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Old 07-22-2011, 03:52 AM
mattl90 mattl90 is offline
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How Facebook Graal could be improved.

Hello fellow Graalians. I haven’t posted in a long time, and this is a long one, but I assure you it will not be nearly as painful to read because I am no longer 12.

I’ve been playing around on the Facebook Graal server for the past few days and was a little disappointed about what there was to do. However, with the high player count I believe this server has a lot of potential. So I thought I would share my thoughts on how Facebook Graal’s gameplay and business model could be improved on.

As it stands, Facebook Graal is little more than a graphical chatroom with micro-transactions. It’s also apparent that the server is focused on players buying more character customization options such as hats and bodies. This is a good basis as it allows players to show off their wealth by wearing prestigious hats, or using special items. While the idea is good, I believe the current system is flawed because of how the economy works. Currently, players have three options to earn gralats: bombing bushes, doing surveys, and buying gralats with real money. The problem with this is that only one of these options actually involves playing the game. Not to mention it is extremely inefficient because of how expensive items are. Players simply need alternative options to make gralats in game. By giving players more options it adds content to the game, which encourages people to play more. Bringing over some jobs from Graal 2k1 such as fishing and mining would make playing the game more interesting, and also more rewarding.

The reason I would not pay real money for Facebook Graal at the moment is because I expect to be at least slightly challenged when I play games, and I like feeling rewarded for the work I put into the game. Sure I could spend a few dollars and have that really cool hat, but there’s no challenge in it. This might also have something to do with the fact that I’m 20 and don’t really care if I have the coolest looking character ever in Graal. Rewarding players for the work they put into the game keeps them coming back; not just handing them what they want for a few bucks.

The catch is that if players had more options to make profit more quickly in game, it would discourage people from just buying gralats with their real money. And let’s face it; the point of the game is for Stefan and Unixmad to make money. This is why the micro-transactions system would also need to be overhauled. Most free MMO’s use an energy system, which limits players in how much they can achieve per day, while allowing you to purchase more energy if you want to keep playing. This system would work absolute wonders in Graal. For example, say mining is one of the alternative methods of gralat production. If you get 100 total energy each day, a mineral vein provides 10 gralats each, and every vein you mine depletes your energy by one. This would be a much faster way of making gralats while still limiting you in how much you can make at once without paying real money.

Now if I were trying to buy a hat that costs 5,000 gralats it would take me 5 days of mining. However, if I had the option of paying a few dollars to refill my energy so I could continue mining and make more gralats, I might very well consider it if I enjoy the game and really wanted the hat. This would also allow the cost of buying gralats directly to increase because it is faster and easier. Prices just need to be balanced. Energy simply cannot cost more than most players think it is worth. Energy should cost roughly as much as it does in games of similar caliber to Graal.

Jobs should also become increasingly more profitable, as this adds a sense progression to your character and allows players to become more and more wealthy over time. This would also allow for progressively more expensive and prestigious items. Once again this also entices players to come back as they have a feeling that their characters are getting better. This could work by either having your skills in jobs level up, or it could be like Graal 2k1 where you buy better equipment, such as a more durable pickaxe that also breaks rocks faster.

Facebook Graal would also benefit from regularly added quests that reward players with fun items, but that’s a pretty obvious comment. Do I expect any of these changes to be added to the game? No not really. But in my opinion this would greatly expand on the life and playerbase of the game. And, being an officially supported server I could see Facebook Graal progressing the Classic server (which will always be my favorite) while still staying true to what Classic Graal is. Facebook Graal may not be very much right now, but I have very high hopes for it in the future. Also, I'm sure most of these points have been brought up before, but I don't follow these forums very much and didn't want to resurrect an old topic or drop a giant post in someone else's thread.
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Old 07-22-2011, 04:13 AM
Tricxta Tricxta is offline
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bringing over some jobs from graal 2k1 such as fishing and mining would make playing the game more interesting, and also more rewarding.
yes!!!
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No look at it, Stefan is totally trolling Thor. Calling Classic a "playerworld" (something it's not supposed to be) is the ultimate subtle insult to a true fan.

It's genius.
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Old 07-22-2011, 04:20 AM
ffcmike ffcmike is offline
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While this is a well thought-out post with some good sense-full ideas, I'm not convinced that Facebook Graal is meant to be a "new and improved" server in the same way that Graal2001 was a decade ago.
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Old 07-22-2011, 05:01 AM
jorollychu jorollychu is offline
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mining and fishing is the same grinding as grass farming who cares
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Old 07-22-2011, 05:07 AM
skillmaster19 skillmaster19 is offline
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I think they should just add more content other than customization items and gani items for now. Yes I know they are limited by the efficiency of the flash player and the processing power of the iphone, but I am sure jobs could be implemented since they were on iEra, and I am also sure some form of quests can be added(though they will most likely need to be instanced for obvious reasons.)
I offered to help add basic quests to all of the currently useless buildings because I figured some quests are better than no quests, but apparently they wanted to set their standards way above their ability and said I would need to make instanced quests with features like door switches to doors in other levels(well they are capable, but they never actually did it or anything close themselves). I haven't seen any of this yet on Graal classic iphone,yet instances on any server. I'm sure with the increasingly low expectations from the players, basic quests such as finding someone's missing pet, hitting 10 moving targets with arrows, and killing a thief hidden in a secret cave would surely make the players regain hope and stop complaining about the lack of content while the best developers focus on creating larger updates such as main quests or new items. They released a simple Easter quest to kill an egg thief in a cave next door that was the same baddy script with a different look and gives you an item on kill. Players loved it even though it took about 20 seconds and probably took 20 minutes to make.
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Old 07-22-2011, 05:08 AM
fowlplay4 fowlplay4 is offline
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Really just need different servers to play on. Classic iPhone can just be the UN/Social server of the new platform.
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Old 07-22-2011, 05:10 AM
mattl90 mattl90 is offline
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I understand a lot of this is just wishful thinking, I just think the potential is there for this to be a big step in the right direction for Graal and I hate to see that wasted.

Also, jobs would be different from grass farming because they would be more profitable and more efficient. When you cut a bush you have a high chance to get no return for your work. Jobs would have a measurable and guranteed rate of return. Also, you would eventually start making significantly more gralats than you ever would from grass farming. It also gives the illusion that you are doing more interesting things than mowing the lawn even though you may be doing similar key strokes.
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Old 07-22-2011, 05:16 AM
skillmaster19 skillmaster19 is offline
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Originally Posted by jorollychu View Post
mining and fishing is the same grinding as grass farming who cares
If they made the jobs slightly more complex then perhaps they would be less boring.
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Old 07-27-2011, 11:55 PM
dennis20014 dennis20014 is offline
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I'm surprised they haven't brought over different servers as well
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Old 07-28-2011, 12:09 AM
MattKan MattKan is offline
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Originally Posted by skillmaster19 View Post
If they made the jobs slightly more complex then perhaps they would be less boring.
variety attracts different people

I'd rather mine than farm because I'm bored with farming, and mining seems cooler. Bob would rather farm than mine because he thinks farming is a cooler idea. Point is we're both happy.
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Old 07-28-2011, 12:14 AM
Tricxta Tricxta is offline
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Only a matter of time... Pretty sure unixmad showed a picture of era on facebook.

The problem with facebook graal is it has competition. If you want to play graal you play on the v6 client, if you want to play on the go you use your iPhone, if you want to play facebook chances are your from here and curious or accidently stumbled upon it. Facebook graal would be alot better if it had some decent content to show off graal therefore luring people in. I bet if people knew about what thor is doing and how amazing it is,there would be alot more people interested in graal.
With the new flash client on facebook are there any system limitations? If not why not do what pc classic is doing and make good use of the graal engine rather then just playing around with player attributes.
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No look at it, Stefan is totally trolling Thor. Calling Classic a "playerworld" (something it's not supposed to be) is the ultimate subtle insult to a true fan.

It's genius.
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  #12  
Old 07-28-2011, 11:28 PM
jorollychu jorollychu is offline
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i'd rather spend my money from real job than waste my time on gralat farming
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03-15-2012 05:49 PM Good riddance. All you do is whine. Hopefully when you are gone you'll man up - Supernanny
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