How do you get an initial population anyway?

Started by Skotlex, Jun 29, 2007, 04:00 AM

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JavaFalcon

You should advertise before the opening and give links to your forums and mIRC so ppl can chat with you and wait for and get excited about the server openning and if you are lucky you could start up with like 30~50 online.

Spira

I've been battling this for a bit as well. I started with an initial population of around 10-15. It then spiked up to around 30 one time during WoE.

A month later, I was sitting at maybe 1-5 people playing. One of the big guilds basically left to go play DotA as a team and others just kind of stopped logging on (probably due to competition).

At this point it started to become sort of a snowball effect. No one logged on because no one logged on. No one signed up because no one was logged on. It just got worse. Eventually a guild left their server because of a wipe and came to mine and it's now at maybe 15+ people during those times. The people that leave never really give any indication why they leave, other than people not joining. I've had several people login that say "Wow this server seems awesome, but not enough ppl." Then they logout and never return. So population does make a big difference. No one ever has really given me a reason why they leave or don't stay other than population.

If anyone has time and wants to give me their own personal review (criticisms), let me know (messages).

GM Faith

A lot of luck.

To get a high initial population generally requires the right people deciding to join, and bringing entire guild-loads of players with them.

Of course, this isn't entirely down to luck as you need to give them a reason to make the switch anyway.

Its especially difficult for low rate servers, as low-rate players and guilds who have tons of high level characters with good gear will be very loathe to simply start over on a new server.
Impossible is nothing..

Flightlevel

Advertising before hand, make it unique as possible, Active GM's and events i guess.


Lore

^ he would know, since he's doing a top-notch job with valiantro.

I can believe this topic is still going, haven't we covered everything yet?

Lore's Final Most Important Piece of Advice: post on RMS forums. It's unbelievable how many people use this site as their RO resource. Post here, become respected, loved, dont be a pain in the donkey, be impartial, dodge potential flames. Then, advertise your server with a sig. Suddenly all your awesome, insightful posts now have your server floating underneath them. And of course people are gonna think "If this dude knows so much RO awesomeness, his server must be omgwtf awesome" and thennnn theyll join.

Unless you're like skotlex and you totally change the game mechanics. Sorry skotty.

rainkid

Hello Skotlex,

First things first - thank you so much for all your work on eAthena.

Just a little background on my experience that relates to this question. I started a server at the end of last year with an initial population of about.. 4 people. Since then, we have hit a max player count of 129 players, roughly 30-40 of which are @autotrade-rs. The population have decreased right before the summer for reasons I do not understand.

Now, I believe the following are important to growing, and keeping, a population

1- The website is the first thing any new player will see. It has to be attractive. As shallow as it sounds, many players will not join if the server website does not look good. First impressions mean everything.

2. The website information has to be non-technical and easy to understand for the average player. Most RO players tend to be young/er, and non-technical. The website has to be able to communicate with them in this manner. Yes, you can have more technical information in sections of the website, but not on the main page.

3. Offer a simple installer. Yes, a simple, single installer really helps with getting players. Many players are not technical and if they cannot get the game running the first time, they'll give up. It is okay to offer a more 'traditional' smaller installer as well.

4. Treat each player as something precious. Back when I started, I took the time to talk to and know each player on a personal level. This encourages them to continue playing, spread the good word, and also makes them respect the server so that they do not break the rules.

5. Stop drama. Players hate drama.

6. Keep track of players coming and going. On my server, the average 'life' of a player is a little under 3 months. If my player drop is more than new players coming in, that means I haven't spent enough time with my players. Then I act accordingly. It is important to keep track of metrics.

7. Advertise anywhere and everywhere. Ratemyserver is a good start. Try all the RO ranking site, all the review sites, all the free online game sites. Unfortunately, advertising is an ongoing process of always voting yourself, always making new banners, coming up with new copy and text, etc. A banner that attracts one person may not attract another, so switch them every now and then.

That's all that I have in mind currently. You may have noticed that I forgot the most important factor - and that is to make the most stable, lag-free, bug-free server you can. That really shows you care about the players, and in turn they will remain a player for a longer period of time. (I'm sure Skotlex have the most kick-donkey server!)

Feel free to comment or critique on my opinion.

--rainkid

Anti-Static Foam Cleaner

Quote from: rainkid on Jul 14, 2008, 01:19 AM
5. Stop drama. Players hate drama.

Players love drama - as long as it doesn't concern them.

Thugnificent

I think a well organized website/forum would attract more players. Also not everybody likes big bulky customs and crazy stats. Balanced job classes and items will also help. Most RO players do not like donations, but you could keep the option open if you cannot pay for the server and its costs yourself.  :-\
There are different kinds of RO players, if they are like me I like a server with lots of quests and other stuff to keep me busy, some well scripted quest you know nothing ordinary. Also WoE is a big factor for me, I like woe better than pvp itself because there is actually a reason to fight one another. One thing I've noticed on some servers is that they nerf too many things in RO, I am some other people I know hate this. Also the server should have an economy, People should be able to sell and buy stuff from other players and stuff.

To sum it up:

-Well organized server/website/forum
-Don't put too many customs with crazy stats
-Balanced items
-No donations
-Many quests (keep the players busy so they don't stay sitting in town then leave out of boredom)
-Make WoE lively
-Do not nerf to many cards, items, after skill delays and etc
-Create a good economy
-Bring your friends (friends over internet and in real life)

Aragorn


hey what are all these stupid f*** scribbles on your test?
OH BAKA SENSEI THAT'S NIHONGO

RULE 1:
Every post that disagrees to the previous to Aragorn is a flame or insult.

Torte de Lini

Has anyone considered fusing multiple servers together?

Like one MR server with a LR and HR server, all into one name :3

Guest

i think a few servers have tried that, i dont think that they were super successful, but still, it sorta worked as far as i know

Auroraâ„¢


I honestly think creating a server with all of the choices (LR, MR, HR/SHR) is one of the best ways to do it -- in other words, a Network community. Mainly because, it's the same basic community with different experiences, different rates, more than one possibility/choice. I think having a Network would encourage players more often than naught.


» Coming Soon! «

Thorin

Quote from: Auroraâ,,¢ on Jul 15, 2008, 04:13 PM
I honestly think creating a server with all of the choices (LR, MR, HR/SHR) is one of the best ways to do it -- in other words, a Network community. Mainly because, it's the same basic community with different experiences, different rates, more than one possibility/choice. I think having a Network would encourage players more often than naught.
Thats true.....you open yourselfs to all RO players not just say LR or HR players. It makes advertising easier because you have a large range of things a player looks for.
(ex. a large range of rates, different max lvls, a range of max stats)

Anti-Static Foam Cleaner

Quote from: Torte de Lini on Jul 15, 2008, 12:43 PM
Has anyone considered fusing multiple servers together?

Like one MR server with a LR and HR server, all into one name :3

What. How.

If you want to just make three different servers, how is that going to help you? People who play on one will not play on the other.

Thorin

#74
I basically just stated how having 3 servers will help you >_>.

-You open yourself to more RO players (ex. HR players, MR players, not just LR players). Making it more likely to get an intial population, which then gets you more votes and RMS reviews, and then you have a  stable and steadily growing population.