Decline in playerbase

[Fuzzbucket]

Very true. I, too, found DC through a forum signature in another forum. However, right now, I'm only active in forums that don't allow for dragon images.

I was actually recruited on a TOTALLY non game forum (no signature possibilities) where there are chat threads. There's a group of us on our own dragon chat thread there and we relentlessy suck in other people with posts and PMs.

 

I wasn't on forum for a while after I started to play (I could ask questions over there) and several of us who play from there aren't here at all. i don't believe less forum activity means there are less players or play activity. I don't see lack of forum activity as an issue, actually. Especially in the non dragon areas - which are well served elsewhere.

 

edited for gramre

Edited October 2, 2016 by fuzzbucket

[HeatherMarie]

I currently have my dragon-counting sig in my sig on the only other forum I take part in. I've had it in my sig for years, and before that I had links/images of my actual growing dragons. Unfortunately, although I did recruit a handful of people from that forum, they have all long since stopped playing.

 

I honestly don't see much of a decline around here. When I go to sleep directly after a New Release, I know that I can count on 15-20 pages of new posts when I wake up. That hasn't changed. Of course, some of those people might only come around for releases.

[Fightandspawn]

Alright then, with the sentiments from other users which I take as approval, I BRING TO YOU A QUEST! We must crusade onto other forums with dragon signatures and chat groups! Get popular forums and post a lot (not in a spammy way but post wherever you can contribute) and more people will see the dragons! DADADADADADA! CHAAAARGE!

 

Marie19R, not all of us share that experience, and if more of us do it we can spread the love! I was sucked in from Planet Minecraft, so the forum thing does work sometimes. I was absent for a year and I feel the forum used to be much more active, but disregarding the decline, it's still a good way to help Dragon Cave and the forums grow. I'm a shameless living testimony.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Fightandspawn

[Fuzzbucket]

That may get more players, but the forum is a whole nother thing. MOST of the players I know don't come here, nor do they want to. And I am REALLY not remotely convinced that there is a decline in the number of PLAYERS.

Edited October 4, 2016 by fuzzbucket

[Fightandspawn]

You have a point, but If, say (Warning: made-up statistics ahead) 1/10 of new DC users will find and actively use the forum, then if the number of new members goes up, the forum will hopefully do the same. EDIT: POTENTIAL EPIPHANY. Maybe several previously active users quit and the forum looks that much emptoer because we were used to more posts?

Edited October 4, 2016 by Fightandspawn

[Lythiaren]

You have a point, but If, say (Warning: made-up statistics ahead) 1/10 of new DC users will find and actively use the forum, then if the number of new members goes up, the forum will hopefully do the same. EDIT: POTENTIAL EPIPHANY. Maybe several previously active users quit and the forum looks that much emptoer because we were used to more posts?

These forums also have a reputation for being polarized and toxic. I know when I recruit (and I've done my share over the years) I actively tell people not to touch the forums if they can help it. I'm sure others do the same; I also know of several users who have introduced their children to the game and explicitly forbid them to use the forums because of how extremely and insidiously hostile the community can be here once you've outgrown your newbie hat (or, heavens forbid, have an idea to improve the game). Even if new (and newish) players do not come in forewarned, people do often lurk before registering to gauge what they're getting into, and are turned off by the prevalence of heated arguments and the passion people seem to have for upholding the status quo. Upward shifts in forum activity are less likely to happen for this reason. Well, that and the language barrier, since I know there are people from different countries who also play but can't use the forums because they don't know any English.

 

Which, unfortunately, means there are very few fresh faces coming in, and fewer still who aren't swiftly intimidated into falling in line. Which means there's little room to reform the community, which perpetuates the bad rap, and the cycle continues.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Lythiaren

[cyradis4]

A lot of it isn't the player base, though. Oh the players are an issue, but the over-modding is also a major issue.

 

I know of multiple people who were turned off after needless warns, or are scared to post because of the fear of warns. So.... There's multiple issues.

 

I know Suggestions can get riled up, but I don't spend enough time in the other forums to really see what's going on in them (other than Trades). On the other hand, part of that is because I've had several encounters that were rather more rude than they needed to be, in Discussion. So I guess that supports your point.

 

Cheers!

C4.

[Lythiaren]

I agree, the stranglingly-short leash is frustrating to many, and I'd go so far as to say it's a significant contributor to the players' misbehavior.

 

We also all know how frustrating it is to, for example, get warned for writing a handful of words in all caps in a medium-sized post (which I have been) and generally treated as though we were all errant toddlers instead of people. That frustration needs an outlet, and often the outlet turns out to be particularly-impassioned posts, where we pour all our fury into disagreeing with someone. Which inevitably pushes someone's buttons.

 

Considering that warns are simultaneously "just a reminder" (as TJ says) and a threat of looming action (according to some mods in the feedback thread), and are handed out based largely on report volume rather than report content (as I was told by at least two mods who have handled my warns), we have a community in a perpetual state of chaos and confusion. In essence, perfectly normal people are often getting politely reminded that they're going to be punished for not being universally liked. Moderation here is ironically unmoderate.

 

I can't imagine anyone willingly joining into this kind of atmosphere unless they like feeling powerful, they like being punished, or they're trying to fix it to no avail.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Lythiaren

[HeatherMarie]

I have to agree here. Personally, I would do what I can to recruit new players to the game, because the game is *awesome* and I want more people to be aware of it. I would not, however, try to recruit anyone to the forums. Unless my recruitment speech included "don't post your eggs because you will get warned. Don't disagree with anyone because your 'tone' might get you warned. don't bother with making suggestions because they always get shot down. don't ask for eggs or you'll get warned" etc etc etc.

[Guillotine]

Yeah, the forums are Not Great. The site proper is perfectly healthy, but the forums are terrible and I would not recommend them to someone who isn't already on them.

[Zeditha]

Having been gone pretty much all over the summer, all I can say is that it's a busy time. Perhaps people are busy with other things?

 

I've also been noticing that pretty much everyone I know has been growing up over this summer. Whether it's moving from school to college (like me), getting a job, or just taking more of an interest in 'grown-up' things than 'child' ones, it seems as though I'm not going to be in contact with many of my old friends from now on.

 

I don't know, this is probably just me. Has anyone else been noticing this?

[olympe]

Having been gone pretty much all over the summer, all I can say is that it's a busy time. Perhaps people are busy with other things?

 

I've also been noticing that pretty much everyone I know has been growing up over this summer. Whether it's moving from school to college (like me), getting a job, or just taking more of an interest in 'grown-up' things than 'child' ones, it seems as though I'm not going to be in contact with many of my old friends from now on.

 

I don't know, this is probably just me. Has anyone else been noticing this?

Nope. Not at 35 years of age.

[Fuzzbucket]

I'm almost 72. I started playing when I was - um - 66 ? No change here