User talk:JoshCz

Changes to Malton

Just so you're aware, most of us aren't opposed to changes in the game. For my part, I think the game has a number of unbalanced aspects to it that could use better balancing. Off the top of my head:

• scouting safehouses is a waste of AP in nearly all cases (I posted the math up for it back when it first came out, and others' analyses came to the same conclusion)
• barricade interference over-favors disproportionately small groups of coordinated zombies in large-scale confrontations, making ongoing sieges virtually impossible
• speaking generally, barricade mechanics favor survivors at small numbers and zombies at large numbers, rather than favoring them equally at all sizes

I'd love to see some of those areas addressed. And I'd love to see the introduction of more variety in terms of mechanics and items. That said, most of us have also come to terms with the reality of the situation, which is that we have no ability to bring about change in the game. The stuff we post in the Suggestions pages are just that: suggestions. We can't act on them. We can only put them forward as suggestions for Kevan to implement into the game, since he's the game's creator and the only person with the ability to make changes to it. We already have hundreds of suggestions that have been peer reviewed by the community, so he has plenty of ideas that he can draw from if he wants to make changes, which is why we tend to be more particular about the suggestions these days, since there's no reason to put forward anything other than the best of the best ideas at this point.

That said, given that the game has been on the decline for a number of years and that most of us either paid him on a one-time basis or never at all, even keeping the game running is extremely generous of him. The game and wiki aren't free to keep online. He's getting a bill each month to keep them running, even though most of us are not paying him to do it. Likewise, it's perfectly reasonable for him to not bother putting any more time into the game, given that he's unlikely to get a return on his investment. After all, making software is his living, so if something isn't making him money, he needs to be spending that time on something else that will help him pay the bills. He's made a number of changes over the years, but most of his recent ones (e.g. scouting safehouses, bellow, etc.) have been met with hostility by the community, so it's no surprise that he's not making many changes at this point.

Most of us would like to see this game back at its prime again, and we'd love to see changes happening to the game, but changes don't seem to be paying the bills, so it's unlikely we'll see many or any further changes to the game at this point. We can hardly blame him for that, since he's got to be able to eat and have a roof over his head. —Aichon— 16:27, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Sorry, I missed your response until just now when you removed it. I do agree that the sandboxiness of it plays an increasingly important role as the game gets smaller and older. Every now and then, folks hold special events for no reason other than to hold an event, since we all already know how the events will end (e.g. if it's a siege, the zombies will win, every time; if it's a mass PKer strike, we'll wipe out everyone in the building). As far as groups go, the groups that are still around are having a hard enough time keeping themselves together that I don't think you can count on them to support creating new groups. A group needs a critical mass of players before it has any sort of staying power, and the groups that are still left are the ones who have managed to hang onto their critical mass still, though their number is slowly dwindling.

But a focus on more events? Absolutely a great idea. If everyone already knows how a siege will end, then spice it up by making it about something else. I've in the past suggested ideas like timed sieges where one side "wins" if they can accomplish a specific objective in a certain amount of time. For instance, zombies win if they break the siege, but there's a time limit for them to do so. Or maybe survivors hold a siege, but they do so at a secret location, and it becomes about the zombies' hunt for the siege. Or pull together another zombie megahorde (quick note: I speak from experience when I say that organizing and managing a zombie megahorde is not easy). I dunno. There are thing you can do though is the point. And those sorts of events help to keep existing players engaged while also giving new players something cool to do at the start of their time in Malton, making them more likely to stick around.

So, I do think you have a point, and I do think there are things to be done. Keep at it, and don't let us dragging our feet discourage you. :) —Aichon— 23:20, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Welcome, and good luck

Hello there Josh,

The game is really dragging its feet these days. I haven't played it myself for years. Such a pitty, because i had a total blast in the past with it, both ingame and in the wiki.

Welcome to Urban Dead, and i wish you luck on your quest to restore even the smallest bit of glory to the game.

And don't mind any eventual Troll you meet in your way. They lurk beneath them bridges, just waiting for tasty players to devour. --hagnat 13:16, 18 May 2015 (UTC)