I'm just wondering if maybe the cause of the lack of players is due to the small issues I want to talk about here, sorry for the long article, I'm just slapping down some thoughts and opinions! :D
Reading this now I basically wrote out a guide oops TwT
Mini Update History Lesson (The Possible Causes)
Recently I've noticed an interesting trend with the community's activity on the forum and in game. I thought talking about it might spark an interesting thought or two and hopefully improve a few things about the game.
November 2015, Feral Heart was supposedly "hacked", or just had a little "blip". This was the first of it's kind and the creator took it upon himself to protect the passwords best as he could by implementing an online Login System that couldn't be as easily bypassed. This was a smart implementation, however it became an annoyance to many older players, many complaining about why the issue hasn't been "fixed" yet. This may be one issue that drove alot of players away.
June 2016, the new 1.15 overhaul update. Many people may have lost a sense of "nostalgia" and left, while many others were re-attracted to the game. The community won some and lost some. Overall there were alot more active players active, trying to explore every nook and cranny, although many missed the Ascension Islands, which kept alot of players online who were trying to get to the top. The loss of this old map may have left many players bored, which may be why they left so soon.
2019 ~ 2020, Registration is more open then it used to be. I understand that the closed register was to prevent flooding of game servers, but I'm happy to see it's open more often now to welcome newer players in. I'm unsure with exactly whats happening with the register, but due to the lack of players online nowadays, I think it's safe to say it stays open for a while until the next spike of players returns. Due to it's openness I've seen quite a few new players running about the world during early 2020, with no presets, items or custom markings. It was refreshing to see this spike in new players, even if it didn't last long :')
1.17 patch update. This chased alot of people away. I understand that it's a simple fix, however I have talked to many previously active players who just can't seem to get it right. It frustrated them to the point of giving up and playing something else. For someone who enjoys Feral Heart but doesn't have much knowledge or experience in messing with files, it can be really annoying and demotivating. Rather then giving players 100 new steps to installing the game, rather just turn it into 1 main download. And yes this may mean that those who already have the current Feral Heart would have to reinstall it, but that's not much different for those who don't understand computers that well, trying to install the patch. Back when the community thrived it was 1 register and 1 download. Now it's a register, web login, 1 big download and a patch that looks just like the shortcut, old .exe file and the new one. Pretty overwhelming for someone who just wants to check the game out. This may keep that surge of newer players out aswell. Meaning a drop in ingame activity. So if it's possible to fix this soon, that would be a relief to newer players
Other issues
Feral Heart, unlike its predecessor "Impressive Title" is a mainly social game, however the lack of public roleplay and fun games in general also leaves newcomers wondering what to do, so the hype then would have never seemed worth it. The current community is very closed off when compared the the golden age of Feral Heart, where the community was full of funny or creepy characters. Always something to have fun with. Social games are difficult to keep a community alive with, especially if there's not much else within the game to do. In Impressive Title, there were quests and items and boss fights to keep the community more active, however in Feral Heart there's a movie maker and a few in game maps and that's about it (not including community creations)
So what can I do?
Be a more friendly community! Go say hello to more people and ask to be friends, make up some games! Make movies for YouTube like they used to. There's lot's to do with a game like this and an endless imagination! It doesn't help complaining about the lack of new content when your not trying to make some yourself.
1) If you do happen to see new players, welcome them the best you can!
2) Don't gatekeep areas or groups. The Maps are public areas, so don't be offended when a colorful dragon runs past your "realistic wolf roleplay cave"
3) Try to interact with quiet players to encourage more activity
4) Open some public oneshot roleplays to welcome new players or new friends
5) If meeting strangers isn't your thing, try to invite some friends to the community
But what about technical issues?
I can't say for sure if it's the main reason the community is "dead" but I do know it's chasing many new people away.
1) The Feral Heart website is rather outdated and could use a bit of an update.
2) Don't expect newer players to be wise in the ways of the file explorer, simplify it little bit more please as it can be very frustrating.
3) The sound when first loading up the game breaks your ears, please have mercy.
4) Maybe add more hidden secrets and maps similar to Ascension Island, so players don't get as bored.
Knowing that there is a hidden area that can be found means that people
will want to spend time in game in order to find these hidden secrets
Thanks for reading! I had fun writing this. Plus the only real reason I made it look professional was because I haven't posted a Forum post in a while and I'm excited to make one that looks pretty:') What do you all think of the possible causes?