07-12-2014, 05:48 AM
Let me summarize my perspective on #TWMASTERZONE's input:
Chaos/4v4 player expresses a desire to 'market' Continuum to gain new players to the game as a whole. He does it in the sub-forum of his zone/arena of choice, on the overall forum system in which most of the active zones have sub-forums of their own and participate on this overall forum system.
TWMASTERZONE appears and states that it should be discussed with other zones in order to reach a mutual agreement (of something, idk) and suggests using the TW council forum to do so, on a forum system dedicated to the single zone, TW.
TWMASTERZONE then suggests that, TW has developed and supports the concept of a 'league', which Chaos has, but that one that basically sucks, and provides his interpretation as to why it fails and how it should be improved by creating new arenas to train players as a transition to league.
But there is a problem with this suggested solution and with this game, and every other game out there with a similar zone/shard/arena structure. It is the same problem that businesses run into and is evident in any marketing analysis. The concept is cannibalization... basically you have a pool of X amount of users overall. Each user in the pool has a preferred brand/flavor/game/zone/arena/whatever. In order for any of the segments to grow, it can either gain new users/players/customers from outside the current pool, or they get people to switch brands from within the pool, from one segment to another... hence 'cannibalization'.
But TW and 4v4 are like Diet Coke and Fanta Orange drink. Yes, they are distributed through the same avenues, they are both 'drinks', but they are soooo different that there is little to no cannibalization between the two. The same occurs in-zone, where the entire playerbase is aware of 4v4 and if someone decides to go to play 4v4, they are abandoning pub to do it. (This is how Alpha died, btw... but it wasn't 4v4 or a league, it was just a different sub arena). Placing alternate sub-arenas in a zone will only make the existing ones shrink (cannibalization again), and if you have populations that are already low, you are simply fragmenting your playerbase to the point that none of the sub-arenas will have any longevity. And this is why Mindriot made his original post. The solution is not to 'fix' league or arenas, or to make mutual agreement between councils... the solution is to bring in new blood to increase that overall pool of X players. Some will go to TW, some to Chaos, some will end up in 4v4 and some will end up in one of the other smaller zones. But you need NEW players in order for any of it to occur.
The current and historic difference between TW and Chaos (SVS style) is obvious. TW is a one hit kill zone, and so newbies to the game get instant gratification. It tends to draw younger players, and has always been considered less 'skillful' than SVS. I've been playing SS/Cont for 18 years, and I have no idea what TW league is... I'm sure you can take TW vets and let them play in structured matches on structured teams, and there is some level of higher skill between newb and vet teams. But that is still a completely different game than SVS 4v4. The point of the comparison is not to say that one is 'better' than the other, but simply to show that they are entirely different, and that when a legitimate new player comes to the game, they will have a preference in the type of game they want to play and will end up in whatever zone provides it. TW is simply larger because more young kids like to be able to instantly Tea-bag that vet in pub, which rarely happens in SVS pub, and almost never in 4v4. So TW gets the bigger population.
I'd like to say something regarding the original post and provide more input, but I got nothing... already said my peace about centrally marketing the game. I just had to point out how a TW guy had ridiculous, zone-centric input, just as I originally posted.
Chaos/4v4 player expresses a desire to 'market' Continuum to gain new players to the game as a whole. He does it in the sub-forum of his zone/arena of choice, on the overall forum system in which most of the active zones have sub-forums of their own and participate on this overall forum system.
TWMASTERZONE appears and states that it should be discussed with other zones in order to reach a mutual agreement (of something, idk) and suggests using the TW council forum to do so, on a forum system dedicated to the single zone, TW.
TWMASTERZONE then suggests that, TW has developed and supports the concept of a 'league', which Chaos has, but that one that basically sucks, and provides his interpretation as to why it fails and how it should be improved by creating new arenas to train players as a transition to league.
But there is a problem with this suggested solution and with this game, and every other game out there with a similar zone/shard/arena structure. It is the same problem that businesses run into and is evident in any marketing analysis. The concept is cannibalization... basically you have a pool of X amount of users overall. Each user in the pool has a preferred brand/flavor/game/zone/arena/whatever. In order for any of the segments to grow, it can either gain new users/players/customers from outside the current pool, or they get people to switch brands from within the pool, from one segment to another... hence 'cannibalization'.
But TW and 4v4 are like Diet Coke and Fanta Orange drink. Yes, they are distributed through the same avenues, they are both 'drinks', but they are soooo different that there is little to no cannibalization between the two. The same occurs in-zone, where the entire playerbase is aware of 4v4 and if someone decides to go to play 4v4, they are abandoning pub to do it. (This is how Alpha died, btw... but it wasn't 4v4 or a league, it was just a different sub arena). Placing alternate sub-arenas in a zone will only make the existing ones shrink (cannibalization again), and if you have populations that are already low, you are simply fragmenting your playerbase to the point that none of the sub-arenas will have any longevity. And this is why Mindriot made his original post. The solution is not to 'fix' league or arenas, or to make mutual agreement between councils... the solution is to bring in new blood to increase that overall pool of X players. Some will go to TW, some to Chaos, some will end up in 4v4 and some will end up in one of the other smaller zones. But you need NEW players in order for any of it to occur.
The current and historic difference between TW and Chaos (SVS style) is obvious. TW is a one hit kill zone, and so newbies to the game get instant gratification. It tends to draw younger players, and has always been considered less 'skillful' than SVS. I've been playing SS/Cont for 18 years, and I have no idea what TW league is... I'm sure you can take TW vets and let them play in structured matches on structured teams, and there is some level of higher skill between newb and vet teams. But that is still a completely different game than SVS 4v4. The point of the comparison is not to say that one is 'better' than the other, but simply to show that they are entirely different, and that when a legitimate new player comes to the game, they will have a preference in the type of game they want to play and will end up in whatever zone provides it. TW is simply larger because more young kids like to be able to instantly Tea-bag that vet in pub, which rarely happens in SVS pub, and almost never in 4v4. So TW gets the bigger population.
I'd like to say something regarding the original post and provide more input, but I got nothing... already said my peace about centrally marketing the game. I just had to point out how a TW guy had ridiculous, zone-centric input, just as I originally posted.