Population increasing ideas?

14 page, assuming you mean this thread.

Assuming this game was created using something similar to the UDK, what seems like the simplest way to release a Devkit would be to mark all the core classes that could potentially be used to make new hacks as #noexport (or whatever the tag is) so they can't be exported from compiled scripts to simple text files from inside the "UDK". Because that version of the UnrealEditor has issues with exporting scripts properly (it likes to add things that prevent stuff from compiling, no clue why), a copy of the source code for all the classes that -weren't- marked would need to be included. Not that difficult.

The hard part (and perhaps the most necessary) is making all the documentation for it. Unless you want to sit there and slog through class after class, trying to understand what the functions and variables in each one are for and how they work, the documentation is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, it's also very time-consuming to fill in all this information. While skeleton pages can be auto-generated, the descriptions likely cannot. Short version: Mod Tools aren't nearly as useful without a good manual.

A simple tool to make maps with should be simple enough to release -if- the devs are using something like the UDK. If not, there's no telling how complex or simple it would be.

EDIT:

Beat me to it. Sounds like yeah, it's UDK-based. This is kind of a good thing, as most of the underlying stuff would potentially already have documentation on the net - UnrealWiki and the UDK developer's network are places to look. They would still need to write docs for MNC-specific classes, however.

Many players won't read manuals/watch tutorial videos but they will when they get frustrated. MNC doesn't have these basic resources available.

Bugs need to be quashed. The game seems to have issues with input keys not wanting to fire, damag not registering, etc.

Core mechanics need to be changed. Juice in particular needs to be toned down majorly. Bot and turrent damage should remain high but damage to pros should be the same as unjuiced. TF2's ubers do an excellent job of encouraging teamwork because folks don't have to worry about instantly exploding. Snipers need to have their OHK capability removed. Give their gun their old 225 damage and let headshots get a 50 percent bonus and 50 dollars everytime. It'll kill unarmored light classes but spare others. Assassin cloak tells need either a CoD text prompt or a visual effect like electricity as most new persons don't even know what to listen for and yes some people are hard of hearing. Basically you want to ensure that the player feels they have some control over their fate.

Trap choices need to be quashed. The game is full of them. The gunner needs a revamp as he has ONE skill that's essential. Endorsements need a complete overhaul and you need to let people make their own class from the beginning and make defaults worth a damn.

Let user's make their own content.

Allow spectators and demo recording AND a honest to goodness voting system to get rid of jerkwads and hackers and a map vote so everyone can skip bad maps.

Perform voodoo magic on Seananners to get him to play MNC on youtube. The guy single handedly made the Minecraft guy a millionaire.

You're asking for another game entirely. If you want this complete overhaul created I recommend you wait for a modder to share your opinions because a VAST majority of the people who like this game will most likely disagree with you. Either that or buy a different game.

If the majority was that vast the population wouldn't be down. Numbers don't lie.

They also don't imply that your changes are what they're asking for. Because you feel the game needs changed on so many basic levels, I would imagine that anyone who enjoys the game would disagree with you.

I was under the impression it was the lack of maps/mod support that initiated the communal decay. Everyone I've talked to out of these forums said that's why they stopped. Either that, or the dead community, which is a snowball effect from the aforementioned problem.

Those things play a strong role as well but if the core game is solid people can deal with repetitiveness. Look at how many people play dust2 in Counter Strike over and over and over. One can compensate for the other in many ways as well. TF2 has a lot of balance issues because of the weapon bloat but the skinner box stuff keeps people playing even when gameplay is frustrating due to poor balance and lack of teamwork. Essentially it works the same way MMO's work. The longer you don't play the longer you go without items and those people get a false sense of loss so they play more even if they find the process funless.

In MNC from my anecdotal experience people leave way before they get tired of maps. They leave because it feels like they aren't doing anything. The gameplay needs to be friendlier both in terms of information being intuitively conveyed and less "your character has suddenly exploded" mechanics.

Edit: You have to consider that at this low a pop modding won't save the game. Modding is mostly about long term survival. People aren't playing MNC because they don't find what's already there fun. Also you need a high population to get a good supply of modders. They aren't magic fairies you know.

Obviously they don't find it fun enough to keep playing, that's why they -left-. UT3 suffered similar deflation in its player base, then released the Titan Pack as well as re-released itself under the subtitle "Black Edition" alongside a free weekend on Steam. The patch added MUCH better mod support, and the community picked back up - not to what it could have been if it hadn't dropped off to begin with, but I'd rather make an effort to revive a game I enjoy than go "well **** that" and quit.

Also, you realize that if the mod tools were released, you could potentially write this new game you're talking about. Hell, you could start now to some degree, since the game runs on the Unreal3 engine. Draw up some plans, make an outline.

EDIT: Just reread that bit of what you wrote. "You have to consider that at this low a pop modding won't save the game." Followed by "People aren't playing MNC because they don't find what's already there fun."

Mod tools = new maps, new gameplay = something more to enjoy = potentially more people. Modding stands plenty of a chance of "saving" MNC.

Hi. Here's one. It's a start.

Bad logic

I cant believe it did not hit me. There needs to be a tutorial on custom classes and using endorsements. Not a lot of new players know how endorsements work and Its not something I can explain easily over voice chat.

This would probably fall under stat transparency - actual NUMBERS in the "How To Play" section, such as base health, weapon damage, etc etc etc. A section including the actual numerical effects of each endorsement level would be nice.

I get the idea the devs were shooting for - a quick, messy DoTA style shooter. No specific numbers to clog the screen, nor to make discussion of the game too complex. I have seen people on WoW forums nitpicking over a .5% change in damage dealt by single abilities before, and not knowing exact numbers prevents this kind of thing. Looking into Balance.ini has kind of broken that, though, and just being told "this does good things better than that one does" isn't specific enough to explain things properly.

What you are talking about seems to be more about retaining the old guard more than increasing the population hence "revive." MNC needs to GROW. It needs to seduce new players. The vanilla game therefore needs to be strong enough to do that especially since each game session consists of a max of 12 people playing. Maybe some players like a particular mod but can't get into those games and so they never wind up playing. This is likely to happen given a low pop and lots of little mods. I can see a mod helping IF it was a "mega" mod. An official unofficial community design that would be on a lot of servers and if the mod could be autodownloading by joining a server (not sure how UT3 handles that).

They need to solidify the games durability before they bing in another batch of new players. Mod support will do that more than anything else. Changing it entirely will just piss people off.

I agree 110% that the game is going to need another sale alongside a mega update to bring in the next wave of players. But mod support needs to come out FIRST. Not even at the same time. Even if there are a bunch of little mods it's better than nothing, and once the game pulls in more people larger mods will start to pop up.

Whiners first off decrease the game. Don't do that. Support the game if you play it a ton. If you know the reasons that make this better than Black Ops, convince your friends to spend 15 dollars to try a good game.

The game is limited due to lack of development staff. Still, the game is good. All of CoD might play it if it had 20 maps and customizable features for classes. If you haven't noticed, it is headed in the right direction.

It will grow if people put effort to it. Strategy, skills, teamwork, and the such.

I'll do my part to advertise.

MNC is a good game at the core. I wish that voice chat was better, the balance promoted more teamwork and the game had video tutorials and a PDF with instructions upon download.

Maybe I'll e-mail Uber.

modtools and everything will be possible?

(btw, don't think about only crazy shiz for mods, server moderating mods and the like are also mods and very usefull at that too :roll: )

Admin tools would be very useful. A simple GUI for login and kick/bans would be a start.

The problem happens when you have to dig through a manual or hit forums in order to even find out

A: What your base health is.

B: What your base ability cooldowns are.

C: What each endorsement does at each level.


A, B, and C should all be visible when you're making a custom class.

Further information, such as weapon spread, should be available in the manual. But basic basics like "What does this endorsement do" should be very, very visible.

I am for a manual that is easily accessible ingame and is included with the game upon download.

The current tips are good but not good enough for new players and definitely not accessible enough.

I played Portal with developer commentary before, and I must say, gamers are idiots. I played Narbacular Drop plenty fine without the training wheels they had to put on Portal to make idiots maybe understand it.

Maybe this is something to consider in sequels, but right now I don't think this is the answer. If they need us to tell them EXACTLY what to do, and they can't come here for that, then I don't think I want them playing lol.

That is such a CoD mentality. I can pick it up and be just as good as anyone. I never realized it when I was playing, but there was always one setup EVERYONE used, and I was just good because I could stomache any setup and play it uniquely enough to counter the common setup.

On hardcore s&d in MW2, eventually the only thing I could do to counter UMP45 rushers was fmj spray thru walls with big extended mag mg4. I also used the vector w/ ACOG and could snipe with it (unlike UMP45, non-headshots didn't kill, so you HAD to shoot them in the head like they were zombies).

I find kinda funny that we are talking so much about how we love the game, about what could we do to keep the playerbase, that we will make tutorials and stuff and UBER don't even bothers with a nice post or something like that. I mean there is like 300 players playing the game ATM, they could tell us their plans to keep the game going or something like that. Im kinda dissapointed, Ekanaut have broken my hearth </3

Players like you are exactly what's wrong with the genre, and exactly the reason why MOBA games tend to stagnate with a relatively hardcore base with no/few casual players to speak of streaming in.



It is fecking unreasonable to expect players to commit to research before playing a game which they have purchased. Most people are not going to bother (no, seriously, they won't. Most people that decide to play League of Legends on a whim sure as hell don't bother), and frankly, half this crap should be visible in the game UI. You should not have to hunt down a specific thread in a forum just to find out WHAT THE HELL ENDORSEMENTS EVEN DO.

For christ's sake, the game has less visible RELEVANT information than any other MOBA game out there. After, or along with mod support, that really needs to be fixed. Hiding information will never, ever quell balance discussions, Cryptic found that one out to its dismay during its tenure developing City of Heroes.