Politician Archive
Thread: Need advice from Master Politicians
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ArthurP
Sun Jun 27, 2004 3:30 pm
#1
/sigh
No major problems... but people have drifted away from our happy metropolis. We are STILL at metropolis - but only barely. MANY if not most of those are citizens who have been absent from the game for a long time. Some pop in occassionally. We lost a few recently due to ... well, Im not going to get into the feelings I have about them... suffice to say they left (grass is greener? new and shiny is better?)
Now slowly but surely others are leaving too. It's the principle of flow. If your guild/city is growing - the flow is inward and attracts ppl. If your guild/city is seen as shrinking - the flow is outward and ppl leave.
For me, I play the game for the friendships. I've been on everyday - many hours a day creating the best city I could. Our guild leader was busy grinding for jedi - so left me to do both jobs of guild leader and mayor (he was both at our creation). I've enjoyed the responsibilty and delegated and leaned on others - but as I say - they left. My very best friends in the game - and they said the same, left. And as mayor, it hits me personally - and I CAN'T just leave when I want something new. The goal is to reinvigorate what we had - but I can't do it alone.
...and right now I'm not sure I care anymore. This is where I need help. I've put up with the drama of a few complainers (who eventually at least apologized) and stayed strong in the face of impossible odds of building a thriving community on the dead planet of Lok. We've gone from happy, vibrant and active to survival mode. I know I'm mixing my feelings with that of the city but that's my game, my profession... it's what I DO.
I'm bummed, tired, burnt out and stuck. I want nothing more than to serve my citizens and still do all the things I can do to accomodate their game. But my best friends left me behind - and too many of my citizens are not around anymore. However, our city serves not only our citizens, but dozens of visitors each day - for our great location, Improved Job Market and friendly city.
I need a pep talk... or something... Or I'm gone.
StumanKadir
Sun Jun 27, 2004 7:38 pm
#2
Can I just say these words "been there and done that".
Having been there I don't envy your position, and really, being a Mayor is a thankless job full of stress, where you elect to undertake a role that is essentially full-time, and more often than not, you have neither the skills, or resources to fully undertake it.
If you are keen on staying, you can always try altering the dynamic of your city by say, dropping faction bases and encouraging more PvP activites. This is a good way off attracting new residents, but can often lead to the leaving of older ones. You definitely need a "hook" to gte people to join, to take part and stay interested. And really, player cities are the biggest content drivers the game has at the moment (which is a shame its being ignored to the degree which it has been). If you use it as such you should be able to make a go of it.
Unfortunately though, the nature of these games is to ebb and flow, and with the current state of the game and the population levels on nearly all servers, we are definitely in a period of ebbing, and it will probably remain that way until SE is released.
I too am faced with the same dilemma but have been lucky in thatI have a good solid core of residents who are good at recruiting, and are happy to share the load so that it doesn't rest soley on my shoulders. One thing that we have seen though is that the number of people who stay for the first month and then leave is growing exponentially, with the result that a few people who we were excited about joining us, have since quietly left the game. They leave their residency and their house, but I would prefer an active body to a ghost.
You can try and encourage them, take them hunting, PvPing, exploring, etc, but for some, the boredom threshhold is too great and the game is just not for them (we had one leave the game right after being faced with a 9 minute shuttle wait).
At the end of the day, if it gets too much and is too stressful, you really only have 2 alternatives, try and get unelected (or as an alternative, pull down the city and go and do something else as apparently, dropping Novice Politician completely whilst being a Mayor is considered an Exploit) or just quit the game and have a break.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you HAVE to stay. Ifyou are unhappy with the game, its probably better to just pull it all down and do something else or just simply quit.
DeathbyNerfing
Mon Jun 28, 2004 6:12 pm
#3
Well I'm not a master politician, although I could have been one by now (never had enough free skill points to go for it). My city has been going since the first week that cities were introduced. My city, on Talus, has just this past week reached level 3 (we're exclusively Bothan, so it takes longer to grow in size). Being mayor is about being patient. Don't get so caught up into it that it actually stresses you out.
If you're worried about the number of people in your city dropping too low, then offer a reward for citizen who brings someone into the city. I started what I called the City Growth Project, where I basically award the recruiter 50k when the recruit declares residence.
That'll help with your population issue, and the rest will come in time. In addition to that I have 2 officials in the city, aMilitia Captain, and a City Planner. The Militia Captain has the obvious job of managing the militia, and the city planner spends the time needed to find out where things best go (gardens, civic facilities, ect) to make the city look it's best. Since neither really takes up a load of time, they don't mind doing it, and it leaves me with the job of funding the city. I have the most challenging job, but it's part of the profession.
Hope that helps.
Koweim
ArthurP
Mon Jun 28, 2004 6:53 pm
#4
Patience got me to Metropolis and we stayed there for about 6 months. I dont want to get into the politics of what happened... I really don't. But the bottom line is ppl I considerd my friends left the city and guild and planet.
I only played for those friendships I thought I built. But if that's the calibre of friendships here... well...
ThirdJEM
Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:57 pm
#5
Well I'm not sure what kind of pep talk I can give, I mean I have never been to your city so I don't know exactly what happened and don't know what kind of city you have etc...
But I basically led my city from a heartless cold city which was metropolis but little more than a collection of disorganized structures housing 92 citizens from three diff guilds, mission terminals largely unused and meetings that never happened. Now we fit the description you state at the beginning soon we will reach Metropolis and we have visitors daily for like you said, our location, job market and friendlyness. I'm worried we may suffer the same fate as your city/guild but all I can say is that freshness is the key. I've been changing the gardens, and re-organizing the city regularly. Also I mail out regular "STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS" letters which are almost city pep talks lol. I tell people what is going on, I'm honest and sometimes down when things are down. I've made a name for my self as being honest with the citizens, while still showing the upside.... for a while we were losing citizens... both the mayor and the guild leader left the game at the same time. Our largest PvP fighter was found to be the largest spy in Rebel history on Ahazi, and if that wasn't the worst part some imps came through and destroyed our bases while we were on a raid which resulted in ambush.... it was ONE BAD WEEK!
But persistance seems to have held us togather, we are still only a city and for a while had only 69 residents (it was a close one) but we are growing again. We are the most stable city on Dantooine and because of our consistnacy we have built up some sort of niche with visitors... people go where they KNOW for a FACT they can get what they are looking for, Buffs, heals, missions, loots, whatever it is they will go there. That's why crowds attract crowds, the crowd is attracted by the services and the services then attracted by the crowds... its a compounding cycle. We have lost most of our uber PVPer's but the city remains, we have dozens of houses remaining like ghosts from players now dead to the server. But the city remains, we are even adding new things still, the mall grows, we have new gardens, and I just added a museum for rare loots. Try building a reputation on the server (though you may already have one) invite new guilds, start a re-organization project, add some content like a casino or regular PvP championships. I think content is the key, Player created content.
I affraid its not possible to stop them from going where its tastier... the only thing you can do is make your city tastier than all the rest. Adding your own content, merging with another guild, or inviting new guilds in, start a city alliance where you guys organize your trainers have PvP competitions for city bragging rights, etc... Also organize city officers, get others active in the leadership, have someone else take over some jobs. I have someone running the city mall, looking for someone for the cantina, think I have someone for our Museum, and am looking for someone for the city's engineers office. I just spend my time building new content, after the museum is off the ground a casino is next, OH WAIT.. gonna start a news paper first.
I guess my best advice is content, try to compete with the NPC cities by providing what an NPC city can't, find an entertainer guild and get them to take over the cantina and hold events of their own. Events, player content, and cool design are the only attractions we have to work with. And if you decide to leave, take the design team to the cleaners, air all your beefs about the game and how anoying it is. Maybe we will get some attention and some content.
Hope ya stick with us buddy!
But I basically led my city from a heartless cold city which was metropolis but little more than a collection of disorganized structures housing 92 citizens from three diff guilds, mission terminals largely unused and meetings that never happened. Now we fit the description you state at the beginning soon we will reach Metropolis and we have visitors daily for like you said, our location, job market and friendlyness. I'm worried we may suffer the same fate as your city/guild but all I can say is that freshness is the key. I've been changing the gardens, and re-organizing the city regularly. Also I mail out regular "STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS" letters which are almost city pep talks lol. I tell people what is going on, I'm honest and sometimes down when things are down. I've made a name for my self as being honest with the citizens, while still showing the upside.... for a while we were losing citizens... both the mayor and the guild leader left the game at the same time. Our largest PvP fighter was found to be the largest spy in Rebel history on Ahazi, and if that wasn't the worst part some imps came through and destroyed our bases while we were on a raid which resulted in ambush.... it was ONE BAD WEEK!
But persistance seems to have held us togather, we are still only a city and for a while had only 69 residents (it was a close one) but we are growing again. We are the most stable city on Dantooine and because of our consistnacy we have built up some sort of niche with visitors... people go where they KNOW for a FACT they can get what they are looking for, Buffs, heals, missions, loots, whatever it is they will go there. That's why crowds attract crowds, the crowd is attracted by the services and the services then attracted by the crowds... its a compounding cycle. We have lost most of our uber PVPer's but the city remains, we have dozens of houses remaining like ghosts from players now dead to the server. But the city remains, we are even adding new things still, the mall grows, we have new gardens, and I just added a museum for rare loots. Try building a reputation on the server (though you may already have one) invite new guilds, start a re-organization project, add some content like a casino or regular PvP championships. I think content is the key, Player created content.
I affraid its not possible to stop them from going where its tastier... the only thing you can do is make your city tastier than all the rest. Adding your own content, merging with another guild, or inviting new guilds in, start a city alliance where you guys organize your trainers have PvP competitions for city bragging rights, etc... Also organize city officers, get others active in the leadership, have someone else take over some jobs. I have someone running the city mall, looking for someone for the cantina, think I have someone for our Museum, and am looking for someone for the city's engineers office. I just spend my time building new content, after the museum is off the ground a casino is next, OH WAIT.. gonna start a news paper first.
I guess my best advice is content, try to compete with the NPC cities by providing what an NPC city can't, find an entertainer guild and get them to take over the cantina and hold events of their own. Events, player content, and cool design are the only attractions we have to work with. And if you decide to leave, take the design team to the cleaners, air all your beefs about the game and how anoying it is. Maybe we will get some attention and some content.
Hope ya stick with us buddy!
Plzurpilot
Tue Jun 29, 2004 11:38 pm
#6
Brief history of my city:
4 guilds came together created largest city on Dantooine
Richest person on server bought a city to the north it became largest city in game
A resident placed a Detachment HQ in a city and expected the other 3 guilds to defend it.
Lagest guild moved out of my city for Rori
2 other guilds disapated and remains reformed under 1 guild
Recruited 2 other Guilds to city.
1 of the new guilds disolved
Citiy Population shrank to rank III
Active residents put forth a major recuitment effort to briing us back to Rank IV
Recruited 2 new guilds and rose to rank V where we are today.
I guess what im saying is that most cities are cyclical. You appear to be a mayor who will fight your city through the down times. Find the active people in your city and start a recruiting campain.
What worked for me is to locate other failing cities and see if you can get them to merge with your city, Spam people in guilds inviting them to move to your city. Spam the unguilded to convince them to move in. Falling to rank III united my city rather than dividing it, it may work for yours.
Good luck with your efforts. Hopefuly the GCW revamp will create an incentive to join a city other than being taxed.
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