The issues I see atm are:
1) Accessibility: People lack the time to come home from work and play FH due to chores etc. but they are able to use Discord more due to there being a mobile version
Fix: Make a mobile version of FH.
Discord is most certainly a factor in FeralHeart's decline, but it's not the sole factor. Simply making a mobile version for FH will not fix this issue. If anything, people lack the drive to get on due to the lack of "content" more or less. Things to do in general, on top of juggling real life struggles for most now a days. Due to how quiet things are, people rather go elsewhere for content than sit online. Back when FH was still "booming", there were always things to do. Did the game offer those things? In short, no, save Ascension and Skys Rim serving as intended platforming challenges. What made the game lively, gave people things to do, were the very players that got on and goofed off. Those players would create the things we cherish; Mate Centers (and other centers), climbing the mountains in Fluorite, making it a challenge to climb Ascension without falling, stopping, setting your home, etc., people roleplaying everywhere, Ficho and it's creepy pasta/fandom hub, Bonfire and it's crazy nature that so many would find amusing...and don't get me started on the TLK roleplays that would happen there. All of these things and so much more were player made, and it was a constant draw for so many, even in busy times some people would still make the time to get online because there was this charm. Then you will always have your easy-going players who just like to make characters and relax while looking at the chat, or just have the game on in the background. Everyone had their piece of cake and ate it too.
What the game needs is a bit more content to inspire people to get online again. Bring back platforming, have maps that are fun to explore and have many secrets and "treasures" you can find after completing a platforming challenge or just by adventuring, and let's not forget the big elephant in the room; the old maps. Bring back familiarity for the oldies, and at the same time introduce new experiences for newcomers, with the added cherry on top of stories galore of good times in said areas.
Now, could the game use a little more content in terms of game play mechanics? Possibly yes, but right now focus needs to be put on the essentials and what the game once had but is now lacking in, circling back to the point that making a mobile version won't magically fix this issue. It would be the same exact environment we have now, but on a phone. Hardly anything to do but RP, talk, and sit online as you tab, all to most likely be disconnected if you tab out of the "FeralHeart App" in this scenario.
The staff can provide one part of this puzzle, but the rest lies on the community and what they do with it.
2) Lack of Ideas: Not everyone is the creative type of person. Those sort of people get bored easily when the creative people are unable to play because they get on FH expecting to see other players roleplaying etc. Them they either lay around bored or just leave (not necessarily permanently ofc).
Fix: Add features to FH (could be optional per player) that would keep the non-creative types entertained.
Agreed! Voiced as much in my previous answer.
3) Missing the Past or Friends: People loose motivation to play when there is too much change. Loosing too many game features or friends all at once unexpectedly is a sure way to loose players.
Fix: Change of features should be gradual, however loss of friends is a social issue that is out of our control. Also, existing game features should not be removed unless absolutely necessary (like things that pose a safety or security or performance issue). And notice should be given before removing something. We cannot fix the past, but we can at least build a brighter future. It is time to move on and let go of past negative experiences. No more grudges. A fresh start.
Agreed wholeheartedly. The update that changed FH drastically in terms of maps and familiarity was by no means handled well. The biggest mistake of that whole update was the sudden change that was dropped in front of everyone, including myself. Nobody knew the update was going to happen, it was like a huge carpet being pulled out from under the entire community. Now all of the staff that worked on that update did a fantastic job creating those maps most certainly, but the way they were all presented left almost everyone with a bad taste in their mouths for them. Personally, I can see the reason behind why it all had to be done, namely removing the old maps in place of new ones due to the issues they caused, and I can forgive the sudden change and enjoy the new maps now because I understand, but that's not the case for many out there, and understandably so. Those maps were and still are very special to so many that played FeralHeart, and they were all stripped of that very thing. All of those memories, the friends they made, adventures they had, hardships and good times they experienced, now all gone in the blink of an eye. Many people grew up with those maps, and now they're gone. It's truly heartbreaking.
4) Lack of Community Trust: Many people still do not trust the current staff due to incidents that arose from the actions of past staff.
Fix: Time. Even though only one of the old staff remains, new staff always inherit the good or bad reputation of past staff and it takes time for the opinion of the community to "catch up" with the change in staff.
Yup yup. This is why I always try to make it an effort to be around others and always extend a friendly hand. I've said it many times in the past, I'm not just a staff member, I'm a community member that loves this game just like everyone else. Just because I have a special title over my head or a special badge on my chest doesn't mean I'm any more important. I'm just like everyone else.
5) Conflicting Ideals and Lack of Compromise: There are many conflicting ideals in the community. If person A wants a map with just red roses and person B wants a map with just white roses, it is impossible to please them both unless both people are willing to compromise (perhaps a map that is half red roses and half white roses?). This situation makes it very difficult for any positive change if both people refuse to be happy unless things are perfectly their way.
Fix: Focus on concepts that the majority of players are interested in and attempt to come to a compromise when ideals conflict. If certain individuals cannot be satisfied, that isn't something anyone else can fix because it would be a personal issue.
While you cannot please everyone, and you most certainly shouldn't be a people pleaser, it's very important to listen and compromise when you can, provided it's reasonable and beneficial for the game.
6) Bullying and Drama: I know several people who have been bullied and all too often said bullying occurs via private chats or in FH related Discord servers. Also, many bullying victims are too afraid to report said incidents, which just feeds the bully because they feel they are getting away with it. Also, some people are quick to start violent protests over issues they feel strongly about.
Fix: Teach people to not be afraid of reporting bullies. Perhaps anti-bullying workshops of some kind would help. Make sure there are stiff penalties for those caught bullying (I would have a minimum 24 hour suspension for offenders). There is no excuse for bullying anyone and can result in great mental and emotional trauma. If you feel strongly about something, don't start a big scene over it. That sort of thing helps nobody. In fact, it makes people stop listening to you and even drives people away.
There are still amazing floofs out there that do still report rule breakers, and for them I am always grateful. It's no brainer that staff can't be online 24/7, and that's where the community steps in. The community as a whole are countless players while the staff are just so few individuates. what would really help is a proper report system via a working report button.
As for bullying, the absolute #1 thing to do is ignore and block. For some instances this won't fix the problem, but a lot of times this is all you need to rid of someone you do not wish to interact with. If they continuously harass you, then it's up to the individual to take matters into their own hands and stand up for themselves. Take screenshots, document the harassment, record it on your phone or through a screen capture program, anything and everything you can to save those instances of abuse/harassment so you can warn others. Encourage those around you to care for themselves and take action against their harasser rather than let them stand there and let it happen.
7) Misplaced Blame: Ultimately, it isn't just the staff who determine the rise or fall of any game, it is both staff and community who determine whether a game succeeds or fails. No one person or group of people is to blame. Everyone contributes to the success or failure of a game.
Fix: Stop looking for scapegoats to pin things on when things go wrong.
TTHHIIIISSSSS- AALLLL OF THIISSSS
ahem- Blame gets tossed around left and right way too often. There are many factors that play into FeralHeart being in the state it's in. In a sense, everyone is at fault. What we need to do is stop wasting our time trying to place blame, but instead spend our time on what matters: working together to get this game back on track. Though as a final note on this particular matter, things seemed to have moved on from blaming (for the most part) in the immediate circle/community we have now in FeralHeart, so I think it's safe to say we can put this to rest, move on from it and focus on the future. Blame is not what we need to focus on.
if nobody is playing on a computer, why would ppl be playing on their itty bitty phone lol
I ask myself the same question for Animal Jam over Play Wild, but boiled down, the answer is simple: it's easy and more convenient to have it on their "itty bitty phones" than to sit at a computer.
The goal would be to make it easier and more convenient for people to be on, but for the whole concept to work, FH wold need more content.
So, it seems that the mobile has gained some traction and I've thought more on it and while I think the concept is cool, I also have concerns about what a Mobile Feral-Heart would be.
One of the biggest draws for me, personally, was the member-made content of FH. I came back to FH after a break (and discovering it would run on my machine) due to the ability for me to make maps. Map-making was, and is one of the coolest aspects of this game. So is making and using preset, objects, animations, markings, and GUIs.
I understand wanting to add features for the game itself to make it more engaging, and I think additions would be great! I also think there are some aspects of the game that would be lost with the mobile version-- which if that is a solution to activity I feel like I should voice them?
RP groups. Most RP groups, in my opinion, wouldn't run on the mobile FH or utilize it for their groups. Especially RP groups that write longer posts, writing on mobile is not exactly easy or fun. I understand that you wouldn't have to use the mobile version, but if new players are using the mobile app over the desktop, or that's how people get on the game more often, I see RP groups drifting even further away from the game.
Member made content. I understand that this is also something that can be done on the desktop version, but with updated features and other things with FH, would those options still be available? Would you be able to make your own objects, add them to the game, make your own maps? How do you upload presets, maps, items, animations, GUI without getting on the desktop first? What if you only use mobile-- are you just not going to be able to utilize those things?
Mobile is definitely an interesting take, I'm just not sure the things that make FH interesting and charming now work in a mobile format?
If the game had a mobile version, simply put, the charm would be mostly gone. It would be incredibly hard to make maps, presets, change your interface etc., unless you're a glutton for punishment and want to go through the process of using the map maker tools on mobile. To get hands on with any other files like animation files or items, markings, and meshes, you'd have to access the FH Mobile files via your computer. Seems to defeat the purpose if you want to be on mobile but you can't do any of that on mobile without a computer to aid you. A simple solution to this would be just to have the customization set only to the desktop, but that is very limiting to the mobile users to just be on the base game, so what would even be the point. There are other measures that can be taken to ease the strain on making some of those customizations, but that would take some technical work and networking set up by Raz and any other coder that has the time and knowledge.
While a mobile version seems pretty cool, I personally am against it. FeralHeart for years has been a desktop game, and within those years people have been content with it. We don't need to be focusing our time into splitting the community between mobile and desktop while there are more important things that need to be fixed/worked on, namely general fixes and improvements the game needs, on top of seeing if we can't get it off of it's current engine as it's lifespan is dwindling and will soon no longer be supported on any new computers that come out, along with it's performance not being the best in this day and age. While mobile can be an easy fix with various problems following that fix, there are other solutions we need to look into first.
So, it seems that the mobile has gained some traction and I've thought more on it and while I think the concept is cool, I also have concerns about what a Mobile Feral-Heart would be.
One of the biggest draws for me, personally, was the member-made content of FH. I came back to FH after a break (and discovering it would run on my machine) due to the ability for me to make maps. Map-making was, and is one of the coolest aspects of this game. So is making and using preset, objects, animations, markings, and GUIs.
I understand wanting to add features for the game itself to make it more engaging, and I think additions would be great! I also think there are some aspects of the game that would be lost with the mobile version-- which if that is a solution to activity I feel like I should voice them?
RP groups. Most RP groups, in my opinion, wouldn't run on the mobile FH or utilize it for their groups. Especially RP groups that write longer posts, writing on mobile is not exactly easy or fun. I understand that you wouldn't have to use the mobile version, but if new players are using the mobile app over the desktop, or that's how people get on the game more often, I see RP groups drifting even further away from the game.
Member made content. I understand that this is also something that can be done on the desktop version, but with updated features and other things with FH, would those options still be available? Would you be able to make your own objects, add them to the game, make your own maps? How do you upload presets, maps, items, animations, GUI without getting on the desktop first? What if you only use mobile-- are you just not going to be able to utilize those things?
Mobile is definitely an interesting take, I'm just not sure the things that make FH interesting and charming now work in a mobile format?
If the game had a mobile version, simply put, the charm would be mostly gone. It would be incredibly hard to make maps, presets, change your interface etc., unless you're a glutton for punishment and want to go through the process of using the map maker tools on mobile. To get hands on with any other files like animation files or items, markings, and meshes, you'd have to access the FH Mobile files via your computer. Seems to defeat the purpose if you want to be on mobile but you can't do any of that on mobile without a computer to aid you. A simple solution to this would be just to have the customization set only to the desktop, but that is very limiting to the mobile users to just be on the base game, so what would even be the point. There are other measures that can be taken to ease the strain on making some of those customizations, but that would take some technical work and networking set up by Raz and any other coder that has the time and knowledge.
While a mobile version seems pretty cool, I personally am against it. FeralHeart for years has been a desktop game, and within those years people have been content with it. We don't need to be focusing our time into splitting the community between mobile and desktop while there are more important things that need to be fixed/worked on, namely general fixes and improvements the game needs, on top of seeing if we can't get it off of it's current engine as it's lifespan is dwindling and will soon no longer be supported on any new computers that come out, along with it's performance not being the best in this day and age. While mobile can be an easy fix with various problems following that fix, there are other solutions we need to look into first.
I totally agree with both of you, I don't think that a mobile version of Feralheart is really viable, or something I'd be for. All in all, a mobile version would just not be Feralheart anymore. So much of the creativity would be sucked out of it if it was on mobile, not to mention that I'm not sure you'd even be able to port FH into a mobile game (but I don't know a lot about that). It's definitely a 'for computer' game, and that's just how it is. I don't want to see a mobile version of FH. I don't think it would feel like the same game, it would probably have to be rebuilt completely. If anything the only thing that would remain the same would probably be the base idea of having a game where you play as canine or feline and explore.
As Stormi said, it would be incredibly difficult to RP on (I for one hate typing sideways on my phone, and I assume a FH mobile game would be played sideways) and so many of the original things players can make (maps, presets, etc) would be pretty much impossible.
I feel like while it's a cool idea... it's not something I would want, or even be interested in. I like Feralheart how it is and while I wouldn't mind some upgrades, I don't feel like it needs to change what it can be played on. Mobile FH sounds unnecessary to me. I totally agree that there are other things that should be focused on like Ame said!
It's not easy to just make mobile games but prove me wrong.
I design software that works equally well on Windows, Linux, and Android with absolutely no trouble at all. Mobile development is no harder than desktop development. In fact, I made a small game to teach cross-platform game development. You can find the code in this tutorial: https://cybermals.ml/cheetah-code/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=40&sid=ae62b409237a231fedc3deb7565578d2 (https://cybermals.ml/cheetah-code/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=40&sid=ae62b409237a231fedc3deb7565578d2)
And I invite you to DM me if you would like to try out the built Windows, Linux, and Android versions of said game.
if nobody is playing on a computer, why would ppl be playing on their itty bitty phone lol
For starters, mobile devices include tablets. People who only play mobile games probably know nothing about FH. And even if they did, it isn't available on their gaming device of choice (aka their phone or tablet). If it was available to them, it could get them interested in playing and make FH less empty.
So, it seems that the mobile has gained some traction and I've thought more on it and while I think the concept is cool, I also have concerns about what a Mobile Feral-Heart would be.
One of the biggest draws for me, personally, was the member-made content of FH. I came back to FH after a break (and discovering it would run on my machine) due to the ability for me to make maps. Map-making was, and is one of the coolest aspects of this game. So is making and using preset, objects, animations, markings, and GUIs.
I understand wanting to add features for the game itself to make it more engaging, and I think additions would be great! I also think there are some aspects of the game that would be lost with the mobile version-- which if that is a solution to activity I feel like I should voice them?
RP groups. Most RP groups, in my opinion, wouldn't run on the mobile FH or utilize it for their groups. Especially RP groups that write longer posts, writing on mobile is not exactly easy or fun. I understand that you wouldn't have to use the mobile version, but if new players are using the mobile app over the desktop, or that's how people get on the game more often, I see RP groups drifting even further away from the game.
Member made content. I understand that this is also something that can be done on the desktop version, but with updated features and other things with FH, would those options still be available? Would you be able to make your own objects, add them to the game, make your own maps? How do you upload presets, maps, items, animations, GUI without getting on the desktop first? What if you only use mobile-- are you just not going to be able to utilize those things?
Mobile is definitely an interesting take, I'm just not sure the things that make FH interesting and charming now work in a mobile format?
For starters, there is no reason why member-made content couldn't work equally well on a mobile edition of FH. The tools required to make member-made content are a text editor, an image editor, a mesh editor, and an animation editor. The first three are already available on phones and tablets. Everything else is done in-game and I definitely know that Android provides user access to files in an app's external storage folder.
Furthermore, I will emphasize that the primary target audience of a mobile version of FH would be people who prefer mobile games. Not current players who prefer PC games. And I am not talking about having 2 separate servers either. I am talking about having one codebase that compiles for multiple platforms and connects to just one server as described in this diagram which I have prepared for your convenience:
(https://i.imgur.com/pScbrAE.png)
In fact, if you do some reasearch, you will find that many games already have this so called "cross-platform" play. For example, Minecraft for Windows 10 can connect to the same server as the Android and Nintendo Switch versions of Minecraft.
If the game had a mobile version, simply put, the charm would be mostly gone. It would be incredibly hard to make maps, presets, change your interface etc., unless you're a glutton for punishment and want to go through the process of using the map maker tools on mobile. To get hands on with any other files like animation files or items, markings, and meshes, you'd have to access the FH Mobile files via your computer. Seems to defeat the purpose if you want to be on mobile but you can't do any of that on mobile without a computer to aid you. A simple solution to this would be just to have the customization set only to the desktop, but that is very limiting to the mobile users to just be on the base game, so what would even be the point. There are other measures that can be taken to ease the strain on making some of those customizations, but that would take some technical work and networking set up by Raz and any other coder that has the time and knowledge.
While a mobile version seems pretty cool, I personally am against it. FeralHeart for years has been a desktop game, and within those years people have been content with it. We don't need to be focusing our time into splitting the community between mobile and desktop while there are more important things that need to be fixed/worked on, namely general fixes and improvements the game needs, on top of seeing if we can't get it off of it's current engine as it's lifespan is dwindling and will soon no longer be supported on any new computers that come out, along with it's performance not being the best in this day and age. While mobile can be an easy fix with various problems following that fix, there are other solutions we need to look into first.
Part of this was addressed above, but I will also address a few points you made here.
For starters, I do not believe that a mobile version would detract from the charm of the game or split the community between mobile and desktop. As I stated above, a mobile edition would be primarily for people who do not play PC games and it would use the same server as the PC game. Therefore, it would cause no division and would not affect existing players in a negative manner.
Also, you stated that something we should be looking at is getting away from the current engine. If we did switch engines, even if the new engine was a modern version of Ogre, most modern engines come with mobile support out of the box. Newer Ogre has it, Unity has it, Godot has it, etc. So why not take advantage of the opportunity? A mobile edition is not supposed to be an "easy fix" but rather a small piece of a larger solution that includes fixing performance and compatibility issues.
While I understand all of your points, and agree that it would be beneficial in certain aspects, mobile is still something that we shouldn't be concerned with right this second. It would be better to look into something like that once the game is on stable grounds (petition to rename The Grounds to Stable Grounds les go- jokes, jokes pff). It's definitely something to have in our back pockets for later down the road as an option.
While I understand all of your points, and agree that it would be beneficial in certain aspects, mobile is still something that we shouldn't be concerned with right this second. It would be better to look into something like that once the game is on stable grounds (petition to rename The Grounds to Stable Grounds les go- jokes, jokes pff). It's definitely something to have in our back pockets for later down the road as an option.
In a cross-platform project, mobile development always does come after desktop development because it is easier to test the desktop edition. So this concept does fit in with what you are saying.