axo15

Thanks @Gurken Khan. Thats not what I'm suggesting tho. If we are real about wanting to turn this around and retain more players/cause less hurt, might it be an idea to establish a venue for mutual support between those of us who take an active interest in backing players who are on their way out due to abuse, hacking ect. so good apples proactively can close ranks around those who might need it. This space could also function as data mine re peoples motivations for leaving, which undoubtedly would be useful in trying to understand why the player base is shrinking/what can be done to increase the longevity of the project.

This sounds all too familiar @guerringuerrin @maxticatrix Personally, I've taken some distance after being berated by Reza, some weeks back. And by "berated" I mean being called a retard and other abuses for underperforming handling a new civ for the first time in an all random game. Just another anecdote among many, indeed... These sort of things keeps happening. I've lived my share, and seen a number of lovely players leave explicitly because they can't/won't handle the aggressive othering, the racism, the homophobia or whatever the order of the day might have been. Real people are spending real time coping with the interpersonal punches they've taken in 0ad, irl... Is it really worth it, guys? Theres a clear pattern here, that without doubt is a part of the rapid turnover we all see and lament. @king reza the great Maybe if you can provide some insight into how you reconcile wanting to expand the player base and meeting players in the way that you met @guerringuerrin and myself lately, we can begin to dig into what is going on here and establish a more constructive dialog? Another consequence of the rigid in-group/out-group mentality of the core players, is that more capable players are being kicked and replaced with lesser players, ostensibly because they are not "good enough" to play with the self identified big boys. They are being told to shut up and get in line, in spite of the data often clearly showing that this "qualitative" argument is flawed, which doesn't exactly inspire. No wonder players leave if their hard earned accomplishments are plainly dismissed simply to maintain the status quo of the in-group. It's clear that the interpersonal dynamics of this space is at odds with the enormous effort invested into making this game a reality, and as such, potentially its future too. Is it an idea to try to quantify this sort of experiences by, say, opening a thread we collect peoples stories in a more organised manner? Could be interesting for the project to document and get a real handle on what motivates people to leave, no? If we deal with these things openly, it'd be easier to speak up in game without fear of loosing ones clout. My take is that we all carry a degree of responsibility in this. Sure, we all have some idea as to who the rotten apples are. Yet witnessing these things in silence is without question a major enabling factor. Time to step up? Finally, to the devs and all you good apples out there: a million thanks for an amazing game, the lovely times and the mountain of giggles! You rock!!!