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General Discussions / Is 4D dying? And if so, how can we save our beloved Mud?
« on: October 23, 2010, 06:00:59 am »
Kvetch raised a subject on the Admin board about the now dangerously low playerbase, and what might be done about it.
It's a sad fact that 4D seems to be slowly dying - a fate we share with many other text muds, but that doesn't make it any less depressing.
Anyhow, the first thing that comes to mind is of course to ask for input from our players, old and new ones.
So here are some blunt questions that I hope we can get responses to, from both players and imms:
(You don't have to answer all of them of course, just pick the ones that are relevant to you.
And please try to be as specific as possible, we can take critic, but it should be constructive.
The options I put at the end of each question are just starting points).
1A. What made you stop playing 4D?
(game got too hard, game got too easy, too many changes, too few changes, wrong changes, too little RP, too much RP, player conflicts, bad imms, boredom, all my friends left, RL changes, playing WoW etc.)
1B. (for imms) What made you stop working on 4D?
2. What might make you start playing/working actively again?
(new code features, new zones, new quests, better balance of equipment and classes, more interesting Clans, more imm-run events, more player-run events, timered events and quests, more new players, more old players returning etc.)
3. What would make you at least log on to socialise a bit more often?
(4D used to be like a big chat room, where people hung out just to talk with friends. Is there any way we could bring at least the Recall Squatter spirit back again?)
4. How can we attract more new players to the Mud?
In particular I'd like ideas about how to target and reach a new audience. (Even of most of the gaming interest has moved to graphics, there must still be thousands of people connected to internet, who like to read, and might enjoy the more complex atmosphere of a Text mud. But how do we make these people aware that Text muds in general - and 4D in particular - even exist, now that muds are no longer mainstream?)
5. What can we do to make the new players want to stay longer?
6. What do you think specifically turns newbies off our Mud?
7. Some players tell me that 4D was more fun in the old days. Is this really true?
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking? Maybe it was just more fun because back then it was new and fresh to you? Or because there were more active players back then?
But if there is something specific that you think was better before, please share your thoughts here.
8. What was it that first attracted you to 4D and made you want to stay on?
9. Any particular of todays features that you like/don't like?
10. Any particular old features that you miss and want back?
It's a sad fact that 4D seems to be slowly dying - a fate we share with many other text muds, but that doesn't make it any less depressing.
Anyhow, the first thing that comes to mind is of course to ask for input from our players, old and new ones.
So here are some blunt questions that I hope we can get responses to, from both players and imms:
(You don't have to answer all of them of course, just pick the ones that are relevant to you.
And please try to be as specific as possible, we can take critic, but it should be constructive.
The options I put at the end of each question are just starting points).
1A. What made you stop playing 4D?
(game got too hard, game got too easy, too many changes, too few changes, wrong changes, too little RP, too much RP, player conflicts, bad imms, boredom, all my friends left, RL changes, playing WoW etc.)
1B. (for imms) What made you stop working on 4D?
2. What might make you start playing/working actively again?
(new code features, new zones, new quests, better balance of equipment and classes, more interesting Clans, more imm-run events, more player-run events, timered events and quests, more new players, more old players returning etc.)
3. What would make you at least log on to socialise a bit more often?
(4D used to be like a big chat room, where people hung out just to talk with friends. Is there any way we could bring at least the Recall Squatter spirit back again?)
4. How can we attract more new players to the Mud?
In particular I'd like ideas about how to target and reach a new audience. (Even of most of the gaming interest has moved to graphics, there must still be thousands of people connected to internet, who like to read, and might enjoy the more complex atmosphere of a Text mud. But how do we make these people aware that Text muds in general - and 4D in particular - even exist, now that muds are no longer mainstream?)
5. What can we do to make the new players want to stay longer?
6. What do you think specifically turns newbies off our Mud?
7. Some players tell me that 4D was more fun in the old days. Is this really true?
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking? Maybe it was just more fun because back then it was new and fresh to you? Or because there were more active players back then?
But if there is something specific that you think was better before, please share your thoughts here.
8. What was it that first attracted you to 4D and made you want to stay on?
9. Any particular of todays features that you like/don't like?
10. Any particular old features that you miss and want back?