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REVIEW

ARCLIGHT RENEWAL PLAN CONCLUSION BY AUSTIN

THE SOLUTION IS NOT SIMPLE


I carried out this report to try to offer some insight into what options we have if we wanted to bring the community back. It is recognised that this is not a

The research carried out illustrated that Island Life was the most popular server type. In my initial idea generation I acknowledged that we have good relationships in the genre. However I also admitted the dwindling population and the domination of the genre by FFG. I would strongly recommend this genre due to the ability to develop a niche. This allows communities to distinguish themselves from opposition. Furthermore, not only can communities develop the server itself, but they can alter many aspects which do not require scripting e.g. the level of scripting, the depth of police force training and the creation of in game rms. Unfortunately, there is one fundamental issue that arises when we consider this option. This is that for a server to be successful, it requires constant development and updating. We have a major dilemma in that we have no developers. It is for that reason that, unless we can recruit some developers, I discourage pursuing this option OPTION 2 - ARMA 2 TAKISTAN LIFE The genesis of our community, Takistan Life is a strong contender for our revival. My initial thoughts on the option recognised that this has been successful with us before. On the other hand, I feared that this mod has long lost it's lust with the Arma 2 Life community. This mod has various benets. First and foremost, it is simple. It does not require any mods to play and so it is easier to get all players on the server. Moreover, it still retains the ability for development with the option to script. There is still the possibility

decision to be taken lightly. This is why I have taken time and effort to consider, research and now compile my ndings. Remember that this report is entirely subjective and is from my opinion of the research ndings. This is not the sole factor that will determine what decision we make but merely an aid. Please feel free to leave feedback in the shout box and, if you wish, you may carry out research into other options. OPTION 1 - ARMA 2 ISLAND LIFE

This process has been run as professionally as possible. I have included key business strategies and this is something we would continue to implement if we brought the community back. From START targets to POST analysis, these models and plans will ensure a procient and entrepreneurial environment within the community.
REVIEW / 5 DECEMBER 2013 / PAGE

to make it a role play server however this is not what is typically associated with Takistan Life servers. Finally, we maintain good relationships with the dominant gure for Takistan Life - TLU (number 1 server for Arma 2 based on game tracker). Whilst we do have good relationships with TLU, I am concerned that their dominance simply does not allow any room for new competitors. We are also stuck with the previously states dilemma - we have no scripters. The inexibility with in game content due to no add ons could severely restrict the variety on the server. Although new players are often attracted to Taki Life they soon grow bored of the vanilla in game content and move onto more detailed mods such as Island Life. It is for two reasons that I discourage choosing this option. Firstly, we have no developers and until we can bring some on board we cannot edit any mission les. Secondly, the inexibility to differentiate the server makes it very difcult to appeal to the wider life community. OPTION 3 - ARMA 2 WASTELAND Previously we have experimented this mod. We have never had any success and I was rather reluctant to include this in my research but I felt it was necessary to analyse all possible options. This game type is very easy to maintain. Having developed a successful mission le there is very little that must be done to upkeep a server like this. Often requiring little moderation or updating this would be a more convenient server to run. Even though it is easy to maintain it lacks variety. Many servers lay wasted, empty and abandoned on the wasteland server lists. In my opinion this game mode should not be considered for it lacks any are. It is for this reason that I also believe that people get bored of the mod much faster than others. Although it received a strong response during the market research phase I believe that people would grow tired of it quickly. OPTION 4 - ARMA 3 SERVERS Arma 3 was launched in September. This has brought in a new generation of Arma players and with it, new opportunities. One of the less popular options, it must be considered that over the coming years, more focus will be directed towards the newest game in the series. Researching this was interesting for I had not previously know much about the game. They have dramatically improved optimisation and mods are beginning to role out. The benets of choosing this game are really all about future proong. Inevitably we will need to move to Arma 3. By taking this opportunity we can start fresh in a new game. When I refer to Arma 3 servers I really mean Arma 3 life servers. Currently, there are two missions available: Stratis Life and Altis Life. One concern is the obvious lack of servers and the lack of players. In researching this option I became apparent that there is not yet a signicant sign of interest in this yet. My research supported this as it emerged to be one of the least popular options. Until a better mod becomes available, I cannot recommend moving to Arma 3.

Despite the improvements in performance, there is still not a large enough life community in the game. I would recommend waiting until an Arma 3 equivalent to Island Life becomes available. Then, we must seize the opportunity, OPTION 5 - BATTLEFIELD 4 Alongside media, this is perhaps the option I know the least about. I would rstly like to recommend to anyone willing to, to research and report further on the Battleeld 4 option. This games strongest positive is that it is simply a very popular and successful game. Having sold far more copies than Arma 2 or 3 it has a larger population. This would make it much easier to recruit. On another note the server would require a small amount of moderators who would rarely be needed. On the other hand the game offers very little in terms of allowing servers to differentiate themselves from the rest. This is both a positive and a negative for it means we do not need a developer but it makes starting out a very difcult process. I would recommend this option as it is simple, convenient to run and it is very popular. It must be noted however, that we would need to market ourselves or else we may be left with a very small recruitment ow. OPTION 6 - MEDIA This was the most outlandish of all the possibilities. I had included it in my initial idea generation however upon further research I have discounted this option. This is simply due to the high barriers to entry. The chances of success are too minimal for the amount of money we would have to invest in sunk costs. It does still have the potential to be run as a side project for the community whilst we run another server however it must not be our main focus. CONCLUSION

I recommend either waiting until we can secure development staff or until we can do that, running a Battleeld 4 server due to the ease that comes with it. Depending on when we secure the development staff, we should subsequently open up either an Island Life or Arma 3 Life server.

REVIEW / 5 DECEMBER 2013 / PAGE

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