Main problem = too little players?
DerDree
Join Date: 2011-01-21 Member: 78449Members
Join Date: 2011-01-21 Member: 78449Members
Hi,
I bought the game a while ago (maybe around a year ago) and I like it very much. I enjoy seeing the progress and last evening I start playing it again and it was really good. In my opinion you can play the game in the actual state quite well. But the reason I dont do this that often is simple: Most times I want to play there are nearly no players online.
So I dont know what you are thinking about it but isnt a active playing community the main thing a game needs? I know that the game is in an early state but its playable but sadly there are no players.
Many indie games profit from articles on rockpapershotgun.com (last example is Lifleless Planet, got 8000$ from pre orderes after an article there), indiegames.com or posts on reddit. So maybe this would help? Maybe the developers could also give an interview or something.
I think many players just dont know anything about NS2. Once NS2 starts getting a constant playerbase online I think it really gets forward.
So just some thoughts.. :)
I bought the game a while ago (maybe around a year ago) and I like it very much. I enjoy seeing the progress and last evening I start playing it again and it was really good. In my opinion you can play the game in the actual state quite well. But the reason I dont do this that often is simple: Most times I want to play there are nearly no players online.
So I dont know what you are thinking about it but isnt a active playing community the main thing a game needs? I know that the game is in an early state but its playable but sadly there are no players.
Many indie games profit from articles on rockpapershotgun.com (last example is Lifleless Planet, got 8000$ from pre orderes after an article there), indiegames.com or posts on reddit. So maybe this would help? Maybe the developers could also give an interview or something.
I think many players just dont know anything about NS2. Once NS2 starts getting a constant playerbase online I think it really gets forward.
So just some thoughts.. :)
Comments
I frequently read Rock Paper Shotgun (RPS) and they have a wide array of articles on games at any stage. I am sure that if the developers emailed (contact@rockpapershotgun.com) them and gave them free beta access they would play and review the game in its current state. I am also sure that if one of the RPS posters took a liking to NS2 (I am sure they would it is a stunning game) that they would give updates as time passes and things change in the beta. I know some people may think it is too early for something like this but, they do frequently review games in early stages and are fair in their judgements. This would no doubt drum up a lot of support for NS2 right now, and I think having more players in the beta would be a great thing.
The only 'BUT' I have is that if the developers think that they are likely to add performance improvements in the not so distant future they should wait for this. However, RPS is a PC gaming site and I would expect the majority of their readers have relatively good PCs as it is their focus.
RPS is UK focused, but perhaps their are other similar websites out there?
If you read rock paper shotgun often you should have noticed that ns2 has been featured on the site multiple times.
<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22natural+selection+2%22+site%3Awww.rockpapershotgun.com" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/search?q="natur...apershotgun.com</a>
Edit: Back to the initial problem. There are more players online after each build is released.
But of course more players is always good :)
If you read rock paper shotgun often you should have noticed that ns2 has been featured on the site multiple times.
<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22natural+selection+2%22+site%3Awww.rockpapershotgun.com" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/search?q="natur...apershotgun.com</a>
Edit: Back to the initial problem. There are more players online after each build is released.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
RPS was just an example. It seems that there could be much more publicity for the game on different sites. On RPS the last article also seems quite far away. If there would be enough players so everbody could play the game whenever he wants (and not only after each build or sometimes evening) the game would get much more support i think.
I like the game and I think it would only be the best for the game to get more players.
I haven't had problem in finding a full server at anytime.
Of course more players would be an extremely positive thing for the community and for the game. But the devs can't just magically get more players. And I think the development is not yet in a stage where focusing on marketing would make sense.
I haven't had problem in finding a full server at anytime.
Of course more players would be an extremely positive thing for the community and for the game. But the devs can't just magically get more players. And I think the development is not yet in a stage where focusing on marketing would make sense.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
At the moment there are only 5 players online (1 on another server, so 4 is the maximum on one server). How can you say you are finding full servers all the time?
Of course the developers should concentrate on programing but more players are always better and I think already at this stage there can be done a lot. As I stated articles are very good or a post on reddit. (I know there have been posts on reddit but more is always better :) ) Developers could also give a discount on pre-orders or one day an extra copy for each pre-order. Many indie games do so also in their early stages to get more popularity and so more support.
These are just some thoughts of me, I just want the best for this great team and one of the best things would be more players :)
Which, to someone not actively following the development of NS2 would seem entirely plausible...
Not like BF or TF2 where most players are kids. They have more freetime.
If you go online at 20pm in EU or USA (even AUS) you will find full Servers.
As soon as NS2 will be released more players (kids) will join and you will always have enough players on to play a (hopefully good) round.
Also like already mentioned 185 killed the FPS for many players so it is impossible now to play for them.
I also stopped playing 185 because some aspects (FPS, Lagging Skulks, GL, picking up emptyguns, always the same map) are frustrating me so I wait till 186 comes out, like many others do.
Seconded.
Which, to someone not actively following the development of NS2 would seem entirely plausible...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They should really change those minspecs, as they are in no way even remotely approaching accurate.
Its too bad that there aren't build 184 servers out there. The problem with this is players don't have the ability to downgrade to 184 after upgrading -- so someone would have to make the 184 build available online and players could "downgrade". Though, this would kind of defeat the point of beta testing.
I'm mostly content with waiting.............mostly.
Which, to someone not actively following the development of NS2 would seem entirely plausible...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
^This. Once the game is really well optimized, then we can all help to spread the world. For now, lets not risk turning off potential buyers by showing them a part of development they may not be able to understand. ESPECIALLY while we're still running 185...
<!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=Chris0132)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris0132)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->They should really change those minspecs, as they are in no way even remotely approaching accurate.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think this is more of a target for optimization rather than the game's actual min requirements in its current form.
Until they achieve that target they shouldn't claim that they're the minspecs. It doesn't take very long to change a line on the website.
Let's be honest about it, no amount of optimization will make this game run on those specifications.
I looked up the specifications in hopes of formulating a solid argument about the vast potential for optimization and the improbability of determining final resource costs...
...then I read them and realized you were completely right. >.>
We would love for more people to be playing the game in the beta, but we understand that issues like poor performance and black screens and stalemates are still frustrating for a lot of people and are keeping them from playing, and those are areas which we are very much focused on addressing. Also, the lack of a patch in the past few weeks has caused a drop off of players as well. The next patch is close to release and should help bring some more players back to the game again.
--Cory
Just hope finances are still good. No PR tells me they are... :)
Even using a broad brush, if there are 30 000 pre-orders, but only 10% can run it smoothly, that's 3 000 people. If we're seeing 30 people on at any one time, that's 1%-3% of that top 10%, and between .1% - .3% of the total pre-orders. Some scarily small numbers, even accounting for patch "surges", and where the game is at.
Would it be worth UW collecting some surveys from a small group of betas? Might take a few hours but it would give a neat birds eye on where the beta is at outside the forum and active players.
....<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They've been "looked into" in that they arise from a lack of end-game content designed to break stalemates/fortifications (like the Exosuit+Miniguns or ONOS); they're to be expected, really.
Lately I find myself without a game that keeps my interest, and I've always been keeping pre-ordering NS2 on my mental backburner. So last night I ponied up and did the purchase and download.
I'm still tweaking the graphics and keymappings, but I find the game runs on my ~3 year old PC (ATI 5770 card) reasonably well. I may have to town down the settings a bit or run in a lower resolution though. However I was pleased with the visual experience.
What did surprise me was the number of online players. As of midnight Pacific time last night, there was 2 online players other than myself. I logged in this morning just to see the player count before going into work, and it was about 12 players. In both cases the servers being played on were remote enough from me to have a very high ping (200ms +).
I hear many folks are either waiting for the next patch, or simply can't play on the current patch. I understand that, and am looking forward to the release of said patch. Now that I've had a 3-man game taste of NS2, I want to give it some drunken all-night attention. With full servers I think it'll be a blast, even in it's current state.
Here's hoping the patch will be ready soon. I'll be checking the site for updates.
Currently, 185 has decreased the performance of many users and caused a lot of players to be put in the backburner. The only real active servers are the HBZ & InversionNS2 servers. The weekends are much more active and you happen to come in at a great time as 186, one of the most anticipated builds, is on almost at a reachable distance!
Stick around and I am sure 186 will give you that feeling of having a game that you can play once again!
A suggestion... try to schedule 3 times a day or every other day for people to play, this will at the very least slightly help the problem if not fix it. So, basically, unofficial play test hours.