Saving Dasaria

[Arkalezth]

NONE of this, is your fault. None. Please do not feel responsible for any of it.

I don't. "I'm sorry" in the sense that I wish it had turned out differently, not in the sense that I feel it's my fault. Besides, the thread went on civil for a while before all the flaming started. But thanks anyway.

[Arkalezth]

Posting this here because it's related to one of the posts. Feel free to move it elsewhere if you don't want this thread to continue.

In my opinion...what will help is more Advertising.

I don't know how big of a difference it might make, but I've noticed there's no entry for Dasaria in the new Vault (http://neverwintervault.org). Perhaps the staff should fix that.

[IronWaffle]

I'd probably log in more if Dasaria was more soloable. I've been stuck at level 10 for half a year now, because whenever I can play nobody is either logged in, too high level, or doesn't have a character at my level in their bank. The good quests are just hard enough I can't solo, and the minions who I can give too little xp that it's not worth it.

It's seriously demoralizing logging to go dungeon crawling and your only options are to sit around town waiting for someone to log in, or people are off doing high level content leaving you out because you're "restricted - character name is too low of level".

I'm a pretty casual gamer now. I'm just too busy, and my gaming time is limited. I just don't want to wait around town checking periodically if someone logged in if I could be doing something else more fun. (All respect to baby for doing do).

I know the server is built for group play, but it's just not our market anymore.. at least not at low level. Imo it's time to adapt. Even WoW offers a fully leveled character when you buy from them now I believe.

[DM Odin]

I'd say it is as dead, interesting or lively as you yourself make it.
There are some very creative people around for sure - perhaps focusing on other projects for the time being.
We also have to face the fact that its an older game and new players are sparse.

That said, dasaria is not dead until the Big W pulls the plug on the server. Until then it is up to you if you want to create something for you yourself or you and your fellow players. Thats what makes dasaria tick, not a single or story or campaign.

[Atharin]

Hey. Hey, Wired.

Gimme the DM password.


but really, don't

[Lucifer]

I have been here a very short time, have been trying to get to know erveryone, don't much care about anyones past activities, only how I am treated and received..Look a new player, in NwN2, that is huge these days. I'm not saying it makes me important. at least not more than any others, but I am saying everyone should respect and appreciate their fellow players. I try hard not to judge anothers RP, that is a first step, noy sure how DM's award xp here, but they should be respected, of there is an issue with a DM. discuss it privately respectfully , as an adult. My one exception to this rule would be if you are twelve, then feel free to be immature and take the game too seriously, cause drama ect. I can't and won't expect you to function as an adult.

I like the RP of those I have interacted here with, they keep it IC when playing their chars, they have offered help OOCly when needed, and they have not griefed anyone else for OOC behavior when it was felt necessary. As long as those logging in play and interact with each other, the server is not ead and will not die. Log in, play have fun. Our characters may have genuine IC conflict, but we as players should not, I don't care if you "do" have a pet DM and get more stuff than me, as long as You never use it to try to force my Char to change his IC behavior, to do that your character must actually ICly RP behavior that would convince my char, and that too me, is why we all play.

[oaknott]

I have been playing here for a while, on and off because my personal circumstances mean that sometimes I cannot log on for months at a time and other times I can be on for several hours every day for a week or two.

I have never encountered any of the negativity I am hearing about on this thread.

When there are other players on I can generally find some RP. Sometimes its great and intense, sometimes it's just a few minutes, but it's always there.

When there are no other players on, which happens a fair bit becuse I am in an awkwad timezone that doesnt really fit with the US players or the European players, I just get on with some of my toon's IC projects. My main activity at the moment being researching the crafting system (63 crafting recipes proved, 372 extrapolated from those, 3 enchanting recipes proved, a good theory to work on for enchanting but slow progress and three traps that I simply cannot get to work!).

I don't believe the server is dead. Some peoples participation may be, which is a shame, but the server still has a great deal going for it.

I, for one, am going to try to encourage a few more bodies to play, especially in my own timezone.

With the staff's permission, I will post links to the forum and to the server on some gaming boards that I know and, if someone can post me a current link on here where NWN2 can be downloaded, I'll add that too.

Let's all play nice, and see if we can get a few more players online. It is, as a wise man once said, just a game.

*edited for spooling mistokes*

[LordAers]

I hope it ain't dead. I just got back.
Maybe some Wogs are needed viewtopic.php?f=34&t=9631

[DM Odin]

Welcome back terrible one!

And Oaknot - you are most welcome to forward our forum on other sites where gamers/role players might be searching for a new home. Just kerp it in a mature fashion.

[Kell]

[Sahji]

Stop me if you've heard this one:

Eleven adventurers walk into a bar...

[Randomyze]

*A foul stench wafts in from the hallway as you see a grubby dwarf waddle by in full plate along with a large axe and a shield on his back. After he passes you hear a shout of 'KITTY!' followed by the patter of paws on the floor and the thundering crash's that sound like a red dragon woke up trapped inside of a glass cathedral.*

I am sure some of you remember me and over the years I have popped on to the server for various periods of time roleplaying/soloing/oocparty.

I hope Dasaria stays around even if I have not been here because the community does (for the most part) works well when the machine is properly oiled. However I do understand that a lower player base is ultimately what kills any 'good' server.

There has been lulls over the years I have seen them come and go but if you think about it logically it is only going to get worse from here (overall), there will be more high and low points but the only way your going to attract new players and keep them is by making the server appeal to the most people as possible.

I am not saying that you should give up the personal flare that makes this server unique but just keep in mind that in order to reform a system that has not been updated in a long time compromises must be made.

You will need to get the opinions of a large group of players and find what they want to see in a server, many new attractions will probably be veteran players from other servers but if you can attract them by making the server as accessible as possible to a larger player base and like it was mentioned above advertise for it (Steam and GOG.com offer the NWN2 Diamond edition for about 10 bucks and often cheaper).

A few suggestions would be:

Be as transparent as possible when dealing with how the server works. If someone has a question whether it be a new area in development or ruling on why someone was banned for whatever reason make it public. This fosters a feeling of inclusiveness and people will be much more likely to forgive and not get mad at any perceived mistakes or unfair issues they may have with the server.

Make the core game mechanics on the server as close to the original game as possible. Removing or Modifying spells, feats, races and classes should be avoided. There are a lot of people who will not join a server simply because of arbitrary rules that fit the servers preference instead of what they are expecting from the base game.

Make the level cap 30 with no ELC. The game has been out for 8 years and finding a copy of the base game without the expansions in basically impossible now, anyone who owns the game either has or can easily have for no extra cost both expansions. If even only 5% of players either stop playing or decide to not join the server because they can only play a level 18 Drow instead of a level 20 one is to much.

You are going to get people who do not want to role play and others who may just want to play alone or with friends but the vast majority of people will at least try role playing and at the very least respect those who are. You are going to get some bad apples from time to time but it is worth the risk of having to deal with a little more of the occasional doucheiness that comes when dealing with people then having your population dwindle so far that there is nobody on. It's just math based on human psychology. Just look at RIOT and Grinding Gear Games, they compromised and make less money per individual player then most other games companies however have some of the highest player bases in their genre then any others to compensate not to mention the players are a lot happier then in titles who are not so generous.

People will play this game for many different reasons, the trick to having a healthy server population is not rocket science, all it takes is a loosely based set of guidelines and strong core content to work with and the people will show up. Whether or not they role play well or not is not the issue here. It is a matter of getting them on the field and then picking the best folks in the lineup to make your team with.

If a few get lost sitting in the grass picking dandy lions on their own that's fine. As long as most everyone is happy you will have a healthy server.

By the way I am not speaking in this in the abstract, the reverse of what I am suggesting here happened to the NWN1 server I played on and the coup de grace to it was drama combined with a lack of players.

A server with a lot of people can afford to lose some to drama now and then.

A server with very few people can not.


*After what seemed like hours the crashing sound around the Misty finally calm down and the same dwarf from earlier saddles in to the room and sits down in a chair by the hearth, the wood groaning under the strain. Staring off into space along with a finger deep in one nostril you hear the ever so faint sound of a trumpet sounding like it came from the bottom of a well just before the dwarf starts snoring and the stench reaches your nostrils.*

[pwdcrk]

*A foul stench wafts in from the hallway as you see a grubby dwarf waddle by in full plate along with a large axe and a shield on his back. After he passes you hear a shout of 'KITTY!' followed by the patter of paws on the floor and the thundering crash's that sound like a red dragon woke up trapped inside of a glass cathedral.*

I am sure some of you remember me and over the years I have popped on to the server for various periods of time roleplaying/soloing/oocparty.

I hope Dasaria stays around even if I have not been here because the community does (for the most part) works well when the machine is properly oiled. However I do understand that a lower player base is ultimately what kills any 'good' server.

There has been lulls over the years I have seen them come and go but if you think about it logically it is only going to get worse from here (overall), there will be more high and low points but the only way your going to attract new players and keep them is by making the server appeal to the most people as possible.

I am not saying that you should give up the personal flare that makes this server unique but just keep in mind that in order to reform a system that has not been updated in a long time compromises must be made.

You will need to get the opinions of a large group of players and find what they want to see in a server, many new attractions will probably be veteran players from other servers but if you can attract them by making the server as accessible as possible to a larger player base and like it was mentioned above advertise for it (Steam and GOG.com offer the NWN2 Diamond edition for about 10 bucks and often cheaper).

A few suggestions would be:

Be as transparent as possible when dealing with how the server works. If someone has a question whether it be a new area in development or ruling on why someone was banned for whatever reason make it public. This fosters a feeling of inclusiveness and people will be much more likely to forgive and not get mad at any perceived mistakes or unfair issues they may have with the server.

Make the core game mechanics on the server as close to the original game as possible. Removing or Modifying spells, feats, races and classes should be avoided. There are a lot of people who will not join a server simply because of arbitrary rules that fit the servers preference instead of what they are expecting from the base game.

Make the level cap 30 with no ELC. The game has been out for 8 years and finding a copy of the base game without the expansions in basically impossible now, anyone who owns the game either has or can easily have for no extra cost both expansions. If even only 5% of players either stop playing or decide to not join the server because they can only play a level 18 Drow instead of a level 20 one is to much.

You are going to get people who do not want to role play and others who may just want to play alone or with friends but the vast majority of people will at least try role playing and at the very least respect those who are. You are going to get some bad apples from time to time but it is worth the risk of having to deal with a little more of the occasional doucheiness that comes when dealing with people then having your population dwindle so far that there is nobody on. It's just math based on human psychology. Just look at RIOT and Grinding Gear Games, they compromised and make less money per individual player then most other games companies however have some of the highest player bases in their genre then any others to compensate not to mention the players are a lot happier then in titles who are not so generous.

People will play this game for many different reasons, the trick to having a healthy server population is not rocket science, all it takes is a loosely based set of guidelines and strong core content to work with and the people will show up. Whether or not they role play well or not is not the issue here. It is a matter of getting them on the field and then picking the best folks in the lineup to make your team with.

If a few get lost sitting in the grass picking dandy lions on their own that's fine. As long as most everyone is happy you will have a healthy server.

By the way I am not speaking in this in the abstract, the reverse of what I am suggesting here happened to the NWN1 server I played on and the coup de grace to it was drama combined with a lack of players.

A server with a lot of people can afford to lose some to drama now and then.

A server with very few people can not.


*After what seemed like hours the crashing sound around the Misty finally calm down and the same dwarf from earlier saddles in to the room and sits down in a chair by the hearth, the wood groaning under the strain. Staring off into space along with a finger deep in one nostril you hear the ever so faint sound of a trumpet sounding like it came from the bottom of a well just before the dwarf starts snoring and the stench reaches your nostrils.*

your post is simply pure gold !

i agree on everything you said and as a personal experience i can tell i faced what you faced on nwn1 on an Ultima Online ( yeah i know it's dead old ) server i was running

thumbs up for you !

[DM Odin]

Good to see the Randomyzer pop in!
Have an ale, stay for a while!

has been lulls over the years I have seen them come and go but if you think about it logically it is only going to get worse from here (overall), there will be more high and low points but the only way your going to attract new players and keep them is by making the server appeal to the most people as possible. You will need to get the opinions of a large group of players and find what they want to see in a server, many new attractions will probably be veteran players from other servers but if you can attract them by making the server as accessible as possible to a larger player base and like it was mentioned above advertise for it (Steam and GOG.com offer the NWN2 Diamond edition for about 10 bucks and often cheaper

Yes, we do have ups and downs. We also face the tide of time making the game old. new recruits will be sparse but I am sure there are ways to attract more. It requires help from the entire community though. We the team has made these "recruitment-drives" several times over the years, investing time and (yes) money to advertice Dasaria. But the most effect comes from when the player base itself heads out to the forums and other socal media focused on Role Play and point others to this server.

I am not saying the staff wont try to recruit, because we will but if you as a player really want more players here - that has proven to be the most efficient way. Players spreading the word would really help so to speak.

A few suggestions would be:

Be as transparent as possible when dealing with how the server works. If someone has a question whether it be a new area in development or ruling on why someone was banned for whatever reason make it public. This fosters a feeling of inclusiveness and people will be much more likely to forgive and not get mad at any perceived mistakes or unfair issues they may have with the server.

I was not aware this was a problem? As far as I know we are very open about how the server works, no?

Make the core game mechanics on the server as close to the original game as possible. Removing or Modifying spells, feats, races and classes should be avoided. There are a lot of people who will not join a server simply because of arbitrary rules that fit the servers preference instead of what they are expecting from the base game.

I agree on a personal level but I also know how important some mods are to keep things interesting to others. Its not black and white, its darn gray...

Make the level cap 30 with no ELC. The game has been out for 8 years and finding a copy of the base game without the expansions in basically impossible now, anyone who owns the game either has or can easily have for no extra cost both expansions. If even only 5% of players either stop playing or decide to not join the server because they can only play a level 18 Drow instead of a level 20 one is to much.

Dasaria is meant (believe it or not) as a medium magic setting. Even the level 20 characters break this illusion pretty easily. The DM staff did discuss this 4-5 years ago and came to the conclussion that the 21-30 levels would crush that setting.
It would also throw the server into a backlash when it comes to current npc standard. It would be a daunting task for the builders to change everything to fit higher levels.

That said it is not wrong to discuss it anew.

You are going to get people who do not want to role play and others who may just want to play alone or with friends but the vast majority of people will at least try role playing and at the very least respect those who are. You are going to get some bad apples from time to time but it is worth the risk of having to deal with a little more of the occasional doucheiness that comes when dealing with people then having your population dwindle so far that there is nobody on. It's just math based on human psychology. Just look at RIOT and Grinding Gear Games, they compromised and make less money per individual player then most other games companies however have some of the highest player bases in their genre then any others to compensate not to mention the players are a lot happier then in titles who are not so generous.

That is so true. And we accept anyone who follow the server rules into our community.

People will play this game for many different reasons, the trick to having a healthy server population is not rocket science, all it takes is a loosely based set of guidelines and strong core content to work with and the people will show up. Whether or not they role play well or not is not the issue here. It is a matter of getting them on the field and then picking the best folks in the lineup to make your team with.

We have had such a great base population for a long time, years even. Perhaps we have been spoiled...
If new players arrive and need some DM attention to get into RP - just poke me.

If a few get lost sitting in the grass picking dandy lions on their own that's fine. As long as most everyone is happy you will have a healthy server.

Sounds about right!

By the way I am not speaking in this in the abstract, the reverse of what I am suggesting here happened to the NWN1 server I played on and the coup de grace to it was drama combined with a lack of players.

A server with a lot of people can afford to lose some to drama now and then.

A server with very few people can not.

All true, thank you for your input and please, feel free to contribute to the recruitment in whatever way suits you the best!

Cheers!

[Arkalezth]

I mostly agree with Randomyze, but a couple of points:

Make the core game mechanics on the server as close to the original game as possible.

This is actually the case in Dasaria, though I'm not so convinced about that being so attractive to many players. It is for me, but I may be in the minority.

Make the level cap 30 with no ELC. The game has been out for 8 years and finding a copy of the base game without the expansions in basically impossible now

Similarly, the level 20 cap is one of the things I like about Dasaria and that attracted me in the first place (talking about mechanics here, aside of lore and stuff), and not because I don't own the expansions (I do), but simply because I prefer low and mid level gameplay over epic. If it were up to me and my personal preferences, I'd set an even lower cap.

There are plenty of PWs out there with epic levels (some of them even over 30) and Kaedrin's pack and a million custom changes, nerfs and additions. It's nice to have an alternative for those of us who have different preferences or don't give a **** whether this guy is stronger than that other guy in PVP.