[Poll] Blocktopia Overhaul

[Notme]

Err why people think that MC has plateu'd?

There was 600 classic servers most and now its 60000 or more premium servers to go around.
We were easily found on minecraft.net BTW
There is no central premium MC server list.

 

[Hunter]

It seems that A&T is our most popular server.

 

[Hunter]

if we're locked at two mc servers max that's clearly going to be rof and buildbox
maybe host a low-maintenance smp within BB and have a third mc server on a monthly rotation between the others

like aod one month, tnt the next, event server (solitude/pixelmon), etc.

 

[Enderfive]

Err why people think that MC has plateu'd?

There was 600 classic servers most and now its 60000 or more premium servers to go around.
We were easily found on minecraft.net BTW
There is no central premium MC server list.

And how many of those 60 000 do you think actually have a solid playerbase? When I went server hunting in 2012 or 2013, every server that I even bothered to check out had 10+ people constantly on. Now it's lucky if I find a server that has that amount of players on at it's peak (not counting in the mega networks/hubs/famous servers like Mineplex or Hypixel here). Maybe I just have bad luck, who knows, but with all the different platforms supporting Minecraft and so many people already having bought the PC version, and Realms coming out and a million other reasons, PC servers are starting to reach the point where they simply aren't as popular as they used to be.

Even if Minecraft is still growing, it's certainly not growing at an accelerating speed any more, especially the PC version. There's absolutely no way Minecraft for PC can still talk about an expanding playerbase in a year or two. If not because of the lack of interest, then simply because everyone will have already bought it. The question here is, do we want to stick with Minecraft until we discover there's hardly any new players to get on the servers or do we want to prepare for Minecraft's decline in popularity and explore other options and other games more extensively than we have in the past, before the actual decline is here?

They're not gonna cut Minecraft completely. They're just asking our opinion on whether we should expand the community or not and my opinion is that yes, we should. I don't know what the direction should be (and it seems a little silly to make statements like "no LoL pls, iz bad", since LoL is a huge game, there's plenty of Blocktopians playing it and it's not that horrible of a game), since I am unable to play anything but Minecraft and free browser games on my PC, but I think that when we're going to expand/shift to other games, we could perhaps look at what many Blocktopians are playing and see what games seem the most reasonable to build a subcommunity on.


Sorry for the apparent lack of structure here, I did have it at some point but then I got all sorts of new points to say and any structure the post had was sort of buried under what I wanted to say.

 

[EggNog]

if we're locked at two mc servers max that's clearly going to be rof and buildbox
maybe host a low-maintenance smp within BB and have a third mc server on a monthly rotation between the others

like aod one month, tnt the next, event server (solitude/pixelmon), etc.

Um... I assure you we aren't locked at Buildbox and RoF. Its not just about popularity it is about potential as well. Its not like RoF and BuildBox are done deals its alllll up in the air! I think it would be a mistake frankly to throw the other ones under the bridge. I mean you have staff members and players who have worked hard and enjoyed playing these games a long time its not as simple as "oh if we only can have two itss going to be bb and rof"!

On another note I like the rotation idea... It would be interesting how that would work but, might work quite nicely and solve some problems. c:

 

[Psycho]

This is just to show what I meant by my last post. I just looked at the "Who's Playing" link right now and saw this:

The players in the A&T server right now seem new to me. I don't know who they are, but have any of you guys seen them going to the other servers?

 

[Hunter]

yeah, a&t seems to have its own popularity outside of the rest of the community.
perhaps it has a collection of multiple groups of players who play on it regularly, but don't use our forums or come into regular contact with the players who do.

it'd be interesting to run some statistics on how the servers are used based off of data from the servers themselves. a&t might turn out to be the most popular server with a highly diverse playerbase.

 

[Trap_Wolf]

A&T COMMUNITY IS CUTE THEY'RE FUN TO TALK TO JUST DO IT

 

[Mastersten]

I really like the idea but if Army of Darkness is being removed I don't really think I will stay (or new cool servers that interests me should rise)

EDIT:
I'd suggest to stay in the "flow" of the masses so follow the popularity of games with customizable servers like Battlefield 3 and 4, Terraria, DayZ, Garry's mod etc etc

 

[Mooglie]

This is just to show what I meant by my last post. I just looked at the "Who's Playing" link right now and saw this:

Infection is active, I swear!

 

[Enderfive]

Infection is active, I swear!

Actually, from what I've seen, Infection actually really can be active. It all comes down to if there's people already on the server, since you don't really want to run around all by yourself, what's the fun in that, right?

I think Infection has a lot of potential and I'd be pretty sad to see it go. The only issue it has is activity and that's only a simple matter of "are there people already on the server?".

 

[JKangaroo]

Actually, from what I've seen, Infection actually really can be active. It all comes down to if there's people already on the server, since you don't really want to run around all by yourself, what's the fun in that, right?

I think Infection has a lot of potential and I'd be pretty sad to see it go. The only issue it has is activity and that's only a simple matter of "are there people already on the server?".

That's the basic gist of it in my opinion.
Infection and PTNT were probably some of my favourite premium gamemode servers we offered, and they're quite fun in their own rights...

However after awhile I almost never saw anyone on, and slowly the population would whittle down to nobody playing. Sometimes the population can be high, but then there are long droughts due to a lack of people.
I would love to play Infection, however after awhile I basically expect it to be empty, which is something I wish I didn't have to expect.
No one wants to play on a server where no one is on. And even if you wait online and hope it attracts some people to play, that can last from a few minutes (depending on the time) upwards of hours and in some cases never happening, and not everyone has time to wait for that.

That's the only real problem with it from what I can see. (which I guess may also be in part of a slowly decreasing active playerbase)

 

[Danni122112]

I'd like to think that we could keep more than two Minecraft servers. Minecraft has been the basic game for this community for a long time, and it should stay that way--however, I do think we should branch out into other games, though I personally only play Minecraft.

On the topic of AoD, I'd hope that we could keep it running since it is a PvP server. PvP is something that neither RoF, BB, A&T, or even SMP can handle the way a dedicated PvP server can. On another note, I do have some big things planned for AoD.

I dont think that not having a PvP server at all in the community would be a very good idea.

This is just to show what I meant by my last post. I just looked at the "Who's Playing" link right now and saw this:

The players in the A&T server right now seem new to me. I don't know who they are, but have any of you guys seen them going to the other servers?

The last couple of months I have seen way more "random" new players on A&T that I have seen regular community members there. It is often 2-6 IRL friends that skype and play maps together. I am not saying to keep A&T, but it do somehow attract new players quite often, though not many of them visit the other servers.

 

[Hunter]

this just in: a&t attracts more "new" players than all other servers combined

 

[Malcovent]

Just a forenote - for people arguing about which server should stay here, At this stage there's no need to speculate or argue which server should stay, when the time comes we'll make our decision and openly state what factored into that decision.

 

[Hunter]

which server should stay

[joke] and it's down to one [/joke]
personally i'm more interested in the demographics of the servers than their predicted lifespan
rof seems to consist of the same regular crowd, while a&t gets more "new" people while being avoided by the "regulars" of the community

 

[MarsKid]

(for the record, if anyone is gonna post bullshit about my attendance to this community and ignore what I have to say, just save your angry typing and message me about it. For the record I never said I was going to be permanently gone)

I've seen the update and read it and viewed the results. I'm honestly shocked and rather upset that I am a part of the minority here.

Closing Minecraft servers excludes players. I know because we've already done it before, and I was a victim. I was here when that transition to Premium occurred, and when I returned, so many old members had jumped ship, some of them not even touching the full game. I was one of them. I realized that the community had to move on, but I felt excluded and cast aside.

When I returned, this place was so... empty. Like it or not, it's a reality that this community has lost members and has dropped in its player base. This can be attributed partly to the Classic change. Also... it's just no longer enjoyable.

The thing that made Classic so enjoyable was its simplicity and laid-back atmosphere. There weren't too many mechanics or bonuses involved. They were straightforward servers that allowed for a lot of conversation between players and bonding.

The Premium servers have so much going on, and these new transformations alienated me from the start. The games are centered around winning and not about just relaxing. And there are some rather dumb rules... you mean that if a single dirt block is above a chest, it can't be robbed? Wow.

People abandoned this place during the transition from Classic to Premium, with a handful of veterans being left in the dust. Closing Minecraft servers again will result in even less players, and yeah, new games may bring new players... but do you see the problem now?

The new swallows the old, and the old is left behind. I couldn't stand Premium because it didn't cater to me. It was meant for a different crowd.

Well, whatever. I'm probably just ranting. But I just find it depressing that a Minecraft-born community is attempting to abandon its roots completely. It's more for marketing reasons, less for enjoyment, at least that's the message I'm receiving.

It's really sad. But I can see everyone else wants this, so feel free. I just find it sad. It felt sad all those years ago when I was left in the dying world of Classic. Hell, I got nothing else to say anymore. This is probably just a useless rambling session. I'll just leave it here as food for thought.

 

[DieLorelei]

Closing Minecraft servers excludes players. I know because we've already done it before, and I was a victim. I was here when that transition to Premium occurred, and when I returned, so many old members had jumped ship, some of them not even touching the full game. I was one of them. I realized that the community had to move on, but I felt excluded and cast aside.

When I returned, this place was so... empty. Like it or not, it's a reality that this community has lost members and has dropped in its player base. This can be attributed partly to the Classic change. Also... it's just no longer enjoyable.

People abandoned this place during the transition from Classic to Premium, with a handful of veterans being left in the dust. Closing Minecraft servers again will result in even less players, and yeah, new games may bring new players... but do you see the problem now?

The new swallows the old, and the old is left behind. I couldn't stand Premium because it didn't cater to me. It was meant for a different crowd.

Well, whatever. I'm probably just ranting. But I just find it depressing that a Minecraft-born community is attempting to abandon its roots completely. It's more for marketing reasons, less for enjoyment, at least that's the message I'm receiving.

As a primarily classic player, I understand your frustration... I won't comment on your Classic vs. Premium argument. But keep in mind that the reason the Classic servers were closed was because they weren't attracting enough players anymore. Even a handful of the staff seldom logged in, because they also knew that no one was playing. It was just like JKangaroo said. Now the Premium servers are suffering due to a similar lack of interest most players have for Minecraft as a whole, and that reflects in the donations that Blocktopia has received to maintain said servers... Without servers, there won't be a Blocktopia... Without change, there won't be more donations... Abandoning the roots is a little extreme, there is plenty of room for Minecraft within a multi-gaming community. Try to consider it as pruning the dead branches for new ones to grow, instead.

Blocktopia is old. The old isn't left behind, the old can still choose to move forward - parallel with the "new".

 

[MarsKid]

As a primarily classic player, I understand your frustration... I won't comment on your Classic vs. Premium argument. But keep in mind that the reason the Classic servers were closed was because they weren't attracting enough players anymore. Even a handful of the staff seldom logged in, because they also knew that no one was playing. It was just like JKangaroo said. Now the Premium servers are suffering due to a similar lack of interest most players have for Minecraft as a whole, and that reflects in the donations that Blocktopia has received to maintain said servers... Without servers, there won't be a Blocktopia... Without change, there won't be more donations... Abandoning the roots is a little extreme, there is plenty of room for Minecraft within a multi-gaming community. Try to consider it as pruning the dead branches for new ones to grow, instead.

Blocktopia is old. The old isn't left behind, the old can still choose to move forward - parallel with the "new".

Not necessarily. I couldn't move forward. Like I said, Premium wasn't a community fit for me. It had overly complicated game mechanics and a more serious atmosphere. Look what happened when Infection came in? It was considered a "casual copy" of Army of Darkness and got no traffic except at the beginning of its lifespan.

Lava Survival became less a chill coffee lounge type place and so ridiculously competitive and in-depth. I didn't understand one bit of it. It was a huge culture shock. The one thing I enjoyed was Dusk of Discordia because I thought it would be awesome to wander around and go on raids and become a famous outlaw of sorts... and I got warned because I stole from people that put one block of dirt above their chests. I wouldn't grief a house to find a chest (like if it's under the floor) but if it's out, unprotected in the open, it should be fair game.

Honestly, it really hurts, because you're right. We have to move on to survive, and we have to market ourselves, and for a casual classic community, as I knew, it become kind of a company is disheartening in a way.

Like I said, I'm not in-tune with the times. The times moved on for me a long time ago. No one knew me or cared to after the Classic collapse. If this is what is desired/needed, full steam ahead, go for it. But I really feel uneasy about this whole thing.

For the record, I played Classic for 5 years at least. I loved that game and all of its little groups to death. So these transitions are really upsetting. Frankly, I don't have a place here; I'm not a part of Blocktopia's future. This is just sad. Another reminder that the calm, nonchalant years are behind us.

 

[Hunter]

Lava Survival became less a chill coffee lounge type place and so ridiculously competitive and in-depth.

does not compute

 

[Pick Yer Poison]

You know if you need ideas for names I still have some left over from the last time we changed names.

<@san00b> I was all behind blockpunchers tbh
<@PickYerPoison> But TheFonz
<@PickYerPoison> Or Slendercraft
<@PickYerPoison> Or PickYerPoison's Flying Server

And if you're still deciding what the new theme will be might I direct your attention to an old gem called Cobalt...

Spoiler

Also once it comes out of beta if a Blocktopia Starbound server were a thing I would make love to it gently and consensually all night long, just saying. Hell, I'd probably staff it. That game's basically my waifu.

 

[_ChoasLego_]

TNT is basically Blocktopia's version of HL3.

Also, in general, the playerbase of Minecraft is declining, and most servers out there are either minigames or modded ones. Rarely do we see an actual vanilla server.

 

[Hunter]

TheFonz

we have a winner

 

[Catcocomics]

The players in the A&T server right now seem new to me. I don't know who they are, but have any of you guys seen them going to the other servers?

I think A&T has been Blocktopia's largest source of new players, and for quite some time too. Keep in mind, I wouldn't be in this community had I not found the first A&T while searching for adventure servers in Spoutcraft's multiplayer list.

I also realize that Microsoft might partially be to blame for people leaving Minecraft entirely, maybe not by anything Microsoft is doing now, but because the Minecraft player-base is mostly anti-Microsoft.

 

[Hunter]

at least it isn't owned by apple
also did spoutcraft actually help people find this server? last time we used spoutcraft stuff was back in primordia iirc