Unknown2012-08-02 01:45:12
Hello! Here are my latest thoughts on this matter.
Lusternia should continue trying to increase its population but it has occurred to me that player retention through advertising is probably 1/1,000 or less. People want artistic graphics and jump-in-and-play accessibility. Lusternia obviously can't provide the former and is limited in how it provides the latter.
As such, the means for Lusternia to increase its population is through word of mouth. Make it so that I can tell my friends and acquaintances who don't know what a MUD is that they should be playing Lusternia too. Accessibility is the key to this.
Here then is a list of things which I think would improve accessibility by enough that people would not look at me strangely after having briefly tried a MUD I suggested and being put off by it:
1. IRE should make their own, adequate front end program (or buy someone else's, like Mudlet). What kind of game makes you download another program in order to play it effectively? Only MUDs do and people probably think that's weird.
2. It should be possible to make the in-game maps "graphical" by creating a tileset for each environment type and smushing them together. Major landmarks like a nexus and shops could have their own images and minor details could be added in at various places as the admin wish, such as walls around a city. This would look great and be possible with a custom front-end.
3. Liquidrift is a great start but I think that vials should give a bonus and not be a requirement. This is because it is complicated and difficult for a new player to acquire and set up vials. I would make liquidrift and rift the same skill in planar and create some kind of standardized, permanent magic waterskin/canteen etc. that works as a prop to let people drink directly from their rift. Imagine if you had to buy napkins for each herb you eat? That's what using vials is like.
4. I would standardize the keypad as a default movement system and point it out in the intro so that new players aren't left wondering how to do basic things. A default front end program would make this easier.
5. Wares should be purchasable by clicking the mouse on them. Creating a queue to run basic combat and influencing should probably work this way too. This is not because normal players will do it that way on a regular basis, it is because figuring those two things out is one of the biggest barriers to getting started along with movement. Eventually new players would want to stop clicking but they need to be eased into that in my opinion.
6. Spam should be regarded as an enemy to be defeated. Splitting the game up into multiple windows, such as having a window which contains things in the room you can interact with (by clicking on them if you wish) would go a long way towards doing this. I am making such a thing in mudlet for myself so that I can keep better track of my surroundings. A GMCP that lists players as well as items and mobs in a room would help with this.
7. Finish auto-curing. It wasn't a complete hit in Imperian but Lusternia has enough hidden afflictions and other combat factors that it should only help here.
Lusternia should continue trying to increase its population but it has occurred to me that player retention through advertising is probably 1/1,000 or less. People want artistic graphics and jump-in-and-play accessibility. Lusternia obviously can't provide the former and is limited in how it provides the latter.
As such, the means for Lusternia to increase its population is through word of mouth. Make it so that I can tell my friends and acquaintances who don't know what a MUD is that they should be playing Lusternia too. Accessibility is the key to this.
Here then is a list of things which I think would improve accessibility by enough that people would not look at me strangely after having briefly tried a MUD I suggested and being put off by it:
1. IRE should make their own, adequate front end program (or buy someone else's, like Mudlet). What kind of game makes you download another program in order to play it effectively? Only MUDs do and people probably think that's weird.
2. It should be possible to make the in-game maps "graphical" by creating a tileset for each environment type and smushing them together. Major landmarks like a nexus and shops could have their own images and minor details could be added in at various places as the admin wish, such as walls around a city. This would look great and be possible with a custom front-end.
3. Liquidrift is a great start but I think that vials should give a bonus and not be a requirement. This is because it is complicated and difficult for a new player to acquire and set up vials. I would make liquidrift and rift the same skill in planar and create some kind of standardized, permanent magic waterskin/canteen etc. that works as a prop to let people drink directly from their rift. Imagine if you had to buy napkins for each herb you eat? That's what using vials is like.
4. I would standardize the keypad as a default movement system and point it out in the intro so that new players aren't left wondering how to do basic things. A default front end program would make this easier.
5. Wares should be purchasable by clicking the mouse on them. Creating a queue to run basic combat and influencing should probably work this way too. This is not because normal players will do it that way on a regular basis, it is because figuring those two things out is one of the biggest barriers to getting started along with movement. Eventually new players would want to stop clicking but they need to be eased into that in my opinion.
6. Spam should be regarded as an enemy to be defeated. Splitting the game up into multiple windows, such as having a window which contains things in the room you can interact with (by clicking on them if you wish) would go a long way towards doing this. I am making such a thing in mudlet for myself so that I can keep better track of my surroundings. A GMCP that lists players as well as items and mobs in a room would help with this.
7. Finish auto-curing. It wasn't a complete hit in Imperian but Lusternia has enough hidden afflictions and other combat factors that it should only help here.
Calixa2012-08-02 09:57:22
1. A standalone client is always going to be better unless IRE somehow buys into Mudlet / another client. I personally regard it as how games with addons provide you with a basic client, but have players as a resource who can develop things. Sometimes the best addons even make it into game features. I'd rather see resources be spent elsewhere. That is not to say don't make the new html5 client and all better. Which is good enough for a starting player, really. Downside of a standalone client is that it can be severely overwhelming and comes with no basic system or anything.
2. I don't feel this would add to the game. Again resources probably better spent elsewhere. I'd actually feel it would work against using your imagination.
3. Liquidrift is a bit complicated right now, but not that bad. I see your point about rift though, and I'd not mind if we could drink / apply straight from it. But the truth is there are several artifacts that go around this, and they'd have to be refunded and all. Still, if this decision was made, I'd not mourn it.
4. I think the html5 client does this already. But yes it could do with some pointing out, haha.
5. Give the option sure, but I think it would do players more harm to give them certain things to click, and then have the rest of the game be non-clicky, than explaining them from the bat that they will spend a lot of time typing.
6. I also think the html5 client has some of this, but it still runs the output. This is why third party clients are king though. Write your own things as you like.
7. Now this I only agree on. Aetolia has it and it helped my character along so much. People may still switch to a client-side system eventually, but it takes away a lot of the barrier. And older players don't have to rescue stranded noobs nearly as often. Which is nice because if you mess up as a noob, that may lead to confusion and feeling bad and quitting.
2. I don't feel this would add to the game. Again resources probably better spent elsewhere. I'd actually feel it would work against using your imagination.
3. Liquidrift is a bit complicated right now, but not that bad. I see your point about rift though, and I'd not mind if we could drink / apply straight from it. But the truth is there are several artifacts that go around this, and they'd have to be refunded and all. Still, if this decision was made, I'd not mourn it.
4. I think the html5 client does this already. But yes it could do with some pointing out, haha.
5. Give the option sure, but I think it would do players more harm to give them certain things to click, and then have the rest of the game be non-clicky, than explaining them from the bat that they will spend a lot of time typing.
6. I also think the html5 client has some of this, but it still runs the output. This is why third party clients are king though. Write your own things as you like.
7. Now this I only agree on. Aetolia has it and it helped my character along so much. People may still switch to a client-side system eventually, but it takes away a lot of the barrier. And older players don't have to rescue stranded noobs nearly as often. Which is nice because if you mess up as a noob, that may lead to confusion and feeling bad and quitting.
Unknown2012-08-03 23:47:46
I'm glad I got some likes and some comments but I wouldn't mind even more comments (or more likes! :)).
I want to provide a link here to Kabam games as a means of making a point: https://www.kabam.co...all-null-header
Kabam games probably have less art in their entire game than Lusternia has linked on its webpage. Yet Kabam games have millions of players because they are so accessible. I really think that with the right approach and continued streamlining of mechanics the IRE games could make it big with things like "play over facebook" and/or of course a custom client.
I want to provide a link here to Kabam games as a means of making a point: https://www.kabam.co...all-null-header
Kabam games probably have less art in their entire game than Lusternia has linked on its webpage. Yet Kabam games have millions of players because they are so accessible. I really think that with the right approach and continued streamlining of mechanics the IRE games could make it big with things like "play over facebook" and/or of course a custom client.
Sior2012-08-04 04:52:25
Jello:
7. Finish auto-curing. It wasn't a complete hit in Imperian but Lusternia has enough hidden afflictions and other combat factors that it should only help here.
Keep in mind it won't auto cure hidden afflictions unless you were to reveal them (diagnose). It's being worked on though. There is a lot of backend stuff currently that needs to change (and is changing, one affliction at a time) for it to work efficiently.
