PSU's Poll

ZjinPS · 2003-12-12, 11:36 AM

Has anyone noticed that PSU's current poll on the main page indicates nearly 40% of all PS players do not own CC. I know that its mearly a poll on a website and that it may not accurately reflect true statistics. None the less, for a much hyped first expansion for Planetside it doesn't look good.

It seems that server populations have dropped so low that 2 servers had to be dropped and the populations combined. This was done officially to keep the worlds a little more volitile. It seems that there was not enough players on one server to generate enough conflict to keep players playing.

I really do enjoy the game. The graphics are great, the action is great and the devs have done a great job balancing everything out. Recent changes and tweeks have improved the game greatly and lag has been reduced to next to nothing.

Personally, I don't think game play or the devs are to blame for the current apparent loss of players. I'm not sure what the problem is but I have seen very little in the way of advertising for PS. There are tons of online games to play these days, most of which are free. Sure the free games are always subject to hacks, cheats and exploits but still its free. I think these free games are what is stealing potential PS players. Ofcourse the free games are fairly shallow and limited but as often as they are coming out that really doesn't matter.

Don't misunderstand me. I am not bitching about the price to play PS or saying that the game should be free. I am saying that there is a great potential for PS but for what ever reasons its not being met. Also, I fear that if it continues that PS will be gone before the end of next year. Does anyone remember the game that Sony game out with about 4 years ago, a futuristic tank game? It was a monthly fee but due to lack of intrest it was let go as a free game.

Well, this has gotten to be more than I meant to say. The people in charge of PS better do something or this game will be a memory.

Ghryphen · 2003-12-12, 11:50 AM

RE: the free comment, other games are free because the public supplies the servers for the games. MMO games need a fee to cover the massive servers and bandwidth that they must supply and constant patching and game development. Other games require a modder to offer add a lodestar to a game for free, with PS someone has to be paid to do it. They don't really have any choice but to charge to play.

I wouldn't be surprised if the population of PS hasn't gone up since the merger and the offering of the free game.

Gigabein · 2003-12-12, 12:13 PM

It was not a good idea for CC to add new playable areas. It thinned out player density = fewer hot spots. With a low population the expansion just aggravated an existing problem.

Indecisive · 2003-12-12, 12:18 PM

CC sucked so much ass. I wishj i could have voted that i dont own it.

Doppler · 2003-12-12, 12:39 PM

I think CC had about zilch affect on the hot spots, no one goes down there except to grab their toys and leave. It wasnt a well thought out expansion to say the least (not going to dwell on this already done posts on it)

EVILoHOMER · 2003-12-12, 04:01 PM

I agree core combat is a big mistake! I think there should also be more advertising on planetsides behalf! corecombat should be more advertised in the game so the caverns become more popular too and alot easier to get into. To keep gamers playing they should add more empire only guns and vehicals. these new all acsess weapons for empires get boring fast. core combat should have more ppl supportin it for it to become popular! plzzzzzzzzzz advertise planetside! it needs to be saveddddddddddddddd i love it like my wife! dont wanna see it bein empty already! i've even gotten 4 ppl to join it, which is gud as noone wants to pay $15 a month

Fenrys · 2003-12-12, 04:43 PM

Its just too expensive to upgrade. I've played other pay-to-play MMOGs and have bought every expansion they released . . . the difference is those games cost $20, come with a free month of play (bringing net cost to ~$10), and the expansions are just as cheap.

So whereas with other MMOGs you get the game + expansion + 2 months of pre-paid service for $40, with PS the same thing costs $100.

ZjinPS · 2003-12-12, 07:43 PM

Despite my long message at the top of the thread, I think more promotional work from the advertising department is needed. I think that may have been what I was trying to say. :P I still have my May issue of Popular Mechanics that sported a PS add. I havent seen anything else since then, and it shows.

Flammey · 2003-12-12, 11:10 PM

The problem with the realease of CC is that they did not add enough content to make CC worth it. As it is, there really is only 2 reasons to own CC, one is to use the items that came out of CC, and 2 is to add an extra attacking point on Continents, being from the CC warpgates. That's really it. Neither of those are good enough reason for me to pay 30 bucks, even though I own CC, I didn't pay for it.

ZjinPS · 2003-12-13, 11:30 PM

I really didn't to start a CC bashing thread. I was just trying to open discussion about why is it that PS seems to be slipping away. I wonder monthly what the gain to loss ratio is for players.

Chaaos · 2003-12-13, 11:42 PM

games do not die unless they loose the hardcore players that LOVE the game and look forward to playing for 5+ hours a day. If they loose the omg i just got owend F*ck this game *logs off and plays quake* players then sure SOE looses money but the game wont die. Look at Ultima Online for example.

Sony, or the devs rather, is obviously putting a valiant effort to keeping this game exciting for its players, which i greatly respect. Games like everquest dont give a crap what their players think or balancing or issues/bugs with the game.

Zompton · 2003-12-14, 01:18 AM

"It seems that server populations have dropped so low that 2 servers had to be dropped and the populations combined. This was done officially to keep the worlds a little more volitile. It seems that there was not enough players on one server to generate enough conflict to keep players playing."

Wrong, server pop. was too low since week one. When PS was first released they opend 2 servers, but in beta they said they will open with 4 servers. Well, some people planned to start outfits on the other 2 servers SOE didnt open and they began to cry, " We planned to go to this server, open it up for us now, WAA WAA WAA" So, SOE opened all 4 server making 4 underpopulated servers instead of 2 full servers. I feel that was the #1 mistake that was made with this game, but no need to worry now that it is fixed.

SOE, please ignore the cry babies for now on, ever attempt to please them in the past has hurt this game.