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Server Features Clarity


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#1 colourings

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Posted 13 July 2016 - 03:55 PM

I'm a new player, and I hesitated to join this server.

Now that I'm actually here and know more about the custom changes to the mess that is vanilla renewal, I can say that I wish I registered months ago.

I think there’s a very significant problem being represented here. A potential player finds Leika from a voting site or RMS, visits the homepage, and then clicks on the server features page to see if anything catches their attention. The thing that caught my eye was “Re-balanced Renewal”, but I could not find a damn thing about what was actually changed.

I think Leika’s custom balance changes and features are its biggest selling point, and believe that what separates this server from other renewal RO servers really needs to be pushed forward and made clearer to potential players.

If that page had the line “Re-balanced Third and Extended Classes” hyperlinking to this page http://leika-ro.net/...LeikaRO_Customs, I would have been sold far quicker.

The Lockbox System is really cool, but I wasn’t excited for it at all until I read the overview on its wiki page (and I don’t even know how I got there). Why does it link to a dry explanation on the forums instead? It’s another interesting feature that just isn’t made clear.

Hell, this post on the forum about Undersea City (http://leika-ro.net/...-undersea-city/) actually makes me eager to try that content - but how many people who visit the site and think about whether they want to register would even see that?

And apparently White Wing and Black Wing Mora sets were changed? Is that documented anywhere at all? Knowing about this change makes me want to mess around with a trap Ranger, but again - how many visitors and potential players would stumble across that information?

The server features page is a freakin’ wall of white text, and could stand to be far clearer and more concise. There is a lot more there that I don’t think a potential player would really care about (“Official Bank System”, for instance, would not sell me on a server), and a tonne there that is just really opaque and begging for wiki links (“Updated Quest System”? Updated how?).

I could go on for ages, but this is already way too long. There is a LOT about this server that makes it new and interesting and enticing to someone far too used to vanilla content, but it’s all so criminally opaque. I have huge respect for what you guys are trying to do, and would absolutely love to see this server grow - so please, get rid of those barriers, and have your website actually tell people what makes this server different. Tell them why Leika RO is worth a try.


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#2 Terpsichore

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Posted 13 July 2016 - 09:25 PM

Old issue that's been getting gradually better, though. I just updated some links and stuff but I'm no salesman so any feedback is appreciated. Also, paging penciltea.


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#3 colourings

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Posted 15 July 2016 - 03:37 AM

It'd be a significant improvement already if there were more links to the wiki.

 

Mission Board could go here, for instance: http://leika-ro.net/...e=Mission_Board

 

jRO Exclusive Content could go here: http://leika-ro.net/...?title=JRO_Gear

 

There's lines like "Revamped Nightmare Pyramid" that beg for more details that I can't find, too.

 

As an idea, a bigger change might be to structure the page to really highlight a few select selling points. I looked around other server's websites and only really found TalonRO doing this under "Feature Overview" on their homepage (it'd be weird if I linked it here so I won't). The actual, full feature list could be on the wiki, or you could stuff the less marketable features under the highlighted ones. For Leika, it could look something like this (I threw it together quickly please don't hurt me):

 

zqxDbzv.jpg

 

Adding better designed titles instead of plain text and using images to prevent things from looking like a wall of text could help, too.



#4 Salad

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Posted 15 July 2016 - 08:20 PM

First of all, welcome to the server!

I felt the same way when starting the server more than a year ago, and at the time I thought the lack of information was due to wanting to keep the game and server "magical" by promoting exploring for content. After a few months I realized no, mostly the server just has too many QoL and other customs to keep track of and keeps getting more. That's both a good and bad thing, huh? Thanks to the hard work of Penciltea and Terpsichore the wiki is starting to get pretty nice, you have more than a good point in that they should be linked to from other parts of the site and forums! Currently reading the all the patch notes will help you catch a lot of nice quality of life changes or neat customs.

 

I highly recommend taking advantage of a newer @ command we have @id. If you find the item ID of something with @ii and then @id, you will be able to see the item's description as if you right clicked it.

 

The White Wing Set on our server starts at 20% ranged bonus and goes back to the 30% bonus with +9 boots (25% at +7), while the flat ASPD portion is on the Manteau, starting at a -2 ASPD penalty, 0 ASPD at +7, and 2 ASPD at +9. This ASPD effect isn't part of the whole set, so you can use the manteau with other gear for ASPD.

 

The Black Wing Set has been buffed across the board, removing the ranged % and aspd penalties entirely, while increasing Cluster Bomb, Firing Trap and Ice bound Trap damage by 30%. Our Autumn Hairband [1] from the Cash Shop also increases those skills by 40% instead of an Arrow Storm bonus like iRO (why. Cluster Bomb also benefits from leech effects here, not sure how it is on officials or other servers.

 

Thank you for the great feedback and suggestions. Do you think more player written guides on content would help, or focus on adding more to the wiki would be better?



#5 Psor

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Posted 16 July 2016 - 07:26 PM

Man, you haven't seen wall of text yet. That page doesn't even look that awful. I'd be more concerned about more serious stuff because info about custom improved a lot. I know because I've been bitching about it for a while.

Also have you ever read any book?



#6 penciltea

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Posted 17 July 2016 - 12:03 AM

Welcome to the server! We really appreciate the feedback. I know Terp and I've been working on updating the wiki as best as we can. It's by no means complete of course. We're also considering adding content written by the players, having guide writing events/contests/etc. but that is something still on the discussion table so I can't really elaborate on it right now.

Still the feedback you've given is great and we really appreciate it. Hopefully we'll be making things more easily accessible for players in the near future!

#7 colourings

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Posted 17 July 2016 - 12:30 AM

@Psor

I realised the reason for my concern might not be that clear, so let me explain.

You don't sell a food or beverage with its ingredients list and nutritional information, and you don't sell a movie by its credits. Likewise, you don't sell a game by a full features list - there'll be parts and sections that are of interest, but I don't think the remaining deluge of dry info is all that effective in converting a visitor to a customer.
If you need proof or support that what I'm saying isn't random conjecture, just pick almost any game on Steam and look at the text under 'About This Game' to see how they do it.

I've singled out the server features page because I think that's where a visitor would immediately go when they want to know more about the server. It's not particularly bad or difficult to read, no, but when you have someone's attention and not their interest any barrier or difficulty is a step towards losing even that.

 

 

Thanks for all the responses, though. I was a little uncertain when posting this on whether I'd be taken seriously, but that doubt's gone.


Edited by colourings, 17 July 2016 - 12:58 AM.


#8 Terpsichore

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Posted 17 July 2016 - 03:53 AM

Just updated the page again with pictures and stuff (thanks to our mascot, Suri).



#9 penciltea

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Posted 27 July 2016 - 06:01 PM

Not to bring a dead thread to life, but I was re-reading this earlier and I saw something from Salad's post that I hadn't seen before. 

 

 

Do you think more player written guides on content would help, or focus on adding more to the wiki would be better?

This is actually a good question and one that I've thought about and discussed with Terp. We'd thought about making player-made contributions on the forums and/or wiki more... incentivized, I guess? Making things like competitions for class guides and the like, well, a thing. Would this be something that players are generally interested in or is what we are currently doing more along the lines of what players are looking for? 


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