Reviving the Game

Lithium · Post by **Lithium** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:30 pm

As anyone who still reads these forums probably knows, this game is pretty much dead. I think I've come up with a solution.

Basically, my idea is that a "deathmatch" type scenario is opened up one day a week using all of the old zones. So old FD, Gap, Dhoom, etc are all opened up and connected where they were, with the old mob loads, smobs, and everything else that we all knew and loved. I think a lot of people would like this, and log in to relive the old days.

As for characters, in order to encourage people to play the normal game, have them use their characters from it. You could then allow them to issue equipment based off their clan rank or weave points, so they have a reason to progress. We could even have it so the side that gets the most kills for the day receives a reward in the normal game, maybe a nice loading smob or another patrol in enemy territory or something.

There's lots of possible routes to take with this idea, and I think it would positively impact the game's population. It might even bring back some of the fun that this game used to provide.

If anyone has any other ideas, or comments about my suggestion, post them here

Lyr · Post by **Lyr** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:48 pm

I think those sound like some great ideas, Lith. I know I used to love playing Serai's Deathmatch, and when it was discontinued I really pined for it

.

Lithium · Post by **Lithium** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:01 pm

Smasher: you'd be using characters from the current version, of course. And if you'd rather play in the newer zones, that's fine; maybe we could just duplicate the old MUD in seperate zones, and maybe have a mob that can port you to them one day a week. In that case I guess you'd have to be using your real equipment, but it could still probably work.

Lyr: That's another possibility, maybe Serai still has the Deathmatch version sitting around somewhere, and we could just have that set up occaisionally. But I think it would probably be better if we used the current codebase for this.

As for channelers, I think we'll just end up becoming "Channeler MUD" for a couple weeks, and then people will lose interest again. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me it seems that the game is missing whatever used to make it attractive over our direct competition. We'll just have to wait and see.

Lyr · Post by **Lyr** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:13 pm

I wasn't necessarily talking about using Serai's DM, I was saying I just like a good DM.

Aj · Post by Aj » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:21 am

you want to revive the game, make repeatable quest players can do to earn qps. I completely agree with lith when channies are imped everyone and their dog will make a channie, get sick of channies and then quit once more.

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:44 pm

What's wrong with the game: there is no one on to pk against ever and I'm not sitting on the mud doing boring shit(exping, smobbing, mining, etc.) waiting for people to log in when sometimes it never happens. This used to be fine because it used to be that maybe an immortal would load you a raid with something good on it. But now if it does raid they either load nothing and are incredibly boring or load really good stuff and are overpowered channelers with usually a few pcs with them and a shitload of mobs. Than if you do kill the smob you don't get the eq. Sorry if I don't play just to play.

Maybe statting and channelers will get new people in but a deathmatch of the old days is not going to work. noone would actually play the new version. I doubt the new stuff is the cause of it all. Remember it used to be this way before the new zones and clans came in. Everyone said they would play when clans came in but than the stupid zones came with it that noone liked. And I knew it was going to be like this once school started. So many of our once active players have now gone off to college. They don't have time to play a dieing mud.

This mud went dead at the pwipe because there were no stats or channeling. A lot of you will disagree saying stats are fine blablabla but the people that no longer even check the mud are saying different.

The mud is dead and there really is nothing us mortals can do about it. We just have to wait for the immortals to get done. I know channelers aren't coming any time soon only one person working on it who has a plate full already. I would be surprised if channelers and statting beat World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. Hell I'd be surprised if they beat christmas.

I for one will not be starting a channeler when i play. I'm going to remake my characters when statting gets in.

Lithium · Post by **Lithium** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:43 pm

I like Aj's idea...if I could do a bunch of quests for qps every day, I'd do them without hesitation.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:18 am

Trin wrote:I would be surprised if channelers and statting beat World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. Hell I'd be surprised if they beat christmas.

Burning crusade got pushed back till january, bad marketing going after xmas :\

Dimmu · Post by **Dimmu** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:20 am

I spoke with an Imm who is planning something along these lines, once he gets sufficient access. Scriptable quests would help bring back some life to the mud, and hopefully give people a reason to MUD again.

Aj · Post by Aj » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:00 am

Lithium wrote:I like Aj's idea...if I could do a bunch of quests for qps every day, I'd do them without hesitation.

holy sh.. I actually had a good idea, is there a way to frame a forum post?

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:55 am

The quests would have to be very numerous or very fun and they'd probably just last a few days before people got bored of them

Where did you hear that Axxey? That stinks i was looking forward to burning crusade

Aj · Post by Aj » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:30 pm

Trin wrote:The quests would have to be very numerous or very fun and they'd probably just last a few days before people got bored of them

Where did you hear that Axxey? That stinks i was looking forward to burning crusade

I'm sure theres alot of people that would do quest over and over and over and over just to get that much closer to master and/or fade

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:15 pm

why? what's the point in fading/mastering? noone plays the game to pk against. you'd have to be really bored to have to do quests over and over and over against to get fade/mastering just like you'd have to be really bored with nothing else in your life to do if you smob to hoarde eq.

Lithium · Post by **Lithium** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:23 pm

Likewise, Trin, you'd have to be "really bored with nothing else in your life to do" to go around trolling on the forums of games you don't even play anymore. If other people find doing quests on a low population MUD entertaining, what's it to you? Go troll the WoW forums instead, you'll fit in perfectly.

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:34 pm

i want to pk on this game. but seeing as i never see 2+ on either side whenever i decide to log in i'm not going to sit around doing other stuff that i find boring. I'm not going to stand around doing boring stuff waiting for that one person to log in that actually wants to pk instead of smobbing, exping, or mining. Now go add questing on to that list of stuff to do other than pking. Now we can get rid of pk altogether because you can fade/BM without it.

So because you never see me on because i don't like the tedious, boring sidetrades that you can do that have become the bread and butter of this mud doesn't mean i'm not waiting for it to shoot up.

Mesmer · Post by **Mesmer** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:38 pm

Then lets try brainstorming on how we can increase the player base.

Other than statting and channelers, what mid-range changes can we make?

Naturally we want newbies that come to this MUD feel welcome, appreciated and have them interested right off the bat.

Lately, immortals have done their best and doing so, but mortals need to be involved as well. Other than your ideas from this, I encourage you all to check LS once in a while and help any new character you see.

Also, try advertising every now and then - you never know what can help.

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:48 pm

Well I think we should have a thing on our website or a helpfile that says exactly how to start. I've had a few rl friends try out this mud and noone was on to help and they didn't know exactly what to do. Now wotmud gets people because they have a decent pbase as is because it's the original wheel of time mud and has been around for so long.

We need something to help the newbies out with. maybe mobs around the world that gives quests. The newbie area by lugard was a good start but maybe they could get a better set from mobs that give quests and they give them a piece of equipment. If you could get some one-time quests that on completion they can get some equipment and gain levels easily. I was thinking of doing this south of caemlyn but i got sidetracked because i didn't really have any motivation to do descriptions of rooms. I just wanted to get on with the mobs and the cool newbie quests I was going to put there. unfortunately I had to complete the descriptions before i could move on and didn't do that so now i'm off the project.

Also I'm not sure if we have one because I've never grouped with someone to exp but maybe a bonus to experience when grouped with someone. That would encourage grouping, making newbies make new friends, and maybe have newbies advertise to their friends to help exp.
And if we do have one maybe advertise that we have a grouping experience bonus.

Aj · Post by Aj » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:47 am

Mesmer wrote:Then lets try brainstorming on how we can increase the player base.

Other than statting and channelers, what mid-range changes can we make?

Naturally we want newbies that come to this MUD feel welcome, appreciated and have them interested right off the bat.

Lately, immortals have done their best and doing so, but mortals need to be involved as well. Other than your ideas from this, I encourage you all to check LS once in a while and help any new character you see.

Also, try advertising every now and then - you never know what can help.

First, there should be a flag warning newbies away from LS

human *for experienced players only*
trolloc

1. No more pwipes
2. new skills
3. bonuses
4. dreadlords
5. greymen
6. wolfbro's
7. balancing of races
8. get rid of mount malus
9. quest
10. Increase practices so characters are more versatile and fun to play
11. Anything that is new and/ or original

You realize it's not that we can't keep mud newbies, we can't even keep wotmud newbies. So I dont think the problem is because this is a text based game in a mmorpg age but the game mechanics and/ or lack of balance, I swear if you imms would do a test trial of my idea of staggered baby bonuses every couple hundred qp's we would see an increase in the playerbase!

If we could only get a pbase of 30+ regulars, people who are always on so when someone logs on they see a couple other on who, this would seriously help to increase our numbers!

Lastly, we need small changes on a more regular basis rather than huge changes once every blue moon just so it looks and feels like the game is progressing at a more rapid state and also to keep us interested in playing. I for one am bored of everything in this game, it's the same combat system it was 3 years ago except we dont have channies now, the pk zones are worse than they once were because everything n of fd is one huge chokefest. Yea I'm getting off track I know

Just try small changes more regular, if they dont work then take them out. It's much harder to do one huge update and find out a majority of them didnt work or the pbase didnt like them.

Raiden · Post by **Raiden** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 4:50 am

Make it easier t oget clannnnnned!!!!

Trin · Post by **Trin** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:23 pm

6. wolfbro's

I disagree. I'd rather they stay out of game. They will be the same people as before pwipe with no chance of anyone else getting in. I know axxey will probably login just to say i'm jealous and don't know what i'm talking about but i'd rather these particular people didn't have these bonuses if they weren't open to everyone worthy of them.

Lastly, we need small changes on a more regular basis rather than huge changes once every blue moon just so it looks and feels like the game is progressing at a more rapid state and also to keep us interested in playing. I for one am bored of everything in this game, it's the same combat system it was 3 years ago except we dont have channies now, the pk zones are worse than they once were because everything n of fd is one huge chokefest.

I agree with this completely. especially the pk zones. with how the game was a few years ago it was more balanced even if it was easy to stat characters, the zones weren't so 'pretty'(though much better pk wise), equipment was easy to get, etc. I know most of these changes were asked to be changed by most of the playerbase including myself but we didn't expect it to be so DRASTIC a change.

Aj · Post by Aj » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:40 am

Secret clans and other coveted clans should have a clanning procedure like df's have on wot, earn so many altqps and gain entry. I freaking hate exclusive boys clubs and believe everyone should be able to earn their way in the world and in the mud world.

Raiden · Post by **Raiden** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:58 am

Imp wolfbro clan, nd then give em the ability to ride so people dont spot them. That way whiney boys who rnt invited wont cry!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:06 am

How about have a newbie area where this mob teaches you everything, starting from the very basics? Have a dialog ask if this is your first time playing a mud when creating a character. If so, it sends you to said newbie zone.