More bad publicity.. another negative article!

[thinx]

Ok, it was important in 2011 and a bit earlier.
But how you can see the large player drop was long before the 2011's award.

Again, population did not only drop because of problems in end game. Even if end game was perfect, we would have a natural loss that is caused by RL.

IMO the problem is not the population drop in end game, but the lack of compensation from new players. This game does *nothing* to give new players an impression of a living MMO. The only experience they have is that there is something going on in world chat and that all those players are miles away beyond all the content this game ever had.

The only thing that happens is players that take initiative and invest time (and probably money: char slots, stone of the tortoise) to work against that. The game itself does *nothing*. The only idea it had up to now was AoVs and having epic battles (designed far below their potential) that are gated behind an L85 expansion (not that attractive for fresh players).

One cannot sell a leveling game for a few 100 bucks, but it is possible to sell an MMO if it is a true MMO at every time.

[Askelin]

Then we do not need an LI revamp.
We need a pixelated LOTRO in Java.
Problem with finding and keeping new players solved.

If the game was in Java it would lag infinitely more than it does now even with the game's outdated engine.
Ever played multiplayer Minecraft back in early Beta? It'd be like that just worse :^)
Even if the graphics looked like oldschool Runescape it wouldn't change the serverside issues you'd get with using Java.

[Hallandil]

Ok, it was important in 2011 and a bit earlier.
But how you can see the large player drop was long before the 2011's award.

That chart only goes back 9 years. See that big drop off of the wider servers around 265? That was the release of Helms Deep; Not the release of Server Consolidations.
Prior to the merging of servers, they were so quiet they dont even show on the chart. The bump of the bigger servers around 330 was the merge.

Yeah population naturally declines slowly, that's the point of releasing regular updates. Issue arose when these updates became poorly communicated, on top of all the troublesome design choices.


Edit: nevermind. Chart is a bit skewy.

[Hallandil]

If the game was in Java it would lag infinitely more than it does now even with the game's outdated engine.
Ever played multiplayer Minecraft back in early Beta? It'd be like that just worse :^)
Even if the graphics looked like oldschool Runescape it wouldn't change the serverside issues you'd get with using Java.

Yeah at this point, I'm certain that Hecki was being facetious and willfully ignorant.

My post attached to that was pointing out successful games Despite the problems you've described above because of good design choices.

[LotroVidz]

Just release classic before the game shuts down, or release the code so we can get private servers.

Before you start saying the code is lost, it has been confirmed that they have pre HD(combat revamp) code left.

[Starliteyes]

That chart only goes back 9 years. See that big drop off of the wider servers around 265? That was the release of Helms Deep; Not the release of Server Consolidations.
Prior to the merging of servers, they were so quiet they dont even show on the chart. The bump of the bigger servers around 330 was the merge.

Yeah population naturally declines slowly, that's the point of releasing regular updates. Issue arose when these updates became poorly communicated, on top of all the troublesome design choices.

That doesn't make sense. If that box is showing the release of Helm's Deep and not the merge, then why do the remaining servers have such a big jump up? The remaining servers loved Helm's Deep and the closing servers hated it?

I calculated the weeks between the release of Anor/Ithil and the server merge, and that big drop off IS the server merge. Helm's Deep is more at week 170, a full five years before the legendary servers. See all that activity on BR and the RISE of logins at 170ish? Then a more gradual decline after that until the merges.

[Hallandil]

That doesn't make sense. If that box is showing the release of Helm's Deep and not the merge, then why do the remaining servers have such a big jump up? The remaining servers loved Helm's Deep and the closing servers hated it?

I calculated the weeks between the release of Anor/Ithil and the server merge, and that big drop off IS the server merge. Helm's Deep is more at week 170, a full five years before the legendary servers. See all that activity on BR and the RISE of logins at 170ish? Then a more gradual decline after that until the merges.

Yeah 170 is Helms Deep (my bad). That jump, is just Gladden that became a recommended server at the time.

Brandywine gets slightly larger as with RoR/HD many raiding kins and PvMP guilds collapsed and remaining members went to Brandywine to chase the population #s.

[DKenny]

That doesn't make sense. If that box is showing the release of Helm's Deep and not the merge, then why do the remaining servers have such a big jump up? The remaining servers loved Helm's Deep and the closing servers hated it?

I calculated the weeks between the release of Anor/Ithil and the server merge, and that big drop off IS the server merge. Helm's Deep is more at week 170, a full five years before the legendary servers. See all that activity on BR and the RISE of logins at 170ish? Then a more gradual decline after that until the merges.

Yes, those changes between 265 and 298 on the chart are definitely the server merges, with activity dropping off to zero (obviously) on the servers being closed and populations on other servers increasing correspondingly. The Helm's Deep effect is another 100 weeks or so before that.

[Arnenna]

That doesn't make sense. If that box is showing the release of Helm's Deep and not the merge, then why do the remaining servers have such a big jump up? The remaining servers loved Helm's Deep and the closing servers hated it?

I calculated the weeks between the release of Anor/Ithil and the server merge, and that big drop off IS the server merge. Helm's Deep is more at week 170, a full five years before the legendary servers. See all that activity on BR and the RISE of logins at 170ish? Then a more gradual decline after that until the merges.

Just before the drop off point there is a peak for BR. That is Helms Deep beta.

[DKenny]

Just before the drop off point there is a peak for BR. That is Helms Deep beta.

Yes, just around / after the 166 mark on the chart.

[Fegefeuer]

I've been considering changing my game-play style because of the LI's and horrible crafting. I may level my toons to 100 and then halt them there. I love the game before level 100 and don't wish to leave this world yet.

I read this and had to reply. I am also considering this, well, it's already considered and will be done. 8 chars... 2 of them stuck at 120, 3 at 125 and 2 at 130. The last one will be my main and the only one that will continue. I'm tired of the so many bad things of this game. After Mordor, I just continue playing this game because it's Middle-earth and nothing else. I might change my playstyle when I play just 1 character.

[Starliteyes]

Just before the drop off point there is a peak for BR. That is Helms Deep beta.

If you are talking about the big drop off, that's the beta for the server mergers. There was no big drop off after Helm's Deep.

[ShireDweller]

If you are talking about the big drop off, that's the beta for the server mergers. There was no big drop off after Helm's Deep.

uh sure...whatever you say...

[Starliteyes]

uh sure...whatever you say...

Yep, I do. Hold a piece of paper up against the threads of the discontinued servers--you'll find it's a steady decline with peaks instead of a big drop. Now look at the servers that didn't get closed. Even up to the merge, most are level or even rising.

[DKenny]

Yep, I do. Hold a piece of paper up against the threads of the discontinued servers--you'll find it's a steady decline with peaks instead of a big drop. Now look at the servers that didn't get closed. Even up to the merge, most are level or even rising.

OK, but you have to be careful in interpreting the data displayed in the chart. The people that had been on those other servers are moving onto the ones staying open. If you have exactly the same population spread across 10 servers the lines will be at one level. If you then close half of those servers and spread the population on those 5 servers across the remaining 5, the population of those 5 will be higher, but the total population is the same. So fewer lines at about the same height as before on the chart represents a much lower population.