Most of the suggestions on this board are related to specific features players want to see implemented inside the game. This one is different. It has to do with you people getting over yourselves and turning this game into something that's actually good. No more ded gaem.
1. Start making out with the community. If you're getting a slightly sexual vibe from that phrase, that's what I'm asking you to do. Start loving the PvP gangs. Don't spawn items, just talk to them - you'll be surprised how much those guys have to tell you.
2. Once you've done that, establish a devteam-community platform. You've been crying for a year or so about the lack of brainpower when it comes to developing the economy and PvP content and the lack of player input - make it happen. Allow the players to elect their officials, get them in contact with the devteam. Observe, start giving a fuck - and good shit will ensue.
3. Learn to appreciate player-created content. What is player-created content? It's the North Alliance vs Dark Alliance. It's the Cajuns. It's the VBS. It's the HAWKS. It's the Red Dot Alliance. And yes, it's the BBS. Players have been pulling other players into this game to pull them into their wars, it was awesome because while the pixels dying were on the internet the emotions were real - appreciate that, start some dialogue to make more of the same happen in the future. Create gang-specific content, an annual PvP tournament where the apes can inflate their egos in Mortal Kombat against other apes is an amazing place to start.
4. Let the crowd see the blood. I mean, everyone knows you fucked up, make it up with the community you pissed off by providing it with a few months of underground UFC-tier gladiatorial action where contestants win or die. Or better yet, find a scapegoat inside the devteam, put the whole blame on him/her and fire the asshole. Don't worry, you can pull the asshole back in in a few months once the situation is under control, just show us that you care.
5. Turn the ded gaem into a somewhat easy game. Or at the very least easygoing game. Full loot is hardcore enough to keep this game post-apo, focus on enabling people to get into PvP once they learn the ropes when it comes to the easy stuff. Make it a full-time job, not a one-time effort. It's more important than your weapon balance input, especially since you don't use those weapons to begin with.
6. Read those fucking "playing-to-win" essays from the fighting game community. Stop nerfing shit. Appreciate the fact that imbalanced PvP features create amazing and complex tactical solutions, stop knee-jerk nerfing the game into oblivion.
7. Get a fucking economist. Not a Solar, because that was a joke. I'm talking about a real dude with real education when it comes to free-market stuff. You're obviously clueless, so this will help. If you can't get an economist, get someone who enjoys reading about economy and likes games. I don't know. Get some help, for fucks sake.
8. Stop acting as if the community was hostile. We love you. If we don't, start acting as if we did - and we'll start loving you back on our own. Karma is a bitch, you've been acting as if we were your enemies the whole time, don't bring this shit back. What this means is that when you talk with other devs, you don't say "today X was an annoying fuck", you say "today Y was awesome".
So yeah. No specific game-related suggestions. Just some mindset stuff a monster amount of people would appreciate. Show us you can and show us you're more than a good-for-nothing crew that turned a flourishing server into a wasteland (the puns, they are weak today, sorry - at least I tried). Make this game into something amazing - it doesn't have to be amazing today, just show us that you care and you try.
And remember one thing. Nessies don't create the good stuff. They don't make wars that keep people on their toes and logging in when they're supposed to sleep. Nessies are the bread and butter, you should aim for the marmalade.
