Celtic Heroes

I have been playing since V2. After each update, I have seen many players who are new to the game give it a chance. More of the ones who start within the first few months keep playing and lvling. As time goes on after an update, the volume on this drops. Even now, over a year since V4 was released, most of the people that I see breaking 100 on Arawn are either alts or server transfers as opposed to new players. I am not saying this as a fact, just an observation.

Lack of content is a big part of the issue. For a while after an update, people have plenty to do. They have new quests for armor and weapons, they have new areas to explore and they have a new soft cap to lvl towards. Once people have gotten themselves geared up and helped their clan do the same, there isn't much to do other than raids every 3-4 days. The solution for many is to lvl an alt. This is good because it keeps people playing the game. It also stops new people from continuing to play the game.

Most people that I have seen, myself included, would rather take their main to a boss that is going to drop a quest item. The main is more powerful and, with other high lvl clan members, drops are easier to get. Target lock is a joke. A group of lvl 180+ have no problem beating out an appropriate lvled group for frozen drops. Stonevale bosses can easily be soloed for their drops. Gearing up an alt with a main is just easier.

Someone downloading CH and playing for the first time may have a better chance of sticking around longer if they can do the quests that they are supposed to be able to do at their lvl. Playing for a couple hours at a time, it may take someone a couple weeks to get to the point when they start the Warden quests. These people may decide not to become customers if they get frustrated because they can't get any gear. As they lvl up and remain in store armor, things get more frustrating. By the time they should be starting on frozen, they may leave, figuring it isn't worth the effort. Getting these little digital pieces of cheese is what keeps us hitting the button.

Before throwing your two cents in on this one, consider it not as a player. Think along the lines of if this were your business. If you want to get as many customers as you can, you have to give them something in return. Sure, playing the game is fun but people aren't going to decide to spend money if they can't continue to progress.

You answered your own question when you mentioned a lack of content. Love the seasonal events, but they are used as a content filler and should not have to run for months on end just to give people more to do.

I think if anything people gearing alts has helped feed OTM a little more money than the casual new player would.

Lack of content is more along the lines of cause. Updates create content which is why you see more new players get ahead at the beginning.

Creating alts doesn't necessarily get people spending more rl money. By the time they start one, due to lack of other things to do, they usually have enough gold to buy the items they need without having to spend their own money.

I believe another thing that discourages people is the level cap, which is way too high. I have talked to many people who, upon learning the level cap, instantly quit after reaching level 50. For a new player who doesn't buy plat, it takes way too long to level. And the fact that a player is only a third of the way to endgame at level 50 (if you feel that endgame starts are 150), which will take a new player quite some time to even get there, is hard for people to take. Also, this game is set up to make the lower levels feel like stepping stones to get to the actual content. I haven't figured out if it's because of bosses that really aren't worth killing, a lack of players, or the fact that any armor or weapons that are gained are quickly swapped out for overly expensive store bought items. Whatever the cause, many new players are quitting, which needs to be fixed.

Alts are never bad business as long as you have a good fortune to spend while nothing else to spend on. But becareful, when you make an alt your main will get neglected at some point.

Thats where my argument comes in. Dual devicing is great with alts, we all know that, but how do you successfuly manage your attention over 2+ devices?

Makes sense if 1 alt is an endgame ranger, since most are auto and rely on 1-2 skills during battle. You're shifting your attention constantly, sometimes where you could have focused on one toon at a boss battle rather than 2+, you could have done some extra more.

Then again, there are some people with alien-like physical deformities, or lets say bonuses. They have 3 eyes, got a couple extra hands, so dual devicing and alt making is efficient for them.

Alts are never bad business as long as you have a good fortune to spend while nothing else to spend on. But becareful, when you make an alt your main will get neglected at some point.

Thats where my argument comes in. Dual devicing is great with alts, we all know that, but how do you successfuly manage your attention over 2+ devices?

Makes sense if 1 alt is an endgame ranger, since most are auto and rely on 1-2 skills during battle. You're shifting your attention constantly, sometimes where you could have focused on one toon at a boss battle rather than 2+, you could have done some extra more.

Then again, there are some people with alien-like physical deformities, or lets say bonuses. They have 3 eyes, got a couple extra hands, so dual devicing and alt making is efficient for them.

Yes alts keep people playing but do they prevent new players from getting interested?

Alts are never bad business as long as you have a good fortune to spend while nothing else to spend on. But becareful, when you make an alt your main will get neglected at some point.

Thats where my argument comes in. Dual devicing is great with alts, we all know that, but how do you successfuly manage your attention over 2+ devices?

Makes sense if 1 alt is an endgame ranger, since most are auto and rely on 1-2 skills during battle. You're shifting your attention constantly, sometimes where you could have focused on one toon at a boss battle rather than 2+, you could have done some extra more.

Then again, there are some people with alien-like physical deformities, or lets say bonuses. They have 3 eyes, got a couple extra hands, so dual devicing and alt making is efficient for them.

Is it an alt if they are all the same level and you always play all of them? I keep trying to explain I don't have a single main but it never fits into clan/server rules well or people's pre-concieved notions. In reality I have 5 mains and hordes of alts. Additionally I gain xp far faster than solo, perhaps 4 times faster than average and have done up to 3 simeltaneous different boss battles which makes up for the extreme hassle of multiboxing.

It is a problem that the store bought items are about the best there is, even somewhat end game.

As far as the op I agree that's who makes up the bulk of 'new' people. What the game needs is more content which hopefully the new engine will make easier.

What's the point of playing a game with an endless grind, players who are tools, and lack of content. Which is why mains are starting to go inactive as well.

The only times gearing alts becomes bad in my opinion, is when an alt gets geared up before a main. This one time a friend of mine was in a group with a high lvled warrior. They killed Falgren and the warrior got the drop. The warrior proceeded to keep the drop for an alt while a main didn't get anything he needed after hours of camping. It just doesn't make any sense, and quite frankly it ticks me off. This is my opinion on alts getting geared before mains.

I have been playing since V2. After each update, I have seen many players who are new to the game give it a chance. More of the ones who start within the first few months keep playing and lvling. As time goes on after an update, the volume on this drops. Even now, over a year since V4 was released, most of the people that I see breaking 100 on Arawn are either alts or server transfers as opposed to new players. I am not saying this as a fact, just an observation.

Lack of content is a big part of the issue. For a while after an update, people have plenty to do. They have new quests for armor and weapons, they have new areas to explore and they have a new soft cap to lvl towards. Once people have gotten themselves geared up and helped their clan do the same, there isn't much to do other than raids every 3-4 days. The solution for many is to lvl an alt. This is good because it keeps people playing the game. It also stops new people from continuing to play the game.

Most people that I have seen, myself included, would rather take their main to a boss that is going to drop a quest item. The main is more powerful and, with other high lvl clan members, drops are easier to get. Target lock is a joke. A group of lvl 180+ have no problem beating out an appropriate lvled group for frozen drops. Stonevale bosses can easily be soloed for their drops. Gearing up an alt with a main is just easier.

Someone downloading CH and playing for the first time may have a better chance of sticking around longer if they can do the quests that they are supposed to be able to do at their lvl. Playing for a couple hours at a time, it may take someone a couple weeks to get to the point when they start the Warden quests. These people may decide not to become customers if they get frustrated because they can't get any gear. As they lvl up and remain in store armor, things get more frustrating. By the time they should be starting on frozen, they may leave, figuring it isn't worth the effort. Getting these little digital pieces of cheese is what keeps us hitting the button.

Before throwing your two cents in on this one, consider it not as a player. Think along the lines of if this were your business. If you want to get as many customers as you can, you have to give them something in return. Sure, playing the game is fun but people aren't going to decide to spend money if they can't continue to progress.

If I understand you correctly your argument is that because we have mains we camp the lower level bosses to gear our alts and therefore making it near impossible for lower levels to get equipped. (actually the same goes for high level players not in strong clans on most worlds).

How about making all quest drops no-trade and classless AND make it so that you can't get drops for a quest you have already finished. Maybe even better make the quests about killing X of each boss. For example for frozen web kill 10 pyrus and 2 ignus or something like that. If it were like this there would also be less fights on quest bosses which might be a good thing overall for the game. Also people could no longer farm bosses only to sell the drops at huge prizes to lower level players.