What happened to the playerbase?

[EbeneezerScrooge]

So I've seen plenty of people discussing this and things related to it.
I'm an old player, starting in 2010, playing on and off since.
haven't been on in 2 years and came back to find the server with 30 players on, rather than the 300 there used to be.
What happened, that made players leave?
Is it the success of other pokemon MMOs, or the general shift away from pokemon as nintendo run out of ideas?
I have some programming experience (although not much in LUA) and would be interested in joining the team and saving this game.
I look forward to your responses.

 

[Jinji]

PWO was the victim of concentrated efforts to slander the game and its Staffing; and even a direct attempt to force it to be shut down. The emergence of competing MMOs also did not help matters. Luckily, this is all in the past now; but we as PWO Staff remain vigilant of people trying to cause trouble again.

We are also acutely aware that people are choosing not to play right now as they feel they have used up the available content of the game; and eagerly await new offerings such as new regions, Pokémon or story elements. These are all being worked on, with staff currently focused on major content updates; but it will be some time before they are completed.

In addition, I do believe you have a point about Nintendo running out of ideas. To tell the truth, I no longer have interest in the current Pokémon landscape due to what I feel to be numerous nonsensical decisions by Nintendo, as well as too many spin-offs and gimmicks. The last game I played, Pokémon X, I found to be severely devoid of content early on; and I was not encouraged to keep playing further. These are just my experiences, but I do wonder if others feel the same way about Pokémon right now. Though actually, for me, this is actually a big reason why I like PWO - I find it an oasis of calm in the franchise's current insanity.

 

[EbeneezerScrooge]

I completely agree.
Do you have any staff positions going, that I could help out with? I'm in full time education but I'd love to help this game, given how much of my childhood it shaped :joy:

 

[Klay]

(he says that because Gengar doesn't have Levitate anymore)

 

[pokegirl1124]

i came back to this game today to find a pleasant surprise! I hope you guys work really hard at making this game have much more content. also I hope Nintendo makes better games in the future. I am looking forward to let's go eevee and let's go Pikachu and the eventual 2019 main series game. I'm going to be way more active on this game,, when my PC ships in on Saturday. :heart:

 

[Isguros]

I am looking forward to let's go eevee and let's go Pikachu

Ahh, I see. So you were that one person rumored to have interest in those games.

 

[Jinji]

(he says that because Gengar doesn't have Levitate anymore)

No. (Edit: And I'd like to add, I am tired of this being constantly brought up at my expense. There's only so many times before it ceases being funny; and we're way beyond that now.)

The reason I say that because quite honestly, I feel Nintendo is prioritising gimmicks over actual story and gameplay. Also, what's with the microtransactions lately? First Pokémon Shuffle, now Pokémon Quest - which itself just looks stupid anyway... There was a time when you could take Pokémon at least semi-seriously; now it feels like the whole franchise has become a parody of its former self.

(I will admit though, Pokkén Tournament is a GENIUS idea. Probably the only good one of this entire generation)

 

[EbeneezerScrooge]

Still, I do music and programming and could put my hand to anything if the team wants anyone to help

 

[Jinji]

Ordinarily, recruitment in PWO is on a "don't call us, we'll call you" basis. A key reason for this is we want to ensure that people looking to become Staff are asking for legitimate and well-intended reasons; but also, we like to judge potential Staff picks on their own merits.

This having been said, if you are looking to potentially get into an artist, sound composer, mapping or scripting role, it is always useful to us if we can see just what sort of talent you have. Creating a thread in an appropriate Showcase category on the Forum with examples of your work is a great way to help us determine your potential. In regards to scripting, Lua is a freely-available programming language with much online documentation available; and while PWO's version of the language does expand on the standard, being able to write well-structured scripts using the standard language constructs is always a great starting point

 

[EbeneezerScrooge]

Oh okay, cool.
Yeah I'm not in it for free stuff etc, I'm above that
I'm going off to study Computing at uni next yr, it'd be a good experience.
So yeah I'll check that out

 

[Isguros]

Still, I do music and programming and could put my hand to anything if the team wants anyone to help

I do sarcasm and terrible jokes. If you ever need my services I'm here for y'all.

 

[Shiny!Midou~]

i can be a staff troller too

 

[Jinji]

I do sarcasm and terrible jokes. If you ever need my services I'm here for y'all.

i can be a staff troller too

I do love this community

 

[HitmonFonty]

I think it's worth encouraging anyone who wants to contribute to the game to use our showcase forums. We do say that to all those who as though sadly few follow up on it. For content positions we do really need to see what people are capable of before seriously considering any staffing role.

On another note, if Jinji won't react I will - it's totally outrageous that Gengar can't levitate any more. What does he do, roll about on the ground in his own sludge?

 

[Jobey]

On another note, if Jinji won't react I will - it's totally outrageous that Gengar can't levitate any more. What does he do, roll about on the ground in his own sludge?  

Gen 7 is meh anyway LOL