This game isn't dying, it's already dead: a proposal

[Oddonelynx]

Why not just let it die?

Because of the same reason you’re working on FHU?

Because we care about our community and the game. We want to see it thrive, and we want to preserve a place that still means so much to many. A place that after several years of absence you still see old users return to and look fondly upon.

For those that seem to think we don’t care, aren’t listening, and aren’t trying, do you ever just question then why we are still here? Does it really make sense to think that a staff team that has to deal with constant misinformation, doubt, ridicule, trolling, death threats and so forth would stick around for nothing? You’ve got folks here who have busy personal lives, health struggles, relationships, kids, jobs, etc pouring their time and souls into an absolutely free internet game daily for seemingly no reward.

There’s got to be a reason, and that’s because we care. We want to make you all happy. We value the feelings and desires of total strangers enough to stick around for countless years. We keep trying, and you know what? We don’t always succeed. That’s life. That goes for anything you do. You can’t always make everyone happy, even yourself, but heck we sure will try and if that means we have to keep trying then so be it. That’s why we are still here, and that’s why we will not just let it die.

Because to let it die, is to simply give up! To give up on caring... And honestly I think thats more of a failure then any possible unpopular patch or future decision.

^^^ Full praise to the staff/dev team for dealing with an influx of these kinds of posts. Not everyone wants the game to go away and some of us are looking forward to whatever new content comes our way.

Exactly listen to these guys ^

[Calvary]

While Birdie is correct in the statement, FH and FHU are made to run entirely separately. The servers are two entirely different things. You can have one while having the other. I am a strong supporter of having two separate servers, mainly because it's only fair.

I do want to mention though, the server is on a steady decline. I know many in this post have mentioned or denied this because there are still 'over 100 people playing the game,' this is false and incorrect information.

Why?

https://gyazo.com/9d510780a26fb1169924b62ee56c1a35

This counter is not accurate by any means. It has never been accurate, but maybe a long time ago it used to. You ever noticed how even when the server was fully shut down, it still said there were around 40 people online? The counter is inaccurate, and has been inaccurate. To give you a proper estimate, I guarantee the game itself gets a little over 40-50 players. I do strongly believe it never gets above 100, and hasn't for a long, long time.

Forum activity does not account for game activity. You also have to take into account that most of the views on the forums are guests, or Google Adsense bots. You get many users joining that, well, could be side accounts, new players that never touch the game again after the login page, or are actual genuine players. Which accounts for, and I'm being a bit generous here, perhaps 5% of the total amount of users registered that actually play.

I respect the care the staff has put into this game. Their dedication, despite our differences, is something to be admired. However, members making critiques and suggestions isn't a means of putting any of you down. It is coming from a place of genuine care and love for this game. I stated my leave a long time ago, but I still come onto this forum to speak my mind not because I hate the game, or anything like that.

In fact, my love for this game is immense. This is why I worked so diligently as a staff member. I used to have an immense drive for this game that was insurmountable. That does not mean, however, that because I am vocal about things and topics, that I hate the game and want to see it's collapse. Far from that. When people are this vocal, it's usually out of serious concern.

However.

I understand things are being looked at. Being taken into account. I understand there are things and variables to be considered. I get that, I really do.
But there is no reason for surprises anymore. There is no reason for competition, false rumors, allegations, and other things like that. Just be open, be modest, and even if it isn't a 'roadmap,' at least publicly tell us what the plan is. Don't strike people who have not done you harm.

You cannot expect this community to get excited about a big surprise because this is constant. You can have small surprises and whatnot, but no more hiding things behind a curtain unless it's absolutely necessary. 

That's just my two cents.

[Aureilius]

Why not just let it die?

Because of the same reason you’re working on FHU?

Because we care about our community and the game. We want to see it thrive, and we want to preserve a place that still means so much to many. A place that after several years of absence you still see old users return to and look fondly upon.

For those that seem to think we don’t care, aren’t listening, and aren’t trying, do you ever just question then why we are still here? Does it really make sense to think that a staff team that has to deal with constant misinformation, doubt, ridicule, trolling, death threats and so forth would stick around for nothing? You’ve got folks here who have busy personal lives, health struggles, relationships, kids, jobs, etc pouring their time and souls into an absolutely free internet game daily for seemingly no reward.

There’s got to be a reason, and that’s because we care. We want to make you all happy. We value the feelings and desires of total strangers enough to stick around for countless years. We keep trying, and you know what? We don’t always succeed. That’s life. That goes for anything you do. You can’t always make everyone happy, even yourself, but heck we sure will try and if that means we have to keep trying then so be it. That’s why we are still here, and that’s why we will not just let it die.

Because to let it die, is to simply give up! To give up on caring... And honestly I think thats more of a failure then any possible unpopular patch or future decision.

And you shouldn't have to deal with all of these problems? It's... Okay to walk away when things are bad for you. There's a difference between giving up and making a choice to no longer deal with something that drains you. Ever since the hacking incident, activity has been slowly fizzling out. That, and with all the drama as of late, it feels as though this game was cursed.

So yes, there are new registrations, but how many of them stick around? That's the problem, from my perspective. And with the new maps, nobody is really coming back for a nostalgia trip, either.

[leda]

aure's opinion i think isn't corresponding or speaking on behalf of fhu, this is the game discussion area, so that's what it's being used for.  I just want that specification out of the way, being an active FH user myself!  aure is completely entitled to her opinion but I don't think this thread should shift into and be misread as an FH vs FHU thing... we've had plenty of that on our shoulders, which is so disheartening given that both dev teams want the exact same thing; giving back to their community!

I see it from both parties.  The game does have a very resilient, hearty userbase, people are making new roleplays each week that are quite successful, I have one even that has a few active members.  Feralheart users also care deeply for each other and establish bonds that probably outlive real life, in person friendships.  I'm currently in a group chat with people I met on FH seven years ago.
However, it can be viewed as dead and dying simply because it's taken this long to work with feedback from the community.  An active and flourishing community is based on input and effective communication, not purely numbers online.  Content being released was a good idea, the grounds and all are well made, but the issue with it was that it wasn't content shaped around communal feedback.  Lack of that will always feed a fire to a dying game- FH or FHU.  Or even big name games, like take Fallout 76 for example, if anyone knows what happened there that one is also a fair example.
Both servers and any future servers can learn only from listening to one another and their community, and we shouldn't view opinions like this as attacks.  I can't speak exactly for Aure but I can only assume that they- as well as others who have agreed- feel this way because they are merely passionate for the game that has brought them so many memories. 
If someone thinks the game is dying or already dead, the best work people can do is just... make sure it doesn't!

[Cilantro]

Why not just let it die?

Because of the same reason you’re working on FHU?

Because we care about our community and the game. We want to see it thrive, and we want to preserve a place that still means so much to many. A place that after several years of absence you still see old users return to and look fondly upon.

For those that seem to think we don’t care, aren’t listening, and aren’t trying, do you ever just question then why we are still here? Does it really make sense to think that a staff team that has to deal with constant misinformation, doubt, ridicule, trolling, death threats and so forth would stick around for nothing? You’ve got folks here who have busy personal lives, health struggles, relationships, kids, jobs, etc pouring their time and souls into an absolutely free internet game daily for seemingly no reward.

There’s got to be a reason, and that’s because we care. We want to make you all happy. We value the feelings and desires of total strangers enough to stick around for countless years. We keep trying, and you know what? We don’t always succeed. That’s life. That goes for anything you do. You can’t always make everyone happy, even yourself, but heck we sure will try and if that means we have to keep trying then so be it. That’s why we are still here, and that’s why we will not just let it die.

Because to let it die, is to simply give up! To give up on caring... And honestly I think thats more of a failure then any possible unpopular patch or future decision.

And you shouldn't have to deal with all of these problems? It's... Okay to walk away when things are bad for you. There's a difference between giving up and making a choice to no longer deal with something that drains you. Ever since the hacking incident, activity has been slowly fizzling out. That, and with all the drama as of late, it feels as though this game was cursed.

So yes, there are new registrations, but how many of them stick around? That's the problem, from my perspective. And with the new maps, nobody is really coming back for a nostalgia trip, either.

This. We aren't trying to hurt y'all, we are giving critique and telling you whats wrong. Yes some go about it in a more aggressive way but people get frustrated when others do not listen to them.

Also May I ask what drama happened as of late? Apologies if this is a person question @Aur.

[BloodWinsAll]

Ah- I'd like to put my two cents in again as I feel I wasn't particularly good at explaining myself the first time.

I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about it, I was praising the devs/staff because it can be disheartening to hear people talk about pulling the plug on a game that they have poured their hard work and dedication into. Especially since FH is a free game, I feel reminding the devs that we do care about their work and want to communicate with them is important. No one wants to work on something they fear is unwanted or unpopular.

As for talking about these things I also believe providing better communication within the community between staff and players is especially important. It is a popular belief that surprises are not what the community wants and they do want to see what's coming despite it possibly falling through. However, I can also see why that can be scary/unpopular among the devs when there is already so much backlash around the new maps which are so beautifully done and really incredible.

FHU and FH should be individual and separate things that people can switch between as they are appearing to be moving in opposite directions. So why take away one when they aren't together? I do believe what Leda says is true- that if we don't want to see the game die we just have to keep working on making sure it doesn't.

[Garfield.]

We can calm things down and work it more relaxed if we agree all.

[Cilantro]

As for talking about these things I also believe providing better communication within the community between staff and players is especially important. It is a popular belief that surprises are not what the community wants and they do want to see what's coming despite it possibly falling through. However, I can also see why that can be scary/unpopular among the devs when there is already so much backlash around the new maps which are so beautifully done and really incredible.

The thing is, staff are already so defensive about communication. I don't know why, but like someone said in another thread; its asinine. I am not trying to assume things, but why be so defensive about talking to members who want to know who is driving the bus and where?

They assume we are "attacking" them. Or as Sura stated: "giving constant misinformation, doubt, ridicule, trolling, death threats and so forth." Honestly? The doubt is valid considering all the drama in this furry game. The ridicule is actually critique. Trolling? People see this game as a joke. Doesn't justify it, but still. As for Death Threats? You can literally report them to the police. You have IP addresses, use them.

At this point like I said, we are all frustrated. But y'all need to cooperate with us and the other way around as well.

[BloodWinsAll]

They assume we are "attacking" them. Or as Sura stated: "giving constant misinformation, doubt, ridicule, trolling, death threats and so forth." Honestly? The doubt is valid considering all the drama in this furry game. The ridicule is actually critique. Trolling? People see this game as a joke. Doesn't justify it, but still. As for Death Threats? You can literally report them to the police. You have IP addresses, use them.
 

Ok, gonna have to disagree on a few things here as I feel your statements are very general. While I'm sure most of the comments and stuff on the forums and communicated to the devs is actual well-meaning critique and trying to reach out- you can't totally deny there are some accounts of what Sura mentioned before. There is a lot of drama in this "furry game", however we shouldn't let the drama drive us to constant complaining of the staff and/or the game. I know it is frustrating. I'm frustrated too that the game that I love is stagnant and appears to be declining- but we can't shovel all the blame onto the staff.

As for the death threats- it doesn't matter if you can or do report them to the police. Receiving and reading death threats is draining and stressful on the spirit and mind and can outweight the good if seen often. I'm incredibly impressed the staff and devs remain as dedicated to the game as they do in the light of having threatening messages sent to them online over a free game.

I do agree that both sides need to work on being better. That much is true- but it appears that we're all talking about it more and that will lead somewhere.

[DylanCheetah]

We can calm things down and work it more relaxed if we agree all.

Awww. That is such a nice idea. So short and simple. If only everyone would see it that way. +floof