Chicken or the Egg?

[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.