New technology : Merchant Skills (Small)

[Cdv]

+1

[Dejanira]

The more of this stuff we add the harder it is for the new people to even stand a chance

if we don't add new content the older players will have less to do and the game will stagnate

This happens to every online games. Usually at some point there is a lack of new players, at the same point (may be earlier, may be slightly later) old players begins to blame the game for not offering new features. It ends with a time of stagnation, and after it the server closes.
I guess a game should always be alluring for new players. A gap between new and old players is even necessary, but if there are not new players it's the game itself who loses. Of course if a player have the feeling he/she cannot grow anymore, begins to lose interest and slowly leaves the game. So welcome new technologies for older players and at the same time welcome new small features (like port missions) for new players.

[Crackedcubes]

This game has extremely long legs for players that are interested in long-term development. Danik's comment regarding specialization makes that perfectly clear. One could spend a year working on just a single specialization, such as warehouse development and party card routes) and still have plenty of opportunities for long-term play and exploration in the many other facets of the game.

the nature and difficulty of how this game is developed and maintained makes it a perfect platform for minimizing the potential for game stagnation.

In my opinion, these older players should be using their considerable game knowledge to present ideas that bring new players into the game and keep them in the game. Such as, game missions. ideas for new game missions would be a welcome change. These older players know the ins and outs of the game and can present ideas that feed the new player with bits of game tips and tricks that keep the newbie in the game.

+1 to Dej's comment regarding "port missions".

[Most Lee Harmless]

This game has extremely long legs for players that are interested in long-term development. Danik's comment regarding specialization makes that perfectly clear. One could spend a year working on just a single specialization, such as warehouse development and party card routes) and still have plenty of opportunities for long-term play and exploration in the many other facets of the game.

the nature and difficulty of how this game is developed and maintained makes it a perfect platform for minimizing the potential for game stagnation.

In my opinion, these older players should be using their considerable game knowledge to present ideas that bring new players into the game and keep them in the game. Such as, game missions. ideas for new game missions would be a welcome change. These older players know the ins and outs of the game and can present ideas that feed the new player with bits of game tips and tricks that keep the newbie in the game.

+1 to Dej's comment regarding "port missions".

I dunno where you get this idea that there is no path for new players to aim for : when I started here 2 years ago there were 2 : become a big fleet trader or be a pirate : that was it ; What did you do with your hard-earned coin? Again, few choices : you built more ships, built warehouses, or you buried it in the ground at enormous turn cost. Did you want credits? Buy them with RW money. Did you want a loan to get you started : forget it.

I dont think newer players see how far this game has progressed in terms of choices and opportunities in the last year. But what I do see is players seemingly demanding older players stagnate whilst they progress : they seem to object to any notion that older players might benefit from any development at all : then complain they are not progressing either, the game isnt giving them an easy path to riches : its the same side of the coin, folks : older players have spent treasure and time developing all the strategies and ways to get rich, and many have lost countless millions refining and finessing them : the big fleeters lost millions daily as they worked out how to minimise loss to pirates : many, myself included, just gave up the struggle to keep more than 10 fleets running : why do all that work to be farmed by the pirates? Ah yes, the pirates, the poor hard-done by-heroes of our game, who, out of some evangelical fervor, keep on losing fortunes daily, all faces turned against them, bound by cruel rules and mean-spirited limitations.. ahem, well, no, they dont, not if they know their business. And, if you choose your mentors and guilds wisely, all that hard-won knowledge will be passed to you free of charge and you wont lose millions and dozens of ships while you figure it all out.

Older players have earned their place in the game, over weeks and months of fighting, trading, winning, losing and sometimes sheer fecking boredom : new players will also have to take that path, learn, make mistakes, mess-up, succeed, endure and finally triumph. You cant have a game which only lets new players progress while it limits older players to marking time until the new guys catch up. Well, you could, but its not one that anyone will be playing for more than a few weeks.

[Stan Rogers]

I don't think newer players see how far this game has progressed in terms of choices and opportunities in the last year. But what I do see is players seemingly demanding older players stagnate whilst they progress

+100

CJ made it clear that during my first year playing, devs were working on ways to improve new players abilities and all those options listed by Danik above were brought to fruition along with more opportunities to earn gc. Even before those features were brought into place, there was enough things to learn, do and discover to keep a new player busy for close to 6 months. It took about that long to earn 1 mil/day if you did it right.

At that point, admin decided the drop off rate was too high for older players and decided to give more challenges to long term players to keep them around and spend their gc on.
What happens ?
I guess it was inevitable that new players would whine when these advanced developments started because if they started 6 months earlier, they would know how hard it was to earn 1M/day and make the leap to academy and higher techs. This is why all hideout researches are so expensive.

When Hideout started, it was right at the point where I was just finishing up my basic training. People like Sparrow and DaVinci had there GoldSmith built and running at top lvl in 3 months. I have been working on mine for over a year now and still not maxed out. Not fair I say with tongue in cheek.
Maybe I should be crying that hideout and associated bldgs are too expensive and I am unable to ever overcome those who started months and years before me. Probably easier to just get over it.
Work within your means and choose your battles wisely and you too will steady climb whatever path you choose.
Make mistakes and start over. Learn who not to harass those who can squash you and draw from their experiences.

Everybody gets the same opportunities and don't expect to go from start to finish and be able to compete on a large scale with those who have years of resources built up in a much more difficult time than new players currently experience.
I think now with the new features, a new player can be at Build Hideout lvl in 3 months or less.

[Crackedcubes]

This game has extremely long legs for players that are interested in long-term development. Danik's comment regarding specialization makes that perfectly clear. One could spend a year working on just a single specialization, such as warehouse development and party card routes) and still have plenty of opportunities for long-term play and exploration in the many other facets of the game.

the nature and difficulty of how this game is developed and maintained makes it a perfect platform for minimizing the potential for game stagnation.

In my opinion, these older players should be using their considerable game knowledge to present ideas that bring new players into the game and keep them in the game. Such as, game missions. ideas for new game missions would be a welcome change. These older players know the ins and outs of the game and can present ideas that feed the new player with bits of game tips and tricks that keep the newbie in the game.

+1 to Dej's comment regarding "port missions".

I dunno where you get this idea that there is no path for new players to aim for

Danik: I think you've mis-construed what I was getting at in the comment above. In no way have I noted that there are "no pathes" for the new players to aim for. There are certainly many pathes for the new player, nor am I saying the older player should be left to stagnate. Just attempting to impress on some the importance of pushing for new features that keep the new player involved longer before they quit. Who better to do that than the older player, since they know the pitfalls. It was merely a continuation of Dej's comment about "port missions".

Cheers,

Cubes

[Most Lee Harmless]

Well, I had a raft of ideas for new techs, for traders, pirates, shipbuilders, et al.. but I dont see the point in continuing offering them as either this side or that will object that it favors that side or this : Its dispiriting as firstly, offering a suggestion dont mean it will ever be implemented, even if the entire player base applauds it : secondly, the existence of a tech dont mean everyone has to love it, research or use it. I keep coming back to VARIETY : a multiplicity of paths for all players of whatever level to aim at as they choose. And for that you need more tech options, not fewer, or only those that favor new players, or pirates or merchants : Older players will ALWAYS benefit from new advances in the game : they have the experience, the accumulated resources, the wisdom to do so. But they wont go after EVERY new tech and its benefits : no-one really can : we specialize in what we do best and choose those techs which will aid us.

As for the notion we should restrict ourselves to only offering suggestions that will benefit new players : nonsense, we dont play to keep new players happy, we play to make ourselves happy : I'm not Mother Teresa, I'm not here to take newbs by the hand and propel them to greatness while I do nothing to make my own account better : I'll help out newbs, offer advice, coin and such : but I'll not sacrifice my game to make their life easier and more fun than my own.

[Stan Rogers]

But it gives us something to read besides more voodoo card propositions that just massage old voodoo cards into slightly different functions

[Shadowood]

I for one, would still like to hear your ideas Danik. Haters are gonna hate. But as you stated, they are just ideas and may or may not get implemented. You shouldn't stop suggesting just because of a few peoples opinions. At least you are coming forward with ideas to help make the game great and continue to grow. Whether it is a good idea or not, I for one enjoy seeing everyones ideas. Yes even Guluere's new voodoo of the day or Chin Chin's crazy voodoo of the day. (they do have 1 or 2 that actually might work).

Cheers Mate

[Crackedcubes]

I for one, would still like to hear your ideas Danik. Haters are gonna hate. But as you stated, they are just ideas and may or may not get implemented. You shouldn't stop suggesting just because of a few peoples opinions. At least you are coming forward with ideas to help make the game great and continue to grow. Whether it is a good idea or not, I for one enjoy seeing everyones ideas. Yes even Guluere's new voodoo of the day or Chin Chin's crazy voodoo of the day. (they do have 1 or 2 that actually might work).

Cheers Mate

How does one construe my contribution to the thread as "Hating?" Interestingly, I voted +1 on Danik's Loadmaster idea prior to topic presentation, yet now I'm labeled a Hater because I can think, document my thought process in a clear and concise manner, share it with the player base, even if it is contrary to the topic presenter's idea. So really in the end, just vote +1 for all of Danik's ideas, and keep our heads stuck in the sand, because God forbid anyone disagrees!