PlaneShift
Gameplay => General Discussion => Topic started by: gonger on April 04, 2012, 11:42:23 pm
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Hello, I hope this is the right place for this topic.
Well, subject says it all - most people will agree that PlaneShift needs more players, so let us discuss what we can do.
I will start with something I just did... At work, I am helping out in a team that replaces a PC pool for a client, and the old machines will be cleaned, reinstalled with WXP, and given to the people there. While adding a few freeware tools and programs, we decided to install also a few freeware games...
You guessed it, I added a full installation of PlaneShift! It is running perhaps a bit slowly, but it IS running. So about 20 PCs will go out, and I am certain quite a few people will try all the games installed. With some luck, some will like PS enough to stay.
I am also trying to convince some of my role-playing (Facebook) friends of PlaneShift, but apparently I need to try harder.
What are you doing to promote PlaneShift? Share with us! I will buy you a beer as a reward! Or give you some free ores, if you don't want to get drunk!
Gonger Xaraha, from the Bounty Hunters
Miner and Weaponsmith
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Nice... ;D
I popped up a link to planeshift on a few small websites I had made once... but those sites don't really get hit.. I suck at SEO. Facebook, twatter, and whathaveyou may be the way to go... likewise, some youtube videos might be a cool idea...
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moichendizing</yiddish accent>
you know planeshift: the t-shirt, planeshift: the coloring book, planeshift: the lunchbox, planeshift: the breakfast cereal! planeshift: the flame thrower!! the kids really love that one. and last of all planeshift the doll... me. <pulls the string> a universe is not enough </slightly tinny voice>. but perhaps some real merch would help ps.
but there are a few youtube vids. the postcard project series tries to show off the pretty of the environments.
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A youtube video showing how to play the game might be handy. Hell, put a "record" and "stop" button on the client, and in month's you'll probably see quite a few goofy PS videos out there on youtube.... add some keywords somehow and there ya go.
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http://www.fraps.com/
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I have a friend who has a video of a one eyed rat chasing him in circles for a few minutes in the tutorial.
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I have a friend who has a video of a one eyed rat chasing him in circles for a few minutes in the tutorial.
Doesn't exactly sound like an epic moment ;D
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I have a friend who has a video of a one eyed rat chasing him in circles for a few minutes in the tutorial.
n00bs being chased by rats never gets old for me. ;D
- Nova
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http://www.fraps.com/
Yes, lets get software you have to pay for, for a (game?) you play for free. >.<
(Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me)
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My opinion isn't how to get more players into the game, that wont solve the issue. The game is a bit technical and hard to play and the general public shouldn't really get involved because it's something not for them. The general public has a low frustration tolerance (because of the amount of polished commercial games), meaning they get frustrated easily. That is why we shouldn't attract the general public. Planeshift is a frustrating game for new players this is where I think we need to focus on. Making it less frustrating.
Here's my opinions, practically the same as the losing players thread:
Planeshift needs more support for the newer players (no not just the help tab). Generally speaking, to start off it should be easier then gradually get harder, like every game I've ever played.
- Getting chased by the easiest creature in the game, a rat, is just frustrating. Rats should always be a one hit kill. It's not hard to make rats (and some other creatures) easier to kill.
- More reward after the tutorial, even if they choose the easy way out, maybe only half as much tria.
- Quest chains making more sense, where to start (why start here, where will this lead you to?) and who to go to next?
Get rid of PPs, no other game uses such a system, for various reasons. Too hard to balance, too hard to play the game. Planeshift simply and obviously does not have the resources to balance such a system and therefore I believe it should be scrapped. (Planeshift is in Alpha, let's just see how it works without it. Get some testers to try it out, see if it helps making the game easier.)
Sorry it's a little off-topic.
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http://www.fraps.com/
Yes, lets get software you have to pay for, for a (game?) you play for free. >.<
(Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me)
ack! i thought i saw it said it was freeware. my bad.
here, how 'bout this one then?
http://camstudio.org/
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How about http://www.crystalspace3d.org/docs/online/manual/HOWTO-Recording-Movies.html
Maybe it should be included in the binary client as well and just disabled in the configs.
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I don't know if this exists, but there should be a promo video showing some of the games most impressive features. For example, I've never been more impressed by this game than when I saw the bronze doors for the first time.
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I don't know if this exists, but there should be a promo video showing some of the games most impressive features. For example, I've never been more impressed by this game than when I saw the bronze doors for the first time.
You mean the actual doors (which I've never seen) or the Eagle Fortress?
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The fortress.
I'd offer to make a promo video but seeing as I use a laptop with Intel graphics I can't run PS with any graphics setting above Low. This game has some really cool looking places, creatures, spells, etc. and I think putting them on display could help attract some new players.
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since this is a roleplay focused game (allegedly) why don't we highlight the roleplay features? and, you know, attract more roleplayers. Or, like I proposed in another, almost duplicate thread, share the user created content, the fanart/fanfics, roleplays on other roleplay centric sites. There are numerous roleplay forums, forums dedicated to MUDs, MUSHs, d20s, roguelikes; hop onto those and talk about this game and all the great things going on around here.
recently I found a forum for tabletop gamers in my city. In my welcome post I talked about this game and the things I've taken part in, providing links and such. it lead to some nice discussions and meeting some interesting people, although sadly I don't know if any of them have taken the plunge.
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I thought about that, but showing four people with text bubbles might not look so exciting xD
I agree, there are a few places in the game that are rather impressive.. the eagle fort being one, the laanx dungeon was pretty impressive to me too when I was new to the game. This brings up a question.. given the small size of the world ( in comparrison to say WOW or other games ), would it be spoiler-ish? ( To me, thats kinda gray ) But videos showing players having fun is definitely a plus if you ask me.
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I thought about that, but showing four people with text bubbles might not look so exciting xD
My thought exactly. Advertise for the game world in the video and emphasize the roleplay in the text description. If someone doesn't have the patience to read the video's text description they won't have the patience for RP anyway.
As for being "spoiler"-ish, I'd say yeah it probably is. If I had seen the bronze doors in a promo I wouldn't have been so impressed by seeing them in the actual game. That begs the question, would we rather impress players all at once, right at the beginning, or let them discover everything for themselves (and possibly get frustrated and give up before ever making it there). It's a question I can't answer.
Maybe some sort of compromise? A quick fly-by? Showing just little pieces of the dungeon, BD, death realm, etc. so they don't seem so familiar in-game? Leave some of the most impressive features as a surprise?
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it can't be spoilers if it's included in the official promotional artwork:
http://www.planeshift.it/screenshots.html
and the official trailer:
http://www.planeshift.it/movies.html
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Hello,
Thanks to all who contributed to this topic. But still, some more proposals for actions would be appreciated.
Here is one more example: Everybody who is at Facebook should "Like" the official PlaneShift page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/PlaneShift/120037538009535.) This is easily done, and maybe some of your friends will see this and become interested in Planeshift.
Please share similar ideas for other social network sites.
Trave safely!
Gonger Xaraha, of the Bounty Hunters
Miner and Weaponsmith
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I am really confused as to why my previous post was deleted, but the deletion itself is part of the problem I was trying to illustrate. People having bad experiences in the game or on the forum will not tell their friends to try the game out, and will, in fact, warn them away from it. As it stands, bringing more people to the game with expectations of the fun had in a typical MMO will only send more people away with less than stellar opinions.
The title of this thread is "How to attract new players... ideas, opinions, actions!" I gave a valid opinion and a suggestion on how to present the game to friends in a way that highlights the main reason people stay (the community theater aspect).
My main suggestion here? Be completely honest to people you are presenting the game to. Don't sugar-coat anything. If you do, and they don't find the promised sugar without digging through piles of lemons, they will only leave with a sour taste in their mouths.
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This is something I suggested many years ago now.. sadly never used... but to my knowledge relatively easy to implement...
create loads... 1000s even of dummy objects... default image/model for each could be a sack like it used to be when I played in the 0.3 days.
These dummy objects can be all kinds of things like tools, clothing items, foods, drinks, raw materials, plants, planks of wood, inks,.... basically any object you can think of that would be in context with the game.
Then you could have NPC merchants selling these dummy objects and then that allows for players to roleplay certain jobs. like a tailor or a carpenter..or a merchant in whatever...
none of the dummy objects have to have the models made immediatly .. and can even be slowly added
helps create a bigger economy IMO and helps roleplay.. as you have the 'objects' even if they dont look like them.. yet.