Make the forums free for registered accounts.
 

It might have worked in 2001 to restrict the forum access, but with the current gold servers not being as popular as Graal2001, the forum is pretty much dying. It's pretty odd to believe that profit will rise due to the forums being a part of the package, but how is this a benefit at all in the state that the forum is in?

With the new Graal3d job offers, it is also foolish to restrict this to people who only have gold, because there's a lot of talent around who are not going to upgrade, to post on these forums, to do Graal a favor.

It's just stupid.

I couldnt agree more. The forum have become a dull and boring place, with far too few people posting.

Not only would the forum become a more active place if all registered accounts got access, but you would also get more feedback about Graal. You want that, dont you? How else are you going to be able to improve the game? You're not making the game only for us that keep renewing our subscriptions, are you?

Because we're a huge minority.

I approve!

*stamp*

I agree.

They took away unlimited Classic (unless you've already got it) from Gold players, so they will still get a profit and the forums will become more popular.

I agree!

Inverness approves verily.

I have a better idea, let's make everything free and we will have more player ! Can't find the drawback ? Hummm....

What are the drawbacks to a free forums?

Graal would survive without these forums.

What's the point of not giving everyone access? Because they're not paying then they're not part of the community?

Why do you want us to pay for every benefit, no matter how minor? It's not like we're asking for free access to every server and be able to make playerworlds free, we're just asking to be able to use the forums.

My thoughts exactly. Nobody considers "How cool are the forums?" when they're buying a game, and it would be silly if they did.

Is it good business to be a jerk to your customers?

Unixmad, really, mind answering a question for us? I mean, we DO pay you for being here - that's the least we can ask, isnt it?

How much profit does forcing players to not only pay for the game, but also having to pay extra for the game's official forums really bring in?

Who wants to pay for dead forums?
I used to enjoy browsing the forums before this change went back in, now I barely frequent them because I can go a whole day without visiting them and only come back to 10 or so new posts, all of which aren't really that interesting. Not much to really do here anymore, so I barely come around.

A valid point. The forums have been too quiet for my liking.

Unixmad, I dont really like your arguments. It's just about the forums. It wouldnt hurt if they were free, just check out Switch' statement. Wouldnt you be happy if the forums would be used more often?

Hell, they don't even have to be 'free', just open to everyone who's paid for some sort of upgrade before.

Well, yea, thats what I meant, sorry ;D

Why have erverything in the internet to be free? Buying and upgrading vBulletin® forum software costs. Server and hosting the forums costs etc.
Maybe the access could also be buyable for non game user, so also people not having an account yet can post.

Nobody is going to care enough about the forums to buy to use them. And it really doesn't matter how much the forum software or the server stuff costs because people aren't going to decide not to buy a Graal account just because the forums are free.

The only people who would have 'free forums' are people with lifetime classic subscriptions. Newer accounts will have to resubscribe to access. In the end, there is no real potential loss of money: just a more helpful, active and generally friendly community. If not for the forums then definitely for the wiki.

THis sounds like a good idea. Question sam why do you fear more players on the forums just because it will mean more problems for you?

If that were only true....
Anyway, the only way I would agree that having anyone who has upgraded be able to post (past and present), is if the accounts had their computer ID's recorded on the forums, and could be blocked if they are only here to cause trouble. There are members who do not even have Graal on their computers anymore, and have no interest in Graal, but would love to be able to post here to cause trouble.

It gets a bit annoying when members are constantly whining to get free stuff, especially since Graal doesn't cost that much to begin with, plus what I said above ^.

True, but I know a community which doesnt require to buy a membership to use the forums, and they have vB though. Just because the members donated something...

Are these forums required for Graal? Are they making any more money than Graal? We don't even need these forums. All that's really happening with the forums is people talking together. That and it's apparently a financial drain on Unix.

If the forums aren't going to be open to everyone, what's the point of them still being paid for? Just remove the forums and save some money.

The forums is a good resource for help from a knowledgeable community, in fields of development, and other advice. There are no other forums you can go to and ask for help on Graal or GScript2, and have good answers. Do I think these forums should be free? Yes, am I going to stop using them because they're not free? No. I enjoy the forums, and maybe customers who have already paid for Graal should get access to the forums... but what can we do?

You could even lower the costs by using free forum software such as phpbb, which isnt even bad.

I've always liked phpbb... the last release candidate I had of version 3 was great! I couldn't update to latest cause the vip server had safe mode on :frown:

Invision Board used to be my favorite free software until they broke their promise and stuck a price on the software.

You can still freely use 1.3.1 final if its not for commercial use. I actually use it :P

I don't get why you have to had gold to use the forums. I agree with everyone about this. Really it would be smart to make the forums free. Because i know people who have gold that don't even know about the forums. The forums are meant for players to show their work, learn and find work. I don't even bother putting up any threads about my server hiring because everyone who checks the forums have like 20 servers already that they work for.

So stop being cheap Unixmad and make the forums free. I'm not asking for graal to be free. I am with you on the fact Graal itself should cost money but look at this:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To be able to play Zone and Kingdoms plus the regular servers is $48 for a year.

=Lets take this apart=
$24 goes to the playerworld access according to the other plan
$24 goes to Zone and Kingdoms

There are about 123 playerworlds (Not Counting the Gold servers and like the Login servers and the Graal 3D servers)
Which is roughly about 4 cents per server.

For Graal Kingdoms, Zone and Games it is $ 8 for each of those 3 servers.

Considering right now there is a total of 24 players on those 3 servers (not on each but total.) it would be a waste of money to pay 24 extra dollars for 3 servers that hardly has anyone on it. I am just rambling on but just try to realize if you made the forums free you would make more money. Seeing how the money makes the world go round you will be happy :D

I don't mean to be a **** i've been playing since graal was Zelda Online. I love this game but i hate to see Unixmad become too greedy and we have to pay a lot for a 2D game.

I would imagine that Unixmad would stop reading here. Insulting the owner is not the way to get things done.
Unixmad and Stefan, both do read the suggestions on these forums, but they do not have to be insulted.
I have seen them impliment quite a few suggestions that I have seen suggested.

These forums come with Graal, not seperate, so it makes sense that you would have to have an upgraded account to register. That means that people who upgraded to lifetime Classic, or VIP, should have access to the forums (don't know how it is now). I know access to the forums was a part of VIP, but I don't remember if it was part of lifetime Classic.
I do agree that people could offer more help, and recieve more help, if they had access to the forums, and this is a major downside to the way it is now.
I would like to see the forums active again, but I would not like to see people who don't even play Graal anymore, come here to cause trouble, that's why I said what I said about being able to lock a computer ID on the forums. If they could do that, then I am all for everyone who has ever upgraded to have access here.

It's called frustration. Frustration over not getting replies from the ones in charge to our questions, when we pay for their game.

I get frustrated too sometimes, as well as many others I have seen continue to talk to Unixmad with respect, and not insult. That is no excuse.

That's what we have you for :). Someone causes trouble? Ban them.

Come to think of it, making the forums free for registered account might even make business better. It certainly won't hurt business at all. I don't think anyone upgrades an account just for access to the forums anyways.

But it's perfectly fine for him to reply to paying customers with sarcasm? I maybe an immature pain, but I know a thing or two about manners

The forums should be Classic, <GK/Zone> Gold, and PW Gold.

Since now there isn't anymore of that "lifetime classic" unless you already got it, then it would be okay to let the Classic members join. Cyberjouers is still getting payed that way.
It's not that big of a deal, if you see it how I do, to allow Classics.

And since GK and Zone are practically dead, not many people are gonna be coming to the forums == dead forums

Free forums, like Crow has suggested, DO have computer ID bans. I'd know. I'm a mod on my friend's IRL forums ;)

I didn't appreciate unixmad's sarcasm either, he should show some respect to us also.
The software can deal with those idiots just like the game does. As Switch said, the forum software has IP and Computer ID bans just like the game. I suppose that means you're for our suggestion?

Although, I believe the suggestion was completely free forums, not just anyone who has ever upgraded.

They wouldn't need to make people pay for it if they use a free service.