Dear CoA
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Those who want to push for a new setting could always set up some sort of chain-module community thing. Pass it around the player base and create a custom setting for it.
But I'd imagine alot of people want to stick with FR, and I don't think CoA is likely to change setting.
It's probably not even the problem.
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I don't see a real reduction of players at least in my time zone which is GMTish. If it is the case I m quite sure its just a fluctuation like it usually is. It -is- summer after all, some have exams, vacation, work or even (insert what RL tortures you with).
I hoped a new platform for such open ended RP would be created and I had put my hopes on NWN2. Failed miserably at first, but nowadays I think its quite decent from a player stand point. I had tried playing at ToM for some time while it was in alpha or beta and it wasn't half bad, I actually liked the setting too. If there where people on I would try again maybe.
10 years is already more than most expected of the game or the server and its still going, if not strong, then decent. All in all I don't see a problem yet. If we had to move on the NWN2 platform or anything similar it wouldn't be bad either, though I doubt there is time for the DMs to create CoA on a different platform. (Which is why I mentioned ToM). If at some point we need to make the leap, we ll see, my opinion is we d need a few years at least for that.
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I remember in the before times, in the long, long ago, when CoA would have 55/55 people on pretty much everyday, all year 'round at peak playing times and if it was a weekend, you had to sit clicking on the server over and over if you had any hope of getting on. The server slowly grew and grew as they player base did. Its been sometime now that the player base has been much smaller on a constent bases. Its rare to see the server above 40/55, more typically around 35/55 and that is at peak time.
My point being that now that the server has lesser numbers of players on a regular bases and is still so large, I think it needs to be scaled down somewhat, not a change of setting, but maybe redesign some areas to be smaller, get rid of areas, make is a more personal and intimate experience again. Its fun running into people on the road and often leads to good RP, due to the size of the server and lack of players this happens much less often.
Frankly, my opinion is its time for a reset. Make the city a bit smaller, 4 areas ought to do, make every area be more useful, make it so people have more of a reason to be out bumping into one another. Center the action once again around the city itself. As Eagleman, I need to look no further then his inspiration, Batman, to see all the cool shit that can happen in one city alone (Gotham).
I am no expert, I am sure all this would be a TON of work, but I am just trying to add my two cents and make some suggestions.
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pokes server with stick
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Most people on when the server was 55/55 sat in the market and talked to a rock. thats when I left…when i witnessed 6 players rp with a rock for about an hour....
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I remeber 55/55 to… I've been off and on with CoA... since 2003.. with different names.. all of which I've forgotten... I took a whole year off... found big changes... then another few montsh off... yea I can be real erattic.
My opinion is NWN/CoA beats the SHIT of WoW and most MMO's any day, here you can change the world maybe and have a impact and effect. WoW... great you levle 80 got l33t gear...but you didn't make a differance effect anything.. your just THERE, which to me is BORING!
Does CoA need more DM's yes, howver to many DMs could only add more confusion, maybe draw from the player pool and cycle around active DMS... liek Darlene_C for a few months... then she cycles out with Karmal. Chances are that will never happen.. but hey it's an idea.
as for the server dying...well who knows but all good things come to an end! I can only pray it's an epic end!
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the random guns are moving in and out, i was gone for a while, im back again, summer is normally a slower time
the only thing i would ask is that if a plot is wrapped up all the remnants were taken out
i got zapped by some old lyss stuff in a not so well travelled area of the ruins
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I remember in the before times, in the long, long ago, when CoA would have 55/55 people on pretty much everyday, all year 'round at peak playing times and if it was a weekend, you had to sit clicking on the server over and over if you had any hope of getting on. The server slowly grew and grew as they player base did. Its been sometime now that the player base has been much smaller on a constent bases. Its rare to see the server above 40/55, more typically around 35/55 and that is at peak time.
My point being that now that the server has lesser numbers of players on a regular bases and is still so large, I think it needs to be scaled down somewhat, not a change of setting, but maybe redesign some areas to be smaller, get rid of areas, make is a more personal and intimate experience again. Its fun running into people on the road and often leads to good RP, due to the size of the server and lack of players this happens much less often.
Frankly, my opinion is its time for a reset. Make the city a bit smaller, 4 areas ought to do, make every area be more useful, make it so people have more of a reason to be out bumping into one another. Center the action once again around the city itself. As Eagleman, I need to look no further then his inspiration, Batman, to see all the cool shit that can happen in one city alone (Gotham).
I am no expert, I am sure all this would be a TON of work, but I am just trying to add my two cents and make some suggestions.
I really like this idea. The New EFU module has the city on just one area, so it's immediately easy to find people. due to the size of CoA, a respectable 20/55 can mean that everyone is so far apart it makes it harder to find folk, and so you log off.
Seems alot of people are in denial, or taking the "summer means less people" angle, but I think the numbers have definately diminished in the last few years (through no fault of the server, it just happens: NWN gets tired, new games come out, players move on, new players arent there to replenish them etc etc), and I'd like the server to take advantage of this intimacy of playerbase. It certainly doesnt mean the server is dead, just operating on a closer, more familiar level.
Seeking change to facilitate the awesome doesn't make someone a doomsayer claiming the server is dying.
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We just SHRUNK the city last year. Srsly dudz.
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Maybe another tumble on the hot rinse.
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Shrinking wont solve anything. As Moloch stated, the module has been shrunk down quite abit already.
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I remember the shrinking being very beneficial.
However, I do know that CoA is a rather conservative crowd, so perhaps I'll conceed that changes aren't needed. A wise man usually conceeds when the thing he wants to change doesnt want to change. It's like shouting at a river until it changes direction.
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@Fireside:
It's like shouting at a river until it changes direction.
I did this last night, it actually worked
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To my impression people just got used to the last three weeks of action packed events that culminated in some massive changes to the server and somehow expect this to be the new standard. Remember that to get to the stage we saw the last week there was some serious build up both by players and DMs.
Now comes a time for the dust to settle and build up new awesome.
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I am back… no more need to panic
And really, thread should have been closed after the above post. ^
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I remember in the before times, in the long, long ago, when CoA would have 55/55 people on pretty much everyday, all year 'round at peak playing times and if it was a weekend, you had to sit clicking on the server over and over if you had any hope of getting on. The server slowly grew and grew as they player base did. Its been sometime now that the player base has been much smaller on a constent bases. Its rare to see the server above 40/55, more typically around 35/55 and that is at peak time.
My point being that now that the server has lesser numbers of players on a regular bases and is still so large, I think it needs to be scaled down somewhat, not a change of setting, but maybe redesign some areas to be smaller, get rid of areas, make is a more personal and intimate experience again. Its fun running into people on the road and often leads to good RP, due to the size of the server and lack of players this happens much less often.
Frankly, my opinion is its time for a reset. Make the city a bit smaller, 4 areas ought to do, make every area be more useful, make it so people have more of a reason to be out bumping into one another. Center the action once again around the city itself. As Eagleman, I need to look no further then his inspiration, Batman, to see all the cool shit that can happen in one city alone (Gotham).
I am no expert, I am sure all this would be a TON of work, but I am just trying to add my two cents and make some suggestions.
I think the city is fine myself. However I think the ruins/underdark are a bit old and tired now. They could do with a revamp.
And no slime stuff, we got too much as it is :shock:
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Revamps are cool. All the times I've come back to CoA after taking breaks have been because of new stuff being added to the server. Civil war brought me back, the city areas changing brought me back, and recently the new and fun bonuses to classes brought me back. Exciting changes spark up the interests of tired players.
I'm not suggesting we radically change the server (this thread has taught me that no-one wants that), and if this is indeed just a seasonal lull, then it's not a problem. Hopefully this discussion will be moot in a few months when the server picks up again (apparently this is already happening), but if not, I think a smaller server population could actually make CoA a lot more intricate and intimate if handled correctly. So potentially, dropping numbers could mean the opposite of the doom and gloom! A small but dedicated playerbase would be more like a large PnP group than a MMO server, and I think that can only enhance the experience.
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I have no regular play (or sleep) schedule, so I get to see the server and its population at many different times during the day and the night. Often, even when there is 20 or more people on it is still hard to find them or run into them and get something fun going. Lately i've been logging on, patroling the city and the surronding areas only to find no one, so I get bored running around by myself and log off. This is the reason I suggested making the module smaller. I do think a shift in focus back to Arabel itself would help.
Less players is fine, 20 or 30 isnt a bad number, the problem is the server needs to adjust to these numbers now. In my humble opinion it still is a server thats running like it has 55 people playing and people lined up to get in. It could be smaller and more intimate experiance and still get along just as well.
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If ou are wandering round with nothing to do when there are 20 people on, consider joining a faction. You'll soon have so many things to do, people to meet and such, to process goals and plots that you'll wonder when you'll ever get time to go on all those quests dotted around the vast server.
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Factions shouldn't have an application process anymore.