New Trial System

[konidias]

I think most of you here fail to realize that you are but a minority of players in the Graal community. This isn't an opinion. It's a statistically and consistently proven fact. The online gaming minority are always the loudest. That does not mean they should be heard over everyone else.

As a developer, they have to do what they feel is best for the game. Did you make an online game that has pulled in tens of thousands of dollars? Have you marketed online games before? Have you even had a job in the game industry? (that was actually paid, not one you did for free)

If you answered no to all of these questions, then why exactly should anyone listen to you? The truth is that 99% of player feedback is useless. Most feedback is stuff that cannot easily be implemented, or it's already in development, or it's just a totally stupid idea.

I'm sure that in your mind you can say "this and this and this would totally fix Graal! I'm sure of it!" and then stand there triumphant in your victory. That doesn't make you right. That doesn't mean your ideas are going to "save Graal" as you put it.

Honestly I find it arrogant that you feel your opinions deserve to be not only heard, but acted upon. Your gold membership (which some of you may have paid for and some of you may not have, and is probably expired) does not give you some sort of power over the game. There have been games that listened to the players too much and now they are in ruins. It's not always the solution to the problem. In fact, it rarely is.

In my opinion I see these suggestions as more as wishful thinking. Not wishful thinking that Graal will become more popular and sell better, but wishful thinking that you can change an entire game and community based off some ideas you probably thought up while sitting on the toilet. I'm sure that would make you feel really good about yourself, knowing that you were listened to and that your ideas were put into action. Join the club. Nearly everyone playing the game would love for their ideas to be taken seriously, but it's just not a realistic aspiration.

I'm not even going to bother listing what I think would make Graal better, because it's not my place to do so. Even though at one point I thought it was. At one point I thought Graal should pay the developers... at one point I was full of ideas that I thought would make Graal better. But it wasn't my place to do so, and it still isn't. I may have paid for Graal, I may have worked for Graal. I may have been a member of the Graal community for over half a decade. But that doesn't give me any right to tell them how they should run their game.

Honestly if you don't like the game, there is a better way of showing it.

Leave.

Instead of sitting here complaining day after day, and stating how there are far better games out there. Just leave and go play them. I think Graal's biggest problem is that because it's also a developer community, it makes people think they have some sort of right to dictate how Graal is run as a product. It doesn't. I'm sure you've had fun playing the game. I'm sure you've also had fun developing for the game. If that is the case, then stop complaining and move on, or stay here and learn to have tolerance for what Stefan/Unixmad want for the game.

It's not your game to change, and you are not entitled to have your opinions heard. Regardless of whether or not you paid or your parents paid or 5 years ago you got someone to upgrade your account once, or even if you own 15 accounts that you paid for yourself. It doesn't give you any more entitlement.

edit: Also, anyone posting "epic fail" or "failboat" pictures or anything of that sort... I hope that one day you look back and see just how immature and arrogant you're being. At least Cyberjoueurs has made a community of gamers that has lasted... what... nearly 10 years or more? What have you done?

You have to at least try in order to fail. I wonder what the term is for someone who doesn't even try. I'm sure you're "epic" knowledge and wisdom can give us that answer.

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by konidias

In my opinion I see these suggestions as more as wishful thinking. Not wishful thinking that Graal will become more popular and sell better, but wishful thinking that you can change an entire game and community based off some ideas you probably thought up while sitting on the toilet. I'm sure that would make you feel really good about yourself, knowing that you were listened to and that your ideas were put into action. Join the club. Nearly everyone playing the game would love for their ideas to be taken seriously, but it's just not a realistic aspiration.

The topic of this thread is the trial system we have, and considering nearly every single person in this thread is not directly affected by this, I'd say the comments made towards the system were wishful that Graal can progress and sell better. Your reply was extremely dramatic and totally missing the point. While the developers of Graal are keeping this game alive in terms of content, they are very empowered to give comments towards choices that effect the servers they selflessly develop and run, day in day out. If you look at other games you will see that nearly every successful game welcomes feedback, monitors issues, and works through problems with their customers and Graal should be no different, though it's not as successful as it used to be is it?

[konidias]

Originally Posted by Rufus

The topic of this thread is the trial system we have, and considering nearly every single person in this thread is not directly affected by this, I'd say the comments made towards the system were wishful that Graal can progress and sell better. Your reply was extremely dramatic and totally missing the point. While the developers of Graal are keeping this game alive in terms of content, they are very empowered to give comments towards choices that effect the servers they selflessly develop and run, day in day out. If you look at other games you will see that nearly every successful game welcomes feedback, monitors issues, and works through problems with their customers and Graal should be no different, though it's not as successful as it used to be is it?

Something that indirectly affects people still matters just as much as things that directly affect people. There's nothing holding anyone back from making an amazing playerworld and advertising it. Nobody needs permission to advertise Graal. Again, just because someone pays for a server and develops stuff it does not give them special rights to instruct the owners of the game on how it should be run.

If I look at other games I will see that some of them have feedback forms (where those forms actually get sent to is another question entirely) Some have forums where players can give feedback too, but does it mean anyone is being heard there either? Would you feel better if you sent feedback to Graal in an e-mail and got a "thank you for your feedback, we have read and considered your feedback" letter? That doesn't mean anyone actually cared.

Graal isn't as successful as it used to be? That all depends on what you personally consider success. The playercount may be down... I'm no statistical expert and I don't know what the playercount averages out to each year... however, Graal used to be totally free. Now Graal is making money. You can argue about how much money it's making... but it's still making money. So as far as a business is concerned. Graal is far more successful than it used to be.

I have to laugh at people who pull numbers out of the sky when trying to give their "feedback". I don't think "the majority of Graal players have left!" is very accurate considering it's based on personal opinions. Maybe your friends left, maybe a handful of the population is fed up with the game and has left, but I wouldn't consider it a majority.

Just remember that 1 single paying customer is greater than 2000 free customers. (In terms of profit, at least) Sure the game would look "successful" and seem to be doing well with thousands of active players... but that just means higher server costs to keep the lag down and no profit coming in. I don't consider that a success unless you're selfless and don't mind living in an alley and running your "business" from an internet cafe.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not agreeing with their method of running a business. But I'm not going to throw in my two cents on how I think it could be better, because like I've been saying, it's not my place.

[Tyhm]

Originally Posted by konidias

Just remember that 1 single paying customer is greater than 2000 free customers. (In terms of profit, at least) Sure the game would look "successful" and seem to be doing well with thousands of active players... but that just means higher server costs to keep the lag down and no profit coming in.

It would look successful, and we'd be having more fun by virtue of it would be up to the old playercount. Consider the motivations; we mostly want this game to be fun. The halcyon days of Papa Unixmad paying the rent for us all are gone, but that doesn't mean we can't miss them. Regardless of whether it's our place or not.

Here's my thing - what happens if he opens ONE server (and as always I say Classic, but it's negotiable) to the Free Trials/Stops saving after 1 month system? It'll either do better or worse, and he can always switch it back if it does worse.

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by konidias

I think that 1 single paying customer is greater than 2000 free customers. (In terms of profit, at least) Sure the game would look "successful" and seem to be doing well with thousands of active players... but that just means higher server costs to keep the lag down and no profit coming in. I don't consider that a success unless you're selfless and don't mind living in an alley and running your "business" from an internet cafe.

1: Take 30 minutes to install ad's on website where download is located.
2: Watch said 2001 customers enter said site...
3: ?????
4: Profit.

[xXziroXx]

Originally Posted by Clockwork

1: Take 30 minutes to install ad's on website where download is located.
2: Watch said 2001 customers enter said site...
3: ?????
4: Profit.

Yes, because the huge profit from ads is more then the money from selling subscriptions.

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by xXziroXx

Yes, because the huge profit from ads is more then the money from selling subscriptions.

I never said that. Of course every player paying a ridiculous amount to play Graal has a better profit than ads.

Is it hard to understand that w/ ads, even free players would generate a small amount of revenue Ziro?

[konidias]

Slapping ads on the website isn't exactly going to make the game seem more professional.

Also I think you fail to realize just how little money that would make. People only really download the game once... if you get 5000 people to download the game, that's all the ad views you're gonna get. 5000 views won't even buy you groceries.

But I digress... You're veering off into more silly suggestions that aren't going to be heard because you're not their marketing staff.

I really don't care if you want to suggest ideas and give feedback to the game... it's not really the point I'm trying to make. I'm merely saying that you shouldn't feel bad when they don't listen.