To Leave or Not To Leave?
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Zanthos
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Missy wrote:Racetyme wrote:There have been a lot this week, but I'm not too worried. It will swing back. And they'll be back one day, I'm a testament to that.
I don't think they will.
I agree, if you look at the figures the game base is decreasing at an extrodanary rate. It is naive to merely say that everyone who has left will return because that just isn't true
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we" - George W. Bush
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nitefyre
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It's been nearly half a year since I played my account, which has since been cancelled, and a quarter since I was involved with the Zine.-
notsure
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nitefyre
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Marian
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Well, nostalgia's pretty much the main reason I'm back. Just waiting for my account to get approved now...
It's been kind of depressing reading all these threads about the amount of players that are leaving. I guess I can try harder to do some recruiting of my own, but I really think the game can be considered pretty unfriendly to new players.
I mean just think of what's recquired to hook somebody new:
1.) They have to be the kind of person that would play a text-based, RP required browser game. That right there limits Cantr to a niche.
2.) They register and instead of being able to play right away like most games they have to wait a couple of days and possibly lose interest before they even try it out.
2.) They have to be patient enough to spend a lot of time figuring out how to actually play, that's standard for a new game but it's made harder by the fact that they can't actually come out and ask 'what does this button do' without going OOC. I don't really see anything that can be changed here, and at least newspawns aren't usually going to be exposed to more complicated projects before they do simple stuff like making bone knives, but still, it would be nice if this was the only hurdle they had to cross to enjoy the game.
3.) We have to hope and pray their first impression of the game isn't spawning in some mostly abandoned animal infested place on a new island, or a town full of whisperers or sleepers, etc. This is the big one right here. When I started out I had the benefit of having heard all kinds of stories about my cousins charas for months, so I knew that cool things were possible even if the towns I spawned in were mostly dead and I had to make my own excitment. A new player spawns in a town full of people who only wake up to hunt, they're going ot go 'this is it?' be bored out of their mind and never log in again.
4.) Also we have to hope they have a thick skin and don't mind their char being slaughtered because they picked some rice up of the ground, or even worse dragged into prison and ignored without even knowing they broke a law.
5.) I'm pretty sure there's other stuff that I'm not even thinking of. I've noticed the forums are taking awhile to load and people have been complaining about lag, so there's that, and also is the 'you feel faint' disease still around? If so is there at least a cure for it now? Like I said, I'd like to try and get more people interested, but how do I explain that one? 'So congrats, you've done all this work with starting your new character, but keep in mind that the game might randomly decide to screw them at any time and you won't be able to do anything about it, yeah it sucks but just be greatful it was a new char that can die without effecting much and not an established one with a bunch of food stocked up who be able to linger on until you finally get fed up with being forced to play a cripple who can't travel anywhere and pull the plug...
'
Still for a person who is either very lucky or very patient I think there's fun to be had even while you're going through the learning phase, and of course it's nice to know that the people who stick it out are likely going ot be quality players, but having to strict of a standard and making things hard for no reason could easily kill the game in the long run...to think of it in IC terms, it's like owning a town and killing or kicking out anyone who's emotes aren't long enough, or doesn't have efficient or better in all their skills, or isn't awake at least three times a day, yeah theoreticely that'll give you an active, skilled town of good RPers, but when there aren't that many people who are even interested in living in your town in the first place we all know what a stupid idea it is, a leader would be lucky to find even one or two people that meety their standards and before long the place would be abandoned.
It's been kind of depressing reading all these threads about the amount of players that are leaving. I guess I can try harder to do some recruiting of my own, but I really think the game can be considered pretty unfriendly to new players.
I mean just think of what's recquired to hook somebody new:
1.) They have to be the kind of person that would play a text-based, RP required browser game. That right there limits Cantr to a niche.
2.) They register and instead of being able to play right away like most games they have to wait a couple of days and possibly lose interest before they even try it out.
2.) They have to be patient enough to spend a lot of time figuring out how to actually play, that's standard for a new game but it's made harder by the fact that they can't actually come out and ask 'what does this button do' without going OOC. I don't really see anything that can be changed here, and at least newspawns aren't usually going to be exposed to more complicated projects before they do simple stuff like making bone knives, but still, it would be nice if this was the only hurdle they had to cross to enjoy the game.
3.) We have to hope and pray their first impression of the game isn't spawning in some mostly abandoned animal infested place on a new island, or a town full of whisperers or sleepers, etc. This is the big one right here. When I started out I had the benefit of having heard all kinds of stories about my cousins charas for months, so I knew that cool things were possible even if the towns I spawned in were mostly dead and I had to make my own excitment. A new player spawns in a town full of people who only wake up to hunt, they're going ot go 'this is it?' be bored out of their mind and never log in again.
4.) Also we have to hope they have a thick skin and don't mind their char being slaughtered because they picked some rice up of the ground, or even worse dragged into prison and ignored without even knowing they broke a law.
5.) I'm pretty sure there's other stuff that I'm not even thinking of. I've noticed the forums are taking awhile to load and people have been complaining about lag, so there's that, and also is the 'you feel faint' disease still around? If so is there at least a cure for it now? Like I said, I'd like to try and get more people interested, but how do I explain that one? 'So congrats, you've done all this work with starting your new character, but keep in mind that the game might randomly decide to screw them at any time and you won't be able to do anything about it, yeah it sucks but just be greatful it was a new char that can die without effecting much and not an established one with a bunch of food stocked up who be able to linger on until you finally get fed up with being forced to play a cripple who can't travel anywhere and pull the plug...
'
Still for a person who is either very lucky or very patient I think there's fun to be had even while you're going through the learning phase, and of course it's nice to know that the people who stick it out are likely going ot be quality players, but having to strict of a standard and making things hard for no reason could easily kill the game in the long run...to think of it in IC terms, it's like owning a town and killing or kicking out anyone who's emotes aren't long enough, or doesn't have efficient or better in all their skills, or isn't awake at least three times a day, yeah theoreticely that'll give you an active, skilled town of good RPers, but when there aren't that many people who are even interested in living in your town in the first place we all know what a stupid idea it is, a leader would be lucky to find even one or two people that meety their standards and before long the place would be abandoned.
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