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.