Poll-- Will you continue playing this game

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 6:48 pm

SwineTiger wrote:

Since I'm not one to question Mannequin given that his ethics are beyond reproach (although it won't stop me from poking fun at his multiple teams in TOGS)

I only have 2 teams in Aradi (DM-60) -- Fruit of the Loom and Living Shadows.

Fruit of the Loom is my TOGS team. My TOGS team from the previous TOGS, Bikini Bottom, was moved to DM-82 to make room for Fruit of the Loom.

Living Shadows was my very first team (Monuntial, DM-34). I transferred it shortly before TOGS and the only thing I did with it was use the Dark Arena to prepare for TOGS. I quit running it weeks before TOGS began.

I hope this clarifies things for anyone participating in TOGS.

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 6:51 pm

Play Yes. Stop No. Change doesnt really matter.

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:38 pm

Mannequin wrote:

SwineTiger wrote:

Since I'm not one to question Mannequin given that his ethics are beyond reproach (although it won't stop me from poking fun at his multiple teams in TOGS)

I only have 2 teams in Aradi (DM-60) -- Fruit of the Loom and Living Shadows.

Fruit of the Loom is my TOGS team. My TOGS team from the previous TOGS, Bikini Bottom, was moved to DM-82 to make room for Fruit of the Loom.

Living Shadows was my very first team (Monuntial, DM-34). I transferred it shortly before TOGS and the only thing I did with it was use the Dark Arena to prepare for TOGS. I quit running it weeks before TOGS began.

I hope this clarifies things for anyone participating in TOGS.

Sorry, I meant that I would continue to poke fun at your three Mordant teams in my TOGS spotlight (it ties in with this current turn, trust me). Didn't mean to bring your Aradi teams into the thread.

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:13 pm

I will continue to play until one of these things happen.
I don't have the money to play.
The game closes.

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:44 am

Visionst01 wrote:

I will continue to play until one of these things happen.
I don't have the money to play.
The game closes.

No, no, I don't think you have this whole "crack addict" thing down yet. If the first situation (no money) occurs you simply go out and steal some so that you can keep playing. Don't let a little thing like money keep you from scoring a hit! Wink

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 8:00 am

Are there some changes that "need" to be made for the betterment of the game and to ensure its continued longevity?? Yes.

Will I keep playing regardless? Most likely, yes.

I am mainly a basic arena manager, and the ADM log jams, AB issues, and tourney bracket cut-off line problems/complaints haven't affected me all that much. The basic game and lower tourney play is still a lot of fun for the little guy!

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 8:20 am

The biggest problem D2 faces is not player retention (most will come and go until trees, mail and paper are obsolete in a couple years), it's player recruitment. Are there any new players out there who are completely new to the game? If so, I'm interested in how you discovered it.

SwineTiger

ArchMaster Poster Joined: Apr 15, 2004 Posts: 2958

Quote:

Though it IS an advantage it is not one I use or abuse. I very rarely challenge anyone there -- ask One-Armed Bandit if this is true or not.

The man speaks the truth.

Grandmaster Poster Joined: Mar 07, 2004 Posts: 523

The Consortium wrote:

One Armed Bandit wrote:

Quote:

Will you keep playing this game if there are no significant changes over the next year?

Yes.

YES.

Yes!

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 5:55 pm

SwineTiger wrote:

The biggest problem D2 faces is not player retention (most will come and go until trees, mail and paper are obsolete in a couple years), it's player recruitment. Are there any new players out there who are completely new to the game? If so, I'm interested in how you discovered it.

SwineTiger

The biggest problem they face *IS* player retention, they need to somehow keep all the current players, both tourney and arena types, happily paying because they are generating almost NO new players any more, since they rarely advertise at all that I can tell.

There are certainly things they could do to give the game a facelift (like a decent name, some new artwork, flashier website are a few) but I think they believe, and probably rightly so, that most kids today simply don't have the patience to play a PBM. So they don't bother. My 2 cents...

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 6:12 pm

Stik wrote:

The biggest problem they face *IS* player retention

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, at least based on the amount of long haul vets who frequent the forums.

I do agree that there are some basic aesthetic/cosmetic things that should be done to make the game more accessible and inviting to new players. If I had the html skills, I would do it for free.

When attracting new players to the game is discussed, everyone immediately thinks younger gamers and then dismisses them as being viable based on their impatience. Nobody ever mentions the idea of attracting more mature players who fit the current demographic of the game. I've even offered up my more than a decade's worth of game industry PR skills to land some stories about the D2 phenomenon, but they have yet to bite.

SwineTiger

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 6:32 pm

SwineTiger wrote:

Stik wrote:

The biggest problem they face *IS* player retention

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, at least based on the amount of long haul vets who frequent the forums.

I do agree that there are some basic aesthetic/cosmetic things that should be done to make the game more accessible and inviting to new players. If I had the html skills, I would do it for free.

When attracting new players to the game is discussed, everyone immediately thinks younger gamers and then dismisses them as being viable based on their impatience. Nobody ever mentions the idea of attracting more mature players who fit the current demographic of the game. I've even offered up my more than a decade's worth of game industry PR skills to land some stories about the D2 phenomenon, but they have yet to bite.

SwineTiger

Didn't mean to call wrong on you, just implying that one problem kind of feeds off the other one.

You're right, they should aim for the older gamers like us if possible, just not sure what the best way to do that is...

Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 6:55 am

I'm not playing right now, and I'm having trouble mustering up the will to spend the time and money on it. I have other less expensive hobbies sucking up my time (except hockey; more expensive).

I'll probably play basic if I restart a team, I don't feel like taking tournies seriously unless some warriors just line up perfectly by accident.

Actually, been thinking of trying to sell some of my warriors. Those of you more familiar with my crew, any interest out there? I'd probably use it to fund getting back into DM. Very Happy

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 2:20 pm

Maybe I am the lone dissenting voice, but I don't see myself continuing to play for that much longer if changes aren't made. Things are just too out of whack. Newbies (and people who have been gone a long time) don't stand a chance in pretty much any arena or tourney. I started way back in 84 or so, played until around 89 (when everyone was learning and experimenting) then quit, then came back for a few years around 95 (grand-master types were starting to dominate), then quit and I am now back as of 6 months or so ago (everyone seems to be an expert and the challenge just isn't there for me anymore). TOGS has really killed my interest in the game for my return team.

The all basher arena is currently fun b/c everyone started relatively even, are boxed into a single style, and are forced to get creative but will probably get dull once people start sandbagging with guys fighting in tourneys. I love to see an absolutely no tournament warriors rule for that arena. But that probably won't fly.

I would be much more interested if significant changes were made that made EVERYONE rethink how they design and play warriors. I would love to see new classes of warriors and new weapons. I have about 100 more ideas that would never happen for many reasons. Again, I am not holding my breath. So, long way to say I doubt I will be playing in a year. Maybe the Stomping Grounds until it gets like the other arenas.

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 2:52 pm

drdaddy wrote:

Maybe I am the lone dissenting voice, but I don't see myself continuing to play for that much longer if changes aren't made. Things are just too out of whack. Newbies (and people who have been gone a long time) don't stand a chance in pretty much any arena or tourney. I started way back in 84 or so, played until around 89 (when everyone was learning and experimenting) then quit, then came back for a few years around 95 (grand-master types were starting to dominate), then quit and I am now back as of 6 months or so ago (everyone seems to be an expert and the challenge just isn't there for me anymore). TOGS has really killed my interest in the game for my return team.

The all basher arena is currently fun b/c everyone started relatively even, are boxed into a single style, and are forced to get creative but will probably get dull once people start sandbagging with guys fighting in tourneys. I love to see an absolutely no tournament warriors rule for that arena. But that probably won't fly.

I would be much more interested if significant changes were made that made EVERYONE rethink how they design and play warriors. I would love to see new classes of warriors and new weapons. I have about 100 more ideas that would never happen for many reasons. Again, I am not holding my breath. So, long way to say I doubt I will be playing in a year. Maybe the Stomping Grounds until it gets like the other arenas.

You are probably not alone, but one thing that made a big difference for me was mentoring. I returned two years ago after a 20 year hiatus and all of my unearthed warriors from '85 were getting pummeled. Apparently rippers were no longer the dominant style. Who knew? When I was just about to throw in the towel, some managers offered to help. I ended up starting a new team with their guidance and it changed the scope of the game for me, especially when I started reaching out to some of the game's other experts who were very cordial and helpful.

The TOGS arena is probably among the most difficult for unskilled and skilled players alike since it is such a popular contest and many TC-capable managers run there, so it's unfortunate that you had to relearn the game in such a challenging place. I'm barely staying afloat in the contest.

It would have been nice to make the basher arena tourney-free, but I wanted to place as few limitations on it as possible in order to drive up the membership to get it off the ground. However, it is a slow arena and they are bashers, so the likelihood of sandbagging is probably lower than in other arenas. Also, you have to start with 0 FE, so most sandbaggers will play 4 turns before timing out their guy. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of young blood in the basher arena, so hopefully it will remain fun for awhile.

SwineTiger