Replies to all points above:
1) People leaving online games if they feel that they are losing:
- Yes that is true if it is a one-match game.
- Games like Savage 2 where maps change, teams shuffle don't have the same problem. Savage 2 is free, I say download it and see how JOINING A GAME is done. It is quite different than what you are used to in a FPS and ensures teams are even, and keep shuffling every round. I like that idea better than the way joining games is done in DG. It enourages people to stay in games, mainly because you will play again, probably with better people next time around, meanwhile practice and have fun.
2) People can't always stay.
- It is a fact of life, people can't always dedicate an hr or 2 to the game. If this is a requirement you will only get hardcore gamers to play, not casual gamers or people with families. Look at RTS games, you have fixed teams but how often does an RTS last an hr? Usually 10-15 minutes, 1 hr is 1 noob vs 1 noob. Experts will plow through the game in 15 minutes. In DG games won't be shorter than 30 minutes, and go as long as 1 hr or more.
3) The game is an rpg.
- To counter my own point (3) this game IS an RPG. To join mid-game and have to play someone else's build will be rather unappealing. Also this is an RPG so you might join only to find yourself heavily underpowered and unwinable regardless of any incentives or perks to joining mid-game.
- What would be nice is when you join you get to chose to keep all items or sell all for 100% value and try your own spec, same with stats. That way it won't be so awful joining a game mid-game.
- There has to be some sort of incentive: If you join mid-game you WONT LOSE STATS. So joining mid game means either gain a win or lose nothing, so there is an incentive, you join mostly for fun.
- After the game ends you don't exit like you would in Warcraft going back to the chat room, the game should take you back to the game lobby where you can just play again with the people you just played with.
4) Friends
- This is an idea from Steam, but very effective in removing quiters, and encouraging good players, or at least encouraging people to stick with people who they enjoy playing with without enforcing the need for clans and guilds.
- You can see all the players you played with this game, last game, all games say in the last week. You can just click-add-friend them. That means that if last game you played with some great people, add them to firends (if they like you, oponent or ally), and look for them in other games. This way you lost to someone? get in touch with them, they can teach you, you can have fun with them, it would be great.
- People just quitting won't get many "friends" which means that they won't find lots of people who they just enjoy playing with.
- Last played with list will show how long the game lasted and when the person quit so you don't need to remember "who was the quitter?"
- Finding friends should be easy: A friends list with a click-join gain (and game status) so you can join them quickly without having to look for their game.
