Chicken or the Egg?

[Sorakin]

Did the sudden lack of players cause a stampede of posts on the forums about the game dying?

Or is no one bothering to log in because of all the doom and gloom posts on the forums?

I find myself less likely to log in, but I almost feel like I am more negative towards the state of the game because of all the forum posts and less so cause of the game itself... it's strange.

I mean if people just stopped playing, how are so many people still on the boards talking about how the game is now dead and empty?

Might just be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[bohemond88]

I prefer chicken, except on occasional mornings.

[Sorakin]

I prefer chicken, except on occasional mornings.

Nothing beats eggs in the morning... with some toast and bacon mmmm....

[MrPerea]

How about a chicken omellete, those are pretty good. With Salsa Fresca, mmmm

[jokhul]

The vast majority of the activity in Prelude Chat is generated by the same small group of people, the "forum regulars". Scan through the posts and replies on the first page and you'll quickly notice the same names recurring.

I highly doubt the game has depopulated because of the tone of the forum posts. More likely that the forum reflects the state of the game.

Unless Xsyon is different to any other MMO, only a relatively small portion of the playerbase actually reads anything on the forums (other than server status and game updates/patchnotes), and an even smaller group actually posts. Add to that the fact that people mostly post when they are unhappy about something, or need to know something specific that can't be answered satisfactorily in ingame chat.

[xyberviri]

how ever also remember that in almost every MMO not that many players read the forums. so its double edge sword, there are players that dont come here that play so they have never seen such doom and gloom posts. and there are players that have left and dont come here and did not write the doom and gloom posts.

i think some games have even said were only like 10% of the actual server population with others as high as 40%

[Sorakin]

I would think that the percentages would be higher for indie games.

[bodangly]

Also consider the number of people reading the forums has drastically fallen recently. I think the reasons for the mass exodus are deeper than forum trolls.

[Dubanka]

The number of people posting has decreased. But like said above, its the same group...there are just fewer now.
The game world has depopulated of its own accord.

[vulneh]

the game just got bored..
no new features ... nothing to do ...
running to get some one to kill ... and then u lag
its just have to be improved and more like 3 months every one will come to play again when it will be better to play
thats all

[Sirius]

Nobody, but nobody, says to themselves, "I think I'll log into my current MMO... hmm, better check the forums first... OH CRAP! People are complaining on the forums that the game is dead. Well, that's that. [goes and plays other game]"

[Sorakin]

I would disagree, that is like saying peer pressure doesn't exist. Or reviews have no impact on people paying or playing for games. If you are at work (like I am typically when I am on the boards) and all I read about is how the game is falling apart and no one is logging in, then my desire to log in when I get home is lessened because my impression of what I will experience in game has changed.

I still log in because I have the willpower to overcome this forum's prejudice, but I think some people would not.

I guess chicken or the egg wouldn't be the best analogy. This is more of a question of whether there is a snowball effect. Is a drop in players causing a bigger drop in players because of word is spreading that the population has dropped? I would say yes, but I'm still hanging on :P

But this is nothing new to MMOs, Rift is going through the same thing right now. That is why they are breaking out the free friends and family weekend and trials are already flying off the virtual shelves. The forums there are aflutter with talk of how empty the game is and I know a few friends who have been influenced both by the state of the game and the chatter on the forums. It's a snowball effect.

I'm not saying "BE POSITIVE!", I'm just curious if people are leaving because of the game, or because of peer pressure.

[Dubanka]

I would disagree, that is like saying peer pressure doesn't exist. Or reviews have no impact on people paying or playing for games. If you are at work (like I am typically when I am on the boards) and all I read about is how the game is falling apart and no one is logging in, then my desire to log in when I get home is lessened because my impression of what I will experience in game has changed.

I still log in because I have the willpower to overcome this forum's prejudice, but I think some people would not.

I guess chicken or the egg wouldn't be the best analogy. This is more of a question of whether there is a snowball effect. Is a drop in players causing a bigger drop in players because of word is spreading that the population has dropped? I would say yes, but I'm still hanging on :P

But this is nothing new to MMOs, Rift is going through the same thing right now. That is why they are breaking out the free friends and family weekend and trials are already flying off the virtual shelves. The forums there are aflutter with talk of how empty the game is and I know a few friends who have been influenced both by the state of the game and the chatter on the forums. It's a snowball effect.

I'm not saying "BE POSITIVE!", I'm just curious if people are leaving because of the game, or because of peer pressure.

Forums will influence prospective players (ie. your Rift example). For someone who has already made the plunge, whether they log in or not will have more to do with:
a) Are they having Fun?
b) Is there a 'duty' to log in?
c) Are their friends logging in?

b and c are kinda related...in that most players typically dont want to let friends down, so they'll pull their weight, in many cases long after the game has had any real entertainment value.

Do the forums influence prospective players? Absolutely.
Do the game forums influence existing forums log in habits?
*EXCEPTION* Forum traffic that 'the game is not playeable because of lag', 'the patcher is taking 15 hours to DL', x/y/z abilities are not functioning, will keep folks from logging in...since logging in would be a waste of their time...but that type of feedback is 'reality' and not negativity.

the negativity presented here is subjective. Like my perspective...while yes, i realize i do come off as more than a bit negative....I am negative about the games current condition relative to its stated design parameters. I want the game to be successful. To assist in that end, I am going to beat my 'this shit is broken' drum as loud, and as often as possible to a) ensure the devs understand what is broken and the the extent it is b) spur discussion among the playerbase to potential reveal more, less obvious issues and c) forums just aren't entertaining if there isn't some drama going on (which will in turn shape politics once we have a reason/ability to engage in that type of endeavor).

Anyway. yeah. said it all.

[fotuenti]

i usually only log in for a few hours a day, after work mostly (6-7pm EST).

funnily enough, and in response to what is being posted, yesterday i spent the day reading the "xsyon has it become a ghost town" and "super high accuracy map" threads and it only made we want to log in more. i can't quite explain that, lol.

oh well, i'm having fun but i sure hope things get better by the end of the initial 2 months.

[xyberviri]

belive it or not but 30 year old men are playing hello kitty online right now and they are married with kids because they like it, not saying i like it but im fairely positive that statement is true.

and those guys dont care what anyone says.

belive it or not but 30 year old men are playing hello kitty online right now and they are married with kids because they like it, not saying i like it but im fairely positive that statement is true.

and those guys dont care what anyone says.

[Mactavendish]

I agree that forums are not a good indicator of who really is playing nor an accurate assessment of player feelings toward the game.

General chat is where you will get a feel for what folks really think about the game... Only inside the game.

Forums are where players attempt to persuade the developers to make changes and argue with anyone that disagrees with their personal viewpoint.

For some the forums are the actual game they are playing and rarely do you see them in game playing xsyon. This has always been true for any game I have ever played.

These are not the droids you are looking for... " no, these are not the driod we are looking for... "

[ac1dtrip]

Lack of animals seems to be it for me. Rest is fun. Spent 4 hrs looking for animals found 3 in the same 20 minutes same spawn area then nothing moved on and found nothing. Oh well.

[coca]

You lucked out finding any.. LOL..

I went pvping all through the mountain areas last two nights all night and only ran across one animal.... Rambo.

[senag2]

Where I am in game I read the chatter of the same 2-3 people for days now I'd say if it is not dead yet it will die soon.

[joexxxz]

Where I am in game I read the chatter of the same 2-3 people for days now I'd say if it is not dead yet it will die soon.
Come to my zone. You will love it there. ;)