Extra Credits - Free to Play Is Currently Broken

[Illysia]

Extra Credits - Free to Play Is Currently Broken - How High Costs Drive Players Away from F2P Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwI0u9L4R8U

PS is a truly free to play game unlike most commonly available "free to play" games. However, the rise of the free to play MMO took a big chunk out of PS market share. MMOs were no longer rare or novel and the commercial ones were much flashier. However, as this video demonstrates on a number of points, the free to play model is currently on the verge of collapse. There are plenty of points I would comment on specifically but I'll let interested people watch the video before I give my take on it.

What I will say now is that PS stands to benefit from this if it positions itself right. PS is absolutely free, and that should appeal to people jaded by free to play models. If it could just push itself into beta, I even think people would forgive some things being missing or less polished.

However, before that, people need to know that the game is still out there and it needs to "look" alive when interested people come looking.

The average player is coming from a commercial MMO, and they are not going to be as forgiving on first glance. Therefore both devs and players need to engage on the forums and in game as much as they can, so that the project looks lively even if not big.

[Eonwind]

Interesting, what we really need is letting people know about PS by any means. Even the occasional players could help by posting on the FB page.

[Illysia]

Do you have a link to the page for those with Facebook?

[Zunna]

Here is the link to PS Facebook page.
All the GMs and some Devs have a page too (not personal).

https://www.facebook.com/PlaneShift-120037538009535/?fref=ts

[Emaline]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013194977804
Is my personal page.

[Thoss]

good idea on cranking up the activity of the PS facebook page... so can players post there? like say... announce the markets, or drum up interest in a player event/rp as well as GM events?

Seems like I recall some GM events being unannounced intentionally and you had to be in-game to know about it starting up... that still current? or with current state, might announcing them be a good thing to rev things up?

Fell into one recently, but had no clue about it other than being lucky I got bored after lunch...

[Emaline]

good idea on cranking up the activity of the PS facebook page... so can players post there? like say... announce the markets, or drum up interest in a player event/rp as well as GM events?

Seems like I recall some GM events being unannounced intentionally and you had to be in-game to know about it starting up... that still current? or with current state, might announcing them be a good thing to rev things up?

Fell into one recently, but had no clue about it other than being lucky I got bored after lunch...

I think the main one is run by Venalan (correct me Ven if I'm wrong here) and I think he also will post something for  you if you're planing something or wish to advertise something (Again correct me if I'm wrong here Ven )

As far as stumbling upon my event yesterday, that was something I just pulled out of thin air  to do something for everyone because people kept asking about events and I felt bad I'd been so busy and Uadjet and Sorka have as well, so we all kept missing each other the last few weeks. (I'm not supposed to do events I don't have the commands or experience I don't know what came over me!  but it really turned out well, actually not at all bad for my first mostly solo event and with no real planning to it. I also got super lucky that Venalan logged on to go ahead and make it an official event for me and then just as I was starting it Uadjet logged on and watched over me and gave me a few pointers. And then was able to give out a reward. So thanks to both of you for that!)

The last several events have been more of I see one of the other GMs around and beg them to do an event with me and teach me and it's usually not pre-planed out too far in advance, it's harder to schedule a time right now were we can grantee we can be online together. But I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and all the players have been very supportive and helpful so I thank you all for that!

I do plan to try and do more events, as many as I can really! I love doing them especially just small little random things, I've taken to patrolling on my guard char as well to just walk around and ask people how everything is.  But I'm not sure right now that many of them will be planed too far out in advance. One day I'd like to get to where we can post on the calendar for big events and I'm going to try and using the facebook more as well.
We don't really use the calendar for events so much right  now either because unless we plan it out ahead Uadjet and I don't have access to add things to that so it means pestering someone who does and sometimes that's not easy.

Also look forward to some screenshot spam on my facebook account here shortly. I've realized I have all these screenshots sitting around from all the events I've done so far and no where to upload them to and facebook is the perfect place! (Sadly I forgot them for yesterdays event).

I also want to thank Uadjet once more for being such an awesome and patient teacher! He does such a great job of explaining all the commands to me and when they might be of use. I really can't thank him enough for all he's done.

[Thoss]

I thought it was great! Just bummed that RL duties kept Thoss from participating more...kids can sense when my attention is elsewhere nearly 100% of the time...

[LigH]

Recently I told a player of a Korea based "Free2Play/Pay2Win" game about PlaneShift. He was interested in a really free game, and after trying it, he was interested in the crafting rules a lot (may be his personal focus). I hope he will stay a bit longer, even though he will visit only sometimes. I recommended visiting the Q&A meetings (that may amaze him; contact to development in this other game is almost non-existent).

I believe an important point in such F2P/P2W games is a continuing incentive to level up; one part is an interesting background story that pulls you through the game world zones with increasing difficulty, another is the repeated preparation for an "end game" phase when you leveled to your maximum and then often turn towards PvP (where you have little chance without top class gear; I heard rumours of players spending 2.000 $ a week).

Of course, PlaneShift is different, the game content in PlaneShift (I don't mean the settings here, rather the mechanics and rules) is mostly optional with the strong focus on roleplaying. The missing "pull through" may be a kind of disadvantage from the PoV of players used to these other games, who would have to find "something to do" on their own...

[Illysia]

You just have to set up a goal system. I bet a modified quest line that works like a regular job for a character and  lets the players become a junior guard would work. Then you can send them on regular directed hunts that gradually build up to higher strength mobs. It always surprises me but it seems to hold true for most players, the game has to tell them what to do or they won't figure out what to do or will lose interest in doing.

[Eonwind]

You just have to set up a goal system. I bet a modified quest line that works like a regular job for a character and  lets the players become a junior guard would work. Then you can send them on regular directed hunts that gradually build up to higher strength mobs. It always surprises me but it seems to hold true for most players, the game has to tell them what to do or they won't figure out what to do or will lose interest in doing.

You just have to set up a goal system. I bet a modified quest line that works like a regular job for a character and  lets the players become a junior guard would work. Then you can send them on regular directed hunts that gradually build up to higher strength mobs. It always surprises me but it seems to hold true for most players, the game has to tell them what to do or they won't figure out what to do or will lose interest in doing.

Not sure you have recently done some questing lately (in case I would be interested in hearing a feedback), however some quests including the tutorial are currently trying to focus the players on a "main theme": the stone labyrinth invasion.

This recursive treat is intended to be one of the main "world problems" to create tension in-game and keep the Yliakum society unitedo to some extend and - why not - create conflict as well (between PC and PC , between PC and NPCs, etc.).
Also many in game mechanics have been shaped that way in order to create that same feeling (there are recursive invasion of monsters coming from the bronze doors).

It could be the message and the goal is not clear enough, or hasn't been added in enough place to feel like enough of a threat for everyone. In case this can be fixed, more hints can be added in the quest and - why not - players can even propose more game mechanics around this (like more frequent invasions, repeatable invasion quests, etc.).
I'm sure many of this features can be added, given time.

[LigH]

This recursive treat ...

Rather "recurring", I believe...

I'm curious if that will actually "happen" some day, as a scheduled "world event" which can either be stopped with a large raid, or will cause an increased population of monsters in this area for a while when not...

[Bonifarzia]

Interesting topic. I think PS is very much different from the usual multiplayer RPGs out there, and that's perfectly fine. Okay, that's sort of a niche, but I think it's much more likeable than trying to copy other titles. A big part of what defines PS is the CS engine, which indeed has its quirks, so, sooner or later, it will be cool to see what will happen with the port to UE4. I think this will have huge potential, to keep the stuff that makes PS unique, and fuse that with a modern, shiny engine.

[Eonwind]

This recursive treat ...

Rather "recurring", I believe...

I'm curious if that will actually "happen" some day, as a scheduled "world event" which can either be stopped with a large raid, or will cause an increased population of monsters in this area for a while when not...

it already is, at least partly. There are several invasion scheduled on given in-game months, if not stopped or killed the invading monsters will roam in the area usually considered a lower danger (BDroad 1, for example). These invasions are active since quite some time and the hydlaa guards tells the population of any incoming danger from the bronze door area.
The frequency of these invasion is not too often on purpose, for now but they could be increased in the future.
Of course low danger areas (like hydlaa-oja road) will not have such problem. That's made on purpose.

[Jessamine]

This recursive treat ...

Rather "recurring", I believe...

No he used the word correct. That's twice this week someone has used that word, and I'd also never heard it before. (Yes I had to look it up the first time! )

reĀ·curĀ·sive
adjective
characterized by recurrence or repetition, in particular.