US: What can we do?

[ry802]

I am looking for thoughts on what we can do to help population numbers during US primetime? I play during US EST and sometimes there is very very little going on.

I am looking for ideas that we can do, as a community, to bring more people into the fray.

Have it you fools!

[Gachimuchi]

Wait for a more finished game. There really isn't much beyond that. People have attempted to organize things and even the first dev organized RvR event was during NA time. Nothing really comes out of it though...

When T4 originally hit NA time was popping off like an average EU day, 900-1000 people on. Then gear got rolled back and that was the beginning of the downward spiral to the population state we have now(like it was during T3).

So I'm guessing people just don't like the changes or rather how in-flux everything is and might be done with the game for awhile. Hopefully they will come back.

[CzarRedwall]

The first few days of T4 did see a lot of action. I suspect it was the hype, so maybe the next big release will have the same effect, albeit lasting hopefully.

[ry802]

Wait for a more finished game. There really isn't much beyond that. People have attempted to organize things and even the first dev organized RvR event was during NA time. Nothing really comes out of it though...

When T4 originally hit NA time was popping off like an average EU day, 900-1000 people on. Then gear got rolled back and that was the beginning of the downward spiral to the population state we have now(like it was during T3).

So I'm guessing people just don't like the changes or rather how in-flux everything is and might be done with the game for awhile. Hopefully they will come back.

I was around for those first few days, was awesome. I do agree that polishing things will help and the roll back hurt but do people not realize this is in Alpha? How much can they expect?

[CegeePegee]

I think a lot of old NA players simply don't know that this project exists AND I think there are a lot of players that have left for various reasons that may not know about all the progress that has taken place. Getting the word out to people who don't know about the project is kind of tricky since its all word-of-mouth.

Another thing that I notice during our primetime is that there actually will be plenty of people logged in but still nothing appears to be happening. Idk if this is because people are shy about starting up a wb or premade or if most guilds/alliances only have a few people logged in and therefore feel they have no one to play with and so they decide to go grind or PL or play alts, but I'm all the time seeing decent numbers of players on but nothing is going on. Perhaps, as a people, us NAers should try to make a better effort to just get something, anything started out in the lake and stop being so shy/antisocial

Maybe some EU ppl can chime in on how you found out about this project and how you've helped to spread the word? Maybe us NAers are just doing it wrong

[Luuca]

What I have noticed about NA times:

There are equal (or nearly equal) numbers of Order and Destruction players online for the most part.

Order falls into line into neatly structured (for what they have to work with) warbands wherein the leaders move players to form semi-optimized groups. Everyone follows the leader, communicates over chat, coordinates, and generally works together.

Destruction generally has zero open warbands in the lakes, mostly 5-6 groups of 5-6 man parties running around not communicating or working together in ORVR. There may be one Warband, maybe even an "open" warband (that's usually full with many sub 40 players), but even within that warband, parties and players do as they please and kind of meander around looking for (what they hope are) small skirmish opportunities and renown at any cost.

IMO it is lack of cooperation and mindset of Destruction that holds back the NA timeframe from having a full and active RVR scene. I am not advocating anything other than what the design of the game demands in ORvR - an organized 24 man group working together. Destruction has too many chiefs and not enough indians to accomplish this at this time. As such, it appears as if there's "nothing going on".

If destruction would get its ORvR game together, there would be good fights, and lots of them. But as it stands now, you have no chance as a Destruction player staggering out of the warcamp in 1s and 2s like so many drunks leaving a bar at 2 am. Order rolls them and they give up, sit in the IC hoping for an SC pop. You open the warband search window and there isn't one. You try and form one, and nobody but 4 level 32-35 players join you.

Norkali, for all his spammy macro ToL crap, is about the closest thing Destruction has to a warband leader. Order, it seems, has many. Not because they are "better" at it, but because they seem to understand that's how ORvR is played - that's the design. One leader, 23 soldiers. Destruction has 5 leaders and 19 soldiers over 5 groups and no communication.

Some will say I'm advocating for the zerg. Well, damnit, that term is about as over-used as the Fword. The design of ORvR is resources, 1 large group split-up and covering several points, sweeping in to assist another group at a BO - fluid, organized movement. This can ONLY happen in a large, organized and compartmentalized group - and Destruction can't seem to do this during NA playtimes. This is why it SEEMS like nothing is going on.

TLDR: Destruction in NA does not have the ORvR mindset nor organization to get anything really going.

[CegeePegee]

I think Luuca really nailed it, as a faction Destro is not as organized outside of our little closed groups. This is why having realm captains would be great. In lieu of official realm captains, maybe we could come together here and have a few people/guilds/whatever volunteer to act as realm leaders who organize open wbs, communicate in chat channels so that everyone in the zone understands what to do, etc.

Imo, better organization = better orvr/scs = more people will want to play. Perhaps our population woes really just boil down to that. I'm happy to help out anyway I can.

[bwdaWAR]

Some of the posts here don't answer what I think is an important question: what is the difference between the European players and the American players that creates this difference in numbers?
Because the game is exactly as unfinished for players from Europe as for players from NA, or any other part of the world. I also sort of wonder if the situation regarding the grouping is that much different... I recall a time, not long ago (3-4 months or so), when various complaints were about that Order was entirely disorganised while Destruction wasn't. Also, how do players of Europe know about the project but players of America don't?

[Luuca]

Some of the posts here don't answer what I think is an important question: what is the difference between the European players and the American players that creates this difference in numbers?

Not really any difference per se', but I believe that int he US, the attention span is so short, and the gamer mindset is so "shiny object" that old games don't or can't compete with FPS or easy-play console or PC games.

Because the game is exactly as unfinished for players from Europe as for players from NA, or any other part of the world. I also sort of wonder if the situation regarding the grouping is that much different... I recall a time, not long ago (3-4 months or so), when various complaints were about that Order was entirely disorganised while Destruction wasn't.

The time when Destruction got organized and ruled the server resulted in a gear wipe and roll back. So, ya. I'm sure that many Destruction players who played for hours and followed the leader and captured the keeps only to have the gear removed from game weren't too happy and some, I'm sure, left. Taught most of Destruction that playing the game and working at it is no guarantee you'll get to keep what you've earned. Taught them not to form and play in large, overwhelming groups. Maybe Destruction is still gun shy?

Also, how do players of Europe know about the project but players of America don't?

The server is in the EU, as I understand. It's a networking thing among people. In the US, even the "old skool" gamers I know who played have many a bad taste from the end-of-game bomb groups and balance issues. They won't trust it and therefore, won't play it. IMO if Destruction could get organized again, participate in ORvR as it is designed to be played and won, it would bolster the rewards, the action and eventually the player base.

Sad truth is that, until the developers can form a lockout on switching factions though, we will still have the xrealming issues that kill ORvR.

[Spacecraft]

I think it's up to us to be active in chat. And try to organise with what we got try to get the community of NA to be friends group up try to get things going. Maybe our own channel in chat.

NA channel