[Garmr] The fix

Day 3,796, 11:02 • Published in USA Poland • by Garmr

Dear Plato,

I write this letter to you as a way to share my vision on improvements of our erepublik. I would argue that since the implementation of rising, you have heard our pleas regarding change, yet you did not understand the very essence hidden within all complaints.

Briefly, the main problems.
1. Pay to win does not work. Look at Star Wars Battlefront 2. People do not want to be beaten in-game by out-of-game events. It removes the skill aspect, which is the main force that determines game satisfaction.
2. No cap on lvl/dmg. Look at succesful MMO's. All of them have a cap on lvl/dmg, until a new expansion is released. New players must be able to participate in end-game play. Currently, there is an insurmountable gap that discourages progression.
3. Action dependency. There is PvE, and there is PvP. Erepublik has always been a fully PvP environment. Good for satisfaction, but not outweighing the bad that you fully depend on players for (nearly) all active events. This also decreases you ability to prevent boredom born from mega alliances.

Point 1 and 2 were no large factors in the original version of erepublik, and a main driving force for its success back then - after just eight days, the New World reached 1000 citizens, and after one month there are over 7500 citizens and 10,000 daily visits to the eRepublik world, over 600 companies and 111 political parties in 43 different countries. We were capped at FM rank, and both strength and xp had diminished returns. Noobs could get relatively close in damage after a while and make a real difference. The third point was never solved in erepublik, showing it is not a necessity for success, though I do feel it adds a lot of benefit.


So, respectfully, I offer my advice.
1. Reset every citizen to zero, but allow them some bonuses (vanity ones).
2. Set a max level. To be increased at every expansion (optional).
3. Limit gold/CC influence in PvP. Set a max amount of recoverable energy for PvP. This also increases the strategy aspect.
4. Develop a PvE environment. Let people co-op in events/raids against the environment. Allow any amount of gold spending. The guerilla fight mode seems useful as a base for this, as well as the battle module from rising. It is evident erepublik has the knowledge and talent to implement this.
5. Reward players with gear. Attainable through both PvP and PvE achievements. Make it tradeable. Create augmentations that can be created through companies.
6. Create a permanently challenging world. The system of resources in regions is great. Implement all nations in the world, but require 500 (or more) citizens for it to be 'active' - otherwise make it a computer-controlled nation with a base level of power with which it defends its regions. Create PvE threats that countries randomly have to deal with, and get rewarded/punished for.
7. Limit the amount of MPP's to 8. Add more complex PvP war mechanisms, similar to V1.


In short, there are many succesful video game companies around. The most succesful formula is to steal the succesful components from others. Why has erepublik not done so? Giving players the joy from skilful and equal victories creates and keeps a giant playersbase, which will increase revenue, rather than prolong a dwindling one.



Now go on and roast, criticize, and comment away.

Garmr, BAMAMScPhD