This game is dying... What can we do to help?

[LaZeRs]

I thought this game was active again, but when I started up paintball, this came.

What can we do to make this game more popular again?

[TRION]

We need to make GUI more user comfortable and provide more features...
My friend started playing dp2 and couldn't complete tutorial and said it is bad game..
tutorial must not be forced....
Demos must have a playback..
HD textures must become truly HD...
Game engine and dlls must be customized to minimize all bugs..
Servers must be lesser...(they are too much+ most of them are empty...So remove them)
Maps must be decreased.. (Like Counter Strike there must be official maplist and not like 200 maps out of which only 20-30 are commonly played on..
Models must be made smoother..
there must be a config explorer so u can change config easily in-game
there must be some chat function in-game
Need of Voice chat must be provided(optional)
jitspoe must try to employ some people and make this game advance to premium..(but after all above changes so people get fascinated to buy game)
The menu must say single player instead of start new game(it is misleading)
addbot must have a button in remote admin menu...

I think these are all the features players need....
If you have more just put them here...

[BillBrasky]

Here's a radical idea: stop all development on the game itself and focus instead on better explaining the current game to potential players:

* Update and reorganize this web site;
* Collect documentation scattered throughout FAQs and forums into an official player manual;
* Copy helpful information from other sites (OTB, Waybackmachine, YouTube, old Quake sites);
* Create a registry for unofficial maps, textures, models, etc.;
* Purge inactive player accounts/names;
* Make a training server based on official maps, not jump maps or tutorials;
* Grade maps and servers by difficulty;
* Create tip sheets on how to play official maps;
* Create new player servers with easy maps;
* Set standards for creating helpful server names ("Speed USA" instead of "EV1-Alt-Pub 1");

[LaZeRs]

* Copy helpful information from other sites (OTB, Waybackmachine, YouTube, old Quake sites);
* Set standards for creating helpful server names ("Speed USA" instead of "EV1-Alt-Pub 1");

I like these two. For the first one, why not put an updated links page, gathering information about sites that are still active and running?
As for the second one, I'm not sure if the "newbie" players know what a "pub" is, so you could maybe change it to "EV1-Alt-Public 1". Servers like Speed USA help location, but I'm not begging on people to make server names like this neccessary.
Training servers would be nice, but who'd be willing enough to give some?
Ranking maps could be a possibility, but put it on the server list as another little tab thing.

I would love taking out inactive accounts/names, like putting in a player date at which the person last played, and if they don't play in a year or so, and if someone requests one of that person's names, then they could have it if the person went inactive for a year. [Of course, they can't take away like their main game name, which would be nice].

Honestly, I think I just morphed a sad picture into a discussion of what we can do to help. And that's a good thing. So feel free to offer more suggestions!

[mRokita]

In my opinion we need to invite people from real life.
I have started playing this game when my older friend told me about it.

[promarijan]

Im a person who could do a few things for it!

You talked about easier menus... I want it and it would be possible for me to do this in new menus!
OpenMenu is for advanced people... I want a easy one too!

That menu could also support config changings with some stuff... I try it maybe soon what possible is!



A chat function would be nice and could be cool implemented in menus on a easy way... But the function has to be implemented first!


Tutorial is ok but not everyones best start! I would like to see a function based on the current system but with a popup that asks you to play the tuto... But only then when tuto isnt complete... And with checkbox if you dont want to see this message again!
It would be possible without any modification but anyways!

[omni]

•Implement the official maplist
•Make some servers official and some non-official and seperate in tabs
•High quality video turorials on YouTube
•In game help box, for example hovering over something shows a help box with information about what that particular object does
•Eventually if the game has enough players, make competitive and non competitive games or leagues in which people can play.
•Make matches seem more official: if its a clan match have the clan name or logo in the bottom right hand corner, for example [Team Example has won the round]
•Implement a ranking system for clans and players
•Show there ranking in-game when in a match environment
•Sell features like these as micro transactions to generate some profit, it does not have to be expensive but $5 to have your clan name and ranking in matches would be awesome feature of course it only makes sense after the above points have been added
•Maybe even charge teams for entering as an official team, this would mean people stay in a clan for longer
All this would do is enable stats to be tracked and the ability to be out against other official teams. Not so sure on this one

[not_payl_obviously]

Just finish things you started:
- Tutorial
- Wiki
- Better front page (video promo?)

Those will allow community to help promote game more, then we can finish hr4 to improve looks of the game. Then maybe bots, but I generally dislike bots idea.

Btw. We need another PGP-only server, plx.

[MrPeach]

The most important thing is to implement 'Better Bot AI'

Anyway that kind of topics appear once or twice every year...

[luckmore]

The most important thing is to implement 'Better Bot AI'

Anyway that kind of topics appear once or twice every year...

How is that the most important thing?

[MaTzeMR]

maybe a new gun would make some players play again but i think it would be too much effort to implement it in bsp and on...
(actually ent files could help)

[pvtjimmy]

How is that the most important thing?

learn to read sarcasm

[JMR]

I could help with the front page website. I'd give it a more clean feel, along with a responsive layout and easy to use navigation.

[BASEBALLDUDE]

The reason Jitspoe finds it so important to make a better bot AI is that on the uninstall survey, that is the most common complaint. So his thought process, with which I totally agree, is that if the game has better bots, it would keep the most players playing rather than uninstalling. And the ultimate fact is that the longer one plays, the more skilled one becomes. This game needs more skilled people to bring the competitive scene to life.

The other thing that needs to happen is for everybody to be very supportive of new mappers. People get tired or bored of the current selection and quit. The obvious solution is to help the new mappers blossom into insanely talented mappers, and the way to do that is through positivity. Remember that EVERY SINGLE MAPPER was a noob when they started and probably released a piece or excrement uglier than what comes out of my excretory end as their first map. If we had encouraged them to keep mapping rather than slamming them down saying "this will never get played," deadfroggy and twilightsparkl might have still been mapping to this day.

[luckmore]

learn to read sarcasm

im not the one who needs to learn it brah

[BASEBALLDUDE]

-singleplayer mode
-official maplist (with a variety of gamemodes but primarily ctf)
-online tutorials embedded or linked on this site
-don't force tutorial (cuz it's right there in the menu anyway so if they want to do it it's easy to find)
-encourage mappers because if they keep mapping they'll eventually make a really good map
-change the official maplist every month or so
-respect the n00bs
-re-organize the servers into official and non-official once official maplist comes out
-1-2 second timer when player spawns when they cannot shoot nor get shot
-remove "start new game" from main menu and make it a subcategory until fresh bots arrive
-do more to encourage new gamers to utilize these forums

[not_payl_obviously]

The reason Jitspoe finds it so important to make a better bot AI is that on the uninstall survey, that is the most common complaint.

This is simply first option on this survey, as simple as that. I can make vote "Jitspoe suck" win if I put it on uninstall survey on first place.

-change the official maplist every month or so

I like this idea, but I think, this is simply putting more on jitspoe. What about map spotlight project? I.e. promoting some maps every week or so, and making scripts to modify server roratation based on those maps or maybe on votes for certain servers? (Someone could make map database + map spotlight + map voting on partner servers - no Jitspoe needed).

I hate how jitspoe can't make most features right. He was working on tutorial, and now we have tutorial that suck because it's not finished and only makes first impressions worse, and now he is working on bots? Sure then we will get new bots that will suck more than ACEbots. All I can ask for is just making features really features, not stopping when feature is partially implemented. This way we have test wiki that is hard to find and spammed by bots, tutorial that makes people quit game, and front page with really old screenshots. Jitspoe, maybe just finish things you have started instead of making new ones, if you are running low on development time then just make less things at once so we have nice, working feature with every build, not many not working antifeatures.

[Toxiic]

what this game needs is the following:
1)good tut(forced) and properly done, the one that exist isn't the best:/

2)in-game chat with friends list this is most likely the best way to keep players in contact with each other. use player id-common name used to identifiy players

3)better/fixed amount of maps, this will help new players because new players will know the maps better due to repetittion and this will enhance gameplay for everyone because now the new player knows how to play that map, and not have to learn a new map every round, includes the matching scene( Offical Maplist)

4)auto/better stat system, although i started a thread about it, it turned into a flame thread( currently the xp and rank system )

5)better graphics, this game does need better graphics, because better graphics=looking more new gen therefore attracting new generations players

6)ADVERTISING!!! Use social media, much more effective, and much cheaper ( Best way eva? )

7)distribution of power, this game only consist of one man who has almost absolute power, which maybe a good thing depending on situations but usually not the best way. Jitspoe has to give other individuals power, doesn't mean show all the secrets of the game and ban system that he's so paranoid about, heck you don't even need to show the ban system to anyone. I know there is a thing called committee but nowadays it almost doesn't exist maybe a new and more active committe would help.

8)I am going to say this but I know people are going to say " oh he said that so he can get unbanned" it really does not matter to me, if I want to play this game, trust me I can, plus I pretty sure none of these will come into place. Anyway so #8: better ban system as in a better "ban hammer", the current ban hammer is driving players away rather then punishing, a ban does not mean "GTFO" for people who are under this delusion , the reality is that is  wrong definition of a ban. The ban hammer should be doing the following-consistent, no bais, and keep the player in the game and not drive them off. If these are followed then the game shall prosper, if someone gets a ban for 1000+ days and someone else who did the same thing gets the ban for 200+ days, really does more harm then good(consistency is MUCH better which ATM it lacks in the current ban hammer). No bais is once again a better thing, because there have been cases were emotions were taking over then the rules and that did not turn out well, so please keep emotions out of banning process. LoL bans players Acc, which is more valuable to the players and it punishes the players due to the acc's valubility, and it also does not drive the players away/out of the game, sure the player might be pissed of but what if they want to comeback, then they start of fresh and work there way up. ( Corresponsends with #7 and maybe #4 )

9)re-design the website, needs more colour(shinny ), ATM it looks bad:/

Also I would like state some more ideas that should be implemented:

The single player is kind of contraversal, and I have half feelings for both sides; like payl pointed out, that single player is placed on the top of the list, which does affect the out come of ture "votes". This is a basis of marketing; for example when you go to shops, you usually get people buying more of the things that are right in front of them( first ) then the things that are more offside or in the back. Now aside from that I still believe jitspoe should finish the project he started, because it will do more good then harm. The single player/BOTS concept is not truly horrid, it will be good for the future.

Also would like to agree with the person who stated out "to many servers" it is the cause of players to divide and set fourth into different servers rather than stay in 1 or 2. I'm not saying completely oblivreate the servers into 1 or 2 servers, what I'm saying is take out the "trash/junk" servers, because there always has been more servers then there needs to be.

Furthermore, this game needs to get a better start up design, the current menus look way to old fashioned, and needs to get a more sexier look, so once a new player looks at it, he would be impressed(presentation). Some to a lot of things can be done by players in this community, for example, I have, and still am, promoting this game, on other websites I know, to my friends, or sometimes to some q2 player and to LoL players. These things are extremely small stuff, but can make a huge impact on this game. If you can code, then code to help dp, if you can create maps and menus then create those, simple things like those can helpout.

[jitspoe]

There are several issues with the games popularity, I think.

#1 - There are just so many games in general, now.  Players are spread thin.  We may actually have more players than ever, but the actual amount of time that people spend playing paintball2 is at an all time low.  I know I, personally, have a good 5-10 games I'm actively playing at any given time, which means I can only spend a little time with each.
#2 - "Oldschool"/arena type shooters just seem to struggle to keep active players in general.  I don't know why, because I find them to be the most fun.  The UT and Quake style of gameplay just doesn't seem to be popular anymore.  Rise of the Triad 2013 just came out, and they're already down to having organized deathmatch nights, just to have enough people to play.
#3 - It takes a lot of time and dedication to become good enough for Paintball2 to really be fun.  Most people aren't going to see the potential.  They'll probably hop on a speed server for a bit, run around aimlessly getting killed, then uninstall, without seeing the true potential of the game.
#4 - It seems popular games these days are less about having fun core gameplay, and more about tapping into the compulsive human psyche.  As much as I hate it, some players just won't keep playing a game without leveling and player progression.

There are a lot of things we can try, but I'm not really certain what, if anything, would make the game really popular.  These are just speculation on my part.


Things I don't think will make much of a difference:

- Revamping the website.  How many gamers really look at a game's website?  What % of players do you think visit, say, the Call of Duty website?  I haven't.

- Voice chat.  I think most players tend to not want to talk to strangers online.  If they have friends in game, they will probably use vent/teamspeak/mumble/skype/etc. with their friends.

- Purging unused accounts.  Is your ability to play with the name <insert popular character name> going to make or break it for people?  Would that name really be freed up if inactive accounts were removed, or would it just be immediately taken by somebody else?

- Standardizing server names (players are most likely just going to jump on whatever server has the most players).


Things that might help:

- "Quick match" (with bots, if no players are available).  If players can just press 1 button and get into a game with players/bots (ideally, at their skill level), they might not be turned off by passworded servers, empty servers, high ping servers, etc.

- Stats/ranking/levels - some carrots to dangle in front of players that won't stick around without them.

- Competitive mode with lobby and built in IRC.  Something more organized and connected to the community than generic pub servers, but more accessible than match server rentals.

- Improved first run/tutorial experience.

- Friends list.

[Mission]

- "Quick match" (with bots, if no players are available).  If players can just press 1 button and get into a game with players/bots (ideally, at their skill level), they might not be turned off by passworded servers, empty servers, high ping servers, etc.

- Stats/ranking/levels - some carrots to dangle in front of players that won't stick around without them.

- Competitive mode with lobby and built in IRC.  Something more organized and connected to the community than generic pub servers, but more accessible than match server rentals.

- Improved first run/tutorial experience.

- Friends list.

Yes, yes, yes, I really think all of these things will help the game so much for old players and new players. I can't wait untill these things are implemented. I understand bots need to come first, and you have already started developing them, but I yearn for ranking and a competitive mode!