uMod - Growing a server from 0 players? - Rust

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

I was wondering if any high pop server owners had tips on how they grew their servers initially?

My server is a lightly modded 3x solo/duo/trio. Basically the modded experience without TP, clans and pay-to-win kits.

People tell me to get my friends to play, and other players will just "come naturally" but none of my friends want to play on an empty server, and I can't get anyone else. I've posted on reddits, listing sites, paid for listing site advertisement, posted in 20+ discord servers, reached out to small to medium Twitch streamers, and had me and my co-owner reach out to countless friends to no avail. How do we get even 1 player on our server?

And playing on our own server is not an option. At one point we got 3 small twitch streamers to join, my friend and I won a gunfight so they accused admin abuse and left. From then on we decided we would never play.

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

Create and advertise your own Discord channel and Steam group/ If your friends and friends of friends don't want to play there isn't a whole lot you can do but at least try to get them to join your Discord and/or Steam group in an effort to reach a wider audience. I've found having your own website also helps as it gives you a medium to get your message across; who you are, why you setup your own server, what makes you different from the other thousands of servers etc.

I help manage a PvE server and although we Purge every 2 weeks, I never participate myself because of the 'admin abuse' issue. Sadly, some people cannot handle being beaten and often look to save face by claiming admin abuse or accusing other players of hacking.

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

In response to OneAlpha ():
Create and advertise your own Discord channel and Steam group/ If your friends and friends of friend...

Website might not be a bad idea. It just feels weird setting it up for so few players but I guess I have to look forward.

And yeah the admin abuse accusations are gross, but understandable. It's like playing against someone and knowing that they have functioning hacks installed in their game. Was my mistake and I'm glad I learned so early.

Merged post

Today I wiped the server and had me and 2 friends join immediately. 4 players then naturally joined and they all played for several hours!

Now I understand - if I can get those players to join in next wipe, then the server will snowball grow from wipe to wipe. Also, luck seems to be a big factor.

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

In response to OneAlpha ():
Create and advertise your own Discord channel and Steam group/ If your friends and friends of friend...

I dont have that problem as I advertise on my server that the Admin only monitors but does not play on the server (which is 80% accurate) that way you dont get the "can you give me <>" or "can you tp me to <>" or anything else for that matter, If players dont like the server they go and you will find that you will get a lot of what i call "butterflies" , they log on , stay in one spot for 3-10 minutes then leave, no chat , no questions they just go (?), or they stay till they get killed by the heli or one of the hundreds of bots guarding the monuments.
Then you get the players who come on, join with others and say "wow this a great server" leave a few hours (or at best a few days) later and they never come back .
Its disheartening but thats life, I still run the server for the few regulars that have been with it for a few years and just enjoy myself,

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

In response to pookins ():
I dont have that problem as I advertise on my server that the Admin only monitors but does not play...

This scares me since I don't really want to settle for a few regulars. I made the server so that people could experience the same kind of pressure of having hundreds of other players competing against them, without knowing that half of those people paid $60 for 100k sulfur and 20 LRs. Similar to what exists, without the pay-to-win. Unfortunately I've discovered people would rather play on a server that's pay-to-win than play on a server with 4 other people.

So for now, my plan of action is to continue biweekly wipes where I get as many friends as I can on, and hope that one day it snowballs into a full server. If I can get X% of the people that randomly join the server to rejoin next wipe, I should be able to steadily increase wipe day pop until it's enough for a lot of randoms to join.

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

In response to ediit ():
This scares me since I don't really want to settle for a few regulars. I made the server so that peo...

personally I would never play on any server with bi weekly wipes, I have approx 5800+ hours on and there is enough frustration in the game without losing your base and loot and starting again every two weeks on a slow gather server, But good luck with it, I have found that when you please one section of players others tend to leave,

Posted 6 years ago

Last updated 6 years ago

In response to pookins ():
personally I would never play on any server with bi weekly wipes, I have approx 5800+ hours on and...

So true, in fact 90% of player suggestions are not worth changing for.

Also bi-weekly wipes would be a big turn off for me and my crowd as well unless the loot was so op they dont have to grind frist week to pvp for 1 week then wipe.

Looks like all the usual growth points were made, there isnt really much more than whats been said here.