What keeps you away from playing Salem?

[Spazzmaticus]

What Kandarim said. Updates are slow with HnH as well but at least there all essential features are in place. In Salem we don't even have proper gluttony or purity, the basic mechanics upon which the rest of the game is built.
It's got nothing to do with the players or griefers. It's the decision to tear the game up with the "As Above, So Below" updated and then just leave it in tatters for months. That update was the point at which most people stopped playing. No use bothering with a game that's about to get completely overhauled.

[Jalpha]

I think that's pretty close to it. Sweeping changes were made and are likely to continue, but until the mechanics are in a better state there's no point in a wipe from the devs perspective. The downside to that is that from many players perspective until there's a wipe there's no point continuing.

It's just rough because as you say, we are subsisting on the skeleton of a game and most players are currently at a disadvantage. If all this happened at a later stage of development... Who knows. But that's it for me, lack of updates (hence lack of content) and we are still feeling the aftershocks of broken mechanics.

Things will get better.

[Kandarim]

It's got nothing to do with the players or griefers. It's the decision to tear the game up with the "As Above, So Below" updated and then just leave it in tatters for months.

I'll quote this. You formulated better how I felt than I could

[Droj]

The half-assed moderation

Could you elaborate? I don't think there are currently any issues with moderation? If anything, there is a lack content to moderate; not enough active members posting. Why would this alone stop people playing the game as opposed to engaging in petty forum banter.

[Cheena]

Nothing keeps me away from Salem

+1

[Tamasin]

My love of salem is too great for anything to keep me away, though i acknowledge there are various problems.

If anything could keep me away it would be broken mechanics and lack of updates. This forum is quite ***** in many ways thanks to various people, but aren't they all? It's not something that i'd let stop me enjoying a game i love.

[Roninsword]

It's obviously the mods that are the reason new players are not coming/have stayed with the game, Obviously the mods!!
Not the thread with 200something kills posted of players in starting clothes, nope. Obviously the mods.
/sarcasm
I voted for lack of updates though. It is most likely the main culprit.

[Kandarim]

Could you elaborate? I don't think there are currently any issues with moderation?

there has recently been some discussion on the mod abuse megathread regarding some bans seen as biased.

On-topic: I think too many people overestime the importance of the forum to new players. Sure, for a lot of us forumgoers it adds an extra dimension to the game, but far from all of the game's players frequent the forum.

[Rydersowl]

Since Jalpha seems to think all of us injuns are assaulting this poll with an army of alt accounts I will give my responses. My votes are for moderation and updates. Moderation because for the most part the active presence of our moderators are not objective, which is odd considering the most political of them don't even play the game. There are a few level headed mods that can step away from situations and be pragmatic with their moderation but the ones who I've called into question recently seem to have a very hostile attitude towards our community which makes the case for either trimming the tree so to speak or getting some new blood to hopefully allow for a moderation team with less bias and more accountability. I'm not going to go any further into that as this is not that thread and I only need to say enough to establish the reasoning behind my vote. Next is updates. I feel this is self evident enough as it has been a long time since we've felt the glowing love of Jorbtars love in the form of a strong, new, interesting mechaninc of some sort. Pockets were the last in my opinion but as a utilitarian feature that just didn't do the same for me as, say, agropelters. Vote (singular Jalpha) is cast accordingly. For what it's worth.

[Jalpha]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up just a moment there Rydersowl...

If I interpreted that wall of text in the manner you intended, it seems you are claiming not to be a sockpuppet?