A Golden Opportunity

[fatherpirate]

SSG will finally have an opportunity to bring in new players in and around March 2023

because ....

That is when the first Blockbuster capable movie fully based on D&D will
hit the big screen.

It is my hope that DDO does not waste the opportunity.
It is also my hope they do not wait until the last minute to plan for it.

So, what kind of movie could help recruit new players ?

This one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpJGBnu-Ko0

A gift from Hollywood itself, don't waste it.

[Eantarus]

We need a good starter pack to help get new people in. That's gonna be the main hurdle to new-player retention.

[ekaterina]

Rightly or wrongly LOTRO hopes for a big influx from a LoTR TV series. One major change they made - and there will be more - was to simplify how people pay for the game and expand what free players could do before they had to play. The front-end cost to play LOTRO is far less than it was before those recent changes.

If the same people decide there is money for the game in the forthcoming movie - they may need to do the same thing. We have a very front-loaded system for buying various parts of the game and rather than buying just a few things (the norm for a MMO today) we have a load of expansions and packs to be bought even by subscribers.

[Eantarus]

Rightly or wrongly LOTRO hopes for a big influx from a LoTR TV series. One major change they made - and there will be more - was to simplify how people pay for the game and expand what free players could do before they had to play. The front-end cost to play LOTRO is far less than it was before those recent changes.

If the same people decide there is money for the game in the forthcoming movie - they may need to do the same thing. We have a very front-loaded system for buying various parts of the game and rather than buying just a few things (the norm for a MMO today) we have a load of expansions and packs to be bought even by subscribers.

That is something else that needs to be fixed. All the content given away in the free quest codes pack needs to be made permanently free. Ravenloft and all previous expansions need to be made permanently 99 points. And the game needs a real starter pack. Its not asking a ton for new players to buy the newest xpacs, character classes, and races; but much more than that is going to far.

[KoobTheProud]

We need a good starter pack to help get new people in. That's gonna be the main hurdle to new-player retention.

The main hurdle to new player retention is going to be the dawning realization that DDO has no reset point and the implications of that unique aspect of the game.

On the marketing side: D&D has a large and varied player base most of whom are very active on the internet and likely would have looked up D&D MMO at some point. DDO has a small player base because the model used is fundamentally flawed in terms of retaining players.

[brian14]

The main hurdle to new player retention is going to be the dawning realization that DDO has no reset point and the implications of that unique aspect of the game.

What is "reset point"? And how is its absence unique to DDO?

[Weemadarthur]

What is "reset point"? And how is its absence unique to DDO?

Most (read as almost all) MMO's don't have a TR mechanic. They work on a linear system where each new x-pack increases level and gear stats. The new gear each time makes the previous gear obsolete and players reaching the new packs content normally are given a gearset that is just a little more powerful than what was available in the previous pack. This creates a reset point each release where new players and old players are at the same relative power level as gear is for most games the one thing that defines power. The advantage to this is it makes for a game that is far easier to balance but comes at the cost of making almost every other MMO very generic.

DDO is unique in the fact that it not only has a TR system but that the TR system is linked to a lot of character power. The relative power levels of new players are always going to be behind those that have played long term. There is no point where a new player can become as effective as a long term player without a significant amount of time or money being spent on the game (not to mention that new grinds keep being added). The advantages to this is that what you have with 1 x-pack isn't immediately invalidated by the last making long term play much more rewarding. This though does come at the cost of a perceived mountain to climb for a new player to be on par with those that have played long term.

[PaddyMaxson]

Most (read as almost all) MMO's don't have a TR mechanic. They work on a linear system where each new x-pack increases level and gear stats. The new gear each time makes the previous gear obsolete and players reaching the new packs content normally are given a gearset that is just a little more powerful than what was available in the previous pack. This creates a reset point each release where new players and old players are at the same relative power level as gear is for most games the one thing that defines power. The advantage to this is it makes for a game that is far easier to balance but comes at the cost of making almost every other MMO very generic.

DDO is unique in the fact that it not only has a TR system but that the TR system is linked to a lot of character power. The relative power levels of new players are always going to be behind those that have played long term. There is no point where a new player can become as effective as a long term player without a significant amount of time or money being spent on the game (not to mention that new grinds keep being added). The advantages to this is that what you have with 1 x-pack isn't immediately invalidated by the last making long term play much more rewarding. This though does come at the cost of a perceived mountain to climb for a new player to be on par with those that have played long term.

This is excellently put and explains the problem really well.

Even as a long term on-and-off player I feel like I would have to invest too much time repeating the same content to catch up on Racial TRs, I came back for a month in May and I gave up after 3 more lives when I started Sharn because I really couldn't be arsed doing Sharn again.

The only other game that's quite so "you are behind if you're new and will never catch up" is Warframe, but to get to sort of "Top level of power" where you can solo the toughest content in that only takes a few months if you're really into the game.

I think even if you spent the money on XP pots and every other XP boost you'd struggle to get Racial TR done in 6 months as a new DDO player, and the cost of those XP boosts/the content/the tomes would be $many.

[Artos_Fabril]

What is "reset point"? And how is its absence unique to DDO?

It means every new player starts 16 years behind and the only way to catch up is to consume content faster than the veterans with 16 years of experience.

When other MMOs launch an expansion, it usually comes with a catchup system, or at least a gear refractor. This is good for new players who only need to level up once and gear with the new content when they get into the new expansion areas. It's less good for old players, who "worked" hard to gear up previously and now see their hard-won gear replaced by "greens" but they progress through new content quicker and still get more powerful, so they mostly stick around too.

In DDO, some old loot is devalued by new loot in the level range, but a lot of lower level loot is still useful for a few days each life, and might become relevant again if it isn't, by being given an upgrade path or being made part of a desirable recipe. Meanwhile, with few exceptions, even the oldest content in the game is run regularly by veteran players. That's great for passing on knowledge about obscure or arcane game systems and mechanics, of which DDO has many, but terrible for new players to learn the game organically by playing with other charaters/players of their own power level.

Taken together, it means new players might see how far behind they are from the moment they leave Snowy Korthos, with zero prospect for catching up without investing more time, more efficiently than the vets who will always be clamoring for more new content as soon as (if not before) they have extracted everything of value from the current newest content.

[blarhblarhblarh]

Tried to make the "first time?" meme changing it to first golden oportunity?

We have seen a lot of them and we are still waiting

[Drachmoril]

We need a good starter pack to help get new people in. That's gonna be the main hurdle to new-player retention.

I hope they choose to make the "free quest code" quests free for everyone around this time. I wouldn't expect most new players to even know to go into the ddo store, apply a coupon, etc. People are going to be looking to quit at a moment's notice; you know how it is when trying a new MMO sometimes.

[Oxarhamar]

SSG will finally have an opportunity to bring in new players in and around March 2023

because ....

That is when the first Blockbuster capable movie fully based on D&D will
hit the big screen.

It is my hope that DDO does not waste the opportunity.
It is also my hope they do not wait until the last minute to plan for it.

So, what kind of movie could help recruit new players ?

This one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpJGBnu-Ko0

A gift from Hollywood itself, don't waste it.

A movie isn’t going to bring in players and more than anything else D&D related without one key factor

Advertising DDO

YW

[Eantarus]

A movie isn’t going to bring in players and more than anything else D&D related without one key factor

Advertising DDO

YW

DDO already has plenty of advertisement. Its also easy enough to find if you're already an MMO gamer, watch the movie, and think "man I wanna play a DnD MMO!"

[Uska]

Looks meh to me

[Oxarhamar]

Looks meh to me

Can’t be as bad as the last one

Low bar

[Uska]

Can’t be as bad as the last one

Low bar

For a better d&d movie watch Dragonslayer better plot, acting and especially better Dragon and it’s a 41 year old movie

[Oxarhamar]

DDO already has plenty of advertisement. Its also easy enough to find if you're already an MMO gamer, watch the movie, and think "man I wanna play a DnD MMO!"

So Zero is plenty

[fatherpirate]

A movie isn’t going to bring in players and more than anything else D&D related without one key factor

Advertising DDO

YW

On this point I agree,
Advertising + Big Movie will be effective together.

[LightBear]

Show us your ticket, get this "honor among thieves" mini-expansion for free. That's one way to hop on that train.

Included an universal tree that allows you to:
* Pick locks, duh
- morph into an owlbear
- have evil as secondary alignment
- play a tune on a lute (one bard song per rest)
- upgrade your weapons to do elemental damage
- call in a dragon to rain tar from above
- magic shield against all damage

[DirkTyrant]

Show us your ticket, get this "honor among thieves" mini-expansion for free. That's one way to hop on that train.

Included an universal tree that allows you to:
* Pick locks, duh
- morph into an owlbear
- have evil as secondary alignment
- play a tune on a lute (one bard song per rest)
- upgrade your weapons to do elemental damage
- call in a dragon to rain tar from above
- magic shield against all damage

I have often thought they should sell bard song clips in the DDO store... like glamour items... that contain a small sound file to exchange the regular bard songs with. I actually believe that players would pay just to swap out their tunes...