Why 3,3142 players?

Soyokaze · 2004-07-27, 09:02 AM

According to Dicepoint, PS currently has 3,3142 subscribers. Let's say 2/5 of those play on the Emerald, 3/5 on Werner, and 1/5 in Europe. 2/5 of 33142 is 13,257. Devide this by the 3 empires and we have 4,419 players per empire on the high pop servers.

Do you feel this is a low population for an MMO? Too low? If so, why do you think the population is so low? What do you think the DEVs need to do interest people in re-subscribing and get new players to join in?

Eldanesh · 2004-07-27, 09:27 AM

For one, PS is a new genre, and from the recent magazine articles I have seen, at least SOE is trying to get it out there now.

Rbstr · 2004-07-27, 09:58 AM

i agree with eldanesh.

but imagine have 4.5k of your own empire on at a time, nearly all the conts would be locked, it would be insane. It would be liek opening week with so man /b's in the sanc and people running eveywere, and getting mowed by ants, and gal drops galore, boy that was fun, but this would be 3x that.

Lartnev · 2004-07-27, 10:19 AM

it's 33,142. Had me confused for a minute there.

Planetside can't really compete with MMORPGs so I wouldn't let it worry you.

Soyokaze · 2004-07-27, 10:45 AM

However, if this game had a feel so that your fighting made a difference day after day, do you not think that more FPS fans would want to play? If we could remember the day the Sons of Korhal stormed the beaches of Amerish and took back the western front. Wouldn't it be so much more fun than how it is now, where something that takes alot of work to get doen is gone again in a matter of hours? There is no persistance to our persistant world.

Hayoo · 2004-07-27, 10:49 AM

Doesn't dicepoint just track subscribed players part of an outfit?

Sard · 2004-07-27, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Rbstr

It would be liek opening week with so man /b's in the sanc and people running eveywere, and getting mowed by ants, and gal drops galore, boy that was fun

Yep it was fun, but the game was a bit too rough round the edges for me at launch so I never signed up. 1 year on and with the $10 Fileplanet deal I'm giving Planetside another go and the EU server at least seams really dead. Sanctuary�s practically deserted, and only a few largish battles on a few continents. It's nowhere near as much fun as the beta was even with its bugs and imbalances.

Originally Posted by Soyokaze

However, if this game had a feel so that your fighting made a difference day after day, do you not think that more FPS fans would want to play? If we could remember the day the Sons of Korhal stormed the beaches of Amerish and took back the western front. Wouldn't it be so much more fun than how it is now, where something that takes alot of work to get doen is gone again in a matter of hours? There is no persistance to our persistant world.

I've always said the only persistent thing's your locker

The game just doesn�t take advantage of the persistence in any way, there's no grand strategy or depth. Unfortunately I can understand why the populations are low and I won't be renewing my subscription at the end of the month. Maybe a resource system economy of some sort would give you something worth fighting for.

I really hope another company with FPS heritage this time, tries to make an MMOFPS. Maybe Epic will make one in the Unreal universe.

Warborn · 2004-07-27, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Soyokaze

Do you feel this is a low population for an MMO? Too low? If so, why do you think the population is so low? What do you think the DEVs need to do interest people in re-subscribing and get new players to join in?

The game has two north american servers. It's easily very sparse on the population front.

I think it's so low because the game has so many awful problems. The performance isn't good unless you have a very good rig, the balance is pretty terrible, CC was a flop, and as far as FPS games go, it's really fairly sub-par. Its selling point was the whole vehicle-infantry-aircraft bit, but due to the balance, it falls short. Furthermore, the game lacks long-term goals. The Merit Commendations which give you rewards for being good at something, provided they aren't too easy to get, are exactly what PS needs, and what I've been pushing for since Beta. Now all it needs to do is unfuck its balance so that every vehicle has a valuable role in combat and it'll be getting somewhere.

geezauk · 2004-07-27, 12:19 PM

I started 2 or 3 days ago, and i love it. I started because of that special 1 year anniversary offer, and i kick my self for not playing it when it came out. while doing my VR training i met 4 or 5 other brand new people, so PS population is obviously growing which is good.

Geeza

Ivan · 2004-07-27, 12:32 PM

Welcome to PS and PSU Geeza.

Lartnev · 2004-07-27, 12:50 PM

Simple reason why more FPSers don't play Planetside: They have to pay a subscription. Simple as that.

Ivan · 2004-07-27, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by Lartnev

Simple reason why more FPSers don't play Planetside: They have to pay a subscription. Simple as that.

Most of my old Tribes 1 / 2 tribe didn't get into PS for the reason.

Sentrosi, Dyganth and myself joined CDL for PS.

Sentrosi · 2004-07-27, 03:44 PM

Ghostbears

SilverLord · 2004-07-27, 03:50 PM

I agree with Lart, most FPSers have the common UT2004 and CoD and that is enough for them. We are a different but few kind of FPSers.

BUGGER · 2004-07-27, 05:21 PM

First its the first game of its time. Second, some people just like MMORPGs, others just like FPSs. thrid, no one wants to pay.

Well number 1 and 2 dont really matter, its 3 that gives it all.

Check it out, back in beta was probly the biggest your ever going to see the game. Why? No one had to pay. Now, if someone gets bored and doesn't play for maybe 2 weeks, it feels like they just wasted 13 bucks. Really, its boredom and money that kills it. You feel that you waste 13 bucks over a game that you haven't played in several days because you got lost in another game or you wer out on vacation. And then once you unsubscribe, you wont come back since u realized what you could get with 13 bucks, a big mac with a suppersized drink and fries rather than the small.

Its sad, but what can you do? I've played for a year, and i still see noobs and pwn them whenever they come flying by in a reaver thinking they are the king of the world. So there is still hope for the game. If the game tripped and fell down, who gives, its a first timer, it will get back up. Just like our old truck that breaks down when we are in the fast lane ont he highway.