Adding to our Playerbase - Campaign

[werf]

Hi. So after coming into a conversation half way into it today on discord, someone raised a really important point and that is the number of darkside players is very low lately. I can agree but, this is not really a darkside issue, this is deeper than that:

We have a dwindling playerbase issue!

That's ok. I'm here to talk to those remaining that still read forums and hopefully play the game, what we can do to try and add new players. I've set the goal for 30 new players to invite and show the ropes, in hopes that maybe a few stay. Either way, it's a great goal and I think it's achievable with enough people putting in the effort (minimal, but effective).

The first session is simply brainstorming. I thought the easiest thing to do would be to try and build a global event designed to bring back older players that don't play very often anymore. We would plan it a month ahead of time, and in that time we could try and reach out to anyone and everyone we can get our hands on whether it be by phone, email, instant message, or facebookgroup. We would also make a real effort to promote this bi-weekly in our facebook group. That was my first idea.

The second idea is where I need your help, because there are some very talented and intelligent people in our community and I think it's best to hear what others have in mind for attracting new players. I would like to run some facebook ads if people are willing to donate with me. I don't know the legality of that, but hopefully Austin can help us figure out what can and can't be done to drive traffic to the game.

I had some ideas to create promo info about how to log in and get started, or having times like 7pm on certain dates after we pass out flyers, promos at local universities and libraries/bookstores/etc so we're all ready for the new people to log on and then we could service them from there.

I'm open to any ideas you might have but, I'd like to brainstorm a few different ideas then whatever we decide on as a group, we will try and organize it in seperate threads and keep a master thread to keep updated and in sync. I think we can definately reach 30 people if we try as a group and really put the effort in.

[Erulisse]

Home for the Holly-daze!

In recent years the Imms have done a great job of making the holiday season a fun time to play on the mud, Jak'o'shadows, Elf king, that other deathtrap up in Kandor, you name it.

Now is a great time to reach out to friends who have drifted away from the game and let them know that it is a fun time to come back. I feel these players are the low hanging fruit of the recruitment pool because they were already invested once.

Maybe imms should give a free set of reroll to people who havent logged in in over 12 months? A Christmas reroll?

[Rodger]

Would be awesome if imms took a hard look at the big smob chains loads...I've probably been on at least 20+ runs and had pitiful returns. Maybe 2 decent items. If that is true (10% load for something good on them and this isn't even like a heron this is like egown/heron scabbard).

6 people doing them...chance of getting something per hit and then winning the roll on it is about - 1.67%?

50 hits to get a rare? Way better off just farming gold with all that time or something... Is literally amazing that anyone does them at all.

That was why christmas smob was so fun, was loading a rare every other hit or about 1/12 runs you could get something...

[werf]

rodger. I love you but, I don't think this has much to do with this thread lol.

[Octavio]

I would disagree a bit. I recently asked if the return of the Seanchan lands could be considered and was told it would not be. I looked at that as a lost opportunity to have returning players come back, new players to have a place to learn advanced mechanics of the game in a more controlled environment.

If you want to try to get older players back you have to give them what they had before. Otherwise their length of stay will be short.

[Theid]

I agree with Rodger.

Increasing smobbing rewards, increases the enjoyment for time invested. More time, more reward. However, this is beyond me. I have trouble joining smobbing groups simply because the rarity of getting anything, isn't worth the time to do an entire chain. Don't get me wrong, I'll help people who need help re-eqing and such. But I don't play the smob "gamble" game for fun because the reward/fun, isn't there.

I disagree with Octavio.

Third race was too much for the game. Entire continent for only them? Even worse. The players that enjoyed the safety the separation provided? I hate to say it but they were living in a bubble. A game within a game. Doesn't really fit. Seandar is still much "safer" than being on the main lands with it's own smobs. And I would argue that returning to something "new" would be funner than returning to something old.


Retaining Pkers :

From a PK "fun" point of view, I think less complaining on public forums and discord would be a good thing. Annoyed, angry? hate those channies? Vent to your friend. Don't go blasting it on discord where everyone sees your negative attitude. it reflects badly on you, on the other player(s) and on the game. Some people enjoy fighting outnumbered, some people enjoy riding the wave of assured victory. Whatever you enjoy, don't complain when it doesn't go your way. Sit down for 15 minutes (assuming you stuck around and gave it your best) and consider what you could have done differently. Players who stick around and give it their all win or lose, good situation or bad, I feel have the best times on Wotmud. The ones who get annoyed, are disrespectful and who pick up and leave when it's not there preferred fighting scenario are often the ones who complain and have a bad time. Try harder. Push your limits. Think of what you could do differently. Ask around for help or suggestions. If this is beyond you, and you've plateaued, then you do you, but please keep your negative, complaining, annoyed attitude to yourself.

I'd love to see more respect paid to opponents, win or lose. You might dislike someone, might not like how they won, how they got away, ect. but being civil and respectful towards the other person who gave you there time to compete against should be second nature. Nobody plays with the kid who always cry's or throws tantrums. Why should it be any different here?

Less complaing, More respect = More enjoyable PK environment = More players, more player retention!

[Marshall]

From a PK "fun" point of view, I think less complaining on public forums and discord would be a good thing. Annoyed, angry? hate those channies? Vent to your friend. Don't go blasting it on discord where everyone sees your negative attitude. it reflects badly on you, on the other player(s) and on the game. Some people enjoy fighting outnumbered, some people enjoy riding the wave of assured victory. Whatever you enjoy, don't complain when it doesn't go your way. Sit down for 15 minutes (assuming you stuck around and gave it your best) and consider what you could have done differently. Players who stick around and give it their all win or lose, good situation or bad, I feel have the best times on Wotmud. The ones who get annoyed, are disrespectful and who pick up and leave when it's not there preferred fighting scenario are often the ones who complain and have a bad time. Try harder. Push your limits. Think of what you could do differently. Ask around for help or suggestions. If this is beyond you, and you've plateaued, then you do you, but please keep your negative, complaining, annoyed attitude to yourself.

I'd love to see more respect paid to opponents, win or lose. You might dislike someone, might not like how they won, how they got away, ect. but being civil and respectful towards the other person who gave you there time to compete against should be second nature. Nobody plays with the kid who always cry's or throws tantrums. Why should it be any different here?

Less complaing, More respect = More enjoyable PK environment = More players, more player retention!

I agree with this, honestly the people venting on public boards and discord are the same 3-4 people that have been doing it for years. Those few people are the ones who will never change, but Theid has hope! (not the sedai)

[werf]

I feel like IOMM is your best bet or other difficult chains. Maybe increase chain loads, but I don't know if giving people rares and saturating the market is going to really make the difference. Lets think for a moment, lets say we do make rares pretty plentiful, maybe 2/6 hits loads some rare like a wicked axe or jcuffs. In about a years time there will be so many in the market, that not only will it decrease the demand but, we'll be in a very very similiar situation once it becomes some what normal to get a hold of them. I think quest points are better than upping rares. Master bonus is a legit benchmark and it makes a huge difference across the board in what you can do in the game from leading mobs, upping your damage, solo smobbing in some sense, etc. It really covers a lot. I'd be interested in seeing chain smobs yield 10 qps possibly doable once a day or something if they don't drop rares, or chance to drop rares in addition to the quest points.

That would be my solution to the smobbing/loads issue.

However, I want to refocus your thought process to what can we do to reach out to organic, new players that have never played before.

My current ideas are "mud nights" where we agree upon a time, and advertise in relevant facebook groups that we all nominate and agree would be a good place to try and post regularly and invite members from existing facebook groups to come join us, several people who volunteer will be standing by to assist new players when they log in, and get them off to a running start (much like Vayus did for me!).

My other idea was to try and create physical flyers and information we could post in public libraries, apartment complex cork boards, and anywhere else people congregate. I can make the flyer/print it if people are interested! Just need some other people to help me distribute where they are too. Make a real concentrated effort.

My third idea was for Austin to chime in, what are we allowed to in terms of boosting a post on facebook for our game. Driving people to a FREE game based on one of the top 10 best fiction novels of all time like Game of Thrones, where faction vs faction is constant and PVE with groups is alive and well. Do we need permission? Do we need funding? what are the obstacles, and lets offer up some solutions as to how we can overcome it.

[iria]

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to leave leaflets in WoT books in public libraries, I know someone else did that as well. Imagine with the series taking off it might generate some attention to the books. I think there was someone who already did that every now and again.

[Octavio]

I disagree with Octavio.

Third race was too much for the game. Entire continent for only them? Even worse. The players that enjoyed the safety the separation provided? I hate to say it but they were living in a bubble. A game within a game. Doesn't really fit. Seandar is still much "safer" than being on the main lands with it's own smobs. And I would argue that returning to something "new" would be funner than returning to something old.

That is exactly my point. They were playing a game within a game. They came, logged in, played THEIR game, and eventually played the entire game. Who cares if they wanted to play their own game...they were here.