What makes a player stick to a server?
Hc_Sephiroth
Member Posts: 10
What features do people look for in a server to keep them playing?
1
Comments
1) Good, friendly, dedicated, roleplayers. Players that don't troll, grief, or create (non-rp oriented) drama.
2) Good DM's that are active, fair, and well-equipped to help players with their problems and deal with disruptive players in a timely and effective manner.
3) Strong role-play elements mixed with a healthy dose of action. Non-RP/Pure action servers do not interest me.
4) Use of CEP or other graphical haks that allow paper-dolling (customizing of character and equipment appearance).
5) Custom scripts that allow variant classes, spells and other rules implementations to provide a unique feel to the creators campaign.
If you've got these five things, you've pretty much got me. ;-)
I think if you can solidify that core group then you'll no doubt attract more players and you'll have much more leeway to screw up or get complacent. What you do to establish that core group can vary greatly such as appealing to nostalgia, sharing a strong friendship, shared passion for a certain unrepresented setting, and so on. If you're starting out then reaching that critical mass of core players should be the goal.
If it was mainly due to a good feature list then ppl would probably be playing something else like Deadfire or an MMO instead of a persistent world.
Setting and settings always secondary to the quality of the community
Horses for courses.
Ultimately though, Aaezil's pretty much hit the nail on the head. If the devs care about the world (and have the ability to turn that desire into results) and you've got friends on the server, that's all you need.
There's enough choice out there that we can probably find what we want but (for example) arQon and myself would probably be quite unhappy playing on the same server together, as we want very different experiences out of the game. And there's certainly NOTHING wrong with that. NWN can cater to many different play tastes; it just can't effectively cater to all of them at once.
Not only a single spanish server could keep me around for more than half/one year as the first one that I tried and got really close to the players. The thing is that i'm so freaking tired of the "serious and complex" characters. I usually play as a chaotic charismatic mess and being around of edginess gets tiresome really fast, more if no DM can stick to a simple adventure and goes The End of The World™ questline, all players playing a Mary Sue or Gary Stue... Ugh !
That's why I usually leave the scene for a few weeks... And now I'm making my own set of tilesets so I can play (and master) adventures on a WarCraft server.
Oh, and if your server dosn't have a multitude of custom models to toon my character... Don't count me in
2. Role players who want to have fun and not be obsessive by correcting and proofreading everything you say. Nothing chased me off a server faster than some Tolkien Lore Nazis hovering over me looking for mistakes.
3. DMs who are active and run quests and adventures but aren't oppressively meddlesome and let players who want to drive their own stories/adventures do so or even not take part in quests if they'd rather chill out just standing around talking or bashing if they like.
4. Sticking close to NWN as it was released (1.69) without changing the mechanics or rules other than minor bug fixes. 3.0 is what I like, 3.5 is also alright. This should really be at the top. I don't like changes to spells and classes and usually only play to lvl 20 as I consider epic broken at best though I would consider adding bark skin to rangers and flame weapon to bards spell lists as acceptable.
5. This should probably be higher on the list but I prefer low magic items which are rare and hard to find but default magic spells. I don't mind premonition is +5 and the best armor I can get is +2, magic is magic after all.
6. Not a fan of huge city environments, more rural, desert, forest with a lot of adventure (H&S) zones created by people who understand tactics and strategy.
7. Last but not least, the server must be about the players having fun. I've played on PWs where a small circle of friends used it to put themselves above the players to manipulate them and toy with them, giving themselves better gear or items or DM favors. Shouldn't need to say it but that's just not right at all.
- Few/No resting or class restrictions
- Minimal feat/spell changes
- Interesting world/story
All I care about is RP, CEP, low level gain, and no respawn. :V
Good stories and robust but persistent questing:
I like when there's stuff to do. Just going around grinding mobs to level is so two decades ago. I prefer lots of quests with interesting stories and decent rewards. At the same time I also like persistence. Some quests being repeatable makes sense, but all stories being reset on a server reload kinda ruins the immersion. Having special/rare/hidden quests that reward unique items (that don't necessarily have to be uber, just unique and interesting) is a selling point. I like the idea of DM driven stories, but don't force me into them and don't make them the primary way to level/advance.
Content and player leveling goes to level 40:
So help me, I LIKE being powerful! Leveling up is fun and epic levels are... well... EPIC! Being able to enjoy the full spectrum of leveling in NWN is fun for me. With that said, custom leveling systems beyond 40 often make me wince. They just seem to be a little too out there from what I've experienced in the past. If there's any sort of progression beyond 40 I prefer its impact to be minimal to say the least. Assuming your world isn't a "low magic" setting, if you're going to go to 40 make sure itemization goes there too... within reason of course. I'm not saying +20 armor/weapons is a good idea, just that at level 40 its nice to be wielding something better than a +3 sword.
Minimal and/or fair rule/mechanic changes:
I get that some balancing is required, but I prefer things to generally work somewhat how they work by default. Sure spells like Issac's Missiles might need its damage adjusted, but don't make it worthless. At the same time, if you're going to balance the powerful stuff downwards, be fair and balance the really weak/useless stuff upwards. On a server that goes to 40, spells that normally cap off in potency at low levels or should probably get some sort of adjustment upwards. This includes things like Premonition DR keeping pace with the +value of weapon enchantments for example. If you have +8 weapons then the top tier DR spell shouldn't be stuck at a +5 cap.
Minimal to no restrictions on how I build my character:
Don't make me take X number of levels if I multi-class, don't tell me I can't mix X class with Y class, etc. The freedom to make my character the way I want almost always is a key factor if I even TRY a persistent world, let alone stick with it.
Consensual PVP only:
I don't like being forced into pvp when I don't want it. Keep pvp isolated to specific zones or create a "flagging" system. This goes for pick pocketing too.
No perma-death or losing levels:
I get invested in my characters and sometimes they aren't as tough as I anticipate. Having them just be GONE when things go sideways makes me just say, why bother playing here. If I can just lose it all on a few bad rolls or because I wandered into the wrong area, then there's no reason for me to play on your world no matter how good you might think it is.
Time Restrictions On Resting SUCKS:
Seriously. Casters already have limits on their sustainability. All your doing when you put stupid timers on when I can rest is wasting my time and/or telling me I shouldn't play a caster on your server. I'm going to either sit out that timer doing something else till I can rest and continue with my adventure, or I am going to just stop playing on your server. If you have balance issues with casters address it in the spells themselves. If you MUST restrict resting in some way then keep it simple by only allowing resting in designated safe spots and making sure most areas have one.
Scale Your Content Accordingly:
If you're going to start me at level 1, I should not be facing encounters of three wolves that can each one or two shot me if they roll max damage. If you can't design level 1 encounters properly then don't start your players at level 1.
Soloing Should be Viable:
I play at odd times. I frequently have to step away to attend to RL stuff and I don't like having to hold up other players because of it. Oft times I just want to unwind and play solo. I'm not saying all content should be soloable but rather that some content should be and it should be made clear what content is meant for groups and what content is meant for soloists. If I can't do much of anything on my own on your server I won't play there its that simple.
KISS Crafting - Keep It Simple Stupid:
Look, I get it. You have all these big creative ideas on how you can make a better crafting system than the default NWN crafting. You're wrong as far as I'm concerned, but kudos to you for being creative. The default potion/wand/scroll crafting systems are nice and simple and they work. Let them be and make sure there's easy to find and affordable to buy bottles/wands/blank scrolls. If you want to add to what can be made, fine, but don't reinvent the wheel. If you want to add more crafting feats like Craft Magic Arms & Armor and Craft Wondrous Item, go for it, but try to keep them as simple as the default crafting feats if you can. I mean I get that feats like those are more complicated than the default ones, but something as simple as "put the right materials in this crafting station and cast the right spells on it" works fine.
Persistent Account Banks are a PLUS!:
I like to share items between characters and I like having a safe storage for things. I'm a pack rat. I know some PW's (especially heavy RP ones) don't like such sharing but I do. I avoid such rp-centric servers and prefer my rp more casual. Twinking out a new character is FUN and adds/encourages replayability on your PW.
KISS Haks - Keep It Simple Stupid:
I love hak packs, really I do. They let worlds be customized and add tons of new options to modules. With that said, make it EASY to get your haks and install them. Have a zip file containing all your haks. Don't require a bunch of override files to pollute my override folder with. Keep optional files like portrait packs and npc voices as separate downloads. I can't tell you how many times I walked away from a PW before ever logging in because of the inconvenience of setup required by some.
Good stories and robust but persistent questing:
A decent world is good. Well designed (not overdesigned to lag) areas, npcs, ect. However there are 3 servers I walked away from with well done setups, so this alone doesnt do it.
Content and player leveling goes to level 40:
Mostly yes. But you can attain all the power one could get in the PnP with only lvl 20. It all depends on how you have progression setup, and how one interacts with the world at the high levels. However, taking advantage of the full 40 spectrum I think is better. Not to mention more levels alone allows people flexibility in multiclassing. I think some choose to cap it lower because its probably simpler for them to do so. Personally, I like the lvl 40 range. But its more about what you can do with what you got and how it compares to the world.
Minimal and/or fair rule/mechanic changes:
Yes/no. It depends really. I like closer to vanilla than not. Also, people need to rest. Incentivize people to wait longer before rest, dont punish them for needing to rest, dont stop them from resting. Its still a game.
Consensual PVP only:
Yes. (unless the servers sole purpose is PvP, then this is kinda moot)
No PC Pickpocket:
Thats what NPCs are for.
No Item drop on death:
Realism can go to far, its still just a game.
No perma-death or losing levels:
Yes. I've seen a thread talking about a long creative RP story arc involving rival players ending in one dying.. yeah sure I get that. IF said player wanted to do that, its their decision, right?
KISS Crafting - Keep It Simple Stupid:
Meh, its rare I craft, and I think the default magic craft is backwards. You should get xp not lose it, you just created an magic item after all. Make it harder? Sure. Recipes, mats, gold, but xp? Make them research it. But I am sure many players do like crafting. I wouldn't touch it unless it was a little streamlined. The default craft armor/weapon is about where I like it, maybe a little more complex sure, but its never a focus for me. Not in NWN anyways.
Persistent Account Banks are a PLUS!:
Yes, especially if its a living world.
KISS Haks - Keep It Simple Stupid:
With Steam, it is now simple stupid for players to add them. Throw what you want in the hak, its just a click away.
Minimal to no restrictions on how I build my character:
Yes. Mostly. This doesnt impact me with classes, however, my preferred race is drow. It doesnt have to have special abilities, its just a black elf. Theres a Dragon Lance server, I dont think they stated you COULDN'T play a drow. But by my own choice I didn't join the server to make one, because drow do not naturally exist in Krynn and they are an RP server (probably all the good servers are). You could come up with some excuse like a spell battle made magic go awry and viola portal, sure, but its kinda silly. But then theres servers who are setup as Forgotten Realms, the birthplace of the Drow, and they dont allow them? Or other servers that you have to apply to be a subrace? Come on. I understand not wanting minotaurs or genasi or other crazy otherworldly things. But the 2 most popular subs in DnD are drow and tiefling. Hell dark elves are so popular they are in a ton of fantasy settings. Both are doable with the base games assets, extra abilities are spiffy but not required.
Hard Enforced RP and Enforced Party Mechanics:
I am not a roleplayer when it comes to video games, not in the way many seem to be. I also try to avoid partying. If a random comes up and RP talks to me, I'll respond in kind, and seek to go my own way. I dont want to break their immersion, and having them with me breaks mine. I also tend to afk a lot, partying with me would be a draaaag on your time. SO, I want to solo. Having the server setup so hard and punishing you Have to party to succeed is a deal breaker. Thats not to say I wont occasionally party, or occasionally voluntarily stop to RP with people. But really, I just want to enjoy and try to immerse myself in a well made world, and I am narrowing my choices fast for all these criteria. I saw a server enforce a no running rule! Dude, I am not walking across the game world. Enforced RP can get too overboard, and making the world so brutal you have to have a group is the wrong way to do things. Use the carrot not the stick. Like hefty party xp boost, while far stretching the xp required to level. Also, there is a difference between very difficult leveling and a setup where its so hard its 5 steps forward 4 steps back. I'll put my nose to the grind and slow crawl progress on a server that meets the rest of my criteria. After all, the best servers would be setup to give you things to do aside from leveling. Its not all about the leveling, but its also not all about standing/sitting around talking to people in RP.
Summary of my Preferences:
Pure hack n slash ultra mega +60 weapons for everyone! No, I'm immediately gone. I like slow/slowish progression. +5 or so gear at the high end, maybe even a bit higher at epic levels. Its easier to balance lower magic item worlds too. I appreciate detailed worlds (Wyvern Crown of Cormyr was terrific, albiet short). Prefer Forgotten Realms settings, if its not then it has a lot of catching up to do. Dont punish casters. Dont punish solos.
It would seem ideological view on how one should play ultimately dictates how the worlds formed and run. For that reason its hard for me to stay on most servers and I am still looking. I realize they create it, host it, and maintain it. Its theirs. I think I had stated that some of the best are RP servers. Like their love of RP is the driving factor to create the world, of course they have to have some skill doing so, or it wouldn't be great. But you can overdo control. "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers" I would think you would want to share your hard work with a wide audience. I also find it odd how much RP (acting) requires such stringent rule sets. As if how others choose to play affects your ability to make believe, puzzling that.
Forgotten Realms - Thay:
Like being the "bad" guys? (evil is a point of view after all)
Goblins make good slaves? (well sometimes evil is evil)
This might be your server. But oddly enough being in a world based around a magocracy its damn hard to play a caster, but whatever your class bring a friend, or prepare to get beat down hard and often.
I likely will keep trying to tough out the solo progress a little more on this one, its that good, though that could be the drow bias talkin. Also, in case you were wondering, theres more to it than the Underdark. Obviously, its called Thay after all. Thats just where I spent my time.
thaypw.org/portal.php
Netheril: Age of Magic:
Beautiful detail, though the city zones will give you a noticeable lag. Not heavy (for me), but definitely noticeable. But very pretty!
Some cool new spells. Like Wizard Mark! Just the ability to implement it alone, very cool. And yeah, pretty useless in game mechanic sense. But I was tickled they did it! First thing I did on the server was modify my robe to look how I wanted, and cast Wizard Mark on it. My robe, it says so right here.
Again, take a friend, or make a friend. You will need them to avoid dying, and dying is worse than not playing on here. Also, rest timer + clipped summon time x encounter difficulty = impotent solo.
https://netheril.net/forums/index.php
Knights of Noromath:
Like Netheril, a lot of detail. Perhaps a little too much, though I could hang with it. There were areas where it was very bad, but no combat would have taken place there (I think) so theres that. 2 hours later I had not found a place to purchase components required to cast my spells. Which is a shame, there were some cool changes and new spells I wanted to play with. Thus I didnt get to experience too much of what they had done.
Check em out, but maybe not as a caster.
tethyrknights.com/
Again, all 3 have a lot of work into them, thats why I linked the sites. Too much to list here, check them out for yourself. These are just quick takes and not to mention based on personal preference. They are pretty large, detailed, and creative in their makeup. I thought they deserved mention.
1) No perma-death.
2) Good RP, but not at the expense of module playability.
3) unlimited pickpocketing/pvp
4) no rest restrictions
#1- thing, being solo all the time. I have a few problems with the current " populated' servers. Mostly, I simply do not like them for one reason or another ( covered later in this thread ). That leaves, the unpopulated ones ... some of which are outstanding , some are not.
However, I 100% feel NWN as far as PWs go, SHOULD mean role-play, and interacting with other characters.
Role-Playing is the back-bone of ALL DnD systems. When you don't have anyone to interact with, play with ( or against ) , it gets boring and dull.
#2 - Pure "Action" servers ... not my cup of tea really. I visit a couple every so often, when I'm in the mood to just mindlessly kill/loot/and not care ... , the sad part is ... most "action servers" could be super-awesome RP servers , they just aren't "RP supportive" enough to be played that way.
#3 - Non-CEP servers, ... no. Just no. Bland default NWN looks and such ... so dull and generic it turns my stomach.
#4 - If I can't play what I want , I'm out. That includes class/race restrictions, rules against "builds" , ... and most importantly, how your character looks. If one can't freely "design" somewhat a unique look , better clothing/armor options ... , that place is pure junk.
I want to be immersed , get away from real life, I don't want to be visually reminded my character looks like everyone else or that it is a "videogame".
#5- Bottlenecking, or limiting XP gains to ultra low, or forcing advancement to be "grindy". So stupid.
#6 - OP monsters and villains, immune to 3/4rths of the spells, feats, and items granted. Absurd abilities and builds of such, over-compensating bad design, with OP monsters ... I'm gone.
#7 - Nerfed spells and feats ... Kiss my butt. If I want to one shot with Dev crit spend my feats and points getting to it, it better work.
#8 - Magic to be balanced, not too powerful , but not stupidly low either. If I got an epic character, I want some epicy stuff. I don't want to be over-shadowed by mages and clerics if I'm playing a non-casting class.
#9 - Cannon rule and lore nazis ... keep it to yourself. I do not like someone said above, someone lurking around, simply waiting for one to make a mistake, or blunder over cannon based material, just so they can make a big deal out of it.
#10 - Has to have Non-Intrusive DMs. If Dms simply lurk around in Dm client, and do NOTHING shoudln't be DMs. Dms should be providing plots, stories, and adventures that go beyond what is "normally" scripted in to do. DMs that hang around, looking for excuses to assert thier alleged "authority" should be excommunicated from NWN all together. And I will flat out leave if coming across a Dm that says things like " Your character should be doing or saying this, or your paladin is getting stripped of paladin hood, because that person you are chatting with is secretly evil." ... I'm in control of my own characters, not the DM. Go make you own character and play them, not lurk about telling me how to control mine.
#11- "Event sports" ... the MMO "catch-all ... , win "prizes" by MMO participation ... find the easter egg, kick a skull-ball around , play hide and seek ...that's all videogamey stuff , and if thats how you draw players in your PW , more power to you ... it's garbage to me though. Worthless junk "filler".
It's NWN, not WoW, DDo, Or the junky Neverwinter MMO.
#12 - Players that will not participate.
#13 - Players that only play in thier small " social circle" , ignoring everyone else ( especially new people/low levels.)
#14- Players with highest level characters, acting superior towards everyone else. Knowing full well , if on equal footing, they'd keep thier trap shut, and check that attitude.
#15 - PvP for the sake of having PvP ... there is no skill involved, it's point and click "combat" ... PvP situations , should have in game reasons , in depth motivations, in depth role-play supporting it. Not all "conflict" is combat ... and shouldn't end up always in combat or with combat.
#16 - Getting "stalemated" progression halted long before reaching highest levels allowed.
#17 - Nothing to do when solo , nothing to do that immerses you into the place you are playing. If I am bored, I will go elsewhere.