Best Posts in Thread: Updates to Wild to Increase Player Retention

This layout should be the guideline for all future suggestions

 

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!

 

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