Yes, but does it REALLY work?

I'm from the few who enjoy BDO for the whole aspect of the game (Life-skilling, PvE in an environment where other players can be the unpredictable factor and kill you). This means that the core design of the game like trading, fishing and farming need to work as intended for me to enjoy it . It hasn't worked in GameZ for a long time now, although it has improved.

People have been saying that trading works. In fact, it does after a fashion, but it has funny glitches that result in something that can be gamed, but is not working the way it was designed. Same goes for sea content and hotspot fishing.

So my take of GameZ BD is; if it works 100% like retail and allowing for well documented improvements that the GBD coders might insert without breaking the dynamics of the game, I would spend 100 % of my time here and would be happy to support. Until such time that GameZ get there, it is not worth putting the hours and effort in from my perspective.

P.S. I think that a lot of players leave BDO retail because of how greedy the Pearl Store is. I believe the thing that PA fears most is if a P Server duplicates what they offer to a T .. but negates the Pearl Store; GBD will be getting old-timers in droves.

FWIW, I've spent a couple of K in retail over the years. So that side of the equation matters little to me, except that it stops new blood staying for a long time in a game and tbh, it's long time communities of players establising out of game networks that makes a game exciting and worth investing in IMO. Which is one of the reasons I also play Eve

 

First up I have to say that it is rare to encounter other players who seem like-minded on several topics, so thanks @Toenail (and others) for being a positive boost in an otherwise all to negative environment.

Secondly, I do agree that there have to be made some changes to how GamezBD is running things as they are now. Especially about the Trading system, and the Sea Adventures in general, but as Farming works now (so so) in my opinion it is working (I know nowhere near what it is in Retail-BDO), but as a income source and the way it will add Farming Experience without all the hassle of having to find the exactly right spot for the specific crops to grow, nor having to manage water and soil nutrients, it just seems a whole lot more user-friendly to me personally

So I think I will give it one more go on the Suggestions section...Asking for more Trade functionality as well as a MUCH higher ceiling (or no maximum at all), and of course the Sea-Adventures (including all fishing) rework. However I do think that Pearl Abyss is going to make a huge overhaul on the Ocean/Sea-Adventures in general soon, or so they say...could be a year as far as I know.

But once again thanks for a well crafted input to our community Toenail, although that name is like nails on a chalkboard or fork on a plate

 

Just shooting the breeze here, chewing the cud, ruminating about 'what ifs'.
So, what if I was the CEO or equivalent of GBD. What strategy would I implement to build a loyal and consistent playerbase?
The first thing I'd do is to identify the broad categories of players who form the playerbase, and track their playing habits.
I guess that for an MMO it's pretty standard, there are the PvPers, PvEers, the Life-Skillers and variations of all three.

The PvPer:
BDO attracts a lot of people who love the combat style ... so PvPers will be a big part of that population for sure; however typically PvPers are looking for that quick fix and seem unlikely to be part of a long term demographic in that they come and they go, to be replaced by a new batch. They want to get geared in a hurry and typically don't care for Life skills, but definitely need to purchase some things that lifeskillers produce for the market.
So there's a dynamic cycle of itinerant players who form the PvP demographic (in my opinion and I have no hard evidence .. just gut feel).

The PvEer:
Also wants to get geared quickly so they can go to the higher end grindspots. These people may not actively look for PvP but quite a few will defend their spot so they also want to gear up quickly. These guys also supply the market with gear obtaoined from monster drops and are a vital part of the economy and they too need to purchase some things that lifeskillers produce for the market.

The Lifeskiller:
The lifeskiler forms the bedrock foundation for any MMO because it's these guys who supply stuff to the marketplace to keep the economy going. These guys are typically also long term players who will reliably log in and stay logged in to maximise lifeskill progression because they KNOW that the slow and steady path will get them there eventually.

A healthy game will have all these players creating a game biosphere that is profitable and self sustaining, but to get there, I would focus on getting the lifeskills environment spot-on to get this consistently long term demographic on board.

Build it and they will come, and more importantly, they will stay!