Effectively Improving Your Server

[Stephen]

I've created a short essay on identifying customer groups. This method can be used to improve your server. Improving your server will help you influence the Graal Online community.

http://forums.graalonline.com/forums/blog.php?b=160
Click Here to Visit The Blog Entry (Legacy)

[Liberated]

I read it, and i'll keep it in mind when/if i make a server.

[TheJames]

Kudos.

[fowlplay4]

Due to Google's use of Java-script for the Analytic Tool, I'm pretty sure they don't want people messing around with it. In fact it's probably easier to track statistics locally and to greater depth instead of pretending your gServer is a website and sending the statistics to Google.

[oo_jazz_oo]

Well, Google's analytics api is used for website, flash, and 'gadget' tracking.

I don't think Google intends you to use the api's they make in any certain set way. Google is all about thinking outside the box.
So, using Google analytics is actually a very creative way to track information on your server.

Nice essay btw.

[Door]

This is terrible, I have no idea what you were trying to say; there's not a single point made that had any appropriate supporting details. In fact, there seemed to be just details, no points. You jumped around between topics, used information that was purely incorrect in terms of marketing, and your spelling/grammar/syntax was utterly deplorable. You don't even have a thesis.

This is an embarrassment that literally says nothing worthwhile to anyone. I wouldn't be so mean about it if you hadn't dressed it up to look like a professional piece of writing as though it actually holds some merit and/or writing skill, but I actually felt insulted as a writer. Next time, please get an editor. Hell, get someone who actually has a point to make.

[Crimson2005]

I don't get what exactly you're trying to convey and what the purpose of that document is exactly, it just seems like a lot of soundbite pieces without an actual lot of substance. You massed this on UN and asked server managers to read this but there's really not a lot they can actually take from this.

[Stephen]

As the gdoc's title indicates, this is intended as a primer document and not a procedural or guiding piece of literature. YMMV

[Door]

"Effectively Improving Your Server" is not 'a procedural or guiding piece of literature'? Then you've completely mistitled this thread. But that's no surprise to me, since if I could not tell what the purpose of your piece was at all, there could not possibly be an appropriate title for it other than "Slew of Utter Crap." No, not "Primer," not "Customer Group Drill Down," Stephen. This is just crap.

[Hiro]

the very first sentence of the essay is weird and it made me apprehensive to finish it. as i read the next few lines, i could tell where you were going with this and i didn't feel the need to finish it. people from graal play differently and you should make accordance for it, allowing players to improve how they play over time

i think if you actually played graal for maybe a year on any given server you'd know enough about one group of players to improve their game play. if anything, developers don't run in the same loops as the players of their servers, and a lot is designed for developers and not for players. i honestly don't understand many of the updates on graal or why they were made in the first place because they only made things marginally better (global PMs are awesome)

if anything, i don't think you tailored this essay to graal enough. i also think some of the language is awkward at some points as you seem to change tone a lot, it doesn't read smoothly and it makes it uninteresting. i think you just need to expand, or you haven't shown us enough to make your points clearer

[Tigairius]

Regardless of the writing, I think the points made in the text were pretty clear and well-thought-out. Everyone could probably take something from this.

[Door]

Tig for God's sake, stop lying for once in your life. Please list out ONE point made in there that was supported by any details whatsoever.

[pooper200000]

The content of this piece is interesting. I would hope any potential server managers/owners would know this information before they begin development. Would a suitable summarization of this information be to understand the players you hope will play your server?

While I understand the importance of this information, I don't find it practical to create it on the consistent basis you are suggesting. Most servers are lucky to have 1 scripter, and I would guess creating a script to generate all of this information would be very time consuming. It might have been better to supply information for a server currently online that collects this information, and then to possibly explain the uses.

Is the purpose of this piece to inform or are you trying to suggest future changes? How do you intend to profile users? With a poll? (And will you take into account information that can be gathered by users that opt out of such a poll?)

I hope you plan to create more pieces to explain suitable ways to apply this information. While it is easy to suggest that group A enjoys activity C the best, it is often hard to identify the activities that make activity C interesting, and to make a new activity that will also appeal to your base.

[fowlplay4]

Effectively improve your server by releasing fun content.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by pooper200000

Most servers are lucky to have 1 scripter, and I would guess creating a script to generate all of this information would be very time consuming. It might have been better to supply information for a server that explains the uses.

The great thing about a project like reporting is it can be generated automatically - even the graphs (you could use Google's Graph API). So maybe someone has to make it once for one server - but he/she could make it available for all servers.

Once it's finished it doesn't have to be touched again aside from maintenance (fixing bugs) or future upgrades

Originally Posted by fowlplay4

Effectively improve your server by releasing fun content.

Indeed, and that's effectively a summary of the intent. The intent is to break content into parts and identify the elements which are being consumed (purchased) the most - the presumption is if they're consuming it they are also enjoying it. This way, when you identify the elements of your fun content which people enjoy the most, you can produce even more fun content in the future.