Promoting OpenArena

[vindimy]

So, recently I've noticed how it's ridiculous that many times there's not enough players online to fill even one server (America tends to have even less players than Europe). I want to promote OpenArena since it looks like it has been pretty much sinking into abyss - many old players leave but not that many new players join.

One thing I have done was to submit a couple of posts on Reddit's gaming section:

http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/bdgar/openarena_085_is_just_out_and_us_server_admins/
and
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/bdg72/openarena_is_an_awesome_but_underrated_game_that/

Now, I hope you guys can go there, upvote the topic, and post your pros and cons of OpenArena as you see it. Hopefully we can get these topics high enough for more people to learn about this game!

Next, please tell me your ideas on how else we can promote this game. We need some goddamn players, I'm tired of shooting bots and playing on 200+ ping servers in Europe.

[Udi]

There are a miriads of social/micro/macro/trendy/geeky sites where OpenArena is inroduced more or less. It would be cool to push the marketing on all of these sites, but it requires a lot of coordination and manpower, so I suggest we generate waves of marketing when something new or interesting comes up. I think 0.8.5 is settled, so we should prepare for promoting the upcoming 0.8.6. Maybe we should expand the community section on the Wiki, to see where to send the promotions.

[satira]

Yes... people that Unreal tournament it´s better but they haven´t play OA yet...
just tell wat to do and count on me.

[RMF]

Best way to get players is telling others. Then they'll have someone who can help them getting everything right. Without Diho (irl friend) I would never have known or played oa at all, he just helped me up with everything and so i got everything explained and liked the game

[dbX]

I tried to join the OpenArena group on facebook. But there are two groups. Does anyone know why there are two groups?

[Neon_Knight]

There're repeated groups of everything you can think of at Facebook. In one of the groups, someone added me as an Admin without I noticing that. Plus, the official page lacks of any forum or screenshots/photos/imagery/etc.

[dbX]

There're repeated groups of everything you can think of at Facebook. In one of the groups, someone added me as an Admin without I noticing that. Plus, the official page lacks of any forum or screenshots/photos/imagery/etc.

I've figured out why there are two groups. There seems to be a Portable OpenArena group by someone, or something(Transporter is the name as far as I've figured out). Naturally, the mentioned person(or organization) didn't bother to put a unique name for their group (like Portable OpenArena). The other seems to be a valid group, except I can't see any information.

[vindimy]

Currently I'm running OpenArena ads on Facebook and Reddit from today (3/16) to next week (3/25). Facebook budget and Reddit budget are both set at $100 (that's all I could afford + some coupons). Here's a screenshot of Facebook ad (attached). All ads link to openarena.ws

How you can help:

* Post on gaming forums, discussion boards, social networking sites - and link to your posts in this thread
* If you can afford it, run campaigns on popular sites (Google, Yahoo, etc.) - some of these sites give away ad coupons - and link to results in this thread
* Put up a poster at your school/work/neighborhood - can someone with skill make a simple poster? Preferrably in Illustrator, but Word will do too.

Put in some spare time during each week, and hopefully we can get measurable improvement in popularity here. Maybe by 0.8.6 release enough people know about it that OpenArena can just ride on people telling each other about it.

I'll post clickthrough rates at the end of ad campaign

[fromhell]

That symbol's outdated

Portable Openarena is a joke btw, it's just 0.6.0 repackaged with an installer and a trojan (the funny part about it... oa060 was already an installer and the portabilization effort is completely pointless)

[vindimy]

That symbol's outdated

Is there a 3D logo like on this site but with white background? I can update.

[...]

Nice. I have been keeping my eyes out for various forums as well. And will defently post back if i find an interested one. I am also hoping my OA mapshot pack for Qtracker (which i will keep updated.) will get some new players interested.

[Udi]

Wow, ads! And it's not Ad Bard, OA launches into the mainstream. Kudos for that, it's a hard task! I've attached the boards logo with a transparent background. Could you replace free with open source? The avarage user won't know the difference between QL free and OA free. And if I would see an ad for the first time which has 'free' and 'sexy' in it, probably I wouldn't click on it.

[RMF]

Wait u just spend 100$ on ads?! I don't even see ads, and the time when i used internet explorer (for 2yrs roughly) without adblocker i clicked like two or three times. Also nearly never read them.
Nevertheless thanks a lot for it, but I just don't think this is the best way to spread the word.

[Cacatoes]

Portable apps usually don't create .cfg files in Document & Settings, but remain on the USB key. That's a minor point of interest.

Ads wouldn't target the usual OA audience (I suppose linux/free software guys are more aware of ads filtering tools), for the same reason it may make more sense to say openarena is "free" instead of "opensource", the second term may not talk to every one.

[vindimy]

OK people, ads on Facebook and Reddit are estimated to go live today or tomorrow (depending on how soon they get final review/approval). It's a bit late because I had to update the ads with new logo (attached are screenshots).

The reason I went with "free" instead of "open source" is because "free" is 4 letters and "open source" is 11. The latter doesn't fit in the ad unless all I want to say is "Openarena open source".

Someone mentioned that $100 is not enough for a very visible ad and I agree, but I'm estimating to get (~400 clicks / ~25,000 ad views) per day from Reddit (runs for 4 days, 3/18 - 3/22, at $25/day) and (less clicks / more ad views) per day from Facebook (runs for 5 days, 3/17-3/22, at $20/day).

I don't think Facebook is the best place for small budget ads, their CPC rates are ridiculous ($0.36 per click compared to $0.02-$0.16 per click with Reddit). BUT Facebook allows you to target demographic really well. Most of you probably won't see the ad unless you're part of the "demographic"

If anyone's feeling rich... Pitch in and run some ads. I would say go with smaller ad sites and stay away from Google/Facebook unless you have lots of money!

[Bane]

I think that while the ads are a good idea we need more some thing like a “ Promotinal Frag Video” showing off the game features. Like in the old quake 3 ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQdNXA4O7Q&feature=related) I also believe that putting this video on youtube and on the main OA site would help get people to play.

[0kelvin]

openarena

[Bane]

Came up with this ad if you wanna use it and it is ok with how ever came up with the skull texture on the new inyard with what is called the gladiator oath below it with reads "He vows to endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword." The gladiator's oath as cited by Petronius (Satyricon, 117). Also the font is papyrus. I figured this oath seemed to fit OA because well it is like a futuristic gladiator type game. I was also thinking of maybe if the ad is posted making the skull clickable and making it have the Nightmare skill level noise when you click on it and it takes you to the OA site. Let me know what you think.

[...]

I think that while the ads are a good idea we need more some thing like a “ Promotinal Frag Video” showing off the game features. Like in the old quake 3 ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQdNXA4O7Q&feature=related) I also believe that putting this video on youtube and on the main OA site would help get people to play.

I agree. And one video that comes to mind is "Welcome To OpenArena" by Gerbil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeGTniBOj8

This in my opinion shows openarena's game play very well. The video is a bit dated.

[fromhell]

I don't think high FOVs and mismatched heads on grisms will draw in a wide interest interest (>90 FOVs will dizzy the unitiated, and headswaps aren't really 'canonical' features (well I know it's a valid and trusted Q3 feature, but in OA's context you can't headswap angelyss))). At least you kept lightmaps on and picmips low though!

Let me know what you think.

Well... i'm trying to stay away from the 'skulls 'n gothic shiat' imagery that is too common with that other game series. OA is not 'Jimmy Hart version of q3' anymore... Or So I Heard.



friggin mysocksropes site

[vindimy]

Here's Reddit promotion, permalink and screenshot attached.

[Peter Silie]

1st impressions of the answers they did on this web site:
user are looking for media on the main page.
Would be nice, if you can make a new section "media" with some hd-screenshots and youtubes as soon as possible.

[fromhell]

Ah yes, the About page on the site is to blame, as well as myself as I haven't found a decent e107 gallery plugin to decide on yet.

I briefly extended "About" to list the gametypes and explain the mission as short as possible. I'll dress that up with images later (later as in 6 years or so)

[MIOW]

I and my friend (supeR,Liz) are managing OpenArena group on xUSSR social network vk.com
The group has 235 members atm, quite inactive though.

[Bane]

Hey I came across this and thought that this contest might be yet another way we can get the Open Arena name out there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sJjGDHX8WU