when will this game revive?

[Yuki_Akari]

lol

[Daizo]

Hard to tell. Since leveling was made more time consuming we're not getting new players to stick around. Right now this game only benefits old players who play alts and have entire 8 hour periods of time to play the game on multiple accounts. Only new players are punished for dying because they can't afford to reduce BI without throwing away money for kunai/shuriken.

[Steezoom]

On 8/20/2022 at 11:33 PM, Daizo said:

Hard to tell. Since leveling was made more time consuming we're not getting new players to stick around. Right now this game only benefits old players who play alts and have entire 8 hour periods of time to play the game on multiple accounts. Only new players are punished for dying because they can't afford to reduce BI without throwing away money for kunai/shuriken.

Harassing world.

[Atrane]

Leveling is definitely LESS time consuming, the problem is sprinting into the lackluster endgame isnt great for player retention.

[Yugure]

I'd come back if they dropped the last two villages (Cloud and Stone). It would obviously mean a lot to us all if we had all five villages after all. It's so boring having just missings, mist leaf and sand. In our brain it's like going to half of a Walmart. At this point the majority of us explored most of the content offered. It's a no brainer why people don't play. The only content left for most of us is Land of Iron but it's more grindy than life itself. 

[Cosbo]

13 hours ago, Yugure said:

I'd come back if they dropped the last two villages (Cloud and Stone). It would obviously mean a lot to us all if we had all five villages after all. It's so boring having just missings, mist leaf and sand. In our brain it's like going to half of a Walmart. At this point the majority of us explored most of the content offered. It's a no brainer why people don't play. The only content left for most of us is Land of Iron but it's more grindy than life itself. 

?? that'd fully kill the game lmao

[Indra]

Most of the old player base tend to think that the game lacks content. It does not. We have been siffoning this game content for several years of hardcore playing. For most of us hardcore fans, 80% to 100% of the game content was achieved by playing several years logging in everydays.
As i do not denny that content takes long to come, the game itself has enough content to be counted as a full game. We just beaten Nin and want more because it was fun.

[MorgenRios]

It's unfortunate to hear that new players are having a harder time with the game due to the recent changes. However, I think it's worth mentioning that some games that pay real money can be pretty time-consuming and challenging, especially for new players. If you're looking for ways to make the most of your time and effort in the game, it might be worth checking out some online communities or forums where you can connect with other players and learn more about different strategies and techniques. And as an option, you can redirect your efforts to cash pay real money. Who knows, you might even find some new friends to play with and help you level up faster!

[Hageshi]

I think the game is in a better place recently. There's ACTUAL work being put into tons of QoL things and PvP balance is pretty good, people have even said it's best it's ever been. Content will come with time but there's definitely things to do as well. 

[deirdretucker]

The ebb and flow of game communities can be unpredictable, but I'm hopeful that NinOnline will have a resurgence. Sometimes it just takes the right combination of events or updates to bring players back. In the meantime, why not reminisce about the good times we had in the game? I love online games, and I even like offline ones lately. I've even been using a dice roller online to play monopoly with my relatives. It was fun. 

[CookieLOLxx]

On 9/4/2022 at 10:16 PM, Cosbo said:

?? that'd fully kill the game lmao

How would it kill the game? -lmao

Adding more content and expanding the available options for exploration would enhance the overall experience. Perhaps you're suggesting that there aren't enough players to maintain a thriving community in each village? This issue primarily stems from the game itself and its ability to attract new players. The majority of the current player base consists of long-standing community members. By refusing to introduce captivating content that would pique interest, the game is essentially allowing its own death to continue.

What we truly need in terms of content is exhilarating material, rather than introducing new NPCs who simply assign quests to slay 80 leopards or collect their tails. We require genuinely gratifying content that triggers dopamine responses, such as the inclusion of fresh jutsus, impressive weapons, and obtainable items. These additions should evoke a genuine desire within players to grind.
 

"Who needs to be a slave to the clock when you can unleash your inner ninja and bend time itself with epic moves? Embrace the art of ninjutsu and leave the 9-to-5 grind in the dust!"

^ - Cookie

[Kalto]

Just thought I'd add - being a brand new player myself. I think the best way to revive to make new players stick around is find a better balance between "the grind" and "the action".

The daily missions are nice for people who want to log, do a few and come back the next day. But the best way to make it addictive and amp up play hours (which may make people want to stay) is to add more mission play for lower XP gains, so its less about kill X scorpions over and over and do something that seems varied. 4 missions is ok, but id like more. Story driven even. I like the fact it takes time to level, but how we do it is important. 

Also - progression. Most people seem to sit at Genin? Why is that? 

Are there enough spaces in the game's organisations to give everyone something RP fun to do? I'd love RP missions, but can't find a Chuunin/squad for the life of me. 

[Cosbo]

6 hours ago, Kalto said:

The daily missions are nice for people who want to log, do a few and come back the next day. 

Also - progression. Most people seem to sit at Genin? Why is that?

I absolutely hate daily missions lol. Making them the main exp source doesn't make sense, limiting the ammount of time someone can play doesn't make sense.

Yeah you can grind, but that should always be the last resource. Spending hours killing the same mob, just to level up 1/2 times, isn't it. Some arcs being extremely grindy ( 30 & 50 ) don't help either. 

About progression. One time every 2ish months, gms will host a Chuunin exam. Giving players the chance to get a promotion to chuunin.

Though i agree it's really off-putting seeing 80% of the playerbase be lv 60 and genin 

On 7/16/2023 at 8:19 AM, CookieLOLxx said:

Perhaps you're suggesting that there aren't enough players to maintain a thriving community in each village?

Pretty much yeah.

1 of 3 villages is completely dead, adding a 4th one would do nothing but kill the other 2.

I'm a sucker for map design and would 100% want new villages and zones, but first they need to fix player retention, progression, early levels, map layouts, pve, and a bunch of other stuff thats holding the game from getting ( and retaining ) new players.

[Foul]

From a new players perspective, i logged on during non-peak hours (37 players online), the grind felt tough like an oldschool maplestory of some kind. I dont mind grinding mobs with no quest but the fact you cant afford potions or throwables makes the grind unbearable. I feel like the mobs should always have at least the one base drop weather it be a fur or skin or whatever, so at least you can somewhat grind faster than a snails pace. Seems like any of the worthy content is not till way later in the game at level 50+. Some better outfits, maybe some basic Area Attacks with throwables. For example i wanted to go lightning first and weapon mastery second, unfortunately, i know i wouldn't enjoy grinding lightning to level 50 without any area attacks. it seems making money getting any gear or decent grinding skills will not happen till much later in the grind. So overall it is a really cool game, but just to grindy without much reward in the early stages. Also kinda weird seeing maxed out players not even ranked to jonin.

[Cosbo]

12 hours ago, Foul said:

 it seems making money getting any gear or decent grinding skills will not happen till much later in the grind. So overall it is a really cool game, but just to grindy without much reward in the early stages. Also kinda weird seeing maxed out players not even ranked to jonin.

Some masteries are not meant for grinding at early levels ( or at all ), which is why most people would tell a new player to " Pick it as your secondary mastery at lvl 50 "  , which kinda sucks but yeah. The early level grind is a huge reason why new players leave the game before even making it to lvl 30

[Gildarts]

For me a person that has played, took breaks, played again, and mass reset the game has become stagnant.

Yes there is alot of content but you can only do so much with the content without it becoming a repetitive process. There is several elements in the game that can be used to bring contennt other than just being quest grabs as 1 time missions. You could add weekly events/monthly and so on. Not even just events...it can be weekly/monthly quest that give rewards if completed by the end of the week/month. Theres several npcs roaming around that can be used for things or npcs that give dialogue that can open up some kind of quest/questline. Nin needs some kind of storyline/back story and a quest line to go with it outside of the regular leveling quest that rewards you every 10 levels. Auto events need to be a mix of events instead of just pvp. Add RLGL, dodgeball, lowbie events. Stop just telling low levels to "go grind" so they can enjoy the end game you players. This isn't the only content. 

Game just needs more overall sustaining content and not 1 time content. After you finish 30 arc 40 arc 50 arc its just farming spots for ryo sinks/earn ryo... They serve no other purpose. We have fishing..we need cooking, woodworking to craft boats to get across river faster and so on.

[baneenab85]

Predicting the future of online gaming is always difficult. In the case of Ninonline, the situation is complicated by the fact that the developers made changes that made passing levels more time-consuming. This, in turn, made the game less attractive to new players. At this point, Ninonline may be most appealing to experienced players who have enough time and resources to keep playing. And this I think is one of the main reasons why there are fewer players, for new ones just don't come. We need to either fix it or introduce some kind of innovation, like the second game I play csgo csgo gamble

[Aer]

When I started, I found the world's content back then—which I noticed did improve here and there when I returned then saw new areas and quests—to be interesting enough for me to stick around. I grew up playing grindy games with harsh RNG for drops (and I also enjoyed Warframe), so I didn't mind that Nin required steadfast commitment to reach Lv50-60 as it felt very rewarding to gain levels, to get a rare item as a drop, and to learn new jutsus.

What made me stop playing was constantly being assailed by other players who were much higher level than me at the time. It made me feel helpless—like I couldn't get anything done until they left the area, and time is precious to some people depending on their lives/schedules. It felt even worse when you're unable to beseech those of your village to help you, but compared to the past, it has gotten much better in that regard.

While the grind from Lv1 to Lv50-60 can feel like a euphoric adventure at times during the beginning for some people like me, I will admit that it's... monotonous and very linear. We're killing the same NPCs for days—with only dailies, the few side-quests at certain levels, and leveling beyond those NPCs' level to break us away from that repetition, and once we are high enough level to move on to the next appropriate area, the repetition ensues.

Nin really could use dynamic content (e.g., #1 and #2) to artificially—this word isn't as bad as it sounds within this context—liven up its world, making it more reactive in response to its players, while providing new and interesting ways to earn XP and maybe even items/jutsus. We see this all the time in Naruto when the ninjas aren't focused on/distracted from the main plot (if the main plot isn't a source of their "distraction[s]" itself). Think of... Asheron's Call's live events—sort of, Guild Wars 2's dynamic events, meta events, and world bosses (best examples), and Elder Scrolls Online's world events.

I believe this would potentially rejuvenate the game, increase new and old player retention, and spread PvPlayers out from the spots where they would typically brutalize new/low level players.

[Oriax]

the world may never know haha 

[Zael]

Just thought I’d add some of my thoughts as someone who tried to get into the game recently with one of my friends.

We started playing a couple weeks back and put in quite a few hours into the game, probably somewhere around 4-5 hours a day when averaged out. I played through the early levels (1-15 or so) a half dozen to a dozen times and the 20s and 30s on a couple different characters. I was having a lot of fun trying out the different villages and the different early level jutsu but there were a few things that eventually made things feel a lot less enjoyable.

One, as Cosbo mentioned, some masteries just can’t grind very well early. Whether it’s the lack of lower level multi target abilities or the cost of supplies, there are some masteries that just outright suck early, especially for someone new to the game. If you don’t do your research before hopping into the game, you could end up tainting your experience without even knowing any better. As an example of this, my first character I wanted to be a bubble user. I got to 10, chose water, put my points in Strength and went to get my bubble pipe only to realize I needed 500 ryo before I could buy it. Eventually someone was kind enough to buy one for me but I sat around for an hour wondering how I was supposed to earn that money and if it was better to just start over with a different mastery.

Two, some villages just feel objectively better than others. My friend and I decided to start playing as part of the Mist village and didn’t really think too much of the smaller population and how isolated it was until we got a bit further into the game. I know it’s been stated many times by many people but that boat ride, actually awful. You don’t even realize it in the early levels because you don’t have much reason to go to the rest of the map until missions start sending you out there constantly, but that boat ride or run across the water is obnoxious. It makes it feel extremely bad when you finally get to the point where your missions are across the world only to realize they take way longer because of the village you chose. That’s also not even taking into account how much more punishing dying feels as part of the Mist village because you spent 10+ minutes running all the way to Tanzaku, only to get killed by some level 60 right as you were about to enter (more on this point later). Eventually, my friend and I started some new characters in the other villages to see how they felt and it was like night and day, particularly the Sand village. The low-level grind spots for the Sand village felt like they had way better mob density and scarabs just felt infinitely better for farming than tigers or boars. I will say that the ants felt nice to farm as part of the Mist village though.

Third, not a huge deal breaker or anything but the pacing of gaining experience feels... unsatisfying I guess is the best way to put it. 1-10 as long as you research and put your points in agility feels pretty decently paced. 10-15 feels like you do a couple missions, kill a couple mobs and you’re done. 15-20 feels glacially slow after those early levels only to rocket back from 20-25. 25-30 then feels awful again before the 30 arc sends you pretty quickly to 34 or so. It’s like a roller coaster of fast and slow leveling that makes the slow periods feel worse after cruising through a few levels right before that.

Fourth, as I mentioned earlier, and ultimately the biggest reason that I probably won’t be continuing to play the game, getting farmed like you’re just a mob that increases bounties by people 30+ levels higher than you. It feels like going to an open gym somewhere to play pickup games only to get absolutely destroyed by professional athletes every time. Eventually, getting destroyed every single time I show up gets a bit old so I’ll just stop coming to gym. Listen, I get it. The entire game is more or less based around world PvP and faction vs faction conflict. I’ve played my fair share of PvP focused MMOs so I know that getting killed by higher level people is just part of the game. The issue is that at times it feels quite literally impossible to make any progress because of it. It’s honestly not that bad below level 20 because the grind spots are decently separated and spread out, with lots of zones to choose from to level, but once we got past that, it felt like we spent way too much of our time waiting on death sickness. As an example, over the past couple days my friend and I have got on, did the missions we felt like we could reasonably complete, went to grind ants only to get camped by some ??? ninja. The next day rolls around. Okay, well our missions got us out of XP range for ants so let’s go farm snakes for a bit. Same thing, different person. A ??? ninja comes in and kills us a few times before we give up on that. We decide to try arctic wolfs for a bit instead but that same ??? guy comes and kills us again. Well dang, what if we just grind some bears. Nope, killed by some other people presumably out doing missions. At this point, I just didn’t feel like continuing to play while my friend hopped onto a low-level character where he could try to do some grinding without spending more time with death sickness than killing mobs. We can’t even actively avoid the people who are constantly killing us and grind when they aren’t on because we don’t even know who it is. Like I said, I get it's more of a PvP game but it really does feel extremely unwelcoming towards new players. 

Ultimately, some of these things feel like they could be very easy to fix. I don’t feel like smoothing out the early leveling of the different masteries would really take all that much. The different village imbalances also don’t feel like a crazy complex issue either. I feel like the experience pacing might be a bit trickier to nail down and perhaps others don’t feel like it’s even an issue at all. I really don’t know to go about making the last point better for newer players though. There are also probably some people who don’t see it as much of an issue and feel I’m just overreacting or crying over getting killed in a PvP game. Just thought I’d add my two cents as someone who really wanted to like the game and get into it but likely won’t be sticking around.