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| Attracting New Players | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 11 2013, 02:02 AM (1,541 Views) | |
| Guido | Aug 11 2013, 02:02 AM Post #1 |
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Blood
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I had a discussion today with someone who voiced that their faction consisted pretty much of them alone and it sparked me to post. I came back after getting another set of nwn2 discs after 2 years because I had such a fun time here but most of everyone I knew has moved on. The players I've met since coming back are amazing, every one of them but many many more used to log in each day. Perhaps there are ways to draw the old ones back or new ones in? I went and looked at a few other servers and most notably was their expanded feat list, allowing people to specialize in tons of things over their pcs lives, even using a shield as a weapon and magic feats. I was told that there were many events held for the various guilds and general events for everyone to become involved in as well. Has anyone taken a look at what other worlds are doing because this one had over 50 players at the time. Sigil is really a great fun place and I'd love to see it with people all over enjoying it. |
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| Cadence | Aug 11 2013, 02:25 AM Post #2 |
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"Act. Do. Be." -Factol Rhys of the Transcendent Order
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My 2 cents: I think it's a popularity/ herding issue more than anything else. There was a point where Sigil had an average of 30+ logins a night, but as groups of people came and went, the population whittled and most people tend to gravitate towards the most populated servers. I think talking to your old buddies and getting them all on at one time will attract more players more than any specific change to the module could. It's a turnoff to potential new players to see single digit logins, but if we can get 15-20 for most times of the day for a week straight, I reckon we'll be back in business as one of the top 3 most populated servers. Much easier said than done, of course. |
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| Agony_Aunt | Aug 11 2013, 05:12 AM Post #3 |
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Get a Life
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Also, just increasing things like feats and classes can simply attract the wrong sort of players, those just looking to make new and interesting builds to grind with, when we are primarily focused on being a RP server. But it can help for sure, even attracting such players boosts the numbers and then there can be some good RPers among them, and at least people are not turned off by low population. We do what we can with the resources we have available. |
| Stepped down as admin, but still lurking. | |
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| Devil's Elysium | Aug 11 2013, 05:51 AM Post #4 |
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Damp Pope of Eris Discordia
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As the NWN2 multiplayer equivalent of a swing voter I've gotta say Cadence is right on the ball. Sigil is a great server, and it actually supports RP much more successfully than most of the more populated servers. And having recently come from a couple of servers where the drama level actually hit singularity and killed one of them, it's EXPLETIVE refreshing. I've been here and gone from here more than everywhere else, and I'm reasonably sure I'll keep coming back until I stick or the server dies. As for getting oldies back, I've fallen out of contact with everybody that still plays. The herding comparison is very appropriate, for better or worse. |
| Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run, but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. | |
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| Sha | Aug 11 2013, 07:50 AM Post #5 |
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Clueless
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Don't want to be too cliche.. but thing SCoD needs the most is more EM/DM presence. (I'll just say DMs throughout) No, seriously. Player-driven RP is at a great level at SCoD but gets easily too monotone due to its limitations. Without DMs there's no way for players to interact with the world... Now, Sigil is quite a unique world! So without this interaction, SCoD is just like any mod serving as a base for players. Thus without DMs SCoD is not using its most distinguishing advantage (i.e. being Planescape based) over other servers to its full potential! I don't even mean huge multiple-session epic campaigns. Just ways of interacting with the world. Completely random NPC encounters, for instance, like being searched by Hardheads or meeting a remorseful devil, possibilities are infinite. Or sometimes players just need a beggar or a young boy to be a pawn in their machinations, or a Hardhead to report a crime to, or have a casual chat with Khaz. (Of course, event frequency should be increased as well). Nothing warms a player's heart more than interaction, and that encourages players to log on the server. |
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| Selebius | Aug 11 2013, 08:09 AM Post #6 |
Factor
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Hehe- there were moments when there where more Ems/Dms on than players. Also just because you do an event or story does not meanthat people want to be involved. That is ok- not every event I find interesting and I passed on a few just becaude I had fun elsewhere. Anyway- if you see me online and are bored send a tell and if I am free,in mood and able to do so (password reset) I gladly hop on the Dm Client to make something. |
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| Agony_Aunt | Aug 11 2013, 08:34 AM Post #7 |
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Get a Life
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Sha - a good while back we realized that we could not provide enough DM presence for regular events. This was one of the reasons the EM initiative came into play, and it has worked very well i think. This feature as far as i know is pretty unique among NWN2 PWs. Basically anyone (who has been around a while and have shown their RP skills) can step up and become a DM equivalent for as long as they want. Another plus is they also don't have to deal with any of the hassle side of being a full DM (eg: Disciplinary actions). To me this harks back to the original idea of the NWN franchise (and D&D in general) - anyone can be a DM and make stories for their playerbase. And as Selebus points out, often there are now more EMs on that players (because most of our regulars are now EMs). If more players join i'm sure the EMs would be able to provide adequate stories, and maybe there would be some potential EMs among them. The only thing i ask EMs to take care with is to make sure that when they do run events, there is opportunity for other new players to get involved, especially at the start of a chain of events. Making announcements via forums and in-game (using the shout channel) is a good way to do this, and also avoids possible accusations of favouritism "You only run events for players X, Y, and Z!". Of course, with the server pop so low at the moment, EMs are forced to keep providing events to the same players... so kind of a moot point at the moment. |
| Stepped down as admin, but still lurking. | |
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| Midnight | Aug 11 2013, 09:14 AM Post #8 |
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Factor
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On that note. If you are in the midst of a player driven plot. If you have reached one of those limitations and need somone to work an npc or two so you can have things react to what your character does and if I am around send me a tell. I will probably (sometimes I may be busy but I'll get back to you) help out. |
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Partial Character list: Annia Jahram (Retired) Jentia Snyden (Retired) Rania Dias (Mercykiller Tracker) Elliana Wettel (Godsman Smith) Caterina Arnders (Fraternity Judge) Emila Valios (Dustman Factor)
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| Veylandemar | Aug 11 2013, 10:20 AM Post #9 |
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The Barmy and the Bookwyrm
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This here is a problem I've run into on multiple occasions. I've gone and sewn the seeds for an ongoing plotline and no one has really... wanted anything to do with it.
It's one thing to say that SCOD needs more events and such happening to make it feel alive, but also consider this: All of the EMs and DMs have characters on the server whom we (presumably) like to play and interact through. Many of the DMs and EMs have quite busy schedules and lives which I would dare to say take some precedence over running events. At the end of the day, we're players, just like you. We like our playtimes when we can get them and we try to run events when we can think up fun little storylines for you. The other matter is our numbers - It just isn't feasible to expect there to be a DM or EM running something every other day. Yes, sometimes it can feel like weeks between events, that doesn't mean that nothing is happening, it just means that our wonderful little timezones and playtimes haven't quite intersected. Our numbers can be problematic, but more oft than not, at least one of us is available across most timezones. One thing that would help would be more players stepping up to give EMing a try, but then there's the catch-22. We need more players to have more EMs. On the flipside of that, this should hardly be taken as a gripe about being an EM, I've had lots of fun doing it - even if certain players misconstrue what's meant to be a little bit of flavour-text and turn it into a nine hour, sleep deprived (10pm-7am my time!) misadventure that left the Slags ablaze and instilled a deep seated fear of the smell of cinnamon amongst some of the regulars.... Mmm. Kadyx. Fun, sleep deprived times... Anyways, the best recommendation I could offer likely isn't the answer you're looking for, but give EMing a try yourself. If you've never used the DM client before, one of us can take the time to try and teach you. ~V |
| "Now, in your request, you asked for a draconic sage. To clarify, did you mean a learned scholar on matters relating to dragons or... Ah, I see." ~Lucelle Vand'hovar, Bookwyrm. | |
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| Er_Nano_Infame | Aug 11 2013, 01:11 PM Post #10 |
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EL NANO!!
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eheheh yeah, the kadyx was fun. in partcular when jall, who had just got away safely from kadyx with licca, told to people in the bazar not to go in the slags cause there's a scary murderous monster...and they went...and she followed back in the slags with them ! xD as for shying away from events inputs, if i happen to do so is usually because i'm just too tired or RP stuffed already in those days. though i may wonder what happened to the singing beholder, veyl but yes, in scod players can prepares and direct events whereas somewhere else they need to become DMs, which i dunno exactly what it takes, but guess is not so readily done. EMhood is yayhood, ahum... though sha has a point when she says :''Completely random NPC encounters, for instance, like being searched by Hardheads or meeting a remorseful devil, possibilities are infinite. Or sometimes players just need a beggar or a young boy to be a pawn in their machinations, or a Hardhead to report a crime to, or have a casual chat with Khaz.'' i'll try from my side to help in that way (and is interesting that mr_o suggested npcs scripted random encounters, in the ideas competition topic) |
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Maewind:''That's still plant-hating! That makes you a plant racist!'' Lucelle Vand'hovar: ''Miss Maewind, i assure you, the plants started this conflict.'' Nienna: ''Razorvine is hardly a plant, in her defense.''
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| Licca | Aug 11 2013, 01:22 PM Post #11 |
Blood
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Oh, goodness... sorry about that one taking so long (it was because I was being absentminded and went to sleep while still being logged on). |
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- Licca Lyricia - The sorceress of love and jewelry! - Lucia Lyricia - "One good shot is better than peppering five bad shots." *giggles* If you hearing giggling in the bazaar... *giggles* | |
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| Darkrob | Aug 11 2013, 02:07 PM Post #12 |
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I still say a mass email, sent from the forum to all those contained in the database (most forums have the ability to send emails to all members), is the way to go. You let all players who've passed through the mod at one time, know about all the changes and updates in the past few years. I'm sure many would drop in to check things out and, just maybe, some will stay. It's not considered spam. It's a one shot deal. A one time newsletter. Sent... done. With the amount of emails most folks already get, one more, from us, isn't going to make much difference in most peoples inboxes. So don't be shy... take a chance. Hit send... |
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Charles Goodman - owner of The Consortium and Chairman of the Syndicate - Indep and Merkhant Daniela Nokomis- "The Enclave" - Vampiress, The woman in White, Soul Stealer, Merchant Garen Seph - Fraternity of Order B3 "You may think you have us surrounded, but in reality you have simply put us in a target rich environment." | |
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| Powderhorn | Aug 11 2013, 02:15 PM Post #13 |
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Scharfschütze
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I was thinking the same thing as what DarkRob said, with the addition of: Set up a time on the forums, a week, where we all make a concentrated effort to increase numbers. Say, the fair coming back to Sigil, let people in the e-mail know, let them know what all has changed over the last few years. With the numbers of people for the fair, and anyone old re-checking out the server, it might get to enough critical mass to attract new players in as well. It would take scheduling and coordination, mind you. |
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You would think rooting for Darwin in EMS would be tricky. It's not. | |
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| Mr_Otyugh | Aug 11 2013, 07:48 PM Post #14 |
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I consider all marketing, spam regardless of source and tend to hate such with passion because while one, everything sends one once in a while and as a whole it becomes one of the generic spam stuff. I'd instead suggest players sending their own friends they'd want to see back a message asking how are they and if they'd be interested to get back. People don't want to hear the BS from "people" telling how awesome their "product" is, because everyone tells it and everyone knows it's a total lie, they want to hear opinions of actual users
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| Agony_Aunt | Aug 11 2013, 08:05 PM Post #15 |
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Get a Life
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I'm with Mr_O on this. While i do think such a campaign may have some success (hell, even maybe some great success), to support such an action would be highly hypocritical of me. When the revolution comes, marketing and sales people will be only just a little behind bankers and lawyers to be put against the wall. |
| Stepped down as admin, but still lurking. | |
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because while one, everything sends one once in a while and as a whole it becomes one of the generic spam stuff. I'd instead suggest players sending their own friends they'd want to see back a message asking how are they and if they'd be interested to get back. People don't want to hear the BS from "people" telling how awesome their "product" is, because everyone tells it and everyone knows it's a total lie, they want to hear opinions of actual users
12:29 AM Jul 11