The "solution" to the problem lies with Cryptic. Legacy content like zones and especially the Hero games need a reward revision to include merits and questionite. When they've done that, expect to see those areas being populated more since they have relevant rewards to match those of alerts and even better, have rewards only unique to zones and Hero Games. If it's anyone's desire to see people not stand around all day in MC RenCen just queuing for alerts, then that's the first step Cryptic should take.
It's not up to the players to help "promote" or fix these things. I think you're over-estimating just how much influence players have. They're not exactly shareholders.
There's also another thing that is entirely on Cryptic, and that's having level locks on zones finally removed.
Level locking zones is an obsolete tactic. It also pushes people to alerts first. You wanna go to desert but you lack a ONE level to get there? You can do alerts as well, and since you are at it why to not stay doing alerts? After all, alerts already are less hassle and less travel time.
Also, another pointlessly locked map is Vibora Bay.
This crisis lock on Vibora Bay map needs to go exactly the same way as other crises were made only a choice to play. Vibora is the only zone with steady population, as low as this population is and usually not going above 10. But it's there. And that's because the zone offers some rewards like costume unlocks.
But at the same time the zone ends avoided because having to play through the same lengthy questline to get there on every character is a burden if you have more than few characters.
In short - CO zones are avoided because even putting aside lack of rewards for going there, CO does a fine job at making other maps less attractive for crowds. Those limitations needs to die.
And it harms the game in the long term. It really doesn't look well or healthy when almost all maps in your game aside of a central hub are deserted. It looks like the game had even less players than it has now.
I do missions because I like story. I want more motivation for my character to act than, "Hey, there's a bad guy! Let's go smash him!"
However, I acknowledge that I seem to be in the minority, at least on the forums. Everyone here seems to be focusing on the end reward, rather than the experience of gameplay - the destination rather than the journey. I find that ironically unrewarding, but that's me.
In re: the Kickstarter idea: That's been floated before. Apparently it wouldn't help; corporate doesn't want to crowdfund their game at this point, it would seem, probably out of a feeling that it might reflect poorly on them. (Yes, I know, the lack of a Foundry doesn't reflect that well either; I didn't write the policy, just recalling the gist of what we were told last time this came up.)
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
HOWEVER the reward IS important. when theres no reward aside from the story, [many] players do the content once and never look back.
Had to edit that. I'm a player, and I play missions even if the only reward is XP. (Gotta level all those alts somehow!)
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
While we do need pretty much everything others have mentioned; revamped rewards for content so it is worth doing again, a more open world sans level locks, and gods yes new content, we also need some advertising.
Like everyone else I surf the web and get the all the targeted ads, and I never once saw a Champions Online ad until after I downloaded the game and the CO forums became one of my bookmarked/daily visited sites. I never got to play City of Heroes but I knew of it, why?, because I saw a tv ad for it. Just like I see ones for WoW, just like I see for any game that the company making it wants to get people to play.
Give us some publicity, heck it doesn't have to be some huge marketing campaign. See about the websites running the ads now widening the search for likely customers. I played D&D Online for 3 years, never saw a CO or even NW ad on any of my social media, but I did see DCUO on them and started playing that. Played DCUO for a little over a year, never saw a CO ad on my social media. No I found out about CO in a DCUO forums post by a player using CO as an example of how to do Auras and character customization right.
Granted, actively trying to pull in new players does make the other needed work mentioned even more pressing, but when it comes right down to it the resources are already there. I mean the Dev team are full time employees aren't they, I assume they go into work ever day same as any other working person. I doubt they get paid differently based on what work they are doing on the game, so really its just a matter of changing what they are working on.
Take a break on the lockboxes, we'll live without new ones for a while, heck slow down on the new costume sets even, and throw some people at new content or even redoing some existing zones and missions. The level 40 missions are a big chance for that, I mean who needs 30+k Exp for doing Nemcon, level 40 missions shouldn't even have Exp rewards so throw us some new stuff for doing them.
From some of the talk I have heard even throwing some of the old power replacers and devices back into the game would give people more of a reason to run existing content, and that wouldn't even take much effort unless the code and models for them were deleted completely.
But we have a new team now and honestly I am holding out hope that this one will listen to our feed back and ideas, as we want this game to be successful too. It is just as much our game as it is their's after all .
~I'm a figment of your imagination, a mass hallucination, only real because you feel I am~
Oddly... I agree with takeing a break from lockboxes after what i seen what its done to STO and Nevewinter..With aprantly Neverwinter going to get something with mounts becomeing creatures you suddenly toss at mobs in a later patch.
If they stop lockboxes for awhile it would be nice of course.
Comments
It's not up to the players to help "promote" or fix these things. I think you're over-estimating just how much influence players have. They're not exactly shareholders.
Level locking zones is an obsolete tactic. It also pushes people to alerts first. You wanna go to desert but you lack a ONE level to get there? You can do alerts as well, and since you are at it why to not stay doing alerts? After all, alerts already are less hassle and less travel time.
Also, another pointlessly locked map is Vibora Bay.
This crisis lock on Vibora Bay map needs to go exactly the same way as other crises were made only a choice to play. Vibora is the only zone with steady population, as low as this population is and usually not going above 10. But it's there. And that's because the zone offers some rewards like costume unlocks.
But at the same time the zone ends avoided because having to play through the same lengthy questline to get there on every character is a burden if you have more than few characters.
In short - CO zones are avoided because even putting aside lack of rewards for going there, CO does a fine job at making other maps less attractive for crowds. Those limitations needs to die.
And it harms the game in the long term. It really doesn't look well or healthy when almost all maps in your game aside of a central hub are deserted. It looks like the game had even less players than it has now.
However, I acknowledge that I seem to be in the minority, at least on the forums. Everyone here seems to be focusing on the end reward, rather than the experience of gameplay - the destination rather than the journey. I find that ironically unrewarding, but that's me.
In re: the Kickstarter idea: That's been floated before. Apparently it wouldn't help; corporate doesn't want to crowdfund their game at this point, it would seem, probably out of a feeling that it might reflect poorly on them. (Yes, I know, the lack of a Foundry doesn't reflect that well either; I didn't write the policy, just recalling the gist of what we were told last time this came up.)
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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Like everyone else I surf the web and get the all the targeted ads, and I never once saw a Champions Online ad until after I downloaded the game and the CO forums became one of my bookmarked/daily visited sites. I never got to play City of Heroes but I knew of it, why?, because I saw a tv ad for it. Just like I see ones for WoW, just like I see for any game that the company making it wants to get people to play.
Give us some publicity, heck it doesn't have to be some huge marketing campaign. See about the websites running the ads now widening the search for likely customers. I played D&D Online for 3 years, never saw a CO or even NW ad on any of my social media, but I did see DCUO on them and started playing that. Played DCUO for a little over a year, never saw a CO ad on my social media. No I found out about CO in a DCUO forums post by a player using CO as an example of how to do Auras and character customization right.
Granted, actively trying to pull in new players does make the other needed work mentioned even more pressing, but when it comes right down to it the resources are already there. I mean the Dev team are full time employees aren't they, I assume they go into work ever day same as any other working person. I doubt they get paid differently based on what work they are doing on the game, so really its just a matter of changing what they are working on.
Take a break on the lockboxes, we'll live without new ones for a while, heck slow down on the new costume sets even, and throw some people at new content or even redoing some existing zones and missions. The level 40 missions are a big chance for that, I mean who needs 30+k Exp for doing Nemcon, level 40 missions shouldn't even have Exp rewards so throw us some new stuff for doing them.
From some of the talk I have heard even throwing some of the old power replacers and devices back into the game would give people more of a reason to run existing content, and that wouldn't even take much effort unless the code and models for them were deleted completely.
But we have a new team now and honestly I am holding out hope that this one will listen to our feed back and ideas, as we want this game to be successful too. It is just as much our game as it is their's after all
If they stop lockboxes for awhile it would be nice of course.
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