Development Focus

[BFH]

[quote]Ann. 2317 - [2012-06-04 20:22:46 - Stage 11]
[b]Development Focus[/b]
From the last post, it seems like a number of people are thinking in a different direction than we are, and want as much feedback as possible.
To get a a much broader view of what people want, we are looking for comments on anything you think we should be working on now.
Please make a topic with the first post being these instructions. Following posts should only include one "idea" that you feel should be worked on first. Ideas should be "voted" on using the reputation.
Once we get get a better idea of what specifically people are looking to be done, we can make some specific comments and open the voting again like we did before, hopefully explaining everything.
[/quote]

I'm going to start by stating my opinion of what NEEDS to be done.

One of the major issues with MD are its "filters."

You guys should work to remove many of them. That will allow MD to recieve a considerable amount of players that will stay and not leave just because the filters.

I won't enter into details on forums, but if you guys want we can discuss the issue.

Why it should be done? MD needs more players

I was asked to put the other posts I made here:


---

I told that maybe remove wasn't the correct word but that made them easier to overcome.

---

After chatting with another vet (If he prefer i put his name). I got on to this, regarding the filters of the tutorial:

I see them all wrong as a whole.

First and in terms of numbers. The longer you wait to present a new player the real game, which is nothing related to the tutorial, more increases the chance for them to get out of the game. Currently the initial part of the tutorial is boring and to be sincere most of the basics which can be learn from that part can be compiled into a single task. Players enter into a deserted place (Paper cabin) they try to chat but unfortunately they are chatting to nobody. LHO's aren't the problem but the system that makes then start like that.

Tutorial can start with a battle. Exposing them to a real part of MagicDuel and making players eager to fight and to get involved, which reduces the amount of players that leave. (That also involves animating the battles a bit more, which can be done at once because the whole idea is a major change)

After the battle players can be introduced to PvP fights all part of the tutorial, explaining them the basis of it and all.

Finally players are given a major task, quest or whatever to learn basics and reach the principles all at once.

Story doesn't needs to be removed, but maybe let the players voluntary enter in it. This allows

1. MD story to keep up.
2. Will make players not leave telling "WTF is this about"
3. Increases by a BIG amount the players that stay.
4. Finally and by consequence MD gets bigger, better, and more fun.

---

Note: If any of you would like to discuss any of this please remember to use the other topic that is open. As Burns told here and Chew to me, lets try to keep this one clean.

Edited June 5, 2012 by BFH

[Seigheart]

I would like to see a larger variety of spells that are accessible to the public.

There are literally dozens, maybe even a hundred or so spells out there.

Most people have the spells that are available in the WP Shop, but most of those spells are useless.

Lets get some more spells into the WP Shop.

[Chewett]

Work on citizenship, no one can become a member of a land without joining an alliance, and with all these takeovers and tools requiring loyalty its entirely stupid not to have some way of becoming a normal citizen.

[MRAlyon]

work on skilldamage stat... I think it's good have got it... I love it... but i don't think it's correct that if you win the fight the opponent lose points on all stats... I would like see that the player that lose don't lose points on all stats but only on the ones that the player that won....
example... I have got skilldamage and won against another player... I won the fight and get 0.36 of attack... why the player that lost should lose points on all stats and not only on the one that I gained... I think it's more balanced so... and maybe if a player with this ability attack another with this ability the skilldamage doesn't work... so players will be more motivated to partecipate contest and work hard to gain it... for me skilldamage is killing the game... more players stopped to play just because they continue to see their stats go down quickly and that they gained maybe in one month or more...

and as BFH told... WE REALLY NEED TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP AND GET PLAYERS NOT CONTINUE TO LOSE THEM!!

Edited June 4, 2012 by MRAlyon

[De Mimsy Porpington]

I'd suggest illusions be re-emplemented. I'm biased, because I'm an illusionist, but I think it would add a nice roleplay part to the entire realm. It could also add on to Seigheart's suggestion. There are already some illusion-like spells, but more could come with it (Mind Powers and such, although, this isn't necessary).

Mimsy

[Liberty4life]

i would personally like to see "everybody can beat anybody" again, cuz atm combat is all about stats

so combat system redesign is wut i say

[Tom Pouce]

Remove or lessen or put way of newby to lower viscosity

Suggestions either:
- either remove viscosity all together
- make Energetic immunity stat conter the viscosity
- make another way easylyavalable for newby to conter or totally neutralise viscosity
_ make it so that one can easyly get citisenship of each lands at will, so his loyalty gain for each land counter viscosity and gain access to tools to make wealth

Hight viscosity completely ruin some quests
Hight viscosity make exploration of MD only avalable to players with citisenship to many lands or wealtly to have thea cups or other mean to get more ap

Viscosity is one off the main deterrent for newplayers and even me with my small 105 active day having vote often, find it almost impossible to explore tribunal for exemple

[color=#ff0000][b]Hee guys why put negative rep on that post? You dont like new players?[/b][/color]

Edited June 4, 2012 by Tom Pouce

[Fenrar]

Well, I am newbie... and here is my opinion, I hope you can use it somehow:

In the beginning, it is awesome. The idea is great... and there is a lot to learn and see. Fyrd's riddles, quests, new friends, minions and Mystery... all is nice.
There could be more quests which can be finished before Loreroot. (Maybe after the MD Summer Fest we could leave some.)

After a while (reading some forum topics) you have the feeling that there is no goal, and all is pointless. Unfortunately, it is _not_ the same as the "You're on your own now, good luck." text in Morrowind. You feel robbed.

Giving me the option to get free money is nice (with APs and so on), the MDShop is well constructed, I used PayPal several times.

The first real shock, a real BLOW came when I got capped at MP3. On day 12 I could enter MP4, but I wanted to wait and see... and I had to find out that I cannot train my minions anymore.
I think it would be nice if we could find some more information about heat cap and its effects early.
So... anyway, the real nightmare has started at day 12. I was trying everything to find a way to reduce personal heat, and warned all my friends immediately (one has left already, the other comes in for some hours, trying to find fun.) Naturally, as I was looking for a solution, I found new friends. Result: everyone is afraid of getting personal heat (Cyclicity, bah...). The best example was the HC, when only the capped played it, and the others were hiding or asking to attack them giving no heat. Interesting.

Everything else is alright... I wish I found this game before, when there were more players around.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Fenrar

[Tom Pouce]

[b]Make tools more avalable[/b]

suggest: (in order of preference)
- remove requirement of loyalty for all tools not of kind of land defence
- make more item that gather material or process material avalable for citisen without loyalty
- make tools that require no man land loyalty ... (its the only loyalty a new player can get ...)

[Burns]

I'm still saying that MP6 needs attention, but we already talked about that, so...

Note to Tom's post over this one, no man's is not the same as no homeland.

[color=#0000cd]Please stick to the council's wish, one idea per post and reputation voting, nothing else. Discussions concerning what and why we suggest and vote go [/color][url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/12401-discussion-development-focus-155-7/"][color=#0000cd]here[/color][/url][color=#0000cd], please[/color]

Edited June 4, 2012 by Burns
Mod note

[Kaya]

[b]Dynamic land loyalty[/b]
One of the things I would like to see changed is the way people gain land loyalty. Currently the way to gain it is be joining an alliance from a specific land and after that all you need to do is make sure you log in from time to time and it'll keep going up.

While this is a nice start and does give some indication of a persons loyalty to a specific land it is very limited. For example someone who joins a land only to damage it or it's people still gains loyalty and will keep it for all eternity, while someone who does help to protect the land or in some other way helps the land, but is not (yet) a citizen of that land gets nothing.

While this might not be the most important change and I'm not certain how it should be changed with the growing importance of land loyalty just time isn't enough.

[Soothing Sands]

Tom- As BFH mentioned, there is somewhat of a "filter". Magicduel is an experience, and it's really not right for everyone.

Focus: More long-term quests. Ones that require planning, not the 1-day activities (I'm not saying they are bad). Adventures, so to speak. Maybe ones that a group/alliance/land has to complete as a whole. Things that will spark creativity and are open to interpretation.

edit- I came right when the AL ended, so i'm not entirely sure what that would entail

Edited June 4, 2012 by Soothing Sands

[Kaya]

[b]Making Heads contest a contest[/b][b] again[/b]

As most know for a while now HC hasn't been much of a contest other than for occasionally for first place, though that spot usually is taken from the start as well. Lately it has even become harder not to win if you haven't already than it has to win.

Therefore I have a few suggestions as to how to make HC a little harder:
-Make HC only available to MP4+, as MP3 can't really fight fully yet anyway, or perhaps make it MP5 only.
-Reduce the amount of winners to 3 per category.
-Reduce the amount of HCs to 4 per year, one every 3 months

With this there should at least be some increase in competition in the long run as the amount of competitors gets more concentrated in one place.

Edit:
Thhe main point is work on HC to make it a contest again, not the way how this should be done.

Edited June 5, 2012 by samon

[awiiya]

This may be a radical idea, but perhaps the fact that mps are so strict is a bad thing.

What if you could move up and down in Mps (mostly between mp3 and mp5) freely? What if you could go back down from mp4, just like mp6 and mp5 are a constant balance?

And the mps could factor in recent activity (logging in), fighting/winning, heat, stats, etc. In truth there are mp5s don't deserve to be mp5s given their recent battle history.

Also I would like to see some of the other mps open up (mp2, namely... mp1 should remain as is, for I haven't seen another mp1-esque player).

I think mp2 could be a stage that one gets to simply by giving up their self for good - no creatures or stats or avatars, just illusions.

And yes, the fight system needs a serious reworking. Also the Alliance system - there's a lot of potential that's just not being tapped.

Mur has become inactive. It's time for the players to take some control of the direction. If we get it wrong, then he'll come back and correct us, but some experimentation is better than stagnation.

Awi

[apophys]

A very easy and minor change, but one that would help me a lot, and I'm sure others as well:

Option on the options page to mute all MD sounds.

[Eagle Eye]

Mirror spell can epic MP4 to MP5

[Burns]

[color=#0000ff]People, seriously... Ideas here, discussion [/color][url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/12401-discussion-development-focus-155-7/"][color=#0000ff]there.[/color][/url][color=#0000ff] Please.[/color]
[color=#0000ff]Moved a few posts there, if they don't bring a new idea, but a discussion about the whys and hows, they should be there. If you mix your idea and the discussion of another in the same post, the rep-voting goes haywire, and the council will certainly ask for a more detailed discussion on the topics we pick anyway.[/color]

[color=#0000ff]Pretty please, i don't want to be the evil mod who moves half the forum here.[/color][url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/12401-discussion-development-focus-155-7/"] [/url]

[stavaroiu]

I would like to see more shared, cauldron type tools that require some of the currently useless resources.

I can count 15 of those resources only in my inventory, some new recipes and devices that use them would be nice.

[Seigheart]

I would like to see a revamping of the inventory.

Especially with the images. Perhaps, if the item is useable, allow the items image that appears on the top of the inventory be a link to the item's "Use Item" function?


Edit: I just realised that this is already available... O.o Just never had a picture for an item that has a function until recently... lol

Edited June 5, 2012 by Seigheart

[The Warrior]

When we use tools, we get specific stats related to the tools use, but what is the point of these stats except for boasting about with screen-shots. We need a benefit of gaining these tool related stats and incentives to become more skilled in them.

[Fyrd Argentus]

There should be a comprehensive effort to fix the grammar and spelling in all of the hardcoded text (stuff Grido can't reach now). It gives an amateurish impression to newcomers.

[Edit - lines removed as they are copied below. Done - thanks guys.]

Edited June 5, 2012 by Fyrd Argentus

[Burns]

[quote name='Fyrd Argentus' timestamp='1338929872' post='113516']
There should be more options in manipulating rituals. Make copies, change order, turn on and off temporarily, etc
[/quote]

We can't do trickery to copy your post into several lines, but there's a lot people people here right now... Just take one of his lines and re-post until they're all separated! You can do this!

[Fyrd Argentus]

If we still had kings, they should be able to create and dissolve alliances at will, and reward or punish their subjects by changing land loyalty. Alliance leadership should be based on land loyalty, not the kind that reflects loyalty to your protector. Absent the kings, whoever holds the ruling items would do this.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Fyrd Argentus

[Mallos]

[quote name='Fyrd Argentus' timestamp='1338929981' post='113516']The % power selected for an attack ritual should actually pop up as the default, not 50%.[/quote]

[Burns]

[quote name='Fyrd Argentus' timestamp='1338929981' post='113516']
New players ought to get some inventory items early on. Maybe a resource or silver coin or such, just like they get that first free power up.

[/quote]

Edited June 5, 2012 by Burns