How do we get more people into MTA?

[[FMJ]chode]

well like i said, dont really play em...but there is a difference between talk chat and type chat. Anger is easier to express as you dont feel a moron shoutin down a mic, like i would. it was actually more aimed at UT as i used to play that.

well i guess there must be some resaon CS is the most played MP on the map just not my thing

[gamebro]

I don't think VC becomes a tottally invalid game once people have Vice City, both have their merits (no, I've not played SA), and Vice City Multiplayer is different from San Andreas Single Player.

eAi

You see, that is why you think VC will still be played. Before I played san andreas I thought... "hmmm... I bet it is just a little better then VC"

But when I played san andreas for the first time

Trust me, I personally, and many others could not give a S#%T about VC or GTA3 if san andreas were to have a decent multiplayer mod!!!

Not because VC or GTA3 suck, (they are great games) but because san andreas is that much better, with that much more to do.

EIA, may I suggest to you, play san andreas, AND NOW! Go cliff diving off the mountain with a parachute, then come back here and tell me you still think VC will draw anyone after that sweet game is out for pc and multiplayerable!!

Sure there will still be some (cheap bastards who don't want pay 50 for the new game) they will still play vc or gta3. But anyone who owns san andreas will not care (much) for the old school games..

Swimming, jets, planes\with guns too, trains, cool automobiles, casinos, 4 wheelers, awesome wilderness areas, big clifs, san fran hills, trucks with attachable trailors!, better physics, parachuting, cool guns, getting fat, changing cloths,pilot\bike\car schools, BMX\even a BMX stunt corse..... ect.

dude, these are all new features over the past game VC, and this is only scratching the surface.

VC\GTA3 multiplayer is not going to become more popular all of the sudden. We are not waiting for it to PEAK, as it already has, and is dying out.

Even though blue will be awesome, I doubt it will suddenly draw thousands of new VC and GTA 3 players. Why? Cuase those people don't play these games anymore. And there are always new games comming out to make sure they forget about that old game GTA3\vc.

San andreas multiplayer will be the moment of uber popularity, you have all worked so hard for. I just hope you are the ones to develope it.

[eAi]

I wasn't in any way suggesting that SA wasn't a good game, I was just saying that with the current formula for MTA, i.e. pretty free, SA would not really work. You could probably go around for ages without actually seeing anyone.

As has been said, Blue will change all that.

eAi

[gamebro]

ok, I admit, that is one concern I have too.... Cause san andreas is so freaking huge!!

It might need lots of controled games to keep players within reach (however I still think there should be a normal open world mode too).

Imagine having a bike race going up to the top of that one mountain, then all jumping off with your bikes and parachuting with a bunch of friends, forming formations ect! How about BMX challanges? I'll own yall!

There is just so much that could be done online with friends in san, whereas in VC,,, we have........ stubby fights...?

well, this is getting off topic, I appologize. When blue is done, definately work to get to word out. Everyone knows of MTA, but not as many know about blue. I am sure a lot of people who gave up on MTA would come back to try blue out.

[DominionSpy]

EIA, may I suggest to you, play san andreas, AND NOW!

I'm sorry, but eAi is only three letters and he has it at the end of EVERY post. It's not like it's hard to spell. Can't you just take a little more notice?

Any way - Vice City has much more stuff in it than GTA III (Bikes, Helicopters, Sea Plane, More Weapons and Cars, and more) but people are still playing GTA III muli- and single-player. I would bet (with real money) that people will still be playing GTA III and Vice City multiplayer when San Andreas has a multiplayer mod.

[Guest]

To chime in with my experince. I really believe that MTA can suceed as a online game. I don't know how many of you went through the beta stages of CS but it was similar to the experinces here. By the time it got to beta 5.2 it was getting frekin huge, but there was a long time with hardly any players.

My view on why MTA:VC isn't getting the pick up is because of two factors.

1. The crashes. I know it's a sore point that will be fixed but there are many ppl out there that take upto 5-10 minutes to recover from a crash and to get back in. Even though it is an old game there are many ppl with even older PC's trying to play and getting pissed off with the crashing. This was my experience prior to upgrade and a lot of mates I've tried to get into this game have walked away for this reason.

2. The attitude. It was only because of my beligerence to get past the n4b calling etc. that I got into this game. I agree fully with the earlier point about trying to raise the standard of attitudes with regards to the treatment of new players.

And a side point just because it upsets me - but I haven't been able to play v.4 yet since I have (expensive) statistical software installled that the client simply hates. When I build up a second rig I'll be back to play like shite again

Main points for those who can't be arsed to read - Keep the faith - this is going to be amazing!

[eAi]

Well, even if you do decide to stop playing MTA, I'm pretty sure you'll want to be back for Blue, because thats what MTA really should be.

eAi

[orappa]

There is just so much that could be done online with friends in san, whereas in VC,,, we have........ stubby fights...?

Yes... you have stubby fights NOW, but we're talking about Blue.

[Ghoststriker]

Well hell i stoped playing for sometime and i can back u just cant let go of the good killing sprees u had or the mad hell that broke lose. Formally know as Ryu.

[erorr404]

imo, by far the two big letdowns of the current MTA are the constant crashes and no point in gameplay.

[Pic0o]

I can say Crashes seem to be Super Rare now, and for Teams, and Objective, If you can get some Good Narration, you could Have a Good time

The Player to Player Damage got Alot better, and Chainsaws are Fun now.

I have my Dedi up Testing the Scripts as an Irc Nub, and I'm trying to get some more Servers up, and hopefully a few friends

If you can get people to play Lan, you might be able to get more people.

Off to Movies ^^

[darkdreamingdan]

imo, by far the two big letdowns of the current MTA are the constant crashes and no point in gameplay.

i wud say thats going a little far, and a bit harsh, but i see where ur coming from. when i first played mta...i did expect drivby's, huner guns etc. but got used to them not being there and got used to it, but what i cud never understand is why they didnt just implement a simple round system so that there will effectively be a 'winner' and a 'loser'. it wud be possible with mtama now...but noone follows mtama games like they wud if it was a normal game (by admin slapping every player after a round and monitoring kills).

bah, another long message.

[Slothman]

imo, by far the two big letdowns of the current MTA are the constant crashes and no point in gameplay.

crashing seems to depend on the conditions (server, other player, connection speed)

as far as no direction in gameplay goes:

gta= open ended

mta= open ended

if you need the server to tell you what to do in order to have fun, I weep for your inner child

[orappa]

as far as no direction in gameplay goes:

gta= open ended

mta= open ended

if you need the server to tell you what to do in order to have fun, I weep for your inner child

That's a good point, but it's not really a fair comparison because the current MTA core has a lot of GTA's features missing.

[erorr404]

dont get me wrong guys, i am addicted to the current MTA, but all i am saying is that those are 2 major reasons other people turn away from the game.

the crashes are much more frequent than in any large, polished game (obviously - this is just a beta), no matter what server you go to. even the most stable servers, when filled up with enough people, can crash every 5-10 minutes, and people just arent used to that. they are used to games that never crash at all.

"no point in gameplay".. maybe i should have worded that differently. i dont mean "there is no point in playing the game," i mean there is no objective to reach - no rules to follow, no game modes, just a big free for all. sure its fun to have a totally open ended game, but sometimes it can get tedious and boring. i mean, after all, all you do is shoot people for the sake of getting more points, not much more. it would be funner with different game modes, even simple ones.

this is the reason they're making BLUE totally moddable.

regarding the MTA vs single player GTA analogy, i dont think its accurate. in single player, you have a fully linear storyline to follow, that is the main part of the game. obviously, there is no such thing in MTA.

[orappa]

"no point in gameplay".. maybe i should have worded that differently. i dont mean "there is no point in playing the game," i mean there is no objective to reach - no rules to follow, no game modes, just a big free for all. sure its fun to have a totally open ended game, but sometimes it can get tedious and boring. i mean, after all, all you do is shoot people for the sake of getting more points, not much more. it would be funner with different game modes, even simple ones.

this is the reason they're making BLUE totally moddable.

I agree with you there, and I think that's why some VC players were disappointed with 0.4. If you don't like GTA3, 0.4's not vastly different to 0.3.

regarding the MTA vs single player GTA analogy, i dont think its accurate. in single player, you have a fully linear storyline to follow, that is the main part of the game. obviously, there is no such thing in MTA.

There's such a thing as too much freedom in games. After completing all of the missions in SP, I never had the incentive to go further and get the hidden packages etc. in order to gain 100% completion. It was the story that kept me going.

[ULK!Nick]

Mta needs a marketing manager

[b0b0]

I think people need to learn to shut up and enjoy the game. People have such a habit of whining that it gets very irritating. Even when you disable the chat box, the admin makes some stupid call and kicks you from the game.

If you want to run an efficient game server:

I have found in more servers than one that admins often have flawed judgement and a terrible relationship with their fellow admins, and this leads to server inefficiency. In an efficient game server, all admins have to know the server security policy by heart and have to follow that policy. Constant communication between admins is a must, and all admins should know where to report security incidents. It's a good idea to have some sort of central incident reporting forum; I usually pull this off by making a private section of my forum devoted to the storage of incident reports. Also, it should be made absolutely crystal clear to the player where and/or who to file a complaint with in the event of a security error; this minimizes the amount of players coming to the MTA forum to whine about a problem experienced on a particular server. Also, admins should be given access depending on their character; more responsible admins can have greater access while unpredictable admins can have lower access.

I've been adminning game servers for six years; I know damn well what I'm talking about.

[darkdreamingdan]

i wud say thats going a little far, and a bit harsh, but i see where ur coming from. when i first played mta...i did expect drivby's, huner guns etc. but got used to them not being there and got used to it, but what i cud never understand is why they didnt just implement a simple round system so that there will effectively be a 'winner' and a 'loser'. it wud be possible with mtama now...but noone follows mtama games like they wud if it was a normal game (by admin slapping every player after a round and monitoring kills).

bah, another long message.

"no point in gameplay".. maybe i should have worded that differently. i dont mean "there is no point in playing the game," i mean there is no objective to reach - no rules to follow, no game modes, just a big free for all. sure its fun to have a totally open ended game, but sometimes it can get tedious and boring. i mean, after all, all you do is shoot people for the sake of getting more points, not much more. it would be funner with different game modes, even simple ones.

this is the reason they're making BLUE totally moddable.

thats eactly what i meant, if u were pointing at me

[erorr404]

i wud say thats going a little far, and a bit harsh, but i see where ur coming from. when i first played mta...i did expect drivby's, huner guns etc. but got used to them not being there and got used to it, but what i cud never understand is why they didnt just implement a simple round system so that there will effectively be a 'winner' and a 'loser'. it wud be possible with mtama now...but noone follows mtama games like they wud if it was a normal game (by admin slapping every player after a round and monitoring kills).

bah, another long message.

"no point in gameplay".. maybe i should have worded that differently. i dont mean "there is no point in playing the game," i mean there is no objective to reach - no rules to follow, no game modes, just a big free for all. sure its fun to have a totally open ended game, but sometimes it can get tedious and boring. i mean, after all, all you do is shoot people for the sake of getting more points, not much more. it would be funner with different game modes, even simple ones.

this is the reason they're making BLUE totally moddable.

thats eactly what i meant, if u were pointing at me

then why do you say its harsh and going too far

[gamebro]

EIA, may I suggest to you, play san andreas, AND NOW!

I'm sorry, but eAi is only three letters and he has it at the end of EVERY post. It's not like it's hard to spell. Can't you just take a little more notice?

Any way - Vice City has much more stuff in it than GTA III (Bikes, Helicopters, Sea Plane, More Weapons and Cars, and more) but people are still playing GTA III muli- and single-player. I would bet (with real money) that people will still be playing GTA III and Vice City multiplayer when San Andreas has a multiplayer mod.

Oh I am sorry, I did not realize you speak for eAi. He must be really offended judging by how you have quickly put me in my place.

I meant no disrespect eAi, and if you were offended by it, I appologize for the mispelling.

Anyways...... Yeah, counter strike took it's time to take off. But it was built for a game called HALF LIFE. This was a very popular game.

Now, MTA\BLUE is built for GTA3 and GTA VC for the computer. (these were not nearly as popular for the PC as HL was)

I highly doubt the numbers will dramatically change untill BLUE come out, and even then I doubt that it will reach a large fanbase. Sure, I love GTA online, but most people seem to prefer thier standard TDM shooting games.

I agree, there will always be someone playing GTA3 and VC after san andreas is multiplayer for pc..... Just not many. (in other words, take half of the GTA3\VC player count now, and divide it by 3

[orappa]

Anyways...... Yeah, counter strike took it's time to take off. But it was built for a game called HALF LIFE. This was a very popular game.

Now, MTA\BLUE is built for GTA3 and GTA VC for the computer. (these were not nearly as popular for the PC as HL was)

I highly doubt the numbers will dramatically change untill BLUE come out, and even then I doubt that it will reach a large fanbase. Sure, I love GTA online, but most people seem to prefer thier standard TDM shooting games.

I agree, there will always be someone playing GTA3 and VC after san andreas is multiplayer for pc..... Just not many. (in other words, take half of the GTA3\VC player count now, and divide it by 3

Where are you getting all of these figures from? "Most" people prefer TDM do they? And what are you talking about - GTA3 and VC are two of the best-selling games of all time. Together they've sold over 20 million copies (for all formats combined).

[gamebro]

Ok, so I don't want to go into a big debate about what sold what, blah blah blah, but most of the 20 million sold copies of GTA3\VC were playstation 2 sales and I am sure you will agree with that.

The bottom line is this---- The total MTA player count now is NOT very high, has NEVER been high, and judging by past performance (of just the last year) I think it is safe to say, MTA is NOT going to gain a large fanbase ever. It is common sense. The game is getting older, and will not magically gain a legion of dedicated players overnight. I actually expect it to get worse (untill blue is out)

When you have stubby jumpers owning your ass, and all your shots magically go through everyone you shoot at, HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE INTERESTED?

And, Team Death Match is uber popular!!! Every shooting fan knows that! Look at unreal tournament, counter strike, delta force JO, planetside, battlefield, Tribes, do you see a pattern here? The most popular mode in these games are the team matches!!!! This is what being an online shooting fan is all about! So YES!!!!! MOST PEOPLE DO PREFERE TDM!!

That does not mean you do, or I do, just the mass (80 % at least) of the online shooting market thrives apon TDM.

I think when blue is released, MTA will generate a growing fanbase. It will never be super popular, but for those few thousands of players that will play it, they will be in for one hell of a fun ride.

[orappa]

The bottom line is this---- The total MTA player count now is NOT very high, has NEVER been high, and judging by past performance (of just the last year) I think it is safe to say, MTA is NOT going to gain a large fanbase ever. It is common sense. The game is getting older, and will not magically gain a legion of dedicated players overnight. I actually expect it to get worse (untill blue is out)

When you have stubby jumpers owning your ass, and all your shots magically go through everyone you shoot at, HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE INTERESTED?

There's this thing known as "progress". It's the reason why we're not sitting in caves wearing animal skins any more. Look back to the first MTA and then to 0.4.1. MTA has come on in leaps and bounds. The fact of the matter is that we know very little about 0.4.5 and so can't make any judgements as to potential usage patterns until we know more. I know that they've received several thousand bug reports from the error reporting tool and have spotted several patterns. I also know that some people were put off by the bugs in 0.4 / 0.4.1 and hence bug fixes alone may boost the fanbase.

They may also choose to combat some of the glitches that people use and address some of the criticisms aimed at 0.4.x.

And, Team Death Match is uber popular!!! Every shooting fan knows that! Look at unreal tournament, counter strike, delta force JO, planetside, battlefield, Tribes, do you see a pattern here? The most popular mode in these games are the team matches!!!! This is what being an online shooting fan is all about! So YES!!!!! MOST PEOPLE DO PREFERE TDM!!

That does not mean you do, or I do, just the mass (80 % at least) of the online shooting market thrives apon TDM.

Actually, in Tribes games, the most popular mode is CTF, not TDM. In Battlefield, you don't really get a choice as it's basically one mode, CS is basically variations on one theme, and in my experience, CTF is more popular in UT. I haven't played any of the other games.

What I'm saying is that GTA's gameplay has a lot of potential online, and it's not going to reach its potential if people just rip off game modes from other games.

I think when blue is released, MTA will generate a growing fanbase. It will never be super popular, but for those few thousands of players that will play it, they will be in for one hell of a fun ride.

So if it's "one hell of a fun ride", why can't it ever become "super popular"?

[eAi]

We'll be working out some strategies for making sure more people know about MTA (and people who already do, know that we've got a new release) when we release Blue. We can't really guess how popular MTA will become, but even at 300-500 players at a time, we're more popular than many comercially released games (with multiplayer).

Only time will tell.