My turn to say my opinion - agree or don't, here it is:

You're saying that players you've spoken to have explained why they "stopped playing." What you're not taking into account, is the people that have come to SMP since you've all decided it was too "stale" and the people who stayed since before you left. Sure things like a delisting of warps, and cleaning up the economy a little might be in order -- but completely disintegrating everything your current SMP regulars love about it, is just cruel and inconsiderate. By doing this you're saying that only the people who have stopped caring about/loving SMP matter, and those who are loyal do not.

But in case this was not specific enough let us go further into detail. No point system could replace the ease that the market creates, especially in periods when there's new updates to Minecraft overall and we're left without naturally spawning new items that we want to try/use. It also helps create a more build-friendly style of SMP, which is why the regulars stay. Removing all the worlds - especially while so many of us are mid-big builds with each other, is beyond insulting and rude. And the argument that building is for creative, is completely invalid. Building where the blocks are constantly accessible without any form of survival playing (either by trying to make money in market, or legitimately going out to mine the blocks) is more stale to me than what some people feel the SMP server has become. This market and block collecting system builds a sense of community with all the players working together to achieve their goals of the time. So honestly creative does not replace this style of playing, not by a long shot. The PVP world you attempted to implement has had little to no success, and I bet you can't imagine why? Because we - the people who remain loyal to SMP are loyal because of how it is NOW. We don't like/need to try and get the best armor and kill each other - or have people kill us while we're trying to enjoy the game. You are proposing fundamental changes to what makes Opticraft this amazing community we all love and enjoy, without even really being involved with it much anymore. You've lost touch with how much we all love and enjoy the server, and I think these changes will ensure the end of Opticraft.

All of this makes sense, but I'm not saying anyone matters more, that's the point of the poll...... If the people who play now outweigh the players like the ones we talked to then it will reflect in the poll.
Also, when we introduced a very poor version of pvp, player numbers jumped, so saying it didn't work at all isn't correct.

1. Kind of. I like Sade's idea of having the old worlds still accessible through a MP server, though I am fully aware of the problem of funding and management. Consider it?

2. From personal experience, player shops can be difficult to promote. Largely because it can be confusing to set them up. If you do this, I strongly, strongly recommend making an easily accessible video, wiki, and/or something similar to assist players in the setup.

Furthermore, I think some serious research and input by someone well versed in economies (that means some college study) should be consulted if possible. This will help in the long-term.

Theres a plugin called HyperConomy. I've not played with it too much, mostly cause I didn't understand it, but maybe it would be perfect for Opti. Check it out. (I am not sure about at bugs or incompatibilities)

3. 'Modes'? Please explain further. Having WG regions scattered throughout the map, alerting players upon entry, maybe. Full on worldwide PvP? No. I joined Opticraft for the relaxing, close community aspect. PvP ruins this.

4. Depends on how you execute this. Could be a huge success, or it could be a fall-flat failure.

5. Same as above.

Pvp modes would be done on pre defined maps, no world wide pvp, no pvp zones. Just pre set up arenas.

Quote from: Nick3306 on March 18, 2016, 11:49:39 pm

Quote from: codepmman on March 18, 2016, 11:34:27 pm

Breaking my silence!
Are you guys insane? Really and truly, if you implement this many changes then is it really still Opticraft? It's like if I handed you a lemon and tried to tell you "It's an orange!" The market and economy is half the reason Opticraft is bearable (explained later.) To integrate this points system is ridiculous. Not everyone wants to play little games or go on quests. Some people want to dig and build.
I may not play a bunch now, but I'm speaking up for those who may feel that speaking up might cost them their position within the community. I am worried about this as well, but I feel this needs to be said regardless of the repercussions. If I was to fully lose Opticraft I would be sad, but I could not watch you completely change the server and say nothing.
 Also, kind of interested why only one operator was consulted when there are several that still play on the server regularly, and not to single him out, but generally this is a staff decision and from what I know, Deekay is not currently staff on SMP. As shown in the past, your rank on SMP does not carry over to Creative, and so Creative ranks should not carry over to SMP. I understand this post is your sad attempt at asking people their opinion, but you really should talk to more SMP staff members before going public. Not to mention THE OWNER of the server has countless times expressed that he does not like these sorts of changes, and I'm sure if his opinion has changed at all, it is only because he grows weary of your constant badgering.
You seem to want to change Opticraft and turn it into something that it is not. You went and made a Creative server and decided that it would be cool to throw the Opticraft name on it... Does that make it Opticraft? You tried to make PvP, but that's not Opti either. You are now trying to make it more like a quest based server in that people would have to collect points for "rare blocks" or "protection" but that's still no Opticraft. People like this server because it is survival with a market, sans PvP... Simple. Now granted it needs some cleaning up but not a whole revamp.
Never really told anyone as to why I stopped playing. It's not because I was bored, it's because of you Nick, and your band of goons bringing up drama and always trying to change things. I quit because I grew up and didn't want to deal with cry babies. I know my opinion might not matter because I really don't play much any more, but as stated previously, I only stopped because of Nick and his lackeys.
To the people saying that they would like PvP, go to a PvP server. Nick got us to try PVP on Opticraft, and from what I hear it is almost never used. People saying they got bored because they had too much money? Start over! Don't rely on the market, get stuff manually! The problem is not with Opticraft, it is with the player. If you don't like it, don't play. If it's not your style, then sorry - but this is no reason to fundamentally change Opticraft as a whole.

You post is very uninformed. Couple things.
1. Optical agreed to this without any pressure
2. You state " Not everyone wants to play little games or go on quests." but none of that will even be added showing that you dont even have a clue as to what you are talking about.
3. Staff is being consulted right now, this is consulting them. This is much easier then going around to every member and talking to them individually, this way everyone can voice their opinions here.
4. NOTHING gets done on this server without opticals approval, so your accusations that this is all somehow my doing (Even though we also have two admins) shows incredible bias and misunderstanding.
5. Your arguments fall flat because currently there are more yes votes than no, so clearly players feel the same way as we do.

Lastly, I would like to applaud you for showing great maturity in your post.

1. Optical agreed to this without any pressure  (except years of constant badgering)
2. You state " Not everyone wants to play little games or go on quests." but none of that will even be added showing that you dont even have a clue as to what you are talking about.( i assumed "survival activities" meant quests my bad, and this type of belittling is part of the reason i stopped playing)
3. Staff is being consulted right now, this is consulting them. This is much easier then going around to every member and talking to them individually, this way everyone can voice their opinions here. (staff should be consulted before going public so issues can be hammered out hence why there are staff forums)
4. NOTHING gets done on this server without opticals approval, so your accusations that this is all somehow my doing (Even though we also have two admins) shows incredible bias and misunderstanding. (i will leave this alone but remember when poked enough some people will just roll over)
5. Your arguments fall flat because currently there are more yes votes than no, so clearly players feel the same way as we do. (again just voicing my opinion and now you are turning it into a competition, not to mention who is to say those votes are from active players... the people who still play play because they love it for what it is and may leave if you change it)

Lastly, I would like to applaud you for showing great maturity in your post.

1. We actually talked about it for a while and he said he is definitely in favor of this, but hey, if you want to keep lying to yourself, be my guest.
2. survival activities are like mining, farming, ect...
3. You act like staff is more important that the other players when thats not true. There really is no point in asking staff separately as everyones opinion matters the same.
4. see answer to 1
5. That's fine, I completely support your opinion, but there was no need to attack me with misinformation.

EDIT: Also, it doesn't matter if the players who voted are active or not, because the players who are not active may become active again because of this. All the players opinions matter.

Quote from: Nick3306 on March 18, 2016, 10:52:36 pm

The player trading system would make a huge difference if the economy was shrunk.
We have not tried proper PVP before, this would be properly programmed in PVP, not the ghetto version we created.
Bungeecord is also something we really want to do with this but we don't want to make promises.

Optiquest is barely effected by this, compared to the work that has to be done on optiquest, this is almost nothing.

You'd need to go into more detail on what a trading system means. I mean, it could be some kind of auction plugin (which I don't think would be widely used), or it could be entirely removing the buying part of the market, and replacing it with player run shops (which have their own problems with inactivity, etc...)

Again, I think more detail would be helpful. Are we talking a total pvp faction server? A pvp gamemode (As in type /duel, queues you up, you fight another player)? Some kind of /pvp command to enable combat?

As for Bungeecord, I'll keep pestering you guys till you try It's something I really, really support.

And just to confirm, is there any ETA of Optiquest? Are we talking 3-4 months, or far, far future?

1. It would be a player to player trading system, an auction system wouldnt make sense since there is no currency.
2. As for the type of pvp, i said it would just be pvp modes. The player would be put into a ready queue with his or her party and be teleported to the arena when the game starts and then teleported back to where they were in the main world when it is over.

As for optiquest, we said in the optiquest thread that the alpha version should be released around mid summer.

Quote from: Nick3306 on March 18, 2016, 07:45:32 pm

- Complete wipe of the server (all worlds will be available for download)
- Simplification or removal of the economy system.
- Addition of pvp modes
- Addition of a player trading system
- Points system where players accumulate points for things like voting and doing everyday survival activities. These points can be used to buy protection or rare items.
- Change to a player defined protection field system

My opinions:

Yes
No
I'd be interested in more info, but right now leaning towards no (We've tried this before....)
Doubtful if this would make a huge difference
No
Doubtful if this would make a huge difference


On a different note, I'm totally opposed to all these changes without two things:
1. I still think bungee should be the only priority of the server
2. A revised statement about OptiQuest (Don't try to work on them simultaneously...)

The player trading system would make a huge difference if the economy was shrunk.
We have not tried proper PVP before, this would be properly programmed in PVP, not the ghetto version we created.
Bungeecord is also something we really want to do with this but we don't want to make promises.

Optiquest is barely effected by this, compared to the work that has to be done on optiquest, this is almost nothing.

After long discussions with optical, tobs, alicia, and deekay, we feel it would be in the servers best interests to make some changes and try to get people interested in the server again.

Proposed changes include:
- Complete wipe of the server (all worlds will be available for download)
- Simplification or removal of the economy system.
- Addition of pvp modes
- Addition of a player trading system
- Points system where players accumulate points for things like voting and doing everyday survival activities. These points can be used to buy protection or rare items.
- Change to a player defined protection field system

We believe these changes will create more of a survival feel to the server and encourage players to return to the server that they may have gotten bored with. Keep in mind these are all just proposed changes and we really want to know what you guys think about them because at the end of the day, it is really what you guys want, not us.

#MakeSurvivalGreatAgain

This is how each of you will be represented on optiquest!

Introduction
Today we would like to introduce to you our new server currently in development; OptiQuest!
OptiQuest is a complex MMORPG Minecraft server. We have been working on this for quite some time as it's a very big undertaking for us all. We are using custom plugins wherever we can, making it a unique experience from other servers. This also gives us complete control and creative freedom over how the server works, and makes things like bug fixing a lot faster and more efficient.

OptiQuest Team
These are the people that are making the development of OptiQuest possible.
We're currently a very small team, but are planning on expanding in the future.

Developers: Nick3306, xDeeKay
Builders: TheWholeLoaf, Tobs74, 100Penguin, UnknownHedgehog, Astriii, Tiggy, Fireball4801
Staff: AliciaMai

Current and Future Features

• Complex quests and objectives.
• Custom loot and items.
• Custom mobs and NPC's.
• PvP and PvE environments.
• EXP and leveling.
• Variety of skills.
• Big immersive and beautiful custom world.

Availability
When will this be available? Great question, and the answer is we really don’t know. As stated above, this is a very large project for us, and we all have lives outside of Minecraft. Currently the server is in heavy development stages, however we plan to have an alpha version of the server out somewhere around spring for people to help us test. In the mean time, we plan to share a few videos and posts of various things throughout the development process, ranging from time lapses of some builds, to a sneak peak at the code behind all this awesomeness.

Please stay tuned as we have a lot in-store over the coming months. Discussions and questions are always welcome, and we hope you're all excited as we are for the things to come!

- The Opticraft/OptiQuest Team

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