WOTLK Population

[Matuu]

Hey guys, my name is Matti! I've been lurking around on the TBC server for quite a while on a warrior named Scent. Recently discovered the WOTLK version and got it up and running. I've always favored WOTLK to the other patches!

Just wondering what the best ways for me as an individual to help the servers population grow. I just discovered the vote system....Doh. But besides inviting my friends do we just wait for more people to show up?

I had a blast dueling some guys in the sewers last night, but I want more!

-Matti

P.S. Great job with the servers, everything is super smooth on the WOTLK server and seems to be working great!

[Imperium]

we don't know lol.

we tried almost everything, Henhouse even /bought/ a shit ton of advertising. if you can think of a way that works, let us know. or just do it.
keep voting i guess, we really are at a loss as to why it didn't take off like our last one.

[Cube]

The launch was great. But afaik the server crashed a fuckload for a couple of days (wasn't online at the time), and the population kinda disappeared.

[Imperium]

perhaps a grand re-opening with like, launch bonuses for the first 100 players to login. a vanity item of sorts, or even honor or a special title etc.

wouldn't be a bad idea? idk. that's all i got.

[Deems]

And proper malls.

[Matuu]

And proper malls.

What's wrong with the malls?

perhaps a grand re-opening with like, launch bonuses for the first 100 players to login. a vanity item of sorts, or even honor or a special title etc.

wouldn't be a bad idea? idk. that's all i got.

That doesn't keep the population though, it just gets people to log on... I think it's a good idea though, some form of incentive to draw numbers, maybe an event or something? Naxx 10 races? Or a WSG off? I have no idea how hard it would be to set up though.

Hmm. I got two of my friends interested and downloading, but we need a half dozen more to go get some raid achievements for server first unless its already been done...?

Spent a couple hours last night messing with a guy wintrading gearless toons. After he got me and a friend a couple times, he logged off. He was already at 2150 rating...

Also went to storm peaks and got a time lost proto =) =) =)

[Firstaidkit]

I tried it for 3 - 4 weeks and enjoyed it but I didn't saw any population increase so I'm not logging back in their until the population problem is fixed.
I have the following SUGGESTIONS to improve it:

- No FFA area until there is actual population.
- Queu BG and arenas? I left because no bg's and arena bugged since you can fear people through the floor which is unable to be fixed.
- Advertise more..
- Vote more..
- Tell it your friends, family, neigbours everyone that you know that plays WoW or is interested into it.
- Do a YouTube video for promotional purpose.

[Imperium]

I also left because, regardless of there being 30+ people on all the time, none of them queued for BGs for some reason. And now I haven't logged on since.

We also have to realize, even if we come up with a bombshell idea that will work, Henhouse needs to okay it, and then he needs to do it with his already full schedule.

[Mayore]

imo the market is just full of wotlk servers
and very, very competitive

[Henhouse]

imo the market is just full of wotlk servers
and very, very competitive

This has a lot of truth to it. I have watched countless, countless attempted server start-ups and they all drastically fail. The ones you see spam-advertised on Smolderforge are doing that out of desperation to get population.

It didn't used to be this way. When I started Smolderforge in 2008 the private server community was a small group of _very_ buggy servers all with tiny communities. Anyone could start. I ran Smolderforge on a computer at home with tremendous lag and had it capping out everyday because people wanted to play, and it was accepted. Now server startups MUST have dedicated servers, no lag, perfect GM team, good website, this, that, etc. It's ridiculous and it's become extremely hard to compete. While I think our server had a lot of good potential it simply didn't pick up quick enough and amount to any success.

With that said, I am open to ideas of revamping it under the help of others. I think we may need to cater to the old methods that worked. Different malls perhaps is something I will have to sadly cave into.