Bring Back 24/7 Registration To Grow Again NEW POLL

[Flurr]

Hm, this topic is grabbing my attention and I would like to view into it. The registration is a big thing that a lot of new people to the site want and get an account for the game. It would be great if we could open the whole registration! But the tiny problem is that   the server would get a bit glitchy/laggy, and it may cause a failed hard drive, servers not connecting again, and populated maps servers going down. But it is still a great idea!! But there has been people asking stuff Like " Can you please open registration for a day? " Or something like " Why does it have to work this way?". While I know staff are going to see this, it will not 100% happen, but the future will tell. But as I stated in the beginning of what it could do to the FH servers, maps, drives. But it works this way probably to keep the site and game organized, and many other reasons to tell as in above. But yep, still a great idea of all of you! But there are some downsides, but it would be fantastic to see the community pushing up to a good amount of players. I'm not trying to be a disagreer even know I sound like one, I agree! Just I wanted to give some clearness on what could happen if it does happen though ^^

[Jango_Fett]

the community dying is more than just the fault of the registration, but moreso a fact that the attitude of the community has changed so much that it's left a lot of players burned/jaded.

considering the main excuse for closing registration[or at least, make it essentially non-functional] never made sense in of itself[people make alt accounts still, and at the time it did little to curb the fact that people could make 15+ accounts all their own], the fact that it's even been allowed to go on for so long is mind boggling in of itself.

a small reason i can hear them going about how the community will get too big to manage or the players will outnumber the staff members 100 to 1.
which would be valid if this game wasn't already originally, supposed to be an MMO.
a massively multiplayer online [game].
if you didn't want to go through the trouble of managing a game that's supposed to have a lot of players, why are you doing this instead.
why basically strangle all means of good expansion in your playerbase in this way. it almost feels like instead of adapting to the environment, the environment has been adapted, or rather tailored, to the small management team.

but that's also a bit on the conspiracy theory side i'll admit. but hey, at the end of the day, who's there to harm if only myself.

[LordSuragaha]

Idk how exactly to phrase things here without my words some how being taken the wrong way. I do want to be honest, especially because I strongly believe that the staff should remain transparent with the community on most things.

The staff hasn’t turned a blind eye to this subject. I know it’s frustrating when we don’t give you a straight up yes or no answer to things or round about of when or if something can or will be done... but we are reading your concerns and taking deep consideration of things. Keep in mind that a lot of the decisions made here aren’t just out of the whim things. Things have been set to work a particular way for specific reasons. Certain systems also effect the way other systems work so there’s no easy or straight forward right or wrong approach to things.

Feral Heart is a game similar to some other games but with its own unique set of problems... most of which we can’t address and fix the way we want to because of the lack of the game’s source code. There would be much better approaches to things like registration or even the log in system if we had a means to properly correct the issues at root. For this reason many of the simple “fixes” proposed don’t necessarily work for FH’s case.

Truthfully speaking none of us like the registration the way it is.

It would be wonderful to just open it back up 24/7 again for one of the obvious reasons of it making it easier for new users to join. If FH registration worked this way we would definitely have a lot more new blood regularly coming into the community again. I think we all would love this...

But there’s always issues that follow particular decisions made, either leaving it open 24/7, or keeping it random, or having particular days/hours as open times etc... behind the scenes FH has been made to work at best as it could with its limitations. Sadly this doesn’t always mean that it is reflected well upon the player base, so it becomes more of a balancing issue:

 How to keep both the aging broken source code-less game alive and functioning as well as an ever changing and shifting community...

At some point things just can’t catch up, and certain sacrifices end up being made.

It’s no ones fault.

It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating to you, and us. It’s frustrating to all of us as people who care about and love Feral Heart and I wholeheartedly apologize for this.

While we can’t make exact promises, I do want to assure you all that this issue is still being discussed and considered. While we don’t have a lot of options we are weighing them and considering things... We share your concerns as deeply as you all do.

For as long as Feral Heart continues to run we will try our very best to work with things and consider all the possibilities. We’ve come a long way and while things may not have always worked ideally we are still trying our best.

Thank you all for your continued support and feedback.

In due time we hope to reach a decision that can healthily balance both the game/server’s well being and the community’s.

<3

[Audrey]

I'm not big on the forums and have said much here at all...
But I've been on FH for, let's see now, seven years I think? Or been aware of it anyway.

And after the weird 'log in on page to play' and updates I started seeing some problems...
I can't find roleplay on the actual maps anymore. It's all big groups or nothing, and most of them just wanna be on discord anyway, which I'm not interested in. I've faded away like many more because I wasn't interested in Discord and all the like.

Whatever the case is, or whatever the problem is, there definitely seems to be a problem in my eyes. More people could help, maybe. More young crazy wild ones who can't even get into big groups, even. People grow old and get lives, if for no other cause the population of the game would surely decrease because of this; People will move on... I don't know for sure, we'd have to try it and see to know for sure. Maybe they should open registration for a year and see what happens, and if our situation worsens, close it up again? But I'm not up to date on any of this, I'm practically never here on the forums at all.
A friend told me of the state of registration and the like and the poll, and I came to gave a vote in hopes that a change will be made.

Even if supposedly it might cause server issues, was open registration not how it worked in the past? If such is the case, why is registration closed, if in the past everything seemed fine? Unless they are complaining about say, Fluorite Plain's 'Bad Tokens' and Bonfire's lag.  Sure, that was unpleasant. But was it more unpleasant than our current situation?

I guess I'm just saying, I think a change would be nice. And partially open registration doesn't seem like it would make that much of a difference, as it appears to already be open off and on.

I just now read the moderator above me. It seems to be a technical issue... Tragic.

[Jango_Fett]

Idk how exactly to phrase things here without my words some how being taken the wrong way. I do want to be honest, especially because I strongly believe that the staff should remain transparent with the community on most things.

Well that's a nice change of pace.

Weird that with all these words I am reading, none of them show any form of transparency. Actually, to me this post takes a long time to say absolutely nothing new.

Feral Heart is a game similar to some other games but with its own unique set of problems... most of which we can’t address and fix the way we want to because of the lack of the game’s source code. There would be much better approaches to things like registration or even the log in system if we had a means to properly correct the issues at root. For this reason many of the simple “fixes” proposed don’t necessarily work for FH’s case.

Of course. Every game has its own problems and hiccups, but this is one that has been around for years and should've been addressed ages ago. The reasons for why it was never handled always changed and in your post you did not clarify as to why.

You also do not explain why these "simple fixes" won't work with Feral Heart. What are the simple fixes?
I'm loosely aware of how the registration works, and from what I can gather with what little[AKA, none] information I have... The source code shouldn't be having an effect on this.
But then again, I don't know if it's just website side going to the game, or what. Because no one explains anything.

I would be understanding if you guys didn't know because you aren't aware of what's even in the source code, but again, you haven't told anyone anything.

Truthfully speaking none of us like the registration the way it is.

It would be wonderful to just open it back up 24/7 again for one of the obvious reasons of it making it easier for new users to join. If FH registration worked this way we would definitely have a lot more new blood regularly coming into the community again. I think we all would love this...

But there’s always issues that follow particular decisions made, either leaving it open 24/7, or keeping it random, or having particular days/hours as open times etc... behind the scenes FH has been made to work at best as it could with its limitations. Sadly this doesn’t always mean that it is reflected well upon the player base, so it becomes more of a balancing issue:

But again, I have to ask:

Why can't it be open 24/7?

You still have no explained this, no one on the Staff Team has. The only thing I can recall as to why it wasn't fixed was a post from Razmirz ages ago about it being broken, and then either him or someone else saying it was meant to be like this.

A registration that opens at random ad nauseum isn't good no matter the game. Flight Rising, a dragon breeding/fighting/raising game has closed registration that only opens on certain dates. It seems to be working out well for them, and they have a larger base of players than Feral Heart does to my knowledge.
So again,

Why not?

How to keep both the aging broken source code-less game alive and functioning as well as an ever changing and shifting community...

At some point things just can’t catch up, and certain sacrifices end up being made.

The community hasn't had an attitude shift since 2016 and it's blatantly obvious. It has actually become easier to manage since most players seem to either police themselves or keep their rule breaks on the lowest of downlows.

What 'certain sacrifices' are you even talking about? What would registration even have to DO with something like the attitude of a community?

I understand the struggle of having to keep up a game/server with code that breaks and has many, many problems. In the past four years I've seen it happen time and time again.
Feral Heart is after all, just very popular abandonware.

But that doesn't excuse a lack of transparency.

A community I've been apart of for a long time that originally begun in 2008 has just about strangled itself because the owner/creator was absent, refused to give out his precious source code, and didn't tell anyone what he was doing. The Staff team on that community followed his example, by not being terribly transparent and keeping things very secret. I know that because I was apart of it at one point.

Struggling to keep a dying game alive isn't reason to keep your community in the dark for over five years.

It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating to you, and us. It’s frustrating to all of us as people who care about and love Feral Heart and I wholeheartedly apologize for this.

While we can’t make exact promises, I do want to assure you all that this issue is still being discussed and considered. While we don’t have a lot of options we are weighing them and considering things... We share your concerns as deeply as you all do.

For as long as Feral Heart continues to run we will try our very best to work with things and consider all the possibilities. We’ve come a long way and while things may not have always worked ideally we are still trying our best.

The apologies don't really mean anything if nothing will actually change. I am very hesitant to believe anything coming from you guys, considering the running theme with the Feral Heart staff team has always been "PR or bust".

I am sure that you guys are actually putting in at least a microbe of effort into figuring out what to do, on top of balancing your real lives, but the way you've been going about it is clearly not working. You're stumbling in the dark that you made because you refuse to use the lightswitch.

If you shared the concerns of the community 'as deeply as you all do', why haven't you been upfront and honest about what's been going on?
And I don't mean 'real life is getting in the way' or 'we are finding a way around the code problem'. Those are vague statements/terms and don't actually say anything.



This entire situation makes absolutely no sense. I feel like I've stepped into Wonderland, or that weird Berenstein Bears alternate universe debacle.
The way that this team has been trying to figure things out is so backwards and slow it puts every single project I've worked on to shame.
I am amazed.




Final note: I'm not trying to be overly hostile or antagonistic, don't get your shorts tangled up. I might sound cynical through my keyboard[Which I am], but I am not trying to be overly mean. I am being curt, brief, and honest.
Because that's transparency. I don't want anything to be lost in interpretation or translation.

[Warriorstrike]

I’m going to bounce off some of what Suragaha has stated here, but I’ll add on a few thoughts of my own. Hopefully I can help clarify a few things. c:

You also do not explain why these "simple fixes" won't work with Feral Heart. What are the simple fixes?
I'm loosely aware of how the registration works, and from what I can gather with what little[AKA, none] information I have... The source code shouldn't be having an effect on this.
But then again, I don't know if it's just website side going to the game, or what. Because no one explains anything.

I would be understanding if you guys didn't know because you aren't aware of what's even in the source code, but again, you haven't told anyone anything.

In regard to the “simple fixes,” a large part of this originates from how the game is built. The game is not designed to be a huge MMORPG. It’s just not. Perhaps it was a future desire of LKD's to incorporate room for a larger playerbase, but as Feral Heart currently is, it can be easily crippled by a large influx of users on its server; this is what caused the initial crash back in 2010, which led to the game having to be temporarily taken down. This is what is meant by the game is buggy. Without the code, we don’t have all of the ability to “make” it easier on the server. Flurr above mentined this, too. ^^ The current random registration system certainly has its existence promoted by instigating ways to prevent people from hoarding accounts, but the main reason is because the server is not meant to handle so many people playing online at once. (Which we have seen actually occur in the past, actual history and not hypothetical suspicion. It's only natural for staff to be worried about this, because we don't want to put the community in a situation where they cannot even enjoy the game as it is. Staff have stated this publically in the past.) A significant concern with opening the registration full time is: what will happen to the server if this is done? In the past, the constant influx of people lead to Razmirz having to spend quite a bit of time simply trying to get the game working, let alone any other bug fixes he was able to conduct. The question then is, if we were to make the change to permanently open registration, will the game be fine when Razmirz may not be in a position to quickly and constantly fix a game that has bugs like those? If work calls up, if personal problems arise? Will the game be better off having experienced those changes, when we have foreseen how badly it can go in the past but unsure of how well it will do in the future? Because the responsibility of the server lies soley on one individual, this can be a very tasking effort. This is when personal incidents and life begins to take a toll. The concern of the moment is if we should open the registration to allow more folks to join in, but the concern of later will be if we can even keep the game online. If one takes into consideration what he is capable of himself, the time he has allotted to dedicate, estimated how much time it would take to rectify an influx, this vastly affects the decision. The proceeding question is what is the best to do for our game—it seems like a very cut and dry answer on the surface, but there is a lot more to which it boils down. Feral Heart could potentially be unplayable for stretches of time if Razmirz is not available to constantly fix it. This is why staff have to consider if it’s worth it. Is the risk of making registration more accessible worth the potential of no one playing at all? Of course, the other factors do factor into this, as some have mentioned in prior posts, referencing the issue with players hoarding accounts or creating extra ones to stir up trouble. It’s a complex problem.

In terms of transparency, this isn't something concealed from the community. I myself has stated the gist of the explanation above previously, and I have seen other staff members doing so, as well. The reasons for why there has been past hesitation for implementing the registration permanently, full-time, has been referenced quite a few times. The issues we cannot fix "simply" in terms of the game's bugs (ex. a better security precaution than the login-page, a better adapted server to maintain large amounts of people) have been stated publically before. You have said yourself that you only have a loose understanding of the registration, so perhaps the explanation I have provided above will help to shed some light and fill in any gaps. The reason for why the registration is the way it is has already been posted publically on the very rules section of this forum:

General Information Regarding FeralHeart Registration

Why does the registration work this way?
A lot of people ask the question "why" the registration work this way, and the reason is quite a reasonable one. Feralheart is really just another game online, taken care of and run by people in their free time out of mere interest and love for the game itself. We want to make sure it works as well as we can, and that's where quantity is not the only thing to think about. We want to keep the site and game up and running smoothly without hiccups and issues due to the registration part, and just reduce general abuse of the registration system where users would intentionally hog accounts, those who really want or need an account will get one eventually. Even though a greater number of players is always fun to see, it cannot always be a priority since we need to look a bit further ahead than just that.

Staff has been considering this greatly over the past few months, considering ways in which we could give or take more on the current system we have. Ultimately, this choice is up to Razmirz, though, because he is the one who tends to the server, pays for it, and has the capacity to actually make those implementations. The one who is responsible for this server has to reflect upon his present situation as well as the future of the game and determine the best course of action. While it may seem irresponsible to some that nothing has been “done,” please consider that perhaps his knowledge of how the server works and his available time have factored into this. The reason the argument that “Feral Heart has its own problems” has truth to it in contrast to other games is that the problem we could fix (adapting the game to handle a population influx) is not so fixable. This is from what I know, at least, in regards to our limitations with the source code. ^^ Staff isn’t trying to curb its population in that we don’t want people to play the game. We have observed the game and we aren't blind to what you guys have been seeing. It saddens us when we see fewer players online, because we want the game to continue to grow and thrive. If you have a garden, you will try to care for it as best as you can, watering it and providing it with adequate soil. There are other issues that arise in your garden that you cannot control, however-- the weather or invading insects, for instance. Perhaps you would like to buy some blankets to cover the plants when it freezes over, or maybe you would like to purchase some quality pest repellent, but if you don't have the resources to buy those commodities… you have to make do with what you have. That doesn't mean you don't love your garden. It doesn't mean you're sitting back hoping to see it wither and die. Anyone who has been in a position where they have loved something but haven't had the control, the knowledge, the resources, etc., to care for it in the way they desire will understand what this means. Most all of us have been in this position one way or another in life. The reality is that life does not always present us with equal ability to conduct the means to establish what we want in the way that we want it.

I appreciate where you're coming from, Jango, and I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I've been looking through some of the comments on this thread, and it is evident that we have a community with a desire to see Feral Heart continue and survive as the game we love. I understand the positions you guys are in, and hopefully you can put yourself in the shoes of those who are working to hold up the game for what it is. In terms of course of action, it's still hovering in the air, because we have been listening to your thoughts and want to reflect your values in the game as well as maintain a clear-minded perspective on the reality of implementing those actions. It's rough for a community to deal with a place that isn't necessarily at the top of where it could be, especially when discouraged or when they see aspects about the game that are not what it could be. We haven't abandoned your opinions, though, and we're still digging around for the best option. ^^

Out of curiosity, (this one's to everyone-- poll time, maybe? c:), if the registration were to be brought back permanently, what would be your personal opinion on the possible outcome resulting in the game being taken down for periods of time? Would it matter to you how frequently or how long these stretches of time occurred? Would it be worth it if a registration were more accessible? Would the best outcome (tons of people fill up the game and populate the maps) be worth the risk over the worst outcome (the game is taken down for a long amount of time, possibly preventing new accounts to be made)?

[Jango_Fett]

gonna chalk up a quick response post because right now i'm having trouble reading the text[light text clustered together doesnt mesh well with me - no hostility to you]


but a lot of these big bad 'oh no' potential happenings are hinging on the fact that Feral Heart will reach a playerbase so big it could crash the server.
I believe the amount in question is well above 1,100-1,400 people, as that was the nearly consistent playerbase it had from 2011-2014.

Not to be rude but, Feral Heart doesn't have much to offer and I really can't see the Registration opening to a functional level being able to get enough people to crash it in the first place.
The time this would've happened has long past, the solution of opening the Registration is really just to keep the community afloat.
I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Games like these have a shelf life, and as is Feral Heart is almost ten years old. The fact that is has been around for so long is astounding in of itself.


As for the availability of Razmirz - Easy solution, maybe not so easy to implement.
Get additional help.
Or wait.

It's what is done on countless other games and servers, just having someone there as a backup so they can switch the server back on in case of emergency.

I myself was an emergency contact for a friend's Garry's Mod roleplay server while he was out on business for two months. Worked out fine then.
I would understand if you're hesitant to trust anyone with this kind of power and privilege, since, yes, depending on your control panel and how permissions work with it, there could be problems.



Taking down the server for a period of time wouldn't prevent it from crashing at other times due to overpopulation. Straight up, that's very obvious. Not even putting off the inevitable - It just wouldn't do anything other than kill the game faster.




I also brought up 'curbing the population', because the vibes I'm getting from this are similar to the ones I got during the great General Chat incident. Where the Staff Team weren't able to keep up with a simple General chat. That's a discussion for an older time, but nonetheless this reminded me of it.



I have to ask though - How does hoarding accounts kill anything other than the database? Does the source code also have the keys to the database itself and potentially wiping it, or deleting older accounts?
Because I know that isn't true, or at the very least, it's halfway.
I do recall a conversation with a friend who hadn't used her accounts from 2011 for years, and in 2015 was able to access all ten of them. Whereas other people were off for the 1 to 2 year amount of inactivity time and had theirs deleted.

So is the database wiping bot just flawed in the coding itself, is it actually a manual process, or what?
Because the hoarding/making excessive accounts is still not a valid excuse on its own merits if there's nothing explained/listed to back it up.


All that's been said are vague explanations that explain very little, or, are statements that brush over small details that are actually somewhat important. They've never been expanded upon, and if they have, they've long since been buried and were never brought up again.

at this point i'm just trying to get a clear answer, which you did kinda.

[ShadowFang1355]

I remember being around in FH's earlier days, there was way more people online then. Why would a massive amount of people now be bad? It was fine before, why would it hurt now?

I don't really remember having any issues while I played with a massive amount of people on.

(I did leave for a few years though, came back sometime last year. I played for quite a while before going quiet though, so if there actually were server issues that I wasn't around for, give me a heads-up.)

[wolfdog01]

Out of curiosity, (this one's to everyone-- poll time, maybe? c:), if the registration were to be brought back permanently, what would be your personal opinion on the possible outcome resulting in the game being taken down for periods of time? Would it matter to you how frequently or how long these stretches of time occurred? Would it be worth it if a registration were more accessible? Would the best outcome (tons of people fill up the game and populate the maps) be worth the risk over the worst outcome (the game is taken down for a long amount of time, possibly preventing new accounts to be made)?

I think a once a week opening for a few hours would work out fine. Would give a stable time frame for players who were serious about trying it out. Never thought about Raz dealing with the server issues, it does clear things up for me. Thank you!
I personally wouldn't mind if the game was shut down for a week to fix server issues, it might push more people to the forums. That's what I did when the server crashed lol everyone went here to scream about it and then you realize "oh...there is a forum here...and stuff..." For me, seeing the server have to get fixed every once in a while would remind me that FH is still going strong and staying busy enough to have crashes...it sounds weird but that's how I feel.
Either way, I do believe you guys are doing an amazing job with what you have been given. I am excited about the new patch (don't change any more markings! Had to redo some ref sheets!) and I know you guys will fix these registration issues when a good solution arises.

[Ame88]

Idk how exactly to phrase things here without my words some how being taken the wrong way. I do want to be honest, especially because I strongly believe that the staff should remain transparent with the community on most things.

The staff hasn’t turned a blind eye to this subject. I know it’s frustrating when we don’t give you a straight up yes or no answer to things or round about of when or if something can or will be done... but we are reading your concerns and taking deep consideration of things. Keep in mind that a lot of the decisions made here aren’t just out of the whim things. Things have been set to work a particular way for specific reasons. Certain systems also effect the way other systems work so there’s no easy or straight forward right or wrong approach to things.

Feral Heart is a game similar to some other games but with its own unique set of problems... most of which we can’t address and fix the way we want to because of the lack of the game’s source code. There would be much better approaches to things like registration or even the log in system if we had a means to properly correct the issues at root. For this reason many of the simple “fixes” proposed don’t necessarily work for FH’s case.

Truthfully speaking none of us like the registration the way it is.

It would be wonderful to just open it back up 24/7 again for one of the obvious reasons of it making it easier for new users to join. If FH registration worked this way we would definitely have a lot more new blood regularly coming into the community again. I think we all would love this...

But there’s always issues that follow particular decisions made, either leaving it open 24/7, or keeping it random, or having particular days/hours as open times etc... behind the scenes FH has been made to work at best as it could with its limitations. Sadly this doesn’t always mean that it is reflected well upon the player base, so it becomes more of a balancing issue:

 How to keep both the aging broken source code-less game alive and functioning as well as an ever changing and shifting community...

At some point things just can’t catch up, and certain sacrifices end up being made.

It’s no ones fault.

It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating to you, and us. It’s frustrating to all of us as people who care about and love Feral Heart and I wholeheartedly apologize for this.

While we can’t make exact promises, I do want to assure you all that this issue is still being discussed and considered. While we don’t have a lot of options we are weighing them and considering things... We share your concerns as deeply as you all do.

For as long as Feral Heart continues to run we will try our very best to work with things and consider all the possibilities. We’ve come a long way and while things may not have always worked ideally we are still trying our best.

Thank you all for your continued support and feedback.

In due time we hope to reach a decision that can healthily balance both the game/server’s well being and the community’s.

<3

I’m going to bounce off some of what Suragaha has stated here, but I’ll add on a few thoughts of my own. Hopefully I can help clarify a few things. c:

You also do not explain why these "simple fixes" won't work with Feral Heart. What are the simple fixes?
I'm loosely aware of how the registration works, and from what I can gather with what little[AKA, none] information I have... The source code shouldn't be having an effect on this.
But then again, I don't know if it's just website side going to the game, or what. Because no one explains anything.

I would be understanding if you guys didn't know because you aren't aware of what's even in the source code, but again, you haven't told anyone anything.

In regard to the “simple fixes,” a large part of this originates from how the game is built. The game is not designed to be a huge MMORPG. It’s just not. Perhaps it was a future desire of LKD's to incorporate room for a larger playerbase, but as Feral Heart currently is, it can be easily crippled by a large influx of users on its server; this is what caused the initial crash back in 2010, which led to the game having to be temporarily taken down. This is what is meant by the game is buggy. Without the code, we don’t have all of the ability to “make” it easier on the server. Flurr above mentined this, too. ^^ The current random registration system certainly has its existence promoted by instigating ways to prevent people from hoarding accounts, but the main reason is because the server is not meant to handle so many people playing online at once. (Which we have seen actually occur in the past, actual history and not hypothetical suspicion. It's only natural for staff to be worried about this, because we don't want to put the community in a situation where they cannot even enjoy the game as it is. Staff have stated this publically in the past.) A significant concern with opening the registration full time is: what will happen to the server if this is done? In the past, the constant influx of people lead to Razmirz having to spend quite a bit of time simply trying to get the game working, let alone any other bug fixes he was able to conduct. The question then is, if we were to make the change to permanently open registration, will the game be fine when Razmirz may not be in a position to quickly and constantly fix a game that has bugs like those? If work calls up, if personal problems arise? Will the game be better off having experienced those changes, when we have foreseen how badly it can go in the past but unsure of how well it will do in the future? Because the responsibility of the server lies soley on one individual, this can be a very tasking effort. This is when personal incidents and life begins to take a toll. The concern of the moment is if we should open the registration to allow more folks to join in, but the concern of later will be if we can even keep the game online. If one takes into consideration what he is capable of himself, the time he has allotted to dedicate, estimated how much time it would take to rectify an influx, this vastly affects the decision. The proceeding question is what is the best to do for our game—it seems like a very cut and dry answer on the surface, but there is a lot more to which it boils down. Feral Heart could potentially be unplayable for stretches of time if Razmirz is not available to constantly fix it. This is why staff have to consider if it’s worth it. Is the risk of making registration more accessible worth the potential of no one playing at all? Of course, the other factors do factor into this, as some have mentioned in prior posts, referencing the issue with players hoarding accounts or creating extra ones to stir up trouble. It’s a complex problem.

In terms of transparency, this isn't something concealed from the community. I myself has stated the gist of the explanation above previously, and I have seen other staff members doing so, as well. The reasons for why there has been past hesitation for implementing the registration permanently, full-time, has been referenced quite a few times. The issues we cannot fix "simply" in terms of the game's bugs (ex. a better security precaution than the login-page, a better adapted server to maintain large amounts of people) have been stated publically before. You have said yourself that you only have a loose understanding of the registration, so perhaps the explanation I have provided above will help to shed some light and fill in any gaps. The reason for why the registration is the way it is has already been posted publically on the very rules section of this forum:

General Information Regarding FeralHeart Registration

Why does the registration work this way?
A lot of people ask the question "why" the registration work this way, and the reason is quite a reasonable one. Feralheart is really just another game online, taken care of and run by people in their free time out of mere interest and love for the game itself. We want to make sure it works as well as we can, and that's where quantity is not the only thing to think about. We want to keep the site and game up and running smoothly without hiccups and issues due to the registration part, and just reduce general abuse of the registration system where users would intentionally hog accounts, those who really want or need an account will get one eventually. Even though a greater number of players is always fun to see, it cannot always be a priority since we need to look a bit further ahead than just that.

Staff has been considering this greatly over the past few months, considering ways in which we could give or take more on the current system we have. Ultimately, this choice is up to Razmirz, though, because he is the one who tends to the server, pays for it, and has the capacity to actually make those implementations. The one who is responsible for this server has to reflect upon his present situation as well as the future of the game and determine the best course of action. While it may seem irresponsible to some that nothing has been “done,” please consider that perhaps his knowledge of how the server works and his available time have factored into this. The reason the argument that “Feral Heart has its own problems” has truth to it in contrast to other games is that the problem we could fix (adapting the game to handle a population influx) is not so fixable. This is from what I know, at least, in regards to our limitations with the source code. ^^ Staff isn’t trying to curb its population in that we don’t want people to play the game. We have observed the game and we aren't blind to what you guys have been seeing. It saddens us when we see fewer players online, because we want the game to continue to grow and thrive. If you have a garden, you will try to care for it as best as you can, watering it and providing it with adequate soil. There are other issues that arise in your garden that you cannot control, however-- the weather or invading insects, for instance. Perhaps you would like to buy some blankets to cover the plants when it freezes over, or maybe you would like to purchase some quality pest repellent, but if you don't have the resources to buy those commodities… you have to make do with what you have. That doesn't mean you don't love your garden. It doesn't mean you're sitting back hoping to see it wither and die. Anyone who has been in a position where they have loved something but haven't had the control, the knowledge, the resources, etc., to care for it in the way they desire will understand what this means. Most all of us have been in this position one way or another in life. The reality is that life does not always present us with equal ability to conduct the means to establish what we want in the way that we want it.

I appreciate where you're coming from, Jango, and I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I've been looking through some of the comments on this thread, and it is evident that we have a community with a desire to see Feral Heart continue and survive as the game we love. I understand the positions you guys are in, and hopefully you can put yourself in the shoes of those who are working to hold up the game for what it is. In terms of course of action, it's still hovering in the air, because we have been listening to your thoughts and want to reflect your values in the game as well as maintain a clear-minded perspective on the reality of implementing those actions. It's rough for a community to deal with a place that isn't necessarily at the top of where it could be, especially when discouraged or when they see aspects about the game that are not what it could be. We haven't abandoned your opinions, though, and we're still digging around for the best option. ^^

Out of curiosity, (this one's to everyone-- poll time, maybe? c:), if the registration were to be brought back permanently, what would be your personal opinion on the possible outcome resulting in the game being taken down for periods of time? Would it matter to you how frequently or how long these stretches of time occurred? Would it be worth it if a registration were more accessible? Would the best outcome (tons of people fill up the game and populate the maps) be worth the risk over the worst outcome (the game is taken down for a long amount of time, possibly preventing new accounts to be made)?

I honestly tried to avoid replying to this topic twice, other than to put my suggestion down in attempt to maybe help, granted it was essentially the same as everyone elses. Now that I've read through what the staff had said, my suspicions and guesses have been put to rest.

First off, thank you Nynx for explaining this. It really clears things up for me. I'm always fascinated with how things work in FH, and honestly wish I knew more. But I agree with your statements wholeheartedly. Seeing as Raz is the only one tending to the server itself; fixing issues, adjusting things, paying for it... He does a lot for FH regarding the server, and if FH is over populated and all these problems arise, then how much of a strain would that be on Raz? A lot I can say. It's not easy being the only one tending to technical issues, and I'm sure that in of itself is a headache. Basically as I see it now that there's been some light shed on things, when we're all asking and even sometimes demanding that the registration comes back, we're unaware of what we're really asking for. Possible issues, stress on Raz, and whatever else. As Sura and Nynx said, they gotta way in the bad just as much of the good to make the best decision possible for FH.

As for your question, personally I wouldn't feel comfortable with the game possibly crashing and burning to then be brought to the repair shop. Sure yeah, having TONS of players flood in would be nice, but, then they couldn't even play if the server crashes. I'm sure it would happen often, too, once we get a plethora of players just swarming around trying to enjoy themselves when it finally comes back online. I can imagine it would get frustrating after finally making an account, but the server is down for who knows how long, let alone not even being able to make an account. Not to mention the work would be put on Raz to get things fixed and set up again. Between work and daily life, I'm sure that would be tedious. My only suggestion would be having at least one day of the week open all day for people to make their accounts, so that way they aren't guessing and have a set time they can come over and make their account. Only a suggestion, though!