What I would really like to talk about is the potential this game has and some feedback from a fairly new player. I know some of you think that tips from a new player about the direction of Warlight is unwelcome, because most online games/boards of this small size usually have a group of vets who have been here since the beginning that think they run everything. I've seen it happen on so many games of similiar size and every time it turns off a majority of new players.
Feedback from new(er) players is most definitely welcome; it's a great way to get a fresh perspective. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to come barging in, declare you're new, then blindly assume something about "a group of vets who have been here since the beginning that think they run everything"... Doesn't seem like a great way to make friends.
*Advertisement(to the masses). Simply put, there are not enough people for multiplayer to run efficiently. I play this all day and I am constantly waiting for a game to open or for people to join a game I create. This is another way to turn off new and old players alike. I like the invitation system but there is no incentive to invite people. Perhaps a reward system, or even granting people membership for a limited time, for inviting every certain amount of people. We(Warliglht) needs to use every means necessary to get us out there. People will come, they just need to know.
Are you sure you're not too impatient? To be fair, I don't play real-time games, so you might have a point, it's just that I can't remember having heard this complaint before.
The incentive for inviting new players is having friends to play with. If you go sit in a room together, you won't have to wait for your game to fill up; your friends can join right away!
Giving rewards for invites is a
very abusable system. What would prevent someone from inviting a million dummy addresses (my.address+1@gmail.com...)?
*Advertisement(for free players). While I do love the ad-free nature of Warlight, it should be a members only luxory. Nothing excessive of course. But Warlight can use this money to advertise the game. This is a win-win. Adds to being a member, and brings players to Warlight.
Please be careful with the word "should". This is Fizzer's site. In my experience he listens to feedback very well, but in the end
it's his site, he alone decides what "should" happen. Besides, some people think any advertisement at all is excessive.
*Membership(costs). The only available option is $30 for lifetime. Warlight is basically saying that anything less is not worth it. Scratch that completley. Instead, lets do a $5 a month membership. Membership numbers will increase tenfold, bringing in more money, which brings more players through advertisement and maybe more features for members. Warlight would even make more money doing this than the $30 lifetime costs.
WL is basically saying that anything less is not worth the hassle, overhead and additional administration, is that what you are saying? (I know it's not; I hope you get my point.)
*6(player limit). This has to go. Asap. While members deserve the 24 players per game, the free 6 is not working. It should be doubled to 12. Within 5 turns of every game I play, at least half the people leave. I am sick and tired of this. It is ruining Warlight. There should be penalties for this. It is almost impossible to play a full and fair game without everyone leaving. It will be harder to accomplish this with 12. Plus, the game is just so much funner with more than 6 people, and there is a lack of members to catch any open games with more than 6.
If you think this is such a severe limitation, why don't you get a membership? You could wait six months to get it if you prefer (save up five bucks a month, the price you yourself suggested, and after six months you'll have the thirty dollar that will get you a lifetime membership). You wanted an incentive to get a membership, here you have it! :)
If you don't like people leaving, you can use open seat prerequisites. Giving penalties is difficult, since there are valid reasons for leaving a game (in real-time games even something as stupid as a connection problem can get you booted). By the way, if you ask nicely, there might be a member willing to create a 6+ player game for you.
*Penalty(time). Part of the above. When you get booted from a game, you shouldn't be allowed to join/open another one for a certain time. This really shouldn't be necessary but it has gotten out of control how often people do this.
As has been pointed out, you yourself have a 24% boot rate. Seems like a case of "the pot calling the kettle black" to me.
Something which you might have overlooked: prereqs! I mentioned them above. If you don't like to wait for open games, a possible reason is that WL hides any open games for which you do not meet the prerequisites. Most prereqs I've seen for maximum boot rate are around 10% to 15%. Your boot rate is much higher than that, which will cause a lot of open games to be invisible to you!
*Refresh(old). This has to go as well. Why is it that I have to hit refresh or wait for it to load just to see how many people has joined a game, or to see new chat.
To reduce the amount of work the server has to do. Servers are very expensive, it's as easy as that.
*Diplomatic(options). Right now, you either start off with the same team all game, or you have to trust your private chat. A diplomacy system(something like Red Alert) would be fantastic. You can do everything mid-game. Declare alliances. Declare war(only attack). Declare truce(cant attack until declare war). Every diplomatic action can float across the screen for a certain time and can be viewed in the diplomatic tab. This will change the way the game is played completely and will be a huge improvement.
I agree it will change the game completely. Whether or not it would be an improvement is an entirely different question! You might like it more like that, but that does not mean other people feel the same way. For instance, in the Risk boardgame there is no (enforced) diplomacy system either; I for one like it that way.
*Personalize(social). Warlight needs to be more personal and social. Personalize profiles. Add friends. An official clan system. Games are so much better when you have friends you can play with. I don't have any friends on here to really play with since its hard to keep up with people.
Then invite some of your friends, what's stopping you? The invite list works more or less like a friend list, have you checked that out already?
