Official forums for BZFlag.org

I know Constitution and many more have created posts for conversations about BZFlag's loss of inactivity and potential solutions and changes, however, recently on a hix server we had a similar debate. We started talking about how BZFlag has changed from having a lot of activity to no activity. We used to see most of the hours of every day and week filled with lots of participating players and lots of active servers. Now, we see only 3 active servers and rarely participation. The BZFlag leagues I believe are suffering big time, from being able to hold plenty of 6 player official matches to barely pulling off a 2v2 fun match. Ironically enough after the conversation, we were able to hold several fun match's one being 5 vs 5. But even with that random boost of activity, we can all agree that rarely comes anymore, something that always happened years ago.

So, MC Spatula, Nalafien, etigah and I started talking about what the solutions are, and before we knew it we all found each other with different views. Therefore I am creating this post not to be a duplicate, but rather to try and decide what most people think about how BZFlag can become popular again.

Let me clear this up...

Goal/Hope: Make BZFlag popular (again)
Options:

• 1. 1) Update BZFlag. Fix the bugs, solve small user interface and game play problems but keep the current feel and usability of BZFlag
  • 2) Remake BZFlag. Not just improve the interface, not just create new leagues, not just fix a few bugs. Throw out the old, bring in all new.
  • 3) Other option? Please share and explain your idea...

For this discussion, assume we have the resources/time/money/ability/etc to do one of those options right away. Which option do you think best reaches the goal?

There's been some other discussions already about this. Have you taken a look at those? I'll link some discussions here, as well as my rough plan for BZFlag 2.6.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18378 (Bzflag future at stake)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18663 (Why are there only like 30 people playing BZFLAG at one)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19154 (What was attractive about this game?)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17677 (Resurrecting BZFlag)
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17280 (IRC meeting to discuss BZFlag Replacement Project)
https://wiki.bzflag.org/DevelopmentPlans/2.6.0

>> 3) Other option? Please share and explain your idea...
We need to do the following:
1. translate the game into Russian.
2. http://bzflag.org/ make the site in Russian, so it indexed in Google.
We lose a lot of potential players in the Russian-speaking space.

Very few people even know about BZFlag.
Improving the Wikipedia article on BZFlag with updated information would be a good idea.
(screenshots of the latest versions and releases would be a start.)

Last 2 section on russian wiki (webpage https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/BZFlag ) I wrote about flags on maps Planet-MoFo.com, Urban Jungle and Badgerking, they do not yet verified by experts. But... we not have many russian people on game I think peoples are lazy and do not want to install the game without the support of the russian language.
I also think to add on russian wiki a section about League.

Please only write about the official flags. The custom flags on Mofo and others should not be mentioned on Wikipedia.

Ok, I'll bite.

I think to make the game attractive it obviously needs to get new features and to fix the decades old problems. And for it to happen 1-The barrier to entry for contributors has to be lowered quite a bit, and 2- The game should be developed by people who actually play it, occasionally at least. This, or it will continue to stall indefinitely.

I do not see any of this happening within the current project management, so perhaps a fork or even a new game is the way to go forward.

Did you read the 2.6 plan?

First time I've been here in a while. Dipping into a few threads I find not many new posts at all. Is this pretty much dead, then?

Yes. BZ is dying, and only a few have hope of recovery. Yet there really isn't much plan. So I'd move on to bigger and better things.

Gollum wrote:Yes. BZ is dying, and only a few have hope of recovery. Yet there really isn't much plan. So I'd move on to bigger and better things.

There are actually a multitude of plans for how to improve bzflag, just very few people working on them.

I still play plenty. Hit me up for an FM when you see me on. There are still players that play multiple matches a day. Death does not worry me, I am here for fun.
-Indy

Dammit, if minesweeper is still on PCs, BZFlag should still exist!

Flags. A lot of new flags. I have some ideas, buy maybe the game would need a new version.

I definitely think adding new flags would generate some excitement. However, most of the flag ideas have already been implemented, what more would really add to the game?

And maybe there could be some success with a social media campaign - a lot of online games are so cookie-cutter that this might be enticing to people that are tired of the Farmville-esque apps and tower defense games that are out there. There just doesn't seem to be enough exposure.

Maybe a BZFlag YouTube channel?

Just throwing some ideas out there. Things that can be shared through popular websites might bring in some new tankers.

Flags would be interesting, but probably better implemented as a plug-in instead.
I like ducatiwannabe's suggestion of having BZFlag on social media and it would probably draw some more players.

-Zehra