Recruiting new players idea

[Fender]

Hi,

Just a small idea I have regarding recruiting new players and making them stay.

The main problem I've had when recruiting friends to start playing this game is that they require peds deposited in order to have a good view of the game itself. Many of them have agreed to deposit maybe $20 (normal price for a game) and fiddled around a few days before going tired and moving on... As we all know (that has been here a while) that you can actually come a long way with 200 ped BUT you dont get to really experience 1/7 of what this game has to offer! You can't afford trying all professions, explore all planets etc.
So my wish/suggestion is this:

Create an "alternate" planet/server where peds is not involved in the economy. Many, many (including uber items) items can be purchased by "Experience points" gathered by doing "Introduction Quests" (Fast gained! I mean - get a DOA without skilllimit within 3 hours of play) and many big mobs available to hunt. Resources to gather etc. so you can experience being a mediocre and uber player - just to get the experience so you know what to aim for if you continue to play the "real server".

How to control this enviroment idk - but just use your imagination. Imagine you can go to a server where you can be uber for a day. Loot fake uber loots. Just really experience the possibilities out there before actually start grinding hardcore for real. I reckon everybody out there would like to experience hunting with a MM in a full Supremacy armor and just nuke down those evil uber mobs atleast once!
Make it limit to time. Or not. I guess it has to be limited some way or else maybe many people would just stay there forever and dont care about the real-money economy. Because I think it would be fun!

And we all know: FUN = More playtime!

I think this feature will motivate players to really try, and not just give up when the first atrox comes running and killing them...

Think about it. Expand the idea. Come with suggestions. Make it happen.
Because I KNOW I would have a LOT easier time recruiting friends if they got to experience the "end-game."

Imagine playing WOW and know that you will never reach end-game? Because lets get real... 0.6% of the players here can afford the best equipment out there...

My 2 pecs...

 

[Aio]

I think that would turn a lot of players off - they wouldn't understand the rarity, exclusiveness of owning and using the best items. They'd play it until the time limit, switch to the real game and get tired of being a noob in 10 seconds.

I've used all the top gear (MM, modfap, shadow) and without the sense of achievement in owning or working for them then the novelty wears off pretty fast as essentially you're just doing the same thing as you were shooting punies.

 

[Fender]

I think that would turn a lot of players off - they wouldn't understand the rarity, exclusiveness of owning and using the best items. They'd play it until the time limit, switch to the real game and get tired of being a noob in 10 seconds.

I've used all the top gear (MM, modfap, shadow) and without the sense of achievement in owning or working for them then the novelty wears off pretty fast as essentially you're just doing the same thing as you were shooting punies.

I can totally see your point.
But OK. Lets say they narrow it down then, to mediocre items, and very limit of time... My main point is to let them try the entire content before actually investing in it. This game is not like the others, and unique ways are needed to get more active players... Now most people quit before they get the wish to get the best equipment because they think the game is "only this".

Remember the real-economy is the main magnet here, and killing puny's for hours isn't something poeple get motivated by when they only see pecs. They need to see that they actually can get higher loot and fall in love with it.

 

[CharlieBuchanan]

Actually

I actually like this idea. I could definitely see someone really thinking wow this is awesome, and this could be real if I try? I'm in.

Maybe Mindark could bump up the loots to 105% or something too in the fake world. Probably not but it'd bring in even more even if it is underhanded.

 

[Svarog]

After been an uber for one day, a thought of going back to the kindergarten and staying there for years would be intolerable.

Also, have you ever tried a game in god mode with cheat codes? Have you ever bothered to play that game again normal way?

 

[Wollongong]

As with all ideas which stray from the RCE aspect, I think this is a horrible idea.

 

[Fifth]

U know whats the biggest problem with EU?

Not enough exciting content. This is a problem for new and seasoned players alike. Yes there's this unique economic aspect of things and it can replace a normal gameplay content to a degree, but still.

As for the OP, there's kinda a substitute for playing like an uber these days - streaming live on Twitch.
But yeah, I agree - it isn't quite the same as actually being there, inside the game and seeing it all happen around you, while you can freely look around.

There has been a solution that does just that, too. In AfterWorld (an old game that's long dead and gone now) there was a danger zone between the starter area and the rest of the world, filled with the nastiest creatures in the whole game. To cross that zone was like an initiation rite of sorts, for any new player.

The zone was called "The Labyrinth of Death".

Now, how could a newbie cross a zone so dangerous on his own? Well it was possible but it rarely happened. The trick was to turn him into a small hovering disk that was immune to all damage, but also very slow. This little shiny disk was called "noobot" (prolly from words "new" as in newcomer, and "bot" as in mech or robot).

The really ingenious part of it was turning this danger zone into a huge Capture the Flag arena, and the hovering disk (who was actually a person, a newcomer) to a "Flag" on that Arena. Any normal player could pick up that little disk and try to make a home run through the danger zone to deliver it on the other end.

To make things even more complicated, the whole zone was a PvP area. As soon as any newcomer entered the zone and ws turned into this little shiny disk-thingie there was a game-wide global announcement. Only the best of the best players and teams dared to compete, everyone else had no chance in hell.

So this gave the newcomer the unique one time chance to be in the spotlight, as a prize in a fierce fight against the biggest mobs and strongest human players in the game. Performed by the best teams, using the best gear, showcasing the best tactics. You could be in their team, right in the center of it all. Your 15 Minutes of Fame (was more like 45 minutes actually).

***

Sadly I could find no videos about courier runs. I guess everybody was so concerned about the top performance of their PC's to risk recording a video. I know I was...
There is, however, a story describing one run, the (failed) delivery of AxelRod "Trample" Gunnarson that u can read here:

http://5entity.blogspot.com.ee/2010/08/afterworlda-day-in-life.html


Brings back some memories for those who were there...

 

[DoA]

The other game I'm playing (I won't name it) has something similar - is called a "test server" and people there have the possibility to spawn any items, mobs, alter their skill levels and just test various things; it doesn't have a time limit, but it just doesn't saves your progress when you log out. Even casinos (not saying that EU is one, but many consider it one) have trial rooms where you can play with virtual currency, which has no RL equivalent.

So I really don't think that this is a bad idea, but on the other hand I don't think it would help much either... EU is cool for people that like to grind, for people that are passionate about the RCE, for people that like a real challenge and for people that love the kind of community the game has (and well, for gamblers too, but I will leave these on their own business)... and well, none of these will be relevant on a test server... and without them, there's really nothing special left... there are many more games out there looking better and feeling better...

... just my 2 pecs ...

 

[mastermesh]

feel free to create your own planet where the TT is run by experience points... Hope you have plenty of money to pay for the server bill.

 

[SpikeBlack]

Not enough exciting content. This is a problem for new and seasoned players alike. Yes there's this unique economic aspect of things and it can replace a normal gameplay content to a degree, but still.

Personally I feel that's because any progress now doesn't feel like an achievement as skilling has been turned up to 11. Plus there's too many options it's changing each time new stuff is added.

Back to on topic and although I can see your point I think it's the wrong way to go, tbh many of us stuck around for so long because of the people we met along the way and we've lost that.

The challenge of being dumped in at the deep end when I started was good but that's partly because I didn't know the gulf between the top players and myself at the time. If after playing effectively in god mode and then finding it could take a vast investment of cash or time to get to that level again I'm not sure I'd do it.

Worse case someone starts, deposits a wad of cash and plays as it they were still in god mode.

To recruit and retain players EU needs a more laid back relaxed atmosphere more of a slow burn.

 

[psyche]

Overall, I feel like this game is similar to other grinding MMORPG. You repeatedly kill a mob over and over. I don't think adding a test server planet with uber mobs and loot will help. After a while it will feel like killing punys. I think what separates this game from many popular grinding MMORPG is the combat. Many popular MMORPG have more exciting combat, some do it by adding cool animations some have action combat. Since I'm not a game programmer, I don't know how difficult it would be for MA to make it.

I like to see them add some cool kill hit animation like skyrim, or like a random jump spin shot from time to time. When your character evades a hit, add a evade animation. Make the weapon switch smoother. Sometimes it takes so long for the weapons to switch.

For action make Kiting possible. Overall, try to engage the player. Right now most mobs moves so fast all we are doing are tab and auto tool, then watch the mob die. It gets old fast. Or maybe add some teamwork mechanic like most mmo. Tanking, healer, dps role. Since it's sci-fi have some sort of "Dr. Who perception filter ring" for the dps, so mobs prioritize attacking the designated tank. There are lots of ideas to make combat more engaging. I think if they just add animation and action in combat, it would do really well retaining the majority MMORPG players.

 

[Billy Jean Ruby]

After been an uber for one day, a thought of going back to the kindergarten and staying there for years would be intolerable.

Also, have you ever tried a game in god mode with cheat codes? Have you ever bothered to play that game again normal way?

can't add a thing to this comment
100% agreed

 

[mastermesh]

re-reading this thread with a weird thought...

Remember those mob loot pills, etc. Imagine a continent, planet, or underground type thing like aud where those type of mobs are the only ones in existence that other players are controlling... perhaps a new thing like Cyrene's hub, but better, or at least different.

and perhaps those pills in that one server could be purchased for something like 100 sweat from a tt. Add in perhaps something like a once a week top prize where top player with mob playing skilz gets a special pill that one time transforms them in to Marco's old avatar, but that pill only works on this particular server and has to be used in a day or two after winning it so that it's available next week for next winner. Every pill would have a duration of only a few minutes unless you pay some peds to extend it like the existing mob pills.