How-to for Improvement

[Armameteus]

*put in rants section as it's more my opinions on how the game could be drastically improved in a realistic light than an open suggestion geared toward the Virtrium staff*

An off-shot of: Longevity. Please read this too.

"Istaria has many Saris, in fact it's the MMO with 7 lives."

I beg to differ, Istaria is GIFTED as well as having Saris Gifted
as a native race. Istaria may have lived 7 lives so far, but
being gifted stretches that out to an Eternity of Lives.
*crosses claws*

I was here during the bleakness that hit the Empire during
the times of EII and the Bankruptcy before that. The days
when you did not know if you would be able to even get to
the server to login. I never stopped waking then, and have
not stopped ever. I like many I know here, will remain until
the blackness rolls over the Empire and we suffer our final defeat
from the Withered Aegis.

Do I believe Istaria has a Future? - For as long as I can wake and
see the world I call my Home, yes!
Do I believe it will grow? - with all my Heart I wish to see this world
restored to its previous glories. When there were 10 Splinters of
our Empire and we saw 100s of newly gifted each day. (I firmly believe
it should never grow to be the size of WOW - it would be ruined IMO)

I continue to pray I win the Lottery BIG, my first act after depositing
my check would be to visit Virtrium's offices and negotiate an investment
to brighten Istaria's future flame.

May the light of Istaria never be extinguished!!

Andaras

The reason the WoW community is as bad as it is today is mainly for two very specific reasons.

1) They're the type of "big company" that care more about what's coming into their funding, rather than making a deep, concentrated effort to make the game all-around better. All they do normally in the new expansions is maybe add a new semi-original (though usually hardly unique compared to the other ones) race, plop in a bunch of completely unnecessary new abilities/schools/whatever-they-are's and raise the level cap by 10. It's hardly more than just fattening up the already obese cash-cow that they perceive it as. If they really wanted to make an effort toward making the game better, they'd try something totally new and never before considered that would really shake up the video game market. Instead, it's just the same bland grey gruel that they shovel into the open maws of those willing to pay for it. This is mainly why they don't force out any players, so long as they pay for "new" content so they don't get bored--they just want their money. The 'fake-new' content is just an easy way of making the game seem better, which gets more people to play, which means more money for them.

2) Because of the fact that they allow their community to get out of hand in terms of the countless trolls/spammers/downright jerks they let in, without seeming to really care about them apart from telling those affected to either "deal with it" or "just ignore them", players tend to start thinking that anonymity somehow entitles them to be a prick. If their community got better, at least a little bit, to show they're really trying to 'exterminate' the 'infestation' of bad players, it would be a whole different story. But they don't. So it isn't.

Why Istaria is better is because...

1) In comparison to WoW, so far it seems that some of the companies that have owned the game aren't in it for the money (some, of course, were, but those were dark, sad times best prayed they don't happen again), and since (as far as I know) Virtrium are independently run, they have the right to choose what goes on within the game. This means it's not about the revenue, but genuinely about what a game should be: making it's players happy. Not the trolls and jerks, but the players that actually have morals and treat the game as a community, rather than an excuse to be a menace to others for their own twisted pleasure.

2)A tight-knit community is one way for it to stay kind and open toward newcomers, but so is just a stringent enough policing of the game to weed out the jerks, as well as the fact that they appear to listen to their players far more than any other MMO I've ever seen. This kind of thing especially makes people happy. Happiness = playing longer/staying longer = a larger community over time.

Really, the main reason not more people play is because the game isn't properly marketed enough. That, and it is pretty out-dated, but that's not the biggest issue. Most well-marketed games with a healthy player base and exceptional longevity have things like banners that appear on every website you go to, advertising them, or have commercials on television and things like that.

Istaria has... nothing. I've never seen even one banner for this site. I've never heard of it in any advertisement anywhere. You can't even google a "playable dragon game" to find it unless you search for a long time. The only reason I found it was from word-of-mouth from a friend and I plan to stay for a long, long time now that I have found it. And that's just it; if when I found it, I realized I absolutely loved the game, I'm sure there must be others that would feel the same way. See this new club on DeviantART (Istaria-Club) to find numerous posts from people saying "OMG, a game with an actual community that doesn't suck?" "Really? A game where you get to play as a dragon?! Sweet!" and so on.

It just needs to get out there better is all. If there was even one banner for it that occasionally appeared when someone was browsing, I bet the player base would see a substantial incline. So long as they effectively weed out the bad apples from the bunch and the current community continues to show respect and tries to get their good nature to rub off on others, I bet this game would continue to have the amazing community that is does, no matter how big it gets. It just takes a little extra effort, but it's so worth it. So incredibly worth it.

I want to believe that Istaria will last for a long time coming.

I want to believe that, once this game is finally given the attention it deserves from the outside world and it really starts to get out there, it will grow.

I want to believe that Virtrium will be able to then take that new revenue and hire a larger staff, get access to better technologies and just generally make their company bigger, better and eventually become the type of indie publisher that, if not necessarily as well-known as Blizzard for instance, is still recognized and respected for the hard work they put in for something they care more about then getting a bigger wallet.

I want to believe that this game will find itself becoming more refined and polished, while still retaining its 'flavor' and not stooping to the levels of copying WoW. Really carving out their own niche of game play style while they still listen to players and what they want, rather than just doing whatever will make them more rich.

I want to believe that this game will attempt the impossible; the things that no other company would even dare try. Not just the half-baked updates that most MMOs do, but really pushing the envelope and striving to make new and exciting things that bring whole new concepts and features to the game. Even if it takes a while, a truly dedicated player will wait patiently for these new updates and rejoice fanatically at their final release. For those that leave for a time, once they come back to check up on it, they'll see these amazing new things and get lost in it all over again.

Even if it doesn't become hugely successful in terms of popularity and money generated, I still want to see it improve because it deserves that kind of love and care. Because Istaria deserves to be respected. Because it deserves get the long-needed improvements it (and many players, I'm sure) have been waiting for. Because Virtrium (and all the other companies that actually cared) deserve to be respected. Because this game deserves to live on for years and years and years and years because it's just plain awesome, as are the people that play it and develop it.

It just needs to be advertised better, for a start at least. Once Vi has a good foothold, they can start trying new things and working to build themselves up. After that, so long as those two factors remain on a constant, steady increase--better advertising, more players, more funding toward the game and the expansion and upgrades of the Virtruim company--then they can really kick it into high gear and begin the major improvements they now have the funding and manpower for.

It all starts with getting the word out first though, all about the unique qualities of the game, the high standards of community that everyone upholds here, the fact that Vi listens to it's players (most of the time). Things like that.

So... anyone got any ideas?

[Kesqui]

Istaria has... nothing. I've never seen even one banner for this site.

Banner ads are a particularly bad way to advertise things, though - there's actually a phenomenon, "banner blindness", that describes how people react to images of a certain size and shape. No matter how good they are, unless they're an "interface screw" that makes it look like your computer's just thrown up an error message, people tend to ignore them.

You can't even google a "playable dragon game" to find it unless you search for a long time.

Search engine optimisation would help in this respect; I can't help but wonder if, for example, this forum has a robots.txt that tells search engines not to index and store pages. If it does, that's a mistake. So is not having appropriate heading text on every page, and a home page that doesn't, explicitly, in machine-readable words, say what the site is about. The video is good, but a search engine can't SEE it.

So long as they effectively weed out the bad apples from the bunch

How do you propose they:

1. Identify "bad apples" (as opposed to "people with whom one or two players have a basic personality conflict" - there's a player on my current shard who, for example, I genuinely dislike... but that doesn't mean that the player in question shouldn't be allowed to play!)
2. Remove these people without running the risk that the offended player will post negative advertising all over the 'net ("Istaria's mods are horrible, they kicked me for no good reason and I can't log in any more, and I had half a month's subscription left, they stole my money, etc....")

It all starts with getting the word out first though, all about the unique qualities of the game, the high standards of community that everyone upholds here, the fact that Vi listens to it's players (most of the time). Things like that.

So... anyone got any ideas?

1. Search engine optimisation. If they don't have anyone on staff that knows enough about it to do a good job of it, they ought to find out if they've got any players who are knowledgeable and willing to help out (Hint: I wouldn't be talking about SEO if I didn't know something about it). Offering in-game incentives to do so might pull more techies out of the woodwork.

2. Social media. Yes, the site has a forum (good - but check that it CAN be indexed by search engines - the robots.txt must not say Disallow: * or Disallow: /forum ). Could do with a Facebook page, maybe a Twitter account, and if someone had the time to do it, a blog. Getting content up there that people can follow, re-tweet and so on... the more people who see the name (and connect it with "hey, look, you can play a dragon" - sorry, Amarie, I'm afraid that IS the flagship defining characteristic of Horizons that no other game has - they really are the "stars of the show", capitalise on it) the better.

[Armameteus]

Banner ads are a particularly bad way to advertise things, though - there's actually a phenomenon, "banner blindness", that describes how people react to images of a certain size and shape. No matter how good they are, unless they're an "interface screw" that makes it look like your computer's just thrown up an error message, people tend to ignore them.

I wasn't really aware of this. Even still though, at least it would be something. What other kinds of advertisements that don't make it look like your comp has been infected by a virus or something (pop-ups and whatnot) could you suggest?

How do you propose they:

1. Identify "bad apples" (as opposed to "people with whom one or two players have a basic personality conflict" - there's a player on my current shard who, for example, I genuinely dislike... but that doesn't mean that the player in question shouldn't be allowed to play!)
2. Remove these people without running the risk that the offended player will post negative advertising all over the 'net ("Istaria's mods are horrible, they kicked me for no good reason and I can't log in any more, and I had half a month's subscription left, they stole my money, etc....")

Identification would be rather obvious, if you ask me. There's a stark difference between someone whom you don't like because you're just too different from one another and someone who deliberately goes out of their way to be a jerk to you and everyone. You know, the flamers, the self-proclaimed "l33ts", the spammers, the thieves (such as with public silos and the like) etc. Harassment like that is rarely segregated to a single target online, so lots of people would likely be affected. It should be encouraged that those types of people be reported if they continue to do that crap even after attempting to be told off by other players.

The thing is, usually, when a player just ignores another player they don't like, that jerk continues to go about their ways being a jerk. If it's really pushed that the community take action rather than ignore them all the time, it could really help to prevent them from cropping up and multiplying. It could even be a selling point for playing the game--the community is friendly, so long as you show them the same respect and it's also safe because you're encouraged to report nere-do'els if they start to become a problem.

As well, maybe certain devs could act as constant mods for the game, just sort of policing each shard in the background. That or maybe trusted players that have been with the game a long time and have proven their reliability and unbiased nature toward offenders could be given a sort of unofficial mod status. Nothing to program in (except maybe a wearable emblem perhaps...?*nudge, nudge*), just that whenever that particular player submits a report, they check it straight away because he/she is one of their player-mods. I know loads of people that, at least in my untrained eyes, would be great candidates if they were so inclined to accept.

As for removing them from the game, I have a few ideas for that. One could be that they're given a clear, in-your-face warning right from the get-go that being a prick will get you kicked. (hey, that's kinda catchy =D) So, even if they do get themselves booted, their complaints will be completely moot should they try to ruin Istaria's reputation. They were clearly warned and agreed to the conditions, yet still decided to break the rules, thus committing what is essentially a violation of the law. Completely justifiable grounds for a ban.

If not that outright, then warnings like an account freeze could be enacted, if such a thing can be done. Perhaps, they wouldn't lose any of the time they'd payed for, but would still be unable to access the game for a set length of time before being allowed back, possibly with some repercussions, like a fixed chat with predetermined phrases or no ability to chat whatsoever for a stint. The former sounds more reasonable for a first-time incident. The latter could be set in place if they continue to violate the rules afterward. Only after multiple infractions and grievances by players would they then be perma-banned, regardless of their account status, as per my first idea above. Like a strike system before they're finally kicked for good, if it so comes to that.

I like to think of it like going into a movie theater after paying for your tickets, only to deliberately disrupt the movie by being obnoxious. Obviously, you aren't supposed to do it and if you continue to get on people's nerves, you get kicked from the theater and your money isn't refunded. That's not theft, it's justice. Such would be the same with Istaria: you go out of your way to ruin the experience of other players in the game, you obviously don't deserve the privilege to be amongst them at all.

Again, not so cut-and-dry, but you get the idea. It would probably take a little time to create those kinds of features for the game, but during the time it would take to get the word out really well, I'm sure the devs could come up with something. It couldn't possibly be that large of an issue to program, since it has so little to do with the game itself, right?

1. Search engine optimisation. If they don't have anyone on staff that knows enough about it to do a good job of it, they ought to find out if they've got any players who are knowledgeable and willing to help out (Hint: I wouldn't be talking about SEO if I didn't know something about it). Offering in-game incentives to do so might pull more techies out of the woodwork.

Maybe you should ask one of the mods or something? If your suspicions hold true, you could offer to help them out. Being able to easily search this place would surely affect positive response.

2. Social media. Yes, the site has a forum (good - but check that it CAN be indexed by search engines - the robots.txt must not say Disallow: * or Disallow: /forum ). Could do with a Facebook page, maybe a Twitter account, and if someone had the time to do it, a blog. Getting content up there that people can follow, re-tweet and so on... the more people who see the name (and connect it with "hey, look, you can play a dragon" - sorry, Amarie, I'm afraid that IS the flagship defining characteristic of Horizons that no other game has - they really are the "stars of the show", capitalise on it) the better.

That's why I kind of liked the original logo when it was called "Horizons", with the prominent, powerful dragon above the title. Really caught the eye. The symbol used for what is now "Istaria" is rather lackluster. I agree that dragons are indeed the focal point of the game and should really be emphasized, as well as made far more developed for the actual game itself. I'd love to see the old logo return or at least something similar for starters. Something that just screams "We've got dragons and, guess what? You can play as one!"

Seriously, look at that DeviantART group, it's the perfect example of why advertisement could easily shoot the player base way up. There are so many people that go "Holy crud! You can play as a dragon in this game?! Where can I download it?! I want to play RIGHT NOW!" and like responses. Obviously, they are the real reason to even bother to play Istaria, apart from the community and interesting lore and since it seems the lack of players in the game is more due to the fact that it's just not very well-known, more people (especially those that have always wanted a playable dragon character) would surely flock in.

As for the Facebook and Twitter account ideas, you think those should be something suggested the devs work on, or should players get involved? The Istaria-club was made by players, I guess, but if it was 'official', rather then fan-made, it would probably generate better results. Of course, if a professional-looking guild like CD worked on a blog and all that, that could likely work wonders as well.

[Unicorn's Lady]

See this new club on DeviantART (Istaria-Club) to find numerous posts from people saying "OMG, a game with an actual community that doesn't suck?" "Really? A game where you get to play as a dragon?! Sweet!" and so on.

Ooops! I need to get my rear back into Deviant! I had let it slide with the 3 of us having a very nasty flu during the late summer, only to finally get my energy up in time to handle Herman going into the hospital a week before Thanksgiving with staph in his bloodstream again. (He's doing much better & will be going back to work this morning.)

Could do with a Facebook page, maybe a Twitter account, and if someone had the time to do it, a blog.

There has been some of that done already.

• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...5437612&ref=mf
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Istari...d/257436935789
• http://www.facebook.com/istaria
• http://www.myspace.com/istariacommunity

And I think they are still doing the Spread the Word program:
https://docs.google.com/View?id=df7564p7_1g7d895gc

I happen to put info about Istaria on my business site: http://yessy.com/treheylcreations

I do think some key advertising might help, but targeting potentially untapped areas that already have similiar interests. Such as dragon lovers, fantasy lovers in general, women's sites (because some might like the fact you can do other things besides fight, & for the most part Istaria is not PvP), and artisan sites (because Istaria is beautiful & some of my screenshots folk don't believe they are in-game shots http://www.elfwood.com )
Perhaps using this advertiser: http://www.projectwonderful.com


Nellie Lovett/Ochre Tekton of Carmo on Order

[Armameteus]

Ooops! I need to get my rear back into Deviant! I had let it slide with the 3 of us having a very nasty flu during the late summer, only to finally get my energy up in time to handle Herman going into the hospital a week before Thanksgiving with staph in his bloodstream again. (He's doing much better & will be going back to work this morning.)

I mean no offense, really, but... who are you on DA? Are you a member of the group?

There has been some of that done already.

• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...5437612&ref=mf
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Istari...d/257436935789
• http://www.facebook.com/istaria
• http://www.myspace.com/istariacommunity

And I think they are still doing the Spread the Word program:
https://docs.google.com/View?id=df7564p7_1g7d895gc

I happen to put info about Istaria on my business site: http://yessy.com/treheylcreations

I do think some key advertising might help, but targeting potentially untapped areas that already have similiar interests. Such as dragon lovers, fantasy lovers in general, women's sites (because some might like the fact you can do other things besides fight, & for the most part Istaria is not PvP), and artisan sites (because Istaria is beautiful & some of my screenshots folk don't believe they are in-game shots http://www.elfwood.com )
Perhaps using this advertiser: http://www.projectwonderful.com

Some of that actually isn't half bad. Your myspace one is particularly useful because of the video. Having a presentation of sorts directly on the main page is a good way to catch attention. If this could be done in other key formats of advertisement, it could really help pull people in.

I'm sad I haven't heard of that Spread the Word program before though. Are you sure they're still doing it? If so, it could be a good incentive to players to really try to... well, spread the word, so long as everyone is aware of it. Might be an idea to kind of show that page around a bit, so long as it's still running; perhaps post it around the forums and on other websites and things. Maybe even convince the devs to perhaps slightly increase the potential "reward" given for certain levels of advertisement? Things that are really professional, that draw the viewer in and whatnot.

Of course, no amount of exposure is too little, if you as me, so it should still be overtly emphasized that anything and everything that gives Istaria a good name as it showcases it would make a difference and possibly be rewarded.

[Vahrokh]

Seriously, look at that DeviantART group, it's the perfect example of why advertisement could easily shoot the player base way up

Since I keep seeing threads started by quotes originated by my posts, I am going to create another controversial post to quote at leisure.

It's not credible that Vi's personnel are so completely clueless with anything related with advertising.

Even a fresh SEO noob like I am could place this site in a better search engine position, could redo the official web site to look more advanced than early 2000s.

Even someone with zero experience in advertisment could "get it" that with zero ads it's kind of hard to become known.
Sure, an article says they made a Google ad but I can't find it even searching hard - figure how little chances got a new perspective player randomly browsing the internet.

So what's going on? These cannot be just coincidences.

What's going on is that what saves Istaria - being able to be developed "part time" - is also what prevents Istaria at growing again.

It's evident that there's people giving their "free" time to upkeep this MMO but those same people have their "true job" as well.

Growing Istaria would mean to be put before the hard choice: quit the true and good paid job and jump in the unknown? A jump into a 7 years old game that needs a deep refactoring otherwise it explodes once there are 1000 concurrent players?

The answer seems to be: "no thanks, I'll keep Istaria alive but only as hobby", therefore they cannot grow the playerbase.
If the playerbase grows, the game needs to be rewritten (including the server side), the hardware upgraded, GMs need to be found and much more.


I don't know what to think, because in both cases we end up with a way less than optimal result but I cannot blame the very persons who are indeed keeping the game alive even if at a slowed down pace.

[velveeta]

I'm sad I haven't heard of that Spread the Word program before though. Are you sure they're still doing it? If so, it could be a good incentive to players to really try to... well, spread the word, so long as everyone is aware of it. Might be an idea to kind of show that page around a bit, so long as it's still running; perhaps post it around the forums and on other websites and things. Maybe even convince the devs to perhaps slightly increase the potential "reward" given for certain levels of advertisement? Things that are really professional, that draw the viewer in and whatnot.

sure is - its how i got and keep the industrial complex......
in all modesty, i have quite a following too! but that because everyone loves xanthia's comix, rather than my posting abilities......
(sorry it is taking so long to get the order fests pix and report taken care of, it's a busy time of year for me at the moment....i promise not to let another week go by without posting something! if i get done with whatever stuff mommy wants me to do, i will do them today)

[Unicorn's Lady]

I mean no offense, really, but... who are you on DA? Are you a member of the group?

Here's a thread with several of us: http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=23229
and nope, I'm not a member of the group yet. When I last checked in, it hadn't been started yet. I'm hoping I'll have the time to get in today and ask to join the group.

I'm sad I haven't heard of that Spread the Word program before though. Are you sure they're still doing it? If so, it could be a good incentive to players to really try to... well, spread the word, so long as everyone is aware of it. Might be an idea to kind of show that page around a bit, so long as it's still running; perhaps post it around the forums and on other websites and things. Maybe even convince the devs to perhaps slightly increase the potential "reward" given for certain levels of advertisement? Things that are really professional, that draw the viewer in and whatnot.

Of course, no amount of exposure is too little, if you as me, so it should still be overtly emphasized that anything and everything that gives Istaria a good name as it showcases it would make a difference and possibly be rewarded.

As far as I know, yes they are still doing that program. You can find a link to it here: http://community.istaria.com (look on the right side, second box down)
and here's the links to the original announcements:
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=21446
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=22952


Nellie Lovett/Ochre Tekton of Carmo on Order

[Armameteus]

Since I keep seeing threads started by quotes originated by my posts, I am going to create another controversial post to quote at leisure.

It's not credible that Vi's personnel are so completely clueless with anything related with advertising.

Even a fresh SEO noob like I am could place this site in a better search engine position, could redo the official web site to look more advanced than early 2000s.

Even someone with zero experience in advertisment could "get it" that with zero ads it's kind of hard to become known.
Sure, an article says they made a Google ad but I can't find it even searching hard - figure how little chances got a new perspective player randomly browsing the internet.

So what's going on? These cannot be just coincidences.

What's going on is that what saves Istaria - being able to be developed "part time" - is also what prevents Istaria at growing again.

It's evident that there's people giving their "free" time to upkeep this MMO but those same people have their "true job" as well.

Growing Istaria would mean to be put before the hard choice: quit the true and good paid job and jump in the unknown? A jump into a 7 years old game that needs a deep refactoring otherwise it explodes once there are 1000 concurrent players?

The answer seems to be: "no thanks, I'll keep Istaria alive but only as hobby", therefore they cannot grow the playerbase.
If the playerbase grows, the game needs to be rewritten (including the server side), the hardware upgraded, GMs need to be found and much more.


I don't know what to think, because in both cases we end up with a way less than optimal result but I cannot blame the very persons who are indeed keeping the game alive even if at a slowed down pace.

I suppose you do have a point. But where does that leave us all then?
I present two hypothetical situations:

Hypothetically, say the game does make a comeback. People start flocking in, signing up, paying money. The servers start to fill up more and more, staying active, people coming and going more frequently.

And then it hits a critical mass. servers start to backup, crash, lag, freeze all because it's becoming so over-crowded. What then? Do the devs simply say "Sorry, we're not going to do anything about it because we'd rather ensure the game never grows"? Do they say "We want the player base to actually be just barely above nonexistant on purpose so we don't have to commit more time toward this thing"? Do they say "We'd rather just do this as a 'hobby', because that's all it is to us. So nuts to the players, the fans, the people we're bothering to even do this for; they can just deal with it"? Is that what's to happen?

And if not that, then what of hypothetical situation #2...?

Hypothetically, say the dev team doesn't want to bother making the game more well known. Say they really would rather it remain permanently (not for a long time, but literally forever, or until they shut it down once and for all) small, weak, barely alive with what few players it even has nowadays. Say they let it remain as such, again, permanently, never bothering to actually try to turn it into something like a business because, hey, it's just a 'hobby'. What then? What becomes of the game itself? Will it ever grow? No. Will it be able to be permanently maintained with what little there is going for it now? Maybe, but not for very long. Will it remain alive for a long time to come, as players choose to move on and forget about the flagging life of this place? Likely no.

Why? Because slowly, everything will begin to stagnate. Nothing is being done to breathe new life into this game--this community. It's just sitting here, collecting dust, while the rest of the world continues into the future. There is a point of no return, where things would become so far advanced compared to the antiquated style of this game that no amount of clever marketing could save it and such a time fast approaches upon Istaria. Games become more advanced in every way and outdated software and programming is discarded and ignored. Yes, it may last for a while longer, but for how long without an attempt at growth and advancement with the rest? Yes, it may not die this year, but what about the next? Or the next one after?

I can honestly understand your point Vah, really I can. How can I ask that they give up their 'other lives' for something that has no assurance of being successful? Truthfully, I can't. And to do so would be greedy and callous. They need to live too and obviously they don't need to even bother with any of this if they didn't want to. Can I blame them? Absolutely not.

But so too, can they blame us for our desires? We, but a small fragile community so close that we would call this place--this silly virtual reality where we forgo common sense for fantasy and comradery--a home? So close as to consider everyone here like surrogate family almost? A place to come to escape the world for whatever our reasons that we could be with others who share our passions, our interests, our company?

Can they blame us that we want to see the thing we enjoy grow and prosper? Can they blame us that we want to see it remain strong for many years to come? Can they blame us that we want to be able to come back to our "home" time and time again without fear that one day, it may very well be gone?

Yes, the fact that it's maintained as a 'hobby' is like a safety net that can prevent it from dying entirely, but, as you said, it acts the same to hinder progress as well. It won't grow. It won't advance. It won't move in time with the beat of the rest of the world. It will simply sit there, stagnating, growing older and older. You can't say the the Virtruim team will remain forever custodian to this game until the day they die. No one can. Neither can anyone say that players, no matter how convicted they may feel now, will be here in the future, for one reason or another.

Can any of us blame them that they wouldn't want to risk their livelihood on the off chance that Istaria becomes huge? No, we can't. But can they blame us that they would tempt us with this game, this community, this home, and then risk its very survival at our expense? ...I can't speak for them. But, of sake of morality... can they actually consider it without burden on their minds?

It's not just a game. For some, this is an escape from a life they'd rather not be living. For others, it's a realm where they can live out fantasies they've had as children, keeping that spark of innocence alive. For more still, this is a place to come to be accepted, no matter who you are, what you look like or what you believe. And for yet more still, this is a place to ignite passion and inspiration, to follow or to guide, to seek refuge and provide solace. And I'm sure I speak for every single person in the game and on this forum that, above all, it really is a home.

So, again, I ask what of the two scenarios? If Istaria takes off, will they simply abandon everyone for the safety of knowing that they will perpetually return home to the daily routine while this place cries out for their help? And, if it doesn't grow, can they promise that they will remain here to forever maintain it, even if their player base is virtually nonexistent, even past that point of no return where Istaria truly is a lost cause and a dying light to those still willing to cling to it in the darkness?

...Or would they go the unexpected route? The risk-filled, courageous route that puts the players--their fans, their admirers, their followers, their confidants, their 'family'--before themselves? Would they, in realizing that they may have some honest potential for growth after this game is finally showcased to the outside world, submit themselves to the course of the unknown and dive head-long into the development of the world of Istaria in an attempt to turn it into the thing it so rightfully should have been from day one? Would they go that extra mile, take that calculated risk, scale that seemingly insurmountable cliff, push that envelope and reach into the very depths of their creative souls to set aflame the ashes and breathe new life into this, our family, our refuge, our home?

Again, I can't speak for them. But I certainly like to think, if they truly hold the convictions they proclaim, that they would. I for one want to believe that there is still a chance. And, as such, I'd like to see these kinds of ideas go through and help shine a light onto this game that it will be found. Do as you would, but I will push as hard as I can and stop only when Istaria itself has faltered.

[Armameteus]

Here's a thread with several of us: http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=23229
and nope, I'm not a member of the group yet. When I last checked in, it hadn't been started yet. I'm hoping I'll have the time to get in today and ask to join the group.



As far as I know, yes they are still doing that program. You can find a link to it here: http://community.istaria.com (look on the right side, second box down)
and here's the links to the original announcements:
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=21446
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=22952


Nellie Lovett/Ochre Tekton of Carmo on Order

Well, it's still running, so that's good. But it's so... unemphasized. All it gets is that one tiny little box on a vast page. Unless I was looking for it specifically, I'd likely miss it. As well, "Spread the Word" doesn't really say much toward the actual program itself.

But that's just my opinion. What does anyone else think?

[AmonGwareth]

I don't know where you all got the idea that this is a hobby for us. This is a job and some of us are paid for the work we do. Yes, there are volunteers, but not everyone is a volunteer. Some of us, however, do have other day jobs we also do that aren't related to Istaria (not everyone on the staff does, but some do).

To address Armameteus' concerns, obviously we don't want the game to stagnate and die. We wouldn't be adding new features and content on a regular basis if we did.

[Kesqui]

I wasn't really aware of this. Even still though, at least it would be something. What other kinds of advertisements that don't make it look like your comp has been infected by a virus or something (pop-ups and whatnot) could you suggest?

If I was going to do it I'd approach forums specifically dedicated to fantasy fans / gamers / and ask if they allow banner ads - at least then you're advertising to the right SORT of people.

Search "Dragon Forums" for example - and find some to approach about banner ads. Graphic banners MIGHT be effective at that point.

Identification would be rather obvious, if you ask me. There's a stark difference between someone whom you don't like because you're just too different from one another and someone who deliberately goes out of their way to be a jerk to you and everyone.

But one person's "jerk" is another person's "abrupt, straight-talking, no-nonsense dude." There's a couple of reptile forums where I suspect some people think I'm a jerk, for example - and other people think I just say things like they are. Do I want to get banned because some folks don't like how I speak? No. Do I think it's fair if I haven't overtly broken the rules or personally insulted anyone? No. Do I think it's fair if I've gone too far and DESERVE being banned? Yes, as long as the mod in question explains what I did wrong.

But I'm not the average gamer or internet user any more... taking personal responsibility for one's actions seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

You know, the flamers, the self-proclaimed "l33ts", the spammers, the thieves (such as with public silos and the like) etc. Harassment like that is rarely segregated to a single target online, so lots of people would likely be affected. It should be encouraged that those types of people be reported if they continue to do that crap even after attempting to be told off by other players.

If it's genuine harassment, players shouldn't be taking it into their own hands at all - they should be simply hitting the "report" button or going onto the support site to send a support ticket.

As for removing them from the game, I have a few ideas for that. One could be that they're given a clear, in-your-face warning right from the get-go ....their complaints will be completely moot should they try to ruin Istaria's reputation.

Bad reviews - no matter how discredited the source might be - are more likely to get more attention (and the wrong sort) than good ones. It's like the saying that if you have ten satisfied customers and ten unsatisfied ones, you'll get one good review/recommendation.... and ten complaints.

People don't go out of their way to express happiness with things. They DO go out of their way to express unhappiness, and Joe Bloggs who reads a review of Istaria saying it's horrible, and the devs stole their subscrption money (because Jack Rulebreaker isn't going to TELL Joe what he did to get banned three days into play, and Joe might not think to ask) will get passed around the 'net like it is fact.

And if people hear Jack Rulebreaker shouting about how unfair it was he's lost 27 days worth of subscription money, the game stole his money, don't sign up because they steal your money and don't let you play.... how many people would sign up for the game?

It couldn't possibly be that large of an issue to program, since it has so little to do with the game itself, right?

Being a professional web developer, I must admit I can't say "not that difficult to program" about ANY programming problem. I don't know how difficult it would be to completely rebuild the chat client in the game so that certain players are only able to select certain preset phrases or cannot post chat at all...

Maybe you should ask one of the mods or something? If your suspicions hold true, you could offer to help them out. Being able to easily search this place would surely affect positive response.

I'd be willing to help... I could certainly offer what SEO skill I have. I'm not hugely experienced (my primary interest, professionally, is usability rather than search engine marketing), but I don't know whether Virtrium has the manpower to actually *effect* any of the changes.

As for the Facebook and Twitter account ideas, you think those should be something suggested the devs work on, or should players get involved?

I think the devs need to set them up - officially sanctioned and branded - but having someone who's willing to devote some time from the player side would indeed be worthwhile.

[Armameteus]

If I was going to do it I'd approach forums specifically dedicated to fantasy fans / gamers / and ask if they allow banner ads - at least then you're advertising to the right SORT of people.

Search "Dragon Forums" for example - and find some to approach about banner ads. Graphic banners MIGHT be effective at that point.

I'm not familiar with any sorts of forums or websites unfortunately. I frequent the internet rather selectively and will usually only 'check out' something new if recommended by someone I trust or I see an advertisement that really piques my interest. Plus, that would be more for the devs to organize, due to costs for advertising and the actual creation of the banner, etc. Unless of course there were some overly-generous forum out there that wouldn't push for payment or something, but those are few and far between. =\

But one person's "jerk" is another person's "abrupt, straight-talking, no-nonsense dude." There's a couple of reptile forums where I suspect some people think I'm a jerk, for example - and other people think I just say things like they are. Do I want to get banned because some folks don't like how I speak? No. Do I think it's fair if I haven't overtly broken the rules or personally insulted anyone? No. Do I think it's fair if I've gone too far and DESERVE being banned? Yes, as long as the mod in question explains what I did wrong.

But I'm not the average gamer or internet user any more... taking personal responsibility for one's actions seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

That's what I meant about being a "jerk". However, harassment can be taken differently between different people. Obviously, there would be ground rules for what is and isn't considered harassment like there are now. I personally would be just the slightest touch more stringent--oh, so tiny--but that's just me. This kind of harassment would be the kind players try to settle of their own accord. And, under those slightly tweaked rule sets, have the right to possibly file a report on them if it gets out of hand.

If it's genuine harassment, players shouldn't be taking it into their own hands at all - they should be simply hitting the "report" button or going onto the support site to send a support ticket.

...And this is what I was referring to for near-immediate reports. Some of these can still be handled to a degree by other players, but it should be completely up to them if they want to file a report immediately or try to work it out themselves.

Bad reviews - no matter how discredited the source might be - are more likely to get more attention (and the wrong sort) than good ones. It's like the saying that if you have ten satisfied customers and ten unsatisfied ones, you'll get one good review/recommendation.... and ten complaints.

People don't go out of their way to express happiness with things. They DO go out of their way to express unhappiness, and Joe Bloggs who reads a review of Istaria saying it's horrible, and the devs stole their subscrption money (because Jack Rulebreaker isn't going to TELL Joe what he did to get banned three days into play, and Joe might not think to ask) will get passed around the 'net like it is fact.

And if people hear Jack Rulebreaker shouting about how unfair it was he's lost 27 days worth of subscription money, the game stole his money, don't sign up because they steal your money and don't let you play.... how many people would sign up for the game?

I see your point, I suppose. Of course, if that particular person is an inherent jerk most of the time anyway and makes himself/herself out to be known as such, not many people with actual morals will likely listen. Would you care for the word of someone who you know goes out of their way to be obnoxious? I know I certainly wouldn't. If anything, I'd assume them to be lies just because of a bad experience they had with the game (and rightfully so they did, but of their own fault). As for those that would believe him/her, even knowing the kind of nasty personality they have (by which I refer specifically to the outright harassers, not the 'straight up dude' kind of people), they're likely friends of said 'jerk', which, as a general rule of thumb, would mean those people could vicariously be similar to the original offender in personality, meaning that many potential bad apples are actually being deterred for us.

Yeah, it can be finicky, I guess. But getting a few bad ratings would happen if the rules weren't enforced as strictly anyway, what with the abundance of those same bad apples being left to run around in Istaria unchained. The main idea to get out is that we're a community that frowns quite heavily upon disrespectful and outright socially violent behavior and that punishment for said behavior would be swift and unwavering from our beliefs, just like real laws are enforced in real life. That in itself would attract far more than it could deter, if you ask me. All you'd have to do is just be a nice guy and use common sense. If someone doesn't like the way you speak to them, you apologize and either try to speaking differently or politely tell them that it's just the way you talk and you don't mean any harm. If they still don't care, then either their skin is WAY too thin, or they're actually trying to instigate a confrontation.

Being a professional web developer, I must admit I can't say "not that difficult to program" about ANY programming problem. I don't know how difficult it would be to completely rebuild the chat client in the game so that certain players are only able to select certain preset phrases or cannot post chat at all...

I certainly hope my words haven't conjured up nightmares of binary digits attacking you whilst you flounder in a sea of coding.

I'd like to see something like it considered though. It would be a very effective deterrent for those that are stupid enough to think they can be obnoxious and get away with just a slap on the wrist.

I'd be willing to help... I could certainly offer what SEO skill I have. I'm not hugely experienced (my primary interest, professionally, is usability rather than search engine marketing), but I don't know whether Virtrium has the manpower to actually *effect* any of the changes.

Offer up your services then, maybe? I believe it was you who said you wanted to be able to help out in any way you could to develop the game, including stand alone donations. Since they don't accept that, then maybe they'll accept free labour?

I think the devs need to set them up - officially sanctioned and branded - but having someone who's willing to devote some time from the player side would indeed be worthwhile.

I agree. Being endorsed directly by the company members would add a touch of professionalism, as well as reassure others that it's all legitimate. Of course, players are welcome to make their own contributions, as well, yes. Maybe even creating a small network of pages (like a website within a website) that are all related to istaria, some player-made and some mod-made, would add a higher possibility of being found 'by chance', while still retaining the authenticity of being directly linked to a mod-created page possibly?

[stephan27]

You have high hopes for the game, and I believe you. But first we must get new people. A bigger community would also be a great improvement. So that you won't need to travel all the way to Aughundell, just to get someone to help you with something in New Trimus.

Not long ago I posted a unofficial trailer for Istaria, but I had to take it off youtube cause my brother found out about it. (He is the kind of guy who will make **** up from this just to make me feel bad.) But I will re-upload it and make more trailers, maybe even a videos with a storyline.

So if everyone would upload there videos, if only just to get Istaria some attention, our community could grow extremely fast.

[Armameteus]

You have high hopes for the game, and I believe you. But first we must get new people. A bigger community would also be a great improvement. So that you won't need to travel all the way to Aughundell, just to get someone to help you with something in New Trimus.

Not long ago I posted a unofficial trailer for Istaria, but I had to take it off youtube cause my brother found out about it. (He is the kind of guy who will make **** up from this just to make me feel bad.) But I will re-upload it and make more trailers, maybe even a videos with a storyline.

So if everyone would upload there videos, if only just to get Istaria some attention, our community could grow extremely fast.

That's the idea. The first and most important step is advertising Istaria's existence to the outside world. This is clearly one of those games that's like a literal dimond in the rough. There are so many other, far more well marketed MMOs out there that a game like this is easily crowded out and hidden. If we start to make a statement for ourselves, devs and players alike, we might draw a little more attention to ourselves and get more people to check it out.

So, yeah, uploading videos to media websites would be one means of getting noticed.

[Guaran]

I think some videos on youtube with the appropriate search terms in the title couldn't hurt, and would not cost anything either.

[LOVWYRM]

btw- what happened to your wonderful sig, Guaran?

[Guaran]

Temporarily offline. It will be back later today

[Armameteus]

I think some videos on youtube with the appropriate search terms in the title couldn't hurt, and would not cost anything either.

I know that right now, the 'big' thing for any video on Youtube that involves footage from a video game is a "Let's Play". For those that don't know, a Let's Play (or "LP" for short) is basically a series of videos of someone recording their play footage while commentating over it, until the game is completed. Think of it like a tutorial centered around the entire video game in question, with the player acting as a sort of host to keep it interesting.

I've never seen a very successful full-scale LP of any MMO, but I have seen sorts of mini-LPs in which the player records a small chunk(s) of the game play for any reason. I've seen WoW LP's (back when I didn't know much about the game and wanted to get an idea of what all the fuss was about) much in that format, usually because the player wants to showcase a certain aspect of the game, like a tutorial of a particular quest or a type of strategy to play the game with.

So, yeah, maybe someone needs to start up a "Let's Play Istaria" series on Youtube perhaps. There are droves of people out there that watch these sorts things all the time, so an LP is bound to get noticed.

[meepsa]

I know that right now, the 'big' thing for any video on Youtube that involves footage from a video game is a "Let's Play". For those that don't know, a Let's Play (or "LP" for short) is basically a series of videos of someone recording their play footage while commentating over it, until the game is completed. Think of it like a tutorial centered around the entire video game in question, with the player acting as a sort of host to keep it interesting.

I've never seen a very successful full-scale LP of any MMO, but I have seen sorts of mini-LPs in which the player records a small chunk(s) of the game play for any reason. I've seen WoW LP's (back when I didn't know much about the game and wanted to get an idea of what all the fuss was about) much in that format, usually because the player wants to showcase a certain aspect of the game, like a tutorial of a particular quest or a type of strategy to play the game with.

So, yeah, maybe someone needs to start up a "Let's Play Istaria" series on Youtube perhaps. There are droves of people out there that watch these sorts things all the time, so an LP is bound to get noticed.

I've actually been thinking about doing LP's for istaria, it's just that my current mic isnt what it used to be lol, and untill my own comp is fixed I wont be able to do much without logging off the next 5 minutes