Conquer club is not what it was or should be...

[general cod]

Just a note, when i originally joined conquer club it was fun, many players active in speed games and had a good vibe. Where many good people still play there is no doubt this site has regressed. It's a shame as there is so much potential, i'll be freemium in 2 days and will not be renewing at least for the forseeable unless a squirt of piss is an acceptable payment. No disrespect to the tourney organisers and others but generally it's pretty boring these days.

Constructive:

Freshen up the graphic.

Organise tourneys for something better than a 'star' which gets you FA.

Have a conqueror who isn't an egotistical, narccisistic charlatan who has all the personality of a curly dog turd.

Freshen up or change the dice software, it too often farts in the face of strategy.

Many people myself included use this site as an escape from reality at times, i would thank the original person who set this up.

Be well

General Cod-piece

[2dimes]

Right? Implement a surrender button and the pizza button. How hard could it be?

MCCGA

[ljex]

I have actually thought a lot about this since I have recently come back (had stopped playing a number of years ago when life got busy) but I have to agree that in general the community is not what it once was. I think this is largely because there are less newer players and the older players largely stick to their known group of teammates or game styles. I also think there is some element of CC not being a friendly and welcoming place for a new member to learn how to use and want to stick around.

Sadly, while I think there are some things that can be done to curb these problems the Admin seems to disagree or be willing to just ride it out so to speak and not invest in the business.

A great example of this is speed games, I don't know the exact numbers but I would guess since 2010 or so the speed games played per day are way down. The reason for this is quite simple, somewhat frequently when I go to think about joining a speed game there are not even any waiting for players (Granted I can start one and wait for a player to join but most times I am just looking for something to do for the next 15-20 min and who knows how long it is going to take to get one started if I put it up). The problem here is that you have a bunch of freemiums who likely would play speed games but are not allowed. I understand that the site has to make money but giving freemiums 1-2 speed games per day as a way to get addicted is pretty no regrets.

Sure you may lose a few premium memberships for people who only pay for them to play a speed game every now and then but you have a couple of key benefits.
1. Freemium players get to test speed games potentially realizing they don't want to be limited so that they buy memberships
2. New users get to test speed games which is likely part of what they are looking for when they come to the site (for at least a portion of new people)
3. Freemium members who don't want to pay but like playing faster games are likely to come more often (increasing add revenue)
4. Existing premium members get an increased selection of speed games so they are more likely to renew their membership

Now you can argue with me about if those benefits are worth the cost of coding the changes and I don't have the info to make that judgement or you could say that freemiums can use credits to buy speed packs but making it easy for users to spend their time on your site is what drives long term behavior. There are also many other examples of things that can be done to make it easier for people to get invested, just doesn't seem like that is a priority as nothing has changed in the last 8 years from what I can tell.

[general cod]

A much more in depth analysis and particularly apt. Also i have seen other posts expressing the same sentiment. Not complaining but statement of the facts.

[riskllama]

only zeke can save us now...

[Kotaro]

only zeke can save us now...

The speed killer?

[Nut Shot Scott]

I've also thought about this recently. I even joined to be a guide in guide games. Have had exactly 1 person actually play the guide game out of who knows how many so I'm not sure that's a great program. Personally, I'm not sure that graphics or spicing up the game really matter. Like, I came here years ago to play Risk online because my friends all were having kids and we just didn't have the time to sit down, get drunk, smoke some weed and play games like we used to. It didn't matter what the site looked like (I think it looks fine for what it is) or how the dice rolled (they're bullshit sometimes, sometimes they aren't). It mattered that it was Risk online, it worked, I could get games and they were competitive. I invited a few friends to check it out, a couple did but decided they just weren't into it - not because of the look but because they didn't like waiting days to play a turn and werent willing or incentivized enough to explore the site and get involved. I maybe wouldnt have been either but I happened to get cancer and all of a sudden had a lot of time sitting in a bed or on a couch lol So what are we looking at then, other than putting people on bed rest for 6 months?

I think your top issues here are:

1. A community that is actually welcoming but not PROACTIVELY welcoming. I mean, I think most everyone here is willing and able to help a new player along but I think that most new players play new players for awhile, don't get it and eventually bail. Gotta find a way to get new recruits into the community right away AND get them to buy into premium so they have at least SOME skin in the game. Whether it's something like 3 months free premium after they make 10 posts in the forums or have a newbie scavenger hunt every month in which the top finishers get premium, there should be something to incentivize them to get involved and buy into premium so that they can see the benefits, play some speeders, play some poly and get invested.

2. A non-competitive ranking system. The people who want to play games are competitive by nature. Having this chowder dick on top of the rankings who doesnt play games because he cant play anything other than 1 or 2 maps on specific settings and he's afraid to lose is ridiculous. There should be base requirements to being ranked - a certain number/combination of medals, maintaining a certain amount of games, etc. And if you're inactive for 30 or 60 days, you should come off the rankings. I have messaged multiple players on the top 10 for a game only to be told they no longer play or are only playing a single game with friends. So then why are they there as some high ranking player?? There has to be a way to make that system more conducive to a competitive environment. As of now, it's stagnant. And advertise clan league more! Integrate the standings into the site! Give prizes, MVPs, all that stuff. That's the most competitive part of the site, it should be pimped everywhere, everyone should know about it and want to be a part of it.

Those are my two thoughts. Oh. And giving decent prizes for winning site tournaments. Every site sponsored tournament that freemiums can join should give away at least a 3 month free premium membership.

Anyways. Those are my rambling thoughts. Then again, I'm a jackass.

[riskllama]

some interesting ideas, Scott. i still think the best bet would be unlimited speed games for NR's until they get ranked, but that's just me....*shrugs*

[loutil]

2. A non-competitive ranking system. The people who want to play games are competitive by nature. Having this chowder dick on top of the rankings who doesnt play games because he cant play anything other than 1 or 2 maps on specific settings and he's afraid to lose is ridiculous. There should be base requirements to being ranked - a certain number/combination of medals, maintaining a certain amount of games, etc. And if you're inactive for 30 or 60 days, you should come off the rankings. I have messaged multiple players on the top 10 for a game only to be told they no longer play or are only playing a single game with friends. So then why are they there as some high ranking player?? There has to be a way to make that system more conducive to a competitive environment. As of now, it's stagnant. And advertise clan league more! Integrate the standings into the site! Give prizes, MVPs, all that stuff. That's the most competitive part of the site, it should be pimped everywhere, everyone should know about it and want to be a part of it.

Not sure what a "chowder dick" is. But, I presume it is not good .
Part of the issue, and I have made this point countless times before, is the way the point system is set up. If our top ranked guy plays a player with 1,500 points he gets 5 points for winning and loses 72 points if he does not win. Bad dice and bad drops can easily cause you to lose 20-30% of your games, on many maps, even if you are the far superior player. Winning vs a lower ranked player should have a minimum gain of 20 points. Even if the system has to produce the points and not take away all of it from the lower ranked player. That way, winning around 70% does not cause you to lose lots of points. This would encourage more higher ranked players to join games vs lower ranked players.
If you are worried about abuse, a reasonable worry, you could cap the amount of points the lower ranked player can win vs the minimum 20 points option.

[Shannon Apple]

One of the problems plaguing this site and why it's not attracting many new young players is that CC looks like it was created 20 years ago and never updated. The design of the site is 20 years old. PhpBB was released in 2000 or 2001 and the design hasn't changed since. (Yes, I know CC was founded in 2006. But it uses something designed 5-6 years earlier.)

I guess, the owner just finds it easier to leave it the way it is and migrating a website to a new software can be kinda daunting. I can understand that. I hope the reasons for no change are because it's a difficult task and not because it's rooted in nostalgia. That's only part of the problem though.

CC does need to attract and retain new players though and it's not. That's the root of why things are going stale and we need to find ways to change this. If CC can't attract the younger RISK players, they'll find somewhere else to play, and then somewhere else will pass this site out in terms of player numbers.

And yes, the ranking system definitely screws over the more established players. They are less likely to play a lot of games or try new things if they know they can lose 80 points to a low ranked player who might join their game. That leads players to stick to a small number of maps and settings that they have a better chance of winning on. Or, they just play games with a few friends.

I played like crap when I first returned to the game a couple of months ago and lost a ton of points to a small handful of games to players with much lower rank. Feels bad when that happens. I am not one who minds my points in any serious capacity, but you're kinda like..."awww I was near the next rank." It does feel nice when you rank up. Hehe!

[owenshooter]

I played like crap when I first returned to the game a couple of months ago.

i don't recall your ever NOT playing like dog shit. the black jesus has spoken in jest and with love in his heart...-Jesus noir

[jusplay4fun]

It is well said a long time ago: "The only constant in life is change" to quote Heraclitus.

Wishing for a return to the "good old days" does not take into consideration the changes that have occurred since then. The world is very different now and the choices for entertainment and gaming are much more numerous, diverse, and varied. Take television, for example: Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, just to name a FEW, and there are so many more options. That market has fragmented in a huge way. So has the options for gaming. I think that other gaming sites have suffered loss of members, too. This decline of CC is NOT Unique to CC.

As I said elsewhere, Risk is a complex game that requires a good deal of thought and analysis. Unlike Chess, it offers the element of Odds and Probability with Dice and Cards. It also offers options for team play, making it an interesting game from many perspectives. Diplomacy during the game adds another whole realm of complexity.

I think the current younger generations have grown up with video games that offer more stimulation and more engagement with buttons and controls and immediate feedback. Risk, and this website, do not offer those things. I see Risk as having a rather limited market of players who enjoy this format and the challenges presented.

I think some of the suggestions made here in this thread can be helpful. I am not sure the leadership of CC is willing to invest the time, energy, and resources to revamp the site. One major set of suggestions made want this game more compatible with cell phones. Simply put, this game is too complex to fit well on a cell phone. Have you tried to PLAY this game on a cell phone? NOT Easy.

Just a note, when i originally joined conquer club it was fun, many players active in speed games and had a good vibe. Where many good people still play there is no doubt this site has regressed. It's a shame as there is so much potential, i'll be freemium in 2 days and will not be renewing at least for the forseeable unless a squirt of piss is an acceptable payment. No disrespect to the tourney organisers and others but generally it's pretty boring these days.

Constructive:

Freshen up the graphic.

Organise tourneys for something better than a 'star' which gets you FA.

Have a conqueror who isn't an egotistical, narccisistic charlatan who has all the personality of a curly dog turd.

Freshen up or change the dice software, it too often farts in the face of strategy.

Many people myself included use this site as an escape from reality at times, i would thank the original person who set this up.

Be well

General Cod-piece

[Nut Shot Scott]

Have you tried to PLAY this game on a cell phone? NOT Easy.

All the time. Probably why I keep losing...

[t4mcr53s2]

sad but true; with pandemic use bumped up to about 15,000 I think but now back to 6400 and only 5600 have completed 10 or more games. missed
opportunity

another constructive suggestion; a LOUDER message to new recuits that "since new games often don't fill immediately , if you leave this window or give us your email or text " we'll send you a loud HELLO when your game starts"

It is well said a long time ago: "The only constant in life is change" to quote Heraclitus.

Wishing for a return to the "good old days" does not take into consideration the changes that have occurred since then. The world is very different now and the choices for entertainment and gaming are much more numerous, diverse, and varied. Take television, for example: Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, just to name a FEW, and there are so many more options. That market has fragmented in a huge way. So has the options for gaming. I think that other gaming sites have suffered loss of members, too. This decline of CC is NOT Unique to CC.

As I said elsewhere, Risk is a complex game that requires a good deal of thought and analysis. Unlike Chess, it offers the element of Odds and Probability with Dice and Cards. It also offers options for team play, making it an interesting game from many perspectives. Diplomacy during the game adds another whole realm of complexity.

I think the current younger generations have grown up with video games that offer more stimulation and more engagement with buttons and controls and immediate feedback. Risk, and this website, do not offer those things. I see Risk as having a rather limited market of players who enjoy this format and the challenges presented.

I think some of the suggestions made here in this thread can be helpful. I am not sure the leadership of CC is willing to invest the time, energy, and resources to revamp the site. One major set of suggestions made want this game more compatible with cell phones. Simply put, this game is too complex to fit well on a cell phone. Have you tried to PLAY this game on a cell phone? NOT Easy.

Just a note, when i originally joined conquer club it was fun, many players active in speed games and had a good vibe. Where many good people still play there is no doubt this site has regressed. It's a shame as there is so much potential, i'll be freemium in 2 days and will not be renewing at least for the forseeable unless a squirt of piss is an acceptable payment. No disrespect to the tourney organisers and others but generally it's pretty boring these days.

Constructive:

Freshen up the graphic.

Organise tourneys for something better than a 'star' which gets you FA.

Have a conqueror who isn't an egotistical, narccisistic charlatan who has all the personality of a curly dog turd.

Freshen up or change the dice software, it too often farts in the face of strategy.

Many people myself included use this site as an escape from reality at times, i would thank the original person who set this up.

Be well

General Cod-piece

[.SCuD.]

A large problem is the inaccessible convoluted way much of the informtion is provided. I've been back playing CC for about 2 years now, and I have no idea what some of it means.

Currently two out of the four announcments read like word soup to anyone who doesn't already know what the announcement is about.

DBD Vs VNM Signature Challenge... what the flying f*ck is it even about? Who is DBD? Who is VNM? what is their "yearly battle". Can anyone get involved? Or can you only get involved in designing a signature? It's just utter garbage that doesn't mean anything at all. I've been here for two years and I have NFI, so what idea a newbie has I don't know.

The TPA is back! ... click on thie link... NFI again. I genuinely have no idea what the TPA is, and after reading that link I still have no idea. The way the information is communicated is just garbage. It provides information as if you already know what it is. (And I'm PLAYING in the TPA!!! ... I think? I'm in a team, I think, but honestly I don't actually know if it is the same TPA or if this is something else. The post just doesn't mean anything.

This is a regular problem. I often click on the announcements and wonder who the hell understands what is being written.


Ranking System: I think it should change so that points deteriorate over time, but I don't think this affects new membership that much. It's only much more established players who are concerned with it. (maybe you also receive less points every time you play the same map in a 3 month period? There are obvious maps that are good for points farming newbies on, and most of the high ranked players have got there in that exact way.

Dice software:
It's fine. Confirmation bias.

Tourneys:
You can win credits? I don't really know what you think tournaments should give you. You aren't likely to win a new PS5 or a microwave from playing CC.


Anyway, I think a major problem is how inaccessible so much of CC is to new players (and even established players). This is mostly due to the way information is so poorly communicated.

[Shannon Apple]

I played like crap when I first returned to the game a couple of months ago.

i don't recall your ever NOT playing like dog shit. the black jesus has spoken in jest and with love in his heart...-Jesus noir

Hurr durr! Did I ever play against you (you little shite ), I don't recall.

A large problem is the inaccessible convoluted way much of the informtion is provided.

I have found myself in the same predicament. I was away for the best part of 3 years. I'd show up every now and then to say hello, but I wasn't keeping tabs on much of the goings on around here. Now if I read some of those threads you mention, I have absolutely no idea what they are about and it's not explained very well.

I think that signature competition thing had to do with an inside joke between two clans. They didn't explain in the thread what the history of that was, so I was as confused as you. Then I forgot all about it. lol. If I had been "in the know" I might have got involved in making a sig.

You're right! Event organisers are forgetting that the majority of CC probably has no idea what on Earth they're talking about.

[Silly Knig-it]

You are correct, we did not make it clear that the TPA, Tournament Player's Association is an effort to get more people involved in home grown tournaments. I will pass that suggestion along. But do come check out the TPA tournaments, I think we have some good ones that don't follow all the boring patterns. I just posted one that uses 77 of CC's maps as a board game. Come give it try. Check out Duk's tournament based off of a James Bond movie. Help us raise the excitement level and tell us where we are not communicating.

[.SCuD.]

You are correct, we did not make it clear that the TPA, Tournament Player's Association is an effort to get more people involved in home grown tournaments. I will pass that suggestion along. But do come check out the TPA tournaments, I think we have some good ones that don't follow all the boring patterns. I just posted one that uses 77 of CC's maps as a board game. Come give it try. Check out Duk's tournament based off of a James Bond movie. Help us raise the excitement level and tell us where we are not communicating.

After writing a post you need to simply think "how does this read to someone who joined CC yesterday". I'm sure many people would be keen, but when it either looks confusing or doesn't explain what it's about, it also appears inaccessible. It's very rare that people will join tournaments that they don't understand.

I am doing some sort of TPA thing soon. But that is only because I was invited by Swimmerdude99, and he reliably informed me that all I have to do is sit there, accept invites, and smash out some wins. He will deal with understanding what is going on I don't actually know what the tournament is tbh. But I'm sure it will be fun.

[mrswdk]

tbh CC's chance to keep up with the times has already been and gone. There are good mobile apps out there that offer people the opportunity to play Risk (and other strategy games) quickly and easily on their phones. CC dragged its feet and missed the boat, like Nokia trying to jump on the smartphone wave after Apple, Samsung and others had already carved the market up for themselves.

CC membership went from 5k to 15k in about one month when everyone was locked down due to COVID, and almost all of those new users have left again already. CC clearly can't attract new users. The only play it has left is to keep its existing user base happy. It does that by doing things conserving a series of neo-colonial and racist maps that remind CC's boomer fanbase of how the world looked when they were children.

[Kotaro]

I think that signature competition thing had to do with an inside joke between two clans. They didn't explain in the thread what the history of that was, so I was as confused as you. Then I forgot all about it. lol. If I had been "in the know" I might have got involved in making a sig.

DBD Vs VNM Signature Challenge... what the flying f*ck is it even about? Who is DBD? Who is VNM? what is their "yearly battle". Can anyone get involved? Or can you only get involved in designing a signature? It's just utter garbage that doesn't mean anything at all. I've been here for two years and I have NFI, so what idea a newbie has I don't know.

Is that what draws you to challenge threads? Despite being apart of one of those clans, I read these two parts:

This yearly battle between our two Clans continues.
LAST YEAR.. Death by Dice won by 1 game

THIS year, Keefie wants revenge, and we have both agreed to a Signature Bet.

The LOSER has agreed to wear a SIGNATURE for 30 DAYS

And then this:

PRIZES
1st - 1000 Credits + :trophy:
2nd - 500 Credits
3rd - 250 Credits

And that pretty much summed it up for me. Yes, the announcement title did not sum up the entire thread, but it's a title, it's not supposed to. I sincerely doubt anyone new would click on that and be as confused as you're claiming. After you get past the first 4 words (names with images next to them that someone new might not know), it says 'Signature Bet' and 'Clan War Thread.'

So yes, someone new would have to make it to the 5th through 9th word in the thread to get the general gist with some common sense that there is a signature bet between 2 clans, but if you go to most threads on this site, you have to make it to far more words to get the general idea behind a thread.

I'd worry more about new recruits reading one of ConfederateSS's birthday threads and wanting to leave the site. 3 periods after every sentence? 10 emoji's minimum? Randomly sized words? It's a lot to absorb.

The TPA was already addressed, but really that was probably just a case of excitement by the moderators of that section to get something cool out to the public. Not really a cardinal sin, but I'm sure they'll find a way to make it up.

Tourneys:
You can win credits? I don't really know what you think tournaments should give you. You aren't likely to win a new PS5 or a microwave from playing CC.

There's an entire thread dedicated to joining/hosting a tournament what prizes you can get, etc. It does need a touchup or two, but it's plainly at the top of create/join a tournament section, which most new players who were excited about the site would likely click.

There's an entire section of these forums with " provide basic training for new and old members looking to enhance their game strategy." in their title, I'm not sure how you want the information distributed better? I heard they were planning to do a newsletter again, but haven't seen anything about it in awhile, but most of these questions you've raised have the answers out there on the forums, fairly easy to find, with links to PM certain usergroups with questions in the threads.

I think the current younger generations have grown up with video games that offer more stimulation and more engagement with buttons and controls and immediate feedback. Risk, and this website, do not offer those things. I see Risk as having a rather limited market of players who enjoy this format and the challenges presented.

This pretty much sums it up. There's now thousands of browser games, mobile games, 4 different consoles to buy and play games on, and Steam/GoG have become gaming industry giants, not to mention the thousands of other gaming companies/millions of other games that are available. This site could look sleek and cutting edge, but with how many options there are out there, you're not going to attract the masses to a browser game.

The pandemic helped for a minute as millions of people unfamiliar with the world of gaming flocked to their computers, some for the first time, in an attempt to regain that socializing presence they lost when they couldn't go outside anymore. I had several friends sign up for the site, was involved in teaching them how to play and even explored all the cool new maps with them; none stuck around when they found out what Steam was and how much more interesting it is than a browser board game.

[.SCuD.]

It does that by doing things conserving a series of neo-colonial and racist maps that remind CC's boomer fanbase of how the world looked when they were children.

Seemingly by allowing unapologetc anti-semites, like yourself, to continue to post on the site.

[.SCuD.]

Is that what draws you to challenge threads? Despite being apart of one of those clans, I read these two parts:

This yearly battle between our two Clans continues.
LAST YEAR.. Death by Dice won by 1 game

THIS year, Keefie wants revenge, and we have both agreed to a Signature Bet.

The LOSER has agreed to wear a SIGNATURE for 30 DAYS

And that pretty much summed it up for me. Yes, the announcement title did not sum up the entire thread, but it's a title, it's not supposed to. I sincerely doubt anyone new would click on that and be as confused as you're claiming.

It is confusing because it is out of place. People look at it assumuing that as it is an announcement, it has something to do with the site on the whole. They then leave not understanding how it may have something to do with them, and wondering if they missed something.

If it were positioned in it's rightful place (for example, as one of many posts in the clans thread) it would not confuse anyone.

These are also just the most obvious things as they are currently listed as announcements. There are plenty more. I read something about "Token Tournaments" recently... and what the eff is going on there? If you read what it's about it looks like it is something that just petered out and died last year, but then there are still things going on? It just all looks like garbage. I honestly have no idea if Token tournaments are still a thing.

[mrswdk]

It does that by doing things conserving a series of neo-colonial and racist maps that remind CC's boomer fanbase of how the world looked when they were children.

Seemingly by allowing unapologetc anti-semites, like yourself, to continue to post on the site.

So CC is just going to allow this troll to follow me from thread to thread derailing every conversation he can with his ridiculous lies?

[.SCuD.]

So CC is just going to allow this troll to follow me from thread to thread derailing every conversation he can with his ridiculous lies?

I believe I was already discussing in this thread before you appeared. Not much following you around, is there? And derailing? I think anyone with eyes can see that you did the derailing with your Jamaica bits. I simply reminded the world that contrary to what you say about some maps you are in fact pro racism. Just... only specific types of racism.

[mrswdk]

Going to ignore .SCuD.'s childish attempts to drag me into an irrelevant argument. Below is my recent post responding to the OP of this thread, we can ignore the last few posts:

tbh CC's chance to keep up with the times has already been and gone. There are good mobile apps out there that offer people the opportunity to play Risk (and other strategy games) quickly and easily on their phones. CC dragged its feet and missed the boat, like Nokia trying to jump on the smartphone wave after Apple, Samsung and others had already carved the market up for themselves.

CC membership went from 5k to 15k in about one month when everyone was locked down due to COVID, and almost all of those new users have left again already. CC clearly can't attract new users. The only play it has left is to keep its existing user base happy. It does that by doing things conserving a series of neo-colonial and racist maps that remind CC's boomer fanbase of how the world looked when they were children.