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Posted (edited)

Hello all,

 

I first partially wrote this up a couple of weeks ago when the number of nations on Bob dropped below 6,000 for the first time. I didn’t get around to post it largely because I felt it would be a waste of time, and that it would not get much of a response, or at least much of a positive response, or even flak from the moderating staff. But today I decided that I could not continue to play in good conscience without saying this or something like it.

 

As of the rewriting of this sentence there are 5,818 nations in the game, this is down from over 7,000 when I created my current nation 8 short months ago. People in virtually every thread are proclaiming “the game is dying”, “the game is dead” et cetera, et cetera. There seems to be little hope left for the future of Cybernations, and a lot of players don’t even seem to care.

 

People blame various things for this, mostly the IC actions of various groups within the game. I largely disagree with this assessment. The decline in the playerbase is not primarily due to people who post in the open world RP announcing their intent to leave Bob, it is long time players getting bored and simply forgetting to log in, it is not down to Oculus or whoever else within the game for their IC actions, it is down to this:

 

Quote

 

7-25-2014

The four new wonders as mentioned below on 7/22 have been added to the game.

 

 

 

This update was released 2 years, 1 month and 1 day ago today. This is the last thing in the game update log that relates to actual “gameplay”, everything later is just TE, statement of policy, or just more viewable stats.

 

2 years since the last update is not good for an online game in the 2010’s, to say the very least. When the gameplay in Cybernations is as limited as it is, it is very unrealistic to expect it to prosper with no new content or mechanics for long time players to experience and discuss and to reassure new players that the game is not stagnant, content to allow further growth of established nations and give people something slightly different to do over than log on every few days to pay bills, collect taxes and send/receive cash/tech. I make no suggestions at to what changes should be implemented, that is what the suggestion box is for, only that change is made.

 

Furthermore there is almost no effort to bring new players here anymore, almost everyone who creates a nation arrives here randomly, as there is seemingly no advertisement or anything to draw players here from other similar games and communities. And whilst the number fluctuates it seems well over 50% of new nations are gone ~30 days after their creation, which means the players have lost interest  within a couple of days, generally games that lose more than half of players within a day or two of them starting figure out ways to get new players into the game and keep them entertained and get them committed.

 

So simply put:

Why has nothing been added in over 2 years to keep the game somewhat interesting for established players?

Why has nothing been done recently to attempt to draw new players into the game?

Why is nothing being done to increase the number of new players that stick around?

 

I have mentioned keeping players interested several times in this post, but that is not the main reason I believe updates are important.

 

People have lost hope, people have lost faith and trust in the game, this is painfully obvious across the OWF, where people state openly that CN will not be a thing in a years time, that we have seen the last world war to envelop Bob. If people do not believe that the game will be around for very much longer they are unlikely to put much work or effort into it, and players will lose hope and leave, hastening the demise they predicted.

 

So that is why am making this appeal to Admin; start to try to update the game, add features that people would like to see, help this community to grow by adding and retaining new people, show players that this game is not dead and that the game and it’s community aren’t going anywhere for the time being, and give them enough hope for and interest in the future to continue committing their time to this world. And if you are not willing to do this, then I simply and humbly ask that you hand the responsibility over to someone who is.

 

Your’s sincerely,

 

A faithful player

Edited by Blackatron
Posted

I disagree with the idea that number of players is something we necessarily need to increase. What sets cybernations apart from other games {mod edit} is that we enjoy an elevated structure of social development, manifested in concepts like the treaty web, alliance sovereignty and Casus Belli. If we suddenly increased the playing of the base to 2007 levels (i.e. 40,000 players), I don't think that would necessarily benefit the game nor the existing community, and indeed may promote chaos (i.e. what happened with /b/).

 

In fact, in my opinion the game has benefited by having a reduced, dedicated player base. To make the most of this game requires daily activity (especially during wars), and it's why we make high activity a continuous membership standard in my own alliance. An alliance with a small number of dedicated, active nations is superior to a large one full of three week inactives. Even of the game shrank to a mere 2000 nations community, I wouldn't see that being a bad thing, it just represents less active nations deleting.

 

As long as the servers are maintained, and there are no drastic changes to gameplay that robs producer-nations of political power, I will continue to play. Participating in Cybernations is a choice, and people without patience or intelligence are free to go camp in call of duty or some other game.

Posted

I agree with the sentiments that Chunky Monkey has provided to us all. I would deem it a very accurate portrayal of the situation we are facing and honestly believe that it accurately reflects the issues that the Opening Post has outlined quite succinctly in his argument.

Posted (edited)

Admin will not do anything to update this world, lets face the truth he never felt this world would last long it was a stop gap world before he moved on to a more fertile land, we will be left here to rot of old age, no improvements, no support, Why would the admin waste time on us when he clearly makes more money from TE and other games, this world as we know it simply does not make the admin enough money for him to care what we think or feel let alone care enough to update this world.

Edited by Devialance
Posted
4 hours ago, Immortan Junka said:

I disagree with the idea that number of players is something we necessarily need to increase. What sets cybernations apart from other games {mod edit} is that we enjoy an elevated structure of social development, manifested in concepts like the treaty web, alliance sovereignty and Casus Belli. If we suddenly increased the playing of the base to 2007 levels (i.e. 40,000 players), I don't think that would necessarily benefit the game nor the existing community, and indeed may promote chaos (i.e. what happened with /b/).

 

In fact, in my opinion the game has benefited by having a reduced, dedicated player base. To make the most of this game requires daily activity (especially during wars), and it's why we make high activity a continuous membership standard in my own alliance. An alliance with a small number of dedicated, active nations is superior to a large one full of three week inactives. Even of the game shrank to a mere 2000 nations community, I wouldn't see that being a bad thing, it just represents less active nations deleting.

 

As long as the servers are maintained, and there are no drastic changes to gameplay that robs producer-nations of political power, I will continue to play. Participating in Cybernations is a choice, and people without patience or intelligence are free to go camp in call of duty or some other game.

I disagree with you. We need a growing player base. People retire and leave we need new blood to take over. It's happen to every alliance that leadership changes but what happens when no one there to take it over? The game its self should died years ago, it's the players that kept it alive. We need the bigger player base to create new politics and political drama

Posted
54 minutes ago, keeology said:

I disagree with you. We need a growing player base. People retire and leave we need new blood to take over. It's happen to every alliance that leadership changes but what happens when no one there to take it over? The game its self should died years ago, it's the players that kept it alive. We need the bigger player base to create new politics and political drama

 

Too many people view alliance government roles as a way to look cool, or make friends with foreign government leaders, or a position to create "drama." Good alliance government is really about duty to one's membership and principles; alliances that have issues with government turnover have a problem with fundamental mission and purpose more than the recruitment of new blood.

Posted

There was a chance years ago to do a reset or at least launch a new world.  The userbase was still decent enough to do that.  Instead we got the answer that TE itself was a new world and there was no reason to launch a second world or a reset.  CN has been dying an inevitable death since then.  It seems that the general consensus in the admin community is to just let it die a natural death.  I'm afraid that is our answer.

Posted
2 hours ago, Immortan Junka said:

 

Too many people view alliance government roles as a way to look cool, or make friends with foreign government leaders, or a position to create "drama." Good alliance government is really about duty to one's membership and principles; alliances that have issues with government turnover have a problem with fundamental mission and purpose more than the recruitment of new blood.

But at the end of the day no matter the principle you need people to fill those roles. Turnover happens and for multitude of reasons when we don't have new people filling in for the turnover you get a lack of people resource. Its basic management principle.

Posted
5 hours ago, masterbake said:

There was a chance years ago to do a reset or at least launch a new world.  The userbase was still decent enough to do that.  Instead we got the answer that TE itself was a new world and there was no reason to launch a second world or a reset.  CN has been dying an inevitable death since then.  It seems that the general consensus in the admin community is to just let it die a natural death.  I'm afraid that is our answer.

I agree that a new server should have been considered many years ago, now I think it wouldn't do anything.

 

I'm certainly not going to argue that the death is not inevitable, all things come to an end as tastes and interests of the consumer change, however I object to what you say  about the game being allowed to "die a natural death", who decides what is "natural"? What seems natural to me is online games continually getting supported with occasional-frequent additions and updates until the game no longer turns enough profit to justify it (and there should certainly be enough profit to justify updates to a browser based game, there's still significant donations to the game, and the ad revenue should still be considerable), what we have seen for the last couple of years is more death by neglect than "natural".

 

The level of support that the game received in early 2014 was amazing, some brilliant additions were made from January to July of that year that I feel really has added a lot to the game, I'm not expecting to see that much support for the game at this point, just for a bit every now and then to a game and the community around it that people still spend hours and hours on and continue to give actual money to.

Posted
On 8/26/2016 at 5:15 PM, Immortan Junka said:

I disagree with the idea that number of players is something we necessarily need to increase. What sets cybernations apart from other games {mod edit} is that we enjoy an elevated structure of social development, manifested in concepts like the treaty web, alliance sovereignty and Casus Belli. If we suddenly increased the playing of the base to 2007 levels (i.e. 40,000 players), I don't think that would necessarily benefit the game nor the existing community, and indeed may promote chaos (i.e. what happened with /b/).

 

In fact, in my opinion the game has benefited by having a reduced, dedicated player base. To make the most of this game requires daily activity (especially during wars), and it's why we make high activity a continuous membership standard in my own alliance. An alliance with a small number of dedicated, active nations is superior to a large one full of three week inactives. Even of the game shrank to a mere 2000 nations community, I wouldn't see that being a bad thing, it just represents less active nations deleting.

 

As long as the servers are maintained, and there are no drastic changes to gameplay that robs producer-nations of political power, I will continue to play. Participating in Cybernations is a choice, and people without patience or intelligence are free to go camp in call of duty or some other game.

 

I realize I'm late to this thread. Whatever.

 

The problem with your argument is that it assumes that for those of us who play CN, the options are either stay here or play an entirely different genre of game altogether. That's plainly not the case, as there are alternatives with more thought-out mechanics and a greater attention to player needs and desires. I have no attachment to CN other than the community that has been established here and the history built here. If the first of those were to leave, I would have no issue following it.

Posted (edited)

Most alternatives I know of do not feature complex political systems and comprehensive worldviews like Francoism, Moralism or Producerism. History and culture tends to be less developed.

 

Simply running around and shooting pixels is boring to me without fundamental philosophy involved.

Edited by Immortan Junka
Posted
8 hours ago, Immortan Junka said:

Most alternatives I know of do not feature complex political systems and comprehensive worldviews like Francoism, Moralism or Producerism. History and culture tends to be less developed.

 

Simply running around and shooting pixels is boring to me without fundamental philosophy involved.

 

Could be because you're the only one who subscribes to it anymore. :rolleyes:

Posted
14 hours ago, WarriorSoul said:

 

Could be because you're the only one who subscribes to it anymore. :rolleyes:

 

Someone has to defend civilization. Might just be pixel-shooting to everyone else, but there's a reason attempts at exterminating my alliance failed time and time again.

Posted

Because nobody actually went into it with the intention of exterminating your alliance, merely wished to humble you?

Based off the fact you remain so tiny implies they completed their intended goals.

Posted
25 minutes ago, Mogar said:

Because nobody actually went into it with the intention of exterminating your alliance, merely wished to humble you?

Based off the fact you remain so tiny implies they completed their intended goals.

 

Lovely euphemism for desiring to enslave nations freed from exploitation by plutocratic nations.

Posted

We're all here for fun and entertainment, it's very clear to most people that there are other worlds out there in which we can actively engage with the Administration of the game to further improve perceived flaws and allow for the world to continue to grow, something that has clearly been lost in this world, whether or not there is any willingness to change that remains to be seen, but unfortunately people will continue to join other games and leave this one if things continue on the course they've been on for the past several years.

Posted
56 minutes ago, Mogar said:

We're all here for fun and entertainment, it's very clear to most people that there are other worlds out there in which we can actively engage with the Administration of the game to further improve perceived flaws and allow for the world to continue to grow, something that has clearly been lost in this world, whether or not there is any willingness to change that remains to be seen, but unfortunately people will continue to join other games and leave this one if things continue on the course they've been on for the past several years.

 

I encourage other alliance leaders who desire to leave for other realms, to negotiate a merger of their active membership into my alliance. They will be in good hands.

Posted
2 hours ago, Immortan Junka said:

 

I encourage other alliance leaders who desire to leave for other realms, to negotiate a merger of their active membership into my alliance. They will be in good hands.

 

Junka, you don't play the game in any way shape or form, you just post !@#$ over and over.  In order to play, you have to risk something, you risk nothing.  Shut up about saving anyone and save yourself.  Existence is not enough, survival is not enough, you have to accomplish something other than just being around to post horse!@#$.

 

The game as it stands is what it is and nothing is going to change where we are now except for hard work and motivation from a wider cross section of players.  There has never been an easier time to be influential, never been a better time to have a crack at something different or unusual and there has never been a period where you can personally make a difference if you choose to do so.  You need to have some imagination and some motivation, and therein lies the problem.

 

 

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, AlmightyGrub said:

 

Junka, you don't play the game in any way shape or form, you just post !@#$ over and over.  In order to play, you have to risk something, you risk nothing.  Shut up about saving anyone and save yourself.  Existence is not enough, survival is not enough, you have to accomplish something other than just being around to post horse!@#$.

 

The game as it stands is what it is and nothing is going to change where we are now except for hard work and motivation from a wider cross section of players.  There has never been an easier time to be influential, never been a better time to have a crack at something different or unusual and there has never been a period where you can personally make a difference if you choose to do so.  You need to have some imagination and some motivation, and therein lies the problem.

 

 

 

I am disappointed with this post. To say that I have risked nothing is to display a profound ignorance of my history and you should know better by now. My history is full of gambits and risk taking, probably more than any other existing alliance leader. Allow me to recount:

 

2007: Left secure existance in Fifth Column Confederation to found Separatist Confederation

2008: Merged into IAA

2008: Became Emperor of IAA and fought the Hegemony, got EZId

2008: Joined Vox Populi, debated with Vladimir, got robbed of a Senate seat by Starfox101

2009: Joined NSO under Ivan, headed internal security

2010: Joined NPO despite being EZI'd in 08, wrote anti MK articles

2013: Joined House Baratheon, played major role during Disorder, got couped

2014: Founded Revolutionary Order Party, Joined LoSS, rewrote charter

2014: Founding Senator of SNX, formed SHADOWS state security, got expelled

2015: Member of Polar, Press director, Order Hero during Doom War, proposed many reforms that were rejected

2015: Left cushy mid-level position to lead SNX, fought July Revolution, commanded six wars in the last year and maintained a stable, loyal core of membership through it all

 

You are really going to sit there and lecture me about taking risks? If there's any single alliance govt official left that has represented ambition, change and direction, it is myself. Through sheer force of will I have fought and led against numerous cowardly coalitions who have only faced me and my followers with sheer force of numbers. Through ideological commitment I have founded entire new ways of thinking that has been adopted by dozens of nations.

 

Never once have I yielded to tyranny and bullying.

 

You have done great in your rebuilt position in Polar, but there are many others you can criticize for static, inactive government leadership before you can criticize me.

 

I'm not going to whine and complain about this simulation because I put way too much sweat and tears fighting for a dream that I cannot achieve in real life. I am a fanatic, and that is something you cannot comprehend when you accuse me of "risking nothing."

Edited by Immortan Junka
Posted

Is over. I stopped posting to the OWF ( and specifically to the suggestion forum ) because it was frustrating. Between abuse by the unmentionables and neglect by admin, exasperated by the tease of promise of moving things forward made it a complete waste of effort. And this thread is a perfect example of why the main OWF is a toilet. The same attention whores posting about themselves over and over again. Turds circling the bowl.

 

I don't know why the game died but I cannot imagine what the OWF turned into is doing anything positive.

 

Logging back out.

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