Perhaps you need more hand holding...

[Mactavendish]

Xsyon is a game set in a post apocalyptic setting, where we have all somehow survived, and don't remember much of the old world, or even how we survived... maybe its the radiation...

From this setting what would you expect?

Tutorials? Shoot, I didn't even remember my name so I made one up. My neighbors don't remember how to do anything either. We are figuring it out as we go.

Hunting? I have killed a good number of animals, but they are very skiddish and seem to hide a lot... maybe they are afraid of us and are struggling too.

New content? I can setup quests for my neighbors to come take part in to generate a bit of interaction with them, and I can simply trade for needed goods. There is no government, no benevolent aliens to guide us, no instruction manuals... just a few ragged patterns I found on a junk pile of what must have been a store of some kind way back in the old world. I think it is up to me to shape this new world.

PvP? So far, I have been able to find many useful items out scavenging. I have all my needs met, so have been working with a few others to build a settlement were we all can feel safe. I have no need to take things from anyone else. I am NOT desperate nor have I run out of resources. Trees are getting scarce now, and that may be a problem in a few months. It's kinda weird though, because today I had a couple crazies come around and kill me. but instead of winking out, I soon woke up NOT dead. Still haven't figured it all out.

I have heard a few wanting some great mystic power to grant them everything and teach them all knowledge so that they can feel powerful. Seems like maybe that is what got us all here in the first place.

I don't need anyone to hold my hand. But maybe you do?

[Gypsy]

the first step to recovery is admiting you have a problem.

[China]

the first step to recovery is admiting you have a problem.

Wow. Talk about having a problem. Did that make you feel better IRL?

[Armand]

I don't think the issue is needing to be held by the hand so much as requiring at least a sliver of motivation to play.

I could be quite wrong though about the latter. It seems that many are content with an interactive chat room.

[Sirius]

PvP? So far, I have been able to find many useful items out scavenging. I have all my needs met, so have been working with a few others to build a settlement were we all can feel safe. I have no need to take things from anyone else. I am NOT desperate nor have I run out of resources.

Amidst that inexplicable lecture, you just inadvertently put your finger on one of the #1 reasons this game is pointless right now.

[Malivius]

Amidst that inexplicable lecture, you just inadvertently put your finger on one of the #1 reasons this game is pointless right now.

BINGO! Borrowing an idea from Claude Fischer, one of the key factors in forming effective community and neighborhood relationships is functional interdependence...We need to need and rely on one another for something before we will interact with one another

At the moment, we all basically have our own personal Wal-Mart that can provide anything and everything we need. The only rare items are the ones that Wal-Mart doesn't carry...and no one has those...

[Koll]

Amidst that inexplicable lecture, you just inadvertently put your finger on one of the #1 reasons this game is pointless right now.

I agree with you and I was thinking that once Junk Piles would be gone the fun would begin.. but now they are talking about letting junkpiles "regenerate"... weak.

[Book]

I rather enjoyed the fact that there was no tutorial in the beginning. My feeling so lost really added to my immersion in the game, and made it feel like I really didn't know how to survive.

There were plenty of people in the "chat room" complaining that they couldn't find anyone to kill, picking on one kid in particular, generally ignored those...
but there were also nice folks willing to answer a couple of questions, such as why am I dying of thirst standing next to a lake?

A sense of community and good humor can do just as much for player interaction as conflict. Not the type of interaction pewpeweronly folks enjoy, but you know how it goes: you can't please all of the people all of the time, and you can't please some of the people any of the time.