Are Settings Ultimately Killing CC?

[betiko]

Sorry funky but this doesn't make sense. More preferences should equal broader appeal

I would disagree. I think the Funk has hit on something. People that like to play Risk hear about this site. And when they come in, they look at the Join A Game or Start A Game and there are so many unfamiliar maps and gaming choices.

I remember when I first started, I would go to Join Game and the majority of the games were the Classic map...that was appealing to me, I was familiar with it...now when I look at Join Game, I am bombarded by a thousand games of Quad teams playing Das Schloss with Trench Fog.

Maybe we need a suggestion to be made? A "wading pool" for newbies?

how about reading my post? new recruits already have restrictions and are only allowed to join simple maps and settings. showed the site to a friend a couple of weeks ago who then started an account, and when he went on join games and lots of them were unjoinable because he is a NR. He joined one on ww2 western europe though, and I don't think he could've understood you had to bomb england from benelux if I wasn't there to explain, I think that maps that include bombing or stuff like that that are not in the real risk game should be part of the restricted maps, NR obviously don't use BOB.

[ConfederateSS]

Hello,..Well maybe they should bump it up to 50 games completed on basic maps and basic settings. Before they're thrown to the lions. It would give them something to aim for.The next level.Like any game..Moving up.Curiosity can be an effective tool in getting people to stay.To see what's behind door number two.......That might just be the gimmick(number one tool in marketing) to get people hooked on Conquer Club..Thank You Kindly.....ConfederateSS..out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[qwertylpc]

Hello,..Well maybe they should bump it up to 50 games completed on basic maps and basic settings. Before they're thrown to the lions. It would give them something to aim for.The next level.Like any game..Moving up.Curiosity can be an effective tool in getting people to stay.To see what's behind door number two.......That might just be the gimmick(number one tool in marketing) to get people hooked on Conquer Club..Thank You Kindly.....ConfederateSS..out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree, my first few games went miserably, and approximately 8th game, I was "farmed" by David Hoekstra in live chat. It was a fog freestyle game on Eastern Hemisphere and I didn't know what clickies were. Now, some how I beat him (probably the noob dice) and then I played some more games on that map and won a few. If I had lost that I doubt I would be here today.

Now, for the first 5 games, the only map NR should be able to play is classic with simple settings against other NR. After that 5th game, have something pop up to inform them they have now unlocked other maps (nice easy maps without weird bonuses or bombardment) and can play against other players. After the 10th game, have something pop up to actually take them to the instructions about other settings (it is not simply enough to have instructions, you have to take them to the instructions) such as fog or trench as well as unlock them. Then after 15 games, unlock something else, and by 25 games they should be integrated fully and at least know about everything the site has to offer.

[koontz1973]

Guys, here is the list of new recruit maps.

show

As you can see, nothing complicated in their at all. A good mix of classic play, both large and small maps. The only other restrictions on new recruits are these. They cannot join, assassin, terminator, team or 6+player games.

As for settings putting some players of, if players are going to complain and leave after a few games because of a certain setting, then I very much doubt they would of stayed long term anyway. One of the things we have been saying recently in the foundry is to limit the maps for players. As has been said here, we could open up maps as more games have been played.
NR=50 maps only. Has to be a high number or games would never get filled for them.
Play 25 games, open up another 50.
Play 100 games and you get another 100 maps.
Become premium to get every map over the 200.

[tzor]

Freestyle and Fog Trench make up the better part of the first games you see when looking to join a game.
...
So, since many people seem to notice that games are taking longer to fill up than they used to, stop creating all these point hoarding games. It's probably not CC's responsibility to solve this problem since all these games are going against the grain so to speak for the sake of shaving points.

I happen to like Fog and Trench games but as I am not a premium I am not in the habit of creating a lot of games at any one time. When I do, (for example a NYC game with tench) I basically assume that it might take longer for the slots to fill up than had I not selected it, but being a freemium I generally look for "quality" and not "quantity" so that I am creating the game I want to play.

At this very moment, there are about 130 classic sequential standard games (24 hour round timer) with neither fog nor trench waiting for players. From this observation it seems that there are premium players creating such games and in such quantities that the basic vanilla player should not go wanting and leave CC.

So I don't think your argument is correct in that it is killing CC, but I think that if gripers who say their games take too long to fill up would create more basic games their games would fill up faster.

[qwertylpc]

Guys, here is the list of new recruit maps.

show

As you can see, nothing complicated in their at all. A good mix of classic play, both large and small maps. The only other restrictions on new recruits are these. They cannot join, assassin, terminator, team or 6+player games.

Exactly my point. Way too many. When you play a computer game, there is a tutorial which takes you through the game, the controls etc. (Go to http://www.kongregate.com/ if you've forgotten what a computer game is like). You start with very little function, and it allows you to build up to full capabilities. Starting with 74 maps is complete overkill, maybe 5 or 10 (but tell them there are more to unlock). This will entice them to play a little to unlock stuff, and it will also not overwhelm them. Maybe even have a bot just to teach them in their first game, that way it is real time

[koontz1973]

Exactly my point.

Hence the reason for limiting the maps. Opening them up as you progress.

[greenoaks]

Freestyle and Fog Trench make up the better part of the first games you see when looking to join a game.
...
So, since many people seem to notice that games are taking longer to fill up than they used to, stop creating all these point hoarding games. It's probably not CC's responsibility to solve this problem since all these games are going against the grain so to speak for the sake of shaving points.

I happen to like Fog and Trench games but as I am not a premium I am not in the habit of creating a lot of games at any one time. When I do, (for example a NYC game with tench) I basically assume that it might take longer for the slots to fill up than had I not selected it, but being a freemium I generally look for "quality" and not "quantity" so that I am creating the game I want to play.

At this very moment, there are about 130 classic sequential standard games (24 hour round timer) with neither fog nor trench waiting for players. From this observation it seems that there are premium players creating such games and in such quantities that the basic vanilla player should not go wanting and leave CC.

So I don't think your argument is correct in that it is killing CC, but I think that if gripers who say their games take too long to fill up would create more basic games their games would fill up faster.

it is not so much the settings, although the extra settings have killed Speed, it is the quadruple number of maps now available that makes games fill slowly.

[Shannon Apple]

Exactly my point.

Hence the reason for limiting the maps. Opening them up as you progress.

I can agree with this.

New recruit should be more than 5 games imo, and then open up maps as they go. 5 games is not enough time for them to actually learn anything. I'm glad the option is open for them to play speed games now as it may help to retain more members, but most are being thrown to the lions.

I don't play any of these crazy settings myself as I have only really started playing myself in the past few months and slowly expanding my horizons so to speak. I was on hiatus for a number of years and started over. I had this same issue. "What in the name of God are all this new settings that didn't exist before? What the hell are these maps?" Some of the maps on the first page of the 'Find a game' are pretty ridiculous and rather confusing, especially if you've only ever played classic risk.

I think new members should be sent links to some of the essential strategy threads in the forums via inbox. Those would really help with some of the common mistakes that newbies make if they take the time to read.

Another thought I just had and not sure how practical... what if new recruits didn't lose any points in their first 5 or so games? Start them out on a training level, then advance to new recruit. Some other games have training levels on startup to ease people in. Would it encourage them to stay?

[qwertylpc]

Exactly my point.

Hence the reason for limiting the maps. Opening them up as you progress.

That's what I said, not what you said. I was an advocate for limiting it, 5 games is not enough to learn

[CreepersWiener]

Exactly my point.

Hence the reason for limiting the maps. Opening them up as you progress.

That's what I said, not what you said. I was an advocate for limiting it, 5 games is not enough to learn

I don't understand the whole 5 game solution. Even if it was 50 or 500 games. The site should provide another group of "Join Games" that allow simple, familiar maps and settings for beginning players. No team play, classic and other maps that could be considered classic-esque. Spoils remain at escalating.

The "Join A Game" button is the problem, it just dumps a whole bunch of unfamiliar maps and playing options on new recruits. Why not have two "Join Games" buttons? Casual Games and Advanced Games?

I for one do not like even looking at the Join Game pages. I am more apt to just start my own games, but then I am waiting a few days until all the players have been filled.

I think the site is overwhelming for new comers.

[koontz1973]

New recruits cannot join advanced games now with some settings till they become ranked (5 games completed). The only way for a new recruit to join a Poison Rome on Trench, adjacent, nukes is to be invited by an existing player. And we have a name for those people.

[pickleofdoom]

I very rarely click on join a game, but the other day i did it and saw a load of das scloss team games, with a strong team and a bunch of cooks and privates joining rival teams 1 by 1. I, like funky, found myself thinking that something is not right. What struck me was not that there were too many settings, but simply that a certain strange farming type of game were all filling up the first page. This would be a problem not just to brand new recruits but for any player who is not super expert and not familiar with what settings do what, but would like to see what is on offer by clicking "join a game". Would be good to find a way to bump these games down the list and get a nice variety of games which less expert players would be able to play onto page 1. Regarding very new players with restricted set of maps, that is all well and good, as long as the off-limit maps are automatically not showing up on the join a game list. People generaly dont like to wade through loads of stuff they dont want to find something they do. Thats why department stores plan the layout of the different items for sale.

Maybe jazz up the algorithm for sorting the games to give some priority to the more popular ones. Not sure quite how that should be done tho.

[DoomYoshi]

ITT, aslan admits to being a multi.