While playing with some friends, including both new and returning players, a few issues emerged during the early stages of the game that often cause people to quit very quickly. I would therefore like to propose some possible solutions.
1. Horse Quest (Level 2 to Level 20)
The current system can be extremely frustrating for new players. A friend of mine recently stopped playing after failing the beginner horse quest 12 times in a row.
I don’t think the possibility of failure should be removed, but it could be modernized with a progressive probability system.
Example:
- Each failure increases the success chance by 10% on the next attempt.
This would preserve the original mechanic while avoiding situations where a player gets stuck for hours or even days.
2. Low-Level Equipment
Currently, it is very difficult to find useful equipment for low levels at the bazaar, and when it does appear it is often priced far too high for a new player.
It is also important to consider that many players today are over 30 and have less free time compared to the past. If it takes weeks of farming just to obtain decent equipment, many people will simply choose to play something else.
I understand the need to encourage the use of the item shop, but if the early game experience feels frustrating, new players are unlikely to reach the point where they want to spend money or continue playing.
3. Lack of Group Content at Low and Mid Levels
A possible solution would be to introduce group dungeons between level 30 and level 70 with rewards that help players improve their equipment.
For example:
Level 30+ Dungeon
- Minimum 3 players
- Reward: Green bonus switchers
Level 50+ Dungeon
- Reward: B bonus switchers usable for equipment from level 50 to 70
Level 70+ Dungeon
- Reward: B bonus switchers usable for equipment from level 70 to 90
This would have several advantages:
- More content for low and mid-level players
- Increased player interaction
- More activity in the market
- A more natural equipment progression
4. Truly Encouraging Group Play
Ideally, these dungeons should be designed so they cannot be easily completed solo through multi-accounting, in order to genuinely encourage cooperation between players.
Some possible design solutions could be:
1. Mechanics that require multiple players simultaneously
For example, certain phases of the dungeon could require two players to interact simultaneously with specific map elements (levers, altars, seals, etc.), while a third player must continue managing waves of monsters.
This would make it difficult to complete the content while controlling multiple characters alone.
2. Group splitting with a time limit
At certain stages of the dungeon, the group could be forced to split up to complete different objectives within a limited time.
This would require coordination between players and make the content more dynamic and engaging.
3. Dungeon access from different IP addresses
Another possible technical solution could be allowing access to the dungeon only for groups composed of characters connected from different IP addresses, in order to limit the use of multi-accounts to complete the content solo.
These solutions could help strengthen the social aspect of the game, encouraging the creation of active groups and guilds, which is one of the most important factors for the longevity of an MMO.
Conclusion
Improving some aspects of the early stages of the game could significantly help retain new and returning players, which in turn would increase overall community activity in the long term.
