The Reinvention of the SotA Streamer Program

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Justyn, Nov 14, 2019.

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  1. Sol Stormlin

    Sol Stormlin Avatar

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    I don't have time for your negativity. We need to get back on track. Sorry you're mad.
     
  2. necronut

    necronut Avatar

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    Not mad at all. Sorry you think so. Not negative at all. Sorry you think so.

    Hopeful that positive changes can be made in a game I love and that the greed can be rooted out.
     
  3. Sol Stormlin

    Sol Stormlin Avatar

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    I DO agree with that.
     
  4. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Here's just my 2 cents:

    Streaming Incentives:
    • Streaming in and of itself is an incentive. It's fun. Try it... it's a fantastic hobby.
    • Viewers incentivize streamers by providing bits, subs, followership and social interaction. Typically, streamers take portions or all of what they earn from their viewers and return that to their audience in the form or prizes. It's pretty neat that Shroud provides rewards too, but is this necessary? I'd say no. Sure, I like getting some extra COTO's from Shroud but they make up a very small amount of what I provide as prizes each month. If the concept is complex to manage and time consuming and subject to seeming unfair to certain streamers, perhaps anything other than 1 time rewards (the camera and cloak) should just go by the wayside.
    Suggestions for Devs:
    • Raid us when you can
    • Give shoutouts to us when you can during your streams
    • Pop in and say hello to us when you can, it makes us feel like part of the team
    • Keep http://sota.ultimacodex.com/get-the-shroud-of-the-avatar-fansite-kit/ type concepts readily available for fansite creators, app creators and streamers.
    • We don't need COTO's from you. Not to say I won't augment my prizes if you continue to hand them out, but these really aren't necessary. We have viewers to reward us. You're rewarding us by making a great game to stream.
    Suggestions for Streamers:
    • Stick with it... it takes a long time to build your viewer count but the more you stream, the more you'll grow. If you get bits and or subs, use that for prizes. This game has TONS of stuff that can be traded between players. Use those for prizes. The best gear in game is crafted -- use those for prizes. Use loot for prizes... gold... leveling services. Crafting resources are also great for prizes.
    • Allow for players to donate in-game items for you to give away as prizes. Also, donated items can be utilized to demonstrate features of the game. The fact that so much is tradeable really makes the options for prizes shoot through the roof compared to many other MMO's.
    • Help other streamers. You'll find that our streamers are very willing to help each other figure out chat bots, OBS etc. I'm happy to do so even while live. You'll find that many of your viewers will also actually be streamers and just not currently live. Pick their brains if you're just getting started out, and if you see one struggling, try to help them while watching their stream.
    Suggestions for Stream Viewers/Supporters:
    • Bits are great to support your streamer sure, so are subs, BUT don't forget about in-game items. If you can't afford to support them via bits/subs (or simply prefer supporting SOTA -- which is far more important), why not send them an occasional crafted item or resource for them to raffle off. The more support streamers get for advertising the game from viewers, the less the devs will feel the need to divert their time to giving us recognition. Like I said before, the vast majority of my prizes come from viewers or myself, and not Shroud. And there really isn't a need for any to come from Shroud. Their continued creation of the game is reward enough.
    • Support your streamer simply by being engaged in chat. One of the most encouraging things you can do for a streamer is to keep him/her company. Ask questions, bring up topics, or help him/her answer questions too.
    • If you haven't tried streaming, give it a whirl -- you might like it! It's super fun :)
    Perhaps there's a tid bit in there somewhere in that rambling that could help, hehee... dunno. Long live Shroud!
     
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  5. Justyn

    Justyn Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    Hey kids, let's keep it classy and on track here. We are all here to give our ideas and opinions on the Streamer Initiative. Arguing is counter-productive.

    I appreciate the passion, but we are all here for the same cause. NOW HUG and keep those ideas coming!
     
  6. Gyzarus

    Gyzarus Avatar

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    No idea what is happening here..Alphaine's out! *poof*
     
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  7. Gridseed

    Gridseed Avatar

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    i feel everyone and all that support Shroud not the top ten but streamer that has been streaming for over 2 months should be supported in different ways and just not throw cotos at.
    And all streamers should support each other . And a lot of streamers do :) i think nearly all do :)
    There is a lot of different streamers doing different things not all are the same and need the cotos.
    Some streamers have pretty good ideas and need a representative of the shroud team to help them with this and not have favourites and the representative needs to be neutral.
    if you Support the Streamers as individuals with different needs and work on the best way the help them then your on a winner :)
    Streamers will and can help Catnip Games become something that its meant to be. Support the Streamer to Support this Awesome game.

    This is just a point of view and all streamers are important.
     
  8. Arkah EMPstrike

    Arkah EMPstrike Avatar

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    How bout some in-game RP kinda titles that can be leveled up with twitch stats?

    And/or some cool stream banners that can be leveled up?
     
  9. DGgnome

    DGgnome Avatar

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    Avatars,

    I've been trying to keep up with the posts here, life's a bit crazy for me at the moment, I just now caught up. I think that there's been some fantastic ideas here, and I'd like to slightly expand upon my statement earlier in the thread. As a streamer I've had the pleasure of meeting some fantastic community members; I've met even more great people as a viewer. I do my best to travel around to other's streams when I am not super busy, and I couldn't possibly name all of those fantastic people here.

    When I stream, I'm in it for the community! The wacky interactions and stories that come with the community are a reward far greater than any that could be provided to me. The time and effort I put into streaming rarely feels like such, even on those days when I'm in sloth mode (which is often, lol). As a student, I am limited in time and money, and I've absolutely felt that COTO giveaway pressure. Instead of buying them to give away, I've found that what really helps people is daily materials and assisting with decks/equipment (I believe this mirrors Elgarion's statements).

    This is why I feel we should keep things simple, especially to start with, give us the tools to succeed without showering us in items, currency, etc. Will there be competition between streamers? Absolutely, it's a platform built on building your own brand to gain more from the creators of the platform (Twitch, Mixer, etc.), but that doesn't mean that competition is inherently hostile or that we can't co-stream, raid, or anything else friendly/beneficial to each other. We can all still have friendly competition, grow, and help people join and stay in the game.

    I'm a variety streamer, and while I mostly stream shroud, I love plenty of games! If it is determined that I have to stream 30+ hours of shroud a week to qualify for recognition from Catnip, I won't make it into that program, and that's okay! I look forward to seeing where the rest of this goes, and I love you all. See you in the streams!

    Regards,
    Dirty GardenGnome

    Edit: Leave it to the University student to spell "showering" wrong.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2019
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  10. Dreadwhisper

    Dreadwhisper Avatar

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    As a strictly PVE oriented streamer of SOTA who never really received more than a half months ration of Cotos for giveaways... once... I really would like a straightforward or possible automated delivery on giveaway or unique item giveaways. However, I think having the Devs fix the major problems currently in the game would bring in new players way faster than the 12 streamers of Sota would. Pretty obvious the die-hards stayed but so many left. It's a choice between trying to bring back the old audience or capture the new ones. The streamer program targets the newer playerbase. There's just too much Sota is trying to do without fully "finishing the job" in any one subject. (Fishing is pretty close though.) There's only so much content us streamers can show without it all looking the same. Fishing contests, dancing events, Bossing, PVP. Just make the basics of Sota good and the game will speak for itself.

    ScameronGG
    PVE streamer
     
  11. Virsago2099

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    I'm fairly new to the game, and have been streaming it a bit when I can (mostly a weekend warrior), so take my input with a grain of salt. But as a streamer, I would honestly prefer to see the developers take advantage of Twitch's "Loot Drops" program, than receive a stipend of COTOs or gifts to dole out. It's a system that rewards and creates incentives for people to watch the stream. The devs can decide what goes in the loot drops and how they are awarded, all without any action needed on the part of the streamer. The devs simply active "Drops" when they see fit, and when people watch, they have a chance to win a drop. It will get more people watching, which in turn gets more people streaming. It's been a very successful program for many other games, and there's no room for anyone to get upset about the devs playing favorites or feeling left out (unless the devs only activate drops on a few channels instead of all channels). I think it's great that Catnip wants to get more people out there streaming and promoting the game. I just think a better way of going about it is creating an incentive for people to watch the streams. Higher viewership generally leads to more streams becoming active.
    Here's a link with some info for anyone who's interested: https://dev.twitch.tv/docs/drops/
    That's just my 2 cents...
     
  12. Gia2

    Gia2 Avatar

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    Hi there everybody, chill streamer for EU mornings/evenings. Family Friendly
    Available for everything for fun
     
  13. Sol Stormlin

    Sol Stormlin Avatar

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    Welcome Gia2! What is the name of your stream?
     
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  14. krakenvarados

    krakenvarados Avatar

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    Giatuareg

    I didn't answer first because I was hesitant about proceeding or not, for my bad pronunce in English, but anyway, lets do It. PvP/PvE with pizza and mandolino
     
  15. necronut

    necronut Avatar

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    Always nice to see you Giatuareg, how've you been?
     
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  16. xXKILLJOYXx

    xXKILLJOYXx Avatar

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    Like most of you, I am very excited about the possibility of have a clear structured program for streaming and promoting this fantastic game. I, as DGgnome said, have arrived late to the party and many great ideas have been suggested.

    I think I agree with most in that there needs to be a system to qualify for any stream rewards the devs may decided to do beyond the camera and cloak . I think basing that off total hours streamed or most viewed hours (top 10 list) does not do justice to streamers who have demanding lives and give the little free time they do have to promote the game. I think a fair minimum would be 8 days a month (2 days a week) and 32 hours a month (4 hours x 8 days streamed). I think that goal can be met by most people even if they have full time jobs and other obligations.

    I had no idea the twitch team existed, but that is a cool idea. The graphics for our streams would be cool but to be honest I like the idea of that being an optional thing, elgarion nailed it on the head. This is a way we get to express ourselves and doing our own layouts is a big part of the fun. The idea of a referral code or link that gives any player a reward for getting someone new into the game is a great idea but I think it could be gamed. Maybe they could do a referral program for when people sign up for a subscription and not just the game.


    I do not stream for personal gains and the rewards the devs have already provided us (camera and cloak) are fantastic, but the one reward I would like for us is a special title in game. Now for the subject I think is most touchy, I think if the devs are going to support us with prizes to hand out we should get away from the cotos. I think this hurts the games bottom line because people don't have as much incentive to purchase cotos when they can watch streams and get them for free, so the game isn't getting the financial support it deserves.


    I like the idea of a streamers supply bundle. This bundle could work along the same lines as a blue supply bundle, but with some extra chances to drop cotos or items off the cotos store. The more expensive the item the less chance it has to drop. I think this could be fun for viewers to open and to be surprised by what you win (serialnewb already does something similar and it seems to be a big hit). There are a lot of alternatives that could be fun in place of cotos.


    I hope my Two cents helps you guys put together a great program that is not only fair but also fun for all. I want to thank you for jumping in and getting the ball rolling on this for us. If there is anything additional we can do to help you guys, please let us know as we are all passionate and want to see this game succeed. I think streaming is a great way to showcase this game and help it grow.

    KILL jOY
     
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  17. Dulayne

    Dulayne Avatar

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    For me at the moment as someone who streamed the game pretty strongly from last year at the full launch, there has been a lot of good and bad times with the game and it is definitely going in a good direction. I do not currently stream much at the moment as much as I would like to due to an adjustment in my personal life by taking on an active job with times that can clash for me with streaming.

    Right now I am really not sure how to be motivated to stream SotA, until the program is genuinely established. I have been openly positive and constructive about the game in the time playing it, and with some great financial supporters, I was able to make it last. However, the one problem with streaming SotA at the moment is that it has taken so long to actually get to the start of a process like this. I want streamers to genuinely feel appreciated and I do think that enabling giveaways as much as they have been is insane. I kinda feel bad cause I think I was one of the first people last year to start pushing giveaways for COTOs and I kinda wish I had maybe not influenced this happening so much now.

    I am sure that the game is going in the right direction and have every confidence that @Chris is going to keep bringing out a great game, however, unless things improve then it will be a chore to stream. I have been soo lucky and ever so thankful that I had such great viewerships and I am ever so grateful. However a lot of the time I have felt so lonely and isolated even with the view counts. This is one thing that really does not get seen so much in streamers , it is one thing streaming to 0 viewers and having little chat (that is easy enough to combat, just be yourself), but when you have only periodic conversation from closer friends and viewers followed by 20+ mins spells of emptiness is a conflicting feeling, especially for someone who deals with depression and anxiety.

    As much as I love the game and the grind, it seems a lot of streamers suffer the same problem, where you will have the majority of streamers with dead chats until a giveaway starts, it can get lonely and make you ask yourself "am I not interesting enough?" or the likes. It is one thing to bring out the advice and rulebook of what to do and not to do, I have been around the streaming/yt scene since 2010 as a hobby and can deal with it to a degree, however there needs to be a stronger presence and real reasonings presented to new players in live streams. At least back then when I was streaming more often, it was mainly giveaways going on in between some great streams, from the likes of elgarion, iwacko, taikee to name a few. For a community so small it is a huge percentage of the streamers.

    Now to be honest I am kinda waffling and this is where my head is at with it for the moment. I love the game and the team are amazing, but right now as someone who had had a great deal of "success" (success in my mind) I just struggle to see what the future will be for shroud streamers and I hope it all works out soon. <3 Let's stop trying to punch above our weight and just have fun! :)
     
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  18. Sol Stormlin

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    I have a lot of confidence in our streaming community. So far it seems that the majority want to promote the game. Let's be consistent in continuing discussions about it, because moving forward is the best way to go. No time for hesitation. Take risks and move forward.

    If you're lacking in motivation, stream when you want, or stream something you think would be interesting for curious newcomers to see. Share your evolution in the game, while you're doing it naturally. If you don't want to stream, you don't have to, it's a choice you have to make based on what's realistic for you. You can still make an impact by helping promote on social media. I find twitter to be effective.

    I agree with many people about the game "drops" idea. It also sounds super fun. Do things float down from the sky then explode with prizes? I think I heard that somewhere.

    The subject of cotos doesn't need to be as negative as it has been but it's a hot topic and seems to get us all riled up. I'm guilty of it and I'm sorry for that. I'm over it and have moved on. We gotta be a less dramatic, community to help move things along. Because I'm gonna be honest, since I've poked my head out of PaxLair and started streaming I've been hit from all angles with drama. It's exhausting and completely unnecessary. We gotta be better than that. And that's how we will achieve this by coming together. That's how you build great things! Consistency is key! Let's be consistent in making fun streams and sharing them with more gamers!
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2019
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  19. Ravalox

    Ravalox Chief Cook and Bottle Washer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    Thank you everyone for your input!

    The community, as always, have given us lots to think about and plenty of ideas. I am working on a framework for moving forward, once @Justyn04 and I hash out the details, and it is vetted by the Dev team, the new program will be unveiled.

    We do not want to create a culture of competition among the Streamers; I can promise that anything we do will be fair to all who participate.

    So everyone is on the same page: Distribution of CotOs for the Streamers has been suspended during the re-tooling. I am hoping to have everything sorted soon; please keep in mind the Holidays are upon us (along with the short release schedule), so cramming lots of stuff into a small time frame.


    I am locking this thread ... Look for a new thread detailing the new program, coming soon!
     
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