Low player count has been something that's been discussed a lot, and there are a lot of complicated reasons for why this might be, but I think some part of the problem might have to do with the fact that a lot of people simply don't have computers that can run PlaneShift well. This has always been a problem with open source games. The type of people who go online looking for free open source games are generally not the type of people who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a powerful gaming machine. We're looking for free games for a reason.
With this in mind, I feel like I see a lot of forum posts that go a lot like this:
"HELP! I downloaded the game but it's really slow and keeps crashing! My computer specs are []"
"Oh, your computer probably won't be able to play it very well, if at all"
"Well that sucks..."
Now that potential player is gone forever.
I've had the pleasure of playing PlaneShift with full graphic details only a couple of times, and I was impressed. But most of the time I have to play on low settings just to get it to run at a decent rate. And I don't feel like THAT much is lost in terms of gaming experience when playing on low settings.
So, my idea is (and I realize this may be difficult or impossible) would it be possible to release some sort of "PlaneShift Lite" version that is stripped of all the fancy graphics, shaders,spell effects, and anything else that causes slowness or crashes? Simpler models and textures, and maybe take out some of the detail in the slower areas like the plaza or the arena. Basically prioritize performance and reliability at all costs. Having this available would help expand the potential player base and might lead to more activity in-game.
(As a side bonus, this seems like it could potentially lead to the possibility of an ipad/kindle version to expand the player base even further)
Thoughts? Would this be worth the time? Would this even be possible?
