Project Calculator: Empires Revitalization

Discussion in 'General' started by PatPeter, Oct 28, 2011.

  1. PatPeter

    PatPeter I have no idea what I am talking about

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    I wrote up the basics of this plan in late August/early September, but life picked up and I've only been on late at night when the server population is below 10 people.

    Anyway, I am finally proposing my plan since Paradox beat me to it, but I made a new thread to discuss specifics.

    All active members of the Empires community must do one of the following three things to boost population:
    1. Invite a friend from your Steam friends list to come play, show this person how to install the game, teach the basics, and talk about how fun Empires is (i.e. epic moments you've had).
    2. Promote Empires in a Steam group you belong to promoting how fun Empires and playing a community-based game is.
    3. Promote Empires on a website or forum you regular, doing the same things as above.

    tl;dr: Treat Empires like a clan, recruit as you would for one.

    In addition to these, we need rules to retain members instead of scaring them away. In the summer of 2009 I brought the whole of |UGA| onto Empires, only for all of them to subsequently quit after being constantly and consistently flamed and trolled. The rules are as follows:
    1. All members should recognize the difference between noobs and useless players that I detailed here. Noobs must be taught how to play and never flamed or harassed. If a noob asks a dumb question, sure, joke about it first, but don't tell the noob to do something that will kill him.
    2. Members should never flame each other. Joking around is fine, but no one wants to play a game with hostilities every night. If a member insults someone else, intentionally or unintentionally, and the other person is offended, that member should be civil and apologize.
    3. No one should under any circumstances say that Empires is dying.

      Why should anyone play a game that the leaders of its own community say is dying?
    4. No one should talk about Empires splitting off to another engine or dividing the community in a similar manner as if it is planned or inevitable.

      Why play a game that is planned to actually die (as splitting the mod would assuredly do)?
    5. We have to remove all ingroup/outgroup divisions in the community: for instance, the server spam against Vicki a month or two ago and DDoS attacks on Empires servers in general.
    6. Point 2 includes under-aged players. What is better than a child growing up playing Empires? This becomes his home, a permanent member of the community. If he uses his mic too much, tell him, but don't oppress and scare them into not using their mics at all.

    tl;dr: Don't be pessimistic, have an optimistic outlook and Empires will become better. See here.
     
  2. MOOtant

    MOOtant Member

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    You're wasting energy on things that are not needed.
     
  3. ViroMan

    ViroMan Black Hole (*sniff*) Bully

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    We don't want new players and to keep the existing ones?
     
  4. Trickster

    Trickster Retired Developer

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    I don't mind this idea, but avoid underage players, or at least ones with high voices. I don't say this because I don't want them playing, I say this because they'll get utterly ripped apart ingame the moment they open their mic. That's the honest truth, whether or not it's fair, and you should consider this.
     
  5. Devourawr

    Devourawr Member

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    I have a far better idea than all the stuff you posted, based on the talks of children/people who sound like children.

    Add in a pitch auto-muter for voices over a certain level. Not only would we not hear the squeakers that currently frequent the servers, but the resulting publicity from such a controversial implementation that people could come check out Empires.
     
  6. flasche

    flasche Member Staff Member Moderator

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    and whoops you transmitted to high pitched sound for whatever reason and are muted. its sufficient to mute ppl in scoreboard, it just should remember the steamids. im much more annoyed by micspammers then kids. i just stopped complaining ...
     
  7. f1r3w4rr10r

    f1r3w4rr10r Modeler

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    i dont get what you people want
    there is no other game out there that automutes other players
    dont be so lazy to not click on their names in the scoreboard
    maybe just point it out more clearly to newer players that this is possible

    just to give an example: i was most annoyed the first few times i played w40k space marine in multiplayer and everyone was on voice activation
    after i found out i can mute them i just muted everyone and was done with it
    no problem at all
     
  8. ImSpartacus

    ImSpartacus nerf spec plz

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    What about female Empires players that use a mic? While I don't know of any, they can often be mistaken for prepubs even by the human ear. Since it's unrealistic to expect an automated muter to be even as accurate as a human, I doubt such a tool would be useful enough to justify its existence.
     
  9. w00kie

    w00kie Mustachioed Mexican

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    vicky, same, iselore, your mother...
     
  10. Deiform

    Deiform Member

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    What you on about, Frank the Tank was a god amongst mortals.
     
  11. Paradox

    Paradox I am a gigantic asshole who loses people's hard wo

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    Great plan. But, how do you want to enforce these rules? Admins nowadays are pussies.
     
  12. A-z-K

    A-z-K Member

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    Personally I feel it is my individual obligation to the community as a whole to be as welcoming as possible to new players and help them every way I can. I try and add them as steam friends and let them know to ask me stuff, or spec them and give them advice for a couple of rounds. Just like people did for me when I first started playing several years ago.

    There is no doubt that this community is more hostile than it was when I started playing and I think if I started now I probably wouldn't have stayed more than a few games. But there are still some really nice people playing who understand that every round isn't just about what they want it to be.

    It boils down to this; Pub games are pub games. Too many "vets" want to play every game like it is a pug or a scrim and yell/laugh at someone for their mistakes or whatever. No problem with people being animated and all but some people are very insulting with their mics. Save that kind of attitude and gameplay for organised games. Lower your expectations a little and just try and have fun playing with others in the real spirit of teamwork.

    If a new player doesn't know how to play it is because you have failed to communicate how & why to do it more often than not. Its very easy to login and just arse around mining the commander ontop of the VF or building lolforts, but if you took that round instead and showed someone how to play the next round might be better. What I'm saying is that its not the new guys fault he's shit - it is our fault, our failing, you and me and everyone who is openly critical or even worse ignores him (or her).

    The best player/comms are people who communicate so well that even new players are useful and have fun. They are the real Vets of Empires, who can vary their play to the people around them, not expect it to be the otherway around and I think there are probably only 4/5 who still play regularly. Those people are the glue, we need more of them and to be more like them.

    Everyone else are just noobs, just that they have played long enough to know the best places for turrets, the best base layouts, the research tree, how many nades it takes to kill a rax, most effective wall formations, etc - you need all that stuff to be competent, but being able to repeat something you saw someone do isn't skill, its knowledge. Getting the best out of other less experienced players is real skill.

    If everyone really really tried to keep every new player, making it more important than winning that round or the apc rush, etc then it benefits everyone, not just new players. For every time someone becomes useful player which doesn't take long we will have better public games, the more populated and fun the weekly pub games are the more regular long-term players will play, the larger the active playerbase is the more organised games we can play where we can enjoy and expect a high standard of gameplay with.

    Empires isn't dead unless we kill it.
     
  13. BloodRaven

    BloodRaven Member

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    AzK :|ove: I'll try not to run you over next time I see you.


    Well, from what I've seen people are helping one another in game. If vets aren’t helping the noobs, less noobish players are helping the first timers. While i try to help those i feel are worth helping, there are some i admit i wouldn’t waste my time on/with even if i was threatened with the removal of Jeeps.

    The only people on my steam friends are people who play Empires.

    If what few vet players we have left pitched in to teach the noobies, i guess we would be better off. Also, being super nice to people may seem all well and good, but really, this is empires, not sesame street. We have to be realistic.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2011
  14. ViroMan

    ViroMan Black Hole (*sniff*) Bully

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    brought a tear to my eye. Its so true. +1 mate. :|ove:

    I would give you all my minecraft diamonds but, im playing the sky block 2.1 in hardcore mode(god it sucks when you get knocked off your road by an ender out of fucking no where.)
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2011
  15. D.D.D. Destroyer

    D.D.D. Destroyer Member Staff Member Moderator

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    I still don't know how many grenades you need to kill a barracks, although i came to the conclusion that over 9000 concs are needed.
     
  16. A-z-K

    A-z-K Member

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    Its a bit OTT but the sentiment is there and I think its true, people just need to be positive and lift their spirits and accept not every round will be super coordinated, I enjoyed the game just as much in the period where it was all new and shiny and cool and different and thats the experience we should deliver to new players.

    Its not all doom and gloom by any means there are still plenty of people doing all of this, fighting the good fight but plenty of people need a slapping down for being abusive. IMO admins should gag more folk for acting in ways that are ultimately detrimental to our playerbase.

    As for realistic expectations; I think its entirely realistic because people behave in ways they think will be best received by their peers, the more we take it upon ourselves to return to this kind of nurturing environment and elevate the bastions of our salvation the more people will be inclined to behave that way.

    I'm always stunned at the amount of experienced players who can't find the mute button for people they don't wish to hear. Its not rocket science, its really simple. Much more can be done to help dwindling numbers this way than with updates or new features - Empires already has a great USP as an RTS/FPS that really is unique and its a really easy game to fall in love with.

    Let it be known we all respect the love and not the drama and everyone will fall in line.
     
  17. Trickster

    Trickster Retired Developer

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    I do want to point out, as someone who was previously in your position, that there are other points to consider. I used to try help new players when they joined, and encouraged other people to do so, but nowadays, when I go to play, I just want to actually play, rather than sit down and lecture new players, especially as time becomes shorter and shorter once you get out of school and start working.
     
  18. Grantrithor

    Grantrithor Member

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    The only way to make this game playable again is to get everyone who thinks this game is about going solo rambo to uninstall, and get everyone who thinks this game boils down to advanced taktiks and squad kombat (and other rainbow six wannabe garbage[like people who use the phonetic alphabet for more than just squads]) to uninstall the game, so that we have only good, not idiotized players playing.

    The worst of both worlds makes this game unplayable.
     
  19. Z100000M

    Z100000M Vithered Weteran

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    wha wha what?
     
  20. A-z-K

    A-z-K Member

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    Which is fine, except that luxury isn't there forever, you could argue it isn't there anymore. As an individual I can hear what you are saying and empathise. But if the majority share your view you'll end up with nothing more than 5v5 games where people want to just play and it will be shit.

    Personally I find it easy, I have as much fun showing a new player around during a weekday pub game as I am gonna have just playing.

    And people can drop in and just play how they want and its fine - just so long as there are one or two people on each side who don't mind taking the time out of their round to help. Its not an all or nothing/everyone or no-one situation. We just need to tip the scales further towards the ideal situation.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2011

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