Don't Fret! Activity Dropped A Little Just Because It Is Summer.

[DarthWoad]

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Number are down because it's summer. I'm sure that plays a part but it's minor.

 

Problem is numbers are also down because there is little new to drive the game. NEW - the lifeblood of an MMO. The little new content we did get has little to no player retention because it was one FP. As if that was ever going to hold gamers at any point in the year for very long.

 

Then you look at that complete joke of a road map when it comes to what this game is getting for the remainder of the year. Gamers read what bioware wrote and instantly knew SWTOR just isn't getting a lot of focus to cause the game to grow and/or retain gamers. Even if you like PVP and we all know PVP updates are needed, thats usually tacked on to a larger update and PVP is in general a smaller part of the game. Total focus on that at a time of the year when player numbers slip was a stupid move as it will do nothing more than to drive more gamers away. It is historically known PVP player numbers are lower than PVE players in games like this.

 

Numbers are down and will continue to drop and it's not at all just because it's summer.

 

The numbers are down because people are sick of getting cartel market updates. I would never spend so much money now on cartel market stuff, it just seems a waste to me, so I fail to understand why people still buy things - it only encourages BW to make more and more stuff (recycle stuff).

 

This game had so much wasted potential, and it's amazing to see a game with such a big IP behind it have such little content updates.

[TUXs]

I always see this as an excuse...then, in 3 months, it will be "don't fret, kids are just going back to school". 3 months after that, it's because of the holiday season...then spring, then back to summer as the excuse.

 

I'm not suggesting it doesn't have a minimal impact, it does...but it's not like everyone lives in the great white north and has been housebound all winter...you're acting like we just thawed out and now we all need to go outside to plant our crops and feed the livestock.

[CaptRogue]

I'm not suggesting it doesn't have a minimal impact, it does...but it's not like everyone lives in the great white north and has been housebound all winter...you're acting like we just thawed out and now we all need to go outside to plant our crops and feed the livestock.

 

If you weren't feeding the livestock before this, then you won't be now for sure as they're all dead.

You have to string a rope between the back door of the house to the barn so you can hold onto it & make it to the barn/house during blizzards.

 

As for planting, I think you're a bit late on some things but should be able to get some nice squashes & pumpkins for fall if you start planting now.

[Quraswren]

The numbers are down because people are sick of getting cartel market updates. I would never spend so much money now on cartel market stuff, it just seems a waste to me, so I fail to understand why people still buy things - it only encourages BW to make more and more stuff (recycle stuff).

 

This game had so much wasted potential, and it's amazing to see a game with such a big IP behind it have such little content updates.

 

Very true and the cartel market updates being so consistent is just one more thing to add to the long list of why swtor is losing paying payers.

 

We talked about this in guild when the casino event came back. Cartel market gets updated consistently and rarely if ever misses a week yet the casino event that was brought back from a year ago that was supposed to hold gamers attention for nearly a month and a half didn't get a single update from at least a year ago. bioware couldn't be bothered to update that summer event.

 

That alone is telling of how swtor is playing out and why gamers are leaving.

[Batwer]

I always see this as an excuse...then, in 3 months, it will be "don't fret, kids are just going back to school". 3 months after that, it's because of the holiday season...then spring, then back to summer as the excuse.

 

I'm not suggesting it doesn't have a minimal impact, it does...but it's not like everyone lives in the great white north and has been housebound all winter...you're acting like we just thawed out and now we all need to go outside to plant our crops and feed the livestock.

It is because of the summer time. They have better things to do than playing all day. As soon as it gets cold again, many will come back. Always these theories of the Last Judgment. This is even worse than the Maya. How often should SWTOR fail? We can only wait, we can not do anything about it.

[Master_Morak]

I find something to do every day on SWTOR either it's replaying a class story, do some PVP or have some roleplay. If people say "there's nothing to do in game" they aren't looking closely enough.

 

The fact it's Star Wars and set in the Old Republic era makes it more than unique enough to me!

 

It's all old stuff done hundert times. There are nothing new and interesting, no new planets to explore, no new quests, no new ideas.

[IoNonSoEVero]

I don't think anyone's mentioned the World Cup, but that is a Big Deal, both for people in Europe and European expats and soccer fans in America (some of the bars here carry the games). It's a major holiday this week in the USA, and a big holiday for France on the 14th. Life happens.

 

But the other Captain Obvious point is that when there's no new content, people do drift off. When there's new content to play and discuss that people want to do, they return.

 

There was a flurry of activity when the Copero flashpoint dropped, during the first week or so of Life Day festivities, and when Nathema was released. I would guess that when the Rishi stronghold is out, people will return for that and stick around for a week or so to decorate.

[Ylliarus]

It's all old stuff done hundert times. There are nothing new and interesting, no new planets to explore, no new quests, no new ideas.

 

To you it's not interesting, perhaps to others as well. To me it remains just as interesting as when I played it the first time. I am replaying the Inquisitor storyline for the 5th time now and truly, I can't stop enjoying and loving it!

Edited July 2, 2018 by Ylliarus

[casirabit]

To you it's not interesting, perhaps to others as well. To me it remains just as interesting as when I played it the first time. I am replaying the Inquisitor storyline for the 5th time now and truly, I can't stop enjoying and loving it!

 

The problem is no matter what content they do (and I will grant we need new content) is people will finish it in a couple days and then come back and say nothing to do. I have learn not to play just one game. I have SWG, SWTOR and Sims 4 that I can switch off when I get tired of one.

[BarbarikDave]

...Sims 4 that I can switch off when I get tired of one.

 

Hmm... I don't know why you'd play that. It's almost like you enjoy decorating things.

[Iliac]

It is because of the summer time. They have better things to do than playing all day. As soon as it gets cold again, many will come back. Always these theories of the Last Judgment. This is even worse than the Maya. How often should SWTOR fail? We can only wait, we can not do anything about it.

 

Yes, many will come back, but many won't. Each event (summer, school, holiday's) will bleed many people off the game and a few will never return. These few keep adding up and will eventually lead to no one logging into the game.

[casirabit]

Hmm... I don't know why you'd play that. It's almost like you enjoy decorating things.

 

Lol, that is why. I enjoy decorating. My boyfriend got it for me. The funny thing is the characters I made have my boyfriend's and my characters from here lol.

Edited July 2, 2018 by casirabit

[Tsillah]

Every year people say: don't worry, it's because of summer that there is less activity.

Then when September comes it's: don't worry, people are all getting back to school and stuff.

Then end of the year it's: don't worry it's the holidays.

And at the start of the year it's: don't worry, we're in between content patches and we're awaiting a roadmap.

 

I'm not saying the game is dying. In fact I think it will last for years still. But don't come up with the same old excuses... population is still going down clearly but BioWare is doing the necessary steps to enable the game to go on in spite of that for a while yet. Changing to direct sales mostly is a thing. Server merges were another thing. The upcoming warzone cross faction update is yet another. It's all stuff to make sure the game is still playable for a much smaller player base and make it last for a while yet.

 

Think about it.

 

Direct Sales is more targeted at individual players purchasing items for themselves so less dependency on CM sales from the GTN.

Server merges were done to new hardware which saves them a lot of costs in maintaining the game for the time to come.

And cross server warzones are there to keep the struggling pvp queues alive in a much reduced player base.

 

And as long as the Cartel Coins roll, SWTOR stays open for business. It means that the trickle of new content will stay a trickle and I suspect that 6.0 will also be used in part to make some changes to set the game up for a while yet and maybe stabilize the population a bit with the empire vs republic direction again. But clearly they're still planning to make warzones cross faction in spite of revitalizing that old conflict.

 

You may not like it and think what you will, but I don't think that I'm being unreasonable in my conclusions. Not saying I know the truth but I do think it's a fair assessment of what's happening with the game. SWTOR isn't dead, but they are definitely making changes to the game to enable continued play for a small player base. And I think that if you still play SWTOR that is actually encouraging but in a more realistic way.

[Andryah]

Yet another pointless "volleyball" thread about in game activity levels.

 

I get the point of the OP.. and there is some limited merit to the first post in the thread... but really all this does is draw out all the players who are determined to prosecute a negative narrative on the state of the game, player populations, group pops, yada yada. In other words.. it's basically catnip for those that feel disaffected by the game in one or more ways.. and their easy low hanging fruit attack is to start calling people white knights and rebutting any comment that does not fit their own personal narrative.

 

Nothing is achieved here other then the typical forum wars over the state of the game.

 

Besides.. it really does not matter one way or the other. Either you like the game, are having fun, and continue to play.... or you don't. Each player is free to make their own personal decision.. but this constant need to try to persuade others to join your narrative is almost tribally sociopathic sometimes.

 

Game will certainly close some day.. but it's not today, and no signs of it being in the next couple of years. People have been declaring "games dead", "put a fork in it", etc. etc. for more than 6 years now.. yet here we are. Game me be declared "dead" to some players and they leave.... and that fine. I'd rather have them move on and find something they actually do enjoy playing then to stick around and try to convince everyone else to follow their personal negative views about the game.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Andryah

[DWho]

Yet another pointless "volleyball" thread about in game activity levels.

 

I get the point of the OP.. and there is some limited merit to the first post in the thread... but really all this does is draw out all the players who are determined to prosecute a negative narrative on the state of the game, player populations, group pops, yada yada. In other words.. it's basically catnip for those that feel disaffected by the game in one or more ways.. and their easy low hanging fruit attack is to start calling people white knights and rebutting any comment that does not fit their own personal narrative.

 

Nothing is achieved here other then the typical forum wars over the state of the game.

 

Besides.. it really does not matter one way or the other. Either you like the game, are having fun, and continue to play.... or you don't. Each player is free to make their own personal decision.. but this constant need to try to persuade others to join your narrative is almost tribally sociopathic sometimes.

 

Game will certainly close some day.. but it's not today, and no signs of it being in the next couple of years. People have been declaring "games dead", "put a fork in it", etc. etc. for more than 6 years now.. yet here we are. Game me be declared "dead" to some players and they leave.... and that fine. I'd rather have them move on and find something they actually do enjoy playing then to stick around and try to convince everyone else to follow their personal negative views about the game.

 

In a lot of ways it comes down to a subjective feeling if the "game is dying". For some people a PVP pop after a few minute wait or a 10 minute wait for a GF flashpoint is fine for them and to them the game is "healthy". To someone else, if you have to wait for more than 10 minutes at 3am server time for a PVP pop, the game is dying. Whose opinion is right? Both, neither? The definition of "white knight" seems to have become anyone that doesn't wholeheartedly buy into the "game is dying" narrative.

 

Personally, the game is just fine from my perspective. I am able to log-on when I want and play the game the way I want to play it, so to me the game is "healthy". I don't have to wait an unreasonable amount of time to get into a PVP match or run a flashpoint in a group or even do an Op. Sure, that is my opinion but it is the only opinion that matters to me. The same "Game is Dead" people and the same "White Knights" are all still here so I guess the game isn't dying that fast after all.

Edited July 3, 2018 by DWho

[Joonbeams]

Yet another pointless "volleyball" thread about in game activity levels.

 

I get the point of the OP.. and there is some limited merit to the first post in the thread... but really all this does is draw out all the players who are determined to prosecute a negative narrative on the state of the game, player populations, group pops, yada yada. In other words.. it's basically catnip for those that feel disaffected by the game in one or more ways.. and their easy low hanging fruit attack is to start calling people white knights and rebutting any comment that does not fit their own personal narrative.

 

Nothing is achieved here other then the typical forum wars over the state of the game.

 

Besides.. it really does not matter one way or the other. Either you like the game, are having fun, and continue to play.... or you don't. Each player is free to make their own personal decision.. but this constant need to try to persuade others to join your narrative is almost tribally sociopathic sometimes.

 

Game will certainly close some day.. but it's not today, and no signs of it being in the next couple of years. People have been declaring "games dead", "put a fork in it", etc. etc. for more than 6 years now.. yet here we are. Game me be declared "dead" to some players and they leave.... and that fine. I'd rather have them move on and find something they actually do enjoy playing then to stick around and try to convince everyone else to follow their personal negative views about the game.

 

^^Pretty much.

 

The stated aim by the OP of reassuring new players about the alarming rise in "activity level" threads by the is shaky at best. Those that have been around long enough to even notice a "dip" in activity levels,won't get any reassurance from this. Either they will have learned to keep pressing on and enjoying themselves (for at least some of the reasons laid out in the OP) or they will be frustrated by the decline in activity. Either way, the OP won't help that group.

 

Likewise, those that are new to the game will either: a) not notice any "dip" as they are new and won't have any frame of reference, or b) be put off by activity levels that are lower than what the expected/are used to in other games. Again, the OP won't help them either. If anything, OP unwittingly validates (given that that OP is a self-proclaimed die hard of the game) that there is an activity dip, albeit one purportedly attributed to "weather". I dunno if I would find that defense persuasive as a newbie. Instead, for something I might not have thought about at all, I'd now be wondering what's really going on with the game??

 

It seems to me that the OP is simply making yet another thread about why the game is healthy. This is fine I suppose. And there are also those out there saying dooooooooom is near. Also fine I guess. Both sides have merits not worth rehashing here. But that doesn't prevent this from being called out for what it is - an attempt to white knight an issue that's been clobbered to death in a number of redundant threads*...

 

*I did not read the whole thread, so this argument may have already been made. And the irony (borderline hypocrisy) of me pointing out that this thread was unnecessary then taking time to comment and add to it is noted:o...

[PennyAnn]

Well, the good news is that this debate is academic (in the literal sense of the word) since BW: Austin:

 

a) has the actual numbers; and b) more importantly, told us what they are doing as 6.0 is still on the horizon. How we choose to respond to the slow release of content is, of course, a personal decision.

 

My personal belief is that until new content is released there will be a steady drip in numbers, which frankly shouldn't come as a terrible surprise. Add on to that a new expansion for both ESO and WoW (there is some overlap in playerbase), etc., etc..

 

Of course, I'll truly be worried when I stop getting emails from "asdkljaljwohasdpfiafafja" offering credits for sale. I even got one last week titled, no joke, "I Love You." /snicker

 

Dasty

 

I love you, Dasty! <3

(Now you've received that as a forum post too!)

[PennyAnn]

I don't play the game really these days, but I do come here to read forums as someone who bought a WHOLE LOT of sub time that I cannot get refunded.

 

I see these threads and the back and forth and I think: "What is the point?"

 

There are so many people who only play the game solo these days that the population really doesn't matter. Wax/wane is typical for ALL games, especially ones that release content as slowly as this one does.

 

All the valid points have been made on both sides. The game has fewer players than it did last year. It will have fewer players next summer too, without some significant reason for people to come back and play the game more or some level of investment on Bioware's part that I neither expect nor believe will happen. It is not something to panic over or predict doom and the demise of the game either, though.

 

It is what it is. Play, or do not. Or... fret on the forums about every little thing out of boredom because there is little else to do that you haven't done already in the actual game.

 

.

Edited July 3, 2018 by PennyAnn

[Eshvara]

I don't play the game really these days, but I do come here to read forums as someone who bought a WHOLE LOT of sub time that I cannot get refunded.

 

I see these threads and the back and forth and I think: "What is the point?"

 

There are so many people who only play the game solo these days that the population really doesn't matter. Wax/wane is typical for ALL games, especially ones that release content as slowly as this one does.

 

All the valid points have been made on both sides. The game has fewer players than it did last year. It will have fewer players next summer too, without some significant reason for people to come back and play the game more or some level of investment on Bioware's part that I neither expect nor believe will happen. It is not something to panic over or predict doom and the demise of the game either, though.

 

It is what it is. Play, or do not. Or... fret on the forums about every little thing out of boredom because there is little else to do that you haven't done already in the actual game.

 

.

 

How much sub did you buy? I just use the month by month plan as I want to be able to leave when I feel like I want to!

Edited July 3, 2018 by Eshvara

[PennyAnn]

How much sub did you buy? I just use the month by month plan as I want to be able to leave when I feel like I want to!

 

I've supported the game since launch, so I never imagined I'd need or want to bail on the game from one month to the next. Silly me, I know! Lesson learned. That said, I haven't let pre-paid sub time keep me from leaving the game for all intents and purposes. I don't play SWTOR anymore, but still like to browse the forums and kill time.

 

I will likely check out the Rishi stronghold when it comes out anyway, so I don't really mind. I'm just letting my account build up cartel coins from the sub time I've already paid for so I can unlock most or all of it and check it out.

 

It's unfortunate that there isn't a big event this summer like DvL, or some new story line to play, or a new raid, Flashpoint, or something else to do to keep me around past that. They still haven't really done enough to make conquest less of a tedious grind or make it so that you are able to complete conquest playing the parts of the game that you as a player like vs. mindlessly killing mobs on planets, so that's out for me, too. The PvP changes with matchmaking and cross-faction are long overdue, but I fear they will not answer the imbalance that still exists with the classes, so it will remain to be seen how much of an improvement that will be.

 

I was happy to read about the changes to ranked they are proposing - shorter seasons and adding the possibility of old rewards. But unfortunately, NONE of this is new content. It's just a continual tweak and re-tweak of stuff that long-time players have done too many times to find enjoyable most of the time (especially when they make it more of a grind and less fun, like they did with Conquest).

 

Plus, in a few more weeks I will have a pre-patch and then a full expansion next month in a certain other game, complete with new raids, new quests, new story lines, new races to choose from, and more content than SWTOR has had even if you combine the last several years. I wish this game had any one of those things on the horizon, but the vague promises of "6.0 is coming... sometime..." just aren't enough for me anymore.

 

.

[kodrac]

Usually they give us something over the summer to keep us mildly entertained. 12x one year, DvL the next. This year it's bubkis. So yeah, it's no surprise that population drops without a summer grind event. I don't think it's anything to get worked up about though.

 

And kids are not a reliable demographic. They can hardly be expected to be inside all summer playing an MMO. The majority of MMO players are adults. It just carries the stereotype that video games are for kids. Which we all know is not true anymore.

[Costello]

The idea that as soon as it gets sunny MMO players all quit their current MMO and rush outside with their surf boards or soccer ball to play in the park to account for a drop in activity seems a little unlikely. If you don't like doing out door pursuits the rest of the year a little bit of sun doesn't make it a must do activity.

 

But you don't really need to listen to other people or in game activity to tell if a game is doing well. Look at how much you have spent on the game in the last few months and how much you intend to spend. How much time has been spent in game and how much you intend to spend. How is your guild and friend list going and how excited are you about the upcoming changes. When you hear about other expansions or updates in other MMO's do they seem more appealing than whats on offer here.

 

Its easy to post how badly the game is going or how amazing it is doing on the forum, but what really matters is in game. How much you spend and how many activities you take part in.

[TUXs]

The idea that as soon as it gets sunny MMO players all quit their current MMO and rush outside with their surf boards or soccer ball to play in the park to account for a drop in activity seems a little unlikely. If you don't like doing out door pursuits the rest of the year a little bit of sun doesn't make it a must do activity.

No kidding lol. I think it's kinda funny that we're all assumed to be children who are on summer break, being ushered outside to play with our friends...that hasn't been the case since the 80's. I'm also kinda curious what the assumption is that we're doing outside exactly? I see the decline in players in the evening hours, when there's no light outside...what kinda evening activities am I missing out on that occur after dark during the summer only?

[Zerileth]

No kidding lol. I think it's kinda funny that we're all assumed to be children who are on summer break, being ushered outside to play with our friends...that hasn't been the case since the 80's. I'm also kinda curious what the assumption is that we're doing outside exactly? I see the decline in players in the evening hours, when there's no light outside...what kinda evening activities am I missing out on that occur after dark during the summer only?

 

I'd agree with you on this too, but even as an adult, or parent the summer can pose a different lifestyle. Your children are out of school, and people plan vacations during the summer with their kids out. And let's not forget pool parties, and barbecues, family get togethers. This was me years ago, not so much now. Summer was much more active than the winter months.

[EverDownward]

As a relatively new player to both MMOs and SWTOR in particular (I started playing last Summer), I feel like I'm in an interesting situation. I always played single player stuff my entire life, but occasionally I'd get an interest in something MMO related but almost never took the plunge because I was always terrified to interact with other people. I remember having deep anxiety over even being near other players. Combine that anxiety with having a perspective of MMOs as mostly time sinks with no real content and primarily as a tool for socializing, and I didn't really try a game like this until I was like 25.

 

I started with Lord of the Rings Online for a few months in the Summer of '13, and then gave FFXIV a try December of '15 and left both of them behind. But with this game, with SWTOR, I guess I find my MMO. It's true the focus on single player content is what hooked me, and is still my primary reason for playing, but I've played several flashpoints with friends and had a blast. At this point I consider SWTOR to be my first real MMO experience because it's the only one I've ever bought subscription time for and the only one I come back to.

 

So knowing that SWTOR is most likely a smaller game than several other colleagues, with dwindling players, and that I came to this game when it could very well likely be in its twilight years is kind of...melancholic. I guess this will be the only MMO I ever really devote myself to, and who knows what will happen in, say, five years.

 

My apologies for making such a blog post about all this, but I wanted to share my thoughts after reading what everyone else had to say.