AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

The last thread discussing this exactly (as in not added in to a similar debate)was four years ago.

So, outside of DM events, hunting and scheduled meetings, how can we at least try to get more than 10 PCs on for good old RP?

Is Amia B build around "seasoned Amians"? The lack of hand-holding A has makes it a tough time for any new player so they naturally flock to A if they hadn't already been put off by the lower pop.

We have many large settlements- I'd hazard a guess to say more than on Amia A, yet most feel... empty.

L'Obsul, now the UD starting zone, seldom has any activity outside of, again, scheduled meetings and OOC planned character choosing. Barak Runedar has a bustling playerbase and a goldmine (hehe) of RP opportunity but as L'Obsul, spontaneous RP is few and thin.

This isn't going to be a finger-pointing discussion at factions, settlements, PCs and DMs, but an open-discussion about why Boss-mia is only really populated with hunters while Amia is populated with Settlement-standers and how we can spread out the playerbase.

I apologize for oversimplying the problem, but all of those concerns aside, Amia doesn't exactly have the playerbase right now to comfortably occupy both servers. People go where the action is, and if we split the action between the two servers right now, they'll both be kinda big and kinda empty. Sure, the DMs could do a lot to keep things going in B, and the designers could design cool stuff for it, but unless we have a bigger pool of players to pull from, its just a matter of water rocking back and forth between the two, with each side complaining in turn about lack of activity.

Well I for one spend most of my time on B server, it is true there's not a lot of interaction, but i feel like that's mostly because there's not a lot of underdark players around at any given time.

Yossarin wrote:

I apologize for oversimplying the problem, but all of those concerns aside, Amia doesn't exactly have the playerbase right now to comfortably occupy both servers. People go where the action is, and if we split the action between the two servers right now, they'll both be kinda big and kinda empty. Sure, the DMs could do a lot to keep things going in B, and the designers could design cool stuff for it, but unless we have a bigger pool of players to pull from, its just a matter of water rocking back and forth between the two, with each side complaining in turn about lack of activity.

What he/she said
Its tons of work but if you want my honest opinion merge A and B back like it used to be, the only time A is full is ones a week on a (huge)DM event
the *Direct connect* spamming days are GONE, i honestly don't see a reason why we have two servers be it module size,,then again the server is to large compared to its player base.
I'm not saying you guys need to destroy all the extra area's, but destroy some, merge it back, give us the old Amia!
Please don't kill me............

I play almost exclusively on B server. I have tried a multitude of toons in UD and surface. I still rarely see anyone online or around.

If you merge A and B servers, it would just result in the places no one goes to being on the same server. Sort of like how there isn't really a big roleplaying community centered in Uhm. I think one of the problems with B server is that the places which are the biggest draws, with the largest and most active communities are the ones where you narrow down your options the most.

For instance, the two OP mentioned:

The Underdark is almost purely for Drow players, since Drow are the the largest and most organized race down there. So you either have to play a drow, or always defer to them because the only way Drow can relate with other races is either treating them as slaves, killing them outright, or converting to Eilistraee if they want to get along with them. So if you don't like drow that much, you aren't going to play much in the underdark.

Barak Runedar lets other people in, but as far as I know a really big part of the city is behind a big door marked 'dwarves only'. If you don't want to play a dwarf, then you're cut out of a good part of the action.

Other places are sort of forbidding too. Most goodly players (a large portion of the playerbase) would need to jump through hoops to justify staying in Shadowscape or Zanshibon for any extended period of time without smiting everything. Forrstakkr seems to hate everything that isn't a human fighter. The Frozenfar looks to be getting taken over by Aurilites hence seems to be developing a problem like Shadowscape and Zanshibon.

I'm not too sure about Ostland, Wiltun/Caraigh, and Khem, though.

People's characters come from all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. And they're more likely to interact with one another on A since that's, arguably, where all the places people can go to interact with a wider community are located. The Rhetoric of the server is mainly 'make one character and focus on it', so in that environment if you created a town and put up a sign that said 'bards only' you shouldn't be surprised when people who are really committed to their paladins or wizards don't make bards to hang around with you in it.

Quote:

Barak Runedar lets other people in, but as far as I know a really big part of the city is behind a big door marked 'dwarves only'. If you don't want to play a dwarf, then you're cut out of a good part of the action

This used to be the case but not anymore. Now the majority of the action in Barak Runedar happens in the public areas, even our main meeting room is now accessible to all any many non-dwarvens do attend those who are friends and even some enemies have been known to show up. Even the nonpublic areas of the city major behind the door which I regard as more of a dwarven faction area has given access to those nondwarves who have RPd their way into the faction membership.

Yossarin wrote:

I apologize for oversimplying the problem, but all of those concerns aside, Amia doesn't exactly have the playerbase right now to comfortably occupy both servers. People go where the action is, and if we split the action between the two servers right now, they'll both be kinda big and kinda empty. Sure, the DMs could do a lot to keep things going in B, and the designers could design cool stuff for it, but unless we have a bigger pool of players to pull from, its just a matter of water rocking back and forth between the two, with each side complaining in turn about lack of activity.

Question;
Now when we have a stable server (haha) and lower population - Can we not combine the servers again?

You can not combine the two servers without cutting an enormous amount of areas. Amia A is at it's limits of what a single module can hold. Now try to find the room for Forrstakkrr, the Abyss, Underdark, Khem, Brogendenstein, Wiltun and Caraigh, as well as Frozenfar here on a.

Not without getting rid of a bunch of stuff, I don't think. To my understanding each server is too big to have everything accommodated for on one. But better to ask Paladin or Terra that question.

EDIT: Yes, what Brony said.

I've never understood the issue of "empty server". It's an issue of empty areas, as somebody pointed out above. If nobody's in Endir's Point, nobody's in Endir's Point, whether you see people on the player list or not. What do they contribute, other than OOC chatter that distracts you from actively looking for RP?

Anyone interested in putting in time to bring life to these areas then? Any particular area anyone wants to populate?

IronAngel wrote:

I've never understood the issue of "empty server". It's an issue of empty areas, as somebody pointed out above. If nobody's in Endir's Point, nobody's in Endir's Point, whether you see people on the player list or not. What do they contribute, other than OOC chatter that distracts you from actively looking for RP?

I think the main issue Iron is that if you're on Server B and see there are only 5 people on, even if you are looking for RP, you know there's less chance of you actually running into another player to RP with. In addition to this, you have to add the fact that a large portion of Server B is what would be considered wilderness and adventuring areas. Even if there are only 15 people on Server A, you can be sure at least a few are hanging out in one of the many cities. On B, well, they can easily be out in the middle of any number of “nowheres.”

That being said, that was always a huge draw to Server B, for me at least. In comparison to the long established settings of Server A, you have these vast and largely unexploited areas. Heck, until a few years ago, Wiltun was basically the Wild West. If a PC wants to go out into the middle of some desolate forest on B and declare himself the one true Neocount of Merentha, there are no law knights or silver dragons or Invisible Hands of Plot to wrest it away from him. Only PCs and what and how they might react to such a claim. The server and any RP that goes on in these places is a throwback to the primal concept of sovereignty being whatever you're strong enough to defend. Beyond this, it becomes RP at its purest, on a social level at least: player interaction, nothing more, nothing less.

Yet, I will be the first to admit it is discouraging as hell to try to kick-start such RP by yourself. I myself have been trying to revitalize a particular settlement on B through one of my PCs, but certain factors make it extremely difficult without the aid of a DM or other PCs who visit the place of their own volition. It was not uncommon for me to stand ICly in this particular settlement for hours and not see a single soul all reset. Unfortunately, I think Server B is resigned to be this way, until our playerbase becomes a little more self-motivating and proactive. Even when we get a few DMs on B, the story is much the same; people flock to the DM story area, B gets a small boost in population for a few hours, then when it is over, it's back to standing on the corner in A, so to speak.

Dark Immolation wrote:

Even when we get a few DMs on B, the story is much the same; people flock to the DM story area, B gets a small boost in population for a few hours, then when it is over, it's back to standing on the corner in A, so to speak.

Pretty much.

I have two characters who major in B and it is very discouraging to find someone on B to only be told ICly that they're only in X location to buy Y. Who RPs in Zanshibon nowadays when most of their traffic goes to KO Windy or shop in the Abyss? I'm in the same boat as you Immolation, I see plenty of open spaces for factions, traders, small settlements and what have you to grow. But it seems the populations would rather take care of their flawless apple tree who has grown to maturity and grows sweet, sweet apples than to nurture a seedling and see if it can provide something more.

My biggest gripe is you need to OOCly organise stuff on B for RP to start. But who can blame the population? If you know there's RP at Cordor, Kohlingen, Bendir, Amia Forest, Kampo's, Tarkuul... why would you leave there? It's why settlements such as Uhm and to a slightly lesser extent Wharftown remain PC-populated with nearly nil.

Quote:

but certain factors make it extremely difficult without the aid of a DM or other PCs who visit the place of their own volition.

Development and DM time are precious. I know DMs do their hour or so of free time without running an event now and then, but few seldom step on B to aid those exploring (what I think is appropriately termed) uncharted territory for most PCs. This comes down to keeping the right DM to PC ratio (I mean, how fun would this server be if half the players were DMs?) but having the right DM activity for things such as your settlement idea to flourish without the need to hold the idea up and hope someone has the time/effort to aid you.

As Yossarin summed up, indeed a thing I'd thought about, is that a balance between the two servers would be spreading the population thin. But with B having a more soft mould to shape and A having very rigid storylines and settlements, why PCs and DMs aren't activity trying to have some homebrew fun is beyond me. Is the amount of OOC effort that stressful to try and make something good over there?

The issue of being a leader is one thing, but it's getting that 2nd person to make it a movement rather than just a weird guy doing stuff (see aforementioned Neocount).

That takes effort to get off the ground, and you have to convince others that what you're doing is worthwhile and fun. This is basic psych. Regardless of your ability to do this, statistically Amia B has less followers for you to recruit however. You can homebrew all you want but if nobody is around to RP with you, you're a crazy man sat talking to himself.

Last edited by nadzieja7 on Mon, Nov 04 2013, 15:58 PM, edited 2 times in total.

and even if you are RP-ing, no DM's around

edit: it's not a complaint, just pure observation

Dark Immolation wrote:

I think the main issue Iron is that if you're on Server B and see there are only 5 people on, even if you are looking for RP, you know there's less chance of you actually running into another player to RP with. In addition to this, you have to add the fact that a large portion of Server B is what would be considered wilderness and adventuring areas. Even if there are only 15 people on Server A, you can be sure at least a few are hanging out in one of the many cities. On B, well, they can easily be out in the middle of any number of “nowheres.”

Sure, but it still comes back to areas: those five people would be in those same hunting areas and occasionally those unpopular settlements, whether they're located on server B or A. If you run through Forstakkr or Caraigh, you probably won't bump into people because they're unpopular/unpopulated areas, not because B is an upopular/unpopulated server.

I admit, there is the discouraging psychological effect of knowing for sure you won't run into anyone because they're just not online, but it takes more than wishful thinking to conjure people into a barren area.

I agree with the rest of your post, though: the fact that we have uncharted wilderness where few dare to tread is a positive thing. And it's not like those areas are disliked, either: most of us have probably been through them once or twice. And that experience can be just as valuable and entertaining as standing around Cordor square every day. The frequency with which you loiter in an area is not an accurate indicator of how much you enjoyed it or how much it contributed to your character growth.

Amia B player sink.

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