Author Topic: How to acquire more players  (Read 19012 times)

Offline Harrywangs

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How to acquire more players
« on: December 31, 2022, 01:22:49 PM »
We kind of touched on this in the other thread but I wanted to start a fresh one. In order to execute something like this, it needs to be handled like starting a new business. We often say, we need to advertise, which is absolutely correct but, as stated before, once you get someone to want to download the game, we have hurdles that would be best if they could be addressed by us before that. We need, in a sense, a business plan.

I understand some of this will be more difficult or possibly not doable (basically the 2nd one) but maybe we can do some sort of workaround or something.

1) Leaders- who will be in charge of making sure things get done/ideas/implementation/sourcing feedback/committees/deadlines


2) Downloading Game- Deal with RU/Virus/Safety/Limit individual files/Structure and process of actual download (player)

3) Internal Functionality- Website update or revamp/banner/Some sort of notification option of games hosted/Server Status Page advertisement or link/Clean up "spam" or all of the text when you initially log in/Faster refresh when you click "join"/Ease of access to resources/Admins?/new innovations (maybe automatically hosted games for new people or for GOWEF/Chop vs computers? Idk, random thought) (Or maybe hosted games with closed slots that are there just to communicate)

These are just quick random things off the top of my head. More would be needed as well as input from others.

4) How to retain new players:

      A- More games available
      B- What is our "competition" doing right that we are not? (USA)
      C- Have a timeframe where people host games for new people weekly? (better players do like 3v1s or something so it's not so boring?)
      D- What are we already doing good and how can we capitalize on it
      E- SPOCS to assist new players

5) How to retain veteran players?

      A- Tournaments- the bigger the better. More advertisement via the channels we have available/new ones. Longer time to advertise. Make it a
      "festival" as Burnt used to do. I love me some smurf tournaments. (No tendencies from players you know!!)
      B- Certain times for good players to play
      C- A single platform for players to communicate outside of actual warcraft to talk about when people want to play
      D- Make them fun outside of the actual gameplay. The smurf thing lets people make creative names based off of a certain subject. (IE- the
      Halloween one I did) Sounds stupid, but kind of fun too. Hallowangs would agree.
      E- No 6/8 tournament. Any player who starts 6 or 8 visions everyone to prove it then new game is started until nobody has it.
      F- Fix ladder for team games (2s)

6) Tournaments

      A- Have tournaments be during consistent times of the year. So, like, you could do all holiday ones so players know that, during xmas break, there
      will be a tourney every year. This way they can anticipate it.
      B- Length- are they too short or too long?
      C- Qualifiers?
      D- Top 10 ladder player tourney?
      E- Funding (can tora fund everything?!?!) How do we get more funding so he doesn't have to. So many people on here brag they easily make
      200k+...
      F- Ask players what would excite them
      G- Streaming- Make sure people know who is streaming and how to get there. It seems you have to hear by word of mouth via channel and even
      then, by time people do or don't, they are in other games or left.
      Tiered Tournaments- This has been done before but you can exclude higher skilled players, so others have a fighting chance.
      Weighted Tournaments- 1 loss hurts more for some than others. Might be stupid or unable to be executed but I'm just typing stuff.

7) Features- Things like server status page, obs feature, in game info like apm, things in channel, game bots (only via whispers so you don't annoy everyone). Things that don't necessarily have to do with the gameplay but other options that make the game more interesting and user friendly.

8.) Advertisement

      A) U8 and other war2 player's twitch
      B) Other non-war2 twitch users- many play old games and such, request war2 and have them give a shout out.
      C) Youtube- start our own video or look at other videos already posted and comment in the section to let people know we exist. I've seen many
      where people go, it's dead now, nobody is on or I wish I could still play.
      D) Reddit and other forums
      E) Comments on other games- similar games like sc2, war3 and other RTS sites/forums/youtube comments could be good places to advertise too.

9) GOWEF Map Fix? (The bare minimum only)

      A) 6- Add 1 tree
      B) 8- take away 1 tree
      C) 4- take away 1 tree
      I'm going to guess this won't be overly popular with the higher skilled players for reasons I already argued about the resolution. Although
      everyone would be playing the same map. I created this map a while ago actually. It'll change the game, but I tell you what, I hear top players bitch
      about spots more than anyone else. Then if/when they lose, they blame spots. "I had 6/8 3x in a row" I'm not trying to split the community either
      though. Everyone hates these spots. I've questioned this since day 1.


This is simply a brainstorm but as you can see, simply getting more people to DL it isn't really the right way to go about it. Fixing this issue is a lot more involved than most people think. If you want to do something right, you have to do it right. It will involve some money, time, and mostly manpower.



« Last Edit: January 22, 2023, 12:48:21 PM by Harrywangs »

Offline Harrywangs

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2022, 01:44:17 PM »
I hope/assume there will be many replies. I do ask that you keep the replies productive because, given the amount of information said, there is a lot of material for non-productive replies to be made.

For example,  C- Have a timeframe where people host games for new people weekly? (better players do like 3v1s or something so it's not so boring?)

Then SG replying with, I do that every day anyways.

Offline Mistral

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2022, 04:46:41 PM »
there is a version of gow exists named GOW TE (tournament edition probably?)
a somewhat balanced version
at least 6 and 8 even though still shitty but seems more playable

also about features like obs mode or in game apm/timer they already exists on server i maked them some time ago

Offline Harrywangs

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2022, 06:05:36 PM »
Yeah, TE changes more things than just those 3 though.

I know you made them. I was saying if anyone has more ideas about things similar to those because those are great! :)

Offline Player

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2022, 09:22:48 PM »
Adding on to #2, the download process should be simplified.  Maybe pick a language drop down and you get one single version to download from the site.  Then on the installer, a default option that installs what's needed with one click.  An advanced option can be there if you really want to go to a screen where you want to select all your options.  Last time I downloaded the game there were a million options at every step which was annoying. 

Offline Szwagier

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2023, 04:33:29 AM »
there is a better option, play more better balanced map than gow, or play gow bne EF, problem is that old players dont want






wonder what you happen if @~ToRa~  host tournament cash on diffrent map than gow
« Last Edit: January 01, 2023, 07:39:05 AM by Szwagier »
http://www.youtube.com/user/SzwagierR


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Offline Dudakurten

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2023, 08:09:38 AM »
there is a better option, play more better balanced map than gow, or play gow bne EF, problem is that old players dont want






wonder what you happen if @~ToRa~  host tournament cash on diffrent map than gow

I will host on the other weekend a 1s tour with multiple maps giving a good prize to top4 (upon tora approval $$$).

Offline ~ToRa~

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2023, 09:52:11 AM »
there is a better option, play more better balanced map than gow, or play gow bne EF, problem is that old players dont want



wonder what you happen if @~ToRa~  host tournament cash on diffrent map than gow

Nobody would play because players only play GOW.
I already experimented with hosting map pool and it didn't work.
war2 > war3

Offline Harrywangs

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2023, 01:42:12 PM »
You're not going to be able to change GOW as being the primary map.

Offline Wargasm

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2023, 03:07:11 PM »
Working team ladder

Offline Harrywangs

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2023, 03:59:18 PM »
That would be a good way to retain people, I agree. Games would mean more. Blid was the one working on that before? Can someone else? He made it seem like it wouldn't be a ton of work I thought? Or was that iL?

Offline Szwagier

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #11 on: January 02, 2023, 10:28:39 AM »
You're not going to be able to change GOW as being the primary map.


and new people will not start play gow 24/7
http://www.youtube.com/user/SzwagierR


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Offline Dudakurten

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2023, 10:38:04 AM »
Gow is also my favorite. I will not host a tour without gow. However i am always adding different maps.

Offline Dudakurten

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #13 on: January 02, 2023, 10:45:24 AM »
Working team ladder

I was in touch with IL. Few months ago we fixed the part where gow is not counting for ladder. The idea is to have short seasons and do by ELO rating instead of the current rule.

Only 1s ladder, not team ladder (which should be possible to have as well in my opinion but far away to have it).


Offline Dudakurten

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Re: How to acquire more players
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2023, 10:46:08 AM »
Btw very good topic from Harry.