Game feeling deader on the Servers - they need to open up more content to people....

[Gonalius]

F2P does not count as it adds NOTHING positive to the game

 

So free-to-play players don't keep the GTN going if your selling for under 350k, they don't make the populations look busier (Meh, only 3 people on Ilum, pathetic!), they don't make flashpoints start quicker, what with the extra people queuing?

 

Nope. Total drain. Absolute scum. I spit on them! SPIT! PTUI!!!

[TUXs]

I am as well.

 

Let me bold and highlight the stuff for ya from http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/14/6001503/star-wars-the-old-republic-2014-players-ea-bioware

 

not 1 million log ins or x number of hours, 1 million individual users CONFIRMED to log in monthly.

 

So if they had, when just a subscription game under 1 million subscribers that means that there was an increase in population because they are reporting OVER 1 million users logging in.

 

After that you use the financial data and the data they are releasing supports little long term change in that regard.

 

What I state are facts. if you want to contest facts you have to present FACTS. All your responses amount to is calling people crazy when they make statements that contradict your anecdotal experience. Last I checked the crazy person is the one who attacks facts with little more than ad hominems.

 

So again, if you want to actually dispute verifiable numbers please present verifiable numbers. if not sir the crazy one is you.

Please explain the light servers to me then.

[Zoom_VI]

Please explain the light servers to me then.

 

You would have to then define which server, because the servers have different standards of light, medium, and heavy.

 

For instance Harbringer's population on light status would be heavy status on Jung Ma.

 

 

Also the server status is extremely arbitrary and was never even quantified. The devs could be changing it backend and we would never be the wiser. And really you can't argue with official reports by pointing at a extremely arbitrary measure. That like saying that historical records are false because of what your great grandmother told you.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Zoom_VI

[Darth_Wicked]

You would have to then define which server, because the servers have different standards of light, medium, and heavy.

 

For instance Harbringer's population on light status would be heavy status on Jung Ma.

 

Yep.

 

A while back, the Progenitor used to read "HEAVY" but when I went level a character or so, either fleet had like 120 people, with a single instance.

 

The Red Eclipse, on the other hand, read "STANDARD" or so, but had two instances going on, with a third depopulating.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Darth_Wicked

[TUXs]

You would have to then define which server, because the servers have different standards of light, medium, and heavy.

 

For instance Harbringer's population on light status would be heavy status on Jung Ma.

 

 

Also the server status is extremely arbitrary and was never even quantified. The devs could be changing it backend and we would never be the wiser. And really you can't argue with official reports by pointing at a extremely arbitrary measure. That like saying that historical records are false because of what your great grandmother told you.

Wait, so your excuse for the increase in light server pops is that you think the Devs are adjusting the back end? LOL! Of course they are.

 

Whatever guys. Populations right now are a fraction of what they were 2 years ago. I stand by that statement.

[Ghisallo]

I saw your spin

 

Its pure BS

 

F2P does not count as it adds NOTHING positive to the game

 

You just trying to spin with smoke and mirrors

 

 

So it is spin to know that SWTOR was in the top 5 of Subscription/hybrid MMO's revenue wise at 165 million in total revenue (up from the previous year), that sounds positive.

 

It's spin for SWTOR to be just pushed out of the top 5 for this game segment (pushed out by ESO launch) in 2014 BEFORE SoR launched? That after SoR launched EA stated that SWTOR contributed to a 47% increase in revenue?!?!

 

These are facts not spin. The game is making money and contributing to a GROWTH in revenue for EA, unless again of course the CFO is lying.

 

Additionally I was responding to someone who was not expressing a subjective dislike of the f2p populace, but rather someone making claims about basic numbers. Since the CFO stated that the game contributed to an INCREASE in revenue it made more money, otherwise it would not have contributed to an increase, instead the CFO would have noted that it was a loss and rather a drag on the increased revenues in the segment.

 

Whether that money is just from subscribers or a combination of subscribers and f2p microtransactions isn't shown of course BUT the fact is they made MORE money... hence the word INCREASE OR do you think the Chief Financial Officer of EA should be reported to the SECand the DoJ for violating SEC regulations and Federal Law.

 

Agreed. But even if we included F2P, all servers are now LIGHT.

 

Really I see all PvE servers as "standard" and for 430 EST that is pretty good since most people are not home from work/school yet on either coast. The only light servers are the pvP ones, which have been suffering for a while I will admit but PvE seems to be doing ust fine thanks.

 

I also find something VERY funny... the fact that both are you are cheering each other on while you have copletely different takes. here let me logic it out for you.

 

Now while you both COMPLETELY ignore the fact that even WoW's population drops about 30% between expacs on the rest you are all over the map

.

TUX you just shout down as crazy anyone who says that the population has not precipitously dropped.

 

Kalfear you are trying to dismiss the numberof f2p players logging in as not mattering because you believe none of them are contributing financially to the game.

 

So one is saying "there are fewer players" the other is not disputing the number of players logging in but rather saying (paraphrase) "a lot of those numbers are freeloaders so they don't matter"

 

Well I have to ask which is it. has the population really dropped a lot or has it not, it's just hasn't dropped because of freeloaders?

 

You guys are funny.

[GrimRita]

I am as well.

 

Let me bold and highlight the stuff for ya from http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/14/6001503/star-wars-the-old-republic-2014-players-ea-bioware

 

 

 

not 1 million log ins or x number of hours, 1 million individual users CONFIRMED to log in monthly.

 

Ah the fan boys always rush of and dig up OLD 2013 information. Yes it was posted in 2014 but based on 2013 revenue. Now lets look at 2014 in DETAIL and pour ice cold water on your fanboy BS.

 

SWTOR revenues DOWN Q3 2014 (up to Sept 2014 which includes Strongholds)

 

No numbers, sheer embarrassment as its lumped with SIM CITY. Lets look at this in more detail - quote directly from the report -

 

This increase was driven by a $476 million increase in revenue primarily from the FIFA and Battlefield franchises, and Titanfall. This increase was partially offset by a $181 million decrease in revenue primarily from the SimCity, Crysis and Dead Space franchises, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

 

Clear?

 

And MMOs move fast. There has been a HUGE drop in players online since 3.0 hit. EA use the word 'active' - that could include posting on a forum, logging in for 5 minutes. Not discussing numbers, means something to hide.

 

That torstatus website has shown just how bad things are. First time I have seen it, so not sure how accurate it is.

[TUXs]

Really I see all PvE servers as "standard" and for 430 EST that is pretty good since most people are not home from work/school yet on either coast.

The trend is there...look closer.

[IkarusXY]

All i remember is that the Progenitor fleet used to have 2 instances in the evening half a year ago.

But that never happend in the past couple of months.

 

While there is always an influx of new players, the actual problem is that a lot of veterans leave out of beeing bored.

While the game might still life on, more and more vetarans will leave because raising a team of new players from the ashes for the thousand time is just not fun anymore.

[Devrius]

Wait, so your excuse for the increase in light server pops is that you think the Devs are adjusting the back end? LOL! Of course they are.

 

Whatever guys. Populations right now are a fraction of what they were 2 years ago. I stand by that statement.

 

Let's argue that they are right and population are sensibly the same, or even greater then 2 years ago.

 

Since we know for a fact subscriptions have diminished we can safely assume most if not all of those new players are F2P with a small portion being Preferred players.

 

This still means end-game has a diminished population, since F2P and Preferred do not have access to lvl 51-60 and content related.

 

See it's possible for them to be right and absolutely wrong at the same time, they claim the population is better I counter with end-game not following that trend though.

[Ghisallo]

Please explain the light servers to me then.

 

Well as I said I am in NA. All servers PE servers are currently "Standard" which is not unusal due to the time of day. When I get back from dinner with the in-laws I will of course check again. If in "prime time they somehow suddenly drop to "light" then I may scratch my head BUT again I would not necessarily be surprised because of the fact that ALL MMOs about 6 months into a patch have a smaller active population as players have run out of things to do. Tis is why they have content updates...to give players something to do so they pay more money.

 

If you look at ANY MMO companies quarterly statements you will see things (say 1-2 quarters after an expac launches)like "in this quarter game X had a drop in revenue as expected however we have every expectation that this will change with the release of the up coming expansion), The expansion launches and the next earnings call says EXACTLY what EA's said in january. "game X contributed to an increase in revenue in this segment due to the launch of the expansion pack." Hell in Blizzard's last earnings call they said that, while their subscriptions had grown from 7 odd to 10 odd million, they expected a decline in subscriptions (most notably in asia, currently WoWs biggest market) due to the post expac "crunch."

[TUXs]

Well as I said I am in NA. All servers PE servers are currently "Standard" which is not unusal due to the time of day.

Look at the trend again. They're hitting "standard" for shorter and shorter periods of time...many aren't even hitting Standard though.

[Ghisallo]

Let's argue that they are right and population are sensibly the same, or even greater then 2 years ago.

 

Since we know for a fact subscriptions have diminished we can safely assume most if not all of those new players are F2P with a small portion being Preferred players.

 

This still means end-game has a diminished population, since F2P and Preferred do not have access to lvl 51-60 and content related.

 

See it's possible for them to be right and absolutely wrong at the same time, they claim the population is better I counter with end-game not following that trend though.

 

OR could it be that the reason the CFO stated that SWTOR contributed to a 47% increase in revenue due to the fact that f2p players were paying to access that endgame content via the cartel market, upgrading to preferred etc?

 

See I am just a hard data and numbers guy. If EA reported a continued drop in revenue after AoR launch I would not be disputing a darn thing. It's just that after playing MMOs since 1999, and following it from the business side as well (I actually have so specific tech funds in my retirement portfolio that have game companies in them) that MMO on-line participation is a sine wave. It rises and falls around the schedule of expac releases. Just looking at an MMO's population during a trough doesn't tell you anything. You have to wait for the end of their fiscal years to see what is going on and so far profit wise SWTOR is doing fine and that is really the only objective measure we have for judging it's overall "success."

[GrimRita]

Well as I said I am in NA. All servers PE servers are currently "Standard" which is not unusal due to the time of day. When I get back from dinner with the in-laws I will of course check again. If in "prime time they somehow suddenly drop to "light" then I may scratch my head BUT again I would not necessarily be surprised because of the fact that ALL MMOs about 6 months into a patch have a smaller active population as players have run out of things to do. Tis is why they have content updates...to give players something to do so they pay more money.

 

If you look at ANY MMO companies quarterly statements you will see things (say 1-2 quarters after an expac launches)like "in this quarter game X had a drop in revenue as expected however we have every expectation that this will change with the release of the up coming expansion), The expansion launches and the next earnings call says EXACTLY what EA's said in january. "game X contributed to an increase in revenue in this segment due to the launch of the expansion pack." Hell in Blizzard's last earnings call they said that, while their subscriptions had grown from 7 odd to 10 odd million, they expected a decline in subscriptions (most notably in asia, currently WoWs biggest market) due to the post expac "crunch."

 

Just because people subscribe, doesn't mean they play. SWTOR actually sold 2 million copies at launch but only 1.7 million actually played at launch. And if Blizzard lost 500k players, it wouldnt be noticed, in SWTOR it would be,. huge difference.

 

Ask yourself. Do you think Bioware are doing enough to attract and retain players? If you do, good for you. However, many would disagree with you and so would the 'light' population servers

Edited April 16, 2015 by GrimRita

[Ghisallo]

Look at the trend again. They're hitting "standard" for shorter and shorter periods of time...many aren't even hitting Standard though.

 

wait... first they were light... now there is a trend of them being standard for shorter and shorter times. Moving goal posts are we. And ignoring the cyclical effect of game populations and expac releases as well I see.

 

I get it though. You have an opinion based on your personal experience. Facts and logic will not dissuade you.

Heck I would wager God, Buddha, Mohammed and the Ghost of Obi Wan could appear before you and you would call them crazy. So it is time for me t go and get some good Mexican food.

 

Ciao. if you come up with numbers or data to support your contention I will be happy to participate again. Until then I will just get out my popcorn and smh.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Ghisallo

[TUXs]

wit... first they were light... now ther is a trend of them being standard for shorter and shorter times. Moving goal posts are we. And ignoring the cyclical effect to I see.

 

I get it though. You have an opinion based on your personal experience. Facts and logic will not dissuade you.

Heck I would wager God, Buddha, Mohammed and the Ghost of Obi Wan could appear before you and you would call them crazy. So it is time for me t go and get some good Mexican food.

 

Ciao.

ALL of them hit LIGHT. The amount of time they stay there is increasing on every server and the number that hit standard is dropping.

 

But facts don't matter much to you.

[Zoom_VI]

ALL of them hit LIGHT. The amount of time they stay there is increasing on every server and the number that hit standard is dropping.

 

But facts don't matter much to you.

 

Do you have facts or are you eyeballing it.

[TUXs]

Do you have facts or are you eyeballing it.

http://www.torstatus.net/

[Steelarion]

I play on Ebon Hawk....there were almost 200 in fleet at 3 AM....

Always tons of people pugging....always plenty of folks on all planets....

 

Maybe I'm just lucky...but this server seems very lively...just sayin'

[Devrius]

ALL of them hit LIGHT. The amount of time they stay there is increasing on every server and the number that hit standard is dropping.

 

But facts don't matter much to you.

 

Dude don't waste you time, the devs could delete all his characters, go to his home break his fingers with a hammer and the 1st thing he would do after leaving the hospital is log in to the forums and commend them on their accurate swings of the hammer while typing with his tongue

[Dokar]

Well as I said I am in NA. All servers PE servers are currently "Standard" which is not unusal due to the time of day. When I get back from dinner with the in-laws I will of course check again. If in "prime time they somehow suddenly drop to "light" then I may scratch my head BUT again I would not necessarily be surprised because of the fact that ALL MMOs about 6 months into a patch have a smaller active population as players have run out of things to do. Tis is why they have content updates...to give players something to do so they pay more money.

 

If you look at ANY MMO companies quarterly statements you will see things (say 1-2 quarters after an expac launches)like "in this quarter game X had a drop in revenue as expected however we have every expectation that this will change with the release of the up coming expansion), The expansion launches and the next earnings call says EXACTLY what EA's said in january. "game X contributed to an increase in revenue in this segment due to the launch of the expansion pack." Hell in Blizzard's last earnings call they said that, while their subscriptions had grown from 7 odd to 10 odd million, they expected a decline in subscriptions (most notably in asia, currently WoWs biggest market) due to the post expac "crunch."

 

"Star Wars: The Old Republic also contributed to this segment with the expansion, Shadows of Raven, attracting many more people into the game with this epic new storyline."

 

Contributed to this segment , Does not say contributed to the increase in the segment.

[TUXs]

Dude don't waste you time, the devs could delete all his characters, go to his home break his fingers with a hammer and the 1st thing he would do after leaving the hospital is log in to the forums and commend them on their accurate swings of the hammer while typing with his tongue

LOL! I know...I'm done. Facts are facts...they can't counter reality.

[Devrius]

http://www.torstatus.net/

 

I'm on PoT5, this is painful to watch...

[TUXs]

I'm on PoT5, this is painful to watch...

 

Ditto...all PvP servers are in rough shape.

[GrimRita]

ALL of them hit LIGHT. The amount of time they stay there is increasing on every server and the number that hit standard is dropping.

 

But facts don't matter much to you.

 

No point arguing with a fan boy Tux. He has ignored my post, pouring cold water on his outdated facts. Funny that.