Subject: Is Sokker dying?

sokker belgium is dying :(
(edited)

sokker germany is dying too.

Sokker Eesti is already dead ...

I voted for no at the beggining of the topic, but i somehow now have the feeling the game isnt taken serious from the creators and admins...

that is because there are no improvements, that the main reason .. things which are still the same without changes becomes boring

And as long as devs and admins thinks that we users are stupid, probably sokker will loose even more users. I was for sokker and tryed to convince people stay and play. I wont do it any more cuse they think im stupid. It was probably i paid them the last time...

there isnt any online game I play that gets improvements.
yet, everytime a new TribalWars, Ogame, ... new server/world/... opens, there is a flood. So it's really not needed to improve a game all the time. Or what important 'new' stuff did HT introduce during the last years?

Next big change that has to happen, and the one introduced long time ago, is conditional tactics change.
That would really improve tactics, game preparation and squad depth.

Not introduced, but announced.

*translating mistake

Some remarks on various comments:

Nin: The main selling point of this game is the match engine
I like that Nin uses the word selling here. It gives me a chance to combine Sokker with the Product Life Cycle (PLC) of a product:



Where would you put Sokker on it? I'd say late maturity. We have already passed development, introduction and growth. What Sokker would need to do now is, by using changement and improvement, to try and create a new PLC, a new growth period from this point on. Unfortunately this will never happen in our current situation.

Also I would like to mention that the question I asked at the beginning of this topic is a global question. You have to put it in a global perspective - not an individual. Give your impression of where this game is going and then formulate your answer.

Here as some questions that align with the above:
- Do you think the name of the game prevents it from growing?
- Has Sokker reached a ceiling?
- If so. Does standing still mean deteriorating?
- Should the current developers be replaced in order to grow?
- Should there some kind of big marketing campaign?
- Is the entry level of this game to high for newcomers?

Interesting.

I think sokker has many selling points. Some very unique and it seems strange to me that they aren't exploited more. The 3D engine and the solid community are the first two.

Most casual new users are scared away because of the learning curve and those who look for a challenge are scared away because of the eastbloc look of this site. All we need is some writing in cyrillic letters on top.
So yea, I think we could use some marketing. Not only community work (although we dó could use a nice-looking training manual), but a real professional outlook for this site.

And were already at the middle of the decline in some countries. Don't know why.

- Should there some kind of big marketing campaign?

If really in Decline stage; a big NO.

If creating new PLC through developments, then YES (but first there have to be some dramatic improvements then).

I've also voted yes. Sokker isn't going anywhere, about 50% of the people I know from the early days is bored or already stopped playing. Pity

No because there are more managers joining, and all we have to do is keep their interest prolonged.

This graph might show the cycle but it's not reflective of this game. Somewhere after the start of the growth section, everything slowed down, a lot. That was the time when the game was still new to everybody, it was the time the game was supposed to take off by word of mouth and it simply did not happen because the game wasn't ready and didn't have the infrastructure to become huge. The users of this game worked there arse off to advertise this place and it was all for nothing because

1) It looked ugly, for a long time. I'm sure you all remember how long it took to get a new skin
2) The signup process can't deal with a massive ammount of applicants without taking a ridiculous ammount of time
3) After 5 years there is still no newbie guide

Now, those people who worked hard to publicise the game have grown tired of the effort. They're bored because the game has stagnated and they're fed up with feeling ignored. Basically when they stopped making the effort, the growth section flatlined and it's now going to take a major overhaul to get that excitement back.
That major overhaul is not coming and I'll tell you why. It's because the game is ran as a side project, supported by volunteers and is thoroughly amateur in every respect. The current administration doesn't have the capacity to overhaul or expand this game. They have taken it as far as they can and lack the ambition/time/ability to move forward any further, which is no surprise as they are only 3 guys.
As with all projects, you've got a timeframe within which you've got to establish yourself, bring the product up to standard and expand. What you're seeing now is the end of that timeframe. The game didn't progress as it needed to, when it needed to. The growth has now stopped, the initiators of that growth are no longer interested and the game now needs a new drive from somewhere.


- Do you think the name of the game prevents it from growing?

Yes, it's a truly awful name. Absolutely no-one is going to Google it and the mispelling, combined with the look of the game is as amateur as you can get.

- Has Sokker reached a ceiling?

If not I think it's close to it. There is only so much 3 people can do

- If so. Does standing still mean deteriorating?

Eventually yes. Facing facts here, it's an internet game and if you cant keep things fresh, people will eventually get bored.

- Should the current developers be replaced in order to grow?

Replaced no. They need to get their act together though, stop treating this as a side project and become professional.

- Should there some kind of big marketing campaign?

No, not until the game is actually ready to take new people and other things are fixed

- Is the entry level of this game to high for newcomers?

Consider that they're starting in the lower leagues and the answer is no. The game has to provide a guide though.

I think Sokker Belgium is dying because they erased league 6. In this way it is very hard for newbies to win some matches as they have to play against teams that are playing for 2-3 seasons, but are still in that same league. Nobody likes to lose, but if you start and you keep losing, it sucks for you...

If the 'kk' in sokker was changed to 'cc, this would be the differnce in google search results



Red line is searches for Soccer Manager, Blue line is Sokker Manager
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