No mater how clever you are, you will be farming.

[Master Rahl]

I doubt there are many (any?) new players actually looking here. Look at us we both started playing for several months before actually posting. But there will be several about our time here(2-6 months).

[Cwalen]

I am hoping there are more reading than posting.

<sighs>
not only do I not have any evidence to back that hope, it runs contrary to my expectations.

However I cling to it, without new players, everything threatened in the "this game is doomed" might be real.

Keep the faith!
The basic game world is sound.

[Master Rahl]

Well NG seems to have a new flood of people, we have already seen many regulars from main and ascended make it to main. The newer players will probably take slightly longer to reach here. That is why I do promote alliances, also it puts you with the same people every day and its easier to form "friends". The newfound "friendship" keeps players in the game.

[Cwalen]

<nods>

The Fb integration. however unstable the API is definitely a bold and positive move.
Recruiting people through new grounds is another brilliant move, giving new players a chance to integrate basic game processes before being thrown into the game. (personally I'ld delete the accounts when they asscend into main to keep it as a newby zone, but I'ld have a right to an opinion if I got off my ass and wrote/promoted something rather than being an opinionated ass on the hill)

Social involvement will carry people past where the basic psychology of growth falls down.

I'ld query the long term stability of routing new players into an existing power structure, it will retain some, more than if there was no social interaction.

So I'll keep working away at an alternate path. A shared strategy to develop new players, give them socialization and meaning beyond game mechanics. An uplift path that swells the ranks of firmly established players without requiring them to be thralls to established players.

[brucenelson]

yes, very good advice. Thanks. I'll work hard and persevere for the love of this game! Hehe pokies downloads

[Cwalen]

Go Bruce!

From my current understanding, it takes at least a few years, and possibly 3 to really play amongst the pack.

I am ok with that.

A year and a half to get to unknowen, if you ignore ascended.
Big MS, if you want to play.
Cov doesn't get expensive till L 30 or so.

What worries me is that there will be no one left to play with when I get there.

7 years ago you were X, in another three years you will be Z.
Y barely has time to play.

[JasonJay]

Go Bruce!

From my current understanding, it takes at least a few years, and possibly 3 to really play amongst the pack.

I am ok with that.

A year and a half to get to unknowen, if you ignore ascended.
Big MS, if you want to play.
Cov doesn't get expensive till L 30 or so.

What worries me is that there will be no one left to play with when I get there.

7 years ago you were X, in another three years you will be Z.
Y barely has time to play.

Cov is expensive after 30 ? I would say 35 maybe, not 30

[Bioflick]

Depends on how much you play xD

[JasonJay]

Cov 30 was like an average ascending level 3 years ago, lulz

[Loki™]

I'd say 39 is the first expensive level
Also if you are going to compete you'll be able to in a year. If you start slow then 2.

[~Odin~]

Send ZaphodBB Player ID 1990879 one thousand turns.

Pretty sure asking for resources on the forum is against some rule or another. Anyway, not bad advice to be honest. Except the alliance part, strength in numbers. You just found the wrong alliances by the sounds of it. Game is 90% social and 10% ingame in my opinion.

+1
The main reason why alot of us still play is because of the social aspect.

[Cwalen]

A few things.

Firstly, I got clever enough not to farm.

Not to mention had some real world battles to fight that were far more entertaining and rewarding than any online game could be.

The world is and probably should be dominated by players and alliances that have been here for _many_ years. I have had very little success in getting people IRL, to engage in this world. The pirate fleet is no more real than when I first dreamed of it.

Secondly. The sheer number of mouse clicks required to use smurf turns to farm NAQ to hold a torch to any of the established players is in "buy a new mouse" territory.

I am running with income planets, and a CO who will protect them. Along with a 5 year plan.
Still not sure if the server will be up in five years, but today I am bored.

Finally It is a social game. Some great people here playing. Not going to rehash the old ground of an underpaid developer requiring a massive range of skills to be able to chart an uncertain future. Just reminding y'all that five years of shoveling **Filtered** while being a pimple on the bumb of a little world might be a significant barrier to new player retention.

[Master Rahl]

should look into getting a better mouse. Ill farm and have income planets. And in 5 years id hate to see what cov/ac level people are at. there are a growing number of 40+

[Cwalen]

Well lets reduce it to tin tacks.

Get your NAQ from farming, your weekly earn in game.

Compare that to the return on 40+ hits.
Subtract the cost of bought turns.
Then your hourly $ rate IRL.

Compare that to the $ price for NAQ.

And keep some pride intact before you tell me you get paid less than that as a human being.

[Master Rahl]

and 40+ hits takes about 1 min (to find and hit all 40)