Updates to Wild to Increase Player Retention

Background​

In dealing with my usual job, aiding noobies, I get asked this more than any other question. It is something we often have to ask ourselves even after we are experienced players on this server. It is a question that creates answers which make players stay or leave: "What do you do on this server?"

Problem​

Obviously, the most common answer to this is "Towny!" Just saying "Towny" does nothing for new players; most of whom didn't even know it existed. Whenever I say, "Well, you can play Towny," about 75% of all new players ask me what it is. Clearly, Towny is not a well-known gamemode. What we need is something else to do. Sure, you can play minigames, but they're usually empty (another subject entirely). All the stuff you gather in Wild and the money you make goes towards things related to Towny. Thus, we get loads of new players who have no idea what they're doing trying to start their own town with no experience. So when they run out of money and their town falls, they quit. Thus, I think we need something else to do with the economy aspect of the server.

Changes​

One idea I thought of to take advantage of this is to make Wild unique. Sure, we have the "custom Wild," but how do unique trees really make people want to stay? So my idea is in two parts:
Part One: Remove Custom Wild Plugin
Before you all instantly hate on this, let me explain. I completely agree Wild is a unique part about this server. However, what purpose does it really serve besides aesthetics? A noobie will never stay on this server because we have a bunch of unique trees and a couple of stone structures. There are several disadvantages to Custom Wild, though. Firstly, it is very slow when loading new chunks (for some people). Secondly, it messes with natural generation quite a bit. The way the plugin generates custom structures makes them overlap natural terrain, resulting in trees being cut off by a stone brick well. In addition, it has created an extreme lack of balance in biomes. This reset, Mesa biomes were added back into the generation, so now they're everywhere. Same thing goes for Extreme Hills. Mesa, Extreme Hills, Savannah, and Forest biomes are so incredibly common, it makes everything blend because they all have the same structures. I can't say for sure, but I have certainly not seen a single Ocean biome! Jungle and Ice Spikes are virtually nonexistent as well. Now, I don't want a plain vanilla world; because that can get really old, too, which is where part two comes in.
Part Two: Add Custom Dungeons
As I said, the custom wild does not really offer any advantage, it is just aesthetic. What if we had a different kind of Wild entirely? Rather than this Wild having a bunch of small, random structures, how about adding additional dungeons such as these:

(Skip to 3:10 if you just want to see structures)
​

Now, these are structures that can be added in Vanilla, but only with command blocks. I'm not suggesting we have somewhere in Wild with a bunch of command block generators lying around, but incorparate similar dungeons, one where you can actually get loot, into a plugin. Basically, all these would do is give players something more interesting in Wild; as these changes can be underground as well. Once again, I'm not saying copy these dungeons in this video into some plugin and slap it right in, but find or make a plugin that adds dungeons instead of just structures. If you look at the past few updates of Minecraft as a whole, you will see a pattern: 1.8 introduced the largest natural structure to be added thus far, with 8 gold blocks within (Ocean Monument), 1.9 revamped End generation; adding End Cities with the one of a kind Elytra, and finally, 1.10 added village generation to Taiga biomes, and modified the wood they generate with (Villages now generate made of the wood found in the biome, such as Savannah villages being constructed of Acacia wood). This data alone tells me people want more dungeons and challenges; so why not make our own Wild unique by having our own special dungeons?

Obviously, the loot within these dungeons should be balanced. Personally, I think they should include various enchanted books, perhaps a few of the common spawner types, and a few minerals. I don't want it to be as unbalanced as End City loot (You can find diamond armor enchanted with Prot 4, Ub 3, Mending, and Thorns 3 in those things).

FAQ​

-How much work will this be for techs?
Obviously this is the biggest question for every suggestion. If I am truly honest, I have no idea. I think it could be very easy, or very hard; depending on what we do with this. If any of you think of a custom Dumgeon plugin, feel free to add a link below!

-Why will this make new players want to stay?
As I explained, by making custom dungeons in a normal, vanilla world, it seems new and exciting when you discover not just new structures, but that they have loot! Face it, everyone loves stumbling across the normal structures because they know loot is inside. Depending on the difficulty, it could even be a challenge for more experienced players.

-But . . . I like Custom Wild; why should we remove it?
Firstly, I have never met anyone who stayed on this server to explore the custom Wild. It is similar to the "Eggplant" filter, it seemed really nice at first, and served its purpose, but now it's gotten old for a lot of people. People are always complaining in Global about being bored, so why not hunt for a tough Dungeon instead?

-Won't this ruin the economy?
No, it will not. Provided the loot tables are balanced to about the same as Desert and Jungle Temples, we should be perfectly fine.

Summary​

While this seems small, it could be a lot of fun for more experienced players with nothing to do. The Catacombs dungeon in the video above requires most people to eat Gapples to survive. Dungeons that difficult would be a lot more fun than the aesthetic structures of the current plugin.

If any of you think of more issues, feel free to list them below, and thanks for reading everyone!

 

This layout should be the guideline for all future suggestions

 

Oh yes. Brilliant idea.
+1

 

+1 When I first joined towny on another server I played for like 10 minutes because I had no idea what to do.

 

+1 to option 2
Also you make amazingly detailed suggestions.

 

Cool suggestion.

Too much work would be put into things that would just get denied which would cause players to be sad. Hehe Xd

 

+4334234

 

Just to clarify, these aren't really "options," as having two Wild plugins at once will counter each other. Even if it works, the way custom structures like to generate will cut each other off. It's like the big in vanilla Mc: sometimes mine shafts will generate over strongholds, destroying the End Portal.

Haha, might have less suggestions then. The logic I use is simple: if it's worth adding; it's worth the time to type and think it out.

 

- 1
I don't see how this affects new players

 

The reason it affects new players is simple: it gives them something to do that can be far easier explained than Towny. As I said, most players joining have no clue what Towny is. If we can get them into dungeons, they will be able to earn stuff in the main part of the server without the goal of making a town. By staying in already created towns, they will then gain experience with the towns worlds without making their own. So many times, new players join, but have no clue why their town is so small. Because they don't have experience, they simply cannot run a successful town (most of the time, there are always exceptions to every rule). Therefore, this will decrease the number of new towns being made because new players won't be so focused on that. By making challenging dungeons, it gives an alternate goal other than making a town. If we show new players custom dungeons, then it does create a sort of excitement, because it is completely new, but not foreign, as Towny is to them. If the only thing to do on the server (in their minds) is Towny, then they will always try to make their own town. By giving an alternative, there is a greater likelihood of them staying in preexisting towns. If they don't make new towns in the first place, then they won't rage when they fall.

Now, the reason I'm not suggesting,"Raise the price of new towns!" is because experienced players can enjoy this as well. By adding dungeons meant to be conquered in max armor, it not only creates a challenge, but also makes an alternative thing to do in the Wild.

 

I dont agree with this, just adding dunegons wont mean anything. Within a week, every dungeon will be looted.

 

+/- for new players when they join a lot of them go directly to /wild to gain resources and adding custom dungeons would give more stuff to do in the wild and giving a good twist to /wild When it comes to how much work goes towards Techs it should not matter about how much effort is needed. They are techs for a reason and that is to work on the server.

I do agree with you on this. this issue will be major and would have to require /wild resets a lot more frequently which could affect the server negatively. Custom wild is kinda lame tbh maybe add Realistic World Generation mod instead just a suggestion not a demand I use it personally in single player and makes me just go wow every time I wonder through each biome. So before you shut it down just check it out

 

I highly doubt that, as the Wild is a 20kx20k area.

While I must admit, I am unfamiliar with Realistic World Generation, I feel that having a normal world would work better. The custom dungeons give it a spice that is different than elsewhere, but because the biomes themselves are the same, it doesn't seem completely foreign. People are always divided about how Custom Wild looks because it is very relative. Some people hate it, others love it. Therefore, we should change it to something that is both unique yet familiar.

While that is their job, we have to remember they are still human. They don't have all day to sit and mess with stuff. They're volunteers too, after all. To put it in other terms, this logic would mean that Helpers and Mods must be on at all times because they are that rank for a reason: to moderate things on the server. Obviously no one even thinks of that, but there are so many projects the techs have to work on, they simply cannot do them all.

 

You really think so? I remember when the wild was reset and people, minutes later, swarmed to hunt the gold shrines. People will swarm at such an easy way to make money, just like they did in the past.

 

-1 I don't think a new wild is going to make players join and stay. I do agree with removing the custom wild though, because I think it is just stupid.

 

It is not supposed to be what makes them join, more of an alternative activity other than Towny. As I said prior, when a new player joins, the only real thing they can do is start their own town. Virtually every member of this community here did not start their own town right off the bat. Yet, because of the way things are now, there's not that much more to do. Changing Wild this way is more of a distraction so new players have a reason to stay in already established towns. If they are hunting for dungeons, they are less likely to have the desire to start their own town. Thus, we end up with higher concentrations of players, rather than thousands of scattered towns that fall quickly.

Yes, I honestly think so. The reason Gold Shrines are looted so quickly is because they are exposed on the surface. A lot of these dungeons would generate underground. People have never been able to take all the spawners from a Wild reset before (that I know of!) simply because they are more hidden. Dungeons on the surface will be looted fairly quickly, of course, but they will be something more unique than custom trees that a lot of people find ugly.

 

Oooh, I apologize, I thought these things would be on the surface exclusively

 

That would be my own mistake, as I do not see anywhere else where I had explained that, my apologies for that lack of detail.

 

Denied, we don't think this is needed at this time. Thank you!