134 replies to this topic

[Gutie]

Banner Ads. I know a number of people who joined FS because they saw the banner ads.

People say it's the PvP or a variety of other things... but the more I think about it, when was the last time anyone saw Fallensword banner ads with the dragon belching fire on the sword on a banner ad anywhere???
I'm serious. I can't recall last time I did. I'd say over a year now.


HCS. Please consider restarting the banner ad campaign you did before. I STRONGLY think it was a key reason that you had more traffic on FS back then.

I Highly urge hoofmaster and the others to compare site trafic and user activity to the volume of banner ads they were purchasing. I'm not sure with what groups, but a LOT of anime/manga websites along with a range of various gaming ones had that dragon belching fire on them CONSTANTLY. FS is still the przed cash cow so to speak.

I think a little bump up in advertising via revenue we whom donate, and gladly so to try and spruce up activity would be noteworthy. Everyone says its various gameplay changes... which may be so. But a number of those were before I started in mid/late 09, and I really didnt have a spate of legit playing till 2010 anyhow. Even then ads were around and activity was higher.

I really think this is worth doing. I'd send a support ticket, but I really wanted to see what/if a number of other people on the forums would think/support putting up the SAME ad as before. Not a HCS ad, not an Eldevin ad, but a Fallensword Ad. The one with a track record that works.

[uhsword]

Maybe make this into a poll? Well one of the main reasons it had more 'traffic' was because we're not punching each others' headlights as much (some thankfully for them occasions). I'd say you're right but the activity was higher before you joined I'm just saying :wink:

[Gutie]

Poll added. Yeah. They were doing banner ads for a long time before I got into FS. I kinda tuned it out. A buddy got be to join and then got into it.

[Spitfire666123]

I still see advertisements for Fallensword all over the internet... (saw one yesterday, actually).

[Gutie]

I'm not saying they aren't at all, (though I genuinely haven't seen any on the websites I used to see them on basically NONSTOP) but you do recall when the dragon belching fire ad was ALL OVER THE PLACE. (At least that I frequented anyhow)

I had a hard time going to some manga, anime type websites and not seeing it back a few years ago. Whatever service/amount they plugged into back then worked right?

It sure got a whole lot of people to show up in that early phase I'd think at least. But again that's why I'm asking for input from other people. It could be that I'm just not going to where they have the banner ads advertising anymore. Or maybe the service they use for putting them out there isn't as good to go through maybe? But at least we know some is still ongoing as you noted. So thank you for letting me know that it's still ongoing.

Maybe part of it is region based as to where they target? A lot of political ones pop up here for statewide races when they roll around. Maybe I'm not in a target zone? But then that means theres other areas then that aren't being targeted anymore as well...

I'm rambling too much at this point, so I'll just leave it open to anyone else to chime in on it.

[RebornJedi]

i still think the starting of this game needs more work.. new players should have their hands held a little tighter and their upgrades should be a little fuller. we need to keep the new blood around long enough for them to start getting hooked.

but besides that, i'm all for seeing more advertisements. once HCS gets a facebook game or two in, ill bet we will see some there.. i personally haven't seen one in years either.

plus the free MMO sites have outdated information, pictures, and videos of Fallen Sword. think it might be time an update to many of those. especially showing the new map.

[berten]

What i find more disturbing is that new players dont get time to get the hang of the game. There is a lvl 25 minimum level for pvp, but that doesnt include gvg. That has bothered me for a long time. A lvl 1 guy can get farmed by a lvl 25 guy.

Whenever i try to recruit gvg'ers, most of them are between lvl 25 and lvl 50. Not that i mind, its the easiest level to gvg at. But in fact, all those gvg'ers are farming the crap out of fresh starters who havent even explored the game yet.

Gvg is pretty harmless you say. i know that, but those fresh starters dont know that yet. On top of that: the guilds who actively recruit fresh starting players, end up on the hit list of those gvg'ers. Resulting in less and less guilds accepting fresh blood, they all want to recruit guys who are allready out of the danger zone.

Those early levels is the moment when a new guy decides if he will keep playing or not. So we should let them explore and learn the game, everybody does that in their own pace. Give them some time.

From a marketing point of view it also makes sense to have a level limit on gvg. While we are talking about advertisements, we all know there is a cost involved to that. Lets say it costs HCS 0.10$ for each click on their advertisement. Lets assume that 1 out of 10 clickers actually makes an acount. So the cost per new acount would be 1$. Now if we would have 100 fresh starters that would cost HCS 100$. Out of those 100 starters alot of guys will decide that this game doesnt suit them, for whatever reason, not only gvg. I would guess around 10% of them keeps playing. Those 10 guys now have cost HCS 100$. That is 10$ per player. If they would be able to keep 20 players out of 100, that means that the cost per new players is cut in half, only 5$ per player.

I am not saying that those numbers would apply if there was a limit to gvg. But it sure would help. New starters must be spoiled, to get hooked to the game. Once they are hooked, we can farm the crap out of them. If they are not hooked yet, they will just quit if we farm them too much.

Just a thing that has been bothering me for a while.

[Tazarian]

What i find more disturbing is that new players dont get time to get the hang of the game. There is a lvl 25 minimum level for pvp, but that doesnt include gvg. That has bothered me for a long time. A lvl 1 guy can get farmed by a lvl 25 guy.

Whenever i try to recruit gvg'ers, most of them are between lvl 25 and lvl 50. Not that i mind, its the easiest level to gvg at. But in fact, all those gvg'ers are farming the crap out of fresh starters who havent even explored the game yet.

Gvg is pretty harmless you say. i know that, but those fresh starters dont know that yet. On top of that: the guilds who actively recruit fresh starting players, end up on the hit list of those gvg'ers. Resulting in less and less guilds accepting fresh blood, they all want to recruit guys who are allready out of the danger zone.

Those early levels is the moment when a new guy decides if he will keep playing or not. So we should let them explore and learn the game, everybody does that in their own pace. Give them some time.

From a marketing point of view it also makes sense to have a level limit on gvg. While we are talking about advertisements, we all know there is a cost involved to that. Lets say it costs HCS 0.10$ for each click on their advertisement. Lets assume that 1 out of 10 clickers actually makes an acount. So the cost per new acount would be 1$. Now if we would have 100 fresh starters that would cost HCS 100$. Out of those 100 starters alot of guys will decide that this game doesnt suit them, for whatever reason, not only gvg. I would guess around 10% of them keeps playing. Those 10 guys now have cost HCS 100$. That is 10$ per player. If they would be able to keep 20 players out of 100, that means that the cost per new players is cut in half, only 5$ per player.

I am not saying that those numbers would apply if there was a limit to gvg. But it sure would help. New starters must be spoiled, to get hooked to the game. Once they are hooked, we can farm the crap out of them. If they are not hooked yet, they will just quit if we farm them too much.

Just a thing that has been bothering me for a while.

I happen to agree. Perhaps, this is something that HCS should review. Check their books when they did that stuff and, see if their is a big traffic difference.

As for farming new players (like you've mentioned here) I agree that it is an issue HCS needs to look into to help keep players in the game.

[Filletminion]

You can add to that new players have no gold protection any longer so once they hit 25 even if its within their 13 day protection they get robbed.that is hardly a way to keep new players .

On top of that then you get players with high level accounts and access to every buff in game v players who are genuinely new without the gear or buffs .Via approved accounts with a family "member" playing it.

[RebornJedi]

On top of that then you get players with high level accounts and access to every buff in game v players who are genuinely new without the gear or buffs .Via approved accounts with a family "member" playing it.

what's wrong with this? i'd risk a multi account if it meant there was some chance it was a well supported player...be it a family member, friend, or a well equipped, eager guild helping out a stand alone player...

i blow a LOT of stamina a day with the risk i'm probably buffing a multiple account :? personally i don't mind taking that risk if it meant im probably helping a new player get into the game easier.. i think HCS is holding back too much with new accounts because of the risk of multiple accounts abuse.

why is current stamina and backpack upgrades so low on new accounts? you should start with the ability to store 24 hours worth of stamina(outside guild/epic rewards) and wear two different sets. online/offline/hunting/defense/titan/PvP/cosmetic/or etc.. sigmastorm came with 10 backpack slots because of all the questing/inventing but think about the amount of gear, resources, items, and equipment you get in this game? stockpiling backpacks is a fun pass time in this game

[Filletminion]

On top of that then you get players with high level accounts and access to every buff in game v players who are genuinely new without the gear or buffs .Via approved accounts with a family "member" playing it.

what's wrong with this? i'd risk a multi account if it meant there was some chance it was a well supported player...be it a family member, friend, or a well equipped, eager guild helping out a stand alone player...

New players are being forced to compete on a totally uneven playing field when said "accounts" they encounter have access to level 1600 buffs 24/7.

The game becomes too expensive for them to play not to mention the huge knowledge gap in gear and what buffs actually do.

Which gives them almost no choice but to quit out of frustration.

[RebornJedi]

if they give up in the face of excellence, yes.. but envy and curiosity will push on the real gamers..

new players don't need high level buffs to gain fast in teh ranks of their top 100 (if they even care).. HCS or the community needs to point new players in the right direction when starting off the game. those Epic quests should be the first thing you do....

[Gutie]

I'm in agreement with a lot of things being said, in particular raising the base max stamina to a full base 24 hour amount of 1200. Thus it'd bump everyone up by 700. I think 500 just doesn't allow one to do enough in game. Given it'd bump everyone up by 700, I don't see how that could be disagreeable if it improves desire to stick around.

One thing for questing also that can help with not only new players and old, (and something FS is FAR behind the curve on, and could jump to being AHEAD of the curve in terms of ease of use...) is the capacity to set a certain quest your actively doing in your quest book to be active or not. Then it would indicate what staircase to go to next to get there. This would be feasible with the newer map we have now.

It might take some coding, but if HCS would be willing to have someone work on an "active quest" feature that would have a text info (like the black box that pops up when item drops but BP is full) with where to go (what map, not necessarily what spot on it, though people look this up anyhow...) with instructions for the next step in quest on the map. This would allow you to set what quest you have active, and to be able to turn the active quest on or off in the upper right hand corner (like hitting the krul isle teleport) and being able to toggle it on or off. Make the symbol a "!" that is gold when selected, and a cross-out symbol over it when turned off. This would make questing more easy, and having the ability to set a quest to the "Active quest" via the quest book would be fantastic.

[uhsword]

This would allow you to set what quest you have active, and to be able to turn the active quest on or off in the upper right hand corner (like hitting the krul isle teleport) and being able to toggle it on or off.

The krul isle teleport doesn't need any toggling you have to actually go there to teleport there (and asks if you're sure about it or not) so would you want to it work like opting in and out or how? Elaborate a bit so the cows understand more of what to code and how to do it perfectly :wink:

[Gutie]

This would allow you to set what quest you have active, and to be able to turn the active quest on or off in the upper right hand corner (like hitting the krul isle teleport) and being able to toggle it on or off.

The krul isle teleport doesn't need any toggling you have to actually go there to teleport there (and asks if you're sure about it or not) so would you want to it work like opting in and out or how? Elaborate a bit so the cows understand more of what to code and how to do it perfectly :wink:

Oh I meant that on Quest book page you could have a tick-box next to a Ongoing quest and choose to set it as active. Then on the world map page it would have a black box (like the one that pops up when it indicates to let you know your bp was too full to pick up a creature's dropped item)

But it would list what the next location/step for quest is. Like if you have to kill 50 creatures, it would say "Kill 50 Angry Aardvarks 34/50" in that same box and increase as you do so, then when the 50/50 is met, it would say "Return to Echidna Valley (2,16)" as the next step when you met the 50/50 threshold. (Aardvarks and Echidnas warring each other new content idea HCS. Maybe for a global quest where you choose a side, most kills/severity of victory determines type of chest? OR a content update for a minigame? )

But if you wanted the next step of your ongoing quest to be inactive (not appearing on the map). There would be an icon on world map like the Krul Island portal one in that the icon i described would be there and able to toggle to have the active quest info on/off on map. It's very do-able given the features tutorial has along with the color-coded SSI imp indicator number that is out now.

[Tazarian]

Intresting idea with the quest box idea however, I like a game (even when I first started) with a bit of a challenge. Besides, I always point new players out to the Wiki (it is your friend) and, to the TUFS Guide.

I find most new players get raked over the coals by higher level players (and I often PM them back when asking for buffs they want to buy). Here is how:

Player XXX asks for all my buffs (L25).

I reply with what he/she needs and inform them why the rest would be useless at that level. If they still want it though, I will sell them all my buffs.

99% of all new players will thank me and, take the buffs I suggested. Yes I lose FSP income but, I'm not raking them over the coals for a few dots and, then making them want to quit the game cause of it being too pricey.

However, I know many people getting taken to the cleaners that way (hence why I do alot of low level replies to PMs).

Maybe when a person joins, HCS should point them to a forum thread (that we can create) that would explain things a bit (not leading them by the hand though) with a few pitfalls and, such in the game.

1. Gear ideas for their level range (not expensive but, good setups).
2. Buffs you need for your range.
3. How to use the Wiki (or TUFS Guide). Many players don't know how to read location coordinates even at the higher levels.


It might be already covered in the newbie help sections but, we should at least point them in that direction when they join. Instead of stumbling around in the dark til they find the light switch themselves.

[Hoofmaster]

i still think the starting of this game needs more work.. new players should have their hands held a little tighter and their upgrades should be a little fuller. we need to keep the new blood around long enough for them to start getting hooked.

What do you feel could be improved at the start of the game to help encourage players to stay and try out the game properly?

[Windbattle]

HECK YEA I would like to see FS become 800-1000 players online at any given time again. The cows should strive to spruce up online numbers / retention of members. They took a stab at it with the phoenix medal but more needs to be done.

Its probably more important any many other additions that could be made to FS. I think this should get a bump up to top priority for the games sake.

[Windbattle]

What i find more disturbing is that new players dont get time to get the hang of the game. There is a lvl 25 minimum level for pvp, but that doesnt include gvg. That has bothered me for a long time. A lvl 1 guy can get farmed by a lvl 25 guy.

Whenever i try to recruit gvg'ers, most of them are between lvl 25 and lvl 50. Not that i mind, its the easiest level to gvg at. But in fact, all those gvg'ers are farming the crap out of fresh starters who havent even explored the game yet.

Gvg is pretty harmless you say. i know that, but those fresh starters dont know that yet. On top of that: the guilds who actively recruit fresh starting players, end up on the hit list of those gvg'ers. Resulting in less and less guilds accepting fresh blood, they all want to recruit guys who are allready out of the danger zone.

Those early levels is the moment when a new guy decides if he will keep playing or not. So we should let them explore and learn the game, everybody does that in their own pace. Give them some time.

From a marketing point of view it also makes sense to have a level limit on gvg. While we are talking about advertisements, we all know there is a cost involved to that. Lets say it costs HCS 0.10$ for each click on their advertisement. Lets assume that 1 out of 10 clickers actually makes an acount. So the cost per new acount would be 1$. Now if we would have 100 fresh starters that would cost HCS 100$. Out of those 100 starters alot of guys will decide that this game doesnt suit them, for whatever reason, not only gvg. I would guess around 10% of them keeps playing. Those 10 guys now have cost HCS 100$. That is 10$ per player. If they would be able to keep 20 players out of 100, that means that the cost per new players is cut in half, only 5$ per player.

I am not saying that those numbers would apply if there was a limit to gvg. But it sure would help. New starters must be spoiled, to get hooked to the game. Once they are hooked, we can farm the crap out of them. If they are not hooked yet, they will just quit if we farm them too much.

Just a thing that has been bothering me for a while.

Completely agree. I would put a guild level restriction and a minimum level restriction on gvging. probably level 100+ would be fair game to do gvging at and guild level 300+. I know this will be wildly unpopular with the current status quo but if we are focusing on retaining new people than it needs to be done.

Is it really skill to smash a new player without gear or who doesn't even understand pvp mechanics yet? no, it isn't. I don't even call that pvp, its just farming.

[Windbattle]

You can add to that new players have no gold protection any longer so once they hit 25 even if its within their 13 day protection they get robbed.that is hardly a way to keep new players .

change the coding to 14 days regardless of level / give a tutorial on how pvp works.