Back To Beta Campaign

[Atebos]

No, you can post on the prayer room your stories. This would kill two birds with one stone.

1) We, as moderators, get to see what you are doing with your character and gives us a better chance to interact with you in game at your preferred taste.

2) If we post the stories, all you forum trolls will have some good material to read, not to mention it will give you all ideas to be creative with.

3) Newcomers want to see a forum/community that is vivid and thriving, with an incentive for them to invest their time into.

[Raargant]

I see a lot of misunderstandings re ullquiora's post, so let me attempt to clarify:

----------------

1) Ullquiora feels very positive regarding the current trend of IMM activity, code/OLC development, etc., which he feels to be similar towards when the MUD first started.

2) Ullquiora feels that, given the positive parallels in terms of code/OLC development & activity between now and when the MUD was in Beta (where it grew from almost zero players to dozens online), we have a very fertile ground to grow the MUD's pbase significantly.

3) Ullqiora feels that our 'standard'/'normal' ideas for growing the pbase, ie 'voting', is not, in and of itself, sufficient to grow the pbase.

4) Ullqiora argues that, given the similar, positive parallels between the development of the MUD during Beta and the current administration, we have a unique chance to come up with some new ideas for growing the pbase, and perhaps can review and draw from some of the tactics & methods that were used to grow the playerbase by leaps and bounds during Beta, to grow the playerbase by leaps and bounds now.

5) Ullqiora also suggests that, in addition to the methods used during Beta, that we also review and use the more successful post-Beta tactics for recruiting and expanding the pbase.

------------

Thus, the 'Back to Beta Campaign' is fundamentally a thread for brainstorming ways for player outreach and player recruitment, with an eye in particular towards successful methods that were used in the past, most obviously in Beta.

I think this is an excellent idea and an excellent thread. Please carry on and discuss.

[Celerity]

Raar, you are starting to sound like a politician...take that for the good and bad...

The MUD. I've posted on this topic many, many times so I'm sure many of you already know what I'm about to write.

First, the biggest draw to any game is active development. Yes, that even means updating the MOTD regularly. It means as many PK/RP logs as possible. Short stories would be great. Maybe the IMMs can save and post some good applications in there that they see.

But, far more important than those are the code updates. We were on the decline for many years because of the last two administrators and their pace (or lack of) of development. Zhokril started out with some changes but that was a few months ago. I really, really, really hope he will be far, FAR more active than the last ones. I hope he speeds things up soon. If he becomes too busy to continue, I hope he gives it up without waiting for a year or three first. We haven't had an active coder since Virigoth left. Nobody likes to wait months or even weeks for a few small changes.

The administration's mentality is also important. The previous mentality was to maintain the game. They believed the game was relatively balanced and the staff was to be more concerned with daily upkeep as opposed to any kind of active development. So we lost players. Even if the game is well-balanced, it will get repetetive and ultimately boring. That is why we need continual PK and area/quest/whatever additions/changes. This keeps things fresh and interesting. It sparks new interests. All of the classes and races could be vastly fleshed out, even at the cosmetic level. Most importantly, we need to make new creative systems. That requires the open-mindedness to make large or even unpopular changes. We have to be experimental and innovative -- NOT focused on security, appeasement, and stability.

The race history project was a good thing. It took far too long and should have been completed even before the MUD went public. This is not the fault of either the players or the IMMs...I know how hard it was to get that finished. But it really does highlight how slowly things get done around here. Even simple creative writing work. Let's not get started on the remaining massive number of typos floating in the MUD...

Grim touched on something I'm very adamant about. That is the 'single-player' aspect of the game or the PVE. Like he said, everything is focused on PK. We need something to do that is not PK. ESPECIALLY in terms of character development and long-term goals. There are many routes to go with this...You can look at a host of other RP MUDs and see all the fun systems they have in place. From working economies to active, vibrant political systems to craft skills to advanced MOB AI to in-depth questing....But again, this all comes down to the designers and coders (IMPs).

Right now, PK supercedes everything else completely. Want to RP? Better hope you don't have a cabal enemy on. Better hope that you don't really want to change the game because emotes won't do it. Our functionality is not much better than a basic chatroom in regards to this.

We have a very sharp learning curve for our kind of MUD. This stems not from the complexity of the system but to our philosophies. We have a closed forum. That means no detailed equipment/code specs. I sometimes agree with that, but the rule is more applicable to a questing/exploration MUD. We are certainly not that. We are a terribly competitive PK MUD and honestly, it only hurts newbies. We are still trying to hide the same things we hid in beta and pretend that everyone doesn't already know them.

We still promote self-suff sufficiency in an RP MUD. We really shouldn't do that. We need to promote/require working together and interaction, not just reward statisical and individual development. We need to mask some of the stats and do the opposite for non-pk accomplishments.

It always comes down to the leadership and the players. I know I am always working on stuff for the MUD---RP plots, creative writing, balance work, and basic game design. You all know that. I don't know how many notebooks I've used up. Sure, many of you probably think my ideas/plans are absurd, but that isn't point. I'm just a player, so if I can do it, anyone can. How many others are really working like that (IMMs included)?

Precious few, that is for sure.

There is a lot more I want to say, but time is catching up to me...

[ullquiora]

Thank you, Raargant. What I meant to say sounds like what you did when it played in my head, but for some reason came out obscure when typed. I am a firm believer in learning from history, and utilizing what you can from it.

Celerity, I think we can both feel confident on the dedication of the coder this time. I've have been given too many reasons to believe that. Just remember that in terms of coding and patching, when it rains it storms. It isn't fair to expect several small additions over a long period of time with only one human being working at it. You can expect a huge lump of fixes all in one patch-over, when they've been tested on the other port for a little time. It is just less stressful on one individual to do it that way.

I like your way of thinking, don't get me wrong. Please continue when you've a moment. I am interested in hearing what it is you've left out. Let's just try to keep it on what players might follow through with more so than what the staff can change. Ideas for the implementors are surely appreciated by them, but isn't what this thread is about.

[Grim_Reefer]

I'm totally behind Ullquiora.

[Enethier]

i dunno how it was like way back when. but i like it right now. the learning curve is steep, but not too steep. if it was too easy there would be no interest, but i dont think its too hard. i dont think this is the game for people who are hardcore into easy games like world of warcraft. but idk. back to the point. this game is really fun. i find that if you put a little effort into interactions, its probably the most fun game ive played in a long time. so whatever we're doing now, lets keep it that way

[f0xx]

I will tell you how beta was... bet a sucked.

If you think the players now are somewhat trashy you would have been disgusted back then. Everyone thinks the small PB is a problem of our MUD. The truth is that the competition now is much much tougher than it was 10 years ago.

Of course, there were some positives back then, such as we used to have at least 2-3 visible immortals at all times.

[Demiterracotta]

Overall I agree with ullquiora. But I have to say celerity has a lot more of a point as far as if you want a bigger amount of players. I'm sorry, you guys can call WoW cheesy and stupid and very easy all you want. But they happen to hold the crown when it comes to an online game. And don't argue about quality, being jaded doesn't mean it's less of a game than it is, if you can get a hundred thousand people (I'm just guessing, I don't know numbers) who haven't touched an MMO before to play your game to 80, there must be something there.

It would help bring the small community of MUDDers (I <3 Firefly) to FL if they saw something, it takes a lot of dedication to get where some people are in this game. Especially when PK is the biggest part of a characters life (barring herald). You need to be active and healthy in PK and at least be competent to get a lot of the Qraces/classes it seems. And honestly, many people aren't willing to spend that amount of time on a game anymore. And not being able to see what they are trying to do sucks. Going into the game blind most people think they are going to be left alone and they die horribly. I had my sister try the game out, and she hit 28 fine, because of a lack of PK, then died twice (not even a piece looted, solid props to whoever did it) to Qrace wannabes, and she will not play, because she had no idea why who what or how. More info would solve this, but also more info brings a lower class of player, which do we sacrifice for? Numbers or quality? The Pbase will hover around 10-20 for the rest of this games life, and I think everyone has ideas, but this is the game we play, and that's the way it is. Or maybe it will change and the Old Guard will be pissed and leave, and a batch of new players will descend to replace them, And I like you guys, don't leave.

Edit: I'm harrowing a field bouncing across corrugates, and I did this on my cell phone, so if it makes no sense, blame farming.

[Enethier]

ive been trying word of mouth. thats what got me into FL. and what keeps me is the interraction. so i think that if we make an honest effort to have good roleplays, often, the retention rate will skyrocket.

bah! i just got killed! lets see if so-and-so wants to have a talk while i lick my wounds.

doesnt even have to be anything major. small converstations are just as important. it makes us newbs feel important when people talk to us

[Celerity]

In retrospect, I think I'll save my thoughts for idea threads.

As for numbers vs quality...while they do have a relation, that can be overcome through good design and organization. A small company (including the employees) isn't always higher quality than a large one, but they may be. A lot of players doesn't mean a drop in RP, PK, or anything else. What it does mean is that more work needs to be done to ensure that the MUD can handle a larger playerbase.

I know this thread is focused on the playerbase, but this is really a system problem. Maybe we have this playerbase because it is about as much as our game design can support. The game isn't about elite dueling, but that is how 99% of the PK operates. Why? Of course it has to do with the player philosophies, but I think the way the PK works is ultimately the limiting factor. We just have no system for multiple opponents and organized tactics. Everything in the game is based on the individual.

As for faith in the coder, I can't say either way. I do know what has happened during the last two administrations, and I didn't like it. I'm still remaining positive about the IMP change but pardon me if I don't put a lot of blind faith into it. Again, don't misunderstand me---I'm not saying Zhokril is bad or doing anything wrong. I just want to see how things pan out in the near future.

Improve, expand, and develop new fun and involved things to do in the game and the playerbase will grow. Players will only come when there is space for them.

[English lad]

In my experience of being on a few betas, beta (to me) means that changes happen constantly, things are rolled back, and in general the environment is more about experimentation than about a consistent experience. This promotes growth and fast moving changes, but doesn't tend to promote stability of playerbase - I guess it comes down to which the current admin considers to be more important - change and development or consistent user experience.

[ullquiora]

On the Paid Side :

Once a rock solid website with permanent ownership is up and optimized, I think donations should be taken for the likes of google ad words. In my experience, I've volumed about 50 extra hits a day for a few dollars a month on other sites.

If the mud plans on existing for another year, I also think donations can start to be taken for next years Zuggsoft advertisement auction in Feb. Small amounts over time might turn in to big amounts.

Finally, why not consider finding out how much it costs to advertise in indie game or computer mags?

On the Free Side :

Link exchange with other muds of approximately the same player size. Link exchange with game sites. Link exchange with anything we can.

Facebook, myspace, or twitter an update about the game once every week or so on your personal account. I know this might be deemed as annoying but it also works.

I hate to mention this, but why not drop the link to this game or mention the game itself on other forums? I am not talking about trolling on competitions forums, but there are thousands of forums out there that wouldn't mind hearing about this game. Find a few and talk about it.

Someone start a podcast or youtube channel about something they specialize in and mention this site occasionally.

My Favorite Suggestion For Players:

If you have never heard of it, associatedcontent.com is a website that pays you real money for writing stupid crap. It isn't much money but they usually pay it straight up, and also give you cash over time if people read your stuff. We have a lot of authors here who can write fiction. We also have experts who can write how-to guides.

The average payment is about $3-5 per article, and they need only be about 400 words. If you can pk, that typing should only take you about 20 mins at most.

Write an article or two a week. Donate a percentage of the cash, or all of it, you earn to an FL paypal account. This cash generation will help advertising or anything else the mud needs for a facelift. If only two people do it, it will be about $10-40 dollar donation a month. This will go a long ways for advertising. If more do it, then it will go... longer?

Also consider writing an article about muds, gaming, fantasy, or any of that and drop FL's name. Thousands of people read this stuff every day, and who knows if you article would become popular or reprinted elsewhere. Having one FL account on the site might also be good, and have players submit stuff to a staff member to then post there one a week.

[tassinvegeta]

Haha make Celerity an Imm or give her more power if she isn't one already. Her passion for the game is what we need to stimulate other players. We need Imms to basically be bigger geeks than the players . With more changes come more players its just that simple. We saw one of the biggest increases in the pb since Behrens? Thanks to Zhokril and all those magnificent changes. Pay more attention to deletion threads and the history of those chars. They serve as big red flags that appear on your lap as to what issues need to be addressed in game. I deleted like 5 chars due to issues I felt needed some looking into. That's just how I play I always seek to experiment with new things and over the years I find it harder to do this and keep coming back. Emp newb and Mindflayers deletion threads over the years also radiated alot of knowledge.

[Grishnak]

There are some up front costs, but let's establish FL as a 501c3. Google does adwords grants of up to 10k/month in free advertising. People could thndknate with tax deduction in mind. I'd be willing to sit on the board as a non profit exec myself and help the process along (as long as we name the company something better than aabahran Inc.)

being a real company, even with volunteer staff, would allow us to do things like coding internships (unpaid), school/college affiliations, get grant funded studies done that show POSITIVE effects of gaming/mudding, etc.

Also on a phone, I'll make an idea thread about this.

Who was writing the novel? It was great and of published would be great PR for us.

On the note about the game being 1 v 1 by design, you've existed in the small pbase of FL. There are few things more fun than a 4 on 4 cabal brawl. PK tactics completely change.

[mmajunkie]

mmajunkie flies in.

mmajunkie closes his eyes momentarily.

This thread has been resurrected.

mmajunkie closes his eyes momentarily.

mmajunkie disappears.

[Aulian]

The problem is Ull is gone.

I had like 6 articles written up for him to do his thing.

[Grim_Reefer]

Major noobfail on Ullquiora's part.

[jekyllvhyde]

I watch tv shows online and I started seeing ads all the time for mmorpgs and it makes me want to check them out though I'm too involved in FL so I don't. Maybe if we could find cheap ad space it might help, just a suggestion.

[Twinblades713]

Money on that guy being a quick alias for someone else here. But yea, I hope he's not dead or dying, but that's the only excuse he gets for jumping ship.

[mmajunkie]

sostertag2211@gmail.com

That is his public provided email address. So...get him back here.

[Aulian]

You're the one with the most time, go nuts.