587 replies to this topic

[xXOoppsXx]

In the past 2 weeks or so I have noticed wait times for matches increasing. Some people I play with aren't playing anymore. Some nights it seems as if I am playing against the same people over and over.

Is this game on the decline? I enjoy the game as I did all the other MW titles. I don't want to keep dropping $ into this game if its slowly bleeding out.

Some solid input please.

[Devilsfury]

Sadly, you are correct. Since the Phoenix package isnt new anymore, alot of people are taking a break. There is still an influx of new people but alof of the vets are just bored and taking a break. Having basically team death match for almost a year and a half is getting mind numbing. The fact that the true CW isnt going to be fully functional until October of next year, is driving alot of people away. Just today it was taking nearly 2.5 minutes to find a pug match. That worries me alot. I really want this game to succeed!

Edited by Devilsfury, 16 November 2013 - 08:37 PM.

[xXOoppsXx]

Devilsfury, on 16 November 2013 - 08:30 PM, said:

Sadly, you are correct. Since the Phoenix package isnt new anymore, alot of people are taking a break. There is still an influx of new people but alof of the vets are just bored and taking a break. Having basically team death match for almost a year and a half is getting mind numbing. Just today it was taking nearly 2.5 minutes to find a pug match. That worries me alot. I really want this game to succeed!

I was afraid this was the case. I agree with you about wanting this game to succeed.

[GRiPSViGiL]

The addition of CW needs to come ASAP. I still have fun but I have only been playing since May. That is why all these Founder's are so up in arms about a lot of things. If it comes to that for me I will just make BF4 my go to game.

[Diss]

Soon only keeps you goin so long, I hope we have UI2 and some sort of CW start by Xmas.

[Devilsfury]

Diss, on 16 November 2013 - 08:52 PM, said:

Soon only keeps you goin so long, I hope we have UI2 and some sort of CW start by Xmas.

Im with you brother...but given PGI's track record, I wouldnt hold my breath. They are typically 6+ months or more behind their schedule. CW will be approx 1yr, 7 months behind schedule.

[Vassago Rain]

We played about 15 drops today.
When a second 3 man formed, we started dropping against or with each other. No attempt to synch. I don't think the remains of our A-team has elo comparable to our B-team.

This continued until our first group broke up for the night, and we managed to match up 7 times in a row.

Draw your own conclusions from this.

[Novakaine]

I posted this earlier in a another topic.
I think bares repeating so in response.

1. I do not believe lobbies would destroy the public queue based on the fact there are plenty of pug or lone wolves if you will to fill it.
2. Lobbies would allow for new player training and retention will out the frustration dying in 3 minutes and not learning to fight and pilot a mech.
3. Private lobbies would allow for inter-faction training and rivalries.
4. Lobbies would take some pressure off of PGI and their game development cycle.
5. Lobbies would give the player base something to do until community warfare finally emerges.
6. Lobbies would allow the player base to set goals and have a sense of accomplishment besides the endless grind.
7. Lobbies does not have to be a permanent feature, only until CW emerges.
I hope PGI heeds some humble advice before it's to late.

[-Natural Selection-]

They are gun shy to dev or implement new features such as new modes as fear to split existing player base. But players get tired of playing same {Scrap} and leave. Spend a week on new modes and get something new going!

[Vassago Rain]

Dozier, on 16 November 2013 - 09:19 PM, said:

They are gun shy to dev or implement new features such as new modes as fear to split existing player base. But players get tired of playing same {Scrap} and leave. Spend a week on new modes and get something new going!

Didn't stop them from crowbarring 3rd person.

[xXOoppsXx]

Maybe I should wing myself off this a bit then? I don't want to keep dragging along and lose interest completely.

[GalaxyBluestar]

can't deny it, it's on life support, the negative airs have spread and those who come here find truth in it, PR killing the game, devs been learning noobs doing stuff for the first time, everyone could handle that if they spoke truthfully about it but they decided they were "proffesional" and were handling things 'Agressively".

too little too late... we'll see. but i look forward to the ABC news broadcast about CW for new year being reffered to and.... nothing.

[IceGryphon]

Vassago Rain, on 16 November 2013 - 09:01 PM, said:

Draw your own conclusions from this.

I think Phill the shill, Bombashill, and all the golds got the game they wanted.
Did you have fun Vass?

Edited by IceGryphon, 16 November 2013 - 10:33 PM.

[Vassago Rain]

IceGryphon, on 16 November 2013 - 10:29 PM, said:

I think Phill the shill, Bombashill, and all the golds got the game they wanted.
Did you have fun Vass?

Somewhat. It hasn't changed a lot since you played back in august, but I was reminded of why I no longer binge play it, or do more than a few drops per session
Bit of a shame, but what can you do? We're on an island, after all, and the game's never been better.

Edited by Vassago Rain, 16 November 2013 - 10:37 PM.

[Igorius]

I really hate to be pessimistic, but here's the evidence as I see it.

1.) 3rd person view, while mostly irrelevant as an issue at this point, effectively angered a large portion of the community. Probably half(?) of those who were really upset about it, stopped playing.

2.) The economy changes (ie the Great Space Recession of 2013) put a hard pinch on a lot of lower to mid tier players. If we assume that a decent proportion of those players badly affected by the earning changes got really upset, then it's also fair to assume that a chunk of those who got upset also stopped playing.

3.) Launch really seemed to polarize the community's more passionate members. A small portion became super psyched, a small portion became super bummed. The rest, I can say with a mild degree of certainty, experienced mixed emotions. Those players who had been around for a long time probably saw the highest level of discontinuation with the game. Newer players were probably the least effected by the Launch, but word of mouth, metacritic, and a slew of middling review scores probably pushed out some newbies, as well as discouraging a slew of others who would've played the game otherwise.

4.) The continual pushback of features such as UI2.0, as well as the general negative reaction witnessed from the proposed redesign, most likely accounted for another portion of older players giving up, either permanently or for a few months.

5.) The injection of the Phoenix 'Mechs added all sorts of new shiny toys for Founders, testers, and new players alike. However, we are now witnessing the fall off of player numbers as people who own Phoenix packages getting, well, bored. Maps are few and far between, and with many people having effectively nullified the need to jump in and play/buy the new 'Mech of the month, this slump could last for a while.

Bottom line? The game has been surviving on new 'Mech content, the occasional new map, and the promise of future modes of play/interface changes/community warfare. To use a metaphor, the water in the trough is getting pretty stale. The game's life, or death, rests on a sense of growth and adaptability.

Sure, there will be those who see things as being just fine and dandy, and those who continue to see things full of doom and gloom. For the rest of us average players, though, the proof lies in the pudding. For more and more people every day, it appears that the pudding is starting to look like a lie.

[IceGryphon]

Vassago Rain, on 16 November 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

Bit of a shame, but what can you do? We're on an island, after all, and the game's never been better.

ISLAND, IT IS A PARTY ISLAND!

[Leesin]

Sorry the team is too busy splitting their resources so they can make more lame packages and MC mechs for people to throw money at, rather than delivering features they have been talking about since closed beta.

I didn't buy the Phoenix package because 1. Where's my ******* features 2. it pissed me off that for less money than the Legendary Founder package, you can get the highest tier phoenix package AND the saber package, all of which is worth far more than the legendary package, whilst I'm left here booty hurting with my crappy Founders Mechs.

lol

Edited by Leesin, 16 November 2013 - 10:51 PM.

[Vassago Rain]

Igorius, on 16 November 2013 - 10:38 PM, said:

I really hate to be pessimistic, but here's the evidence as I see it.

1.) 3rd person view, while mostly irrelevant as an issue at this point, effectively angered a large portion of the community. Probably half(?) of those who were really upset about it, stopped playing.

2.) The economy changes (ie the Great Space Recession of 2013) put a hard pinch on a lot of lower to mid tier players. If we assume that a decent proportion of those players badly affected by the earning changes got really upset, then it's also fair to assume that a chunk of those who got upset also stopped playing.

3.) Launch really seemed to polarize the community's more passionate members. A small portion became super psyched, a small portion became super bummed. The rest, I can say with a mild degree of certainty, experienced mixed emotions. Those players who had been around for a long time probably saw the highest level of discontinuation with the game. Newer players were probably the least effected by the Launch, but word of mouth, metacritic, and a slew of middling review scores probably pushed out some newbies, as well as discouraging a slew of others who would've played the game otherwise.

4.) The continual pushback of features such as UI2.0, as well as the general negative reaction witnessed from the proposed redesign, most likely accounted for another portion of older players giving up, either permanently or for a few months.

5.) The injection of the Phoenix 'Mechs added all sorts of new shiny toys for Founders, testers, and new players alike. However, we are now witnessing the fall off of player numbers as people who own Phoenix packages getting, well, bored. Maps are few and far between, and with many people having effectively nullified the need to jump in and play/buy the new 'Mech of the month, this slump could last for a while.

Bottom line? The game has been surviving on new 'Mech content, the occasional new map, and the promise of future modes of play/interface changes/community warfare. To use a metaphor, the water in the trough is getting pretty stale. The game's life, or death, rests on a sense of growth and adaptability.

Sure, there will be those who see things as being just fine and dandy, and those who continue to see things full of doom and gloom. For the rest of us average players, though, the proof lies in the pudding. For more and more people every day, it appears that the pudding is starting to look like a lie.

In my guild, out of 55 regular MWO players, 27 effectively quit on august 22nd, and only 10 of those 27 did any drops since. Since the locust release, 0 of those 10 have done any drops.

Out of the remaining 28, only 6 are interested in playing the game this month.

[Igorius]

Vassago Rain, on 16 November 2013 - 10:43 PM, said:

In my guild, out of 55 regular MWO players, 27 effectively quit on august 22nd, and only 10 of those 27 did any drops since. Since the locust release, 0 of those 10 have done any drops.

Out of the remaining 28, only 6 are interested in playing the game this month.

Tell me about it. Everyone I played with disappeared about the time 3rd person was put in. I... I keep logging in every now and then, hoping to see them around. No dice.

[Vassago Rain]

Igorius, on 16 November 2013 - 10:48 PM, said:

Tell me about it. Everyone I played with disappeared about the time 3rd person was put in. I... I keep logging in every now and then, hoping to see them around. No dice.

I maintain a weekly 'status report' of the inner sphere. My list is almost always completely red now.