Dead servers, open servers is the solution?

[Smoking]

What is the problem? Why some servers with capacity for 40 players are empty having launched the game so i left 3 months ago?

When the game started, May 8, there was an arms race. Nothing was established and all the clans were at war. That gave emotion to the game. But when a victorious clan rose, everything was over. What can an alpha clan do once with the server controlled? Keep controlling it, and this give rise to not let any new clan grow on your server for fear of losing control.

And so it is the server, servers with capacity for 40 players and there is only the alpha clan.

What is the solution? I believe that opening the servers is a good solution, as in ark, the fear of an external threat from your own server causes a stream of players to flow on the servers.

With servers open to invasion:

1- the alpha clan will be interested in having allied clans on their own servers to an external threat.

2- the new clan would have an opportunity to grow by not having the exclusive threat of the alpha clan.

3- you no do need to raise the level of another pj if you pack your bags to another server.

4- the alpha clan would continue with their arms race.

5- Rises and fall of empires (Destroy the alpha clan and free the server from its control)

And much more.

I think this would be a good solution to give intensity to the gane.

I feel the misspellings committed, iam learning inglish.

[Mikey]

Heh, again and again this request. Well, I don’t really care, doesn’t impact me much either way.

But generally this is a game that lends itself oh-so-well to making others not want to play with you, so… why (if) this situation has come as as surprise to anyone, I don’t know.

And of course a part of the problem is the fairly significant downturn in players overall, combined with the inevitable fragmentation of the playerbase into private servers tweaked to their preferences.

[Smoking]

Is this suggestion very much requested? I think it really is needed. I play on an official server and I’m alpha. And even if the new updates come as pets and magic, I have nothing to do. Hopefully with these updates increase the player base. Right now I have nothing to do, I’m really thinking about leaving the game out of boredom.

I have the base very well protected, with reservations at the top, with many guards and well armed, with other bases strategically placed and well supplied.

I have created a coliseum and I give starter kits for the new players, and even then I have nothing to do.

[Mikey]

Preface: All of the following is with officials in mind. Private servers with a more social bent and/or specific rules in place will naturally differ.

@Smoking

Is this suggestion very much requested?

This and derivatives (being able to permanently do a server transfer for lvl 60 characters).

@Smoking

I play on an official server and I’m alpha. And even if the new updates come as pets and magic, I have nothing to do. Hopefully with these updates increase the player base. Right now I have nothing to do, I’m really thinking about leaving the game out of boredom.

Yes this is unfortunately often inherent to “being alpha” in a PVP setting. For obvious reasons you can’t force others to play with you, and for a lot of players there’s little incentive to continue a fight against an alpha clan. Some no doubt find it fun, but they seem fairly rare - and as there’s currently more servers than players, odds are you won’t see them on your server.

@Smoking

I have the base very well protected, with reservations at the top, with many guards and well armed, with other bases strategically placed and well supplied.

I have created a coliseum and I give starter kits for the new players, and even then I have nothing to do.

Well I can only speak for myself here, but feeling that you’re only allowed to play (live) at someone else’s mercy isn’t particularly attractive. It worked in the real world because people didn’t really have much of an option, but that’s obviously not the case here.

You can of course reroll on a new server and see what it’s like to be the new player faced with an alpha player or clan, might give you some ideas on what (and what not) to do on your “home” server?

[Smoking]

That last thing I already do to have something to do. From what I understand, you play alone, in your own game? What you say makes no sense. Then there is no incentive to play pvp? that is … After all the sacrifice to get to control the server, now I have to end it to start again on another server if I want to continue having pvp? that can not be a solution. Normal that this way the game is abandoned.

Something has to be done because the servers are dying, and we will have a wild conan very wild but only to make houses.

[Mikey]

@Smoking

From what I understand, you play alone, in your own game?

Nope, I play on an official PVE server.

@Smoking

Then there is no incentive to play pvp? that is … After all the sacrifice to get to control the server, now I have to end it to start again on another server if I want to continue having pvp?

Do it or don’t, I don’t care. It was a suggestion. No-one is forced to play with you. Maybe the idea that “controlling” your server is a goal is your problem? Sure, you’re not the only one who thinks this way, but it’s also a goal that inherently risks alienating everyone else, almost by design. There’s more servers than players, so if someone makes a server a pain to play on, it’s easy to just move somewhere else.

You sound like that guy who thought a good model of co-operative play was him being the King and everyone else his servants…

[miodeleo]

Well, a thought comes to my mind. If I am or have a what you call alpha dominating Clan, and can transfer to other servers, I could bring the Clan to other server, dominate that new server and move on to the next, do the same and repeat endlessly. So, the whole official servers would be left out to a dominant Clan sweeping over each and every one of them, leading to an either you join it or quit official servers forever . Yes, that is mean thinking, but I anticipate what players would be able to do. Given the chance, and given that not all players have… morality?, that scenario is most likely to happen. Don’t you think?

Someone at Funcom, surely has come to the same conclusion I think. Key point here is, think not only the benefits of the action but also the cons that rise along with them. That’s why server transfers are not going to happen I think.

Edit: forgot something, if the server is dead maybe it’s because your alpha clan killed it? Think about it.

[Smoking]

Normal that you think so if you play pve, safe and the only thing that threatens you is the decay. But what about those who want to play pvp? those who need the excitement of risking and winning? or lose? because there is the emotion of the pvp. The risk.

I see that you do not care about the pvp, but to those who do, this game does not give them what they want. So I opened this thread in suggestions, to know the opinion of those who do seek pvp and if I can help to get a better pvp experience.

[Smoking]

An alpha clan that controls all the servers? Are you aware of what you say? It is impossible to maintain 2 or 3 servers, it requires many things besides time. That does not happen even in ark and the raids are 24/7.

and why should I be to blame for the server being empty? there were many more clans that were also at war. And you were forced to destroy or destroy you. It is now that I have finished the war that reigns peace. I can not raid to the new players, what grace has?

That’s why open servers are needed, so that alpha clans can attack us.

[miodeleo]

Oh, I’m not blaming you, just asking and wondering why you say server is dead. If you get to the reasons behind a server beeing dead, maybe you get to the solution on how to bring THAT server alive again.

[Mikey]

@miodeleo

Well, a thought comes to my mind. If I am or have a what you call alpha dominating Clan, and can transfer to other servers, I could bring the Clan to other server, dominate that new server and move on to the next, do the same and repeat endlessly.

This is exactly what would happen. It’s the same thing that happens on most servers, just at a bigger scale.

@Smoking

Normal that you think so if you play pve, safe and the only thing that threatens you is the decay.

Well decay and the offline purges, but yeah, sure.

I’m not trying to solve the inherent problems of a PVP environment, that’s way beyond my purview. This did start as a wry comment on how often this (or something like it) gets suggested, usually by people who are exactly in the OP’s situation: They’ve chased off all contenders and are now bored.

@miodeleo

if the server is dead maybe it’s because your alpha clan killed it? Think about it.

That’s what I was getting at. But OP is right that the game design encourages this - and if his clan didn’t do it, someone else would’ve.

[miodeleo]

Okay that’s fine. If game in pvp mode sort of encourages players to do so, meaning dominate the server alone or with your Clan, once you reached the goal I suggest you leave the server and start in a new one. But bringing your toon with all stuff wouldn’t seem fair to me in regards to the players already playing in that new server. It’s like starting the game with full level and the stuff you like, then you should give the same starting conditions to every player in that server, moreso considering it’s in a pvp environment.

[Vvanskil]

A single spawn item that grants clan buffs would help create more drive for players to fight one another give it a “I am here” aura or something. Adding an alliances function for the non alpha clans to fight alphas. It goes on there are steps they can and should take to make PvP servers more enticing. PvE could add in roaming god sized monsters, lore based, that would spawn randomly and target bases based on size and activity. It’ll give non PvP servers something to fight against and hopefully clean up any empty/abandoned bases to make room for active players. Thoughts?

[Smoking]

But how am I going to leave everything I’ve got to start from scratch on a new server? That pvp model is not going to have a prosperous life. Conquer a server is not an easy task, it takes time, dedication and luck.

[miodeleo]

I understand your point of course, what you have to ask yourself is: what do you want to achieve or what is your motivation to play?. If your goal is as the game advertises, survive-conquer-dominate, then you have finished the game my friend. Either start over or get a different game to play. I don’t want you to quit of course,but when there is not much else to do… there is not much else to do, that’s it. You reached “your” end game. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but that’s how it is, usually all games have an end, or come to a point where you put it a side for some time to come back later if you get the kicks and nostalgy (?) again.

Edit: you could try private servers for a change, you’ll probably be surprised how different things are in the private World!

[Smoking]

But why should I leave the game? I had a great time with Conan exiles and I like it. I can not understand that this is the developer’s idea. If I develop a game, I want everyone to play it and that they are always playing it and against more they play it better.

If the servers are empty because when a moment comes the player has nothing to do. It is a problem that you have to solve.

Of course what I’m looking for now, today, prepared and ready for the invasions, what I’m looking for are high-level wars and this game is not giving me that.

[Mikey]

Well, no-one is telling you to leave. Or for that matter, to start over, if you don’t want to.

But… you have to set yourself some new goals, since you’ve apparently achieved the one you set so far. There’s always going to be an end to every game, and some players blaze through content faster than others.

If you derive no fun from building or otherwise interacting with the environment (and that’s okay), then there’s just not much else for you to do. You won? You set yourself the goal of dominating your server, and as a consequence, no-one now wants to play there. What did you expect would happen?

For the record “winning” the PVE game also just leads back to creating a new character…

This was not designed as a perpetual game, or at least it was not designed so that you can move forever upwards no matter how you play.

[Enyo]

Part of the definition of a “Sandbox” game is that you make your own goals. Create ‘Quests’ for other players (mazes, dungeons, arenas, etc.) to stay busy with. There is a lot to do, if you keep your mind open and look around at what others have done, or ideas that have been thrown around.

This isn’t an MMORPG, so there isn’t a constantly developing plot or story line for you to follow. “Survive, Build and Dominate” is a slogan and a reference to what you can do, not the actual goal of the game.

[miodeleo]

If it doesn’t give me what I want, I move on…

I feel your pain, really, it’s not good to see players leaving. Thing is, in your scheme of goals regarding the game you’ve done it all, you can’t do anything else in that particular server. As I said before move to another server, you where once a level 1 in yours, why not do it again, and like someone points out with the aditional challenge of doing it in a server that poses a real challenge as it is already populated by maybe an alpha clan. I understand it’s a pain to start all over, now think how a level 1 player feels when joining a server dominated by one Clan, that is challenge if you ask me.

I am still very curious about the concept of dead server, when do you consider it as dead, and most important issue here (to me) is WHY there are no more players besides your Clan playing in it. That would shed some light into what has happened and how to prevent it in the futura, and maybe find some solutions.

Going back to your proposal of server changing, I seriously doubt it’s an idea that Funcom is ever going to take into consideration. It would give incoming level 60 players an unfair advatange over the population of the destination server. On this same Line of thinking, I take your motivation to switch legitimate as you are looking for new challenge, which I applaud, but as I tend to look at other views of the issue, I am positively sure it would be exploited by other players with less “good intentions” as yours. Meaning if they are a powerful and able group of pvp’ers, they will (sadly for sure) dominate server after server after server… On and on. I’m sorry but that’s how online games are, and I’ve played many, one of the things I’ve cometo learn is: if it can be exploited, it will. Sad but true. Afterall we’re humans behind machines, and online games show a quite accurate Picture of it. There are nice people, and there are (insert curse here) people.

If I was in your situation, I’d move my Clan fresh to a new server, that would be a challenge.

Oh I’m sorry I should have said that I never EVER played in official servers, I kind of know what I can expect in unmoderated servers, and frankly I have no need to deal with the problems that rise in such environments, real life has enough issues, when I play games I certainly don’t want to deal with even more issues.

Edit: just posted and saw Mikey’s post which summarizes better what I was trying to say.

[Crotalus_Horridus]

@Smoking

what I’m looking for are high-level wars and this game is not giving me that.

Rome was never quite the same after the defeat of Carthage, for it had lost that which inspires men to greatness: A Worthy Foe.

I understand your point. What you need is a rival. So why not allow another clan to grow strong enough on your own server to provide that challenge, instead of beating them down to the point they quit in frustration and leave?
The idea is to fleece the sheep, not skin them.

Something to consider, even though you seem rather deaf to anything that isn’t FC letting you port your OP Clan into someone else’s server.