most do not. Making simple information about where to go at what level easily available upon entry would go a long way to making the server more welcoming, and giving totally new players a better chance of feeling empowered, and not totally clueless, and simply leaving as they continue to search for other servers that are easier to figure out in terms of game play. It would also take some of the burden off of players who don’t feel like answering questions about where to go all the time. Just make a simple list that gives all the areas that are best for a certain level. Level 1-3 this or that area. Click on it and there will be simple directions to get there. Levels 4-6 this or that area. A simple click shows directions to there. Nothing that could not be easily implemented.
6. Give more xp at lower levels.
The more I played the game the more I felt that it was a bit too custom tailored to the tastes of a few people. No where is this more evident than when you are playing at low levels. While indeed some might enjoy getting super low xp, and taking forever to level, I am most certainly not one of them. You can of course say “Well if you don’t like it, play somewhere else.” And I did. So did most of the other people that spent a short, or long time playing on HG in the past. Keep that in mind. Most gamers like a challenge, but generally speaking making something “too” challenging is about the time when most people get up and leave. The die hard players of the game that remain are near religious in their support, but not very representative of the general public of gamers as a whole. Most people don’t like slavishly slow gaming when it comes to low level play. Statistically speaking it is when most people decide whether or not they are going to continue playing a game in the first place. Do some people enjoy a getting 15, 20 xp a kill at level 1? Sure. Do most? No. The server is still around because it is a good game, that uses a very simple model of increasing difficulty set around a central hub. It makes it easier to play, and understand. It also appeals to our sense of order, and propriety. That said, if you want to attract the maximum amount of people, making anything too hard, or too slow is a bad idea. Yes you enjoy it, but so what. True you can say this is a subjective yardstick, what is too difficult, and what is not, but that just isn’t the case. If it were mass advertise would not work so well. However it does precisely because advertisers study people, and know what appeals to “most” of us. Not all of course, just most. And honestly most people don’t enjoy games like HG. The proof for that is in the numbers. You cannot disprove that, as it is obviously true. Otherwise you would not have so few players, with a ratio of 75 to 80% long term players, and at best 20 to 25 % new players at any given time, who are slowly cycling through. Those numbers should be reversed.
Make leveling at lower levels easier, and you will get, and keep more players, as they are going to be more likely to stick around past their initial assessment phase of playing the game. That is when the majority of people decide whether or not they are going to stick around. It would not even have to be a huge increase, but a little more xp would be wise. Right now it is a bit too little.
7. Put a split chest in the Wrym.
Why this has not been done I do not know. I suppose it is in part because the only benefit of being in a guild now is that you have a nice chest that wont sell your stuff if you accidentally close the lid, and you can use it for bulk selling stuff. That’s about it. Those days should be gone though, so as to embrace the lower population on HG. Times are rough, and you need to streamline the game, and do whatever you can to make it more playable, and less of a pain. Just put a loot split chest in the Wrym, one that allows people to put stuff in, look at it, and then sell the stuff right from that chest once everyone is done. That’s it.
8. Make a buff rod.
Mages take too long to buff, and too many of their quick slots are taken up by buffs. Solve this problem by making a buff rod. You can make the buffs permanent to the rod, and they can correlate to the players level. You can make it non-transferable, or transferable. The buffs can be permanent, and you could have buff rods for mages, and for melee. Melee rods could be charged through use of a sequencer item, or directly, and be transferable. In this manner melee toons could buff themselves, and no longer need mages for buffs. Mages would no longer need to buff melee toons so much, and would therefore not have to complain so much about having to do so. Eventually mages and melee toons would have a lot more parody.
Such rods are not hard to make, and the knowledge for implementing them into a game is not hard to come by. This would help to improve the game markedly in terms of playability.
10. Bur and ur races.
Make them more readily available. Make it so that Bur’s can drop in places only UR loot currently drops, and make it so that Ur books can drop in places where currently only non UR loot drops. Or make it so that they can drop anywhere, but make it extremely unlikely, but not impossible. Currently you have far too many who have all of these races, and far too few that have to rely on hand outs. People don’t like that, and it isn’t conducive to fun game play, as that requires enough people to play when you want, and do what you want. Making it so that they only drop in the highest level areas where only those who have the best of the best gear and races can go is not serving anyone except those people. The gear is needed to play in those areas, and people complain if and when you don’t have the gear, but you have to have it to get it. Hmm.
The key is is to encourage new players to join, and want to stick around, not to tailor the game in a way that only the very few can do so. I think too many players, and the administration, have lost sight of this. You can make a game that appeals to people generally, games like WoW have proven that. However, if you want to make a game that appeals just to people like you, that have your sensibilities, who like to play the same way you do, expect it to die a slow death, and don’t sit around wondering why your server population numbers have dropped so low. If the product is good people are going to buy it. In this case play it.
11. Remove the do in order requirement from Hells.
This, more than anything else points to a form of control that allows long term players who can do hell runs to decide who does them, and in what order. It also makes getting demi god status far too difficult. If I am new player A that has played for 6 months, and I want to get my first toon demi, I have to get real lucky, and be on at the exact time lots of other people are on who want to do that exact same hell layer as me. Yet all I ever see are the same 10 or 12 people endlessly dumping new toons into hells, and doing it together. Rarely is a new player involved in the mix, and the long term ones generally decide what gets done. If the next next hell level being done is not on your needed list to gain demi status, oh well. This is a real problem, and I think the long term players, who are 75 to 80% of the server population don’t see things from a realistic perspective in regards to new player play. They see things realistically from their perspective, which is that they can do any run, any time they want. However, a new player is going to have one heck of a time unless he lives in the right part of the world, and even then it might not be easy if his work and life schedule doesn’t match allow him to play at the right times. Having a do in order requirement might have made sense when you had a full population playing at any given time, but it certainly doesn’t right now. Options of who you can play with are limited, and this limit makes it far too easy for some to decide who can, and cannot do these runs, in order, or not, and far too difficult for new players to get that coveted demi status. From a logical point of view it is getting the tag that matters, and if you do, and complete the hell layer alive, you should get the tag. No “do in order” requirement is needed. Whilst some would argue against this, it is the very same people that benefit from this requirement. They benefit in control, and power. Take away this requirement, and see the game ranks increase, as more people will be able to get demi status.
12. Implement no exclusion rule.
Yes, you should be able to play with who you want. You should also not be free to not play with who you don’t want to. It has been pointed out many times that it is a game, and not real life. I have never seen any game that has no rules. Some rules are good, some bad. Yes, you can have too many rules, and you can also have too few. You can have rules that are good, and not enforced, and you can have rules that are bad, and are ignored. Here I think we have too few rules, and the good ones are not enforced, and some new ones are needed. The game server itself is designed around party play. You need parties for that, and to have parties people must get along. True, you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to, but if you want to you should have to play with others. It is a party play server after all, so you should not be allowed to simply come on and play alone with your bots, or do silent runs that are called, but are simply not publicly called. Blacklisting is against the rules, but this is a clever way around that. Clever, and bad. It allows people to avoid what the server is essentially about, party play, whilst encouraging people not to party, or to pick and choose who they party with. I say this is anathema to the game itself, and is blacklisting. Something doesn’t need to be publicly enacted to be overt, or be done in the first place, hence it is breaking the rule on blacklisting regardless. And by the way whether or not that rule still exists is irrelevant. Being able to exclude people you don’t like is in and of itself anti gaming. Yeah, sure sure maybe you can get away with it in a big online game with millions of people. Heck the likelihood of running into the same person twice at random on such a game is slim to none anyhow. However in D&D, which attracts a pretty small community, well I think we can agree that the atmosphere, and play style is party based. If people can make bots and run whole parties by themselves this is anti gaming. That is partly why bots are banned on most servers. Also excluding people via privately arranged parties is just plain wrong. Freedom has nothing to do with it. It is a game, not the real world, so people should be able to play without having other people decide if they can play or not. That is far more harmful than some poor soul not getting his way, and being forced to run with someone he or she doesn’t like. Learning to get along is important, and maybe if people had to get along they would, instead of creating an atmosphere where they can exclude others. Instead they have these loopholes, and options with their very convoluted rationalizations that allows them to opt out on getting along. In essence it has been made all too easy for people to “not” get along, and be intolerant by choice.
“Oh, I don’t like what you said, so I am not going to run with you anymore.”
If only that was how it worked. And no I don’t think people would quit the game en masse. They already put aside their differences when it was convenient for them to do so in regards to those they do not like. If that is the case then why do these same people always threaten to quit if they "had" to run with people they did not like? Simply to scare the administration, and maintain their power and control over things. Being required to play nice, and get along with people, instead of excluding them takes away a lot of these peoples power and control. In essence they have been given the freedom to not get along. A game isn’t the real world. There are rules, and if you want to play the game you follow them. I know my house isn’t a free country, and neither is a game. Some rules are good things, and in this case this is a good rule. Trust me on this. No one is walking out if it were implemented, and currently so many people are taking advantage of the loopholes that allow exclusion, and blacklisting that this problem is driving away far more people than a rule disallowing activity. Instead it is all too easy to get offended easily, not get along, and instead turn an imagined insult, or simple misunderstanding into much, much more, and build upon that until people get really upset. This creates more problems, it doesn't solve them.
13. Make immortal run easier to do.
I can honestly say that I currently get toons stuck at the immortal range for weeks, even months. This is absurd for a server that claims to want more new players. I am not sure the players on the server actually do want more players, but that is another discussion. If they do want more new players, than accessibility to the immortal run should change. Even a small change would make things markedly better. More people would be able to gain access to LL run quicker, which would in turn fill in some of the gaps in regards to player number at higher levels. Instead you have new players getting stuck at this run, often for weeks. This is certainly not good, and can be frustrating. Should you stick around if this is the case? Maybe, and maybe not. Many will not.
You see this is something you need to understand. All of these things many of you consider small roadblocks are a deterrent. Just as laws are meant to deter crime, roadblocks deter people in their chosen course of action. Put enough in their way and they simply take another route. In this case another server, or a different game entirely. You are all thinking on too small a scale. That is why you have to date not solved the problems with the currently diminishing population. Many are good at blaming one thing or another, things that intuitively seem right, but when held up to the light of day don’t hold up. Yes the game is old, and yes it has been around for a while. However that isn’t why the game “can't” keep new players. If you keep track of the new players joining, who has stayed, and who has left you will find that of those who have joined in the past 6 months that 99% are gone. Cycle through, road block, road block, road block. Gone. It isn’t that people are not joining because it is old. No, plenty are joining if you bother to pay attention. They are simply not staying. Why. Too many roadblocks, too difficult, too specialized, too limited. I’ve heard all these and more. Not only here, but on other servers where they ended up after leaving.
The game needs to become more streamlined, and the immortal, like the hells needs to be more accessible. Perhaps remove the requirement for those 6 books. Many a run hes been held up because someone did not have them. This is extremely easy to fix.
Make it so that the crown chest can be opened without being picked. Simple solution, but people end up there and cannot pick it sometimes. Also people sometimes don’t have the books, and must postpone the run. These are things you “can” correct and make more aligned with the current game play environment. The past is dead, and adding an area to the game is not changing it. You all are going to have to accept, and embrace change if you want new players. If you cannot you are not going to get the new players you say you want, which is what I believe to be the case. Again, that is for another topic.
13. Create xur gear:
If you are going to make the game go beyond 60, and if you are going to create xur races, than there should also be xur gear. LvL 60 gear is all well and good for some easier LL areas. However, for the really hard endgame areas you really should upgrade gear. Not asmo gear, as that is too hard to get, as I addressed earlier in regards to hells, and you can only wear 1 asmo item at any given time anyways. No. Real xur gear is needed, that anyone can get, so long as they put in the time and effort. If you get to level 70, and can do some of the LL runs, but not all, you should be able to wear level "70" gear. It should not stop at 60. The only reason I think to increase the game difficulty, but not increase the availability of better gear if to exclude certain people from the runs that award the best gear. New players, players that lack experience for example. This is the only effect you will get if you don't scale up the gear to match the levels, and greater difficulty of areas, and make new players able to get it if they get to the required level. No doubt the current restrictions had different intentions, but unintended consequences almost always win out over wishful thinking, or good intentions. The game needs to be more merit based, and less centered around eccentric players who for whatever reason want to keep certain end areas to themselves, and a select few people. You cannot increase game difficulty without giving players the ability to access these areas, which is the case now since people have so many impediments to game play as things are currently. This is yet another roadblock, and even if you love the game many have quit because of these roadblocks. And by the way those that love the game have always had the ability to access these areas, the gear and races to do it, and have never had to start out from scratch. Yes there are some exceptions of course. Old players returning from a long break, and no access to their old bank chests, but who may have managed to rebuild their arsenal of races, and gear. However, tell me this. How many of these cases are there, and how many people have come and gone in the past 6 months? Do any of you really keep track? Do you know how many such people there are? I think not.
Create xur gear to go with what are in essence xur levels. There simply isn't the population anymore to support peoples ability to access and get the needed gear to do these areas because of the reasons I have already mentioned. Mainly too few people playing, and no rules to stop people from indulging in petty, and vindictive behavior. Namely being entitled to "not" get along with others if someone feels like it. Yes it is a game, and games should not be able to be manipulated by crafty players so as to allow them to decide who can, and cannot play.
One easy solution would be to make all xur gear +19, thus allowing asmo gear to continue to rule with it's +20. Asmo gear could be the cherry on the top of an already nice cake. A cake that needs to be far better equipped if things are going to keep up with the introduction of new xur toons, and what can only be called xur areas. Xur toons that once again only a very few can, and ever will have access to if the current trends continue. Yet another roadblock.
Create some xur gear to ease peoples passage, and give them something more to strive for beyond 60 that is attainable based solely on merit, and game play time, and experience gained. Not on some imposed order of tasks that serves no one except a few, and makes attaining the highest levels near impossible for most.
14. Remove account names from game.
This might sound like a radical idea, but I think it is a simple one to remove a lot of the conflict between players. Remove account names from toons. Simply have their player name. I think a lot of the conflict caused is because of people holding grudges against little lights on a screen. I have found myself having a fine run with someone until I found out who they were via their account name, and then I started disliking someone I had a moment ago been fine with. The game itself is too personal, and I think needs to allows players to escape petty nonsense. Yes, people F up, and make mistakes, have a bad day, or they don't like someone else for whatever reason. Always being able to identify, and avoid this person based on petty nonsense that may, or may not be of consequence stops you, and others from potentially getting to know that person.
15. Include information about subraces in a sub menu:
The game is very specialized, so it would be a good idea to give a list of all the open subraces available under the base race, and the same menu that lists the directions to areas a new player should visit along with the level range for each area. Including this information will make players aware of open subraces, and that it might be wise to use them. A link to the builds section might also be a good idea, as well as a reminder that the server is highly specialized, and that it would be wise to use an established build for their first toon.
It might be wise to do this by adding a pedestal right at the docks labeled "subrace" information, and another that reads "area by level guide." One contains all the subrace information you need in regards to open subraces, and the other contained a simple menu for levels 1-40 showing the best places to go, and at what level range. People ignore greeters and such, but the specific information they know they need to have is something people will make a bee line to.
16. In closing it is possible to turn the server around, and get more players. However, that would mean that some of you would have to accept some changes, but it is nothing radical. More parody for people that like to play melee toons, which is a good thing as just as many enjoy melee as do mages, and you want those players on your server, so you need to encourage them to come.
Easier access to information for the new players by a simple interaction with town greeter at docks with a short list of areas, and level recommendations for those areas, as well as directions on how to get to them.
Encouraging player self reliance by creating donation chests.
Offering slightly more xp at starting levels to encourage the new player to stick around, and experience more of the game.
All of these very simple changes would add to your player base, and over time fill the server up more to what it once was. No you won’t have millions of players (which couldn’t be supported anyhow) or even thousands, but you would certainly add numbers, and retain more of them. If that is your goal then some simple changes like those I have outlined would go a long way to ensure that.
Change is never easy, but if you want more players, and a more diverse player base, where there are more people to do more runs, with players that are better equipped, and more able to do those runs, who are going to be more likely to stay, than you are going to have to accept some changes. Or you can let things continue as they are now, and just ignore the fact that it is ever more difficult to do the runs you want, when you want to, and that the overall numbers just continue to drop. Be proactive, or non active. Up to you.
One last thing. This post took some time to write, and some thought was put into it. Instead of disrespecting the time and effort put in with trolling, and or negative comments of a disrespectful nature, I hope those who choose to post will understand that this is an honest attempt to help effect positive change. I can only hope that those who respond will show the same respect to my post as the respect, and kindness I myself have given by taking the time to post it. I hope those who read it will think a lot about what I have said, and that those reply do so kindly, or not at all. Take care.
