Playerbase

[jAx]

Let's discuss player base growth for a minute. There used to be a poll on top mud sites that you could vote for solace that way when people were searching miss solace would come up more often. Do we have the dedication to do something of this nature again? Is it worth the time to advertise? Are we telling our friends??

We need some clean ideas of how to get the world populated, fill the clans, reward excellence with more shrined characters, let's think outside the box.

Comment below and message me via PM if you have any questions.

[Proph]

+1 on the TopMudSites banner. I'll vote every day even though I am not in a position to play anymore. Solace is probably the most underrated game of all time, and I feel sorry for people who are out there playing lesser MUDs never knowing what they're missing.

I have a really hard time sparking interest in friends when I tell them my favorite game has no graphics or sound.

[Lynx]

Heh, I was thinking a while ago about starting the similar thread, but wasn't capable of forming my thoughts into a straight-forward post.

In general, I think that first of all we have to determine the target audience for the project, who might they be and what do they want.

Possible player base, up to me, falls in one of the following groups:

1. EX Solace players, who have left for good
2. Players from other MUDs
3. Players from other online games(such as WoW or whatever they play now)
4. People who doesn't play anything right now and who might start play MUD as their first online game(such as myself, but it was about 16 years ago and the situation was different a bit at that time)

I won't really place a bet on #3 or #4, cause it's a bit loosy variant: for #3 you need to compete with games that have 200-2000+ players online at anytime and we have average online of 5 players today, so we will lose at the very beginning.For #4 I think that aren't able to find such people at all.

I don't really trust in #2 because most other minor MUDs(such as ours one) have also the minor playerbase and today we can offer them no significant difference.

I think of #1 as the most realistic opportunity, because Exclusive has contacts(emails) of all the previous players so we have the entry point yet for now we don't have anything to offer. As you remember, she send us all the welcome mail after solace reopening, but only a small percent returned.

So the question is, why don't they want to come back. I guess, that the main driver is the lack of time: we all grow older and do not have time to do all the hardcore, because it eats tonns of time. But also I think that everyone has his or hers casual hobbies, such as football or social networks, which can also be a descent waste of time. And I rearrange the question, it will sound like that: Solace is back, yes, we all simply have no time to gather a group and go to edges for 4-6 hours as it was done before, but in other aspects it's stil our beloved Solace, so why not change your casual hobby for it once again. I do not believe that most guys have no casual hobbies(yeah, we all have families, but we are no way the ants who have no time for our own) and watching matchday of FA PL + Champions League is no way better then gaining some nice shinies in an interesting area.

[Kage]

- Another issue we are dodging is the state of the current game as a whole. I'm still operating on the assumption that we are lucky to be allowed to use this sandbox that is occasionally swept clean and has the random turd removed from.

- New players may not know the history of solace and be sort of entitled to think this game is being operated by a full staff etc.  and expect various and numerous feedback and patches etc.

- The target audience and possibly the only audience for many years are ex-players and the occasional ex-players friends.  If we are to expand that we would likely have to expand what people get which I don't think is realistic currently.  If the immortals or programmer ever announce they are committing more time then I'll be the first to push some effort.  I just would hate for us to get an influx of some entitled scrubs that piss off the few imms we have.

[Lynx]

- New players may not know the history of solace and be sort of entitled to think this game is being operated by a full staff etc.  and expect various and numerous feedback and patches etc.

Why would a newbie expect a lot of changes: he isn't even familliar with game mechanics and wishes it to be changed already? As for bug fixing, I haven't seen any major bug that causes the game to break up for now. Also I haven't seen newbies at all.

[jAx]

The bugs have been fixed except for a select few which don't Impact te world in a game crashing way. For example ranged weapons are still a little glitchy. Most of the code has been fixed thanks to Sirri to run smoothly. Other things can be fixed or changed as long as thy are properly addressed and they will be considered try and remember this isn't the official forum so make your notes in game and provide a link to the more descriptive and informative post here. Properly addressed and you should expect satisfactory results and answers.

To Lynx : concerning the older player base provide them the information that ranki has becomin easier as with mastering skills and spells and that should draw some of them back. Remind them this isn't old solace and that certain changes were made to compensate. As some of you older players might remember ranking was grueling and you could spend 8-10 hours just to get to middle ranks .... Now 8-10 hours and your a Hero

I will address more as I read them Im on the road today and using my iPhone, without the comfort of a laptop this is a feat in itself to respond as much as I have I just want players to know changes will be heard and made accordingly. Let's keep this going and stay on topic with positive feedback and refreshing ideas you guy are doing great keep them coming!!

[zondra]

i think all is true. many of the good player are now 10 years older. i'm 30 now. when i played when i was 17 i had nothing but time and so did many of my friends. now i lost touch/hate those friends and with other online games it hard to talk anyone into learning text based game. but if they eve tried we all know they will be sucked in within a week,i've helped acouple newbies or so they said the past week, but i think the immortal staff does a good job. one problem i have now that is really pissing me off but o well. i think we need to get on the mud sites and get voting done and all of us need to write reviews and the newbie channel needs to be pushed and everyone needs to be helpful. if someone ask where should i go after rank 7, don't say go to the docks or south of kalaman. say hey go to your temple let me show you the area and where to maybe get a better sword and ring. yes we want people to learn but the only way to learn most times is in a group or with someone to show you, and this website isn't listed on the opening screen, if this isn't gonna be the real website make a real one

[Lynx]

Indeed, I confirm that Zondra is the first one who replies on newbie channel and that's a great job itself.

I wonder, if all of us do agree, that Solace is currently targeting mature audience with previous MUD experience(Solace exp is prefered)? I suggest to discuss this problem is step-by-step mode, so the current step is defining what do we plan to do: try to return old players or work with topmudsites/mudconnector and so on to attract REAL newbies to realms?

[zondra]

i think we need to reach out and do top mud sites. the more old players that return the higher chance we have of keep new players, ive said it before any new players can send me a pm on the forum, i'm around on my laptop and  on my phone and if asked i would even make a new char and show you around. i really don't mind, and answer any questions and race feats etc[only really good at fighter types,suck at mages]  once a person esp one who has mud exp they will be hooked i know it.

[Lynx]

Well, I'm just trying to figure out the behaviour model: so, I am a mediocre experienced player coming to Solace from TMS, I roll a char, enter WHO and see 3 to 6 players online. Again, if you are a cleric it will take you a great deal of time to level yourself up and I think it's not the best idea to roll a char(fighter like) to help the newbies to exp to hero - it takes a lot of time and efforts, and most players just don't have it, for example now I'm sitting on forum while running and fixing the huge integration test application, so I have just moments of free time, I can't be online all the time to help people here and there. Also I have some family duties to do as well

So, if your TMS action will drive to Solace 100 players(a huge number), what would be the reject rate(roll - exp a bit - leave). What is the key difference between Solace and many other MUDs with 4 players online?


 

[zondra]

My goal is for 10-15 people on most of the time,  used to be 20s all the time

[Lynx]

My goal is for 10-15 people on most of the time,  used to be 20s all the time

How many hours per week should a player dedicate to MUD?

[zondra]

Id say like 7ish at least

[Lynx]

Id say like 7ish at least

With this weekply playtime, how long will it take for you to get any normal stuff(I don't mean autocasting items, of course, but something to stay in 1000+ hp for hero, 40+ saves to all and some hr/dr for fighter likes)?

[zondra]

An hour a day would save gear, also knowing couple times longer, hour in a good group exploring goes by fast, i know time is hard to find with family,  i have a 6 4 and 6month old, but if you like the game , we all need "me" time

[Lynx]

An hour a day would save gear, also knowing couple times longer, hour in a good group exploring goes by fast, i know time is hard to find with family,  i have a 6 4 and 6month old, but if you like the game , we all need "me" time

Well, if there would be more players, you won't simply be that good to explore a challenging area within an hour or two. I don't speak about edge or nether, but even Neraka or Silvanesty won't be that easy if you would have worser stuff on you. For example, in 2000-2002 even high ranked clanned hero had about 20-30% of unlimited things on him and having the huge load of swords with variety of damage types(like Beorn has, for example) was something unbelievable: in 2002 you would rarely happen to meet a plain troll-sword on the greater troll

For example, here is the eq list of a very cool Heretic Warlord:

< 1050/1520hp 435/494mn 406/431mv | Tnl 0 | $1016.13561 | ND >
< > eq
You are using:
<worn on finger>    a ring maded of shimmering metal
<worn on finger>    (Glowing) a Varggin Shih signet ring
<worn around neck>  (Glowing) the torque of restoration
<worn around neck>  (Glowing) (Humming) a hexagram inscribed fiery pendant
<worn on torso>     (Glowing) (Humming) a suit of spiked adamantite platemail
<worn on head>      the lord-chancellor's mitre
<worn on legs>      (Glowing) (Humming) a pair of darkened leggings
<worn on feet>      a pair of red silken boots
<worn on hands>     a pair of fur gauntlets inlaid with emeralds
<worn on arms>      a pair of metal-plated sleeves
<worn as shield>    a copper tower shield marked with a wyvern
<worn on body>      (Glowing) white shaman robe
<worn on waist>     a bloody belt of trophies
<worn around wrist> (Glowing) (Humming) a crimson scaled bracer
<worn around wrist> (Humming) a vine bracelet
<wielded>           a thin silver needle

Would you need ANYTHING from above if you kill him with Arsa?

[zondra]

I played back then, i never saw a warlord that naked,  there is way better unlimited gear than that,

[Lynx]

I can't say he is really naked, limited eq on him is not bad, still he wears white shaman's and similar stuff.

Back to topic, I see no way of casual-style playing here, so as the player base grows older and migrates to casual playing style(work + families would drive you there anyway), they find less ways to play and that's why player base shrinkens.

[jAx]

I will work on getting this forum and website on the games MOTD so that players will know also to stop here and read some posts and gain some knowledge I think that a very good point

[zondra]

Maybe then May be let players know how long to play,  or rise the vape time