Tips on populating a server?

Discussion in 'Bukkit Discussion' started by StyL_TwisT, Jul 13, 2013.

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  1. Offline

    StyL_TwisT

    Hello,

    So basically, I want to open a factions server, I have done a lot of it but it's not QUITE done yet.

    I wanted to know if you had any tips on populating it well, because when I have opened factions servers in the past, I advertise them on PlanetMinecraft MCSL etc, and I get a good 10-15 players but 11-12 of those just leave because its boring because there isn't enough players to get a community going with multiple factions.

    I was wondering if there was a way i could build a community of 50-60 players that would await the release of the server, so that when it was opened then about 40 players would straight away join and there would already be some form of 'community' on the server?

    Input is vastly appreciated,

    Kind Regards,

    StyL_TwisT
     
  2. Offline

    emericask8ur

    Have someone with a popular YT Channel create a video or lets play on it :)
     
  3. Offline

    BurritoBashr

    Tip #1 no faction servers. There are abundant amounts of them. Think of something original.
     
    JazzaG and bobacadodl like this.
  4. Offline

    kyllingman2

    Do you have any budget? You could buy a premium slot on minestatus or similar.
     
  5. Offline

    StyL_TwisT

    Minecraft servers work the complete opposite way, people want what they are used to, not something original, look at BattlePvP for example, after 6 months they had a 200 player average 24/7.

    A friend did that, they still only get 4 players, and the video got about 5,000 views.

    I don't have a budget, and I visited multiple servers that had advertised with those and pretty much all of them had about 10 people online.

    EDIT by Moderator: merged posts, please use the edit button instead of double posting.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 3, 2016
  6. Offline

    kyllingman2

    Look at the start of the month and at the end of the month, if it's a fairly new server it should have gained a lot of players.
     
  7. Offline

    emericask8ur

    Did they post good tags? Are they known for Minecraft videos?
     
    bobacadodl likes this.
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    rguz10

    No. No. Worst idea ever. Lost $725 from it, I gained 0 players.
     
  9. Offline

    bobacadodl

    If you gained 0 players, youre doing something wrong.
     
  10. Offline

    rguz10

    Ever buy one?
     
  11. Offline

    bobacadodl

    Yup.
     
  12. Offline

    BurritoBashr

    BattlePvP is only big because its big. You can't say something like that when you haven't even had an original idea. I had a server with an original idea and I had about 30 average.
     
  13. Offline

    Phinary

    Work on a server that is original, easy for players to learn, and allow players to quickly get into the fun without having to grind for hours to get anywhere. You need to understand though that having an original server isn't the only thing. There is a large number of ingredients you need, and it isn't a piece of cake getting to that point. (no pun intended) Just work hard, stay active, offer great support to your players, and as long as you have something that will keep them staying, then they will tell their friends and recruit more players for you. Remember, if you make some simple factions server with a bunch of random confusing plugins, there are thousands upon thousands of servers just like it. You need to think about what is preventing people from just heading off to a different server. What do you offer that is unique and enjoyable? I'm not saying that competition is bad.. Competition is a great thing, it is what causes innovation. I'm sure I will get people complaining about using this reference, but look at Apple. They wouldn't get where they are now without being innovative and original. (not to mention their incredible marketing team)
     
    BurritoBashr likes this.
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    JazzaG

    Not an owner, but here's what I like in servers.

    tl;dr: It all comes down to professionalism. I don't like playing on servers that seem to be run by 7 year olds, and of the 11 million players, I can't be the only one.

    Your post on minecraftforum or in 'Show off your Bukkit Server' is everything. You know what they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Don't have large walls of text, split it up into paragraphs so the user can skim read to find something they like. Don't have a large rainbow of font colors (unless it's appropriate for your server), it makes the post ridiculously difficult to read. Choose a font that makes reading easy, so none of that cursive shit (if your server is fantasy related, use in moderation).

    If you have broadcasts in-game, don't:
    * Have them firing too frequently
    * Make them too long
    * Make them too colorful
    * Make them all capitals
    * Have full links, use a shortener instead, but make sure you caption it. For example: "Click here to vote: <Edit by Moderator: Redacted bit url>
    * Either have one link per line, or space them out appropriately
    * Don't you dare lie about those captions :p
    * Don't use adf.ly (or other link gateways) for the same reason BukkitDev won't let you

    If the broadcast detracts the players' chat, you're doing it wrong.
    If you are hiring staff, make sure they are:
    * Mature (biggest one, I've left countless servers because the staff are too young to handle power)
    * Professional (I don't like staff members that swear in excess, and so do plenty of others)
    * Knowledgeable (no point having staff who can't help players)

    One last thing; players should be able to leave spawn quickly. I've left heaps of servers because you had to go down stairs, up this way, that way, left, right, center, teleport there, just to get killed. It's not fun. That being said, if you have a tutorial, make it short and to the point. Don't teach the player what they already know. I've seen a server that taught you how to efficiently mine for diamonds...it wouldn't let you play until you found an X amount.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 16, 2017
    Zhanchi, np98765 and BurritoBashr like this.
  15. Offline

    midnightfang22

    Seriously? Basic tutorials are fine, but they made you do that?
     
  16. Offline

    JazzaG

    Yep, left before I even found any and never went back.
     
  17. Offline

    BurritoBashr

    I'd like to add on to that. There is a difference between competition, and competition. Everyone thinks competition is getting the most player, competition is improving to have the upper hand. Don't just advertise more add new aspects to your server.

    Also make all your plugins related, don't have a medieval server and add some spaceship plugin (Just an example). Everything JazzaG said is completely true.
     
    Phinary likes this.
  18. Offline

    Constantine32

    It's true that if you block xray you lose players?
     
  19. Offline

    rguz10

    It can be true. Like 70% of minecraft has it. Or so it seems.
     
  20. Offline

    seemethere

    I've been a server admin for about a year and a half. At our largest we were averaging right around 120 people a night. Aside from the obvious of getting someone well known to promote your server, here are a few things you can do.

    Be involved in your server:
    There are a few ways to do this, most successful we have found is:​
    • Host player events, things like spleef, parkours, and other various activities go a long way to build your community
    • Ask your community what you can do to improve the server and act on a few of the suggestions
    • Hire a Developer
      • It is absolutely essential to have someone who knows what they're doing with your server to have access to make sure your server never goes down
    • Make voting/posting on Minestatus/PMC/MCF a "necessary" process:
      • Include some sort of reward like:
        • In-game currency
        • Enchanting / Anvil abilities
        • Access to a "voter/poster" area
      • All of these things will expose your server to more people while also making your community happy through rewards
    Involve some sort of ranking/grinding system:
    People will literally grind for hours on a server just for a single thing. Factions servers are basically built around the idea of grinding to gain an advantage on other servers.​
    Some cool things I have found in other factions servers:​
    • An Economy System
      • This is pretty much an essential part to any big server, people will go through a lot of work and strife just to be "rich"
    • Ranks
      • Make ranks that are hard, but not unobtainable to reach
    • Mob Spawners that are economy based (FACTIONS ONLY)
      • Buying Mob Spawners
      • Buying items to change what type of mob can spawn
    Things to avoid:
    • Overpowering donation packages
      • This kills a lot of servers, pretty much a pay to win kind of mentality is not one that is conducive to building a large community
    • Over-complicating gameplay
      • Too many rules = Too much confusion, No one wants to play a server when you have to consult a wall of rules just to play. Pick out what rules are absolutely necessary and stick to those
     
    JazzaG likes this.
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