Wanted: Screenshot for promotion

[The Returner]

Estralis' first one is alright. And Estralis, i do think the dialogue does matter, at least somewhat.
Remember that the screenie will "represent" illarion. It will affect the type of people coming here, and it will affect how these people BEHAVE !

If you want to attract the typical "standard", non-RP-behaving mmorpg player, a screenshot without any rp-ed, medieval-ish/theatralic speech is alright. But if that is what we want, we can forget about roleplaying.

If you want to attract people talking leet, Estralis' second fun screenie would do, of course.

But if you want to attract people who think that they might find some actual roleplaying here, or who even will roleplay, the first one Estralis posted is defnitely the best suitable one.

Flame me if you wish, but illarion once was supposed to be a roleplaying game where people needed a little bit maturity and a little acting skill.
But even though it's far away from that now and even though the average player age seems to have gone down alot, let's at least try to keep the general direction that way.
Do it old-school-RP-style.

Damien, this is one of those times that I could hug you.

[LifeWonder]

Do it old-school-RP-style.

Old-school roleplay was never centred around flowery/Shakespearian speech. Not even Medieval one.

If you think they used to speak flowey/Shakespearian English in the middle-ages, boy-oboy you're damn human.

[WonderLife]

Do it old-school-RP-style.

Old-school roleplay was never centred around flowery/Shakespearian speech. Not even Medieval one.

If you think they used to speak flowey/Shakespearian English in the middle-ages, boy-oboy you're damn human.

[Estralis Seborian]

If you want to help, suggest a better dialogue. Also, if you have any idea for improvement of the shown screenshot, feel free to post it. I'll redo the screenshot, using a trick to improve its look, when I find the time.

It is pretty pointless to discuss about the use of Shakespearian English in the middle-ages when the point is to create a promotional screenshot for a fantasy roleplaying game.

[The Returner]

Do it old-school-RP-style.

Old-school roleplay was never centred around flowery/Shakespearian speech. Not even Medieval one.

If you think they used to speak flowey/Shakespearian English in the middle-ages, boy-oboy you're damn human.

Are you a moron, or do you just play one on the internet?

I'm pretty sure shakespeare was around in the middle ages, and considering the "shakespearian english" that he wrote, I'd be pretty lost if you could even consider the fact that it was never spoken (especially considering that theres a whole language called middle english), and instead in medievel markets there were a bunch of knights going NEED GP FOR SWORDS

[pharse]

Stop that off-topic. This is about promotion and stuff.

btw: I'm pretty sure the "common" people didn't speak that flowery, they sweared and all like today.

If there's anything you still want to discuss, open an own thread.

--

@topic: I think the dialogue is fine. But I recommend another screenshot for promotion that shows farmers, peasants, workers e.g. in a tavern, drinking beer and making jokes or discussing about the current leadership, of course using "normal" language.

[The Returner]

Stop that off-topic. This is about promotion and stuff.

btw: I'm pretty sure the "common" people didn't speak that flowery, they sweared and all like today.

If there's anything you still want to discuss, open an own thread.

--

@topic: I think the dialogue is fine. But I recommend another screenshot for promotion that shows farmers, peasants, workers e.g. in a tavern, drinking beer and making jokes or discussing about the current leadership, of course using "normal" language.

Are you assuming that in the middle ages, a whole subset of people used a completely differant language then the people who actually ran the country, and that the grammer and syntax of said language was more modern for these uneducated, poor, dirty farmers, then the rich and powerfull?

[The great one]

The leet talk on the second screenshot was Estralis trying to prove a point which he didn't really manage to, don't worry, I doubt it'll be used to promote Illa.

Wtf is wrong with you, that time of the month again?

Anyway imho the first screenshot would be effective, and possibly rope in potentially good roleplayers, unlike pricks like me and lifewonder.

[Pellandria]

The problem is, do you choose to attrack "hardcore" roleplayer, those who roleplay allready years in different chats, where you maybe got 5 out of 100 people, from these 5 you allready loose 3 because of the game engine, the graphics or the limitations of Illa and one of the last two might find Illa boring, because the promoted speech is nowhere to find, so from 100 possible people you exactly gain 1 player.

Or do you go another way, find a good middleground and let it seem more normal, more apppelying to the normal players eyes, so you get maybe 50 players from 100, who look at the screenshot, now naurally you can say 25 will leave, because they don't like the game mechanics, no poering up no levels, yadda yadda, 10 will be this "I will ever be noob" players, who just downright annoy about everyone with bad language, bad grammar and leet speak, those will leave eventually.
now we are down to 15 possible players, those will turn into half assed rp'er and multicrafter, butthere is a possibility that they will change into a better roleplayer with "training" and "learning", so I rather have 15 sligthly bad roleplayer, who still have potential, than one lonely elite player.

[Kevin Lightdot]

Solution:
Have screenshots with both.

[The Returner]

The problem is, do you choose to attrack "hardcore" roleplayer, those who roleplay allready years in different chats, where you maybe got 5 out of 100 people, from these 5 you allready loose 3 because of the game engine, the graphics or the limitations of Illa and one of the last two might find Illa boring, because the promoted speech is nowhere to find, so from 100 possible people you exactly gain 1 player.

imho I would rather have the smaller playerbase with higher quality then the playerbase we're attracting now.

If your speaking from a purely technical standpoint, yes you get tons of players this way, but then you have people here who won't play with them, so you end up with not only the hardcore german players who won't play with english players (there are several) the english players who don't know/don't want to learn german (pretty much most of the english and non-german players here) and the players who use modern english vs middle english or at least "atmospheric" dialogue, and there are some of those around as well. This only creates more problems for the GM staff.

[pharse]

The most inner core of the staff has decided to go this way of promotion. No need to discuss it in this thread. You have to just accept some things sometimes.

[The Returner]

The most inner core of the staff has decided to go this way of promotion. No need to discuss it in this thread. You have to just accept some things sometimes.

So much I could say, but will not.

I will say, I do accept the facts, I am making my own opinion clear, that is all.

[Damien]

The problem is, you do NOT get "tons of players" the easy way. Some more, sure, but they are as quickly to leave as they come.
Why ?
Because : If you do it like that, illarion won't have a much different community than Tibia and WOW anymore, and because WOW does have better "shiny" features which are liked by engine-loving players, they'll go there, or to one of the free MMORPGs around which feature full 3D functionality and shinier graphics.

Of course we need engine features and nice graphics. But illarion has too limited manpower to compete with something like WOW (or all these free 3d clone things around which usually have an even worse atmosphere)

Just looking at Blizzard's muchly played MMORPG, leaving away all the free 3D based MMORPG things on the market : Note that there are several "RP" servers for WOW alone, and the RP niveau there is definitely somewhere below the illarion RP niveau. If you're going to the same level, the only differences between illarion and WOW will be that the latter costs a monthly fee (which alot of people do pay) and the former has less engine features.
Where do you think these players will stay with ?

[Estralis Seborian]

Solution:
Have screenshots with both.

Even better: HAVE screenshots.
In the screenshot section, there are few created with the current client and none that I'd call usable as promotional(!) screenshot. The most used promotional screenshot of Illarion was created in 2001. The influence of the used dialogue in it on the player base is close to nil.

Anyway, who wants to suggest a better dialogue, do so. Or make a nice screenshot yourself so we can discuss about it, have a voting or whatever. But pointless arguments without concrete proposals are in vain.

[The Returner]

Anyway, who wants to suggest a better dialogue, do so. Or make a nice screenshot yourself so we can discuss about it, have a voting or whatever. But pointless arguments without concrete proposals are in vain.

Another thread has been created so I would call the argument here closed.

[Damien]

Suggestion : Make a screenshot on the test server, with all the nifty things and a correct lighting scene.
Looks shinier.
Take some single RP dialogue sentence, i.e. someone greeting someone else in a RP manner, like : "Be greeted, Sir Blablablub. How are you on this fine day ?", and there you go.

Then, you attract both eye-candy-lovers and people who want to roleplay, without scaring away people who don't like Shakespeare.

[LifeWonder]

The leet talk on the second screenshot was Estralis trying to prove a point which he didn't really manage to, don't worry, I doubt it'll be used to promote Illa.

Wtf is wrong with you, that time of the month again?

Anyway imho the first screenshot would be effective, and possibly rope in potentially good roleplayers, unlike pricks like me and lifewonder.

It's called "expressing one's opinions". I doubt, however, that you'll ever need to do such, don't worry about it. *Pets*

[The great one]

The leet talk on the second screenshot was Estralis trying to prove a point which he didn't really manage to, don't worry, I doubt it'll be used to promote Illa.

Wtf is wrong with you, that time of the month again?

Anyway imho the first screenshot would be effective, and possibly rope in potentially good roleplayers, unlike pricks like me and lifewonder.

It's called "expressing one's opinions". I doubt, however, that you'll ever need to do such, don't worry about it. *Pets*

If expressing your oppinion is being a complete dick, then buddy I guess we are one of the same.

[Olive]

somebodt shoudl take a scrrnie of the funeral we had and see if thats acceptable

[Estralis Seborian]

Caution, big pictures!

Exspected company:


Tales and tails:


Caught in the rain:


A mysterious cave:


Last stand of the magician:

[Mairae Auvria]

Those are VERY nice screenshots, I assume there will also be screenshots in German (it would be nice to see a screenshot with both languages)?

[Estralis Seborian]

Well, I do not plan to make german screenshots. But feel free to make german screenshots as well, it shall not be in vain.

Which one do you like most? I mean, which one would you make download the game?

[The Returner]

I'd go for caught in the rain personally.

[Pellandria]

I like last stand..because i like magic : D, but it also hides the message window...which is good aswell, because it does not look "staged" like the others with just an sentence...which should not be taken as complaining, but I think a few more sentences would be better.

[Mairae Auvria]

I like "expected company" or "mysterious cave" due to the emote from the lizard, the give and take conversation and the graphics. Considering a complaint is the difficulty in getting teachers etc., I think the magic one would put false expectations on new players.

[Jupiter]

Yes, the cave is a pretty good one.


Oh and Estralis, lock the witchhouse next time again, please I wondered who let the door open >.<

[Lennier]

Most pictures (or all?) are made on the Testserver. Everyone is possible to notice that

The magician screenshot has the most content. Most action etc.

[Vern Kron]

I do like the "Mage's last stand", but we should have the pictures in accurate places. I personally would be very disappointed to find out that it was all staged.

[Estralis Seborian]

Most pictures (or all?) are made on the Testserver. Everyone is possible to notice that

Öh... that is... not true... . I wanted to use the testserver in order not to disturb players and show the nice light effects, but due to a bug present on the testserver (which was resolved by now), I was not able to. So, one can blame me for unlocking the witch hut and yelling "Charge!" like a dozend of times until I shot the screenshot in the right moment of explosion of the fireball.

All screenshots are staged. This is promotion . These screenshots are ment to make people download the game and start playing. When somebody finds out that elves usually do not defend Goldburg against invading lizards, well, his fate is already sealed for he has downloaded Illaroin!

In case anybody has an idea for another nice screenshot, feel free to give me a hint. I am still thinking about a way to show crafting, but it is not that easy. Also, we have many nice graphics effects, a battle of various mages could result in a nice screenshot, too. And IMHO the argument "Do not show magic so people do not exspect magic in the game because nobody will teach them in a year anyway" is pretty much null and void when we are talking about promotion. A promotional screenshot should show the best parts of the game, not reality .