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What Can We Do to Help Sleuth?
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nicnic
nicnic
Battered Shoe

Mar-9-2009 21:36

Last night I spoke of some ideas I wanted to discuss with everyone on how to give a little kick-start to Sleuth. I would like to share these now and hear feedback. These things are not required of the Admin, but things we can do as a community to try to get things flowing again.

NOTE: Please do not bring up the development team. That ship has come and gone. This post is aimed purely at community-oriented initiatives, not changing the game itself.

Also, I would like to note that many players have been doing some really good things around here. The contests for free subs, ctown's radio show, AVH matches. I do not mean to discredit any of this. It's all wonderful. I just think we can do a little more :-)

#1 Advertising - Let's get out there and spread the word. This is a great little gem that we have found and there are probably others that would love it as much as we do. Do you belong to another internet site? A Group for Nail-Biters with Herpes? Post on the message board about Sleuth! (well maybe not that, but you get my meaning) Let others know outside of Sleuth what a great place this is. I would especially target (for Noir) adults who enjoy logic-type puzzles. That is what kept me addicted to this game for so long.


Replies

Carolyn Spark
Carolyn Spark
Vigilante

Mar-10-2009 16:16

Haha, I'm either happy about that, or feeding on your insides. One or the other. ;)

Joey
Joey "Bulldog" Bane
Washed Up Punter

Mar-10-2009 17:38

Well...the game does need advertising, even at the risk of an 'infection'. Some useful rezidues may come up upon curing it. I think I covered that issue in Jojo's ressurected post though.

About point #3, I also agree that the lack of challange leads to boredom. I'll reserve though the right of bugging you, nic, with a lot of questions about a lot of secrets, since you came up with this idea in public...hehe

And now...about #3...I fully disagree! An occasional bar brawl sets the blood in motion. Some would even say that strongly sustained differences of opinions lead to progress. I'll just say they're pure fun. Fun to watch and fun to be in the middle of them. As I said to ctown in a private conversation, as far the the participants have a sense of humor and irony, it can be a blast. I made many friends that way.

So, by all means...if you feel like having a fight, do bring it out in the open...hehehehehe

Joey
Joey "Bulldog" Bane
Washed Up Punter

Mar-10-2009 17:39

Hmmm...kinda' late here...messed up the numbers...

Carolyn Spark
Carolyn Spark
Vigilante

Mar-10-2009 17:53

Maybe the key to new members isn't attracting them, but keeping them around.
I haven't seen any writing contests around since last year sometime, and I think that those are very alluring to newbies. Especially the prospect of a free subscription.
I think that a lot of people stumble into this game, so maybe it's a matter of snaring them?

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Mar-10-2009 20:18

I think this can be another one of the great posts that we have seen in this community and I'd like to offer my .02 yet again.

Yes, getting out there and spreading the word is great, I have sleuth realted things posted all over on facebook. I let all my friends know about it, several of them have even listened to the radio show. I don't mind doingthings like that, but so far it hasn't seemed to help. Although I wouldn't noticed the facebook stuff, there is a game there called school vandals where I created Sleuth High, we have about 100 people enrolled there and only a handful are from here. It would be great to see some of them over here.

Fighting on the boards. This is such a touchy subject. Like Joey pointed out, him and me talked about this a little privately. There is a very fine line between bantering and bickering. There is nothing wrong with two people disagreeing on a topic, in an internet game where you have people from all walks of life, this is unavoidable. As long as the difference of opinion is handled with respect to one another, I think debate is healthy for the community. Some of you have heard me talk about another online game that I play and there was a ton of debate and even some name calling, but you know what, the biggest participants of those heated debates are now very good friends. Remember, if you disagree with someone, don't be afraid to state your opinion but stay away from phrases like "Thats the most idiotic thing I ever heard", "You're a moron" instead use it as an open forum to try and get your point across and why you feel the way you do. i.e. "Well I have to disagree with you, I think it was the egg that came first because it had to be there for the chicken to come out of." Instead of "Well then where the hell did the chicken come from you imbecile, why don't you go play in traffic"

*more*

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Mar-10-2009 20:19

Onto point #3. I couldn't agree more. We are not doing anybody any favors by just handing them things. I have been guilty of giving too much myself because I am anxious for a new member to be able to contribute to helping with AI cases in the agency files ASAP. But looking back, I was not given much when I was a newbie and that has added to my enjoyment of the game. If I had to do it again, I would not had looked for the easy way to get into the princes palace or even to find the ambassador. Instead it is great to give gentle nudges along the path. After finding Secret #1 (I know shameless plug) I have hlped severla others find it as well, but I make them follow the same path I did, give them a gentle push in the right direction, make them see things for themselves and so far they have all been appreciative because they got to have that same experience with it.

Now for some final thoughts, I agree that we shouldn't make this about any type of dev team or what Ben needs to do to bring life back into the game. I think what nic is getting at, hence the title of the post, is what can WE do to make the game better. Yes, this is Bens game and he can do with it what he sees fit. But the community belongs to US. Only WE can make it strong and healthy. We don't need a code of conduct to tell us to respect one another, we don't need to send PM's and emails to Ben that people are being mean to us. The other game that I refered to earlier went 2 years without anything new. Taht means that those of us who were caught up, had nothing to do but troll the message boards, we didn't have things like cases to play. But we had formed a tight community and refused to give up, we went with the attitude that if the community is going down, it's going down fighting.

*more*

ctown28
ctown28
Huntsman

Mar-10-2009 20:19

Well the Admin of that game was overwhelmed taht we didn't abandon it, and tapped the community for help. The game wrapped up to it's conclusion a couple years ago. Well guess what? I still talk to people from that community. One of the players built a mirror site for that game with the Admins consent and I still play there. Some of the peple that don't go to the mirror site still keep in touch. We becasme like a family to one another and I still considere them friends. When I am in another city there is usually one of them who lives there that I get together with. I know you don't care about taht community and I don't mean to ramble on but I am trying to illustrate a point. We refused to give up, we cared about the community to do nothing. This is our place folks, take care of it. I've talked about why I do everything that I do in the game, the radio show and the AVH tournaments, the motives are selfish, so to speak, I don't want to see the community go and I think as long s I am trying t okeep it fresh and interesting people will stay.

Like nicnic, I would like to see peoples thoughts on this as well. There is no right or wrong answer. So everybody get on your soapboxes and tell us what you think!

Secret_Squirrel
Secret_Squirrel
Safety Officer

Mar-10-2009 20:25

I've been round consistently for a little whiles now, and I have to say as a factual observation, that Ben allows only the most minor input from subscribers into the game, and keeps a very tight rein on what little 'power' he does let leek out. I'm not saying that's good / bad or otherwise. Just a statement of fact.

So... ultimately, without wishing to seem like a killjoy... it all boils down to Ben.

We can talk up a big old circle of Sleuth love and harmony and make pie in the sky wishes till the cows come home, but it all really depends on what Ben is willing, and able, to do.

It may be that all he is willing to do is maintain the database and let things run along this course until Sleuth no longer breaks even $-wise and he can wash his hands of the whole lot... who knows? Not me!

If I was, hypothetically, a punter wanting to do a whole heap of work to make Noir better and get more people to the game, I think the questions I'd be asking, and wanting a response to before I went any further, (especially this far down the line) are...

"Ben, what are your future plans for Noir?"

"Do you in fact have any future plans for Noir?"

"If not, when do you see Noir winding down?"

"If so, when do you see those changes, plans coming into effect?"

That kinda thing.

Otherwise, with all due respect, it's just pie in the sky waffle. I'd hate to see people I like put in a lot of work and effort into something that might never come to fruition.

It's probably about time, even in my slow release kinda world, that those people interested, knew where they stood.

Carolyn Spark
Carolyn Spark
Vigilante

Mar-10-2009 21:09

All due respect SS, but I don't agree. I think the point of this thread is for us to come up with ways that we CAN make a difference.
Be it with things like the radio show, or contests for subscribtions. These are ways that we can actually do something, and I think that's what this is all about.
Don't ask what Sleuth can do for you, but what you can do for Sleuth. ;)

Secret_Squirrel
Secret_Squirrel
Safety Officer

Mar-10-2009 21:17

Yes and the point I'm making is that if you're in a holding pattern over an airport, you wanna make sure the plane has enough juice in the tank to land BEFORE you start handing out the complimentary pretzels :)

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