Getting New players

Ok people, am sure all those people who play TGL know how awesome it is. I myself just love it.. but we surely need more people. Now we need to come up with ideas to get more players, and maybe retain the people who register.. The game is a bit complicated to understand at first, was for me at least..

So anyone got any ideas? Maybe we should set up a mentor system to help new players.. and do some advertising..

Hmm a mentor system would be a good idea.

After talking it over with Marche, we've come up with this idea:

- The creation of a mentors group for each town or for the whole game for now (considering numbers)

- A group of 5-7 members who volunteer as Mentors, with 1 head mentor, per town, or for the entire game.

- Newbies automatically join this group as they arrive, with the option (button) to leave the group at anytime. And the Head Mentor should have the option to remove/add people from the group list as well.

- Anyone in the in-game group, should be visible to all/or at least to the others in the group.

- There should be an option to mass-mail the entire group or mail a single person in the group, for reasons to be stated below.
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Here is how the system would work:

Mentors:
- The Head Mentor is named (election/assigned by the town mayor) and added as the group leader in-game to the Mentors Group.
- The Mentor then adds up to 5 others as Mentors to the group - they should have a colour to their name or mentor beside their name to distinguish them to newbie players.
- The Head Mentor is responsible for ensuring there is a greeting letter ready to be automatically sent ingame, to any newbie member of the group.
---the letter should include how the group system works among other things, so the new players know how to use the group.
- Anyone in the Mentor role can send a mass mail to the Newbies, ie random tips and tricks for playing grail lords.
- Newbies can mass mail the entire group asking a question, therefore guaranteeing that someone will respond back (hence the need for multiple mentors), mentor would mass mail the response back, so that:
1. The other mentors know that the mail has been answered.
2. The other newbies who didnt ask would receive some free information.
3. It could even prompt a group discussion if other mentors had other ideas other than those of the mentor that had already answered. (This will add onto the hands on and group feel of the game, and not detract from it, and shouldnt confuse the newbie.)
- (A mentors forum should be established in TGL forum - so that letter templates/standard responses are available for all mentors)
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Newbies:
- Joined to group upon registering to the game.
- Sent an automatic mass welcome mail from the Mentor Group (see above).


Inactive mentors/newbies - names should auto change colour if they are no longer active in the game, so that the Head mentor knows to:
1. remove the mentors from the group, and add new ones.
2. Put inactive newbies into a hold stasis in the group - so they are still part of the group (in case they come back), but don't receive the mass mails so they aren't spammed while inactive. (or this could be done automatically by the game). The reason for this option is that it can be very disheartenning for mentors to find out that they have been working hard for a newbie who isnt even active in the game, so we want to keep their morale up, as well. ^^

Hi, having joined the game a few days ago I may be able to offer a bit of insight from the new perspective, although this might be offset due to me being a gamer since the days of Wolfenstein 3d and Wizardry 7. I'm also a big reader on game design. This might turn into a what I think would make the game better instead of what would keep people around though.

My first thoughts are interface and art.

The interface is fairly simple when you know where everything is, but can be off putting to some people.

The art, well to me all the black and white art screams cost cutting pen and paper role playing game book. It doesn't bother me, but in today's world everything is about appearance unfortunately. I'd scroll through Deviant art or something like that for some art that I liked and see if an artist was up for the job and how much they'd want.

In the town screen, I'd personally put a small header or footer bar on the building icons so people don't have to scroll over them to see what they are(but I'd leave the extra help info for the scroll over, all the in game documentation is awesome).

I'm still getting confused by which market I need to go to to find the stuff I want to look at. The links make it easy to switch back and forth but it would seem simpler to me to have it on one page.

Make the tutorial more relevant about the interface and the game functions, and make it opt out not opt in. What I mean is the tutorial didn't really seem to cover all that much, and I didn't find it until AFTER I done the days events. I feel it should automatically come up for a new player(and explaining quests and where they can be found should be part of it) and let them opt out of it if they want instead of making us find it.

Also instead of linking in the reading, the in game links should be highlighted, as in the cooking part, Your residence should be highlighted with maybe an arrow pointing to it, lead the player though how they would get to it in the game as though the writing they will have to find it on their own later.

People also join games to play, they aren't going to read walls of text to learn how to play, they are going to turn around and find something else, so you might want to consider multiple tutorial quests, each pertaining to some segment of the game and with their own rewards so the player feels like they are progressing though the game instead of just reading walls of text and doing a tutorial. The writing should be short as possible and entertaining.

That's all I got at the moment.

Good points overall.

Welcome to the game Cougar Hmmm, Aro I was thinking about working on some artwork for the game itself. As in use yours and add colours or something like that. Just need to get into the holidays in a couple of weeks for that though.

The art, well to me all the black and white art screams cost cutting pen
and paper role playing game book. It doesn't bother me, but in today's
world everything is about appearance unfortunately. I'd scroll through
Deviant art or something like that for some art that I liked and see if
an artist was up for the job and how much they'd want.

Hey, I like Aro's designs! Adds some class to the game.

I think the town map should be changed to an actual map instead of just squares with pictures on them. I also think the character page should get a background, maybe with a picture of your character or whatever in the back. The character and town pages are the most seen pages, and the first a new player would look at, it should be a little inviting. I'd say the residence page is also commonly looked at, but its already well done.

And hey, Aro, like Airy said, colors definitely wouldn't hurt, and would add a lot of definition to pictures, such as the residence page background.

I wasn't referring to the quality of Aro's work, as I was people's desire for shiny things. It doesn't matter how much work you put into something and if you tried really hard if people come to something that looks cheap or like a half finished game, they will just go to a game that looks like it's done(whether it is or not.).

Stuff like this people need to take a step back and try to look at it though other people's eyes and ask if it's giving off the impression you want, and if that impression is one that will attract people.

I believe the game was Knights honor, I liked the game, got some people to join up, and they liked the game, they just quit because it looked like a half finished game to them and told me to call them when they finished it.

First impressions are everything.

Cougar wrote:I wasn't referring to the quality of Aro's work, as I was people's desire for shiny things. It doesn't matter how much work you put into something and if you tried really hard if people come to something that looks cheap or like a half finished game, they will just go to a game that looks like it's done(whether it is or not.).

Stuff like this people need to take a step back and try to look at it though other people's eyes and ask if it's giving off the impression you want, and if that impression is one that will attract people.

I believe the game was Knights honor, I liked the game, got some people to join up, and they liked the game, they just quit because it looked like a half finished game to them and told me to call them when they finished it.

First impressions are everything.

I played that game for ages. Wilhelm de Montferrat 'Nightmare of infidels' or like pagans called him 'Willy 'villain' the chicken'
It is all about the first impressions, yes. When you first log into the game, you need help to get into the game, but you also need some good roleplay to grab on.
Come to think about it. What keeps you people logging into TGL from day to day? Could we use that as our tool?

Bill wrote:What keeps you people logging into TGL from day to day? Could we use that as our tool?

When I started out, I felt like he game has LOTS of options/ways to play it...
Also I felt this game needs Lots of strategizing or planning ahead to play it...
Since I'm a strategy-addict I got hooked on in the first 5 mins

About logging in day to day... I do that complete my Plans in the shortest & efficient way possible... XD

Oh and I found the link to game by chance... *winks at Aro*
Maybe my opinion doesn't count since I'm strange after all

I do agree that there is alot of choices to be made right when you start the game. I've played for over 3 years and I still don;t know what to do haha.... One thing I would say is not to let everyone do every profession option at once. Like give a few out to start then as you progress in the game have some option to unlock more and more. I just think there is way to many to start with at the beginning and people get really overwhelmed.

Brown wrote:I do agree that there is alot of choices to be made right when you start the game. I've played for over 3 years and I still don;t know what to do haha.... One thing I would say is not to let everyone do every profession option at once. Like give a few out to start then as you progress in the game have some option to unlock more and more. I just think there is way to many to start with at the beginning and people get really overwhelmed.

I disagree. More options are more fun in my opinion.

Well yes eventually but it is way overwhelming at first right when you start the game.

Brown wrote:Well yes eventually but it is way overwhelming at first right when you start the game.

True, but that is more an interface and learning curve problem than a progression problem I think, no?

I'd say it's more of a tutorial problem, the tutorial should walk though all of the interface and what each section does. In doing so the player learns the interface, learns more about the game, and in learning about the things you can do in the game, hopefully finds something fun and interesting they would like to do.

Once I get caught up on the things I need to have gotten done long ago, I think I might go though and make an outline of what I think it should cover.

Cougar wrote:I'd say it's more of a tutorial problem, the tutorial should walk though all of the interface and what each section does. In doing so the player learns the interface, learns more about the game, and in learning about the things you can do in the game, hopefully finds something fun and interesting they would like to do.

Once I get caught up on the things I need to have gotten done long ago, I think I might go though and make an outline of what I think it should cover.

Something like this.
There are many skills to train and a few professions from which to choose. At the very beginning, could there be some advice on skills?
Like, if you wanna be a Brewer you need to train in these skills and if you wanna be Miner or Rancher or Farmer etc. Give them an advice on the many possiblities of TGL

Perhaps add the Profession-Skills suggestions to the pop up tips? You could fit one profession and its skills in the box I think.

you wont get new players and i tell you why...
i am new by myself,and i dont mind to play a game only 5 minutes a day.
but.... everything here needs way to much time to do.for example getting corn...
you need to plough the field than sow the field than harvest it.with 100 stam you need at least about 10 days and then you have what??? 15 corn which you can "exchange" for plopcorn,so you dont fall behind the daily negative on mood.thats all...you cant expect to find new players when nothing happens.development of your account simply wont happen,people like to see things growing.
in my opinion every option to do something should be halved when stamina needed,to keep things running.

I know where you are coming from, but the point of the game is to improve your skill set and then later on everything costs less stamina that before.

I will agree that some adjustment should be made to make things 'easier', but not as far as halving stamina cost.

and on the other hand you dont deserves any kind of player..
i am for example be a hunter,so i would hunt monsters and deers to skin them and to get some loot which is needed in a town.you can hunt monsters in here but you wont get any loot not even the chance to skin them or else.this game could be a good one,but it needs sooo much programing work on it to make it interesting for other players.
also need guides for the new players,and a comfortable start for anyone so all new players get used to the game.
but i agree,the lack of players is the worsest thing in here,without more players no running economic is doable in any town

Hunting is coming soon.  I think the point though, is that this is a game in progress.  This isn't exactly Arogandor's full time job.  He works on it when he can and we get regular updates and new items or features.  If you have suggestions to improve the game, they are always welcome. 

As for guides, there is a guide subforum here and there is the quest for new people that shows you many of the basic functions of the game.  If you have questions about how something works, pop into the tavern and ask someone, or post it on the forum and someone will answer you!

I don't think farming and workshops need tweaked much, but I do think skill gains need to be rebalanced a bit. Eating eggs for two straight months and I've only got enough skill to give me one life point? ick.

On the other hand, I'm 94 days old and have almost 25 skill in plowing, almost 20 skill in two others, damn near 10 in several others. Not fast, but it's a fair progression. One that assures that a person isn't maxed in everything after a year and then has nothing else to work on or do.

Hmmm, has the posts gone screwy for you, I seem to have 2 lines now of format options for my posts in the quick reply post..it looks quiet messy.

I only have 1 line, but I also have a very widescreen monitor.  Forumotion changed their reply boxes a month or so ago.