I suggest implementing a mail system where you can deliver messages to offline players. I think this would go a long way towards getting players aware that their friends are still around. People would be able to send messages to old friends and if their accounts are open they'd know their friends are looking for them. People who come back have a bigger chance of staying if they know they can be reunited with those they miss. I for one dearly miss my guildies from Forgotten Crimson Fellowship, especially Sadd and Estrowiz and Bota... In the golden era of social network, Mythic should get clued in.

Return me to yahoos,

Buffsteria

 

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I completely agree with you. Players have been yelling for mail for over a decade now. In general most players that come to DAoC from other MMO expect something as basic as mail. Unfortunately, concerning mail and many other things, Mythic has always stupidly pretended to be deaf.


As you stated, mail is a way for friends to keep in touch. In other MMOs when I log in I often get mail from my friends informing me of when they will be on next or when they are planning a raid, etc. . . . When people have differing schedules it is very possible for friends and aquaintances to go a week or more without being in the game at the same time and mail is a good way to help gamers keep in touch. Having an easy way for friends to keep in touch may not seem very important to some but in general the easier it is for friends to keep in touch the more likely it is for players to retain their subscription.


Mail is also a good way to transfer items to alts. Some will spout that there is housing for transferring items but that is a myopic view. Mail is a way for players who have no interest in playing Sims (Foundations) to transfer gear from alt to alt. Based on the number of players in the past and based on the number of houses that were available on the servers, there were large numbers of players that never obtained a home which indicates that in general there was a large percentage of players that simply did not want to play Sims as part of their DAoC experience.


Many of the less bright tend to think that mail isn’t necessary but they do not understand the psychology of the typical MMO player.


It is not really very difficult to code mail but Mythic has always been very stubborn about mail and it seems that Mythic’s psychosis has infected Bioware. Just look at the circus of the Pendragon ring contest to confirm Mythic has infected Bioware. It was self-evident that the Pendragon ring thing was going to turn into a fiasco and yet Bioware just plodded down the road that had huge signs stating “this way to psycho town”.


Your idea is sound but sadly Mythic/Bioware is not. I would expect your good suggestion about 'Mail' to fall on deaf ears (as it alwasy has).

 

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Way too much to ask of Mythic.

They can't even fix simple balance issues, bugs, or glaring inconveniences like the outdated artifact buying system.

All 3 of them? Let's be honest, the vast majority of people go to newer MMOs, not older ones, mostly for superficial reasons.

 

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This is true as well.

I've tried to get a few people into DAoC that I played WoW with. It's always resulted in the same outcome. UI, movement, combat, no floating combat text, horrible merchant UI, etc. The game just isn't new player friendly.

World of Warcraft has made it so that millions upon millions of players like MMO's, but Mythic can't even make DAoC user friendly enough to capitalize on this boom in MMO demand.

DAoC is from an older time period where people are punished for their mistakes. Newer games aim to attract an entirely different audience by cheapening the definition of winning by including inconsequential challenges and rewards, and dumbing down basic game mechanics. There is no basis for comparison.

 

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There is plenty of rewards and challenges of consequence in WoW.

Less than 0.1% of the WoW community has completed the final raid boss. Very few people reach the title's of Gladiator or Battlemaster.

Just because a game is friendly to new players, and easy to use, doesn't mean it has to be easy all the way through.

PvE against coded AI is inconsequential except to the people grasping at any kind of achievement and recognition.




Most are busied by the PvE that is thrown in front of people to make them feel good about themselves.

 

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Do you not see the contradiction in your two lines of words?

13 million people are playing WoW. If they're all "busy with PvE", why have almost none of them completed the final boss in the game? Your post is illogical.

Clearly there is some challenge to the game, if so many are playing, and so few have accomplished any of the highest titles.

Just because you don't like the game, doesn't mean it's bad, or easy, or whatever your complaint is.

Its bad.

 

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