44 replies to this topic

[penciltea]

Gonna get up on my soap box for a bit, so to speak. Up front, I don't intend to be mean, disrespectful, or anything of the sort. I'm not trying to incite a riot. If anything, I'm trying to incite people into getting the server name out there and to help the population grow. Also I apologize for the rant. I tend to ramble...

 

I admit I haven't been on the server for terribly long-- a handful of months, I think?-- so I can't really speak to what the server was like before we got here. But I can speak on what I've seen since I joined and so that's what I intend to do. 

 

We all know that our population here is... small. Almost tiny at some times. We'd seen a large growth in the population a few months ago, even getting numbers over 100 at a time. That was awesome! Lately, though, the numbers have dwindled in to the 40s, which is depressing, in my opinion. 

 

I know that we've been trying to advertise for the server. I've put dozens of advertisements on the /ragnarokonline subreddit and other MMO/gaming subreddits, on imgur, twitter, facebook, and the like. I know others have as well (Like Suri who's done a great job with the facebook and twitter pages for the server). We have our RMS account, we have topsite accounts, and all that. However, it's not enough.

 

Right now, we need help from all of our players. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, we need every player to get our name out there. Tell your friends. Post on social media. Share posts others have made. We need to get out there. I'd say we need to improve on our advertising, but right now, we get very little in donations and we can't really afford decent advertising. I can't demand or insist on people giving money to the server. I know it'd help quite a bit but I also know that not everyone can afford it, especially during the holiday season. But I digress.

 

My main purpose of this thread is to make people aware that we need help on the publicity and advertising front. We need people to talk about our server if we ever hope of getting our population to grow. I know a lot of you guys really care about the server and believe it's one of the best-- if not the best. Why not reach out to other gamers and let them know they might have a great time here, too? 

 

Ragnarok Online is a game that thrives on having a community of players to really be a fun experience. PvP and PvM content all kind of rely on it. We have the potential to have a great community, here. I think, if we really got out there and really put our best foot forward, we could even compete with other servers that have huge populations.

 

So please, do what you can. Every little bit helps, believe me. I get messages all the time from people who saw my (admittedly infrequent) reddit posts and checked out or joined the server because of them. You'd be surprised how much a simple comment can do to get someone to look at the server.

 

TL:DR; Please get our name out there, to like everyone you know, on social media, and the like. Our server is great and we could really get our population growing with everyone's help.

[Scias]

It happens every year. People start studies and have less time to play.

 

One thing you might want to mention though, is what kind of server this is. You see other servers with 1000s of population. That's because they play to supply and demand.

 

This isn't the server that most people want to play. It doesn't satisfy the demand of the masses. It more likely considers quality based on only our idea of what the best server should be. Not the ideas of the majority of people.

 

Getting a great population would mean supply and demand, which means we would need to change the server. Into something less challenging, higher rate, more hats, less gameplay depth, and generally worse quality at least in our eyes. A decent compromise though might be to satisfy the whims of weeaboos, adding some pointless hats and events with cute things in them. Pointless, but may help population.

 

Basically, this server isn't the Justin Beiber of servers. But I agree advertising would help get the best out of it. Also keep voting every day, clicking out of the rank sites with each vote too like I do. We're not doing too bad rank wise so who knows.

[penciltea]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I know populations will waiver as people get busier and such. I know that happens and I'm not really that concerned about it.

 

As for our "kind" of server, I totally get what you're saying. And to be honest, I'm kind of glad we're not one of "those" servers. I think our quality far outshines a lot of servers out there. It's part of the reason I joined up in the first place. Of course, we also won't be the server for everyone, anyway. "That's why there's chocolate and vanilla ice cream," so they say. But I also think that not a lot of players really know about us. When you hear "private server" for RO, you hear about Talon and Nova (and probably others) because they're out there. 

 

As for what to do about bringing in more players, I don't really have the answer to that, aside from getting our name out there. I can't say whether adjustments here or there would benefit in terms of our population. I know having more content and fixing broken/etc. content is ideal, but there are only so many of us scripting and the like (and the overwhelming majority of that is coming from Terp alone) so that can only get done so quickly. 

 

Yes, voting does help as well. Topsites for game servers are where quite a few players go to find places to play. I know I do that often and I actually came to Leika from a combination of there and the /RagnarokOnline subreddit. 

[Scias]

Who knows, keeping a server based on principles instead of following the sheep could work out well in the end. It depends for how long and how much effort they are willing to put into this server. I reckon if they stay dedicated to this server and not shut it down like previous owners did to previous servers, good things could happen. Because no doubt there are actually plenty people out there who would like this kind of server. Just look at Star Citizen. No publisher, no corporate game plan, no funding to start with, just an idea for a game based on the owners principles, not caring what the rest of the industry thinks. And now they have 100million dollars in funding all from pledges/donations, and over 1000000 people signed up. Keep voting and advertising and we'll see.

[Syncope]

welp, this server is hard mode and what can we do.. scrubs will always be scrubs.

[FWQ943W09J5G0KERI]

Scrubs can't handle this server.

I can't handle this server.

I am a scrub.

I would help advertise, but my allegiance is currently to another server. :o

Edited by Sardrellas, 04 December 2015 - 06:45 PM.

[Psor]

Promise 72 virgins after death for playing Lelka. Seems to work with certain kind of people.

[Aina]

This server is targeted to a pretty specific player base and it's not the most popular one. It's sad not seeing more people here, but it's somehow understandable if see how other popular server are, either naruto wings or 9000x rates. But I agree that advertising for friends and such will help, so might as well give it a try if you didn't it yet.

Edited by Aina, 06 December 2015 - 07:53 AM.

[Salad]

With winter break coming up for most people/maybe already started, I think it would be good to start thinking up some sort of new player/group event as an invitation to the server. I agree that Leika is a quiet, relatively unknown server that just isn't being shown to most people. This server is a dream come true for a pretty sizable part of the RO community that's retired or sighing at the state of the game on officials/private servers alike, but I think there's also been a sizable chunk of slander/other murmurings from issues/perceived issues earlier on the year that's giving the server a bad reputation (not that this doesn't happen to every server). I am been wanting to make a video series showcasing the customs and comparisons between this server's features/skills and other private servers, maybe class by class, but have not found the time to do so yet. If Leika's changes and fixes to the general game and each class was compiled comprehensively/in a neat list or video format I think that would draw people passionate to the game that are disillusioned with the game just not working properly on other servers. That is my hope in any case.

[penciltea]

Thank you everyone for the feedback and discussion! c:

 

I was thinking of a new player initiative of sorts. To be entirely honest I had been thinking about revamping the novice grounds/tutorial section of the game but I haven't polished my ideas enough. I was thinking of offering a "new player bundle" sort of thing; nothing OP or broken in any sense, but things like scrolls of Blessing and Increase Agility, low level foods, maybe a statless/benefit-less hat or something/etc. that would be account-bound and given during a specific period of time. As for an event for new players/groups, I'm not entirely sure what we could do there? There's plenty of opportunity, I know, but atm my brain isn't being cooperative :p

 

And yes, I do agree on the negative reputation from other players, Salad. I haven't seen much evidence of it but I have seen it every now and then. But I think that we can work around and overcome it over time. Every server has rocky moments, so to speak. 

 

The video series you mention would be really awesome :O I know there's a lot of work involved in that tho. I know there was a list that had been floating around of class changes but I'm not sure if it's been maintained? We also have the patch notes, which I suppose we could compile, but that'd get really long. 

[Syncope]

Scrubs can't handle this server.

I can't handle this server.

I am a scrub.

I would help advertise, but my allegiance is currently to another server. :o

Why bother posting here? Subtly advertising your shitty server

[Salad]

Thank you everyone for the feedback and discussion! c:

 

I was thinking of a new player initiative of sorts. To be entirely honest I had been thinking about revamping the novice grounds/tutorial section of the game but I haven't polished my ideas enough. I was thinking of offering a "new player bundle" sort of thing; nothing OP or broken in any sense, but things like scrolls of Blessing and Increase Agility, low level foods, maybe a statless/benefit-less hat or something/etc. that would be account-bound and given during a specific period of time. As for an event for new players/groups, I'm not entirely sure what we could do there? There's plenty of opportunity, I know, but atm my brain isn't being cooperative :p

 

And yes, I do agree on the negative reputation from other players, Salad. I haven't seen much evidence of it but I have seen it every now and then. But I think that we can work around and overcome it over time. Every server has rocky moments, so to speak. 

 

The video series you mention would be really awesome :O I know there's a lot of work involved in that tho. I know there was a list that had been floating around of class changes but I'm not sure if it's been maintained? We also have the patch notes, which I suppose we could compile, but that'd get really long. 

New players already get free agi/blessing from the healer if they are under level 100 now, so I don't think scrolls would really be necessary. I think some sort of "surprise" reward for players old and new semi-regularly would be a nice gesture though. It doesn't affect balance, and is something that just feels nice. For example, there are a lot of hats in the Prontera Princess, I feel like a decent amount of them haven't been bought or owned on the server, and they probably will not be because they're competing for kawaii coins against hats that actually have stats or a high end use. Could take some of them out and put them into a bi-weekly list of hats that's cycled out as a reward for logging on or a semi-event like a raffle/come out of boxes.

 

There is a lot of neat content on the server that isn't crazy best in slot gear that's hidden away in 150+ party dungeons and lockboxes. The Lazy Quartermaster was a good initiative but we could use more things like that. IMO Bronze Keys should be cheaper from the Quartermaster and could have a chance to come out of the proposed weekly/biweekly box. We have a unique and thought out lockbox system in place but if other players are like me when I started and end up with 30 bronze lockboxes within a month or two of playing and have no idea what comes out of them/don't want to dive into something that looks cash shop-y our unique features are going to waste.

 

The server needs more encouraging bread crumb trails to lead people to play regularly. This isn't "spoonfeeding" or whatever, it's the basis of every mmorpg and practically all game designs. We just don't have enough aside from the base game (which begins to fail to do this at a certain level range when gear stops dropping from mobs because normal Renewal is heavily cash shop based) to keep it fun. New players don't see a meaningful future if they are grinding harder than on other servers to reach a late game when our current population is like 50 players. This doesn't have to do with the server being harder, there's just not enough things to encourage people to keep playing right now.

[penciltea]

In regards to your ideas on hats, I have plans to create quests for a lot of them. I remember a lot of people -loving- the hat quests, even if the hat itself was relatively "useless" for them. Still, some sort of raffle would be interesting; it could help open opportunities for things like Proof of Effort or Zeny to be spent aside from just the player market. 

 

The lockboxes are something I also really find neat in concept. I like that the Bronze Keys are available from the Quartermaster. It's good for there to be variety for rewards from a NPC like that/the mission boards. I don't entirely agree that they should be cheaper; the proofs are easy to farm, imo, and I think a few days worth of play for a key is relatively reasonable. 

 

As for a "breadcrumb trail" as you say, I agree. I've been working with Terp on some ideas/scripts for some things that will (hopefully) keep players interested in the game throughout the gaming process, from 1st through 3rd class. It'll take some time to implement, of course, but I think overall it may provide reason for players to keep coming back. (Sorry for the erm, intentionally vague details. I don't really want to discuss much before it's approved/released/etc. :p )

 

Still, if you have suggestions for other ideas, by all means, please suggest them! I always enjoy discussing this sort of thing c:

[Salad]

My issue with the Bronze Key price from the Lazy Quartermaster is that it's 20 proofs, which you won't really be amassing until you're 150+. In a vacuum this price could be ok but the keys are competing with vote points and other potential rewards from the Quartermaster right now, and proofs are character bound so that limits it further. Keep in mind proofs can also be traded in for Kawaii Coins which is the main in-game currenct for Leika custom content. Right now players have to choose between Kawaii Coins or Lockboxes unless they spend (and even so). This could be solved by giving an amount of coins along with proofs for each quest imo, otherwise the bronze keys aren't really worth it if you look at how all the points systems work together.

10 cash points= 1 kawaii coin

500 cash points= 1 bronze key

1 proof= 5 kawaii coins

20 proofs= 1 bronze key vs 100 kawaii coins

 

The rates do not have to be 1:1 but it's rather disproportionate right now, on top of proofs being mostly level 150+ content (if you want a key in a few days) for possible Upgraded armors/garments/shoes that isn't as good at 150+ if you're geared enough to do the content for proofs.

 

My personal experience was saving up the first month of playing for a Rideword Hat then Blood Sucker for more efficient PvM/to help hunt my gears. Because the Lockbox system is a "surprise" you'd have to be pretty adventurous to gamble on buying a key over saving up for what's considered staple PvM gears by this point in RO's life (rideword, etc.) and so I don't think newer players will really be experiencing a decently sized part of the Leika experience until much later because they are mostly locked out of it. At the same time, they're bound to get lockboxes piling up pretty much as soon as they hit 3rd class so it starts to feel suspiciously cash shop-y even if the intention is not there. If you want to break people into the Lockbox system it makes sense to make Bronze Keys a bit easier to get so players can see what actually comes out of them. I think if Bronze Keys were a bit easier to get for mid level players, people would also be more inclined to think about donating for lockbox keys if they are given a preview of the system by experiencing it.

 

My apologies if this post is a mess, been multi-tasking all day.

[Psor]

Serious talk: what brought polish server from few players online (and admin not caring about it) to 200-300 within couple of months was initiative of one guild which posted on forums about sheduled runs ready to invite everyone and adjust goals to party roster. This allowed everyone to lvl up easier, and when there were enough people, they started to attack castles, forcing these 1-2 vets, who logged in only once a week for 5 minutes to make sure no one broken the emp/get it back in last minute, to call for few buddies. Sheduled parties soon turned into guild name just "Guild". Because there was some activity, more people were joining and either joining guild that started it or making their own guilds with friends. But that server had advantage of all players being within just 1 timezone, common language, culture, and server was best known in polish community so whenever someone wanted to check what is happening with RO, he was checking that one server forum (which was much more alive thanks to WoE drama and flame btw, and alive forums makes server look more lively).

 

I have no idea when exactly these new players drop out from the server, but I know 151+ stuff isn't that easy for just one person, and lot of players for some unknown for me reason don't even try to start parties or give up after 1-2 minutes of announcing. Also quest based lvling encourage soloing most of the time because you aren't getting most of exp from kills/time, but static amount of exp from quest. Up to 151 you can more or less solo everything and then suddenly you need pt, just because stuff gets harder. But yeah, no idea who would want to babysit all those players considering you often find them not being able to communicate in english decently. I myself hate when some kid from middle east barrages me with friend invites for endowing weapon or giving away 100k for some warps, flywings and pots.

 

Also adding lot of "real" stuff, even if halfway done, but visible for players, works. Lot of skill fixes etc aren't really visible when you don't play classes that got changed, but shit like those new shitty instances, new sprites of cat shit is visible and avaible for most of people. Sadly people like this kind of distraction from real problems etc.

 

Got any ideas how to promote party play outisde of guilds? Or lessen effect of quests on lvling compared to party grind? Because every server that didn't have so many quests seemed to have much more parties and this allowed people to join and catch up with others.

[Scias]

Socialist propaganda

You are right about Polish culture, but for a different reason. What you mean by Polish culture is basically gaming culture. That's why Polish servers get success. You are crazy gamers in general. Since I started playing Guildwars 2 I noticed that literally 90% of the players on the EU server were PL. PL's join servers not because the server is PL, but because they are insane gamers more than anywhere else in EU. They are the pinoys of Europe. They will definitely join PL servers if there are some, but if there isn't any, they get diluted into several other servers.

There are some guilds playing here so I don't know why more of them don't invite to parties etc. Maybe due to lvl share gap and they are WoE players and are too lazy to make a new character to help lvl100-130 parties. Don't look to our madzerg guild for this. Eryx is so scary it's hard to believe he's a cute little asian in real life. Friendly guilds would do the job better. Why not you, Psor. I know you are the modern day Stalin, but you have an army of weeaboos that are much nicer and more approachable than my guild. So your guild could help out new players for sure.

@OP thanks for opening this topic it at least got the forums more active and got people thinking so that's a start.

[Syncope]

I am fucking friendly. The fuck you talking about Scias?

[Psor]

^this

Syncope is the nicest person ever. Helping homeless kittens and shit.

 

Also sure it's a bit harder when it comes to share when there're 175 lvls instead of 99, but still, even before our guild was main, if not the only initiator of parties for some time. For some reason people don't make parties, and without parties game gets more boring and additionally on Leika it gets much harder on 151+.

[Syncope]

As of right now, WoE meta is pretty balanced but I guess a lot of people find balance uninviting. Theyd rather be in servers that hand out free stuff, with broken mechanics, and have serious cases of corruption.

[Scias]

I am fucking friendly. The fuck you talking about Scias?

@me Cloak Exceeds and runs behind cades