17.09.2013, 05:32
(
Последний раз редактировалось Potassium; 20.09.2013 в 23:59.
)
There are so many threads that ask, “what do you want to see in a new server?” and so I thought it was about time to collect all the answers together and put them into one big thread for people to refer to.
Feel free to reply with any comments/suggestions etc, as I will be posting some basic information as a starter and then updating it regularly.
Yes, this post is long, but if you truly care about what players want, then you'll want all of the information you can get
Read ******'s thread if you need suggestions for GameModes: https://sampforum.blast.hk/showthread.php?tid=427830
What do players want to see in your server?
The main thing that players want to see is… wait for it… players!
Players are more likely to join a server when they see other players online. Would you join a server that had 0 players on? Not likely.
So, how can you make sure you have a constant stream of players, even if only a few to begin with? Give them the features that they want to see in a server!
General features
The main thing that players like is a script that is not a rip-off of other scripts.
If you, or your scripter, has the knowledge to create a gamemode from scratch - GREAT! Do it! Would you rather join a server that is the same as 100 others, or would you rather join a server that is not the same as any other server?
If you/your scripter is not yet comfortable with scripting a gamemode from scratch, there is nothing wrong with downloading a script to use, so long as you CUSTOMISE IT! Add your own features, remove features that you don't like, change the default text to words and phrases that YOU would use, and most importantly: make sure you thoroughly read through and learn the script so that you know exactly what you want to change and how.
A good admin team.
You could have an amazing script with lots of features and no bugs, but if your admin team sucks then no one will want to play on your server.
Don't choose random members of the SA-MP forum to be admins on your server when they have never played it, and don't have admin applications for your players to fill out. Choose admins out of people who have played your server for a while, who know a lot about it and are helpful, mature and polite. You don't need lots of admins when you don't have lots of players.
A good anti-cheat.
Would you regularly play on a server where you couldn't play the game without being killed by cheaters? Not likely!
Would you regularly play on a server where you couldn't play the game without being kicked/banned by the anti-cheat when you have not cheated? Not likely!
Make sure your anti-cheat is accurate. If it is not 100% sure that a player is cheating, don't ban them. Check out SA-MP team member cessil's "anticheat tips" thread here: https://sampforum.blast.hk/showthread.php?tid=220089
No bugs and an active development team.
Players don't want to play a server that has lots of bugs and glitches. Would you regularly play on a server where you work hard to get something and then lose it due to a bug? Not likely!
An active (key word!) development team (or scripter) is necessary to frequently update the server to fix bugs and add features to keep players interested.
A development team who knows what they are talking about.
For example, if a player is looking for a Prison Roleplay server, they probably want it to be realistic in terms of jail time depending on the crime, etc. If you don't know anything about the thing you are scripting, do some research!
Research and community involvement.
Most players love to be actively involved in the community of the server they play regularly. Some ways to do this are by asking for players' opinions on things that you want to add to/change in your server instead of just doing it, and having admins who interact with players rather than just "administrating" them.
Decent grammar/spelling/punctuation.
Whichever language your server text is written in, make sure it is written properly! This makes your server look more professional and mature, instead of like it was made by a kid. If you aren't great at writing, ask someone to help you.
Stats/ranks/achievements/rewards.
Players love competition. If there is a way to be better than others on the server, most people will try for it. Goals to work towards, rewards for completing certain jobs, or even just a simple display of player statistics, are all great ways for players to compete with each other. This also encourages players to play more.
Player equality.
Of course there will be inequalities as your server grows (different amounts of money, different ranks etc), but make sure that players are not getting huge advantages that make gameplay unfair. For example, on a DM server, giving miniguns to high-ranked players will annoy low-ranked players who don't have the chance to move up a rank because they are being overpowered by miniguns, and these players won't want to return to your server.
Lots of things to do.
You don't want your players to be bored. Bored players quit the game and most likely will not return. Try to add lots of little things for your players to do, such as bus/truck driving missions, fishing, races, minigames, etc. Admin events are also a great way to keep players interested.
A decent website/forum.
Players need somewhere outside of the game to communicate with each other and with admins to report bugs, make complaints, make suggestions or just chat. Your website/forum does not need to be anything special, just a user-friendly layout where everything is easy to find. If you don't know how to create a website/forum, there are lots of tutorials on the Internet (even on this forum!) and there are also lots of people on this forum that are willing to help set these things up for free.
Roleplay-related features
Note: I am not an RP player so I'm gonna need some help from you guys with this one. The following information was taken from some forum threads.
Realism.
There are a lot of serious RP players within the SA-MP community, and they want realistic roleplay. Stopping your players from driving a car without a licence is not realistic, and neither is paying $100 for a fast sports car.
Custom maps and unique areas.
There are hundreds of RP servers based in Los Santos. Why not do something different to make your server stand out? Choose a smaller town, or perhaps even create your own maps!
A prison system.
This seems to be a big thing that RP players love. As stated under the "general features" header, if you are adding a prison system then make sure you do your research on prison systems and jail times etc.
Give the players the basics.
It's not much fun for players when they join an RP server and can't do anything because they don't have a car, or a house, or any money. Some basic things to start each player off with will result in happy players who don't ragequit immediately.
CnR-related features
No world boundaries.
Imagine you are on the run, being chased by a bunch of cop cars, and then suddenly you bounce off of an invisible wall in the middle of the city (the world boundaries). The cops would catch you, and you'd probably ragequit.
Other jobs/missions/activities.
As stated under the "general features" header, players like having lots of things to do. Sometimes your CnR players need a break from being a cop or being a criminal, but are comfortable on your server and don't want to join another server to do things that aren't CnR-related. And you don't want them to join other servers! So give them more things to do such as bus/truck driving missions, races, minigames, fishing, gambling - whatever you want!
DM/TDM-related features
Small maps with world boundaries.
If players join a DM server, it's because they want a deathmatch. They don't want to be driving around for 20 minutes just to find another player. Make the maps and the boundaries small enough that it doesn't take a long time to find other players, but large enough that you can hide from other players.
Fast re-spawn time.
Players get bored if they have to sit there and wait a long time to re-spawn. If you can't make the re-spawn time short, then give them something to do whilst they are waiting.
Feel free to reply with any comments/suggestions etc, as I will be posting some basic information as a starter and then updating it regularly.
Yes, this post is long, but if you truly care about what players want, then you'll want all of the information you can get
Read ******'s thread if you need suggestions for GameModes: https://sampforum.blast.hk/showthread.php?tid=427830
What do players want to see in your server?
The main thing that players want to see is… wait for it… players!
Players are more likely to join a server when they see other players online. Would you join a server that had 0 players on? Not likely.
So, how can you make sure you have a constant stream of players, even if only a few to begin with? Give them the features that they want to see in a server!
General features
The main thing that players like is a script that is not a rip-off of other scripts.
If you, or your scripter, has the knowledge to create a gamemode from scratch - GREAT! Do it! Would you rather join a server that is the same as 100 others, or would you rather join a server that is not the same as any other server?
If you/your scripter is not yet comfortable with scripting a gamemode from scratch, there is nothing wrong with downloading a script to use, so long as you CUSTOMISE IT! Add your own features, remove features that you don't like, change the default text to words and phrases that YOU would use, and most importantly: make sure you thoroughly read through and learn the script so that you know exactly what you want to change and how.
A good admin team.
You could have an amazing script with lots of features and no bugs, but if your admin team sucks then no one will want to play on your server.
Don't choose random members of the SA-MP forum to be admins on your server when they have never played it, and don't have admin applications for your players to fill out. Choose admins out of people who have played your server for a while, who know a lot about it and are helpful, mature and polite. You don't need lots of admins when you don't have lots of players.
A good anti-cheat.
Would you regularly play on a server where you couldn't play the game without being killed by cheaters? Not likely!
Would you regularly play on a server where you couldn't play the game without being kicked/banned by the anti-cheat when you have not cheated? Not likely!
Make sure your anti-cheat is accurate. If it is not 100% sure that a player is cheating, don't ban them. Check out SA-MP team member cessil's "anticheat tips" thread here: https://sampforum.blast.hk/showthread.php?tid=220089
No bugs and an active development team.
Players don't want to play a server that has lots of bugs and glitches. Would you regularly play on a server where you work hard to get something and then lose it due to a bug? Not likely!
An active (key word!) development team (or scripter) is necessary to frequently update the server to fix bugs and add features to keep players interested.
A development team who knows what they are talking about.
For example, if a player is looking for a Prison Roleplay server, they probably want it to be realistic in terms of jail time depending on the crime, etc. If you don't know anything about the thing you are scripting, do some research!
Research and community involvement.
Most players love to be actively involved in the community of the server they play regularly. Some ways to do this are by asking for players' opinions on things that you want to add to/change in your server instead of just doing it, and having admins who interact with players rather than just "administrating" them.
Decent grammar/spelling/punctuation.
Whichever language your server text is written in, make sure it is written properly! This makes your server look more professional and mature, instead of like it was made by a kid. If you aren't great at writing, ask someone to help you.
Stats/ranks/achievements/rewards.
Players love competition. If there is a way to be better than others on the server, most people will try for it. Goals to work towards, rewards for completing certain jobs, or even just a simple display of player statistics, are all great ways for players to compete with each other. This also encourages players to play more.
Player equality.
Of course there will be inequalities as your server grows (different amounts of money, different ranks etc), but make sure that players are not getting huge advantages that make gameplay unfair. For example, on a DM server, giving miniguns to high-ranked players will annoy low-ranked players who don't have the chance to move up a rank because they are being overpowered by miniguns, and these players won't want to return to your server.
Lots of things to do.
You don't want your players to be bored. Bored players quit the game and most likely will not return. Try to add lots of little things for your players to do, such as bus/truck driving missions, fishing, races, minigames, etc. Admin events are also a great way to keep players interested.
A decent website/forum.
Players need somewhere outside of the game to communicate with each other and with admins to report bugs, make complaints, make suggestions or just chat. Your website/forum does not need to be anything special, just a user-friendly layout where everything is easy to find. If you don't know how to create a website/forum, there are lots of tutorials on the Internet (even on this forum!) and there are also lots of people on this forum that are willing to help set these things up for free.
Roleplay-related features
Note: I am not an RP player so I'm gonna need some help from you guys with this one. The following information was taken from some forum threads.
Realism.
There are a lot of serious RP players within the SA-MP community, and they want realistic roleplay. Stopping your players from driving a car without a licence is not realistic, and neither is paying $100 for a fast sports car.
Custom maps and unique areas.
There are hundreds of RP servers based in Los Santos. Why not do something different to make your server stand out? Choose a smaller town, or perhaps even create your own maps!
A prison system.
This seems to be a big thing that RP players love. As stated under the "general features" header, if you are adding a prison system then make sure you do your research on prison systems and jail times etc.
Give the players the basics.
It's not much fun for players when they join an RP server and can't do anything because they don't have a car, or a house, or any money. Some basic things to start each player off with will result in happy players who don't ragequit immediately.
CnR-related features
No world boundaries.
Imagine you are on the run, being chased by a bunch of cop cars, and then suddenly you bounce off of an invisible wall in the middle of the city (the world boundaries). The cops would catch you, and you'd probably ragequit.
Other jobs/missions/activities.
As stated under the "general features" header, players like having lots of things to do. Sometimes your CnR players need a break from being a cop or being a criminal, but are comfortable on your server and don't want to join another server to do things that aren't CnR-related. And you don't want them to join other servers! So give them more things to do such as bus/truck driving missions, races, minigames, fishing, gambling - whatever you want!
DM/TDM-related features
Small maps with world boundaries.
If players join a DM server, it's because they want a deathmatch. They don't want to be driving around for 20 minutes just to find another player. Make the maps and the boundaries small enough that it doesn't take a long time to find other players, but large enough that you can hide from other players.
Fast re-spawn time.
Players get bored if they have to sit there and wait a long time to re-spawn. If you can't make the re-spawn time short, then give them something to do whilst they are waiting.
Thanks.
