Population Concerns

We know what we like. So many times during development in this game I have been amazed by the next piece of the puzzle, at first didn't like the direction of the combat style, I hated it, but as it develops, it is growing on me. I like a lot of the choices being made, love playing around with all the ideas and skills to make a build.

So sometimes there is a point with a game you are just done, maybe not done forever but at a donish type of point. Something new has hit the horizons and off we go. My idea of being here was to have a game that would have longevity. There is the most dedicated development team here that I have ever seen. They will do anything they can for us, and I say we should allow them the same respect. I am not into dev killing any time soon , imagine the hurdles they have to go through because of some of the forums craziness.

So if we take the systems we have, what can make them better? If they can scrap something, yes it is a big deal at this point, but where is the proof and dynamics that enroll them in the possibility of scrapping something, because at this point it comes at a risk that the alternative of working with a system already in place would not be as bad of a hit. What if people didn't give up, what if they did it in a interesting, creative, demonstrating type of way that provided tons of important information that could not be denied? Well it has happened before with the map which is imo oh so much better. I thought I was going to die having a map in the first place and the early renditions of it were torturous and look what's happening now. I think it's possible to make it an extension of our small scenes, which is only one of the best ways of course to deal with a broken up world . Ok I'm not one to give up and I have a pretty thick skin usually, plus I don't ever, ever want to be a know it all, so I've been on the edge today imo. Let's call it Majoria's Madness oooh

 

I been playing this game a ton and I enjoy it but the population concerns me and is making me play less and less. Even though there is a large number of loyal backers the fact is they do not play much. This past week I have noticed very few people playing and items that normal sell within hours on public vendors not selling at all. There is no one around to buy them.

 

I have played Minecraft, ARK, Pathfinder Online, and this game as Early Access Titles. Pathfinder online did their Land Rush/Persistence a couple of years ago now. This game is many times over more polished and complete of an experience than that game is even now. So, if I go from an MMO status... 100% of the ones I've played and this one is doing MUCH better.

 

Another reason i could see why population decrease is the quest for the new Ultima Online like mmo. Many of us have came here , cause they were expecting it to be the ''next uo'' and at this time sota was the most concrete project to offer a uo like experience. But there other game that have been kickstart that try to offer it , and the more time past the more they came ''concrete'' too. Maybe some people that have not find what they were looking for have switch to some of those other project ?

 

Minecraft isn't an MMO.

Also, just because one game does it, is it okay if another does it?

 

That is why I excluded minecraft from my 100%

Regardless, I posed the question as to whether others have experience in early access MMOs and the comments posed back makes me believe that the answer is no. When looking for comparative opinions, it seems we are short. And without solid comparisons, we have nothing to judge the health of the population upon beyond a handful of players' subjective feelings.

 

Special Loyal Fans?

This thinking is a error.
Because it has the danger of feeling to comftable and false security.


I think it is and has been kind if a ongoing myth that the Fan Base of SotA is sort of special in regards to loyality.

I think the Bards Tale, the Dark Age of Camelot Fan Base, the Star Citizen Fans, the DayZ Fans, the Ark Fans and countless other Games are just as passionate Fans as this Game.

They do awesome Fan Content, travel to meet Devs, give Feedback, create Fan Sites just as here.

I can throw in crazy awesome Fan participation from DayZ.
They made real time movies, countless Fun Videos.
Some travels to the real location the Game is playing in making pictures.


All i am trying to say is :

The Comunity is great and awesome.
But i disagree that it stands out giving the Game some special success security

 

But we are the best.

 

We are right between two releases again. And the last one was, well, rather not special. Next one will be more hype again and people will play more again until the next release comes that isn't so much about new content.
It has been like that since I joined this game.
We are still before final release so I don't mind the up and downs.
It just shouldn't stay like that after we go gold.

 

I've never played an MMO that was persistent long before launch, but one thing that is known is that the initial race to the top is a significant draw. Many servers have been opened that weren't needed, just because people like that phase so much. If that phase has already long passed, the value of an official launch has to be significantly downgraded.

 

This is my concern. In Ye Days Of Olde, there was development (that few players saw), 1 month of open beta, then release. Release had a HUGE buzz about it and games were packed with players. Nowadays, development cycles are years of open development and 'official releases' that come when most people have heard about the game for years with its small population, and release is no longer a huge deal. I other words, the population will most likely fluctuate by modest amounts instead of having a very large spike at 'release'. Without that big push of the population, it seems many games just putter along, eventually obscured by newer titles.

I am a big RG fan as well and UO was my first MMO. I'm not even talking about game mechanics or issues, nor am I talking about the great community here, just the fact that the population will never see the massive jump with simultaneous big publicity that an old-style release brought. This means a lot less of a buzz to bring new players in and a harder time sticking around when a player sees fewer people in an MMO-like game around them.

 

For me, Star Citizen is the most impressive game outside a triple A studio, just look at the wonders they are creating with the CryEngine, it is huge, and keep coming.

I know the point is community, but the tech is impressive.

 

I think once the game hits final release and all the issues that curently exist are dealt with, that word will spread and, although it may not be a drastic increase of players all at once, the population will soar. There are a lot of people who are on the fence about this game. They are waiting to see how the game mechanics are balanced, how the economy will ultimately work(if it's just another lame Pay to Play money maker or not), and yes, they wan't the experience to be akin to UO. I myself find the game is very UO like so far, with a bit of a Dragonlance feel to it(story wise), and, from what I've seen/played so far, there is tons of content to keep me interested until more content is developed.

I also hated the combat system when I first saw it! Now, after having learned how to effectively use it, I like the flexibility of it. You can make your spells as random or predictable as you like, you can combine like spells for increased damage(and lower focus/mana cost), you can cast combo spells from your deck which would otherwise not be unavailable, and you are allowed to switch between a main deck and an alternate deck. I have an Alternate deck in which none of the spells use reagents. This is great for when you run out of regs while in combat.

Ultima Online 'puttered along' for a long while. In fact, it's still puttering along in 2016. I just stopped playing the game about 6months or so ago. Was mainly doing Dev work instead of playing. Not bad for a game that started in 1997. This game has the potential to do the same thing, provided that there are still Devs around to create content, and a community willing to play the game. We shall see how far this game will go. As long as its here I, for one, will be playing it!

 

I don't and according to other websites, social networks etc. out there, many others dont' want this, too. They want a true single player experience. At least a single player experience alongside the online part. And it should never, ever suffer from the MMO-part.

Unfortunately...

 

I'm referring to people I know in the UO community, who have reservations about migrating from UO to SOTA.

 

Time ti find a new guild, there are guilds that are very active.

 

Of my old UO guild, only I play every day although I do think they will all turn up once the game is officially launched. Three are in that boat and haven't backed the game thus far, but they'll end up getting it, trust me.

My best mate sunk a lot more than me into backing the game and will be back playing soon, as his PC needs replaced.

In the meantime I'm getting a heads start!

 

This I can sort of understand. There are three primary groups of people this game is aimed towards. Former Ultima players. Former Ultima Online Players. And current Ultima Online players. The first two are easier to draw in than the latter two. They've already broken, typically as a matter of time not distaste, from those games and are open to establishing new bonds. Current UO players still have bonds. Their time investment in the game is still present and they have social connections there. It is much harder to draw those folks out.

 

The problem with saying "I didn't like combat at first, but then it grew on me" is that, coming from many members of this forum, that isn't a ringing endorsement. Folks on this forum have hundred of hours and thousands of dollars invested in this project, and that's a huge incentive to tolerate a large amount of junk in search of treasure. Your average 45 dollar customer is going to see combat and other clunky systems and walk, and probably get a refund.

 

I didn't like the controls of Super Mario, Contra, and Megaman series either, but then they grew on me. I paid at an average of $5 on each of these games.