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Ways to increase Pirate101 Playerbase?

AuthorMessage
Ensign
Apr 15, 2017
5
I had these two in mind.

First of all, they could pay sponsorships for large youtubers which will get their game attention. I'm not sure if that's what they would want to do, but I think it would be faaaar more successful than TV ads.

Secondly, if Pirate101 gets on steam, I think it can get many new players who just browse the free to play section of steam. However, if Pirate101 or Wizard101 gets on steam, I feel as if the free to play zone has to be greatly increased or there has to be a notice on the main store page the game has a pay wall or whatever. Both games will get negative reviews JUST for the fact it has a pay wall. I've seen this with many "free to play" games that aren't so free on steam.

Thoughts on these ideas? Have any of your own?
Admiral
Nov 01, 2013
1413
KKingler on Apr 26, 2017 wrote:
I had these two in mind.

First of all, they could pay sponsorships for large youtubers which will get their game attention. I'm not sure if that's what they would want to do, but I think it would be faaaar more successful than TV ads.

Secondly, if Pirate101 gets on steam, I think it can get many new players who just browse the free to play section of steam. However, if Pirate101 or Wizard101 gets on steam, I feel as if the free to play zone has to be greatly increased or there has to be a notice on the main store page the game has a pay wall or whatever. Both games will get negative reviews JUST for the fact it has a pay wall. I've seen this with many "free to play" games that aren't so free on steam.

Thoughts on these ideas? Have any of your own?
Great ideas, KKingler! I think Steam would be great. I don't know too much about Steam, but what I do know is that VIVE, a VR (Virtual Reality) program, was programmed by Steam. It would be great to have Pirate101 in VR!

- The Dashing Swashbuckler, A.K.A. Helpful Aurora Parker, Level 61 Swashbuckler
- The Reckless Pirate, A.K.A. Brave Kiley, Level 26 Buccaneer
- The Leading Commodore, A.K.A. Nora, Level 12 Privateer
- The Lazy Sharpshooter, A.K.A. Destiny Galway, Level 9 Musketeer
Gunner's Mate
Jan 27, 2011
222
KKingler on Apr 26, 2017 wrote:
I had these two in mind.

First of all, they could pay sponsorships for large youtubers which will get their game attention. I'm not sure if that's what they would want to do, but I think it would be faaaar more successful than TV ads.

Secondly, if Pirate101 gets on steam, I think it can get many new players who just browse the free to play section of steam. However, if Pirate101 or Wizard101 gets on steam, I feel as if the free to play zone has to be greatly increased or there has to be a notice on the main store page the game has a pay wall or whatever. Both games will get negative reviews JUST for the fact it has a pay wall. I've seen this with many "free to play" games that aren't so free on steam.

Thoughts on these ideas? Have any of your own?
I agree wholeheartedly, especially with the first one. One the flip side: we need more YouTubers and Streamers. There's only so much the handful we already have can do, the more we contribute on that front the better.

If/When Pirate/Wizard101 is put on Steam, it would be wise to label it as 'Pay to Play' rather than 'Free to Play', simply to give those looking into it the heads up they need before downloading. Another suggestion would be to remove the 'Free to Play' aspect and incorporate what Black Desert Online has: a 7-day free trial. There's no risk, first off, and it is literally impossible to complete the entire game within a week. Especially in Wizard101. Suggesting the taboo idea of 'enlarging' the 'F2P' zones will just cause strife and turmoil. The wealthy will argue 'if you can't pay, don't play' while the poor will argue 'it gives the game more publicity and allows newer players to better assess the game'. In the end: all you get is a mess. Best to just avoid that suggestion.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a free-trial period over the Demo zones we have. Both games are Pay to Play, no matter how you try to slice it, so you might as well should just follow in the footsteps of the other successful giants that are P2P such as WoW and BDO and just create a trial period. No hassle or any paywall surprise, you get full access for a short period of time (enough to get a good taste of the game) before you have to start paying to continue playing. This should appease both sides of the spectrum and even eliminate any negative backlash KI could receive by having false 'F2P' zones.

Just my input, nothing special.

Caw Caw Shhhh!
Mortifer Crow - Captain of The Silent Crows
Commodore
Feb 02, 2013
838
the problem with hiring youtubers is unless their fanbase is already interested in the game the obvious advertising gets annoying, a youtuber i watch skywilliams did a lot of sponsored videos at one point and it got really annoying to the point where i swore i would never download any of those game, the only way to really get a youtubers fanbase here without driving some away would be for them to just become interested in the game, which being put on steam, would certainly help with that, there's no clear and obvious solution to increase the playerbase besides regular updates to keep the current playerbase, and expanding to other markets to hopefully gather more players, KI is lacking a bit in the update department but attempting to go to steam is about 20 steps in the right direction, a new advertisement thats not from 2013 would probably help the game too, overall i think KI is taking the right steps to increase the playerbase, just maybe not at the rate we would like and im sure theyre doing things behind the scenes as well that we cant see to help
Ensign
Apr 24, 2017
9
Before they even think about getting more players in they need to update the engine and get servers in EU,

this game is so old and porely optimized.
Gunner's Mate
Jan 27, 2011
222
GhostOfErn on May 4, 2017 wrote:
Before they even think about getting more players in they need to update the engine and get servers in EU,

this game is so old and porely optimized.
Old: yes. 'Poorly' optimized: not even. You can literally run this game on Windows XP if you really wanted to. MAC, if that's what you're referring to, has ALWAYS had bad ports for PC games simply because MACs were never originally created with gaming in mind. They're work computers, built for offices and projects. Hence why practically every MMO that comes out on PC takes FOREVER to come out on MAC. It's confoundedly complex and ridiculously difficult to work with.

Now if you're playing on a potato PC and are complaining cuz you can't run at max graphics, that's on you not KI. They have no control over your specs and hardware, that's entirely on your end. I used to have a potato, was still able to run the game at high with particles and whatnot remaining at default. Now I have an actual gaming laptop and have everything maxed out, and yeah it is a huge visual difference, but it doesn't take away from the game at all if you actually enjoy the game. Graphics isn't everything my friend, it is important but not everything.
Ensign
Apr 15, 2017
5
Can't quote multiple posts at once so I'll just do it like this

@Nightblood

I kinda agree with expanding it being messy, just not really sure what they could do, but free trial sounds good to be honest, and after it ends you're limited to what we have now free.

@Zuto

This is a good point, however sky is more focused on League of Legends and Overwatch. If they did a sponsorship on a more diverse channel, that plays all kinds of games, I feel like tha could work fine.
Captain
Jan 17, 2012
672
Seven day free trial is a good idea. Those with existing memberships can have them extended 7 days at the same time.
Petty Officer
Mar 10, 2015
53
I think you missed the point why no body playes pirate101 other then us. Pirate101 style is competly out of the box and that's the problem. Only players who are tactical like pirate101 others who are noobs go to wizard and is to easy and other games that are more traditional. I asked all my friends on wizard and they said the current tactical approach made them dislike the game.

A way better approach is to offer players many payment options like money, or maybe offers not sure or make all of pirate city free. (All the way up to monquestia). This way a player has real chance to gage if he likes the game. (Pirate101 all the free zones are terrible and no wonder give a wrong impression).

I not saying pirate101 needs a new battle plan, but it might want to make a secondary battle field that is more easy to use for old people as they mostly make the population. This could be changed in settings between field battle or map battle this would work like in wizard with circles.

3) make a pirate101 movie. That saved insomniac with ratchet and clank originally. Make a good movie to make a pirate craze again. That would make people come to play.
Gunner's Mate
Jan 27, 2011
222
Lukeskywalker1313 on May 11, 2017 wrote:
I think you missed the point why no body playes pirate101 other then us. Pirate101 style is competly out of the box and that's the problem. Only players who are tactical like pirate101 others who are noobs go to wizard and is to easy and other games that are more traditional. I asked all my friends on wizard and they said the current tactical approach made them dislike the game.

A way better approach is to offer players many payment options like money, or maybe offers not sure or make all of pirate city free. (All the way up to monquestia). This way a player has real chance to gage if he likes the game. (Pirate101 all the free zones are terrible and no wonder give a wrong impression).

I not saying pirate101 needs a new battle plan, but it might want to make a secondary battle field that is more easy to use for old people as they mostly make the population. This could be changed in settings between field battle or map battle this would work like in wizard with circles.

3) make a pirate101 movie. That saved insomniac with ratchet and clank originally. Make a good movie to make a pirate craze again. That would make people come to play.
1) Pirate's combat style is no different than Chess. If anything, it's EASIER than Wizard101 since both parties aren't going at the same time. Less luck involved. Wizard101 has a poorly-made card game style combat, where luck plays a much larger role than tactical skill. Pirate101's style isn't the problem, it's the fact that everyone thinks the game is dead or had already died. I get it time and time again on my streams: "You play this? I used to love it, but they stopped with the updates for so long I thought it died." Disliking a game is not the same as 'why nobody plays it'. I dislike plenty of MMOs but when I'm bored I'll still play them and give them a go just to burn time, but if it's a game that clearly looks like the Devs don't care about it then I won't waste my time on it.

2) Taboo subject, best to avoid it. There was already a recent thread with a heated debate on the matter and lets just say you'll get no traction and a lot of mud-slinging. The free trial suggestion I made was to compensate for those against making all of Skull Island free while still providing plenty of 'experimentation' for newer players.

3) Refer back to #1: the combat is no different than chess. If you don't understand chess then, well, I'll gladly teach you but any old-timer should at least know chess and checkers (the classics). Especially as a gamer. What you're suggesting is not a matter of flipping a switch in settings, it's an entire new coding script and will require a complete overhaul of the current system. In short: it's not something you can switch between and it's far too much work. If you like Wizard101's combat style, play Wizard101. If you like Pirate101's style, stick with Pirate's.

4) Pirates of the Caribbean is coming out this month, no need to make a new movie when KI can hitch-hike on the back of the movie and promote the game to pirate lovers directly. Takes far less money and yields far more rewards, in other words.
Admiral
Oct 27, 2009
1439
Lukeskywalker1313 on May 11, 2017 wrote:
I think you missed the point why no body playes pirate101 other then us. Pirate101 style is competly out of the box and that's the problem. Only players who are tactical like pirate101 others who are noobs go to wizard and is to easy and other games that are more traditional. I asked all my friends on wizard and they said the current tactical approach made them dislike the game.

A way better approach is to offer players many payment options like money, or maybe offers not sure or make all of pirate city free. (All the way up to monquestia). This way a player has real chance to gage if he likes the game. (Pirate101 all the free zones are terrible and no wonder give a wrong impression).

I not saying pirate101 needs a new battle plan, but it might want to make a secondary battle field that is more easy to use for old people as they mostly make the population. This could be changed in settings between field battle or map battle this would work like in wizard with circles.

3) make a pirate101 movie. That saved insomniac with ratchet and clank originally. Make a good movie to make a pirate craze again. That would make people come to play.
Tactical too hard to use? I think not. I love the tactical. As solo game play, I like Pirate better for the tactical and strategic planning. Pirate was also intended for kids a little bit older than the youngest group on pirate. I really don't think it's just young hard core gamers on pirate. Maybe there are some maxed wizards who tried pirate, and left because you do feel like a very low level noob player at first as you learn the game. Not cause it's that hard, just different. Some people might feel more comfy in Wizard being all familiar and having reached the high levels. I like Wizard, but the card based game play is not the reason why for me. For me, it was the fun story and the other players, bringing their personalities and creativity to it, and that it continues to develop. If I was just flipping cards in a battle circle by myself, I would have been bored out of my gourd, never would have advanced past Marleybone. The social side and chattiness on Pirate is still developing, but the seeds are sprouting.
I think some side activities that give people things to do would help keep people in the game. Maybe some events like Lost Pages and the B.O.X., daily quests would be a big boost. It's tough for KI because more players= more money to make new stuff= new content= more players . How to get that going is the tough part. Clearly they are trying with the thing on Steam. I think they are paying attention to the ideas here, never know when a killer idea will pop up. What if they made a short weekend event that let free to play players sail into other skyways, acting like that little peek people get in Wiz of Grizzleheim at a low level. You don't get to do much on that short Grizzleheim trip, but it lets you see something of a totally different area. Maybe rafts get blasted back to Skull Island, or get enough help to pick up some more nautical XP .
Captain
Dec 06, 2012
613
YES. We need to drastically increase the playerbase, I remember recently (Not like, 5 months recently, but like 3 days ago recently) I visited KI's website and for wizard101 it said "20 million and growing!" and for pirate it said "5 million" No one ever plays this, every world besides skull island is near abandoned, even on a Saturday.

When I would throw the artichoke heart, Zhane would go after it, so I put it on Kane's head. You may say that's impossible, but that is Zhane's dream every Tuesday -Darkmoordude
Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
darkmoordude on May 22, 2017 wrote:
YES. We need to drastically increase the playerbase, I remember recently (Not like, 5 months recently, but like 3 days ago recently) I visited KI's website and for wizard101 it said "20 million and growing!" and for pirate it said "5 million" No one ever plays this, every world besides skull island is near abandoned, even on a Saturday.

When I would throw the artichoke heart, Zhane would go after it, so I put it on Kane's head. You may say that's impossible, but that is Zhane's dream every Tuesday -Darkmoordude
"No one ever plays this, every world besides skull island is near abandoned, even on a Saturday."

Do you have pirates stationed in each of these worlds to observe whether others are playing? I play various pirates all over the Spiral, and yes - you pretty much need to be in Avery to see other pirates, but I DO see players everywhere. I accept every friend request tossed my way, since you never know when you'll find a locked chest and need to call someone.

Yes, we need more players, but we need less of this "No one ever plays this" stuff -- it is UNHELPFUL, to say the least.

New players are finding the game, those of us with higher level pirates need to be helpful, not hurtful.
Captain
Dec 06, 2012
613
Helpful Aurora Par... on Apr 28, 2017 wrote:
Great ideas, KKingler! I think Steam would be great. I don't know too much about Steam, but what I do know is that VIVE, a VR (Virtual Reality) program, was programmed by Steam. It would be great to have Pirate101 in VR!

- The Dashing Swashbuckler, A.K.A. Helpful Aurora Parker, Level 61 Swashbuckler
- The Reckless Pirate, A.K.A. Brave Kiley, Level 26 Buccaneer
- The Leading Commodore, A.K.A. Nora, Level 12 Privateer
- The Lazy Sharpshooter, A.K.A. Destiny Galway, Level 9 Musketeer
Steam is a program where you can buy a lot of PC games. There is a very big library of games there, so there is a huge community (Terraria, a single game currently has 17,425 players in game) So if pirate101 was put up there and advertised, chances are the community will expand like a balloon attached to a hose, and hopefully it will happen!