Ideas For Repopulation

[Pressure Drop]

I don’t see this tutorial as the be all and end all and think it’s getting too much attention and of prime importance is increasing our outreach and the amount of people coming through the game.

I didn’t have a tutorial or any sort of direction and I stayed, same for the vast majority of other players.

There is already a handy tips for new players that you disable once it becomes annoying and you know them all. Rather than put in so much effort you could use your ip bot to pm the player to respond with !help for further info or indeed !off to stop it spamming them with better tips. The bot could explain Changing arena, ships description, wb javs basing leagues mentioned could easily show new players theres layers of depth in this game if they care to get that involved.

It could be easily augmented with link to the tw.org site with a more helpful screen shot section explaining points in the game – as I’ve mentioned in another post this screenshot section is piss poor currently – no captions or explanation what is going on …. If you want me to do it I will take screenshots of each ship with a brief description , some examples of TWD-D-J-B etc etc …. I mean tw.org site should be as plain to use resource for a new player and linked to for them to click on when entering the zone.


All that should be very easy to do (if you’ve your ip bot in place) and then more focus on getting new players who are bored and looking for a retro game to try this one. that’s the hard bit and important bit at this stage.

[Leaf]

Wow.
Seriously many great ideas and It's really joyful to see people that are actually caring about the game enough to promote it and come up with ideas and make them come true.

However, a big issue with this game is the players. It's true. Even though tws population has decreased I seem to witness more and more whining, trolling and flaming every time I log on.
It is truly sad that this game is so freaking full of hatred. Sure there are a lot of good people and all games are populated with these kind of people. I don't really have a good idea that wouldn't sound fascistic or dictatorial.
But I for one think this is one of the main issues of Tw and SS, now more than ever.

The strive and urge to become someone cool, good, skillful, staff or whatever, is so freaking huge that players forget the most important thing about these games in the first place.
I mean. Who will disagree about SS community is one of the reasons you're still playing?
If it weren't for the good people of this zone I wouldn't log on every once in a while. I would've quit so long ago. But people have actually made real friends on this game.

With the insight of this post I'm going to play more SS with the goal of talking to a lot of newbies in public, saying stuff like "Hello, how are you?", "Wow, nice shot." "Try the javelin, it's a fun ship".

We need change
Vote Obama '08, haha.

[Jeenyuss]

ok there are a couple things. mirrorrim that tutorial idea sounds brilliant and i really appreciate you guys putting the hard work into it. hopefully you can finish it asap as i could see that really helping us out.

pd, when you started there were also a lot more people playing this game. think about how many people played this for a little while but quit because things weren't always properly explained to them. i would think a fair amount. i know a lot of the people i've tried to share this with maintain that sentiment. now that we're getting even less and less new traffic, the amount of people who actually end up sticking around goes down. i think the smart course of action would be tutorial -> advertising if we want to improve our chances of having success in repopulating this game.

set up a donations thing once the tutorial's done, or before, whatever. the SSCU Beginner's Zone seems like a decent idea but now that i've read the hard work that Mirrorrim's put into the tutorial arena i guess i'd back that more than otherwise.

an extremely important part of this working is that we have to have inter-zone communication. i think in order to have the best chance for success we need to get together on this. try to get every zone to set up a tutorial section, maybe share our module with them, i don't know. get every zone to have a donation button and share the funds to get banner ads wherever or whatever. i'm not sure.

argh.

[DankNuggets]

Re: Repopulation

WE build an ark, like really really big.

Then we gather all the animals, two by two (or more if need be)

and wait.



Naw but good ideas, glad to see a lot of work has been put into this, just sucks there's only 2 ppl to do all the work.

[CaptainPoopface]

I am willing to join TW Dev to finish developing the tutorial arena and will PM the necessary parties. I think it's a great idea.

If possible, I would like to implement an IP tracker/database so we can measure attrition. How many new people log in once or twice and never again? I would want to see attrition data for before and after the tutorial is built so we can tell if it's having any effect.

A cheaper, short-term alternative, while the tutorial is in the works, is to allow players to designate themselves as noob helpers. When someone logs into SS for the first time, all online noob helpers are PMed by a bot and invited to go to a private arena to tutor the noob. That means teaching the basics of flying, shooting, tactics, basing, commands, etc. One noob helper per noob. Many people talk about the benefit of being guided through the game with a friend, and this would not be hard to do.

Players could PM staff to volunteer to be noob helpers, and then it's just a matter of building the bot (also something I could help with). There could be a 1-question feedback survey at the end ("Did this noob helper help you, noob?") so that people don't abuse the <NH> role for demoralizing the fresh blood.

I also agree with Jeenyuss that other zones should get involved. But TW is the flagship zone in terms of population, so I think we should set a good example first.

[StarKitty]

I am willing to join TW Dev to finish developing the tutorial arena and will PM the necessary parties. I think it's a great idea.

If possible, I would like to implement an IP tracker/database so we can measure attrition. How many new people log in once or twice and never again? I would want to see attrition data for before and after the tutorial is built so we can tell if it's having any effect.

A cheaper, short-term alternative, while the tutorial is in the works, is to allow players to designate themselves as noob helpers. When someone logs into SS for the first time, all online noob helpers are PMed by a bot and invited to go to a private arena to tutor the noob. That means teaching the basics of flying, shooting, tactics, basing, commands, etc. One noob helper per noob. Many people talk about the benefit of being guided through the game with a friend, and this would not be hard to do.

Players could PM staff to volunteer to be noob helpers, and then it's just a matter of building the bot (also something I could help with). There could be a 1-question feedback survey at the end ("Did this noob helper help you, noob?") so that people don't abuse the <NH> role for demoralizing the fresh blood.

I also agree with Jeenyuss that other zones should get involved. But TW is the flagship zone in terms of population, so I think we should set a good example first.

I like the newbie helper idea however it could be seriously dangerous if there were abusive players. Obviously any newbie helpers should be vetted by staff and be well known as mature, friendly and professional. Although they would have no staff powers all the new players would see them as staff members, we do NOT want a new players first impression of staff to be some abusive idiot.

[MirrorriM]

We did have an idea about telling staffers to idle in ?go tutorial if theyre not busy and help out. It was also brought up that seeing experienced players help out newer players is one good way of deciding who to hire to staff.

Searching through my computer, I still have my huge "To Do" list for ?go tutorial. Perhaps after TWL is finished, we can restart the project.

[StarKitty]

It was also brought up that seeing experienced players help out newer players is one good way of deciding who to hire to staff.

That's how it was done back in 1999-2001 isn't it? I vaguely remember. The whole zone was a lot more helpful back then as a result.

This would remove staff suck up and social politics from the problems the zone suffers from wouldn't it? People would have to be a lot more friendly and helpful.

[Pressure]

If someone writes out a great description and shit involving the competitive play, I can post it over at a forum where I'm very much respected (hard to believe, buT fuck you, I have like 8 boxes of rep over there and have posted for years) off topic poster, and I'm sure at least 20-50 people will download and try it out.

[HateTheFake]

Im willing to help any way I can.

[HateTheFake]

from getcontinuum.com

Continuum: Massively Multiplayer Spaceships

Ever imagine what it'd be like to play Asteroids against your friends? Want to savor the satisfaction of blasting people out of space in some addictive side-scrolling 2D spaceship shooter action?
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10th Year Anniversary

Continuum began as Sniper in 1995 and proceeded through 2 years of beta development as SubSpace and launched commercially on November 30, 1997. So in preparation of the glorious 10th year anniversary in 2007-2008, we're looking for some fresh blood to revitalize the population and to bring some new skills to battle against a decade of veteran spaceship mastery.


Do You Have What It Takes?

Were you the reigning soda-shop champion in Asteroids? Sick of tending to your Nintendogs? Prepared to go up against 10-year veterans and show them what perfecting headshots in Counterstrike has done for your aim?
Swing by Continuum and see how crappy you really are. Ooooh, pwned! Angry now? Download the game and prove us wrong!


Put Up Continuum Banners

We can always use new pilots! Please spread these banners around. And if you have other banners, drop us a line and we'll put them up!


Storied History

Continuum is the offshoot of MMO pioneering shooter, SubSpace, published in 1997 by Virgin Interactive Entertainment and abandoned soon thereafter. Because the game consumed so many lives, we couldn't let it die. So a few passionate pilots rebuilt the client, cleaned up the servers, and established a user-driven renaissance for one of the greatest games ever to grace the PC. Their efforts resulted in the game now known as Continuum.


The Zones

Continuum began with a few zones, referred to as SVS zones, where ship settings kept true to their SubSpace origins. These classic zones retain the oldest populations and most skilled players, along with extremely competitive and balanced league play and some of the craziest personalities out there.
Since re-launching as Continuum, there's been significant growth in custom zones, where the ships' looks and settings often vary widely. The action is usually more fast-paced and casual.
If you're looking to develop your own game, Continuum provides server, developer, and game designer tools so you can customize Continuum into any kind of side-scrolling 2D shooter action game you can imagine!


There's So Much More

Continuum has been around since 1995, so there's obviously much more to this amazing game than we can place on this page. We've got intense leagues, a great community, awesome squads, and some of the most addicting gameplay you'll find online. It's lasted this long for a reason.
So download Continuum, drop by a zone, and indulge. And bring some friends too. And don't forget to digg us!

[HateTheFake]

great info: here thix

http://trenchwars.org/index.php?v=gethelp&id=1
http://trenchwars.org/index.php?v=about
http://trenchwars.org/index.php?v=objectives
http://subspace.legendzones.com/


ps. sorry for triple post

[Pearl Jam]

two words:

more ladies

[StarKitty]

Advertisement Feature

I deserve no credit at all for this. I've merely sourced from tw's site and getcontinuum.com

Wark wrote the quoted part and Hate The Fake helped me find sources.

All I did was compile it and bbcode. :fear: That's really about all.

I would hazard a guess that this is also well written enough to pass craigslist and gumtree's policies (ie it shouldn't immediately get deleted if you people start posting it)


Scroll down to code for easy copy paste


Subspace - Continuum

A day to learn, a month to grasp, a lifetime to master . . .

* Meet people from all over the world...then kill them.
* Choose from up to 8 unique ships to master.
* Use a large variety of weapons and tactics to defeat your opponents.
* Play alone and fend off the crowds to become a legend or join a squad or league for intense team combat and go for the glory.
* Track your stats across an assortment of different zones and arenas.


Do You Have What It Takes?

Were you the reigning soda-shop champion in Asteroids? Sick of tending to your Nintendogs? Prepared to go up against 12-year veterans and show them what perfecting headshots in Counterstrike has done for your aim?

Trench Wars - Continuum's most popular zone

SSCU Trench Wars, an exciting team-based game platform. Trench Wars has
become one of the most versatile and well known zones in all of Continuum. Primarily created as a team-based flagging game, Trench Wars has evolved into a multi-faceted zone offering over 150 Flagging, Racing, Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and other specialty sub-arenas. Many of these sub-arenas carry custom shipsets and arena designs downloadable in the game (Events). In addition, Trench Wars has one of the most competitive and versatile Elimination games available, hosted automatically 24 hours a day in two separate arenas (Elim/Baseelim)!

Your primary mission in Trench Wars is to help your team in the main public arenas, to capture and hold the flag for points. Point bonuses are given out on an intermittent basis for those who hold the flag, as well as a 200-point bonus per kill if your team carries the flag. Each ship holds a specially designed set of functions, created to promote a balanced and skill oriented flagging match. Many sub-arenas hosted by our Staff members include; Deathmatch style dueling, over 42 different theme maps for Basing and Flagging, several Elimination style games in addition to our 24-hour Elim, specialty Holiday maps, ship specific maps (like Javs or Blind for cloakers), Racing maps with custom racecar ship designs, and Ball games like Hockey or Powerball. Trench Wars developers have also utilized the versatility of Subspace/Continuum, to create some of the most popular sub-games to date! Games like Zombies where the humans have only a short time to make it off the island, or Gravbomber where gravity is your friend and your foe! Each weekend, Trenchers gather and unite with their fellow countrymen in the WW6 battle for global superiority!


Continuum is the offshoot of MMO pioneering shooter, SubSpace, published in 1997 by Virgin Interactive Entertainment and abandoned soon thereafter. Because the game consumed so many lives, we couldn't let it die. So a few passionate pilots rebuilt the client, cleaned up the servers, and established a user-driven renaissance for one of the greatest games ever to grace the PC. Their efforts resulted in the game now known as Continuum.

For a full history, please go here -

http://trenchwars.org/index.php?v=gethelp&id=1


Competition

Trench Wars also has two very competitive squad based League gaming systems, Trench Wars Leagues (TWL) and the ladder-based Trench Wars Division (TWD). TWL is now starting its twelth season, and continues to be the battlegrounds for the best of the best in Basing, Dueling, and Javelins. Squads compete each weekend during a regular season in order to make their way to the playoffs, for a chance at winning their respective TWL-Cups! TWD is a more versatile league system, where games are played at any time and all squads can compete! All of these games are hosted automatically by the MatchBots, who handle all score reporting, player lagouts, game setup, and referee decisions.

Community

Subspace has like most games, a very unique community. It has people from all aspects of life, young and old, teacher, student. Subspace's gameplay is only enhanced with the active chat feature.Trenchwars' community in particular shines above all other zones - with players who have remained active through 12 years of gameplay and competition.

While trenchwars has a great gaming atmosphere, most people will tell you, its the people who bring you back to it.


A word from one of our Veterans:

"When you are a gamer there are certain aspects that you come to expect in any game genre you play, for instance if you like RPG's you want to play an MMORPG that allows for creative character development, so that your character is unique. If you like FPS shooters, than obviously you want a game with great gameplay, functionality and smooth multiplayer components. If you enjoy sports games then you’re looking for great trading systems where you can manage teams and control where you finish up at the end of the season. Finally the one thing I notice about a game is the graphics, however I don't exactly look for the most flashy graphics in all my games. The only thing I care about when it comes to graphics is if they get the point of the game, and the era of the game across. Lastly - one of the most important things about any online game would have to be the players themselves. It is very rare when a game comes along that uses features of every genre and blends them together along with a player base that really keeps the game interesting.

So are you someone like me who revels in others misery and tends to kick people while they are down, or are you more of a friendly player, someone who wishes others have a good game, and enjoy themselves. The choice is really up to you in Trench Wars where you can shape your name or "character" if you will in any way you see fit. Become hated by insulting the people you kill, or become loved by hunting the people who talk crap. As you get better at the game, join better squads, and delve into the extremely competitive leagues of squad dueling, or become an event hopper and play in the hundreds of staff hosted events that are done every month, including large events on weekends featuring hundreds of players. Hate your squad? Why not make your own squad, recruit your own players, and then destroy your former squad and steal their players? THEN insult him for being a terrible player. The possibilities are endless in Trench Wars, where you choose what type of player you want to be.

So what I am trying to say is, I am sure that many of you have tried plenty of online games. Games where after wasting ten hours you get bored, or after you "donated" fifty dollars to get 1000 super tokens to make your character better on a "free" MMORPG. Why not play the server Trench Wars on continuum, you can't pay to make your character better – here in TW it’s all about personal skill. With over ten years of online play, a loyal playerbase that you can actually get to know for longer than when you decide to stop playing for the day, and a competitive league system with sports management similarities, you can't go wrong by giving this free game a try. So go download it now, install it, and prepare to get Sat, you newbies."



Come see for yourself and learn what's made this game survive the test of time.

www.trenchwars.org

[StarKitty]

EDIT: Urrh.. I did repost the above in code tags for easy copy paste.. But it appears the code tags don't actually stop the bbcode from working.

Any ideas?