where are all the players?

[Aussie_Fox]

then the devs should be keeping an eye on this and re-opening pre-orders. for a good 12-18 hours of the day there is less than 50 people online.

another option is to raise the number of players required for PVP much the same as the way Trafalgar is, but not as extreme.

Raise it to 8 from 3 people before the countdown starts, this might help to get what few people are online to play together. instead of having 9 battles going with only 3-4 people in each.

[Brigand]

(...) but going in random team make me sometimes meeting some really bad guys destroying my pleasure to play.

This is, in part, the reason for closing the pre-order. The uncontrolled influx of new players had a heavy negative impact on the community. Some (not all, mind you) of these new player fell in the category of 'short attention span, lots of shouting'. Apparently, their attention span issue is showing by now.

~Brigand

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Even if we are all waiting for version 4 for the damage model or open world prototype all the testing of different things can be carried out in pve if no pvp is going on.

 

Better than playing the game and taking the present as granted is to really try things that you normally do not under the stress of "wot like" gameplay.

 

For example, one of the tests I am running, yet with no conclusions - sails unfurled provoke more mast hits that with sails collected fully.

In a "let's win newbs" match you won't pay attention. In a relaxed pve match you will take notes and grab a proper test.

 

This being said many guys are simply burnt because of their "grind" to the Santissima, which is exactly what they shouldn't do.

[Aussie_Fox]

 

This being said many guys are simply burnt because of their "grind" to the Santissima, which is exactly what they shouldn't do.

 

and in the last week that is exactly how the game is feeling due to low numbers. getting damage takes a lot longer when there are fewer targets to prey upon. not to mention if you play PVE you are only getting 1/3 of the damage of a PVP game.

also with low numbers online, you can't really exit a battle if you die and jump into a new one. again slowing your progress

[Aussie_Fox]

This is, in part, the reason for closing the pre-order. The uncontrolled influx of new players had a heavy negative impact on the community. Some (not all, mind you) of these new player fell in the category of 'short attention span, lots of shouting'. Apparently, their attention span issue is showing by now.

~Brigand

 

now that this thread has the attention of a moderator/staff, do you know if anything will be done if numbers get any lower?

I understand why the pre-orders were shut off, but if the active player base dwindles too far then it hurts everyone.

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Well... I think you missed my point entirely.

What is the issue with 1/3 of damage point IF you can test different aspects of the alpha build in a more relaxed environment ? 

 

Most of the population "play" sea trials like they are playing a full game. That is why they get burned and leave after they reach a high ship.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Hethwill_Khan

[Brigand]

now that this thread has the attention of a moderator/staff, do you know if anything will be done if numbers get any lower?

I understand why the pre-orders were shut off, but if the active player base dwindles too far then it hurts everyone.

 

Well, first of all, I'm just a volunteer keeping an eye on the forums; we moderators are not part of the development team. As a result, I don't really know anything more than any other forum member who has been around for a while.

 

Then, I can assure you that the developers read most of the forums. So, you can expect them to have read this thread as well.

 

As to your question: I don't know for sure. I think that the number of active players will 'magically' increase as soon as the open world is made available for testing.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Brigand

[Jack_the_Stripper]

Ok maby then they will open sales again for a short time frame do hope so i can play and play a lot atm i'm playing WOT but that's just to pass the time have scratched for a game like this for years now and the best naval game before this was Navyfield but they closed it so for the past 2 years i have not been sailing :/ and now i found this but was 10 day's to late and that ladies and gentlemen sucks bad

[admin]

online is expected to go down.

people have gone through the content quickly and now are waiting for new ships, open world and group functionality. 

[Sarogus]

I do agree that the active player base has a giant deadzone and being in Australia we fall in that zone fox. As the admins pointed out though, there used to be a large player base and on the introduction of open world you'll see that jump up again. As little as it may mean to you, damage isn't the be all and end all. Yes, I've unlocked my Santi but I'd much prefer to sail the Surprise or zip around in my yacht running carronades. I'll fill holes in the sols when needed so matches aren't unbalanced but all the same, the smaller ships are simply so much more fun. 

Besides, who doesn't like a challenge in the smaller ships, I always enjoyed and eagerly went after matches where there was a lone sol. Theres nothing quite like pushing yourself and your ship to limits in a severely outgunned fight against a sol. So enjoy the smaller ships, they're a blast. 

[Juan Itzagena]

I too noticed this lowering in players online, however, I was unable to pl....ahem.....test for about 2 weeks due to travel for work.  Got back online this weekend and was like, where is everyone?  I still managed to join several big and fun PVP matches.  I am getting close to the Santi with only 100k(ish) left on the Victory.  I tried my hand at getting the yacht damage needed and had the more fun than I do in the larger ships.  Once I finish ship progression I plan on jumping from ship to ship and trying various tactics but would love to see more folks online.

[ThePandanator2]

I can understand why people might leave, even though I myself am still quite enjoying it, as I treat this like a learning experience for the unforgiving open world.

 

Some people however may not need that learning, which is understandable.

 

I expect we'll see the big numbers come back with the next update, and especially with the release of open world.

[Jack_the_Stripper]

I can understand why people might leave, even though I myself am still quite enjoying it, as I treat this like a learning experience for the unforgiving open world.

 

Some people however may not need that learning, which is understandable.

 

I expect we'll see the big numbers come back with the next update, and especially with the release of open world.

I don't understand when you sign up for a alfa or beta you are expected to play and help the developers make the game better, that's the whole point.

[ThePandanator2]

I don't understand when you sign up for a alfa or beta you are expected to play and help the developers make the game better, that's the whole point.

I wholeheartedly agree, but unfortunately there are those who came for the fun and glamour of the game, then after being satisfied, got bored and probably are letting it grow barnacles in their steam library.

 

You'll find that those who are actually seeking out and reporting bugs are the ones who are sticking around however

[gautrek]

Well you see most people have got the santisima and there is nothing left for them to do

 

 

Errr help test the smaller stuff?

Help keep bug finding?

Talk about small minded people. "I have the top ship so I'm bored and don't want to do what I signed up for when I get the game".

[Austrum]

I don't understand when you sign up for a alfa or beta you are expected to play and help the developers make the game better, that's the whole point.

 

Well this is kind of the issue of a paid Alpha.  Volunteers are much more likely to stick around than someone who paid for a product.  Honestly when you pay for something the mentality is that of a customer and even though there is an Alpha tag on the game, customers come to expect frequent updates and new content.    Eventually with such a limited selection of ships and only one game mode, the game does get a little repetitive so I am sure alot of people are just waiting for new content.  Also it would hurt if the devs actually provided focus or gave the testers specific tasks or activities they wanted tested.  This would get many people who like to test but don't understand what to test right now back into the game.

 

I wholeheartedly agree, but unfortunately there are those who came for the fun and glamour of the game, then after being satisfied, got bored and probably are letting it grow barnacles in their steam library.

 

You'll find that those who are actually seeking out and reporting bugs are the ones who are sticking around however

 

Yeah, that customer mentality I mention in its finest.   However, I think what really struck me was the abrupt change in the number of people.  Losing 66% of your numbers in a single day which is pretty much what happened.  I think part of what happened for me was I came into the game immediately after the new ships were added and everyone was on grinding through them because they were new which is why we had inflated numbers.  Then when the majority of people finally grinded through the Cerberus and re-unlocked all their ships, they abruptly quit.  For a new player like myself, who doesn't know any better, it seems odd.  Also the lack of people has really it much harder to get good fun matches and I am finding myself having to rely on grinding boring PvE content to progress up to the Santi.   I am about 120k from the Victory in the amazing Bellona being forced to play a wonderful ship in PvE.

 

Now I am not complaining and still having fun but the lack of players hurts game play at least compared to what it was like the first 2 weeks or so for me.

 

Still, we have something like 6 new ships that should be out sometime in the next few month and open world is around the corner so we are just in a lull.  Things will liven up again soon.  

 

Also, I am a beta tester for WoWS and CBT for them should be spinning up soon I am guessing so a lull now in Naval Action is kind of timely for me.

[Jeheil]

Early Access, Beta, Alpha with a true development house is a great way to get funding, direct feedback and the sort of testing you could never emulate in a studio (without alot of money).

 

However with the advent of Steam, Early Access has become not what it was initially intended to be, for many it is expected to be a full game and that is a sign of those peoples maturity and the expectations set by less scrupulous development houses. Get product to market quick, make some $$'s...is this a cash cow...yes....build, milk, is it not....let it slide. 

 

As for us Oceanic's, the best time to play is before about 1.30pm on a weekend. I actually got up early this weekend as I had managed to snag my Vic on Thursday. Had heaps of fun. But evening games (in our East Coast peak, 6pm-11pm) are very spartan now, with maybe 30-40 players on. Many in PvE...and of course we get a server restart at 9.30pm....which kills that measily player base.

 

In saying that, I don't really want an Aussie server, rather the 300 ping or access to the NA server. There isnt the player base down here....and when there is, I can't speak Korean, Japanese or Chinese (very well) so as an English speaker, I would rather pay 1-200ms in lag to be able to converse with my fellow gamers.

[Jognt]

I would not be surprised if a lot of players quit after the whole "exploiting" event a while back. It caused me to quit playing for a while too and I noticed that a lot more people quit.

[Mirones]

most are waiting for next patch and new content.

[ObiQuiet]

A rudimentary way to choose your teammates and practice fleet maneuvers, or to set up team v team challenges, would reignite a lot of interest, I think.

[Flip]

I don't understand when you sign up for a alfa or beta you are expected to play and help the developers make the game better, that's the whole point.

 

Expected to - yes, obliged to - no. You can play as much or as little as you want. Some people have hours and hours every day to play and others get maybe  2 hrs a week due to being busy. There is no obligation to play, just desire.

[Aussie_Fox]

Well, first of all, I'm just a volunteer keeping an eye on the forums; we moderators are not part of the development team. As a result, I don't really know anything more than any other forum member who has been around for a while.

 

Then, I can assure you that the developers read most of the forums. So, you can expect them to have read this thread as well.

 

As to your question: I don't know for sure. I think that the number of active players will 'magically' increase as soon as the open world is made available for testing.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Brigand

 

 

appreciate the response, and clarification of your position on the forums.

 

 As little as it may mean to you, damage isn't the be all and end all. Yes, I've unlocked my Santi but I'd much prefer to sail the Surprise or zip around in my yacht running carronades. I'll fill holes in the sols when needed so matches aren't unbalanced but all the same, the smaller ships are simply so much more fun. 

 

 

my feelings too, i love the suprise and almost everything below it. especially the privateer.

 

In saying that, I don't really want an Aussie server, rather the 300 ping or access to the NA server. There isnt the player base down here....and when there is, I can't speak Korean, Japanese or Chinese (very well) so as an English speaker, I would rather pay 1-200ms in lag to be able to converse with my fellow gamers.

 

totally agree. 200-300ms isn't as bad as it sounds, especially in these reasonably "slow" reaction time games. it's not like we are playing a FPS where every ms counts.

[Saintduiex]

It comes in waves.

New features bring players back, GL knows this and when they are ready for new testing they roll out new features. But the focus is testing, not building an active player base of grinders.

The arcade and quick kill easily bored jumped in where there previously had not been very many of that type. So with the opened pre-orders players spiked, then settled, then spiked again with the new ships and changes, and again settled down.

Some won't come back, some will when there are new features, and some, like most who read and write in the forums, will be here during all of it.

IMO the "concept" of simply more players and larger battles = more fun is a faulty premiss.

I'd argue that games with less players who are not childish idiots and who are taking a long term approach to sailing and battle tactics and to NA are WAY more enjoyable than larger battles filled with random assholes firing on thier own teammates, dropping out when they don't like the odds or typing profanities and insults throughout the match.

Just my opinion...

[Ysaline]

I would not be surprised if a lot of players quit after the whole "exploiting" event a while back. It caused me to quit playing for a while too and I noticed that a lot more people quit.

what happen exactly?

[Gepard]

Give new players possibility to play and test game, and there will be a lot of players.

We can now only watch when will we be able to play...

If you for example check other similar online games, there was no restriction for everybody to download game and play in alpha or beta phase.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Gepard