/signed

my point was that advertising that you have a great community is just another way of saying the game is poorly developed and only stays alive because of a few completely addicted players


SS, to me, has and always will be about ship customisability and PvP between said ships

the ability to build your setup exactly the way you want and then test it on unsuspecting autopiloters...


"choose how to arm your ship, then test it against on other PvPers - starsonata - online space combat/domination MMO"


if you're going to market SS, you should rely on the one thing that gets people addicted (gearing and improving their ship gradually)

i love me

Thriving community.

Above all... Keep it simple stupid.
The K.I.S.S principle is paramount with this.

Kles's suggestions are great.
But it's far too complicated for 1 ad. If you bombard someone with that much info in
a very short time they will miss the most important stuff. Like the name of the game.
His idea is more of an overall campaign than a single advert.
Yes, many people are more attuned to the rapid fire barrage of info in commercials & videos.
I'd bet they miss a lot though. Get the flying and fighting part well covered. The classes
are immaterial in the teaser. Offer those things once you have them at the site.

An FC launching fighters and deploying mobile drones would be impressive.
An obliterated target. Slaves or squadmates swoop in to scoop the loot.
That's an "I WANT TO DO THAT TOO!" image.
It's also possible at a fairly low level of FC. Well, except the slaves looting part.
You don't have to show a dread. it can be a frigate. It can be anything really.
The people with aug setups imprinted on their brains could build the most impressive
low level steups possible. Show what can be done to start with and then show what
the endgame looks like. It's the same, but vastly different. That's the hook.

JeffL, how do you describe SS to strangers? I think we would all find it useful info to know.
It will help us to define our ideas if we know how you see the game.
Your vision for the future of the game coupled with our ideas should help us help you
position SS for the greatest impact. We want the game to succeed. We want to be a part
of that success. So please share some of your ideas with us. I don't mean technical
stuff. I don't mean what's coming in the near future. I mean the dreams you have for SS.
How you saw it in the beginning and what you hope for in the future. We can, by all of us
working together, help make SS a contender.
And I do mean working together.
I wish I could code. I want to learn video editing. I can't do those things. I have ideas.
I also realize that there are SS players with far more experience than I have who have
those skills already. Rather than everyone going off and working on separate projects,
having it centralized and all working towards a common goal will be, imo, the best way
to utilize the talents of the playerbase to get SS the time in the spotlight it deserves.

I've seen video's that developers use to advertise their games that raise the expectations of
potential players to a great height and then dash them on the rocks of disappointment
with a game that is nothing like what the video portrayed. Far too many times.
Don't EVER show things in a video that don't exist in the game.
The same applies to a webpage that does the same thing.

When I first found SS, the pages I read had all kinds of back story that made the game
sound far cooler than it actually was.
Choose a race for your character. Fight the invaders. Choose sides in the fight.
The game I found offered none of that. I stayed despite the rats shooting poop.
I am one of the few who stayed.
Static or slowly building sub rates testify to the fact that SS has an image problem.
Lately it appears to be in decline. The leaving posts are what I base that on.

Consider: Space Cheese. Really? Space Cheese?
I hope those elements are gone from C2.
To be a success then the initial impression a new player forms is critical.
Space Rats and giant cheese planets may have been funny when you first started
the game up, but the serious gamers of today will see that and move on. Quickly.
They want to get into the action right away. They understand leveling. They understand the need
for some patience. They Know you don't start with the best gear. But they want better gear
asap because that IS what helps keep a game fun. You draw them in with the "WOW!" factor.
You keep them here with the depth of the game. The evolving dynamics.

What is Star Sonata?

It is a multiplayer game.
I wouldn't call it Massively Multiplayer because I doubt that it could handle
several thousand players online at the same time. Does anyone think it can?

There is really no way to test what kind of load it can handle.
I suspect it would crash. At a minimum the lag would be huge.
That will be a MASSIVE issue when you roll out new adverts.
Can the cloud servers handle the load? Can the code? I have my doubts.

As I would define massive as applied to mmorpg I found this:
3. large in scale, amount, or degree: a massive breakdown
in communications; massive reductions in spending.
That simply doesn't apply to SS at this time.
The back story is massive. The playerbase isn't.

It is a space trading game.
From scoop and sell to the vast networks of bases spanning several galaxies
with massive fleets of trade slaves buying and selling commodities.

It is an RPG. Very few play it like D&D, a traditional rpg.
But it fits the definition. Why?
Are you an SHM? Then the role you play in a group is healer.
We all play a role in a group. Thus it IS an RPG.

RTS?
Yes. There are real time tactical battles.
From set-piece with bases to dynamic with ships.

Exploration? Yes.
Adventure? Yes.
Science Fiction? Yes.
Science Fantasy? Yes.


The game setting is described as a universe with many galaxies.
I agree with the people who say they should be called star systems.
The universe is one. Singular. Thus the uni part of the word.
I think the overall area should be described as a galaxy.

While each star system is limitless as far as the overall space available,
as I understand a galaxy, these aren't galaxies. Looking at the complete map
of the universe I see it as a galaxy with many star systems.
This should be addressed before a roll out.

You, JeffL, as the owner/creator of the game, need to decide these things.
If we, the players of the game, are divided on the issue, then new players will be confused too.

The galaxies are named after currently known, real world constellations.
And some fictional.
Iirc, some have galaxy type names. But the majority are star systems, not galaxies.
This does need to be addressed before you get the word out concerning C2.


Now, what is the best way to define Star Sonata?

IMO, it is an Online Science Fantasy RPG/RTS game.

Play Star Sonata and you could Rule the Galaxy.
Just don't forget your towel.

It's too bad that Douglas Adams is dead.
An endorsement from him would be nice.

Market

p.s.
My use of many colors as to prevent retinal burns.

for the love of god, DONT SHOW THEM RATS
if i wasnt like, 8 when i started i would have said gtfo rats..

These four words are found on the StarSonata advertisement on Youtube at:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYBuIT4PrfQ[/url

Expand on these words, make a short ad based on each one.

One ad per word:
Explore - State that there is a vast universe waiting to be explored
Trade - Reveal tools to use to track the market and profit
Build - Show a fully functional galaxy with heavy production
Conquer - Emphasize the PvP nature with a battle

I would also redo the Youtube Ad with four videos, one for each. The videos should be two to three minutes and length and hightlight the basics of each word.

Conquer isn't just pvp.

Market

But, JeffL is going to put his ads on ACTION FLASH GAME SITES. Those people aren't much of "Lets go on a raid carebear buddies!". They actually have more in common with Helro.

I like and agree with everything Market said. SS in many ways needs to mature in order to become successful. You've plenty of creative minds on offer, get some players to write immersive backstories you can throw at potencial new players.

So you're saying we'll have an influx of assholes to contend with? Helro's not bad, but if they're new and like that, they may be massive jerks...


Also, what Market said was brilliant. However, the lightheartedness and humor that is Star Sonata shouldn't be removed: bill it as a game for both the casual weekend gamer and the hardcore one, as I've seen both in Star Sonata.
Notice that I like space rats? I find them quaint.

I know, therefore why can't it be both the casual and hardcore.
Oly= Hardcore
Random missions= Casual

Also, I hit level 1k awhile ago Jeff, you just haven't been on to see it. I've also made 17b recently and am going to make more when my Caly's presence sells. Log on more

He doesn't... you're missing my point. I'm saying that for the hardcore player, there's t21, etc., and for the casual player, he has all of t20.