Messages

631

BM General Discussion / Re: A new continent?

« on: July 27, 2012, 03:31:49 PM »

It should be mentioned that Featured Stories / Reviews can be bought.  I sent an inquiry to RPS (did not mention BM) to get their rate card.  When the time comes, it may be worth exploring, and if we could get enough people to chip in to pay for it I'd happily send in $20.

632

BM General Discussion / Re: A new continent?

« on: July 27, 2012, 03:27:55 PM »

I don't think that a mobile app would be all that useful. A proper mobile site would be much more appropriate.

You could do both with jquery (the IOS app would just be a webview pointing to the jquery mobile site)

633

Other Games / Re: Faery Tale Online

« on: July 27, 2012, 02:07:06 AM »

We'll see what happens. She's the one of my characters who once had seven babies at once, so there's hope she won't just give birth to a single baby that is inactive. But first, I need luck for her being able to get pregnant at all again, heh. At least there's a male volunteering to test it soon.

My cat did that once, had 7 babies at once, and it didn't work out well for her.  You have my sympathies.

634

BM General Discussion / Re: A new continent?

« on: July 27, 2012, 02:03:56 AM »

A mobile interface is underway, and will definitely improve the experience on iOS and Android when it's done.

I would prefer not to start a PR push until we have finished with at least the most important of the current slate of major improvements that the dev team has in mind. There are so many things that are currently half-broken or "yeah, we plan to replace that soon" that I'd really rather not introduce the game to large numbers of new players in this state.

This is the first problem, Tom says he wants more players and you say you want to wait.  Marketing is all about a consistent message.  Honestly, it would take a month to develop a great on-line strategy, and then you can hold on to it.  I speak from experience, my brother and I started a website (www.crosswinds.net) and we went from no traffic to over 100 million visitors per month based on a consistent marketing message, and lots of hours of promoting it online.  As you'll see, it's nothing but a shell now, and where we failed was, we did not adapt to the changing atmosphere of the internet.  People wanted a dumbed down version of what we had, and we refused to deliver it.

If you get 3 or 4 Community Managers, and they each spend 2-3 hours per day posting on forums of really popular boards (rockpapershotgun), and reference BM, you'll get a huge influx of players, 80% who will quit because it requires thought, but the 20% will be great.

Also, start a Facebook group.  One (and I think the only) reason Faerytale thrives so much is because of their FB page.  People want to play games with friends, and FB makes that stupid easy, even if it's just a group.

There's also voting sites, which I hate, but I have tried many of the top ranked sites there and they are really great (Supremacy 19114) .  Many of these sites require less than 20 votes per day to to the #1 position, and they do drive traffic, even in small quantities.  And yes, it is prostituting yourself to get users, but that's what marketing is, accept it or shut down.

Again, my 2 cents.

635

BM General Discussion / Re: A new continent?

« on: July 26, 2012, 09:59:52 PM »

It would be even cooler if a player did it. I think a game that's been in beta for almost 10 years would get some interest. If anyone manages to cause RPS to write an article about BM, I'll give him 5 years of free goodies.

Gamers and Games have changed in 10 years, and unfortunately I don't think for the better.  The MUD I used to play is still up, but empty (Necromium), the other turn based strategy games that requires some thought (new1000ad) is bleeding players, while places like Facebook / Zynga have made an entire generation of people who don't really want to use their imagination or put an ounce of thought into one. 

I don't know how many active players there are now vs even 2 years ago, but I suspect it's lower.  Perhaps making the game available to more people would attract more players.  Using something like Buzztouch (http://www.buzztouch.com/) to compile an android/IOS interface for the game (though you could compile a simply jquery app) wouldn't take long and make attract attention/more players.

I started playing BM because of an article posted on Slashdot a few years ago, but haven't seen any articles since.  I know that the BM team is incredibly busy, maybe you should take applications for a PR person to help get stories on Slashdot/Blues News, etc.

Anyway, my two cents.

636

Other Games / Re: Faery Tale Online

« on: July 26, 2012, 09:43:34 PM »

Pregnant Mothers: 0
Your position in the birth queue is: 175

I got reading their Facebook page and ..., well, I'm not so sure some of them know it's a game.

I hope I get them as my parents.

637

Other Games / Re: Faery Tale Online

« on: July 26, 2012, 03:12:34 AM »

Pregnant Mothers: 2
Your position in the birth queue is: 178

That captcha really sucked!

638

Development / Re: More power to Bankers

« on: July 22, 2012, 01:17:44 AM »

I do like the Royal Granary with increased rot (as food will rot on the way to the granary).

I'd also like the ability for Bankers to build marketplaces in any region. (perhaps a trading post in rural areas where marketplaces are not currently allowed)

cheers,
Scott

639

Development / Re: More power to Bankers

« on: July 22, 2012, 01:10:41 AM »

As Perth's frustrated banker, let me give you how the frustration came to be.

I love(d) trading, and under the old system, the majority of regions had food set to automatically be available for sale, and it was like this for years.  I knew my travelling route, I could pick up and move food, make sure our allies could arrange pickups, and make sure our surplus stayed healthy.  This system worked very well.

I did this for two years without having to ask local lords for help.  They were happy because they made gold off their surplus food, and I was happy because I kept everyone fed.

Now, they have to micro manage the duties I used to.  The black market is useless (and I did use it, and ended up in my own kingdoms jail because of it - thank you for the pardon King Jean!)  But, when push came to shove, I could forcefully move food if I had to (which I rarely did).

The new system comes in and I see 5000 units of food surrounding areas that are now starving.  I can't use the black market to move them and requests to local lords come back with "You're not my Duke".  So, after a few days talking with Dukes, who are very helpful, I watch a major city continue to starve.
Add to it that everyone is deployed for war and there is no market close enough to safely ask our army Marshal's to allow a few region lords to leave to set up offers.

So, my role now is to keep the Duke's informed of my food report and hope for the best.  Again, they are very helpful, but my previous ability to spend my own time to keep my realm fed is completely gone.  The Banker has become a decentralized position that most region lords want no part it.

Even bringing back the automatically sell surplus food would greatly increase my abilities to perform my job. 

I understand that things change, and I accept it and will adapt, but as it is now,  I have the responsibility to feed the nation, but not the authority to do so.

Cheers,
Scott

640

Development / Re: Ideas for the Black Market in the new system

« on: July 04, 2012, 05:45:40 PM »

What about the ability to sell rotten food, or rotten food mixed in with good food?  The larger the quantity the higher chance that you get caught.   Seems like a suitable scam.

Best regards,

641

Development / Re: Update Breakages and Questions

« on: May 15, 2012, 01:16:15 AM »

swholmes@gmail.com: That's because caravans no longer exist.

Hmm, makes being a trader kinda pointless...
It says I have: Paraphernalia: 6 Scouts, 6 Caravans, so I guess that's a bug

642

Development / Re: Update Breakages and Questions

« on: May 14, 2012, 02:34:11 PM »

I was carrying about 250 units of food to a city and it has disappeared.

Thanks,
Scott