55 replies to this topic

[Hoofmaster]

Since Fallen Sword started (in 2006), social / browser games have become much more popular which has had the effect of making advertising the game much more difficult / less cost effective.

We would love to hear what ideas you the community have to help attract new players to the game?

[Leos3000]

I honestly feel this biggest reason most new players do not stick around as much as they used to is the amount of investment now needed to keep up.

what I mean is they earn too little gold to develop their character in a timely fashion as compared to what upgrades they see on other people have. FSP has gotten rare on a market that is flooded by gold from seasoned players.

Suggestions on how to fix this-

1. Allow people to buy character upgrades with gold @ 1 fsp = 150,000 gold

2. Change the rates at which people can buy FSP
-$5 = 35 FSP
-$10 = 75 FSP
-$20 = 160 FSP
-$50 = 500 FSP

3. Last lower the cost of some of the upgrades

-Max stamina
-stamina gain
-BP slots
-AH slots
-XP gain

these changes would make the game still seem kinda free, but invoke people to donate more as they see a better return on their money and a way to compete with others.

[Bleltch]

We would love to hear what ideas you the community have to help attract new players to the game?

Take away the pay to win aspect of the game. Players dont mind working hard to make progress, but when they see a player with a big checkbook dominate they get deterred.

A fair game would be a big plus too. Getting dominated by players with the best most expensive equipment, super fast internet connections, and computers set up to do one thing is a big turn off.

You had the makings of a really good, popular, successful game. But after the first few years you strayed from what would have made it great. During that time i invited friends and family to play, i dont any more.

[Mongo]

From viewing the invites screen in my last Guild, and seeing the new players without a guild list daily, there were lots of new players joining the game, but not many staying.

Would you like ideas from us, more about retaining those players that signup? or just increasing the number who join?

[Hoofmaster]

From viewing the invites screen in my last Guild, and seeing the new players without a guild list daily, there were lots of new players joining the game, but not many staying.

Would you like ideas from us, more about retaining those players that signup? or just increasing the number who join?

I posted a thread about that here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=108042

[Hoofmaster]

We would love to hear what ideas you the community have to help attract new players to the game?

Take away the pay to win aspect of the game. Players dont mind working hard to make progress, but when they see a player with a big checkbook dominate they get deterred.

A fair game would be a big plus too. Getting dominated by players with the best most expensive equipment, super fast internet connections, and computers set up to do one thing is a big turn off.

You had the makings of a really good, popular, successful game. But after the first few years you strayed from what would have made it great. During that time i invited friends and family to play, i dont any more.

What changes would you make?

[yotwehc]

As I mentioned previously, I remember when I first started playing and I had no idea what I was doing much less what I was supposed to do. (Frankly, i still dont know the other parts of the game outside of levelling and my dear sweet titans) The mentoring idea was great but not sure it was implemented right? A global noob chat where only mentors and noobs are allowed might be nice. This will make certain new players will always have access to the welcoming committee.

[Filletminion]

I would take a leaf out of runescapes book and have servers in every country the game is played in .
This would remove a lot of the discussion over titans and allow all to profit from them.
Getting new players to stay has to be the biggest thing that needs to happen.
People mention the exchange rate for gold to fsp that is a part of the issue secondary to that is people used to be able to pvp to get gold to grow their characters as well .Now beginner players get smashed for some useless medal that serves nothing except to drive them from the game.
While higher level players can do so with almost immunity .

The game is so chronically out of balance because you have allowed some parts of the game to prosper over others with updates of the past 2 years and neutered other parts of the game to its detriment.
If you genuinely want this game to grow then you need to look at some of the decisions you have made and how they have effected the game.

[goolsby7]

1. Allow people to buy character upgrades with gold @ 1 fsp = 150,000 gold

this has only one problom. the higher level you are, like all the lv 800+ can easily just max out many of there upgrades as soon as something like that is implemented. maybe a steady increase in cost as certain lv markers are reached, like ever 100lvs it goes up or someething

[SandisMan]

A global noob chat where only mentors and noobs are allowed might be nice. This will make certain new players will always have access to the welcoming committee.

I actually think this is a great idea. No matter what guild the new player joins, there is help always there.

I agree with others that the economy is so inflated that it is just tough to start out. The epic quests are a great beginning. There is no defense for being smashed in pvp or gvg day in and day out. Especially if the new player does not want to join a huge guild for defense while not understanding the mechanics of the game.

Maybe a newbie guild, that new players automatically join at level 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or whatever level. A founder set up by the cows with auto refresh, and buffing. Offer protection and help to the players that do not even realize they need help or protection.

Further advancement of the tutorials would help, even if there is no reward for completing. Make them quests. "Quest to start PvP", "Quest to GvG.", Quest to Cave", etc, that further explains other aspects of the game.

[4gottn4ver]

1. Allow people to buy character upgrades with gold @ 1 fsp = 150,000 gold

this has only one problom. the higher level you are, like all the lv 800+ can easily just max out many of there upgrades as soon as something like that is implemented. maybe a steady increase in cost as certain lv markers are reached, like ever 100lvs it goes up or someething

also on that same thing the cows have already set the ' standard ' amount on gold/ FSP when they made the change to buying BB tix with gold to 200K per FSP. but as for ' ideas ' ......................

[wil72]

Better use of the Forums.

What I mean is, I know from my initial experience when joining FS, there was very little information on how the game works and what is available to take part in and strive for.

Within the Forums there is a wealth of information provided by players who have partaken in certain areas of the game such as GvG, PvP,and leveling to name a few and this info may be found valuable to new players. Yes, a welcoming committee is a good idea but there would be many players, I'd imagine, as I know i would, who would prefer to read about aspects of the game for themselves.

A list of relevant Topics from the Forums could be detailed when a player signs up or in the tutorial. Are the Forums mentioned in the tutorial ?

Lack of info on how the game works and the vast game play possibilities that can be achieved may be why players start then just give up. Don't know.

Then again, directing new players to the Forums may just scare them off quicker


Cheers.

wil72

[kevon218]

[

Maybe a newbie guild, that new players automatically join at level 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or whatever level. A founder set up by the cows with auto refresh, and buffing. Offer protection and help to the players that do not even realize they need help or protection.

i like this idea. it has a lot of merit, especially since a lot of guilds now require a min level and require your own gear. it makes it very hard for new players to find a guild and items to easily hunt at there levels

[Zordor]

We would love to hear what ideas you the community have to help attract new players to the game?

I don't think getting new players is the problem, it's retaining them. I was invited into a guild almost as soon as I started playing, and learned how the game worked from there. If I hadn't been invited - I don't think I would have continued playing.

Not many guilds are willing to invite newbie players, and genuinely teach them how to play the game. I completely understand why - but it might be nice for well-established guilds to invite one new player a week, help them out, teach them, show them what a great community this is, and then shift that player out to another guild, and invite another new player.

I used to be a recruiter for a guild, and I had the brilliant (haha) strategy of inviting everyone I could that was new. It was pretty easy to sort out the weird beggar type people from the ones that have the fortitude to continue to play the game. In fact, many of the people I invited to that guild originally have continued to play to this day.

[yotwehc]

A global noob chat where only mentors and noobs are allowed might be nice. This will make certain new players will always have access to the welcoming committee.

I actually think this is a great idea. No matter what guild the new player joins, there is help always there.

I agree with others that the economy is so inflated that it is just tough to start out. The epic quests are a great beginning. There is no defense for being smashed in pvp or gvg day in and day out. Especially if the new player does not want to join a huge guild for defense while not understanding the mechanics of the game.

Maybe a newbie guild, that new players automatically join at level 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or whatever level. A founder set up by the cows with auto refresh, and buffing. Offer protection and help to the players that do not even realize they need help or protection.

Further advancement of the tutorials would help, even if there is no reward for completing. Make them quests. "Quest to start PvP", "Quest to GvG.", Quest to Cave", etc, that further explains other aspects of the game.

Makes me think I only offer bad ideas... (just bustin your chops)

I actually like your idea too... The key is the community... the IM/PM's/communications... Many have suggested forums, and other resources but to be quite honest, when I started, I was lazy... just kill, killl, level, level, is all I wanted to do... never read FS forums, guild forums or wikis until I gained enough knowledge or was just plain bored and decided to start reading. Hmmm... I guess not much has changed... I still love the kill, kill, level, level... but at least I am an educated kill, kill, level, level fool...

[JBKing89]

Encouraging new players is key to FS survival. The actual new players who start up don't have much of an idea of what to do, since this is a non graphics game. I remember staring at screens for 30 minutes trying to figure out where to go. The tutorial helps, but needs more work, from what I remember of it.

I think a beginner guild is a great idea, maybe automated with buffs, low level gear, etc. Then at a given level, they are turned loose to find a guild, or go solo if they choose.

Getting rid of multis. I agree established guilds should be willing to take new members for the better of the game. A little encouragement can be very effective in retaining new players, and we have done our share of it. I get a lot of people saying how much they appreciate us willing to take a new player. But what is discouraging is seeing how many "new" players already know how to play.

Getting a fully playable mobile app will help. For better or worse, that's the future of a good portion of gaming.

I think the HCS portal is a great idea, incorporate all games, mobile apps, (eldevin hopefully, someday). Build a better brand name through all ventures, and get people to try out the other HCS games.

added... And the global chat is a great idea. Make a place where new players can ask for help, and be mentored. Hopefully without being bombarded with guild requests.

[3JS]

Make it so it isn't so hard to succeed without donating.

Like was said previously, allow people to buy upgrades with gold. Gold is as abundant as water in northeast USA right now. FSP's are a bit tougher to come by unless you pull out the credit card. I know that you make your living from those credit cards, but if a player gets hooked early, those transactions will come. It's tough to hook a new player that feels like they are never going to catch up.

With that said, a marketplace cap might be a good idea.

[duktayp]

i've seen pics of the HCS building on facebook - looks like you're in a downtown area or a business district

as an experiment, go to one of your neighbors/friends you think would seem even slightly interested in starting a character and invite them to play - give them my recruiting link :mrgreen: http://www.fallenswo...om/?ref=1404452

let them start blind for a few days, them come back to you with feedback

live, knee-jerk, gut reactions from a flesh and blood person sitting next to you would be a valuable input i think



i mention again the largely inactive Hunted Cow Studios guild - i wonder what would encourage your fellow guild members to play? is there nothing about this game they find enjoyable? i've been told that, after a hard day of working on fallensword, they're not interested in playing it on their free time

but look at the rank name of half the HCS guilds' members:



maybe after a hard days' work developing Eldevin they could try playing Fallensword and give some input as to what would make it more enjoyable to them (be more active)

[Zukira]

I would answer this with a screen capture of how I have advertised in the past when another gaming company pissed me off... but I dont want to accidentially advertise a different game. needless to say I spelled out my complaint and offered the suggestion of FS as a better gaming option to a large following I have in that other game and explained why in a comment on it.

[hades8840]

and at this moment in time is why i never recommend this game to my friends or the thousands on fb etc.... the lag ppl hate a game they cant play cause it struggles with a few online let alone a few thousand i play games with 50k plus active online ppl there servers cope quite well why this game struggles after a couple hundred is a joke ......i would of hoped by now this would of been a fixed issue