PlaneShift
Gameplay => General Discussion => Topic started by: gonger on January 01, 2024, 08:52:57 am
-
Dear all,
This has been discussed before, and we really should get going now.
Let's try to get ancient players back. We all miss friends of old we would like to see back in the game.
I propose the following steps:
- Send an official invitation mail to all existing mail addresses. I add a draft below, all reasonable comments are welcome.
- In one or two months, send a reminder. No more afterwards, we do not want to spam people.
- Give the Guild Leader of each guild (or some other represantant of the guild) a list of their members' addresses for a more personal invitation.
- Give every player upon request the mail addresses of five people they would love to be back in the game. Please note: I am not sure this is a good idea, since popular ex-players might in fact be spammed. I include this anyway and hope for comments.
This is the draft of the official mail:
******************************** DRAFT_BEGIN ********************************
Dear friend,
It has been a long time since last you ventured to Yliakum, and much has changed ever since: Since end of April 2023, the Unreal Engine version of PlaneShift is running.
What started out as a migration project over the years finally became a new version with plenty of new content:
- New locations with new NPCs and new quests
- A dungeon filled with traps and treasure
- Crafting improvements
- Everything simply looks a bit nicer - except that players still want the Legacy transport pterosaurs back - they simply looked more impressive!
- And so much more, check news for all details: https://www.planeshift.it/news
So what could be a better start of the new year then a new experience of PlaneShift?
Download it, meet old friends again, and make new friends - or enemies, for two things will never change: PlaneShift is Fully Free to Play, and RP-oriented.
See you soon!
The PlaneShift team
********************************* DRAFT_END *********************************
Please let us know what you think of this.
Travel safely,
Gonger
-
Good intention, and while I think there'll be only a couple of players who might be able to return, there may be a few. The sad thing is that the forums likely are visited only by those same players, since (IIRC that has been mentioned elswehere) other media have taken over, but maybe it's the lack of publicity PS receives, as it doesn't feature on any of the gaming networks. At least, I haven't found it on GOG, Epic or Steam (very likely because you have to sell them your soul, as other very good FOSS gaming projects like UFO:AI, Babylon5:I found her, Wesnoth, etc. also don't appear there).
Anyway, I don't like the idea of giving away contact information (maybe you'll even remember my pro-privacy stance from back in the days, so no surprise there. :) ). Having the PS system send out mails to dormant accounts would be OK, the reminder may or may not be an issue, IIRC there was something about receiving occasional mails from PS on signup to the forum, but not to the game, so maybe stick to forum members, which likely will catch all "ancients" anyway (there was no discord, reddit or whatnots back then)?
I already tried to check out the new PS-U but couldn't. First, I could run it on my ancient machine, but the Char Creator GUI is fixed at 16:9, so on my 4:3 screen the elements on the right simply don't get rendered. The UE itself copes perfectly with the resolution, but if the GUI positions are fixed, there's nothing it can do about that. That's a problem I've seen primarily on UE4 titles, I read that the GUI creator doesn't help with that and you must knowingly design on the lowest resolution, but with high-DPI textures, and then the upscaling will do the trick, instead of the GUI being scaled down meaningfully, which at best breaks text legibility.
Anyway, I somehow managed to blind-fly part of the CC, came into the Dryken Plane and don't recall if I even managed to get out of there, maybe the GUI again, or the oddness of the place, or something else.
And now, I'm still on Windows7, which has been dropped by PS a while ago (any of course many others). Once I decide upon and install an alternative (be it W10, DraugerOS or whatever), I'll retry, but it seems I'd have to buy a new screen, too.
-
As for us "ancient players," we mostly still exist. But the only reason I left was that my version stopped working. I'll try to download and trouble shoot a successful launch, but I will admit Planeshift is no easy game to get to work. Regardless of the games lack of versatility, I look forward to the return of many. I actively encourage it actually. Planeshift was the main game I played growing up and will always hold a special place in my heart. I wish the devs luck as I always will.
-
This caught my attention. How ancient is ancient? (Holy smokes, my login still works!)
-
This caught my attention. How ancient is ancient? (Holy smokes, my login still works!)
Hello Kluger!
Everybody who used to play, but no longer does, of course!
I received no comments whatsoever about the mail draft... Is it that good? ;D
There was some discussion on discord about privacy issues points 3 and 4. We would most likely cancel 4 entirely, and for 3 let a guild representant write a text that would be sent through someone from the team with full access to the adresses.
So, let's do it... and get our old friends back! And our RP enemies as well!
Gonger
-
Remember, when sending a letter, preface any appended thoughts at the end with P.S.
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/513577345895104512/1202471374338400327/PS4.jpeg)
-
OnTopic: I agree with Seytra
Semi Topic Related: as I'm getting (I think) into PS again, somewhere in the future I wouldn't mind making guides for linux peeps (guess what I've been doing those years :p )
Off Topic /or not?
Hey y'all!
Somehow I found some poetry notes, while cleaning, I wrote for a character named Eliseth (IIRC, maybe a typo) Today! She sold them books for mad trais! Also print outs from the overview of the government etc. (IIRC the whole portal planet thing is new, either way: GREAT! going through the character creation this time was like better :) )
So I went and looked up Planeshift. it the game I abandoned when I went to study +- 17-15 years ago (I dunno).
My old characters are gone, because I abandoned them email addresses and don't know them passwords. THIS (forum) I remembered by lightning strike today (I already changed it to something I need a manager for). I'm more than okay with that, most of them trias I got through them mining exploits and 15 years further new game new me :) I'm like +- double the age now.
What I noticed in the tutorials: fighting (magic) is MUCH better, so RPing based on "Oh I just got through the portal, imma learn how to survive and live in this new society" is like SOOOO much better, really liked the introductions :)
+- 17 years, My main (see this forum account) has like all it's funding from mining calculation mistakes :) -> I don't care, I want to start new.
If we can work something out so I can take Socius as first name I'm all ears: problems are I don't have control over the email related to the account and for the life of me the password neither (I was paranoid @ 16 :p ) and so I understand that if that's not possible, I now have a Nolthrir with Socius as last name.
Anyway: I would like that, I can give the email-address to the account, but that's all, so I understand if it's not done... else I would make it as soon as I read it :p
Freaking mountains and valleys! I've only seen the tutorial region, Hydlaa plaza and my first stop: Kada-el's! those fancy wine cups are the only change it needed :)
I'mma make it a real goal to do Planeshift again after the cool welcome in global chat :D
-
This has been discussed before, and we really should get going now.
Let's try to get ancient players back. We all miss friends of old we would like to see back in the game.
This is always a noble goal. However, I'd like to share a few thoughts about the bumps in the road that I hit when I used to attempt such things in the past. These issues might still be lingering around.
Are there enough active stories for people to find some RP hook to latch on to? Nothing ran people back off like not having something to talk about or not having something that they wanted to interact with. It just stinks coming back and you have no connection to anything anymore. Also, people will likely come back to an empty buddy list, so heavy community support would be helpful. How many people are on at a time, these days?
For some, they left because of community drama. In those cases, it might be helpful to mention that the people they hated don't play the game right now. ;D (<- I missed this emoji) Other people might have wanted features, races, or skills that didn't exist. It might be helpful to point out specific new things that might interest the person.
Oh yeah, Gonger mentioned that there are new locations... That means that that online players could be even more spread out. You may want to invite people back for specific events. This way, if people come back, they see several players in the area instead of an empty area. That might not be an issue any more, but it is something to think about if there is still low player count.
Overall, I feel like messages will be more effective the sender happens to remember why that player left. The more personal the message is, the more likely the player is to read it and consider it.
-
Hi.. I'd like to get back in and take a look around, my ingame name was xitop... but can't getpast the login launch screen. The link provided leads to a 404 error, and I don't know the discord address. Suggestions please?
Thanks,
xitop
-
Hi xitop. Glad that you want to play PlaneShift again.
This is the Discord channel of Planeshift. https://discord.com/invite/f9y6TFjvnf
When you are in the Planeshift Discord channel, send a message to Talad (Discord name: KerriganSon) with your ingame name and email address associated with your Planeshift account), and he will help you. Good luck and see you soon!
-
Greetings Ancients as well as Youngers!
Dropped briefly into the game, for the first time in a long time, after installing the game software. Venorel finally looks her Ylian self! \\o//
There are some questions about what is worn and what one sees, yet that may find an answer in game.
Someone has been busy since my last visit. Kudos!
-
This is the Discord channel of Planeshift. https://discord.com/invite/f9y6TFjvnf
Getting a message that the link is invalid or has expired.
-
This is the Discord channel of Planeshift. https://discord.com/invite/f9y6TFjvnf
Getting a message that the link is invalid or has expired.
It works for me. What about this one? https://discord.com/channels/378244034348449792/378244034348449794 (https://discord.com/channels/378244034348449792/378244034348449794)
-
This has been discussed before, and we really should get going now.
Let's try to get ancient players back. We all miss friends of old we would like to see back in the game.
This is always a noble goal. However, I'd like to share a few thoughts about the bumps in the road that I hit when I used to attempt such things in the past. These issues might still be lingering around.
Are there enough active stories for people to find some RP hook to latch on to? Nothing ran people back off like not having something to talk about or not having something that they wanted to interact with. It just stinks coming back and you have no connection to anything anymore. Also, people will likely come back to an empty buddy list, so heavy community support would be helpful. How many people are on at a time, these days?
For some, they left because of community drama. In those cases, it might be helpful to mention that the people they hated don't play the game right now. ;D (<- I missed this emoji) Other people might have wanted features, races, or skills that didn't exist. It might be helpful to point out specific new things that might interest the person.
Oh yeah, Gonger mentioned that there are new locations... That means that that online players could be even more spread out. You may want to invite people back for specific events. This way, if people come back, they see several players in the area instead of an empty area. That might not be an issue any more, but it is something to think about if there is still low player count.
Overall, I feel like messages will be more effective the sender happens to remember why that player left. The more personal the message is, the more likely the player is to read it and consider it.
I agree, with your statements. Its important with enough active stories to be able to come back. But oh how i miss the good old days once in a while
-
Hey there Nova. o/
I agree, with your statements. Its important with enough active stories to be able to come back. But oh how i miss the good old days once in a while
Hey! Sem! It's been a while. :D Yeah the active stories thing is the one that concerns me the most. People need a reason to be around and interacting. But even I get bitten by that nostalgia bug. Nasty little thing. ;D
However, if I am perfectly honest, it's not that hard to create new active stories. The problem is whether or not one can get wide enough player buy-in. I remember suggesting that players come up with their own current events in the past and some players just weren't comfortable with that idea. They only wanted to support ideas that came from the developers. Now that might not still be an issue, but one way or another there will need to be player buy in.
But, even if players decide to start driving more of PS' story, there is one other hitch. I don't know how much experience current players have with driving larger RPs and older players are likely to be blindsided by settings changes. It seems like this would leave more of the burden on newer players unless there is some kind of "Welcome Back" primer on the settings somewhere. If the newer players don't have the same exposure for driving RPs, then that feels like it would be unfair to have all of that burden on them just to try to get back players they've never even met.
Hmm... I wonder, do all players spawn in Hydlaa still or did it finally go back to to each race spawning in their own cities (when available)? Creating an RP foundation in a single city is much easier... Bah! Let me stop, I'm trying to solution the problem and I don't even know the current setting. :-X :sweatdrop:
-
Ha! Consider this ancient conjured! ;D
Just thought I'd stop by and hay 'Hi'. Some day I hope to have the time and download/install/drop in the game again.
-
Hello everyone, Hello Mordaan!! I randomly reinstalled and visited the forums thursday, lol
Have been watching some of the developmental twitch streams from time to time over the years.
I did log-in ingame... have absolutely no recollection how to do anything ;D
Hope everyone is doing well.
-
Hi there!
And nice to see a (very) few familiar faces! :D
It's a good intention, and a few good points have already been made by other posters above. :)
The question of why people leave and whether we should try and get them back is a recurrent one. There have been squabbles, yes, but people also went to other games, moved on to other passions, saw the atmosphere change and decided it wasn't what they were looking for any more, and so on.
When I was first here, there was very little game mechanics (except collecting crystals, if that still rings a bell), and most of what we did was roleplaying. Then the whole game was revamped and looked completely different. It also went through a very unstable phase, which was the final push for many fans. I'm sure the next generations saw other changes and had their own reason to move on. What matters is that new generations keep coming and bring fresh air in the community.
Something I notice, whenever I happen to come back and peek at this website: it's almost abandoned. Most of the subforums haven't been touched in years. I know there's a Discord, but it can't replace a forum and will feel very different to old-timers. The forums, which were the primary point of contact, really give the impression the project has closed - that's what I first thought months ago when I went by and logged in, and it's only after looking deeper that I saw the activity had moved elsewhere. I'm not sure how many will take the time to look and register on a real-time chat platform like Discord.
The fact the login cookie expires after 1 hour only is also quite off-putting and unnecessary.
But who knows? If you throw a message in a bottle, chances are people who still have that email address will feel a pang of nostalgia and check in, just to see if other past friends do the same. I doubt they'll go as far as trying the game, though (I have no idea if it's stable and easy to set up).
FWIW, I corrected a few things in the "letter". Of course, some of it should be adapted to the timing if such an email were to be sent (for ex, it's not the beginning of a new year any more). I'm also a little confused about "what started out as a migration project", because that's not at all what I remember PS being back then, in 2003 (granted, I'm not the oldest around). What migration?
I would definitely NOT try to get hold of people's email address, as it's against the law, at least in European countries. Just seeing that makes me want to quickly change and give a fake email. Please, just don't even think about it.
Cheers
----
Dear friend,
It has been a long time since you last ventured to Yliakum, and much has changed since. What started out as a migration project over the years finally became a new version with plenty of new content:
- Since April 2023, Planeshift is running on the Unreal Engine.
- New locations with new NPCs and new quests.
- A dungeon filled with traps and treasure.
- Crafting improvements.
- Everything simply looks a bit nicer - except that players still want the Legacy transport pterosaurs back - they simply looked more impressive!
- And so much more, check news for all details: https://www.planeshift.it/news
So what could be a better start of the new year than a new experience of PlaneShift?
Download it, meet old friends again, and make new ones - or enemies, for two things will never change: PlaneShift is Fully Free to Play, and RP-oriented.
See you soon!
The PlaneShift team
-
Oh hey there. A few more names I recognize. Hi. o/ :)
For what it is worth, I imagine the "migration" is a reference to migrating from the old engine (crystal space?) to the new one, Unreal.
However, I too felt like the forums being slow wasn't a great sign. But that feeling might only occur to those of us that are used to the forums being more active. Players that started while it was slow and older players that never engaged on the forums might not think much of it.
However, it is nice to see people here again. I wish some more folks would pop in for a hello... :D
-
Oh hey there. A few more names I recognize. Hi. o/ :)
For what it is worth, I imagine the "migration" is a reference to migrating from the old engine (crystal space?) to the new one, Unreal.
However, I too felt like the forums being slow wasn't a great sign. But that feeling might only occur to those of us that are used to the forums being more active. Players that started while it was slow and older players that never engaged on the forums might not think much of it.
However, it is nice to see people here again. I wish some more folks would pop in for a hello... :D
Hi back! :)
Ah, I see now. I misunderstood the "started out" as how PS started, but it just means it was a long migration, I guess.
Yes, I also have the feeling that forums are starting to become a thing of the past. Now, chat systems like Discord are replacing them, even if it's more a real-time conversation system like the old IRC than a forum.