Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-25101089-20170524114315/@comment-26088681-20170524210845

I’ve been playing the mod since beta 8, and here is my opinion on the topic (long and unorganized text incoming!) (tbh, if you’re bored, just skip the first part):

As a French, I have indeed noticed a decreasing interest for the mod here in France. Less and less people play this mod; YouTubers, who were the main cause of the development of Minecraft, and who contribute a lot to the popularity of a mod, do not do any showcases of the mod anymore. Today, there aren’t many new players, but only veterans who have been playing for more than a year. So why has the mod been losing popularity over the time?

First, please note that there are still a lot of players who are passionate of the mod and who feel very concerned with its development. This is specific to this mod: most people from the community feel “involved” in its creation, want to take part in this big project and actively follow the Facebook page and the wiki. Is it because it is a Lord of the Rings Mod, or because over the years you’ve succeeded in hyping the community with new remarkable features is anyone’s guess. In fact, I would tend to say that people are still hyped about this mod because they consider it their” creation”, their “project”, if you see what I mean. They are not specially hyped about new features because they will be able to test and play it. They are hyped about new features because it adds depth to their beloved mod. The most devoted fans might even spend time trying to imagine how new players would react to those features, how they would be impressed by the considerable amount of work that has been put in this wonderful mod. They feel proud about the mod.

It is the same for the hardcore Lord of the Rings fans. They feel proud about Tolkien’s work, and tend to appropriate his world. They are very aggressive when someone comes to criticize the legendarium, and are always glad to argue with Star Wars or Harry Potter fans in order to know which universe is the best. The same happens for the mod: the community appropriates it.

So, with that said, I would say that the mod will never totally lose its fanbase. As long as new thrilling features will be released, the mod won’t die. But it won’t gain new players, and it will fatally lose more and more players, because, although old players still have an interest in the mod, new players don’t simply know about it. Plus, when the first beta came out, the mod was something completely new. Now, regardless of how exciting things you will add, it won’t be as appealing as when the mod started.

Plus, considering the fact that Minecraft is slightly dying and that Microsoft might even aim to slowly destroy the Minecraft Java edition so that everyone would have to buy the Windows 10 edition, it is normal that the mod’s community decreases. One day, it will utterly fade: hopefully, it might not happen before several years.

So, meanwhile, what can you do in order to prevent the community from declining?

It is true to say that updating to the new versions of Minecraft would largely help. Today, YouTubers don’t play to 1.7.10. They at least play to 1.8. However, the problem with updating to new Minecraft versions is that the majority of the Minecraft community does not play to only one version; since 1.9, versions are released at a faster rate than it used to be. A few might play to 1.9, while others play to  1.10 and some to 1.11, etc… The community is dispatched.

But even less still play to 1.7.10. The only solution you have seems to update the mod.. It would come as a welcomed rebirth of the mod, and some YouTubers might notice it and play the mod again. If you don’t do it so, the community may decay. The longest you’ll wait, the most time it will take you to update the mod. Else, you can simply do not update it at all. But it means no new players. You will end up working for the same declining community. This is not a real problem since the community is very active and people are very concerned with the mod so they might not leave it. But some will fatally grow, stop playing Minecraft, thus abandoning the mod. That’s what is currently happening.

So I think that if your goal is to have a larger and broader fanbase, you should update to 1.11. Tolkien himself said that: “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.”

The only problem with it, besides the fact it being dull and boring, is that you won’t be able to add new features. As I said earlier, the thing that keeps the mod alive is the permanent activity of the Facebook page. You constantly spoil us new features, hype us, etc… To be honest, I’m most hyped about you announcing new features, and not really about new beta being released. Do the comparison: how much likes did you get on the post that announced the release of beta 22, and how much on the post concerning the Spheres of Influence?

If, for three months long, you were to stop showcasing new features, people will lose their interest in the mod. Some only play Minecraft because of the mod – in three months, they’ll have the time to realize that they’re the only among their friends still playing the game, and a big part of the community will stop playing it. And posting memes won’t be enough. It might be fatal to the mod.

So, the only viable solution I can figure out for you is to find a new coder. I know that you highly dislike this idea. But –in my opinion- there is no other way. I don’t believe it is a good idea to stop posting new content for such a long period of time, however not upgrading the mod means that over the time, you will keep losing players. I think that the only feasible option you have is to recruit a trustworthy coder, who knows well the art of coding Minecraft mods and who  has been following for several years. It would take a long time to initiate time to the mod’s code, but it would worth the risk. I understand you hate the idea – but would it mean that you wouldn’t be able to tell him what to do? Textures could still be made by Gruk, models by Karseius, and everything complex would be up to you. You will still lead the mod – of course at first you would have to manage him and to check if everything he has been adding is correctly done. But, in the long run, he could himself add structures, PNJs, etc, and add “basic” and boring things to code. That way, one could work on updating the mod, while the other could add new things. And if you were not satisfied with his work, you could dismiss it.

Some might be eager to help you with the mod – maybe Sinthorion, or the Ranger Malgevil? Or even Alte? I don’t know if they would have time to do it, the knowledge or even if they would really want it, but I bet you could find someone to do it. And if you fear the mod would lack consistency then – most big mods, such as the Betweenland mod, are coded by several people.

However, all I’m saying might sound very utopian. It’s of course your choice, and only you can decide what to do with the mod – if you are pleased to work for a small community, then why to change it? A small and active community might be better than a vast and immature one. If you want to work alone, it’s totally up to you. Plus, what I've been saying might be rubbish as well. That's nothing but my humble opinion. Who knows? Maybe that the actual community won't decrease over the time. It's been since 2014 I follow you, and I'm still here! The mod won’t die tomorrow nor anytime soon. The community might only decline, but not utterly vanish. Do whatever you think is the best for you and for the mod. Thanks!