>From what I've heard and seen, they aren't great for that purpose. The problem is that even when a nerf corrects a problem, it rarely corrects the problem. Usually, the real cause of the malaise is primarily meta-game factors, such as people getting busy, players getting bored and leaving, and a lack of activity to stimulate new registrations. Obviously, problems in game balance can contribute substantially to all of that, but they're rarely a root cause. The problem usually ends when the meta-game problems blow over. For instance, G. and I are usually some of the most active players, and we seem to be very busy IRL. I know I should start having more time in early June, although I don't know about em. Some new registrations or a resumption of activity by old players could also really help.
TLDR: Nerfing/repealing/fixing game mechanics can help, but it generally isn't the kind of stimulus that solves the root problem. -Aris On Tue, May 22, 2018 at 4:27 PM Cuddle Beam <cuddleb...@gmail.com> wrote: > It could help to measure how activity fares after each nerf. > > Have nerfs historically been a good way to boost activity? > > On Wed, May 23, 2018 at 12:49 AM, Aris Merchant < > thoughtsoflifeandligh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Tue, May 22, 2018 at 2:40 PM Kerim Aydin <ke...@u.washington.edu> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 22 May 2018, Cuddle Beam wrote: > > > > Hrmmm > > > > > > > > Blognomic did a "What is Fun and not Fun?" poll thing a while ago. > Has > > > one > > > > ever been done for Agora? If not, it could be a good idea do to aid > to > > > > dispel the apathy. > > > > > > Heh - maybe not a "formal" poll but those discussions just about > exactly > > > a year ago led us to say "an economy would be fun"... > > > > > > > > > > > I'm going to suggest something that I've brought up before, which is a > flat > > cap on how long someone can be a zombie before they're deregistered. A > lot > > of the fun from zombies comes from them keeping the game dynamic. If > zombie > > auctions become a regular thing, we lose that. Unfortunately, the status > > quo (zombies last forever) isn't terribly dynamic either, a fact that > isn't > > helped by the fact that zombies can't be transferred. So, I suggest > placing > > a limit (possibly 1) on the number of times a zombie can be auctioned > > before being deregistered, and making zombies a transferable asset. > > > > -Aris > > >
