this needs to be discussed

[Hiro]

i'm going to try and write this thread as devoid of any comments considered "bashing CJ" because those threads always get deleted, and thus we get nowhere on this problem. at the same time i'm going to try and write in a manner that addresses the problems faced by a lack of support and the new road graal is being forced to take. you know that i'm talking about the lack of new content, the lack of user-supported updates, and the population decline

first and foremost, as seen in the "make V5 more like V2" thread, it's more than apparent that the updates over the past few years have had little to no user support behind them. they were sprung upon us instead of introduced and talked about. for a game that survives almost chiefly upon community, and the developers inside the community, it seems impractical that us users have no say into the updates before they happen, and it's lead to huge disappointments

secondly is the problem of what exactly graal is. is it a video game? a development platform? a glorified instant messenger? a internet card gaming lounge that also happens to be a development platform that also is zelda: a link to the past online? the definition of what graal is throws off a lot of new players, because there really isn't a specific answer to it. the answer given to us is that it's a development platform for developers to create servers for users to play, but that doesn't really help out new player; it doesn't give them any direction into the game. graal is very open-ended on letting players choose how they wish to play, but it is also very poorly advertised as such, and it's current portrayal doesn't serve it justice. there is no starting ground for new players - you have to already know what to do to really get into this game: the learning curve is huge, especially in development. once players realize this, 80 percent of them won't try it again. you can add another 10 percent once player's see that it's a development platform, because they are not developers. people originally played graal because it was a online video game, not because it is a development platform

thirdly is the population decline. graal is slowly dying off and it's hard to say that it isn't. the game (or platform?) hasn't seen a rise in players in a long while, and if it weren't for graal's rich history spanning over 10 years, i doubt it would still be in business. i mean to say that in the most sincere and worried way i can. what can we point out to new players that would get them interested in playing graal? i can think of only a few:

1) it's zelda: a link to the past, except online
2) it's highly customizable
3) it has a solid community

this isn't enough to draw in new players, especially the younger players that graal is being directed at. most of them don't play a link to the past, most don't care about customization (read development), but more towards game play. the solid community is the only thing appealing, and even that is very elitist and unfriendly towards newer players depending on which server you go to. it forces people onto servers where you can do mostly everything alone (which can account for the decline in classic player worlds and the increase in RPG/modern ones, zone being the embodiment of this fact)

and forth is the problem of leadership among developers. it's obvious as to who the leader should be, but it doesn't seem to be working out as well as it should on both sides of the spectrum. developers are spread thin across a variety of different projects, instead of combined into one or two solid teams to produce solid content. since graal lets you make whatever you want, why should you follow the ideas of someone else? you can say, "screw this project, i'm going to make my own!" and then nothing gets done. the lack of a solid leading project for developers and users to both get behind and support (in whatever way they can) leads to the problem of cloned servers, stealing other people's work, and zero fun, new, and refreshing content. let this be a problem for a number of years, as it has been, and now we begin to see a lack of motivation from developers to create new things. now the problem becomes zero content, and zero original creations or innovations

i'm not sure how to solve these problems, but they need to be addressed. if this thread is deleted, for whatever reason it get's deleted, then i feel that graal has lost it's way and is slowly destroying itself from within. if we can't talk about it, we can't do anything about it