More Ideas to Add More Interest
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Keep a deck of many things away from me. Been burned by those things way too many times. Plus that's an artifact, I think.
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I'd like to second what some people were saying about bringing the crafting system back. Some people say it was dull but it kept players plenty busy on their own when nothing was going on. Besides it doesn't necessarily have to be boring if it encourages people to explore the more dangerous areas of the server to collect the materials needed to make the good stuff.
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I'm actually against the crafting system to be honest, all people did was hoard caravan rides Horde iron, sure it did give a couple players things to do, like make a big strong guy with lots of strength and no Armour to lug around a ton of iron but it really doesn't add to the adventure or intrigue of the game.
I would rather have a flavor of the week idea, where collecting x items by a week or 2 weeks end could get you something special, Say Kantea new expeirment list, but she lose interest after x time, i could see this maybe being abused but it's something
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or while everyone is complacent and wining and dining in their peaceful beds the people rise up and retake the server from those bastard sheriffs that yet again walk the city streets
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A few quests in coa do not have a traditional quest giver (goblin sewers, damp caves)
Build around half a dozen areas in the same vein, switch up their start locations and monster pallet every few weeks.
Having a revolving set of semi new quests in the further reaches of the server would certainly encourage people to get out and do stuff.
Scripted random encounters could further enhance this theme.
(instead of a group of bandits, a group of bandits attacking a caravan, if the caravan survives they pay you a little something)
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I wouldn't add more quests. I would reduce the current amount. Instead make them more interesting (Concentrated fun). I really liked the add on dungeon (for those that want harder). I played the Fey thingy last night it kicked our arses, but was fun, if not too long/big (3 rooms would have been sufficient).
IMO:
more quests + more areas + more spreading out of players = less social interaction and an increased feeling of emptiness.Also, I would add more ways to encourage social interaction.
Trading games like cards of a magical deck are fun. Get the whole desk by trading cards with other players, and you get a resulting item.
You get a single card (out of a set of 10) now and then completing a quest, instead of all the new sadomasochistic random items (-1 this ouch , -1 that ouch, +1 something).
-Eric
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As the player base gets smaller I agree with those that mentioned "concentrated fun". Arabel already got smaller once, maybe it needs a second reshaping, if possible. Something along the lines of East, West, Slums and thats all. I guess that would make Mages guild fall to the east section, Wild goose to the west and so on. Gives a sense of a more factional city where every single door matters.
Maybe places that would gather idle or just socialising characters should be less so that people can actually find each other and remove the empty server feeling. Less DM factions for the same reason (though I think the current ones are already few so thats set..). If a DM faction seems empty for some time, do consider replacing them.
The IRC sending broadcast sounds good too.
Easier access to DM factions is also great, let the PC at the head of the faction decide promotions, but with some coordination with a DM, or at least a heads up PM.
Also, pick DMs more freely, not too freely, but we need a few more to run stuff, even if its a temporary thing. Make a list of those who know the DM tools of the game just to know who is mechanically able to do it. People here expressed the desire to DM if needed already, I say let them. Could be especially useful for events that need more than 1 DM at the same time. Something like DM apprentices that are eager to learn the mechanical ways and then let them tell their story.
My personal suggestions are the following though:
Monthly plot direction votes, keep voting secret if there's a poll so noone knows for sure where things are heading. Then weigh player actions to that end vs votes and make a decision on where things should head.
Along those secret polls, monthly new plot suggestions. Dms picjk the most interesting and contact the player suggesting it to discuss abou it, maybe even suggest to him to personally be part of the DM team behind this plot alone. One time DMing for one plot. Player-DM can choose the time he has the time to begin it and run it, always knows the situation with a very specific plot and its easier to keep himself updated when he has no other jobs around the server to do.
In the end, while this is one of the slowest periods I remember in CoA, since there are other servers with good populations I still think there must be things that can be done to slow the decline or even slightly reverse it.
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When there are only 3-4 players online, you should all be in the same place, doing something together. I can't imagine how boring it must be to wander around waiting for something to happen. Build some excitement on your own and grab the other players. You don't have to quest. Walk to Immersea. Explore the wilds. Bring invisibility potions. We have DMs in the dead zone, and it's probably disheartening for them to log in and see every character in different areas. You have to work incredibly hard to come up with a quest for characters spread all over the mod playing solo.
I can't speak for every DM, but I don't even mind a little OOC in situations like that. It's fully OK to send a tell "Hey- I've never met you IC, but since we're the only people online, let's meet at the guild and figure out something to do." Then go to the guild, introduce yourself ICly, and find something to do.
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size of the mod isnt the issue
its everyone taking the normal summer end of major plots break from play
this has happened every year and every time a series of plots all come to end at the same time
people wander about and enjoy real life or other fast leveling hack and slash places before they get the need back to building a character with substance again
everyone relax take this time to plan your course, and then in id say about 2 weeks once school goes back in and times are more restricted in certian places you will see everyone coming home
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(I just logged in and saw all four players in different areas, playing solo.)
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@HarryMcScary:
When there are only 3-4 players online, you should all be in the same place, doing something together.
Kudos to Loony (Ruby Sandneedle) for inviting the 5 people logged in last night and stirring up trouble with Teddy Bear for some adventure! This is the kind of thing that's needed when only a handful of players are IG. I sent an OOC tell to Ruby saying "Hey let's invite the whole server!" and we did! :D Never fear, though. Once we were done, there were about 12-15 players logged in. We just happened to hit a nice little window of opportunity for a little (no so) quiet DM event.
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I know this goes against what was popular for a long time around here, but those of you making new characters should try and make them not so extreme. Meaning, make them interesting, but creating a character who would shun/kill/extort/rob/insult/ignore 80% of other characters isn't going to have many people left when there's 20 people online.
I'd even say that most concepts aren't hurt by the character accepting that they are an adventurer, and being an adventurer, they sometimes have to work with people they might not get along with that well. Does this mean I'm encouraging the paladin/cyricist questing buddies? Not at all. But adding in just a little bit of neutral to your character allows for much more interaction without going OOC just to play with others.
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I know this goes against what was popular for a long time around here, but those of you making new characters should try and make them not so extreme. Meaning, make them interesting, but creating a character who would shun/kill/extort/rob/insult/ignore 80% of other characters isn't going to have many people left when there's 20 people online.
I'd even say that most concepts aren't hurt by the character accepting that they are an adventurer, and being an adventurer, they sometimes have to work with people they might not get along with that well. Does this mean I'm encouraging the paladin/cyricist questing buddies? Not at all. But adding in just a little bit of neutral to your character allows for much more interaction without going OOC just to play with others.
This was the problem with my last character. I've also mentioned this very thing for character weaknesses / bad traits. You don't want to "break" your character. The more people you can get along with, the more opportunities you are going to have and you need more of them at this point.
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That being said; Don't get along with everyone. Some conflict is good.
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It fun to see factions picking each other apart, all fun and roses is dull.
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I think Emu's being mistaken here.
When there are 10 people online and they all hate each other and won't do anything together, guess what? They won't do anything together. I love conflict between PCs. It drives the server and makes things a lot of fun. But when characters won't interact, DMs can make the setting alive for more than one at a time. And that's boring and no DM will want to do it.
You have to find a balance and a reason to play with other people when numbers are so low.
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I think my comment is being taken a little wrong too. When I was last around, there were lots of picky characters- they wanted nothing to do with a majority of other people. It made for lots of conflict, which is good, but it wasn't very subtle and interactions happened because of sheer numbers.
I guess an example might help. You want a character that hates elves. Instead of having a personality where the first inclination is to kill, then shun, then avoid- a character who wants to get to know them so they can be damaged psychologically means much more interaction (it also gives your character a chance to be changed).
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"But EntropyMu that's so carebear! I want to kill other PCs on sight!"
(Where is Jasede?)
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The big one for me (and perhaps others :roll: ) is the sheer length of time it takes to play CoA. Events often last for hours on end and many scripted quests linger around the hour-mark for length themselves - unless you rip right through them, arpee be damned. Nothing can be done about some of these things, but there is one contributing factor that could have something done about it:
Deaths and Raises: These invariably lengthen how long a particular grouping of characters sticks around for. You're faced with either a heavy xp hit knocking off days of questing or a logistical nightmare as corpse, gold and equipment is ferried to the nearest suitable temple, sometimes from areas that are just ripe for ganking a slow moving PC as is.
An idea was put forward before about paying for ressurections in advance. This would save LOADS of time for all involved in the case of a death. Perhaps something that costs 1.5x the usual price from a temple priest in exchange for a reduced xp hit next time you respawn, for anyone heart set on avoiding a raw respawn. Even having more widely available raise dead scrolls might help - though mangled corpses and alignment differences would likely make them a waste at times. -
Prepaid raises would definitely cut down the ferry time.
Though really, having more raise dead/resurrection scrolls would make more sense. Or the priests would have to be scripted to give prepaid raises only to adventurers with appropriate alignments.