Solutions to Low Player Count in Multiplayer

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Beeflip

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Hello all,

Reading through the forums, there is a lot of discussion on balancing and future game modes. Which is great, and for the most part, productive. However, I feel that the elephant in the room with MP is that simply nobody plays it.

You can argue that there might be a Field of Dreams effect with it (If you build it, they will come), but currently the people that are following the MP and waiting for small changes/mods is a handful of people at best (relatively speaking). This is thinking a little further down the road, but once MP is in a polished state and widely accepted to be representative of the vision we all have for it, are there any plans for wider advertising campaigns?

To elaborate, there's been talk of BR modes, PW mods, Ranking systems, etc. but all of these require a large player base. I feel as though there will need to be some sort of outreach down the road, whether it involves streamers, youtube channels, or even singleplayer incentives, to fully flush out the game. Hell, TW can even throw in a micro-transaction or two to take a pretty penny off a zoomer here and there to make it worth their while.

These are nebulous thoughts at the moment and they may have some negative consequences, but the main issue of attracting more players is one that I feel needs to be thought about and of utmost importance.

What do you guys think can help?

-Bee
 
Maybe a big and well advertised free weekend along side a big multiplayer patch. Meaning stable siege servers with 200+ players, couple events, YouTubers and twitch streamers who record it and bring their communities along side the current clans and groups.
 
I prefer to see custom servers and increasing mp-game modes for both sides(offi or unoffical servers). We can wait for offical mp experience's development in a better way. I don't think that advertising/streams solution for the low player count.
 
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Yes, custom servers would be dope. Im pretty sure more people would play in NA if we had GK_TDM or private servers for comp players
 
Custom servers retain the existing hardcore fanbase (so, us) but they don't do a great job of reaching out to new players.

Existing Twitch/YouTube creators showing the game to their communities is the single best way of getting new players, although free weekends might be a good idea too.
 
My vision about multiplayer right now is easy to understand, in my community (and myself) MP is not played because there are no incentives, the game modes that exist are absolutely lacking in progression or objectives (beyond killing and dying without stop)

We know that this is due to the state of the game and that it will improve as it progresses, although it is a pity that they have not been able to at least establish from the beginning a minimum of small key things, such as at least something similar to a ranked, at least of 1vs1 mordhau style.

I think the time will come, we will have more things to do in the MP and people will come to play, especially if they take advantage of the fact that Bannerlord is the first serious contender to be the medieval ranked game as a reference.

I enjoy the SP, but there is nothing I like more than the feeling of improving in the MP's fight, I hope that soon we will have a deeper MP.
 
Having custom servers would probably be the #1 thing on my list. Gamemodes is second, follow by all round improvments to balance, combat etc.
Yes, custom servers would be dope. Im pretty sure more people would play in NA if we had GK_TDM or private servers for comp players


I am the first one who is looking forward to seeing the own servers in the game, but I think that before we even need a more elaborate MP in the game itself, something more attractive for the players, I hope that it will not take us long to see something.
 
Sell singleplayer and multiplayer seperatly.

Sell MP for 15-20 bucks and Singleplayer for the rest of the sum of the current product.
People might be inclined to try it out as a Sneakers peak into Bannerlord.
This strategy might be too late though :grin:


Or add the "multiplayer button" to the singleplayer Menu.
I would never have tried Warbands Multiplayer if the button would have been presented as it is right now.
 
Sell singleplayer and multiplayer seperatly.

Or add the "multiplayer button" to the singleplayer Menu.
I would never have tried Warbands Multiplayer if the button would have been presented as it is right now.
So either combine the two or rip them apart? Eh.
I'd say adding both together so that you don't have to switch using the launcher but can do so ingame would be better, not sure why it even is the way it is right now - maybe someone from TW can explain?
 
Custom servers retain the existing hardcore fanbase (so, us) but they don't do a great job of reaching out to new players.

Existing Twitch/YouTube creators showing the game to their communities is the single best way of getting new players, although free weekends might be a good idea too.

GK Siege did an amazing job reaching the new players, and is probably the reason like 50% of us are even playing the game today.
 
Ask a metal band to make a song about Calradia, make a movie with Bollywood, host a LAN on a boat, pay twitch streamers to play, buy subways ad spots, and add microtransactions. That's the best way to get new players
 
So either combine the two or rip them apart? Eh.
I'd say adding both together so that you don't have to switch using the launcher but can do so ingame would be better, not sure why it even is the way it is right now - maybe someone from TW can explain?

I guess ripping them apart isn't a good idea. It might have been interesting when EA started though. Multiplayer as a preview. Now it doesn't make sense anymore.

Why they seperated both in the launcher though is beyond me though.
 
Encourage singleplayer players to play multi.

I was thinking about a system where certain achivments can give you access to cosmetics in MP.Something like a small crown cosmetic for conquering the whole map or a cross neckle for getting medicne to max.Having gotten these things most pepole will at least try them out, meaning they have to hop into a MP server.That's for later in game development but I think its worth a shot.
 
Explicitly advertising multiplayer might help draw in players who normally only play singleplayer. The EA release trailer contains some MP siege segments but it is not actually identified as MP anywhere, so I think many people just assume it's SP. They probably shouldn't spend much resources showing off skirmish, clans or matchmaking features as those would probably actively turn away new players. I think what would entices new players is epic 200 player sieges, organized shieldwalls and cavalry charges.

Once you get people to try the game, you also need to get them to stay. We know that a progression system is in the works, but we don't really know how fleshed-out it will be. IMO, it would need on the same level as For Honor's progression system in order to be worthwhile and manipulate players to keep coming back regardless of how much fun they're having.

I think looking at the gamemodes we currently have and that we know are likely to come in the future, only siege directly caters to casual players. I think an invasion gamemode (players vs lots of AI) would be another gamemode that could introduce casual players to MP and get them to keep launching it. On the topic of BRs, it seems like any BR that's locked behind money is likely to fail in a few months. Bannerlord has a large amount of players, so it might be viable, but when you consider the scope of this game it seems likely that it would just end up as a dead gamemode shortly after release. I guess an alternative would be to release a standalone BR mode for free, and hope that that convinces some people that would not have otherwise bought the game at all to try the regular MP.

Another interesting idea is to introduce a metagame to MP. Something similar to For Honor's faction war, where players can choose to join one of the factions, earn resources from playing matches which they use to attack and defend territories on a map of Calradia, maybe have events based on movements of the map and ultimately reward players with cosmetics, badges, etc. when their faction wins.
 
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