Empire Development Status Update - Aug 13, 2013

Discussion in 'Community Discussion' started by Aikar, Aug 13, 2013.

  1. I felt like it was time for another one of these "where are we at" post!

    Where are we at?

    We have now just finished the 1.6 Horse update, and I believe we are finally good on bugs and immediate improvement needs to the horse update.

    We have started progression into our next development goal: Tutorial.

    We are working on revamping the join experience to the Empire, making it less confusing and more fun.

    Goals:
    1. Remove the registration requirement on the forums, and move that to be in game instead with a /register command.

      This will greatly improve the experience as many people will simply not come to the website just to join.

      It also will let people see some previews of content before registering (tutorial) and give them an idea on why they should join the Empire!
    2. Brand new Tutorial

      Maxarias has been working hard on a new Tutorial to completely replace the existing one. The maze has served us well for a long time, but it is time to bring it to a rest!

      The new tutorial will focus on delivering information on what is special about EMC right at the initial join of the server, a "set the hook" you can call it.

      The quiz portion of the tutorial will have variety of appearance at each question and be much more visually appealing.

      The new tutorial will give information about what we provide, and even offer interactive tutorials such as Residence claiming.

      It will also be designed in a more expandable way so that we can add to it as the Empire grows.
    3. "Preview Mode"

      A spectator based mode that will let users explore the town before registering/finishing the tutorial, but not able to chat or do ANYTHING but explore around. They will be able to SEE the chat, but not chat themselves. This will let new players see the Empire and make them more likely to finish the tutorial.
    Dragon Tombs....?

    We were really hoping to get right back to Dragon Tombs as soon as 1.6 was over, but we talked about it and made the choice to focus on Tutorial first. We are basing this decision on our real world experience in business and the priorities that matter.

    We are trying to ramp up Marketing and premium server list spots, however a large percentage of the money spent doing this is wasted and lost because those people we pay to try to join EMC quit due to our join experience.

    We need to fix this problem so the money is not wasted, and EMC will be back to growing at a steady pace as it did before.

    Once we finish this new on boarding experience, we will be back to active development on Dragon Tombs!
  2. Awesome! The new tutorial sounds great, and I can't wait for D-Tombs!
  3. We all have waited a year on dragon tombs so I think Few more months wont Hurt us :)
  4. I am interested in the preview mode. When I think "spectator," I am reminded of many games' implementation of a free-floating camera, which are able to fly around and no-clip (pass through solid objects). Will this preview mode have the ability to fly around, or move faster than normal? This would be awesome for members and guests alike – the ability to go into a spectator mode, survey one's work, fly around, no-clip (if you have permission on a residence), etc. Or maybe, supporters only?
    I think that this preview mode should emphasize the EMC community, which is easily one of the best things about EMC. Perhaps the ability to "/tell" a citizen, and ask them about the empire? I drop that idea: think of the possible ways to break the rules through private chat as a guest.
    [Edit] I wish I could indent paragraphs. [/Edit]
  5. SWATAHOLIC likes this.
  6. wait... why are you paying people to join EMC? :S am i missing something.
  7. nonono - I mean spending money on like premium top spots on server lists, or advertising on other websites.

    Spending money to acquire new members, but not actually paying the user.
  8. Oooh ! I was like whaaat :S But that makes sense now. Thank you for clearing that up. Do you plan on making the tutorial longer?
  9. This is really cool Aikar. Great Job! Will the stuff you get from the Tutorial be the same? Will you still start with 1500 rupees. And Im still wondering. Why do you call it Rupees :p
  10. Yes, something like that! However, with "+noclip" and/or "+observe" commands, the possible exclusivity to supporters (not recommended), and a fast move speed (to make it more unlike normal mode). Perhaps a way to quickly skip across residences with false move permissions...

    Oh, and Sir Aikar: I really like this development status update idea of yours. Might I suggest something like this? I would recommend the free option if you choose this. [Edit] If not, well, be sure to let us know every now and then! Thus, we know what thou art doing for the Empire. [/Edit]
  11. http://track.empire.us :p
  12. Will there be a viewing area? :p This sounds great! I can't wait to see how it all turns out. If there is any way that I can help, then please let me know, though I think Maxarias probably has it covered. :)
  13. Currently there's no viewing area
  14. I swear you're still a staff member, you just have a blue name...
    jkjkjk182, brickstrike and Jcplugs like this.
  15. I'm not :confused:
    mba2012 likes this.
  16. One can never take chances when it comes to this matter.
    Ah, man if you were a secret staff member or a spy of sorts to find out whats happening, that would be so cool :D If I was one, I would be like James Bond :p
    mba2012 likes this.
  17. I suggest keeping the maze for nostalgic reasons.
    I felt the same with shop, but apparently nobody else did.
  18. I actually didn't mind the old shop. I like the maze, but, it could be updated a bit.
  19. Why spy when you can track practically anything :p