A scary graph for ns2

FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
edited April 2013 in New Player Forum
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the launch peak were similars but now the warz has a better average which means its better at retaining players, and were talkign about the worst game in a while : buggy beyond belief, full of hackers, devs dont care, false advertisement, yet its able to retain players better than ns2.

I'm actually not trying to say that NS2 is worst than warZ, I love NS2, its my favorite game, but when you see that random new player showing up to the forums with various complaints, you have to take them seriously. They are the minority among a mass of quitters that found the courage to take it to the forums before they uninstalled the game forever and the usual theme of their discontent goes as : bad performance, stacked teams, auto kick reserved slots servers, hostility to newer players in game, balance. These are flaws that kills your first impression and you cannot let these pass in this year and age, it makes you look just as bad as one of the worst game ever.
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Comments

  • sumo0sumo0 Join Date: 2012-10-30 Member: 164543Members
    edited April 2013
    You forget the fact that most humans are somewhat retarded which explains why more people stick with War-z.

    Although i have to admit that bad performance is something i have simply had to learn to live with in NS2. Drops to 20 FPS is not unusual 10 minutes into a game for me.
    Bad performance had me leave the game for a while after launch, but now i have learned how to play with it and am playing alot again.
  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Are you telling me that you want the kind of players who enjoy War Z to play NS2? It's not really a valid comparison in my opinion.
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    edited April 2013
    Squishpoke wrote: »
    Are you telling me that you want the kind of players who enjoy War Z to play NS2? It's not really a valid comparison in my opinion.

    what i'm trying to show is that the mistakes UWE makes is hurting them as bad as it is to have a really shitty game like War Z
  • elodeaelodea Editlodea Join Date: 2009-06-20 Member: 67877Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    the retard hypothesis is infact quite retarded.

    dota 2 gets 150-300k consistently, and is definitely NOT a retard friendly game.

    The difference is focused, polished game design.
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    elodea wrote: »
    the retard hypothesis is infact quite retarded.

    dota 2 gets 150-300k consistently, and is definitely NOT a retard friendly game.

    The difference is focused, polished game design.

    Well lets stop calling people who don't want to spend a lot of time to learn the basic mechanics of a game retards and lets just say different games aim for different crowds.

    I dont think anyone who found NS2 appealing enough to buy it expected a game that would be fast to learn. But they certainly expected to have an EASY time learning, AKA not get raped, go 0-30, die instantly when they try lifeforms. Dota 2 will put new players up against eachother when you open an account and the things you will learn will allow you to start winning more games and play against better opponent eventually. Still, most of the game you'll play in dota 2 should be fairly close and fun (at least skillwise, I know MOBA games have a reputation of generating a lot of rage during a game). If you're forever a bad MOBA player but enjoy the game, you'll be put against people of your caliber and the game swill be fun, In NS2 you cna have the 2 best players agaisnt you in your first game and they'll soul crush you and make you wanna ask for a refund.
  • YMICrazyYMICrazy Join Date: 2012-11-02 Member: 165986Members
    edited April 2013
    elodea wrote: »
    The difference is focused, polished game design.

    I agree with this the most. So difficult to introduce some mechanics to newer players without them getting destroyed and frustrated before they learn how to properly use it. The transitioning is something that causes people to dislike the game especially on aliens where you sometimes learn the hard way how fragile the lifeforms can be after saving up all game for it.

    NS2 is not hard to learn it just takes a really long time to get a really good idea of how things works and most people are impatient. It does not help that NS2 is hard as balls to balance especially when considering enjoyability. I think they did a good job getting to this point in regard to balance and they still continue working on it so that's always good. UWE does delay stuff but but they have proven to make good on some of their promises it just takes time and they often get the critically needed features done really fast in comparison to other larger studios. Though there have been some they have really taken their time with like key bindings but maybe there are other reasons for it. Recently the whole yellow modded thing being removed was odd to me. However I know they are adding a function to see the mods a server has before you join which would even better than both but you just have to wait.

    As for bad performance they are still working on it. Maybe we will never get the awesome performance of the old HL engine but they have made strides getting to where we are now from launch and they have hinted at significant changes that they would not make public. Just in case it does not turn out the way they want it and people go up in arms about their false promises.

    Stacked teams, auto kick reserved slots servers, hostility to newer players in game are all factors outside of their control as of now. It exists in every game though you will never get rid of it since there will always be people who act like entitled douchebags most of the time in every game. However, they mentioned something about team assignment but we do not have evidence on what that is yet. Someone suggested it may be to accommodate stacking but who knows.

    http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/comment/2105817/#Comment_2105817

    Unfortunately a really small percentage of the player base comes to these forums to voice their opinions. I sort of wished they would question players on their game in the main menu left4dead2 style just to get a general idea though. Maybe add in a questionnaire and people might just add their opinions as some do not feel like signing up for forums and stuff. Or at least open up Google moderator again with the statement that it is not a to do list for them.
  • meatmachinemeatmachine South England Join Date: 2013-01-06 Member: 177858Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    Shall I tell you what makes ANY game shit for me? Regardless of win/lose, if there are no other players actively using voice comms it feels like I may as well be playing against/with bots, it feels silent and empty and I feel lonely v.v
    Communication is such a vital aspect of a game like NS2 and yet so few players seem to realise this- having and using a mic to communicate with other players should be promoted more heavily.
  • SyknikSyknik InversionNS2.com Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2064Members, Constellation, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Shadow
    Shall I tell you what makes ANY game shit for me? Regardless of win/lose, if there are no other players actively using voice comms it feels like I may as well be playing against/with bots, it feels silent and empty and I feel lonely v.v
    Communication is such a vital aspect of a game like NS2 and yet so few players seem to realise this- having and using a mic to communicate with other players should be promoted more heavily.

    A lot of us usually use TS3/Mumbles/Vent to talk with other peoples on the server since we sometimes play together.

  • ma$$a$$terma$$a$$ter Join Date: 2012-11-01 Member: 165651Members
    Oh god, War Z is still around? I figured that crap fest would have fallen hard... I'm guessing its now a level playing field of hacker vs hacker on that game.
  • mibuwolfmibuwolf Join Date: 2012-12-11 Member: 174760Members
    edited April 2013
    If we're talking about first impressions, then let me say this:

    My first impression on NS2 was that this game is unique in that I get to play non-humanoid creatures while playing strategically, team communication, etc... so I knew what I was getting into. I loved every minute playing as an alien, and still do. However, I'm guessing that is not the problem.

    Seems like a lot of the new players played during the free weekend or first week after purchase and realized that dying has consequences, moreso than games like battlefield or call of duty for example. Perhaps they were looking for a more action-based playstyle similar to combat mod, but didn't realize it was available? *shrug*
  • ezekelezekel Join Date: 2012-11-29 Member: 173589Members, NS2 Map Tester
    edited April 2013
    elodea wrote: »
    the retard hypothesis is infact quite retarded.

    dota 2 gets 150-300k consistently, and is definitely NOT a retard friendly game.

    The difference is focused, polished game design.

    dota 2 is free

    dota 2 is more accessible to larger range of machines

    moba games take arguably much less time to learn to a shooter, learning a shooter isn't difficult, it's actually the aiming and having strategy part. You can understand a fps game all you want, but until you develop long term muscle memory you won't be doing much, that's where time sink comes into play. Most competitive and etc already have this because they've been playing other games for so long, give someone who's never played NS2 or DOTA 2 and see which one they understand/become better at quicker (hint it's dota 2)


    edit: Also you don't want that games shit playerbase, those people are legit retards
  • mibuwolfmibuwolf Join Date: 2012-12-11 Member: 174760Members
    ezekel wrote: »
    give someone who's never played NS2 or DOTA 2 and see which one they understand/become better at quicker (hint it's dota 2)

    I disagree with that point entirely. Everything else you said is fair.

  • HamletHamlet Join Date: 2008-08-17 Member: 64837Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited April 2013
    We should not forget that ScamZ WarZ is first and foremost a shameless ripoff, sry I meant GLORIOUS MASOCHISM SIMULATOR.
    I think it's safe to say that this POS (piece of software) excels at anything its developers set out to do and exceeds even the wildest expectations.


    In case I might be coming across too strongly, please make up your own mind:
    http://warzscam.tumblr.com/post/37403063494/unrealistic-screenshots-from-the-war-z
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    edited April 2013
    Hamlet wrote: »
    We should not forget that ScamZ WarZ is first and foremost a shameless ripoff, sry I meant GLORIOUS MASOCHISM SIMULATOR.
    I think it's safe to say that this POS (piece of software) excels at anything its developers set out to do and exceeds even the wildest expectations.


    In case I might be coming across too strongly, please make up your own mind:
    http://warzscam.tumblr.com/post/37403063494/unrealistic-screenshots-from-the-war-z

    ig et a feeling people dont understand my point, Im trying to say that despîte NS2 being a very good game, it has flaws that will give bad first impressions to a lot of new players taht wont try to look any further, and its a shame to lose them like that as a lot of them, given a proper newbie friendly platform, would stick around and enjoy this great game.

    In order to back my argument, and show you guys how badly this is affecting ns2 i am showcasing a comparison between ns2 and one of the worst multiplayer game of all time
  • NeokenNeoken Bruges, Belgium Join Date: 2004-03-20 Member: 27447Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Playtester
    edited April 2013
    How many largely popular fps/rts hybrid games are out there? How many have there ever been? Compare that with the popularity of say the MOBA genre or the sandbox survival genre. Sure, NS2 still needs polishing, no argument there, but comparing the player retention rate with WarZ only tells you that it's not always about proper game design and community support. If it were, nobody would be playing WarZ, ever.
  • IronHorseIronHorse Developer, QA Manager, Technical Support & contributor Join Date: 2010-05-08 Member: 71669Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Subnautica Playtester, Subnautica PT Lead, Pistachionauts
    Lest we forget advertising abilities too
  • HamletHamlet Join Date: 2008-08-17 Member: 64837Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited April 2013
    @Franker
    WarZ is surfing the tidal success wave of DayZ.
    Hundreds, if not thousands of impatient/stupefying affluent buyers must have mistaken WarZ for the original. And if you ask me, all the obvious similitarities (right down to the name) are VERY MUCH done on purpose by the scammers developers.

    Your solution is to make NS2 easier to get into and easier to learn. Yet many here have named DOTA2 because it sits right at the top of the most played list.
    If anything DOTA2 is a freak in an industry where games become easier, more streamlined and more linear with every iteration.
    Not so: DOTA (or any of its clones). It's a fucking freak from another time. It's hard and with every hero they add to the game (think LOL) it becomes even harder to learn.
    If a match lasts only 30min, it's a short match. Many last easily up to 45 if not 60 minutes during which you are expected to stay (somehow this even works - even in our casualized day and age). If you don't, well you receive metric shit tons of flak and bile AND get punished by the system on top of that.

    Compare the usual game length of NS2 which is mostly around 10min, maybe 15 or 20. Compared to DOTA2, NS2 is angry birds casual. You can drop in and out at any moment and it doesn't really matter because your team probably had +1 or +2 players anyway.
    Learning all the subtle strategies, getting all the shooting skills and gaining an understanding of all the NS2 units and their functions is hard too, of course.
    I'd even say that NS2 relies more on teamplay than Dota does.

    I think DOTA2 is hard (if not harder) to get into and all the long-time players EXPECT you to be good. If not, prepare for the frustration of your life-time, because they will take it out on you if they lose their match.
  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    One of the major things going right for Dota 2 is how well it communicates the depth to people. It's a hard game in many aspects, but at the same time it's always easy to find guides and information about the game. Whenever someone destroys you, you can just download the replay and see what excatly he did to beat you.

    Rather than bringing down the bar to your level, Dota 2 helps you to lift yourself higher. For me that's a pretty unique thing in modern gaming. Despite all the ugly parts and hostility of the community, the whole thing has a wonderful sense of learning in it.
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    Bacillus wrote: »
    One of the major things going right for Dota 2 is how well it communicates the depth to people. It's a hard game in many aspects, but at the same time it's always easy to find guides and information about the game. Whenever someone destroys you, you can just download the replay and see what excatly he did to beat you.

    Rather than bringing down the bar to your level, Dota 2 helps you to lift yourself higher. For me that's a pretty unique thing in modern gaming. Despite all the ugly parts and hostility of the community, the whole thing has a wonderful sense of learning in it.

    20/20
  • GnubboloGnubbolo Join Date: 2007-11-01 Member: 62793Members
  • IkeIke Join Date: 2013-03-04 Member: 183661Members
    That's unfair !

    we all know that Euro truck Simulator is better in many ways !

    Ns2<EUS2
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    the funny thing is that eurotruck is a really niche game as well and its really godd at retaining its player base when you compare launch day vs now
  • sYpr0sYpr0 Join Date: 2012-03-11 Member: 148599Members
    i dont understand why people are playing warz, it is so boring.
  • TinkerTinker Join Date: 2003-03-11 Member: 14395Members
    NS2 is a niche game that doesn't appeal (and can't) to everyone. It doesn't expect to retain higher numbers of players but will tend to hold onto the players it does acquire for a longer period of time.
  • Mattk50Mattk50 Join Date: 2013-02-04 Member: 182824Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    The difference is that NS2 lacks a dedicated marketing team and the publicity that comes with being a valve game, like dota. Games succeed based on advertising sadly.
  • FrankerZFrankerZ Join Date: 2012-05-06 Member: 151627Members
    Mattk50 said:
    The difference is that NS2 lacks a dedicated marketing team and the publicity that comes with being a valve game, like dota. Games succeed based on advertising sadly.
    What i was trying to bring up is how bad the player retention is in NS2 which has little to do with marketing and a lot to do with how good the product is at keeping its new players.
  • AngeluszAngelusz Harmonic entropist Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18072Members, Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester
    FrankerZ said:
    Mattk50 said:
    The difference is that NS2 lacks a dedicated marketing team and the publicity that comes with being a valve game, like dota. Games succeed based on advertising sadly.
    What i was trying to bring up is how bad the player retention is in NS2 which has little to do with marketing and a lot to do with how good the product is at keeping its new players.
    Then you should come up with better data. The graph you posted only shows the amount of players using the game at a given time. It does not show whether these are new or returning players. It's quite possible that over time, more people keep picking up War Z, compensating for those who leave. This might not be the case for NS2. 

    I'm not saying that is the truth, for I have nothing to back it up. I'm just explaining why your post cannot be used to draw conclusions.
  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    edited May 2013
    Angelusz said:
    FrankerZ said:
    Mattk50 said:
    The difference is that NS2 lacks a dedicated marketing team and the publicity that comes with being a valve game, like dota. Games succeed based on advertising sadly.
    What i was trying to bring up is how bad the player retention is in NS2 which has little to do with marketing and a lot to do with how good the product is at keeping its new players.
    Then you should come up with better data. The graph you posted only shows the amount of players using the game at a given time. It does not show whether these are new or returning players. It's quite possible that over time, more people keep picking up War Z, compensating for those who leave. This might not be the case for NS2. 

    I'm not saying that is the truth, for I have nothing to back it up. I'm just explaining why your post cannot be used to draw conclusions.
    It shows, at the very least, that less than a third of the people who were playing it at launch are playing it now.

    That seems... kinda bad however you put it, honestly.

    Why are two thirds of your playerbase not wanting to play your game? Especially as the point of NS2 is very much that it's something that is getting long term support and you should want to keep playing it?
  • IronsoulIronsoul Join Date: 2011-03-12 Member: 86048Members
    I actually quit ns2 a week or so ago, don't know when I'll bother playing it again. In my opinion, the developers are focusing on the wrong aspects of development that would make ns2 more enjoyable to play. I.E. They're focusing on balance rather than enjoyability. I put up an idea about a system that would allow UWE to log how fun their game is for players, but it was completely ignored. Oh well.
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