Double gains - how many times a year?

[Boris]

It could be as simple as 500 votes per month = 1 double gain day.

That sums up at 12 days per year (at best), which basically means 4 DGW's a year.

In reality we're talking of maybe 3 times per year as summertime's always slow.

- Boris

[Zaradon]

The more often you make them, the more popularity you will rise on Pang.

To add, you should concentrate on similar events (GM side) to motivate the playerbase.
DGW is just one.

Second could be some sort of an event to win goods ingame (win a house by a GM made event or sth...)

[Boris]

They will always be rare. Every month, once every two months etc. are far fetch. Basil's points are valid.

Also freebies in general are a long shot. Nothing is free on Pang.

- Boris

[Ranokan]

I think DGW is not needed or, as stated before it could be performed as a bonus when there is a clear evidence that the server is doing well in getting new players.

I would instead touch the gain rate of some skills. Mainly those skills that allow your character to do well. For example, I am in opinion that skills like Anatomy, Eval Int, Fighting skills, Magery and merchant skills should be easier to gain up to gm.

This would allow new players to have a quicker start but would still leave the ones that want the extra shot, such as going heighten, and leveling the heightened chars the difficulties as they exist now.

[Glarundis]

3 at most
and even that may be a lot.
don't get me wrong, the ppl that want a lot of dgw to train their chars more, but it's not that good when you have a lot of dgw, look at what basil wrote..it's what tends to happen.

it's true that we should worry about playing the game instead of training our chars, but i don't think more dgw will fix that. the problem is that ppl just want to macro to the end and then stop. having more dgw will only make ppl reach that goal sooner and leave/go inactive sooner. if it wouldn't be like that, then our few ancient characters would be active as hell since they have finished their training and can now play the game, but they're far from being active.

what we need is a motivation to play instead of just macro, and that won't be achieved by having too many dgw

[Boris]

Heighten or hitting heighten class has never been a factor in my personal game play. It's one of those features that should of never been implemented in the first place. "Macro your ass off so you can macro more" is something I never understood. I understand the urge for virtual penis, but elite skills and gear will never compensate the lack of role-playing (skills). When I played the game, I never even considered heighten status. I rather train the necessary skills and enjoy the game. For example a simple 100/100 (Magery/Eval) mage is enough and will get your far. Macroing 20+ hours for a 0,1% skill gain is absurd to me. At least I can figure out much better use for that 20+ hours, i.e. actually playing the game, role-playing, exploring and experiencing.

As talked in the Macrocheck thread (General Discussion), we're not getting younger here. Players have less game time year by year. If that time is wasted in macroing, you're walking the wrong road. It's understandable if your training those "necessary skills", but in case of heighten skills? I'm not pointing fingers, but seriously brah?

I would instead touch the gain rate of some skills. Mainly those skills that allow your character to do well. For example, I am in opinion that skills like Anatomy, Eval Int, Fighting skills, Magery and merchant skills should be easier to gain up to gm.

As it is, I consider all of those skills easy. All you have to do is wait and set up your macro alarm. Some of them might take time, but in terms of macroing, they're easy. Stay still, find a comfortable spot in a guarded zone, set up EasyUO and the rest is history. Nevertheless, the first paragraph applies. Superb set of skills nor items aren't needed. All that's needed are the necessary skills, the rest is for the "HC".

- Boris

[Glarundis]

don't ppl macro because it's easier, you feel like you still accomplish something that cna't be taken away (skills) while items and gold can be taken away and lost.
also, one would rather macro if pvm isn't interesting anymore, or if you have anything you could ever want, and if pvp isn't happening/reason for pvp isn't happening.

the way i see it, pvp will happen if there's the rp reason for it and ppl are excited about it. it used to be like that before, now it seems that everyone just lost the excitement. kind of lost the point of doing anything at all.
why?because rp is gone and the motivation to log in and create all the epicness and stuff. how do we get that back?that's what's missing imo, more than a lot of dgw's

[Boris]

As always, everything's in the players hands. You can create markets (like Imperial), tournaments (like Nature), etc. That's what boosts activity. Another good example could be simply announcing a siege in advance. While others attack out of the blue, there's someone doing the same with gentlemanlike actions and real sportsmanship. Boat races, treasure hunts, Mushroom Market (can be rented by anyone), chess tournaments and so on. Staff isn't always needed for players to log. The reward doesn't need to be an item or loot, the reward is the actual event. That's the deal, not DGW.

- Boris

[Basil Brotheamus]

why?because rp is gone and the motivation to log in and create all the epicness and stuff. how do we get that back?that's what's missing imo, more than a lot of dgw's

Practice what you preach.

[Diamond]

I think that what Pang needs is a larger playerbase.
And this, will never come when most of the players login to macro something.
We need RP, events, quests, more "playing time".
So, we need to stay together and think what will make game funnier.
Is it the DWGs?
Or to relieve the players from the anxiety of training?
I voted for 6. If it was more, I would vote for more. But why?
I want more from this shard.
Anything!
Name it quest?
Name it event?
Name it as you like.
Also, I would remove this "heightened" thing. I don't know why it was implemented. But I think it sucks.
Did you make your char in Pang so as to see some fancy numbers in the skills gump?
Or to play?
For those who stopped playing, they didn't stop because they trained their chars to the max.
They stopped because they do not have something to do.
If they had a daily event, a big quest running every month, they would still play.

I would say, make training easier. Don't make the players macro for bilion of hours so as to be able to play.
Focus on RP and playing.
Just imagine...

There are 10 players online.
3 of them macro something.
2 of them hunt together.
1 of them is marked as red or he can not approach others cause of his religion.
2 of them try to RP or play, but they are in different towns.
and 2 of them, want to train a crafting skill.

So... almost everybody plays alone... Till he gets bored and go to play a fancy looking theme park game...
The map is designed for a huge playerbase.
Players, are scattered across the map, devided in 4 religions, with nothing to unite them.
So, it's not that they trained their skills to the max.
It's just that they have nothing to do. You login and you have the feeling that you play in a abandoned shard.