I'm dying to get started in a few of my offseason worlds, but there's simply no movement. I'm guessing just about every owner is cutting back. Its brutal and I don't see how a lot of these worlds are gonna fill up...

Advertising.   Oh, wait, they tried that.    I recall someone saying "Advertising, while nice, won't work.   If anyone wants to play a sim baseball game, odds are they know how to use a search engine.   And WifS is always on the first page."

I wonder who said that?

Openings are actually slightly down since early in the week, but with 8 worlds rolling in the next 2 days, with at least a couple looking like they will have double digit openings, it might soar again.  

Everyone knows how to get a Coke.  And yet Coke will spend ungodly amounts of money for a 1 minute spot in the Super Bowl.  Saying that advertising won't work is a bit silly since EVERYTHING including many computer games get adverts all the time that work perfectly well (or they wouldn't do them). 

Advertising is going to bring people in who didn't even know they wanted to play Sim Baseball.  Now the problem with that it is well known.  Attrition.  Many of these newbies will play for three days and bail when they realize how deep the game is/they don't like it.  But some % of the newbies will become veterans over time who have 6 leagues.  You have to take the good with the bad. 

I think there was an advertising campaign during the playoffs this year that got a lot of leagues going.  Not sure, but my guess is that ended once the World Series was over.  I am hoping there is a similar campaign once Spring Training rolls around that will help fill leagues.  Beyond that we are dead in the water as December/ January is always pretty slow for HBD rollovers. 

Getting leagues rolling for one season isn't a solution.   It's sad that you think it is.   I'd HATE to be in a league that was just happy to get started with no concern for next season.

Advertising brought people in.   I've never said it wouldn't.  In fact, I said it would.  But those aren't the people who are going to stick around.  The people who know who to use a search engine to find what they want are FAR more likely to stick than the guy who says "It's 5 bucks.  What the hell?  I'll try it!"   Because that's the guy that say "****.   This is too much to do.   It was only 5 bucks.  To hell with it."

And, FWIW, HBD isn't Coke or Warcraft or Madden or anything like that.    32 individuals are dependent on one another for a good experience.   I buy a Coke, Coke has my money, whether I enjoy it or not is irrelevant.   If I take one swallow and throw it away, it doesn't affect your enjoyment of your Coke.   You can apply that to damn near everything.   Not HBD.  Unless you don't care what the other 31 owners are doing.   In that case, that's probably why you're in a world that won't fill and/or think one season solutions are actual solutions.

Current public openings -

Aaron	7
Camp	7
L.E.G.	7
Hunter	9
Glavine300	9
Duff Beer	9
Puckett	10
Sand Bricks	10
Shoeless Joe	11
Hornsby	13
John Smoltz	14
Totals:	106

Current Private openings -

Centerfield	1
Robinson	4
Yastrzemski	4
Stargell @ Monument Park	4
Mays	5
American Pastime	5
Mike Trout	5
Jackie Robinson	6
Boston Tea Party	7
mauer	7
Satchel Paige	7
Gwynn	7
Happy Jack / Boggs	7
Griffey	7
Spahn	8
7Jerry7	8
Field of Dreams	8
Sweet Lou	8
FizWorld	9
Canseco	9
Kobylesky Memorial League	10
Clemens*	10
UBA, Inc.	12
Regular Joes	12
Hometown	15
Totals:	185

291 openings. Thats a lot IMO.

The advertising cleaned up a bunch of public openings for a season.    Did nothing to help private worlds.   The hope is/was that those brought in by advertising would stick around and become long-term owners.   The sort of owners private world seek.    I don't think that happened.

You assume too much.  I agree with you that the new player turnover rate is extremely high in this game.  Probably higher than most other games.

Even if what you claim is true, and we aren't sure it is, the point is that we need more people to play the game.  Leagues need to keep going in order for the game to remain in business.  While people staying for one year isn't ideal it is better than the alternative (sitting dead in the water). 

So lets say I believe you and 25% of people who do a Google Search become repeat users and 10% of those who join based on advertisement do the same.  Difference is only 50 people do a Google Search and join a league each month.  While in the month of an advert campaign 300 people join.  If you were WIS which route would you choose?  Do nothing and gain 12 repeat users per month and have 30+ leagues dying by languishing unfilled.  Or advertise and gain 30 repeat users (who may join multiple leagues) while also keeping old time owners engaged and the worlds filled even though many newbies will bail?

I can tell you which I would choose.  Maybe there is a 3rd choice that doesn't involve making the footprint of the game smaller, but I have trouble seeing it. 

I took a quick look at two of my worlds.  It looks like there are a total of 5 teams across two leagues that joined HBD in the last season that are sticking around for a 2nd season.  And of those 3 of them have joined at least a second world.  Those two leagues had  lots of openings 6+ each of the last two seasons and went public to fill both times.   

Now we have no way of knowing how they joined HBD or if they are aliases so it is what it is.  But my point is there is a contingent, while small, that stick around after joining these days.

The last 20 rollovers have averaged a 13 day wait time.  The Open Public Worlds have been sitting for an average of 26 days.  The Open Private Worlds have been sitting for an average of 14 days.

Of the 28 worlds that have 7 or more openings, 16 of them rolled 1/20 or later.  

Looks like worlds that have rolled in the past 10 days are rolling with far more openings than usual.  

Posted by gotigers17 on 1/29/2016 2:40:00 PM (view original):
You assume too much.  I agree with you that the new player turnover rate is extremely high in this game.  Probably higher than most other games.

Even if what you claim is true, and we aren't sure it is, the point is that we need more people to play the game.  Leagues need to keep going in order for the game to remain in business.  While people staying for one year isn't ideal it is better than the alternative (sitting dead in the water). 

So lets say I believe you and 25% of people who do a Google Search become repeat users and 10% of those who join based on advertisement do the same.  Difference is only 50 people do a Google Search and join a league each month.  While in the month of an advert campaign 300 people join.  If you were WIS which route would you choose?  Do nothing and gain 12 repeat users per month and have 30+ leagues dying by languishing unfilled.  Or advertise and gain 30 repeat users (who may join multiple leagues) while also keeping old time owners engaged and the worlds filled even though many newbies will bail?

I can tell you which I would choose.  Maybe there is a 3rd choice that doesn't involve making the footprint of the game smaller, but I have trouble seeing it. 

Meh, we somewhat agree.    We need more people to join and stay.   Quick fixes don't work.  A bar offers discount drinks, barely break even prices, on Friday, it's packed.  Sat-Thur, at full price, it's empty.   Is that a successful business model?

Now, as WifS, what would I choose?   I run people in and out like my head's on fire(as long as it's profitable).   I'm less concerned about user experience and more concerned about turning a buck.   I doubt your numbers of 25% or 10% for either is close but, as a business, I don't care if it's 10% and 3%(and that might be closer to the truth).  I'm counting money.    For the long-time user who wants competitive worlds with little turnover, like me, that turnstile approach doesn't bother me.  None of those one and dones will ever get in my worlds.    For the public world guy, maybe it's troublesome, maybe it's not.   Maybe playing is all that matters and what happens with the other 31 teams isn't my concern because I'm cranking out 110 wins and championships on the regular.

But, for the health of HBD, the turnstile approach is bad.   It takes 32 owners to make a good world and one ******* to screw it up.   If that ******* is messing with the enjoyment of others, they will do one of three things:  1) suffer thru it season after season 2) drop that world and join a better one 3) drop HBD altogether.   I don't see that as a good thing. 

And, as before, I'll repeat that this is a limited market.   HBD is not for everyone.   For me, it's a cheap hobby.   I have time to mess around with it on a daily basis.   If I was working for the man, punching a clock, I wouldn't play.    Go to work at 7, get home at 7, I'm not messing with some silly computer game when my end result might be a little trophy with REIGNING CHAMP under it on my home page.

Indeed we do agree basically.  I just happen to think that advertising is better than not over the long term.  Short term it sucks as leagues have to deal with the turnover, but eventually if it were continued on a regular basis (all the time) I do think it would work as enough new long term type owners came into the game.  Advertising in October and then again in March then again in October probably won't be the ticket.  6 months is a long time and worlds languishing can cause people to bail all on its own.

I agree 100% that this is a niche game but with say 200 leagues you are still only talking 6,400 teams.  I have 6 teams myself.  So really you only need say 1 or 2 thousand people out of millions to make this game go just fine.