Friday with Means - December 4th, 2009 - Who is not at the company party? ME!

[ArienSky]

Have people forgotten the times when Trash King and the sided pad quest mobs were camped all the time?
You were advised to do the quest on weekday evenings, to have a chance.

Sure, it brought some socializing, waiting for the mob to pop with friends and random strangers, is that what you are going for Technogen/Mastablasta?

So you want a server merge, and then, when the ad-campaigns start, start RK2 up again as a new server, so everyone starts out at lvl 1 on the beach?
or am I missing something?

Kind Regards
-Ariensky

[Technogen]

So you want a server merge, and then, when the ad-campaigns start, start RK2 up again as a new server, so everyone starts out at lvl 1 on the beach? or am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing the fact that we're not doing like Rk2 and RK3 to to RK1, we're doing RK1 2 and 3 to RK 0 (not test), this would put in place the full server transfer system on FC's end.

So if the population levels got too high they can just open up the next RK server and the transfer system is in place. Who is to say that once they start advertising that 2 servers would be enough, maybe they will need 4 or 5 servers to deal with the influx of players. No I'm not expecting it but I'm saying that by creating a system where they can dynamically create and remove servers would create a more stable player base and there by larger population that is overall happy.

Have people forgotten the times when Trash King and the sided pad quest mobs were camped all the time?

I remember this very much and I still go out there to help new players, but the only people really doing TK's side quest now days are froob not pay players. Mean's team has gone out of their way to create an Instanced based system that can now easily handle population growth.

[Ruffixx]

So.. you want fixers to be modified, just to modify then right after, at the profession balancing as well?

You're really missing my point, and you clearly have not kept up with FWM as well as others have to catch it. Means promised changes to a profession (which happens to be mine) before overall profession balancing was to occur and in a quick manner. The point was, due to the introduction of widespread profession balancing, breed balancing, etc. etc. the final change is TBA in the not so near future and none of the projects seem to be released in the near future.

Then we get news of server transfers and even more great changes coming to the game, and with such a small team on hand, the real question that has to be asked is: can they juggle all that at once and produce results in a sufficient time frame?

I'm not trying to sound like someone who desires instant gratification. I know things take time. I'm going to be around for the long hall regardless of whether it takes them two months or 12 to address balancing, 9 months or never to release the engine. I've been here since 2002 and I won't leave til the plug is pulled. I'm the biggest fan of the AO staff meeting their goals, since it will enhance the game for the playing community.

[Dagget]

I'm wondering if Funcom will implement forced logouts for ppl afk too long? AoC uses that, as do nearly all other MMO's now. When the new engine arrives, we can reasonably expect a flood of ppl, especially since the core game is free. maybe 50k to 100k new ppl, and the servers may build queues.

[Wrangeline]

maybe 50k to 100k new ppl, and the servers may build queues.

I'm willing to bet real money on those numbers being unrealistic!

(I would absolutely love for those numbers to be accurate though)

[Mastablasta]

Have people forgotten the times when Trash King and the sided pad quest mobs were camped all the time?
You were advised to do the quest on weekday evenings, to have a chance.

Sure, it brought some socializing, waiting for the mob to pop with friends and random strangers, is that what you are going for Technogen/Mastablasta?

So you want a server merge, and then, when the ad-campaigns start, start RK2 up again as a new server, so everyone starts out at lvl 1 on the beach?
or am I missing something?

Kind Regards
-Ariensky

Not really, also most of the game is instanced now. There's very little left that's actually in use by people that isn't in some way instanced.

[Jinday]

so.. when will we get a transfer for Rk2?... already time to consider it since we dont get any of the already active players it seems.

I am inclined to agree... While I understand the necessity of working around the problem of RK3 players choosing a new home that favors their faction and thereby furthering the imbalance, I also fear for RK2's inevitable demise if RK1 becomes the new place to be. Looking at the market forums, it already seems as though an unusually large number of players are preparing to move from RK2 to RK1.

Also, you seem to suggest that all RK3 players who have made voluntary moves in the past have moved to RK1. That is simply not true. I have befriended a number of players who have moved from RK3 to RK2 since earlier this year.

[windcaster]

to back it up a few, sorry but on rk2 you can't just get a team..

the fact you mention you have to team build should illustrate the problem.

you should be able to assemble a team off lft quickly.. i remember years ago that this was completely possible.. for some things.

the thing about team building, calling in friends and favors is it takes time.. if you can't get at least 4 members together within 15-20mins your chances of at least one person leaving goes way up.. and we all know how it goes when one person leaves a team how rapidly it can fall apart.. especially if you dont have a replacement or are'nt in the middle of killing stuff.

[Glingal1]

Hi, I am from rk3.

My chars: Glingal 220/69/27 Adventurer
Fion 220 Engineer
Aagragaah 209 Enforcer

I really don't want to go to rk1, rk2 would be perfectly ok for me. I already cancelled my account, I don’t want to go to rk1. I know that others intend to do the same.
I don’t want to play on a crowded server and I don’t care whether there are Germans or not (even if this sounds not very nice). After visiting rk1, where nobody wanted to talk to me and nice conversations on rk2. I know which place is more attractive for me. And about splitting up the German community... who wants to stay together will do that.
Rk2 needs people anyhow, more than rk1. I don’t see any reason why I’m not allowed to go there instead of rk1. Of course others want to go to rk1, it’s their choice.

Many people on rk3 have played for a long time and now they kick us out and don't even leave us an option. Our cities are gone, our towers are gone, we even have to change our names. And you do it all in such a hurry, that something is bound to be forgotten. We don’t want to be shoved around like some second class people. If I have to leave rk3 I at least want to chose where I go.

[Technogen]

RK2's population is higher then RK1, there's really no fundamental difference between the people on RK1 then RK2. Well besides the fact that RK1 has more Euro population then RK2...

Your personal mileage will vary, its all a matter of whom you talk to, there are plenty of people that will and will not talk to other people.

Also, there's already a large quantity of RK3 players on RK1, kinda follows that whole not splitting up the population thing you were talking about.

[Crowena]

I don’t want to go to rk1. I know that others intend to do the same.
I don’t want to play on a crowded server

To call RK1 crowded is really stretching it. Sure, it has more people than RK3 but the population could grow a lot to be even close to crowded. I doubt that even all 3 servers combined to one server would be enough to make it crowded at the moment.

[galorien]

Tbh I do think it would be fair to allow the rk3 populous to decide which server they would like to swap too. and I agree with glingal. Forceing them out without so much as a choice as to where they can go seems a bit harsh to me.

[Glingal1]

Rk2s population is higher? How many of them are active at the moment, that's the question.
I also think that there is a big difference between the two servers. At least for someone who comes there without knowing anybody.
I don't see any reason for not splitting up the German population. Shall we only play with other rk3 people while we are on a different server? What's the point?

[Sizilianerix]

I think I can totally agree with Glingals view, I'm from RK3 and have got many 220 chars and so on RK3.

I play this game since 2005 and I played on the German server. The situation isn't bad as many want to think that it is actually.

But the option for a servertransfer is for many Players a option due they are in too small orgs and hope to find on a new server more people for easier access to the content.

I can understand this point of view due I share it partly. I would like it to play with foreign players after so many years of "german only" gameplay/game experience.


Means said "We shouldn't be hold like hostages". But where is the difference to his actual plan? I know players like "Heinz64" or "Silencestorm" who want to play on their own server(I'm mentioning names due I want to proof that I'm not talking nonsense). RK3 players will remember them very well. The term "hostages" matches very well, what you're actually going to do! At least I choosed that I play ma chars on RK3! But I NEVER voted for RK1!

On the other side there are players like me, Glingal and many others who are doing the old not instanced content(SL Bosses, RK Dyna camps) which is easily available on our own server, but the good mobs are still overcrowded there for example. Whats the solution for this problem?

I dont see the point for me to move to RK1 it's a choice for PVP-Players, but these ones also don't see that there also PVP on RK2. RK1 is among them just well known. Why? Many "well known" PVP-Players like Corgard and so on started their, with new chars. Many of the Stormfalcons moved to there and so on.

But is this justifying the fact that >>>>everyone <<<< has to go to there, if a few of out players started with new characters on RK1?

On Rk2 are too players from DNW Means! Where do you get your informations from ? (Hello to Cyrola at this point )

Funcom reduced the number of german speaking GM's too zero. I saw this situation some months ago coming, as "Sternritter" appeared not anymore as the last german GM on our server.

Ok well, its not the worst point that our server will be closed, the only problem is: Why should I and many others play on a server without any friends?


I'm not going to play on RK1 and please put your pink googles off Means, your arguments aren't the best, or someone informed you wrong. You're dividing the community anyway, due there are also many on RK2 and many have got friends on Rk2 as well. And why are you taking away MY freedom to decide where I want to play? Refering to YOUR statement the most players will anyway move to RK1 in order to play with their friends. So let the players from RK3 choose where they want to go to!

(If we have 100 players from RK3 for example, the 20 that would move to RK2 won't kill the gameplay there!). And the best of our players(pvp monsters and so on) will anyway move to RK1 as many of them said already.


By the way, what about our cities, towers and pointraids? I know pointraids are a player invented system. But we will loose everything, our cities with really beautiful locations, our towers... And at I even cant decide which server I will prefer and paid over years more then other customers(I know everyone in the € zone does, but they're not going to force you to go where THEY want to!)? Well done job if you want to handle the situation like this.


My motivation wasn't to write in this topic only for my personal advantages, but for many german players who think that is even isn't worth to write something, due the majority of is just quiet and thinks "they'll do anyway what they want". And that they cannot talk in English is also a wide spread problem. I dont think that you know what the most of us really want.


I'm sorry but that's the usual answer that I get, when I talk with german players about FC. Maybe you didn't build this image up Means, but many think like that and they're even not able to talk in English to you.

[Technogen]

YOu know there is a 4th server that if you really want to stay with a small population you can move to. Test transfer is already in game, there's a VERY small population on it but a VERY fun ARK community. And you get the game changes faster and there are city and towers free.

So, if you dont want to go to RK1, move to Testlive. You get to see stuff sooner anyways.

[Keldros]

Who the f*** wouldn't with the declining population.'


Rk2 will be the new RK3! That is of course until they merge us to Rk1!

Just rename the org "RK2 is down" to "RK2 is empty".

Problem solved.

to back it up a few, sorry but on rk2 you can't just get a team..

the fact you mention you have to team build should illustrate the problem.

you should be able to assemble a team off lft quickly.. i remember years ago that this was completely possible.. for some things.

the thing about team building, calling in friends and favors is it takes time.. if you can't get at least 4 members together within 15-20mins your chances of at least one person leaving goes way up.. and we all know how it goes when one person leaves a team how rapidly it can fall apart.. especially if you dont have a replacement or are'nt in the middle of killing stuff.

You, sir, seem to be laboring under the delusion that LFT is for finding teams. That's a noob mistake.

Everyone knows the List of Financial Transactions window is really intended to facilitate buying and selling NODROP items.

[dustmouse]

The way I read it, he wants to move to RK2, not be on a server with a small population. Where's the problem with that?

Not sure if it's much more difficult to let RK3 players choose their new server than to move them all to RK1. The perceived differences between 1 and 2 seem big enough to matter (whether that really is true or not), so it would only be fair to let them choose which one they prefer.

Advertise RK1 as the default destination where DNWers will find most of their old friends, but give them RK2 as an option. Practically speaking, "community" is really only a sub set of the population, the people you want to be around.

The way I see it playing out, people will announce where they plan to go, so everyone can choose where their favourite community will be and act accordingly.

(Disclaimer: yes, I happen to play on RK2; yes, it would be great to have more people there . I do think though I would make the same argument if I was on RK1, it just seems fair)

[Ashes2Ashes]

Bump for letting RK 3 crowd pick which server they want to be on. But picking anything other than RK 1 is just delaying the inevitable. Eventually RK 2 will get merged with RK 1. So might as well get on the bandwagon now, and setup roots here on Atlantean. Instead of having to pack up and move again later






P.S. You know deep down, thats what going to happen. So skip the RK 2 nonsence and come to RK 1

[Klanbear]

At the start of AO there were only 2 "servers" RK1 and RK2.
RK1 was meant to be the main place and the "test server " was RK2.

Default server i.e RK1 was for those who didn't check for alternative locations, remember in 2001 this was a new experience. So what you got was the people who like a certain star of the noob comic keep clicking until they get into the game without reading - the same people who in fact now run left at froob island

So RK2 became the hangout of those who were nerdier and actually read stuff and thought like if there is a RK1 perhaps...oooo yes another server.

So ever since that time the default server has been switched periodically to "balance" the playerbase

I personally believe that one of the things that has kept AO alive is that it hasn't advertised in the same manner that it did in the beginning so that its running costs have been minimal and lets face it it is now running on second hand AoC servers.

It is the passion of the playerbase, the staff and the volunteers that have kept it going. The social side of AO has and is its key to success.

Over the years you occasionally get "players" joining orgs who were there to check out the social side. It was kinda obvious sometimes as for the most part Guilds were much more integrated than they are now, however one conversation did stick out with hruum "player" was that Guilds on AO are a bit more unique than we realise.

Now I am not an expert but I believe that this continues. My reasons for thinking this is that as the populations have decreased there has been a very dramatic increase in the use of alliance bots.

It is therefore still possible to get teams/assistance to do most things in the game with a basic population that is in reality not high enough to support the level of activity that we still see on AO.

I do hope that the new graphic engine kick starts the population, but in isolation it isn't going to do more than get people to download the client and have a look. Therefore the mentor scheme is in my opinion is critical to AO's eventual success in keeping a higher proportion of those who join from whatever server or other game.

The unique selling point of AO is the social aspect in terms of coordinated Guilds/Alliances, having fun together with people around the world and in some respects the game play becomes a part of that and not as in some other games the only reason to log in is to kill or be killed.

[majere]

While I do understand you, that you have put work to urs characters, I will still be against it, and just of reasons that I will call selfish:

Just to be able to make much more then 8 toons on RK2, I have created 4 accounts - so, now everyone will get +4 more --> means 16 to me, that wont be used any soon, cause I am advancing current chars? No, I dont want see my money spended without reason.

On the other hand - you chose to Play on Dead RK3 or to play (with sacrifice) on Rk1/2 with other players? -> Cause you have been given an option. I would - with 100% - delete 3 or 4 characters... but well..
You never whined on RK3 since you play RK1 already - so things deosnt concern you at all like those that are OneDimmentional (like me)

Another option would to be offcer transfers between accounts. That would also make it easier for people to pocket! yay