As a genuine lover of VMK and Disney, as well as this remake, I want nothing but the best in order for this game to thrive like the original. That being said, there are a plethora of changes that need to be addressed. 2013-2014 was probably the most active and in my opinion the best times in the game.
The first drastic change (which the whole May debacle could've been avoided entirely) was when one of our admins had stepped down/fired.
These are the changes that need to be met in order for the game to thrive because we can obviously see that the player base has shrunken tremendously.
1. Hire/re-hire all original staff (including our designer)
This means getting rid of all the current in-game administrators, moderators, designers and hosts and hiring back those who actually knew what they were doing. There has been nothing to show for after one entire year of rifts between staff members, quitting and hiring of those who are incapable of fulfilling their duties. This means leave your personal bias out of the hiring process. I understand that these are volunteers doing it out of their free time but the favoritism needs to end, because the game is sinking. And the fact that you had to post this thread only confirms it.
2. New applications
In addition to re-hiring the old staff, create a new set of application forms and let the old staff take care of the hiring process. I understand that you are also part of designing the new items. This needs to stop. The items look nothing like the game's designs. You have a special talent something no one could match up to. As the coder, your stress should be eased by not fulfilling the other duties but to continue coding.
3. Incentives
There are only a handful of rooms which are occupied by players, the Pirates lobby, the fantasyland courtyard and guest rooms which have 20 people in the top room at max.
There are many options the game can thrive on as long as it has incentives for players to keep playing.
- Crates (keys, pop-up crates, colored crates)
- Blind Bags from mini games
- Dream-like events
- Trivia games
- Mazes
- Rare items in the sword and stone
- Rare items in the Pirates chests
- Hidden bags/ crates around the VMK map
- Quests
- treasure hunts
These are just a few ideas which would undoubtedly create more activity within the kingdom.
4. Punctuality
This is especially needed in regards to Host events and weekly realeases. Lately there has been issues of the newsletter not being put up on time and host events being canceled. I understand that everyone has personal obligations to attend to, which should obviously be first priority. However, this has been a reoccurring issue ever since the Pirates Game was set to release.
There should be no set time/date until you are 100% sure everything is working completely fine. This will not only make you look more professional but also garner more respect from your peers and players. (This is should also be taken as real world advice)
5. Communication
Back in 2013 and 2014 it was an amazing feeling to interact with you and other staff members. Just to talk and to listen to the progress of the game. I've learned that communication is absolute key in order to get a better understanding which would also clear up any misunderstandings and concerns that players may have.
Many players have either quit and lost interest due to negligence of the game that could be a mixture of which five of these points cover. There needs to be drastic changes. The player base is noticibly shrinking (which even newer players are noticing)
It's all up to you to make these decisions.
Personally, I would love to see this game thrive like it did before.
Nothing makes me happier to see my childhood game come back to life and to experience it with those who felt the same.
I hope you take these points into consideration. You have an extremely special talent and I as well as other players cannot thank you enough for this game.
But there needs to be some extreme measures taken.