Observations of a returning player.

[Barsook]

You aren't the only one! I seem to have that problem too.

[number13]

Welcome to being a Veteran with some time-investment under your belt. 

I made my account circa 1993. It's same account name that I was using on muds of the era, so that's likely when I started. (I didn't start really playing much until 2001, however.) It's possible I'm the oldest semi-active player, in terms of account age.

I never did get to play a psion or templar or anything fun like that. *welp*

[Furious George]

Welcome to being a Veteran with some time-investment under your belt. 

I made my account circa 1993. It's same account name that I was using on muds of the era, so that's likely when I started. (I didn't start really playing much until 2001, however.) It's possible I'm the oldest semi-active player, in terms of account age.

I never did get to play a psion or templar or anything fun like that. *welp*

It's a general welcome.  I started the same year, so I feel you.

[BOXCARS]

Make your own fun and people will find you.

Usually to lurk around invisibly, but yeah they'll find you.

[RavingTregils]

Welcome to being a Veteran with some time-investment under your belt. 

I made my account circa 1993. It's same account name that I was using on muds of the era, so that's likely when I started. (I didn't start really playing much until 2001, however.) It's possible I'm the oldest semi-active player, in terms of account age.

I never did get to play a psion or templar or anything fun like that. *welp*

It's a general welcome.  I started the same year, so I feel you.

Another from around the same time. I tried a few ideas this past year but they just fell flat. Before, I always felt I could find a niche to fill and get a character going that way but now I don't think anyone actually needs other players.

[Maso]

I mean.. if anyone is struggling to find interaction right now... they only need to check out

https://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,56900.0.html

For some pretty strong hints on where to find it....

[Brytta Léofa]

Another from around the same time. I tried a few ideas this past year but they just fell flat. Before, I always felt I could find a niche to fill and get a character going that way but now I don't think anyone actually needs other players.

I think that when we had a larger and younger playerbase, it worked something like this:
  75% of your time is RPing with clanmates, associates, etc.
  25% of your time is doing your backup thing (doin' your crafting, rocking the text skyrim experience, etc.)
During a slump week, it becomes more like 50/50. And the Way blurs the lines somewhat.

Now it is reversed:
  75% of your time is doing your solo fun routine.
  25% is interacting with other folks.
During an active week, it becomes more like 50/50.

Interaction with other players is still what makes or breaks the game. People do generally want to interact. And, like, heavy combat guilds can't even skin their own kills, so, yes, characters need other characters. But the baseline has changed, people are logging in much more with the primary expectation of doing their routine in their space, and that's what's confusing you.

[YMMV. I made this shit up. Numbers exaggerated for dramatic effect.]

[Malken]

I mean.. if anyone is struggling to find interaction right now... they only need to check out

https://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,56900.0.html

For some pretty strong hints on where to find it....

I don't interact with future corpses!

[Delirium]

Son, everybody is future corpses.

[Brytta Léofa]

It does seems like a darn good week to roll a human tribal scout/house servant in Luirs.

[Pariah]

Son, everybody is future corpses.

love it.

[Fawcett]

It does seems like a darn good week to roll a human tribal scout/house servant in Luirs.

Or a southern/northern soldier!

[BOXCARS]

I don't interact with future corpses!

That's the spirit!

[Barsook]

It does seems like a darn good week to roll a human tribal scout/house servant in Luirs.

Or a southern/northern soldier!

To bad that the Sun Legions are closed! But I guess the Garrison is the closest.

[Brokkr]

It does seems like a darn good week to roll a human tribal scout/house servant in Luirs.

Or a southern/northern soldier!

To bad that the Sun Legions are closed! But I guess the Garrison is the closest.

Find out IC?  Or the Luir's/Morins IG boards?

[Barsook]

It does seems like a darn good week to roll a human tribal scout/house servant in Luirs.

Or a southern/northern soldier!

To bad that the Sun Legions are closed! But I guess the Garrison is the closest.

Find out IC?  Or the Luir's/Morins IG boards?

Good point. I got meself busted.

[Is Friday]

Biggest barrier for most players is time and cost/reward of time invested. Time invested is not worth the return - at least not in my experience in the past couple years.

[Pariah]

Biggest barrier for most players is time and cost/reward of time invested. Time invested is not worth the return - at least not in my experience in the past couple years.

Depends I think on what your goals are.  If you're trying to be able to survive combat encounters with critters, it's doable and even easy if you pick a dwarf.

But if you're talking about the PVP game, there is so many layers and the skills progress so slowly that I don't think I'll ever really get it.

Crafting?  Yeah I could be a master merchant, but my problem is I love the outdoors too much.

[Jihelu]

I think the new guilds help make up for the cost investment of the game in a lot of ways, to be honest. And this is from me, the guy who thinks You shouldn't talk to anyone for the first 5 days while you twink uh, something.

The new main combat guilds are so fucking good. Compared to a day 1 warrior, from what I saw of the old guild warrior, you can fight shit that I would never imagine fighting on a warrior. The light combat classes seem to be close to old warrior, tho I might be wrong, and you can level them rather safely. Anything below that and you probably aren't doing all that much combat or are properly training with friends like a normal person so it doesn't matter.

Now investment in terms of roleplaying with others and the like: I can't really speak on that, it depends on the people/where you are/too many variables.

[Khorm]

Biggest barrier for most players is time and cost/reward of time invested. Time invested is not worth the return - at least not in my experience in the past couple years.

the game is what you make it. always has been.

i really struggle with these ideas of whether or not its worth the energy that you put into it. i really believe that if it feels like a waste of time - that's on you. change shit up, try a different approach, take a break/stop playing.. literally anything to take responsibility for your relationship to the game. just shift your attitude about it because it's never going to be perfect, it's always going to be changing, and the real waste of energy is playing spin the wheel of what do we rehash this month.

the game rules. there's dope shit going on. don't do boring shit if doing boring shit means you're bored and melancholic for another year.

i say all that with the full knowledge that i can and kinda frequently DO get into those sorts of ruts. at the end of the day it's still up to me to manage my relationship and level of fun with the game.

[Fernandezj]

Biggest barrier for most players ...

Where is this poll that all the players are responding to? Is it a special mailing list?

Its just a game, if you don't feel its worth it to play, then don't.

I think lots of people would welcome back returning players, but it shouldn't feel obligatory.

At the same time there's a frequent generalization of ones own reasons for not playing as part of a broader wave of discontent (this frequently happens on Discord and here).

[Pariah]

Biggest barrier for most players ...

Where is this poll that all the players are responding to? Is it a special mailing list?

I think they are reading into the general observations.  Giving opinions about why and how things are the way they are.  It's not a poll at all, just folks reading into the subtext of the observation.  No need to try and poo poo them.

[Riev]

Don't you know? Negative opinions aren't allowed. Even if you have a suggestion on how to fix the disparity you see.

Armageddon, as a game, is Tuluk. Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. All are infallible.

[Pariah]

Slight derail, Masks are definitely the ed hardy shirt of Armageddon, that made me lol.

[Malken]

Yeah, even I will admit that the new classes are really good.

In barely an IC year with minimal play (like an hour here and there and skip some days), I pretty much got all of my useful skills to Master, except for weapon skills - with poor wisdom.