*Attempting to solve the problem of 372895 user accounts but only 19183 active members.
AbstractIn their first games, New Players (Noobs, Newbies, New Recruits) won't understand the complexities of the exceptional and varied maps and game options we enjoy on Conquer Club. Fog-of-War is tough to follow for the skilled among us and takes patience and time. Forting takes a few games to understand. Flat Rate Spoils is a new concept even to the seasoned "Risk" player and takes some time to comprehend. No one understands the most complex maps right away, and if a player wins their first attempt at Eastern Hemisphere it would have been by miracle! The game log is a great tool that takes time to understand, once understood it is very helpful! The Game Chat can be distracting, but likely not a problem for most gamers. Throwing everything at New Players at once can cause overload and frustration. New players can really screw up team games for several reasons already often discussed on these forums. The New Player is farmed, ignored by the system, and left to fend for himself/herself. The likelihood that a new player will continue actively visiting ConquerClub under the current structure is not theoretically, but actually low. The purpose of this suggestion is to
positively affect the retention rate by means of increasing user enjoyment. Some ancillary benefits are a by-product of this suggestion.
IntroductionThe site does not contain enough information about Maps, Options, Gameplay and Strategy as Data on the site. While some comments and discussions contain information about strategy and the maps, there is a vacuum of hard data available to browsers or new players.
This recommendation offers a reasonably achievable goal: participate in X games, unlock this cool thing; participate in X more games, unlock these other cool things; etc. My recommendation is still somewhat challenging because participation is required against other players who are in a similar boat. Going through this “training” is neither rigorous nor tedious. Think of it like the Special Olympics! Everybody wins! Those who will complain about and shun this suggestion without asking questions nor providing objective arguments against it are either close-minded, farmers, multis, or plants from the aforementioned. A goal of this suggestion is to allow new Recruits to experience this great game with basic, beginner, understandable, game options that don’t give an unfair advantage to seasoned players. Noobs are often cherry-picked by veterans- an experience that cannot be enjoyable for the noobs.
Look at where this site is going! We are getting more and more game options. The
Official Suggestion Box “Lack’s To-Do List”is full of them. We are getting more and more maps. The foundry is buzzing with activity and commentary. There is an ever-increasing list of add-ons like “clickable maps” and “maprank.” All of these things are great! For players who have been here for a long time, these changes have come about over time, slowly. Long-time players have had the opportunity to learn each aspect of ConquerClub as they have come out. Rarely, if ever, has the site dumped a bunch of new game options and maps on the players all-at-once. Yet, we assume that new players will be able to “get it” and understand everything whence the entirety of the site is dumped upon them when they join!
Where do you think this site will be in two years? At the current pace, I’m thinking 250 maps, and 20 game options (currently there are what, 10 Options?) I think 250 maps with 20 game options will be great for me and I look forward to it. I think it will be absolutely terrible for new players who join on November 7, 2011 if there isn’t a comprehensive training program (like mine…or another) to help them navigate the site and gameplay.
The current “training” provides more opportunities for players to be upset and to leave the site. The Society of Cooks is a great idea, but dependent on meeting the right people at the right time and/or dependent upon good posts and responses in the Society of Cooks Forum and classrooms. I certainly have played in games with options and on maps where I posted something like this in the game chat: “How did you just get all those armies?” Man, was that frustrating to “not know!” Imagine how frustrating that can be, and how quickly a user would exit the site. I think ConquerClub has a problem with enjoyment and retention, and that is what this suggestion speaks to!
Concise description:- Post a link on the homepage to “MAPROOM”
- Limit New Players to 25 “Level 0” Maps
- Limit New Players to no spoils, chained, no fog, no manual (Sorry, Manual has fog for now and complicates things), no assassin, no terminator.
- Limit New Players to everyman for himself games
- Unlock more and more maps over time for new players
- Unlock more and more Game Options over time
- ## Completed Games> Unlocks: (Option/Map)> Earns: Medal!
- 05 Completed Games> Unlocks: Terminator> Earns: Participation Aluminum!
- 10 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 1 Maps> Earns: Participation Tin!
- 15 Completed Games> Unlocks: Flat Rate> Earns: Participation Nickel!
- 20 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 2 Maps> Earns: Participation Lead!
- 25 Completed Games> Unlocks: Unlimited> Earns: Participation Copper!
- 30 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 3 Maps> Earns: Participation Iron!
- 35 Completed Games> Unlocks: Assassin> Earns: Participation Steel!
- 40 Completed Games> Unlocks: Escalating> Earns: Participation Bronze!
- 45 Completed Games> Unlocks: Adjacent> Earns: Participation Brass!
- 50 Completed Games> Unlocks: Doubles> Earns: Participation Pewter!
- 55 Completed Games> Unlocks: Triples + Quads> Earns: Participation Gunmetal!
- 60 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 4 Maps> Earns: Participation Silver!
- 65 Completed Games> Unlocks: Manual> Earns: Participation Tungsten!
- 70 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 5 Maps> Earns: Participation Electrum!
- 75 Completed Games> Unlocks: Fog> Earns: Participation Titanium!
- 80 Completed Games> Unlocks: Level 6 Maps> Earns: Participation Gold!
- Provide a PM at each unlock level which includes links to helpful information about what was unlocked
- Players still receive an email after their first rating, first victory, first game, etc.
- A New Recruit can circumvent this process by paying for Premium. Once Premium, all maps are unlocked, all options are unlocked. (Medals will still be awarded and PMs still sent.)
Specifics:Map Categories- Potential Names for each level: Level 0 - Beginner, Level 1 - Novice, Level - 2 Intermediate, Level 3 - Competitive, Level 4 - Advanced, Level 5 - Professional, Level 6 - Experimental
- Unlock Level 0: Classic Shapes, Classic Art, Archipelago, Canada, Caribbean Islands, CCU, Circus Maximus, Conquer 4, Doodle Earth, France, Haiti, High Seas, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indochina, Ireland, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Middle East, Mongol Empire, Netherlands, Oceania, Portugal, Puget Sound, WWII Iwo Jima. (25)
- Unlock Level 1: Alexander’s Empire, Ancient Greece, Arctic, Australia, Brazil 2, British Isles 2, Cairns Metro, Discworld, Draknor - Level 1, Egypt: Lower, Egypt: Upper, Extreme Global Warming, Iberia, Land and Sea, Midgard, Midkemdil, Montreal, South America, U.S. Senate, USA, USA West, WWII Eastern Front. (22)
- Unlock Level 2: 8 Thoughts, Africa, Asia, BeNeLux, Chinese Checkers, Dust Bowl, Egypt: Nubia, Egypt: Valley of the Kings, Europe, France 1789, Gilgamesh, Great Lakes, Greenland, Philippines, San Marino, Soviet Union, Sydney Metro, Tamriel, Triple Alliance, USA New England, USA Rockies, USA Southeast, USA Southwest, WWI Ottoman Empire, WWII Australia. (25)
- Unlock Level 3: American Civil War, Battle of Actium, Berlin 1961, Cairns Coral Coast, Castle Lands, Charleston, Crossword, Duck and Cover, Europa, Greater China, Halloween Hollows, Imperium Romanum, Indian Empire, Italy, King of the Mountains, Malta, North America, San Francisco, Scotland, Space, USA Great Lakes, USApocalypse, Wales, World 2.1, WWI Western Front. (25)
- Unlock Level 4: Arms Race!, Conquer Man, D-Day: Omaha Beach, Eastern Hemisphere, Europe 1914, Feudal War, Holy Roman Empire, New World, NYC, Oasis, Pearl Harbor, Poker Club, Route 66, Texan Wars, The Citadel, Treasures of Galapagos, WWII Europe. (17)
- Unlock Level 5: Age of Merchants, Age of Realms 1, Age of Realms 2, Age of Realms 3, Bamboo Jack, Battle for Iraq!, City Mogul, Forbidden City, Madness, Operation Drug War, Poison Rome, Prohibition Chicago, Rail Australia, Rail Europe, Rail USA, Siege!, Solar System, Supermax: Prison Riot!, Waterloo, WWII Ardennes, WWII Gazala. (21)
- Unlock Level 6:
-The Random Map (1 map, and it is not really a map per se as much as it is an option to play from one of all the maps, ergo a player would need to have unlocked all the maps via the preceding Unlock Levels in order to use the Random Map function in its current iteration.)
-All Beta Maps (Currently (November 5, 2009) there are 6 Beta Maps available to play) (Beta maps would be ascribed a particular level once they come out of Beta and have achieved their “final forge, quench.”)
Map Information
- There is no link to the maps on the homepage. In fact, I cannot find where the maps are located unless I have a username and password and I have logged into the site. At that, the only way to get to the maps is by going to the Start Game Menu and click on “Browse Maps.” If the number of maps is such an attractive aspect of the site, and new players truly come to the site for the maps, how would they ever know that the maps exist? Similarly, the rest of this suggestion limits players participation on certain maps. Since there is no way for new visitors to see the maps, how would they know they aren’t able to play on certain maps? Add a “Map Room” and improve the descriptions about maps and more people who get to the homepage will continue further into the site. Those that continue further into the site are likely to become a member.
I recently attempted to find out about the map “Oasis.” I wanted to play it. I wanted helpful strategies and information about the map. I searched the “site help,” which was no help. I searched the forum which resulted in nothing but comments on Oasis. I browsed the map at http://www.conquerclub.com/player.php?mode=browse and clicked on the link below the image which said “discussion topic” and it took me to...THE FOUNDRY! Useless! The first post is information on what changes came to fruition for the development of the map, along with an image of the map. The remaining posts are outdated and useful only to those who are curious about the process of forging a map and/or the history of the bugs in this map.
- Solution/Suggestion: First, the link under each map in the Map Browser should say “Map Information” instead of “Discussion Topic.” Second, it should take you to a new part of the site called “Map Information.” It should be a locked topic (if it needs to be on the forum-I think it should be part of the site not on the forum.) It should contain a picture of the map, detailed information like: Number of territories, Number of Bonuses, how many territories each player starts with in a game (1v1, 1v1v1, 2v2, etc.), How many neutrals in each game type, location of connections between territories that can attack each other but do not share a border, information about special territories (e.g. Alcatraz if this is the San Francisco Info page or Naval Superiority if this is the Eastern Hemisphere Info page), information about auto deploys, and every other conceivable mechanical bit of information about the map. In addition to this information, the mapmaker should include some information on basic strategy for the map, where the pitfalls might be, which game options might lead to additional difficulties. Some Maps, like Imperium Romanum, should have a concise description of what those bonus symbols in the upper right hand corner mean! (Not all of us remember our Roman Numerals.) Third, within that page, provide a link to a forum topic about strategies for the particular map in question. Do not provide a link to general game strategy forum discussions, but a link to a forum topic about map strategies again for the map in question. Have the mapmaker be the moderator or an ardent fan of the map. Essentially, make it easier to find general and strategy information for particular maps.
Learning the Game and Learning about the Site
- Seeing as a non-Premium can only play in (4) four games at a time, having only 25 maps to choose from for the first 10 games is really not a limitation nor would it be a detraction from the site. Once a non-Premium completes 10 games, he/she has only played on a maximum of 10 of the maps. Most non-Premium New Recruits stick to the same maps anyways. A review of several players’ first 10 games shows that they played predominantly on the Classic Maps and the 23 other less-complicated maps listed in Level 0. Players who have been farmed, received assistance from the Society of Chefs, received assistance from a friend who introduced them to the site, or by apparent random selection have chosen 1 or 2 maps from outside of Level 0 for their first 10 games.
- Before unlocking more maps, the new recruit will unlock an option: Terminator. After participating in 5 games, the non-Premium player can either start a Terminator game or join a Terminator game on any of the Level 0 maps. This introduces the concept of earning points for eliminating individual competitors in a game and allows players to see the complexities of preparing for and eliminating a player. Some of the notable strategic lessons that can be taught at this point are: building up for a blitz, being too thin, and observing the strengths and weaknesses of opponents’ defenses. Allowing new recruits to take these options in little bites gives them the opportunity to truly learn each game option and the skills required to excel in that game type. If players who have completed 5 games are given the option to play in Terminator games on complicated maps, the player will potentially lose sight of which aspect of the game caused their loss. Was it the Terminator option? Was the map too complicated? In a situation where a new player plays a new option on an advanced Level 5 map, chances are good that they will lose, then… some will avoid the map and/or avoid the Terminator Option. It really doesn’t give a novice player a good taste to experience all advanced options and advanced maps at the same time.
- Imagine this scenario: You’re a good player (you’re reading this post, so I’m going to take the intellectual leap) and you start a Supermax: Prison Riot! game for any number of players, but lets say 2 players, with fog ON and unlimited fortifications. A new recruit or a player who has played maybe 20 games joins. In the game chat, your opponent says: “This is the first time I’ve ever played this map, any suggestions?” How do you respond? You could tell them to join the Society of Cooks. You could give them some pointers, but with Fog ON, what could you really point out? It is a fun map, for sure, but how could you explain it all to a relative beginner? Most players in your position when faced with the newbie opponent’s question would probably suggest that the player try some easier maps first. I’m not that great of a player and I’m about half as experienced as many of my clanmates, teammates, and opponents. I had a player ask me what he/she should do after round 3 of Vancouver 2! I’ve certainly been faced with the question before (too long ago to remember which map) and I recall suggesting easier maps, suggesting playing against lower ranked players who are also trying to learn, and suggesting to play against great players who are willing to teach and risk the loss. How does the new player navigate all the games to find: 1) the map, with 2) the right options, against 3) the right rank, who is 4) willing to learn with, or 5) willing to teach? Certainly Game Finder will help with the first two criteria, but what about the rest?
- My suggestion doesn’t help new players to find a benevolent player-mentor nor does it help the new player to find other players who are trying to learn. It does, however, create a pseudo-training regimen that is unbiased and serves to slowly and methodically introduce the new player to this great website on which we play. And when I say “slowly,” it really isn’t that slow. You’ll understand by reading further that players really cannot play on every single current map (141 maps as of November 5, 2009) before they’ve played in 80 total games. It just isn’t possible to play on more than one map at a time. My recommendation herein offers an introduction to groups of maps at a time and an introduction to game options in a piecemeal, manageable manner. After participating in 80 games, slightly more than ½ of the existing maps, the player will have unlocked all the options and all the maps. Their training will be, so-to-speak, complete.
- While my recommendation doesn’t directly offer one-on-one or group assistance, each automatically issued PM sent throughout the process to the player will offer links to the Society of Cooks and other helpful, compassionate links within the website that will lead (directly or indirectly) to players who are willing to help. A key word just mentioned is “automatic.” The player will receive these PMs just as we all received PMs when we first joined. The administrators on this site won’t be spending additional time with player questions, in fact, they will likely spend less time. With additional codexes on the site, players looking for help can read about it (in the event that there isn’t a player or someone in the Society of Cooks available to help them.)
- After unlocking the Level 1 maps, the player now has 47 maps to choose from for his/her next 10 games. Again, the non-Premium player can play only 4 games at a time. The player is hardly limited from experiencing the site and experiencing the game. Now, after completing 20 games, the player could have played on a maximum of 20 maps. Playing in 20 different maps in 20 possible games is unlikely, a player has several opportunities to play in a variety of maps - and those opportunities largely go unused by the typical player. Most players tend to stick to the same maps and the Classic maps even in their first 20 games!
- The Level 2 maps are unlocked after playing 20 games. It should be noted that unlocking is based on participation, not based upon victories. This keeps the unlocking process casual and fun. The player is not required to win games in order to unlock maps. Once a player has participated in 20 games, 25 more maps are unlocked so that the player can now choose from 72 maps to play. For the next ten games, the player has 72 maps to choose from! Even if the player chooses to play in a different map for each game, the player will only have played on 30 different maps out of a possible 72! Any player at this level of participation will not have played in even half of the maps available to him or her.
- Half of the way between unlocking the Level 2 maps and the Level 3 maps, a player will have participated in 25 games. If the player chose to play in 25 different maps, he or she could have played in all of the Level 0 maps to this point and the player would not have touched the Level 1 nor Level 2 maps that he/she unlocked to this point. It is at this point that unlimited fortifications are unlocked. Unlimited fortifications on 72 relatively uncomplicated maps. The complications on Level 0, 1, and 2 maps are the size of the map, the number of bonus areas and impassables. (interspersed here and there with one or two other complications.) The “in-training” player can freely experiment with unlimited fortifications without getting armies stuck behind one-way attacks (a complication that is seen most frequently in Level 3, 4, and 5 maps) and/or without missing opportunities to fortify because of confusable connections between territories (a complication of many maps, but seen more often in Level 3, 4, and 5 maps.)
- Once the player has participated in 30 games, an additional 25 maps are unlocked for a total of 97 maps to choose from. By unlocking the Level 3 maps, the participant has more than doubled the number of maps available compared to the number of games the player has played. A player who chooses different maps each game could choose 40 different maps in their first forty games out of an available 97 maps at this point. Again, there are twice as many maps to choose from compared to the number of possible games the player can start or join.
- After 35 games, the player unlocks the Assassin Game Option. Assassin is fun, difficult, and carries its own set of strategies and pitfalls. How many times have you played Assassin Freestyle on Doodle Earth and lost because a noob killed someone while trying to take the Africa Bonus? How about losing thanks to the Newbie who didn’t realize by going through Pink’s last territory to get to Green’s (his target‘s) last territory he ended the game when he killed pink? A link to a page with a description of the Assassin Option along with a list of come of the common mistakes that can be made and perhaps some strategies to think of would be necessary in the PM that is sent to each player when he/she completes 35 games. **(Programmer note: A potential Bug or Fix necessary here would be to ensure that every player on the site does not receive an email at each level when this is implemented. I’m not sure how that was taken care of when the latest newest medals (Fog, Manual, Freestyle) came out, but there probably weren’t too many people who received all three (Bronze, Silver and Gold) for all three medals right away, such that server space got consumed with internal automatically generated emails were sent out to awardees. In this suggestion, quite a few, if not hundreds of thousands of players would be getting several emails all at once.)**Reminder that a page for each option needs to be created on Conquer Club with a description of the game option, some basic strategies to note with the option, and a list of some pitfalls and common mistakes for each option.
- After 40 games, the player continues to learn about game options. To this point, new maps were unlocked after every 10 games participated. However, players at this level have already unlocked 97 maps. The player still wouldn’t have been able to play on every map on Conquer Club, they could have played on a maximum of 40 maps! That being said, what player wouldn’t take the chance to play the same map several times to “learn the map?” By unlocking different options, players get a chance to learn each option at pace. There is no benefit to existing players nor to new players to allow them to join difficult maps with difficult options. The benefit of this recommendation is that players learn in a systematic manner.
- This is already a very long suggestion, you get the idea, continue to unlock more and more as the player completes more and more games. Each email sent could contain a bit of explanation and a link to a closed forum with information on how to use the new maps, new game options, and so forth.
This will improve the following aspects of the site:- By listing the maps in a “Map Room” on the homepage, the best part of ConquerClub will become visible to new visitors and browsers of the site. I believe this will attract more players to join the site. The remainder of my suggestion will help to get them to continue playing once they have joined. “Getting Browsers to investigate the site”
- First, this suggestion in its entirety will make the site more attractive to browsers and new visitors to the site. If there is a visible training program, it might not seem too difficult to join. “Attracting New Members”
- Second, once the visitor has created a username and password, this suggestion will make the site games and options easier to navigate.
- Third, once the player has started playing games, this suggestion will positively affect the likelihood that the player will continue to come back to the site for more games. “Player Retention”
- Fourth, as the player plays more games: the new awards, the quickly awarded medals, the automatic PMs with helpful hints and map data, and the protection from farmers and protection from the worst of the site will positively affect the player’s experience. This will affect how frequently the player comes back to the site. With automatic emails and links to helpful information on closed topics (no flaming, no rabble to read through) new players will (more than ever before) be provided with information on how to understand each aspect of the game, new maps, and game options. “Site Enjoyment”
- Fifth, fewer games are ruined by New Recruits. A team game with a new recruit means the opposing team gets an easy win 90% of the time. It takes work to lose to a new recruit in a team game. Similarly, a New Recruit can ruin a multiplayer game on a complicated map. I shouldn’t need to go into specifics on this. Players who don’t know the game options and the maps act as a wild card tipping the scales and invalidating the ranking system. Ultimately, more people will stick around if their games aren’t ruined by New Recruits. “Site Enjoyment and Player Retention of existing players”
- Sixth, (and ancillary – this is not the main reason for this suggestion it is a fringe benefit) this will likely put an end to REAL MULTIS. I cannot fathom why someone would want multiple accounts, it is difficult enough for me to handle my account and the games I play. If it would take a veritable eternity for a player to earn the right to play in maps as a new player, I would think that multis would see less interest in investing time in “building” a new multi.
- Seventh, (a fringe benefit of a fringe benefit) because it would be so much more difficult to start a new multi, it would be less likely that an account coming out of the same IP address is a real multi. PERCEIVED MULTIS, better said: multiple accounts in the same household owned by separate individuals, are accused of being multis and banned simply because they enter the site off of the same IP address. My husband and I are victims of this and were banned from playing together for a long time. The site will have to put less effort into multi-hunting and could potentially lean frequently towards accepting that more than one person in a home, a fraternity house, a dorm, a business, a webcafe, a public library, an airport, and/or a hotel could be playing on ConquerClub as separately owned accounts.
- Eighth, (also ancillary and a fringe benefit) this will help to put damper on the activities of farmers. There have been quite a few players who have been restricted, banned, or otherwise for REAL FARMING by contacting new recruits and sucking them into complicated maps with complicated options. While farmers could still set game options that new players are allowed to play in, ConquerClub could also limit communication between new recruits and seasoned players. Farmers could also sit and wait until a player has unlocked all of the options; therefore, this wouldn’t “kill” farming.
- Ninth, (a fringe benefit of a fringe benefit) There have been quite a few players who have been restricted, banned, or otherwise for simply starting games on particular maps. This PERCEIVED FARMING is not actually farming and the players who have been punished for it were punished unfairly. To Farm, a player must actively seek out victims by posting on their wall or in the game chat, or sending a PM inviting the victim to join a game on a difficult map with difficult settings. Simply starting games on difficult maps is not farming. The site will have to put less effort into finding farmers and punishing them. The players who have been unfairly limited on the site can be allowed to freely roam the site. Fewer players will post complaints about the unfair punishment of players.
Additional thoughtsLIMIT players having played under 80 games to playing against players who have played under 200 games. The numbers might need to be tweaked.
More fuel for the fire, other suggestions: [*]this thread suggest that Feudal be put on the blocked list for new recruits and it has received a lot of discussion, seems like a lot of players agree that players need to be segregated from some maps. The alternative appears to be to punish experienced players:
No Feudal For Noobs[*]this thread has proposed that the random map and a whole list of maps (43 of them) should not be open/available to new recruits. Posted by
JOHNNYROCKET24 who appears to have been around a while and has one of those “Special Contribution” Medals.
JR's proposed list of maps to block for New Recruits[*]This thread by
Scania N113 asks what we can do to get new recruits to stay on the site:
New Recruits[*]Here is a suggestion that a dictionary be added to CC and
Sully800 included a link to a work in progress Dictionary that follows:
Dictionary ThreadDictionary for Conquer Club[*]Player
azezzo started this suggestion about a tutorial option for new players. CC should either create a tutorial or blend a tutorial into my suggestion. This thread is another example of experienced players trying to make the game better for new players. Lots of commentary and more thoughts from other posters on auto-PMs and Society of Cooks.
Tutorial for New Players[*]This thread recommends an auto PM to new players telling them about special scripts like BOB and Clickable Maps. A few comments are all in support. Further evidence that everyone knows that new players have no idea what is going on such that they need a PM to tell them what’s up.
PM notifying new users of scripts.[*]
PLAYER57832 started this thread suggestion as a “competing” suggestion to azezzo’s suggestion mentioned previously.
Tutorial forum, for very basic training[*]Recommendation that probably won’t go thru from a player that is kind of a pariah
colton24 but that might be interesting in my recommendation if players going through the first 80 games can make private games until they hit the 80th game.
pw protected games for freemuim[*]Another recommendation for rank segregation in starting/joining games, players who don’t like playing against noobs:
Make a rank barrier for game entry[*]Sarcastic suggestion which clearly points out that the author recognizes there are quite a few players (possibly new) that really don’t know how to play the game/use the site:
Make an intelligence barrier for game entry Your Further Input on this Suggestion and ObjectionsPlease Respond! Consider this suggestion to be fluid and putty-like. I am by no means stuck to the original suggestion and willing to hear all input!
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