Bring in New and Old blood to MUD

[moric]

Major change to fix the mud: Bring back old ways.

More realistically, one of the reasons for the constant lower numbers is our demographics. We've got lots of people who play for half an hour/an hour here and there still. The problem is we used to have lots of people who were able to play for 3-4 hours at a time.

When you've got say 50 active unique players playing for 30mins to an hour, instead of 3-4 hours, you get lots less overlap of players. This results in fairly more constant lower numbers.

The game as it stands needs to try and key itself more towards those 30 min - 1 hour players, not the few people who still play for hours on end. Imms are doing some good stuff in that regard, the narrating scouts for PK, less onerous RP standards, the new coaches bteween cities.

Realistically you need to be able to get places quicker, and regen for less time. That's a hard one to balance. I'd suggest deleting FM would be a great place to start.

I agree with this, although I don't think it applies to LS nearly as much. I'd be interested to know what % of players log on, look to see if something is happening and if nothing, immediately idle/log off. Players want something to do given their time constraints.

I don't think the old ways is an option because its coding, and has been suggested about 5000 times. Why not think beyond that and consider using portal stones, or the dude that transports with ancient tree scalps or create mobol that opens up portals or if that's not possible adjacent rooms to different zones, etc. Come up with ideas that aren't the same ol dung. I've no idea what the limitations of the mobol are so it's difficult to be specific, but i'm sure there is something that can be created if the admins are in agreement with your premise. If it doesn't work out or causes chaos/imbalance, remove it. At least try something!

[ecthus]

I agree with this, although I don't think it applies to LS nearly as much.

I actually think it applies more to LS, in some ways, at least up north. If you log on alone in Fal Dara, there's not a great amount of incentive to either a) stick around or b) go north solo. Why? Because there isn't much around the city to do outside of PK and while solo PK can be fun, at some point you're probably going to need or want reinforcements. While some players are happy to horsehop across the map to join PK once it's started, a good number don't want to risk hopping across the map only to find things have died out, or hop across the map to fight a rogue, and it still delays activity by that many more tics.

So one question should be, how can we make Fal Dara more like Ruined Keep? In other words, a place that players will stay at or near even when there isn't active PK. Two ideas:

1. LS needs smobs like SK and Naj--smobs that a. can be killed by two equipped people, or three under-equipped people b. load top-end weapons and basics (vs lithe, which loads decent middling gear) c. can be done in relative safety d. aren't so time or HP intensive that they aren't worth farming in down-time e. load within 1-2 zones of Fal Dara. Fal Dara should be a place you can go to re-equip even if there's no PK happening.

2. Scalp turn-ins for southern clans within the city (or somewhere very close by,) while maintaining other clan functions (chest, gear issuing, quests, etc) for the main bases.

[moric]

I like it!

[Sarryn]

I always thought there should be scalp turn ins for southern clans in FD. It would promote more activity for those clans I think. It's not to fun to run from fd to illian or wherever after you get a scalp. This should be limited to certain clans though obviously. Clearly clans like Lancers, Calvary, Legion, Valon, Gaidin, Sedai, Rising sun, and maybe even LW shouldn't be able to do it. Everyone else should for sure though.

Statting is still a chore and silly. I always thought as a statter you should be able to tell guardian prac xxx. This would eliminate some of the chore of returning to a city. And help those that don't being able to practice ride/weapon right where they are.

Small pk improvements could be made that have been listed over and over. Some ancients in orch... A scout patty in north blight maybe SG? Narrow crossing down south permanent 2-3 kaf at no channel. SS patty south east of whitebridge where it once was loaded. Small other Seanchan mobs throughout, be it kaf or whatever. A few more no channel rooms down south/throughout the decent pk areas. Doesn't have to be freaking portal stones either.

A no channel north blight would be nice near 4n/SG.

Re-mort options for LS/SS for fks sake.....Like seriously. Oh and they don't even have to have the hugely absurd pk bonus's fades/gaidin get. Fk pk bonus's, just makes the top more top heavy.

Clans stop being controlled by certain players who boycott everyone. Clans in general relaxing clanning policy a lot. Clanning is atrocious for a lot of clans. It's absurd to spend so much time trying to clan on a silly text based old ass game.

Better player attitude. This one wont happen, but it still needs to be on the list. There will always be those certain players that just love to hold grudges or are blatantly cruel on channels or tells etc.

Tighten up a few zones, and stop adding zones! Unless there going to directly effect ease of transportation there doesn't need to be anymore zones lol.

Make there be an incentive to get equipment out of game. A mob that if you toss a full set of abs/abs trinkets out hey you get 3-5 qps. Dodge 5-7 qps. Combo 7-10. This would be with trinkets like silver/opals/gators/belt/dark cloak? gold/sids/kcuffs/cbelt/robe? gold-ivy/gchains/rigeds/cbelt/mantle. Weapons turn in as well, 1-3 qp per top tier weapon. This would be like mallets/bronze axes/jagged/yews etc etc. 25 qp per rare weapon like mauls etc (I know this one wont get used much at all, maybe for quite used ones?) This could only be done X amount of times clearly. Hey I know this is blasphemy to some but it would solve equipment problems. Maybe promote more smobbing in turn? Something along these lines for equipment leaving the game would be nice. Heck if it's not qps vials/random chance at rares something... Least it would make it more interesting..

Return certain player killing bonus's for qps. Fades/dl's/masters/gaidin(whatever ls/ss clans you want to put here)listers etc.

Make listers actually worth something, anything I don't know. I'm not just saying that because I have them either. It's just pointless really to be on it. NO PK BONUS'S. I've already said this mud needs less of those heh.

Dunno this game needs some stuff to spice it up. Just a few random ideas...

Ohhhhhh and yeah............ We really need to be able to tell how many people are on what side. It's stupid to log on one side to see they have plenty. And the other side doesn't. No one wants to do that... If your a pker or even whatever. You don't want to log on the side that will give you 0 chance to have fun with your limited time. It's stupid that this type of thing is on nwih list.....like extremely soooooo stupid lol.

[Katherine]

There's too many alternatives to online text games. The online market is already saturated in general, and many people I used to talk to in the mud played MMOs, MOBAs, or online shooters (e.g., COD) more than they played wotmud. It is said that playing a mud is like drinking a fine wine. I can agree with this, but the taste for finer gaming has given way to modern alternatives. The sudden surge of players after the Great Crash I think can be attributed to desire to reconnect with friends, desire to show support for the mud, curiosity, and growing fondness of being away from it for so long. I do not recall any blockbuster game titles being released around that time that would siphon away players. I'm curious what the correlation might be between a major game releases (console or PC) and the server population.

[Elysia]

I'd be interested to know what % of players log on, look to see if something is happening and if nothing, immediately idle/log off.

I've been meaning to post a reply to this thread, but I've been short on time to do so. I did catch this and wanted to quickly answer it, albeit without a percentage:

I see this happen every single time I'm on imm for more than 30 minutes. Some people are all too happy to hop on the bandwagon of ongoing pk but are too lethargic to start things themselves, despite all the tools that were put in the assist with that.

Related to this are the people who do go north/south/east/west to start things, but who do not wait for the other side to reach the relevant place. Sometimes a Seanchan is solo raiding/exping east of Amador, or smobbing on Tremalking and someone sets off scouts THR. It will take them some time to make it home. Similarly, someone may hit FD, or make the scouts narrate and do an about turn and zoom home when nothing shows up right away. If people are coming all the way from Illian, Tear, Andor, or... almost anywhere, really, it will take some time.

Also, imo Ecthus nailed it, albeit indirectly: player distribution across the sides has been off for ages. It's not uncomon for there to be equal numbers on LS and DS. That simply doesn't work. It's a problem though, which is only made worse by people on the side that has the numbers spouting all sorts of negativity about the lack of manhood of the opposing side. Sometimes I can see the other side just has that one pker on, a Novice who is bound to Tar Valon, an rper and a few statters and the lack of action has nothing to do with balls, nuts, or the vulgar word for cats.

Which leaves me to my final point that I have time for: the people who switch sides to try and balance things out are awesome!

[Mantorok]

Also, people need to do more than log on and wait to see any PK happen. I've seen people afk for HOURS specifically doing that. This game needs to be social and active, not having chats be silent for hours on end. I like playing and feeling like I am playing with others, not just passerby I might see on the road somewhere.


For the love of Robert Jordan, TALK people.

[Mantorok]

Just after 10 PM East US and 4 on LS. Whaaaaat?!

[Mantorok]

I compiled the comments in this whole thread for us:


Make it apparent that the connection information isn't the same as it used to be (so people don't think the MUD is down):
game.wotmud.org
port 2224

Facebook/Twitter, etc

Stickers and notes spread around (Like notes in bookstores, etc)

Wotmud website on store computers (Lucie!)

Playing clanned chars enough to help out, due to clanned chars being seen as more trustworthy)

Picking a side to pk on to be balanced and ongoing

More people starting pk instead of only jumping in already going pk sessions

Clan activity in general: Recruitment drives and visibility

More transparency with clanning requirements (Redo the page we had before about what clan does what, and what to do to get their attention)

Socializing on globals more so it doesn't feel like a single player game

Check in on messenger services and see if anyone will log on even to say hi

Old ways (God if only)

Maybe more content geared towards shorter playtimes

Promote and advertise the game on relatable websites (Wheel of Time boards, Dragonmount, Mud sites forums)

Fix the main site to updated material

Diversify weapons (def lblades making many useless, etc)

Look for newbies (or wear the Newbie Helper title) instead of just waiting for them to figure out how to ask for help

Using Announcements and not just Facebook for events (2x, 3X, etc)

Scalp turn is up north (al la Grizzled officers used to be for the Seanchan clans, even though there's a coach now you babies.)

Some of the better changes for Monthly changes to be made permanent

Fix links to Mud stats etc on main page

Patience when searching for pk (give other side time to run over)

Make sure everyone knows boot is only 5 minutes long all but Friday

Make sure clan council flags are on people active, or make it so r6 or regular masters can perform necessary duties to keep clans from becoming impotent.


SOCIALIZE!!!! This is a multiplayer online game, let's make it feel like it.

[Dragoryyn]

One of the major turn offs is pk to older and newer players. I've heard the same complaints about it and I have even voiced my own similar over the years:

Too many mobs for protection
Too many paths to safety
Too many rogues
Too many masters and fades
Too many channelers
Rogues and Channelers are too powerful when played right
Blight malus for most characters
Chase Scripts

How to fix? Respectively:

- Get rid of so many mobs in pk zones
- Get rid of the dozens of safety paths and make it more chokey (example: the addition of new blight in kandor ruined ashen/kandor pk)
- Give more incentive to play other styles of characters (serk attack for warriors is cool, but not enough)
- Take away master bonuses (Do they really need more damage and more defense?) and reduce fade bonuses
- See #3 in this list
- Reduce stab damage tremendously or reduce stab percentage or eliminate this h.target bs and reduce power of spells (both these classes can effectively ruined pk just by their presence (I've seen it happen 100's of times)
- Get rid of blight mvs and heat malus. It's unnecessary.
- Eliminate the ability to code chase scripts. It's easy mode for pk nowadays and eliminates talent necessity (I can name a half dozen people that shouldn't be on reaver/tav/seitaer because of chase scripts)

Many of these fixes would not be popular in the least (rogues, channelers, masters, and fades would whine at them for sure), but they could help improve pk especially for unclanned, unbonused characters (some people don't want to join clans and they should have the choice to do so)