New Continent? Permadeath/mandatory charcater slot?

[LilWolf]

No, making the existing players run even more of the game won't solve the problem and most importantly, won't make the game more interesting for new players.

But limiting new players to less active characters than others is a source of frustration to them. I've seen more than a few curse at that.

[Ironsides]

BM is not a game of new. It is a game of re-inventing the old. History is fascinating not because of constant expansion, but because of the struggles and changes within the same area.

Hm, I never thought of it that way. That's a good way of looking at it. Maybe I've lived in too many monarchies/tyrannies/theocracies to see this occur. It is a loooooonng term thing...which in the small scale = drudgery. I guess in the macro it is awesome. In the macro...

[Lorgan]

No, making the existing players run even more of the game won't solve the problem and most importantly, won't make the game more interesting for new players.

Indeed, I wouldn't know how to begin playing more than 2 characters in power. Either BM would get tedious very fast or I'd just become one of those dukes or councillors who are just position-filling and stagnating their realm. The game definitely doesn't need more of those.

But limiting new players to less active characters than others is a source of frustration to them. I've seen more than a few curse at that.

This is a valid point as well. 2 nobles is not that much for a beginning player who very often won't be pulled into his realm's core for quite some time (which is when the real fun starts) and I've seen new players complain about it as well.

[Revan]

A thought. The design/layout/UI of the BattleMaster website seems little changed since I rolled up in 2004. We've talked a lot about player retention and positive changes have been made but perhaps presentation has a part to play. This is purely speculative, but maybe one of our problems is simply that BattleMaster.org doesn't draw people in like it used to.

Another thought. A lot of people have played BattleMaster over the last decade or so. What's BattleMaster like with data? Are there still old contact details for these people lying around? Maybe after some headline update or change an email could be sent out to invite them to have another look BattleMaster?

[sharkattack]

I agree, sending emails to old players that played the game long time ago might bring some of them back. "Prettier" interface would be a big plus too.

[Norrel]

Most people don't fit most realms. People should be encouraged to put characters everywhere when they start and not just be stuck with what they happen to select, IMO increasing character limits will help retention immensely. I know that I would have used up to 10 slots in my first few months of playing BM, even if I wouldn't now.

[Tom]

No, what you want is the ability to "test out" various realms, not the ability to play more characters. There's a difference.

[Norrel]

No, what you want is the ability to "test out" various realms, not the ability to play more characters. There's a difference.

Is there any way to enable players to test out various realms without adding to the character cap? If not, there is no difference.

[Blue Star]

BM gone mobile would be interesting. May drive a few extra sprites into this game.

Tom, the Google glass thing looks interesting. Google glasses though seem expensive.

On another on topic note. Game needs well something to kick start members. I have always missed the war island. However, them coming back would not bring much back. I mean we could all actively fight each other, till we have Honor coming out our ears, and a boat load of scars to show for it. Yet, I don't think they should be brought back.

I do though think we could improve some continents. I mean once a volcano erupted and we could not see anything for days on ends and then we saw it islands in the west of the east continent. and things have not been the same since. (even though the islands doesn't do much).

Ideas:
Make Darka's Volcano finally explode, have firey monsters come out or something. Change lands mass.
Consider making Undead and Monster developments higher.
Destory the Vikings... Odin smite them.
Have sages start teleporting adventures around

[Ender]

Honestly, the game has, since the implementation of several features over the last year or so (give or take, I can never keep track of time passing in this game), become pretty tedious as far as maintaining everything. It's better now, but it still feels tedious. That and in both realms I play in it seems like 80% of the players say nothing, go about their business, and then just fade into the background.

We certainly don't need new continents or upped player slots, we just need to find a way to reinvigorate things. FEI is stagnant and any conflict is quickly shut down. AT is about the same. So, you have a bunch of new players, being dumped into quiet realms, with no a whole lot to do.

And I'm sure it's not like that in every realm. I'm sure there are some active roleplay realms, realms with huge amounts of messages a day, and the like. It's just not happening everywhere. There's also ways to make the game more fun, even in the quiet places, but if you don't get over the initial hump when joining, a new player may never find that. Which, is probably the core of it all. There's a major slump at the beginning for players if they aren't pulled into something quickly.

I have no clue how to fix that, though, without just trying to get players active in the realm as soon as possible. I try my best with that, but it can only go so far.

[Glaumring the Fox]

I only play Dwilight now. I used to really like Bel but since Dwilight I havent been able to put as much RP into Bel so I paused my characters in Bel and the far east server.

[Indirik]

FEI is becoming the current Big Boring island... I really need to find a way to do something interesting that doesn't result in the instant destruction of our realm...

[Kai]

WAR ISLANDS

[Zakilevo]

WAR ISLANDS

+1

This. Turn FEI into a new WAR ISLAND!

[Sonya]

Although Rarely, i did read everyone's comments here.  And i see the same comment and the same Tom's response i have been reading all these years since the Discussion List was around, still many have forgot the whole idea of why everyone is here, and why those who aren’t, were here.(at least why i came here)

1-Is not about a new continent, there are a lot of empty realms who need characters.
2-More character per player is useless, many of us run 5 characters everywhere but is still the same. You only increase your stress.
3-More Players are good but we need something to keep them in game. How many of the account created this year have gone inactive?
4- New features? We didn't had it on the past and we were happy.

Well to make this short...

This is a Player Driven Game, we can't sit here like if were a MMORPG and wait for the developers to entertain us, NO. We have to find the mechanism to have fun ourselves and let the others have fun as well.

Is my theory, but i think that most of the players leave is for our lack of creativity, or the inability to do so. If you use the logic you understand that BM is a game of Wars, and when a new character join the game and doesn't find any, he gets bored and leaves. The same happens to old players.

In the past there were wars everywhere for whatever reasons and the players always found this entertaining, now many have been suffering for extended periods of peace. We, the current players have Politicized too much the game.

The TMP, the Food Rebalancing, the Allegiance System, etc. All of that was implemented to make us do what we had to do without it, WAR! But these days is not that simple anymore, if like if war was not a fun part of the game.

An easy solution? Sure! Drive every realm on the game at war with everyone else, abolish the alliance and power blocks and you will notice that only 1 character is necessary for each player. Numbers doesn't matter when you are having fun.

Well...this ended being once again a wall of non-understandable text. throws english dictionary It does not matter if everyone has 15 characters for account, because they will be 15 idle nobles waiting for the next big thing to happen. It is easier to leave game and get back when something’s going on.


Bye! 

ps: Is just personal opinion, any question about something ask, i understand what i wrote, but you may not