Skinnable Clients: Ideas to help Graal
 

My ideas are getting buried in the Lifetime Classic thread, so I'll start a few new ones.

Skinnable Clients
Purpose: to make each server into its own Game, one that can claim to be based on the graal engine rather than as an extension of Graal (for instance: Maloria, powered by the Graal4 Engine rather than Maloria, a server on GraalOnline)
Options: While we're at it, give these worlds their own space on the webserver, so players can click on a Maloria ad, go to Maloria.graal.com, sign up, pay their $30, and only later find out they've also got access to all of Maloria's sibling-worlds. Also possible - instead of graal.com being Kingdoms' website, it's just the host and Kingdoms is its own game, just like Zone and Classic and so forth. Maybe even have a general forum install for each world, so they're all created equal.
Requires: Stefan to edit the client and/or installer slightly, the servers to edit themselves some skins, space on the web server, links on the navbar to the worlds' spaces, possibly a template website for owners who haven't touched HTML since 1997 (guilty)

The general idea is that if every server can claim to be their own game, every server can market their own game. All servers would be equal from an administration standpoint - this wouldn't be the Official Forum for all of 3 servers, it'd be the Host Forum, like how Java and C# have forums. If you have a question about Maloria, you're in the wrong place. If you have a question about Kingdoms, you're no better off. If you love Classic, you go to Classic.graal.com and sign up for that wonderful game...and get access to the rest of the worlds too. It is my understanding that, already, when a server owner registers they're emailed the code necessary to put a Sign Up link on their website, then for every player that upgrades through that link they get a discount on the next server bill. Don't know if it's true, that's just what I heard - if it isn't that way, it should be.

Tyhm, don't contribute to spamming the forums with separate threrads about all of your ideas. Myth-simba in GK's forums does that, and it makes many many people want to wring his neck.

*shrugs* If I make One thread, it'll go off-topic. I have 9 ideas to develop, and I want to discuss all 9 of them seperately.

Besides, can you imagine how huge a post that'd be? Already on the Lifetime Classic thread people have skipped over my posts entirely...this way's more organized.

This would work with a base of developers for each world who were very committed. I don't think any worlds, even classic ones, have the drive and resources to make this system work.

Simple as that.

I like everything except the mentioning of the server bill. Playerworlds that are having people upgrade to play them (which means they would be gold) should not be required to pay yearly rental fees for the server. They are already providing Graal with income from account upgrades (of their own accounts and anyone who upgrades to play)

I've never rented a server and I never would... I don't have the money nor the patience to do so. I think that newcomers should have to pay for their server though... obviously to keep from everyone having a server. But once the server is public and getting people to upgrade... the renting should be free and that money should be profit for the playerworld staff.

Houdiniman, I think it would work because what you just said would mean that people would have to actually give up on their 1 staff private playerworld and join forces with others to make something decent. It might help to cut down on these 100+ playerworlds with 0 people on them.

Maloria would. They've got their own forum, I can't imagine they'd object to getting their own server and the right to make their own ads and recruit their own players for their own game. I would, if I had a world, I'd jump on that like a tramopoline.

Well, right. I suppose I misspake - the Discounts should go all the way around from Yearly Rental: $99 for servers that suck to Daily Income for the servers that rule. I mean, if you only get $1 per upgrade - IF - then after 100 upgrades, that's only one upgrade every 3.65 days, the rest is profit. If you make one upgrade a day, you end the year out with $265 to put towards whatever you like. And that's assuming Graal only gives you $1! If Unixmad decided to be generous and give you $3, you'd make $1095 on your daily upgrades, - the $99 to keep the servers running and it's still $996. And if your server's REALLY popular....well, you get the idea.

And this isn't even the thread on Expansion Packs. That's where the REAL money is, if you ask me...

If he put all his ideas in one thread, it would be way too long, and all of the ideas would not be read.
It is better this way as his ideas are well detailed and long, and lets the members/staff/administration be able to read each idea individually, and to post on only that idea within each thread.

(Thank you, at least someone gets it. ^_^
Shnikes, if I'd had my 9 ideas on 9 different days and named them differently I wouldn't get so much complaining...why should it matter that I was consistent?)

This is one of the idea's i've had in my head for ages. I'm glad you decided to write it up, since I totally agree. Doing this would have a vast affect on the professional of Graal to the eyes of outsiders. It would definately help to sell more accounts.

Tyhm owns you all. YOu are teh newbs compared to him.

Awe, why thank you.
So: Skin the client, give the servers a single website each, let them advertise their games, save Graal. FTW!

I like the idea, of course it should cost extra.

I love this idea.

*shrugs* Don't see why; I'd say that a standalone Graal product should be expected to make server upkeep payments annually, like they were originally expected to...not sure why I'm hearing the currently hosted servers stop paying once they make it to the serverlist, but it's what I hear...figure if you've got people subscribing to Graal for Your Game, a portion of that can go to defraying costs before you start pulling down a profit...

The poll options are a little bit weird, a simple yes or no would have been enough really ("do you like it or not?")
The new website will include some of those ideas. We also plan to modify the start of the client to directly connect to the login server which makes it possible to customize the start screen easier.

It flows with his other threads and pretty much tries to show which option graal should really be concentrating on. Sadly there's not even enough forum members to make that poll more accurate. Each vote has like 2-3 people :[

Yeah, in hindsight I shoulda just had 9 polls on 9 threads instead of 3 10-option polls on 3 out of 9 threads.

But yay for start-of-the-new-client modifications-which-make-it-possible-to-customize-the-start-screen-easier, that'll make it way easier for playerworlds to develop a sense of personal pride - "this is My Game which I made (with Stefan's engine and Unixmad's hosting), so of course I'll take the time to advertise My game on the websites I choose, because I'll profit from players upgrading to play My game."