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KaVir · 06-25-2010, 04:57 AM

Yes, that's fairly common on most muds I think. Sometimes I'll even see people spend half an hour going through custom character creation, only to quit within seconds of entering the game. I've observed that newcomers usually close their connection instead of using the "quit" command, but of course the result is the same.

You said you noticed this "from looking at player logs". How much time do you usually spend on your mud each day?

Here are some suggestions:

* As the owner, spend as much time online as possible. I'll usually be coding in another window, but I can see the mud session in the corner of my screen, and therefore respond immediately to greet new players and answer any questions.

* Talk to the players as equals, and offer them help if they need it, without being overbearing.

* Provide discussion forums and encourage people to participate - even if there's nobody online, prospective players may browse the forums and get interested in your project. If done before opening, this can allow you to build up a following of excited players, who will all start playing the day the doors open.

* Design the mud to be fun as a solo game, even if no other players are online. This will appeal to the small number of players who are happy to play on their own - and newcomers are more likely to hang around if other people are busy playing when they connect.

* Make sure there are good help files, tutorials and newbie guides. One of my favourite solutions here is a "what" command that can be typed at any time, and gives you a clear suggestion for what you could/should do next, based on your current achievements. This ensures that players are never left wondering what they should be doing next - because that's when frustration starts to set in.

* Some muds will ask players to leave a comment when they delete, and I can imagine this occasionally providing some useful feedback. I do occasionally have players rant a bit before they quit, using the public channels to say why they think the mud sucks (there's no graphics, its too complex, it's not as good as Mud X - which everyone should come play instead, etc), but most players will quit silently.

A few other observations:

* It took my mud about a year and a half of casual visitors before the players really started hanging around and forming a playerbase. This was helped by the forums, and hindered by the fact that (at the time) I was running a test server which had no character advancement. In retrospect I think I could have sped this process up by providing an easy way for people to see 'peak times' - some sort of graph, perhaps, that showed the more popular login times.

* I've noticed my playerbase fluctuates based on my presence and activity. When large new features are added, the playerbase shoots up - then slowly goes back down again. If I'm on vacation for more than a few days, the playerbase trickles away faster.

* When I ran my first mud, around 15 years ago, the playerbase rocketed within a few months - to the point that I had to add restrictions because the server couldn't handle so many simultaneous connections. Most of these players connected from 3 universities though, including mine, and even the other players usually knew at least a few other players in real life. If a player logged on and there was nobody else there, they would often just get their friends to come and play with them. These days players almost always seem to log on individually, and most will just leave if there's nobody else to play with. There are also many more muds, so players can afford to be a lot more picky.

* The most popular muds tend to be neither stock, nor cutting edge. Instead, they take tried-and-true features and give them a good polish, maintaining a careful balance between "innovative" and "familiar". They are also either well-established (dating back to the days when it was easier to attract new players), use aggressive marketing, or both.

* IMC (intermud chat) allows players on your mud to communicate with those on other muds. This can make an empty mud feel a bit less lonely.

06-25-2010, 04:57 AM	#9
KaVir Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Name: Richard Home MUD: God Wars II Posts: 2,052	Re: Quick login, then logout players. Yes, that's fairly common on most muds I think. Sometimes I'll even see people spend half an hour going through custom character creation, only to quit within seconds of entering the game. I've observed that newcomers usually close their connection instead of using the "quit" command, but of course the result is the same. You said you noticed this "from looking at player logs". How much time do you usually spend on your mud each day? Here are some suggestions: * As the owner, spend as much time online as possible. I'll usually be coding in another window, but I can see the mud session in the corner of my screen, and therefore respond immediately to greet new players and answer any questions. * Talk to the players as equals, and offer them help if they need it, without being overbearing. * Provide discussion forums and encourage people to participate - even if there's nobody online, prospective players may browse the forums and get interested in your project. If done before opening, this can allow you to build up a following of excited players, who will all start playing the day the doors open. * Design the mud to be fun as a solo game, even if no other players are online. This will appeal to the small number of players who are happy to play on their own - and newcomers are more likely to hang around if other people are busy playing when they connect. * Make sure there are good help files, tutorials and newbie guides. One of my favourite solutions here is a "what" command that can be typed at any time, and gives you a clear suggestion for what you could/should do next, based on your current achievements. This ensures that players are never left wondering what they should be doing next - because that's when frustration starts to set in. * Some muds will ask players to leave a comment when they delete, and I can imagine this occasionally providing some useful feedback. I do occasionally have players rant a bit before they quit, using the public channels to say why they think the mud sucks (there's no graphics, its too complex, it's not as good as Mud X - which everyone should come play instead, etc), but most players will quit silently. A few other observations: * It took my mud about a year and a half of casual visitors before the players really started hanging around and forming a playerbase. This was helped by the forums, and hindered by the fact that (at the time) I was running a test server which had no character advancement. In retrospect I think I could have sped this process up by providing an easy way for people to see 'peak times' - some sort of graph, perhaps, that showed the more popular login times. * I've noticed my playerbase fluctuates based on my presence and activity. When large new features are added, the playerbase shoots up - then slowly goes back down again. If I'm on vacation for more than a few days, the playerbase trickles away faster. * When I ran my first mud, around 15 years ago, the playerbase rocketed within a few months - to the point that I had to add restrictions because the server couldn't handle so many simultaneous connections. Most of these players connected from 3 universities though, including mine, and even the other players usually knew at least a few other players in real life. If a player logged on and there was nobody else there, they would often just get their friends to come and play with them. These days players almost always seem to log on individually, and most will just leave if there's nobody else to play with. There are also many more muds, so players can afford to be a lot more picky. * The most popular muds tend to be neither stock, nor cutting edge. Instead, they take tried-and-true features and give them a good polish, maintaining a careful balance between "innovative" and "familiar". They are also either well-established (dating back to the days when it was easier to attract new players), use aggressive marketing, or both. * IMC (intermud chat) allows players on your mud to communicate with those on other muds. This can make an empty mud feel a bit less lonely.