My Speed USA server logs show that, during the past 30 days, I had players from 6,635 distinct IP addresses using 6,031 different names.
Of course, one player can use multiple names or play at different computers. Even so, that seems like a lot of activity when viewed over time.
Two interesting points:
* About 2,000 names were "noname" or "newbie";
* Almost 2,000 names played just once.
I think it's a marketing issue, not the game itself. Here are a few ideas that might be quickly implemented:
1. On
www.digitalpaint.org, add a "Home" page with a "Welcome" area at the top with a game description, documentation links, and links to some of the better videos. Place the "Download" area below that, and keep the "News" on its own separate page.
2. Create a single user manual with everything from "downloading" to "installation" to "setup" to "DPlogin" to "clans" to "servers." Use the manual from a successful commercial game as the model. Make a PDF version too.
3. Create a "Newcomers" forum where noobish questions can be supportively answered by knowledgeable players.
4. Develop and encourage a public server grading system. For example, add * at the end of a server's name for "Easy" through **** for "It's gonna hurt!"
LongShot
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