Sillysoft Forums

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

We can all take comfort in knowing that hundreds of people are playing Lux against bots all across the world.

All is well.

Am I just out of my mind in realizing that this place is dwindling up like a fruit that keeps Baden regular?

n00less cluebie · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:32 pm Post subject:

I promise you I'm not trolling; I'm just trying to have you take a step back and see things from a different perspective instead of the "I know exactly what lux needs" standpoint. Many of your points could improve the online community; but your insistence that it HAS to be done is what rankles me. Dustin has made it clear on numerous occasions that he has not been interested in revamping the online experience for years and us yelling at him is unlikely to inspire him to do so.

Packman · Loves his dice! Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2226

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

How about we establish what this thread is about.

• Lux still sells offline
• Lux has basically jack shit to offer online at the moment
• Dustin has no real interest in stimulating online growth
• Some players are concerned and still like the online portion of Lux
• WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
(a) Let it rot and die
(b) Come up with some legitimate ideas to promote an online environment
that provides a high level of competition for those who still enjoy it.

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

Heya Pack

I am a bit of a slow learner I think.

Packman · Loves his dice! Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2226

ohhh...and Laney and Pale Kate....and michelle and Super....ahhhhh Cool

n00less cluebie · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:18 pm Post subject:

Drifter · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:29 pm Post subject:

We are both slow learners it seems Marauder...

Those were some blissful times indeed... those games, the camaraderie, the silly schmutz in the forums... those are the reason I am still shufflin around this place, as well as you guys. I bet it is still salvageable.

Packers... glad to see you remember the better side of Lux, but there are some new recruits these days...

Packman · Loves his dice! Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2226

What Lux needs is some real class warfare - you know Omni's and Anti's and
Semi's and so on.....dunno about the clowns we all ought a just exterminate them Wink

Packman · Loves his dice! Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2226

jesterme · Lux Jester Joined: 29 Oct 2009 Posts: 2628

what the world needs now, is shitty tunez, asshats, and rawhores....

i try to be all 3 sometimes. 2 out of 3 aint bad, ya know?!

(my last post in here got deleted. i don't remember the good ole days, i am looking forward to the better new ones)

Carry on.

Milltycoon · Bagels with Lux Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 288

It appears that several of us didn't really know that there was an online community or an online forum, so we played against bots until that one day when we happened to decide to explore and we hit the "online games" button. I don't remember--it was 5 years ago for me, and I have no recollection of when I discovered the online players, but it took me 200 online games easily before I felt I knew anyone, let alone knew how to play the game tolerably.

So maybe every purchase should come with a letter from the online community. Written by one of us with a bubbly personality, talking about a few of the fun aspects of playing online, giving a link to the forum, challenging new players to "prove their worth" against our savvy veterans, etc. It could be right next to the "Read Me!" file I assume I got when I first registered, or it could be a link from the opening screen when a player chooses his maps.

We won't get everyone to bite on the invite, and we won't get everyone to stay. But if we are selling 200 regs a month and we hook 20% of those people, that's nearly 500 new people in a year.

Llux Llama · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:46 am Post subject:

That sounds good. I don't see a downside.....

General K · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:22 am Post subject:

When Dustin said the game is still selling 200-300, he didn't clarify to which markets, and this is key in order to understand why these new buyers are not converting to online luxing.
what you should know is that not all the world speaks english, while the Lux community only speaks english.
there is a high proportion of educated Chinese, Russians, Italians to name a few that don't speak english and once they join a Lux online room they might find the language barrier a real handicap to interact with the community.

Another point is related to the "drivers". you all expect Dustin to be the driver and this is wrong. Dustin provided the playground, he designed it and sold it to the public. He assigned policemen to maintain order however it is up to the public to be creative and pro-active rather than passive. Each one of you should start blaming himself for not contributing to make this community move forward:

- Did you advertise Lux among your friends? your family? your work colleagues?
- Did you advertise it on Facebook? Twitter? or any other social media?
- Did you offer it as a gift instead of buying a silly shirt or perfume?
- how much time are you spending online?
- how much raw are you sacrificing to play with n00bs and teach them the right strategies?
- how much constructive posts are you publishing in the forum?
- did you design your map? did you at least try to?
- did you suggest to organize your own tournament?...

There are plenty of rooms for contribution, stop running behind Dustin he is building other playgrounds elsewhere. you want more people in your playground work yourself on it and make it attractive.

Dedication and perseverance are also extremely important, and the only person who is demonstrating those values is paranoiarodeo. the community needs few more active members like him. I still remember Scad, pcristov, Smedz, mouldy dog... having their rooms open for anyone to enjoy good times and good chat in their rooms. We used to compete on who attracts the most number of players to his room... is this happening today? or are you all counting on paranoia's rooms?

Also moderating is important but being competitive and being silly can sometimes help too. Eccentric players like Jerry T, Kitty, Mouldy Dog, General asshat (me) etc... were creating some dynamics that is not there anymore. the community needs active players everyday, every night, so that the server is constantly filled with players. there are limits that shouldn't be crossed but moderators should find other ways of punishments rather than banishing active players.
remember, a playground without these kind of loud bad boys is a dull one.

well, maybe this might enlighten you with a different perspective... it's been 3 years I didn't play online lux and I miss it like hell.
I miss sliding glasses of red wine to honor gentlemen moves.
I miss making silly jokes with my clown buddies.
I miss everything about this game...
I envy each one of you for spending sunday nights competing for a medal over a beer and a bowl of pistachios.
DO NOT TAKE THIS GAME FOR GRANTED (there... Kaps again!)... if you want it to prosper work for it!

Wink

Mushy Peas · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:57 am Post subject:

Good thread, it's important to keep challenging the game we play, after all, if you're not moving forwards, you're moving backwards.

I have said in the past (when I used to post in the forums), that I do not understand how unpopular this game is in the UK. During GMT hours of 6am - 4pm, when there are millions and millions of students and great unwashed unemployed in England, I'm usually one of only two or three GB players around.

To me that seems completely Shocked

WHY THE FUCK IS THIS GAME SO UNHEARD OF IN THE UK??????

I have huge respect for Dustin, he's created a wonderful game, but he clearly doesn't give too much of a shit about Lux anymore. As he said, it sells 200-300 units pcm with him doing very little. Let's face it, we'd all be happy with that income for something we created a long, long, long time ago. He's working on other shit now, that's cool, it's up to him what he does, however it's interesting that he says the online community now looks after itself.

Whilst I believe this is partly true, the Lux 'board' could still do a huge amount to encourage people online. Marauder has already pointed out some good ideas.

However I would also wholeheartedly encourage more power being given to Para over the general progression. This however, will never happen as I remember the same discussions occurring over 3 years ago. Then again, Para was never going to be a mod, or post in the forums, so things obviously change.

I'd happily live in a Lux online world governed by Para's scotch fuelled rules and regulations.

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

I have a few ideas that I think could be easily implemented pretty much immediately.

1) Let GK back into Lux. And yes, I am serious. As you can see, he still has passion for this game, and could contribute greatly to many things Lux at the moment.

2) Put up a new players section in the Forums with some tutorials, explanations, etc.

3) Allow para some decision making ability in "official" Lux rankings.

4) Set up a process to contact new purchases regarding the exciting and improving world of online Lux.

I asked earlier if Dustin or the mods had any ideas or input, Dustin kindly responded.

As peon forum members, we can only present ideas. Implementation has to come from the top down, as was mentioned earlier. That being said, is there any course of action or plan outside of the ho hum standard? If not, I will shut up like many may hope Smile

Hate to call you out para, but you have any input?

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:28 pm Post subject:

(1) GK's game reinstatement was discussed by mods when Baden was given back his forum privs. Ultimately, that decision is dustin's alone. (2) A thorough "Welcome to Lux and Here's Everything You Oughta Know" sorta info resource would be ideal, but it depends upon the current state of Lux to some degree. Written today, or last week, obviously, it'd focus on biodeux to a large degree, and I suspect most of us would say that's a bad idea. In other words, I think we've got bigger stuff to sort out first, but yeah, that needs to be on the agenda. (3) I'd be tickled pink to have any say in the official rankings or Sillysoft more generally. (4) Sure, but first, Lux needs to begin improving, or we'd just be blowing smoke up new customers' asses.

(Beyond that, of course, I have plenty of input, but need some time to think things through.)

Stelee · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject:

Rhye · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:17 pm Post subject:

I think adding a newbie area, and dubbing something like "The Academy", would be helpful even at this point. If every game was addressed equally then I don't think it would be a problem. Just adding game info and adding certain helpful advice. We could advance beyond that of course, showing game positions and adressing them as "experts". Even with Lux in its current state adding such a section would be beneficial. It could inform current newbies about the big three games so that they could pick a different one to try out.

My example for Classic:
Classic is the map that we see featured in the board game Risk. Contrary to the title “Risk” it actually stresses logical thinking rather than making extremely risky plays. In Classic your primary goal is to eliminate other players for their cards while you try to prevent other players from doing the same. It is a game of strategy that is easy to learn but very difficult to master. Players must work to keep themselves ready to make a critical kill, but must be sure not to make themselves too vulnerable. If you amass too many cards without a high enough army count to ensure your safety you will become a target, but if you keep your card count too low you will be unable to eliminate players and instead you allow an opponent to make a critical kill which often determines the winner of the game. Classic players strive to achieve a balance between offense and defense; often the most balanced, skillful player will be the most successful player in the long run.

Even something like that that seems benign could be helpful to particular players/newbies.

Stelee · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:24 pm Post subject:

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:26 pm Post subject:

∞ paranoiarodeo resists the urge to facepalm ∞

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

Elka Ostrovsky · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:31 pm Post subject:

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:32 pm Post subject:

Clans are a very touchy thing, 'cause Lux, primarily, should remain as an individual game, and overt clan membership kinda encourages semi-covert teaming. The whole team league thing is another matter, and worth discussion, but again, I'd say there are more important things to consider first. And, you're right, about what can or can not be done in Lux right now. We're hovering below critical mass for most ideas of reform. Chicken and egg sorta situation.

Rhye · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:34 pm Post subject:

I think team games could be hosted without much trouble, but the host would probably have to watch over the games more closely. I'd host them myself (if no one else would) if I was sure of the demand for them.

At the moment, though, Lux is essentially without clans. It's apparent that the semi, anti, and omni conflicts are over, and the whole (G)-string clan thing is a joke.

As para said though, clans/team competition will probably be a result of this planned revival rather than a cause of it.

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:35 pm Post subject:

(Hosting team games is dead easy. Any fool could. Organizing an entire league is another matter entirely.)

Marauder · Midnight Luxer Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 443

This is why I have to stop myself sometimes. So many unexplored avenues that would/could be a great addition.

∞ Marauder puts the cart back behind the horse ∞

Where were we?

Rhye · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:41 pm Post subject:

I meant long-term host for team games, but of course I agree with you. Such a group of "teaming leagues" would be far more difficult to manage, but arguably they would be far more rewarding for the community as a whole.

@ Marauder: This off-topic discussion is probably a good thing though... even if these ideas can't be added into the game immediately we could easily reference them at a later date.

Rhye · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:54 pm Post subject:

As a side note, (as another suggestion) I think a ranking system could focus more on tournaments. If weekly tournaments were hosted instead of a weekly chase then rankings could actually serve as a way of telling a good player from an addicted one (often those with high RAW achieve that because of the amount of time that they use/waste rather than how good those players truly are). In that case you could win medals for being the most successful in weekly competitions while your ranking would stay constant and truly reflect your ability.

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:56 pm Post subject:

∞ paranoiarodeo tries not to roll his eyes ∞