I've said it before, I'll say it again: the game feels like a movie. And considering the not-so-subtle influences of Kaena, I'm not surprised.
Going on Irfidel's theme, having a sandbox is pretty useless if your only tools is a broken spade and a bucket of water. You could make a decent nature documentary in Ryzom, but not an action movie or a dramatic one.
Yes, I keep hearing that "you could". Sure, you could organize tournaments. Why the hell don't people rush to organize tournaments, then? Hint: player base is too low in order to find even 20 people of similar levels, mechanics suck when going against someone even 15 levels higher (much better dodge, higher chance to resist magic, etc). This is just one particular example.
At some point, you will have to suck it up and understand your player base needs a fun (or addictive) activity to perform constantly, without a lot of time investment on the player's part. Digging is not fun. Leveling is not fun and can't be done in large groups. Roleplay requires Event Team intervention or a lot of scripting and make-believe. There is nothing I can think of that will keep me *entertained* for 3 continuous hours in Ryzom, without getting bloody repetitive. Recipe-making for a select few, perhaps.
Every moderately active guild will tell you that new players never stay. They play for a while, sink up time and effort, then when nearing 125 they draw a line and figure they don't want to sink years into the game. They don't find entertainment value in it.
I don't care what keeps the current player base entertained, because whatever it is, it's a proven loser's recipe, slowly bleeding out people. I care what would keep *more* players interested.
Going on Irfidel's theme, having a sandbox is pretty useless if your only tools is a broken spade and a bucket of water. You could make a decent nature documentary in Ryzom, but not an action movie or a dramatic one.
Yes, I keep hearing that "you could". Sure, you could organize tournaments. Why the hell don't people rush to organize tournaments, then? Hint: player base is too low in order to find even 20 people of similar levels, mechanics suck when going against someone even 15 levels higher (much better dodge, higher chance to resist magic, etc). This is just one particular example.
At some point, you will have to suck it up and understand your player base needs a fun (or addictive) activity to perform constantly, without a lot of time investment on the player's part. Digging is not fun. Leveling is not fun and can't be done in large groups. Roleplay requires Event Team intervention or a lot of scripting and make-believe. There is nothing I can think of that will keep me *entertained* for 3 continuous hours in Ryzom, without getting bloody repetitive. Recipe-making for a select few, perhaps.
Every moderately active guild will tell you that new players never stay. They play for a while, sink up time and effort, then when nearing 125 they draw a line and figure they don't want to sink years into the game. They don't find entertainment value in it.
I don't care what keeps the current player base entertained, because whatever it is, it's a proven loser's recipe, slowly bleeding out people. I care what would keep *more* players interested.
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