Why are the forums so dead?

[Totemdancer]

Why are the forums so dead now, they used to be so active that you had to go back 3-4 pages just to read the posts from that day. Now they don't even seem to fill the first page.

I was still reading them while I was playing WoW and up until a few months ago they still had at least 2 full pages per day. Where has everyone gone?

[americanaussie]

Well positive people can't post anything g because they'll be attacked. Negative people probably feel similar or cannot be bothered or the post gets moved to off topic or deleted. I'm still playing but I don't post much anymore. The community can be rather toxic here and it's not fun posting.

 

Or people are taking advantage of the 350% boost and leveling cxp and disintegrating. Shrug.

 

Tl;Dr no one is allowed to have an opinion other than the "right one" in 2017.

[OwenBrooks]

up until a few months ago they still had at least 2 full pages per day. Where has everyone gone?

 

Almost at 2 full pages for today , this is my opinion and it has to be right

[americanaussie]

Or it could be fact lol

[Totemdancer]

Almost at 2 full pages for today , this is my opinion and it has to be right

 

LoL, it was only half when I posted

[OwenBrooks]

Or it could be fact lol

 

Now I see that as your opinion , but is it right .......

 

everyone is so opinionated these days

Edited February 11, 2017 by OwenBrooks

[Blinkyn]

Why are the forums so dead now, they used to be so active that you had to go back 3-4 pages just to read the posts from that day. Now they don't even seem to fill the first page.

I was still reading them while I was playing WoW and up until a few months ago they still had at least 2 full pages per day. Where has everyone gone?

 

In my experience, forum activity in a game like this usually is a pretty good indicator of player intensity. If the players actually care about the game they will attack changes they dislike and defend/applaud those they do, when the player base goes quiet the game has a problem because the player base no longer cares.

 

The only other reason I have seen for the forums going silent is when the player base become convinced that their posts are ignored. Either because the company they are trying to communicate with just does not feel customer input is valuable or has been infected with a bad case of developer ego.

[Damask_Rose]

Almost at 2 full pages for today , this is my opinion and it has to be right

 

Are you allowed to talk about non-tech topics?

[OwenBrooks]

LoL, it was only half when I posted

 

so your saying you where only half right when you posted

 

I should be off playing have a sith to kill

[OwenBrooks]

Are you allowed to talk about non-tech topics?

 

Sorry I cant reply to this , seems I have been issued an infringement for straying from the path

Edited February 11, 2017 by OwenBrooks

[psandak]

In my experience, forum activity in a game like this usually is a pretty good indicator of player intensity. If the players actually care about the game they will attack changes they dislike and defend/applaud those they do, when the player base goes quiet the game has a problem because the player base no longer cares.

 

The only other reason I have seen for the forums going silent is when the player base become convinced that their posts are ignored. Either because the company they are trying to communicate with just does not feel customer input is valuable or has been infected with a bad case of developer ego.

 

I agree, but I think your reasoning is flawed: it is not that players do not care anymore, it is that the majority of what you call "intense players" have simply left. With the announcement of 5.0 and no new large group content (AKA operations) in sight, many players got fed up and let their subscription lapse. So a lot of the more "intense players" have left for greener pastures.

 

Hopefully with the official announcement of a new operation (albeit one boss at a time over the course of 2017), some might come back.

[Edyn]

I think there would be a lot more activity if at least Preferred players could post. I played preferred for quite awhile and was vested in the game, yet I wasn't allowed to provide feedback on the forums.

[americanaussie]

I think there would be a lot more activity if at least Preferred players could post. I played preferred for quite awhile and was vested in the game, yet I wasn't allowed to provide feedback on the forums.

 

Do you know how much trolling would occur? Lol. More than the mods would be able to handle. Someone brought that up and after reading the swtor fb page/twitter responses from those who stopped subbing, I'd say there be trolls lurking. That's sad given that F2p people are great generally.

[OwenBrooks]

I think there would be a lot more activity if at least Preferred players could post. I played preferred for quite awhile and was vested in the game, yet I wasn't allowed to provide feedback on the forums.

 

Anything valid can be passed back via EA Answers HQ and if really valid we (volunteer mods) transfer it to the suggestion forum or pass back via other means off a public forum.

Example Thread

 

However posts that are just whining will be locked or removed

Edited February 11, 2017 by OwenBrooks

[Talon_strikes]

Well positive people can't post anything g because they'll be attacked. Negative people probably feel similar or cannot be bothered or the post gets moved to off topic or deleted. I'm still playing but I don't post much anymore. The community can be rather toxic here and it's not fun posting.

 

Or people are taking advantage of the 350% boost and leveling cxp and disintegrating. Shrug.

 

Tl;Dr no one is allowed to have an opinion other than the "right one" in 2017.

I've been posting pretty much every day since I came back to the game over a month ago. I recently stopped posting heavily so I can take advantage of this event.

[dr_mike]

Do you know how much trolling would occur?

 

There's already plenty of trolling, spamming and abuse.

 

Preferred and f2p players can find support on the reddit, the EA support forum as well as one of the other swtor websites and forums. You would be amazed what what can find with a simple google search as well.

Edited February 11, 2017 by dr_mike

[Edyn]

I’m not talking about trolling, spamming or abuse, as that’s what forum moderators are for. I’m also not talking about support, as that’s what search engines are for.

 

What I’m talking about are active, Preferred players who have decided to stop supporting the game with their wallet for whatever reason (RNG, lack of content they like, etc.,) but are still be willing to resubscribe and support the game with their wallet again if certain conditions are met. By allowing the Preferred players to constructively contribute to discussions on the official forms, which are actively viewed by BW, on what changes could be made to the game that would convince he or she to resubscribe/support the game with their wallet again, BW may be able to gather more market info than what they’re currently obtaining on how to regain subscribers.

 

Sure, there’s the feedback form where you list your reasons for unsubscribing, but I don’t feel it can compete with a constructive discussion with players on both sides of an issue on why you unsubscribed so that maybe a middle ground can be achieved that everyone can agree on, including BW.

 

That’s all I’m saying. I just feel like BW may be filtering out valuable feedback and discussion on what it would take to up their subscriber count, especially if there is a very common complaint.

[CrazyCT]

Can I try those rose-coloured glasses after you?

[Ryenke]

I’m not talking about trolling, spamming or abuse, as that’s what forum moderators are for. I’m also not talking about support, as that’s what search engines are for.

 

What I’m talking about are active, Preferred players who have decided to stop supporting the game with their wallet for whatever reason (RNG, lack of content they like, etc.,) but are still be willing to resubscribe and support the game with their wallet again if certain conditions are met. By allowing the Preferred players to constructively contribute to discussions on the official forms, which are actively viewed by BW, on what changes could be made to the game that would convince he or she to resubscribe/support the game with their wallet again, BW may be able to gather more market info than what they’re currently obtaining on how to regain subscribers.

 

Sure, there’s the feedback form where you list your reasons for unsubscribing, but I don’t feel it can compete with a constructive discussion with players on both sides of an issue on why you unsubscribed so that maybe a middle ground can be achieved that everyone can agree on, including BW.

 

That’s all I’m saying. I just feel like BW may be filtering out valuable feedback and discussion on what it would take to up their subscriber count, especially if there is a very common complaint.

 

I agree. Perhaps a post limit for preferred players, like 10 posts a month? That would minimize trolling and make the preferred players have to make their posts count. It's never going to happen, of course, but I think it would be good for this community and for the game.

[RobertFKennedyUS]

I don't bother to comment. Trolls have got it rigged so that they bait you and then report you when you take the bait. The moderators do their bidding.

[CrazyCT]

I don't bother to comment. Trolls have got it rigged so that they bait you and then report you when you take the bait. The moderators do their bidding.

 

I'm actually just back from a ........ vacation

[eriksarcasm]

I don't bother to comment. Trolls have got it rigged so that they bait you and then report you when you take the bait. The moderators do their bidding.

 

Tried to warn you about him. His name says it all. And he's not the only one.

 

I'm actually just back from a ........ vacation

 

Prison? It was prison wasn't it.

[menofhorror]

Because the game is declining.

Some people can damage control all they want but the game is loosing players.

Yes it has it's cartell market whales, ready to throw their money at each reskin but the game is continuing on a road towards the end. Each update is smaller and smaller till the game finally reaches mantainance status.

[Wayshuba]

To the OPs question it is simple. A lot of people, who were very active on these forums, said they were unsubbing over the GC system and they have (mine runs out this week on Feb. 14).

 

Our entire guild, for example, has decided it is time to move on and ESO has become our new home. People were fed up with two simple things - the glaring lack of new content compared to other MMOs (especially for one doing supposedly so well financially) and the utter arrogance of the developers in putting in a game system that simply frustrates the player base and refusing to do anything about it (and we are referring to the deplorably bad RNG on the Command Crates, not just the CxP).

 

Honestly, it shouldn't be surprising and this should have been expected. People said they were leaving and have left and, I have a feeling, the forums are going to continue to get even quieter over then next couple of months.

 

Heck, as of Dec 18 even TORstatus has decided it is no longer worth the effort and has decided to cease operations. SWTORData picked it up but you can see the massive population decline that has happened since Dec. Look how many servers have flat-lined and even the populated ones have dropped more than 40 points in traffic.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Wayshuba

[AscendingSky]

To the OPs question it is simple. A lot of people, who were very active on these forums, said they were unsubbing over the GC system and they have (mine runs out this week on Feb. 14).

 

Our entire guild, for example, has decided it is time to move on and ESO has become our new home. People were fed up with two simple things - the glaring lack of new content compared to other MMOs (especially for one doing supposedly so well financially) and the utter arrogance of the developers in putting in a game system that simply frustrates the player base and refusing to do anything about it (and we are referring to the deplorably bad RNG on the Command Crates, not just the CxP).

 

Honestly, it shouldn't be surprising and this should have been expected. People said they were leaving and have left and, I have a feeling, the forums are going to continue to get even quieter over then next couple of months.

 

Heck, as of Dec 18 even TORstatus has decided it is no longer worth the effort and has decided to cease operations. SWTORData picked it up but you can see the massive population decline that has happened since Dec. Look how many servers have flat-lined and even the populated ones have dropped more than 40 points in traffic.

 

Pretty much exactly that. Fewer subscribers means fewer people who are able to post on these forums, which equals less activity. And it's only going to get worse unless something changes soon.