to make smr thrive

[Page]

How about a penalty applied to a vet for podding a newbie? Say if the person podded is newbie or beginner then anyone higher than that takes an xp hit for doing so ramp up the hit the higher the vet status, and the newbie keeps 3/4 of thier cash instead of the current loss rate?

Newbies keep quite a bit when killed in 1.6 (can't remember exactly what), although I haven't gone down the route of punishing people for killing them (think newbie restocking planet, etc) but I have made it so that newbie kills do not count towards kill stats to stop people killing them just for stats.

[Blade]

1.6 is more newbie friendly, if you want player rention you need to push 1.6 forward and use classic as a fun free for all.

This game is using classic as a back bone and it will not retain players in it's current state and it's not going to be actively coded on again in the near future.

[Baalzamon]

OK, I'm going to be the guy who says "Back on topic"

The thread is about getting more players to keep SMR alive...not how to save a newbie's life...i know that the line between the two is foggy at best, but try to stick to the former, not the latter...new thread can be made if you want to discuss newbie survival

[Freon22]

Can I be the guy that say both are very close to being the same. New player joins SMR, new player dies over and over, new player leaves SMR, SMR doesn't grow. I do agree with everyone on having two games is not the best way to go it is better then nothing. I think I may have a good idea that would allow new players to play in the same game as vets. I will make a post in the Suggestions forum to see what everyone thinks.

[JettJackson]

they are the same, lets not fool ourselves here, newbie retention is what will make this game survive and thrive, unless u guys happen to convince everyone that has quit to come back, good luck doing that

[LotuS]

How about some new ideas? not old ones, you have missed the point of my message.
this problem wont get better with newbie games being eliminated, but it couldn't hurt for now.
Rebuild your brain of how SMR should be because that word "should" is what will bring down your game. Once that is out of the way, things can progress cooperatively and with gials and end results in mind.
now since you cant yell at someone for their old ideas without having some new ones of your own am i right?

why not incorporate some of the "radial" idea which we put into "mini-games" such as the one where each race had a planet in their racial at the beginning of it, and make it a reality in normal games?
for example: Thevian Home Planet is in the Thevian galaxy. Here, all thevians are free to land, steal shields, have a port at this sector which sells everything only no buying. This can be seperate from the HQ or same place(center of fed) doesent really matter. What matters is that there is a planet/port for their race where newbies can work off of to their advantage. And take advantage they should, anything to help a newbie get an advantage I say, since I havent actually seen one in a long time.

Or/and heres another idea

Purchase savings bonds from your racial bank. Only can buy from your races banks. For example, Thevian bank, your a thevian newb trader. Since the etablished order has deemed it unfit to give newbies interest in their bank accounts and force them to trade boringly whilst dodging skilled hunters, why not let them buy savings bonds. different % for ammount of time for bond to come to maturity. 1% for 1 day bond, 2% for 2 day bond, ect. Then, they can earn money while siting in their pod waiting for turns. Or just give them interest in their bank accounts, much simpler and easy for new players.

And While we are on the subject of newbies, whats the problem with giving them perma NMV? why do you have to banish them to a galactic semi. thats not cool at all.


Shake these around with your martinis

[igGy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you want SMR to attract new players you need a new interface. Ingame changes can come later. But make SMR modern and shiny and people might decide to play it.

I know it's silly to say that people get attracted by shiny stuff and not the features, but it's true. This ugly green and the design from 2000. isn't going to attract new players. No matter how good the game is.

[Erke]

interface..yeah

Lotus had a new suggestion...where i dropped him a couple of changes wich mite help it out to look even better...not sure if he did anything with it...

[Grey Death]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you want SMR to attract new players you need a new interface. Ingame changes can come later. But make SMR modern and shiny and people might decide to play it.

I know it's silly to say that people get attracted by shiny stuff and not the features, but it's true. This ugly green and the design from 2000. isn't going to attract new players. No matter how good the game is.

Unfortunately this is very true. I find that the majority of people who play video games nowadays are first drawn in by the visual impact or look. Update the look for the new people but maybe give us long timers the option of turning on the old interface as a preference.

Has anyone attempted to ask any of the people that were newbies playing in the newbie games what their thoughts were?

[Page]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you want SMR to attract new players you need a new interface. Ingame changes can come later. But make SMR modern and shiny and people might decide to play it.

I know it's silly to say that people get attracted by shiny stuff and not the features, but it's true. This ugly green and the design from 2000. isn't going to attract new players. No matter how good the game is.

I completely agree which is why I've made it fairly easy to change the interface in 1.6, unfortunately my design skills suck so an interface made by me probably wouldn't be that huge of an improvement (it'd just be updated to be a bit more standards compliant really)