Rare hats data revealed in the R15 hangout

1:08:00

Release 10 Quest Reward: Cavalier's Hat
1425

Release 11 Quest Reward: Tricorn Hat
1731

Release 12 Quest Reward: Pilgrim's Hat
2336

Release 13 Quest Reward: Yule Hat
2503

Release 14 Quest Reward: Hennin Hat
1835

Release 15 Quest Reward: Silver Jester Carnival Mask
so far 1123, but still going

 

Those numbers aren't exactly comforting.

 

No? Just imagine how much they'll sell for by the time EP2 comes out.

 

I think you missed the point.

There's a significant drop in people going for the hats with each release since R13, and it isn't because the hats aren't cool; the most recent carnival mask was excellent looking. Anyone who's seriously interested in this game would go out there, spend an hour tops, collect their hat, and log off at least. I know the last one isn't "done" yet but it's been out for what, three weeks now? It's still a thousand less than R13's. That means people are not logging in and bothering to get it.

How disinterested and apathetic to the game do you have to be to not bother logging in for a few hours every two months to grab some hats for a game you already "bought" and could have great value in a year or two from now? Unless, of course, you felt there won't be a game in a year or two from now.

How much they'll sell when Episode 2 comes out? Really?

 

Yeah I'm concerned by such low numbers too. I like the rarity, but I'm curious what could be done to draw in more testers and players (even if just for a portion of each release).

 

Lets see here. It means that about 3-5% of the backer population is active enough during pre-alpha to try things out. Taking time from playing finished games to spend some time to collect an item for a game not close to finished. Sounds about right.
That increase for the yule hat coincedes with the xmas holidays when more players had some free time. I'd guesstimate that we end up at about 2k+ this time around as well - lots of players wait for @TheMadHermit vid and last week when people organize the get the hat events.
The dip for R14 is both a part that people had less time, but also that a lot of people didn't "need" the hennin hat as much as the others. I think that even for the female+ population very few can see their avatars wearing that regularly.
Then as is mentioned right at the time slot I quoted to above, by the devs - the Grand Hat Quest has become increasingly difficult to finish.

Then it's not every other month but every month.

I think that Dallas at some point said about 10% of the population reads the newsletters. So if half of those who read the newsletters actually bother to play the game then that is a good thing.
What we are also seeing is a lot of alpha burn, players who show up play intensively for 1-2 releases, but since the content is limited get that "what should I do now" feel or hit a big bug, then don't show up for a couple of months. It's normal. We see them all the time in the forums.

If there was a big concern then we wouldn't see it in hats, instead we would see it in the Player Marketplace, over there it still seems to be more people that want to buy accounts than sell them.

 

If I remember correct we had around 7k players testing R10 but it seems the most are not interested in the hats. So the hat number does not represent the number of activ players.

 

I've had fairly limited time in 2015 and when I've had free time I haven't been desperate to jump into sota. Suffering a little bit of burn out from doing the same things over and over again. The drop in numbers could be related. The amount of new content each month is fairly incremental so it seems like there is little change.

Ignoring the fact that xmas holidays tends to people more time, I'd still place the Yule hat at the top of the popularity list because of the fact that it's an xmas hat. Most of the population of gamers are from Europe / US after all.

 

Well they should be if you watched the hangout. We have 50,000 backers now and at release that number will be higher. Those numbers will be a drop in the bucket well that's how I heard it lol and who wants to give up their hats. **majoria hides hers in the closet way in the back**

 

I have a suggestion for this and another related item. For the hats/masks it would be cool to run a weekend with the ability for the NPC to allow you to ask for a specific hat quest you would like. This would allow those of us that were unable or too lazy/stupid to start early and get their hats (like me). After running the last few of these, I would personally like to own all of them but unless an event like I described happens I am now **** out of luck, which, in the scheme of rarity is fine but it does not generate more playing time.


Another idea I have for more playtime and more money coming your way is this; What if there was a quest or just a town or an area or a group of towns or areas, that contained all the items you could currently obtain or purchase in the stores, in game? I think this would serve a couple of purposes. First, for those people on the fence on purchasing some larger ticket items it may "push" them over the edge to purchase these items by actually seeing what a house, or basement looked like in game (touch and feel) kind of thing. Second, some items don't translate well with a single picture or a few lines of text and may allow additional sales that would have not normally have been made, thus bolstering your pool of funds and interest in the game at the same time.

Just throwing my 2 cents out there...

 

Drop in numbers could be due to:

• PVP placement of tour guides possibly driving off PVE players before the game is released.
• Disinterest as stated above. Players surge in and out of testing.
• Hats just getting old and stale. Perhaps housing decorations would drive more people back to the tour guides.

 

The hat is dead....Long live the house decoration !

 

It was my original question

I think the two bigger numbers are simply because they were releases around the holidays so people had more time to play. I'm not sure I'd read more into it than that. I will be interested to see if people go out of their way in future releases to get the hats now we know how rare they are and we see increased numbers in future releases.

 

Maybe. I don't mind PvP but I have to admit that I have gotten trolled the last two releases trying to get to the automaton in the PvP area. I don't play too often and I'm only at level 12 or so (future wipes kind of dampers the incentive to go much higher right now), but both times some high-level s#@& wearing a crown and spamming fireballs mad it a miserable time for people trying to get to that last checkpoint.

 

I am definitely interested in the game but haven't been excited by the hat style in the last few releases. I mean, good gods! What knight worth his salt would go prancing about with a jester's mask on? House decorations would be much more manly and compelling.

 

The Hats(WQ) rewards are not for everyone.They are and will be Collector Items!!
They are Rewards for exploring places. They are not for everyone.

 

That would be me

 

Single Player Online. Give it a try.

That sounds like Envy was shooting fireballs at you.

 

Well honestly it's a cosmetic item that can't be enhanced and doesn't seem to have any point except no purpose head ware. So, yeah. Interest is going to be limited.

 

i am very interested and excited about this game and i am very happy with the progress and direction. but i dont really care about hats. i have played about 50 hours and have not collected one hat. i am waiting for the game to be released or at least develop a bit more before i really dig into it. the carnival hat is looking pretty cool though so i might have to get that one. honestly im holding off because i want all the shine and newness of a fully functioning game. currently playing Mount and Blade Viking Conquest.... so yeah....