How to actually acquire new customers

[Bacon_Burger]

I think the best way to grow the customer base is to attract back players that used to play the game but stopped for one reason or another. I am sure some of those would never play again, but some might like the recent changes.

Some promotion for returning players could work and current players can reach out to their friends to let them know. Some players returned last year using the free quest coupon code.

As much as I like your sentiment, why should any of us be responsible in any way/shape or form to do that? As friends, yes tell them, as a player. not a chance in Hades.

THAT ONUS is on SSG, and something they have no history of for the last 10years.

And I don't buy the RoI for breaking even to budget monies for advertising, it's grade school marketing at work here.

[Oxarhamar]

As much as I like your sentiment, why should any of us be responsible in any way/shape or form to do that? As friends, yes tell them, as a player. not a chance in Hades.

THAT ONUS is on SSG, and something they have no history of for the last 10years.

And I don't buy the RoI for breaking even to budget monies for advertising, it's grade school marketing at work here.

I still think DDO should be advert in comic books that's where D&D did it that made it grow so large a fan base tap into that already large D&D fanbase

[Forcystus]

What DDO needs is D&D style online core rule books filled with art and references to Forums and DDO wiki.
Like Players Handbook
Guildmasters Handbook
Tome of Epic Destinies

Modules for Adventure Chains etc.

DDO wiki does a good job but it does not capture the feel of Dungeons and Dragons the way it could presented with a nostalgia of tabletop games

Fun fact about that... I once helped with a tabletop system where we used this LaTeX template: https://github.com/Krozark/RPG-LaTeX-Template

The result look akin to the 5e Rulebook in style and could be used to turn the game info into these "rulebooks". The only downside is the shifting nature of the game would mean the library of books would need to be maintained by a team.

[Forcystus]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2...ragons_Online/

Your lack of new customers has nothing to do with mechanics and everything to do with completely failing to produce even basic store front, let alone any hype train. The above link is how many years old in front of one of the largest player bases looking for games to play that exists in the world? Twenty two million people, checking right now at peak hour concurrency. And this is what they see: a company that does not care about its product or its presentation to them.

MYTHIC fail. It was six years ago. I don't care to hear excuses about not being able to market your product. Some people at hasbro/dbg/wotc (edit: add Enad Global 7 also) marketing needs to get let go so their salaries can be spent doing something productive instead.

Here is another, in game example of the same GLARING hole in awareness:

Clicking on an epic destiny trainer before level 20 says what? Does it explain the epic levels? does it show the tree and let lowbie noobs see the entire path to true power this game has? NO. IT DOESNT SHOW ANYTHING. Literally BLANK and RUDE: GET LOST KID.

UTTERLY FAILING to advertise your own product in-line with in-game assets at such a natural point of opportunity to do so thus generating an in-game accessible awareness and hype about why a player might invest in this game over their many many many other choices is just an astonishing whiff. you could even make a link to the story for the ED tools and such at the bottom or on its own tab.

You want new customers?

Do something about these horrible misrepresentations of our favorite complex deep and wide MMO. !!

I did not see your post when I wrote about my wishes for the game now. But I 100% agree. This game is great, but the marketing and new/free player experience is awful. They have the steam page to advertise, hell I even use the Steam Version Launcher, just MAINTAIN it to show "we are active, we care" SSG!

But yeah, the new Gem of Many Facets in U50 Preview 2 is like SSG in general. They try something random, if it works its fine but if you want improvements you are disappointed.

[myliftkk_v2]

I dunno I see WoTC mentioning Neverwinter by name and doing crossovers with packs where DDO I have seen mentioned in general as “other online games”

We did get the prequests for Tyranny of Dragons storyline I do think there should be some semblance of DDO being a part of D&D more that the simple listing on the site under online games

Would not there be more royalties for WoTC if they had better guided players here



I will add
steam support for do I hear is broken and wonky lots of bad reviews there what’s the point of having it on stream if it’s only going to push away those who find it there

I don’t like steam I’m old school I guess I like to download game direct from the publisher website not have another app to do that but I realize that how newer games do things so that should be supported and working for new players to keep coming to the game not drive them off

None of us have the content of the licensing arrangement so we don't even know whether royalties exist as a percentage, or simply a straight license guarantee (in which case % of anything doesn't matter). It can be either, and/or, both. Safe to say, the deal with Neverwinter is probably far more lucrative to them than one struck with DDO.

Here's the other thing. There are often intermediary players in the actual licensing process. It's extremely common that licensing deals are setup by contractors in the middle and so WotC may really only deal with the approval requests from the intermediary and not even SSG itself. Also pretty standard practice.

Most licensing agents will tell you right out that they cannot guarantee licensor support to signal boost your licensed product, and unless there's a contractual obligation to do so, you're pretty much sol when they ignore you.

[myliftkk_v2]

As much as I like your sentiment, why should any of us be responsible in any way/shape or form to do that? As friends, yes tell them, as a player. not a chance in Hades.

THAT ONUS is on SSG, and something they have no history of for the last 10years.

And I don't buy the RoI for breaking even to budget monies for advertising, it's grade school marketing at work here.

The problem here is spending more money to advertise Crystal Pepsi doesn't move the needle one bit.

SSG's current architecture can't even handle an influx of players as its basically choking right now on the few players it has. Nothing could be sillier than paying out a bunch of money to convince people SSG's architecture is weak.

They are basically in a trap of their own making. They starved the architecture of an R&D budget for so long they can't go anywhere in terms of ramping population without pulling a big capital investment trigger to renew it. Asking them to add player right now is like loading full containers onto a ship already badly listing in the water.

[Oxarhamar]

None of us have the content of the licensing arrangement so we don't even know whether royalties exist as a percentage, or simply a straight license guarantee (in which case % of anything doesn't matter). It can be either, and/or, both. Safe to say, the deal with Neverwinter is probably far more lucrative to them than one struck with DDO.

Here's the other thing. There are often intermediary players in the actual licensing process. It's extremely common that licensing deals are setup by contractors in the middle and so WotC may really only deal with the approval requests from the intermediary and not even SSG itself. Also pretty standard practice.

Most licensing agents will tell you right out that they cannot guarantee licensor support to signal boost your licensed product, and unless there's a contractual obligation to do so, you're pretty much sol when they ignore you.

Oh yeah know there alot of red tape etc still think they should be in a mutual relationship

[myliftkk_v2]

Oh yeah know there alot of red tape etc still think they should be in a mutual relationship

And you would be thinking logically.

That's not how the entertainment industry works though...

[Alttab]

Steam is great! Use it for all expansions, people will buy more of them.
Don't do mini-expansion, it is just same as expansion or make VIP half price.
I bought a lot of games on Steam, it is the platform for games. Sometimes make the expansions -75% like lot of games I buy on Steams, it will attract new players that are curious to play them.

[Oxarhamar]

And you would be thinking logically.

That's not how the entertainment industry works though...

Yes too much logic must add reduction of logic debuff thank you

+1

[superevbully]

How to acquire new customers ?

Depends on which sort of new customers is chosen to be acquired ...

There are several player types. One or two of them are overly overrated here, meanwhile others basically are not represented at all here.

Jeez why man .....are u really that po ed with end game players ...this is a babys response ......tbh sick and tired of your posts ...

[superevbully]

What DDO needs is D&D style online core rule books filled with art and references to Forums and DDO wiki.
Like Players Handbook
Guildmasters Handbook
Tome of Epic Destinies

Modules for Adventure Chains etc.

DDO wiki does a good job but it does not capture the feel of Dungeons and Dragons the way it could presented with a nostalgia of tabletop games

Wonderful idea id love it ........issue is or question i should say is would we be willing to pay for such a feature cuz if they cant sell it no way in hell were getting it

[Bacon_Burger]

The problem here is spending more money to advertise Crystal Pepsi doesn't move the needle one bit.

SSG's current architecture can't even handle an influx of players as its basically choking right now on the few players it has. Nothing could be sillier than paying out a bunch of money to convince people SSG's architecture is weak.

They are basically in a trap of their own making. They starved the architecture of an R&D budget for so long they can't go anywhere in terms of ramping population without pulling a big capital investment trigger to renew it. Asking them to add player right now is like loading full containers onto a ship already badly listing in the water.

Love it! Well said. Even if people will flame the post, it's fairly accurate.

[Forcystus]

Wonderful idea id love it ........issue is or question i should say is would we be willing to pay for such a feature cuz if they cant sell it no way in hell were getting it

I guess this would be the community's job, same as the wiki and other supplemental info.

[Chai]

The problem here is spending more money to advertise Crystal Pepsi doesn't move the needle one bit.

SSG's current architecture can't even handle an influx of players as its basically choking right now on the few players it has. Nothing could be sillier than paying out a bunch of money to convince people SSG's architecture is weak.

They are basically in a trap of their own making. They starved the architecture of an R&D budget for so long they can't go anywhere in terms of ramping population without pulling a big capital investment trigger to renew it. Asking them to add player right now is like loading full containers onto a ship already badly listing in the water.

[Chai]

Jeez why man .....are u really that po ed with end game players ...this is a babys response ......tbh sick and tired of your posts ...

He's right though, but not for the reason he believes he is.

There is a particular minority audience in the single digit percentages of player head count with the desired disposable income which are "marketed" to heavily.

Anyone who complains about the "lack of marketing" is highly likely part of a different "market audience."