How to get more players on a server?

LIEKABOWSE · May 30, 2013, 02:24:07 AM

Hi,
basically I have run a minecraft server since about August, and we used to have an average of 10-15 people on. Now we have an average of 2-7. Most of my personal favorite players have moved on to play more on here. I'm just asking what the community thinks on how I could get more players on it because tbh running a server with three people on which are all staff gets boring.

Chief149 · May 30, 2013, 02:42:47 AM

Ok, here's what you do:

1) Post your server on to all the topsites. Good posts. Make your server look interesting.
2) Pay for the hide my ass vpn service for a month.
3) Design a software that automatically visits all of the topsites to vote on them repeatedly.
4) Design the above software to automatically switch which vpn server you are using on the HMA network (this changes your IP address).
5) Run the software for hours on end. The Hide My Ass VPN service has literally thousands of IP addresses that you can switch to. You wouldn't be able to use them all up before the 24 hou/12 hour vote periods were up.
6) Another idea is add some unique stuff to your server. Make your server a little unique, or just make sure it's fun.
7) If you do not have a website for your server, then get one up asap. Also do stuff like livemap and shit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, you would have to implement some sort of captcha solving service into your auto vote application so it can send the "human verification" captchas to the solving service and get a response back. You also have to pay like $5 for 10,000 captcha solves. Honestly, not that expensive.

The entire above plan (assuming you already have the server itself as well as your webhost for your website paid up already) won't cost more than $20 for the entire month unless you hire a programmer to program the autovote software.

Nick3306 · May 30, 2013, 03:18:38 AM

I know that you posted this in offtopic but asking players on one server how to make your server more attractive just looks plain bad.

hennydeez · May 30, 2013, 01:12:57 PM

Quote from: LIEKABOWSE on May 30, 2013, 02:24:07 AM
Hi,
basically I have run a minecraft server since about August, and we used to have an average of 10-15 people on. Now we have an average of 2-7. Most of my personal favorite players have moved on to play more on here. I'm just asking what the community thinks on how I could get more players on it because tbh running a server with three people on which are all staff gets boring.

Instead of going through the trouble of hiring a dev or writing software related stuff...

Post your server on top voting sites, you should have votifier set up for this.
Make your submission elaborate - what your server offers etc.
Make your banner appealing and/or meaningful.

Introduce your server on sites that allow you to do so:
http://forums.bukkit.org/forums/show-off-your-bukkit-server.18/
http://www.minecraftforum.net/
etc.

Set up a rewards, or donation rewards for top voters to get them motivated for the upcoming months.
Establish a welcoming, warm community to retain your members.

That's all I could think of for now.

[spoiler]

Quote from: Chief149 on May 30, 2013, 02:42:47 AM
Ok, here's what you do:

1) Post your server on to all the topsites. Good posts. Make your server look interesting.
2) Pay for the hide my ass vpn service for a month.
3) Design a software that automatically visits all of the topsites to vote on them repeatedly.
4) Design the above software to automatically switch which vpn server you are using on the HMA network (this changes your IP address).
5) Run the software for hours on end. The Hide My Ass VPN service has literally thousands of IP addresses that you can switch to. You wouldn't be able to use them all up before the 24 hou/12 hour vote periods were up.
6) Another idea is add some unique stuff to your server. Make your server a little unique, or just make sure it's fun.
7) If you do not have a website for your server, then get one up asap. Also do stuff like livemap and shit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, you would have to implement some sort of captcha solving service into your auto vote application so it can send the "human verification" captchas to the solving service and get a response back. You also have to pay like $5 for 10,000 captcha solves. Honestly, not that expensive.

The entire above plan (assuming you already have the server itself as well as your webhost for your website paid up already) won't cost more than $20 for the entire month unless you hire a programmer to program the autovote software.

[/spoiler]
Never knew Liek can write/design software.

clawstrider · May 30, 2013, 04:25:03 PM

Quote from: BigBadHenz on May 30, 2013, 01:12:57 PM
Set up a rewards, or donation rewards for top voters to get them motivated for the upcoming months.

You mean take Opti's setup? Well, I guess it works...

Nick3306 · May 30, 2013, 09:01:52 PM

Quote from: clawstrider on May 30, 2013, 04:25:03 PM
Quote from: BigBadHenz on May 30, 2013, 01:12:57 PM
Set up a rewards, or donation rewards for top voters to get them motivated for the upcoming months.

You mean take Opti's setup? Well, I guess it works...

It isn't a coincidence that most players from opti who have their own servers have their servers almost mimic opti.

Chief149 · May 30, 2013, 09:05:40 PM

I have a better idea!

Make a unique gametype! Learn java, code a plugin which runs a gametype in normal minecraft which is fun and nobody has seen on a server before.

clawstrider · May 30, 2013, 09:36:48 PM

Quote from: Chief149 on May 30, 2013, 09:05:40 PM
I have a better idea!

Make a unique gametype! Learn java, code a plugin which runs a gametype in normal minecraft which is fun and nobody has seen on a server before.

Problem with that is it's nearly impossible to build up a community.

If you play a Minecraft modded gamemode (I'm sure you can all think of one), do you play for the people, or for playing by yourself or with friends, for a few hours max?

Then compare it to Opticraft; I can't speak for you, but I know myself, that I have always found the game of Minecraft boring (Vanilla, that is), save for the building parts, which are always better in Creative with WorldEdit. However, I enjoy speaking to players, talking to the community, getting to know newer players.

Then compare both servers together; I think I know which server I'd rather choose my staffing team from.

LIEKABOWSE · May 30, 2013, 09:44:02 PM

Quote from: Nick3306 on May 30, 2013, 03:18:38 AM
I know that you posted this in offtopic but asking players on one server how to make your server more attractive just looks plain bad.

I was just asking how I could get more players on mine.

Anyways I have some problems with the server. I posted it on planetminecraft, and gained 7 new people in about 5 minutes. All of them besides two were complete douches and griefed the shit out of stuff out of spawn protection. And, i disabled pvp in server.properties, but for some reason pvp is on.. it's an smp server. Anyone have an idea on how to fix? I'll give you aplugin list if you need it.

Btw henz, i do not know java at the moment. Second btw, I use your stafftickets plugin, very nice.