KoldesLives
Journeyman
In UOF we are fortunate enough to have active staff that is constantly tweaking things or adding new content. That’s pretty awesome for a 20 year old wizard game. However, the vast majority of the time, the content that is getting adjusted or added isn’t a high priority on actual player’s minds. Often enough the changes get reverted or changed so they are more in line with what players want after a few days of player panic. This means that changes frequently catch players off guard, cause heavy frustration and players don’t feel like their opinion means anything.It also means players can't invest in their characters without fear of massive changes coming out of the blue without a single warning.
Instead of continuing this current system, I think staff needs to poll players on what they want done first, and then do their best to have future updates reflect what players actually want. This is similar to what the Suggestions & Ideas forum is, but it can be done in an elevated official way. You don’t have to give unlimited options, but you could provide a handful of realistic options that staff can accomplish. Showing the poll results and staff being clear about
It has several big benefits to everyone from new players to vets to staff:
-Players feel heard
-Content that players want gets implemented or changed, enhancing the game experience; players play for longer and donate more
-Staff doesn’t put time or effort into things that aren’t desired, less resources put into rarely used content
For example, if you were to poll current players for the priorities of what they want fixed in the game, I think a rough expectation would be something along the lines of:
Using these hypothetical numbers as an example, you can see that militia updates, fixing existing dungeons and fixing the existing slayer contract system are all player priorities along with new dono items. However, recently and soon we’ll be getting new dono items, new dungeon, and stealing and pet stealing have all been adjusted. What the players want and staff’s priorities aren’t synced. This is okay for one or two changes, but long term I think it creates a player happiness problem that can and should be easily prevented.
Staff can still use their judgement on what changes are coming first, what staff has resources and time for. Staff is still the final call. But, players need to be able to proactively contribute in a more transparent manner of what's to come.
TL
R: Have staff poll players to get a gauge on what they want prioritized and try as much as possible to accommodate those priorities.
Instead of continuing this current system, I think staff needs to poll players on what they want done first, and then do their best to have future updates reflect what players actually want. This is similar to what the Suggestions & Ideas forum is, but it can be done in an elevated official way. You don’t have to give unlimited options, but you could provide a handful of realistic options that staff can accomplish. Showing the poll results and staff being clear about
It has several big benefits to everyone from new players to vets to staff:
-Players feel heard
-Content that players want gets implemented or changed, enhancing the game experience; players play for longer and donate more
-Staff doesn’t put time or effort into things that aren’t desired, less resources put into rarely used content
For example, if you were to poll current players for the priorities of what they want fixed in the game, I think a rough expectation would be something along the lines of:
Militias/Consensual PvP – 25%
New Dono Items - 17%
Booty Dungeon/Asylum/Existing Dungeon Revamp – 15%
Slayer Contract Monster Revamp – 15%
Meta Crafter – 15%
New Meta Pet – 5%
New Dungeon – 5%
Pet Stealing Revamp – 5%
Stealing Decoy PS – 3%
New Dono Items - 17%
Booty Dungeon/Asylum/Existing Dungeon Revamp – 15%
Slayer Contract Monster Revamp – 15%
Meta Crafter – 15%
New Meta Pet – 5%
New Dungeon – 5%
Pet Stealing Revamp – 5%
Stealing Decoy PS – 3%
Using these hypothetical numbers as an example, you can see that militia updates, fixing existing dungeons and fixing the existing slayer contract system are all player priorities along with new dono items. However, recently and soon we’ll be getting new dono items, new dungeon, and stealing and pet stealing have all been adjusted. What the players want and staff’s priorities aren’t synced. This is okay for one or two changes, but long term I think it creates a player happiness problem that can and should be easily prevented.
Staff can still use their judgement on what changes are coming first, what staff has resources and time for. Staff is still the final call. But, players need to be able to proactively contribute in a more transparent manner of what's to come.
TL
R: Have staff poll players to get a gauge on what they want prioritized and try as much as possible to accommodate those priorities.