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Just wondering about the current state this games in.
Bahk
Member Posts: 259
Is this game on its last leg? im just curious whats the population ect?
Comments
Answer to question No.1) No.
Answer to question No.2) The population is small.
they have free interns working with the promise of getting paid should the game make a profit...
*whistles* they obviously do not know Bowman's track record *winks*
Regardless no it is not on its last legs. It has now settled into a small niche market game that caters to crafters. They have cut expenses to the bone and have features in the game that make it a large sacrifice to cancel your account should you choose to stop playing. So they get a boon from those that have slight hope but don't play and do not want to lose their plots. In the form of free money and less stress on their servers. I do not believe the game is going to crater anytime soon. But I also do not see it getting any better than it is due to lack of resources and a now settled in playerbase that remains at a static level pretty much.
Chaos averages around 350 to 400 people nightly. Order around 300 tops.
Wow.. so theres only 2 servers left with 300 on each.. no offence but that seems like a death bed type game i mean seriously.. thats low.
There are more than only 2 servers: Chaos, Order, Blight and Unity. Chaos and Order are the more popular of the shards.
And no one outside of TG knows how many players are on the servers at any given time.
If you're looking for a game that is swarming with people, go play WoW or whatever game is most popular right now. HZ is doing just fine, and in fact has been charting a slow growth for a while now.
Best way for you to determine whether or not the game is dead is to try the 14 day free trial, or ask around in the community forums.
Horizons is a decent "little" game. Populations are not "high" but how many people do you need to talk to at once? 4 maybe 5? The whole "game population" argument is nothing more then a ***** size argument. Yes WoW has millions of people....most of which can hardly type a coherent sentence. (apologies to my guildmates
)
Try the game, the community is really nice. Crafting is well done, you can build all kinds of structures and if you like Dragons you can play one and build a lair now.
I played for a while and only left because it didn't suit my play style. I had nothing against the game.
March 2005 saw chaos averaging just under 250 people nightly.
Now it averages TOPS 400 people on a good friday night.
Slow growth yes.
Blight is the test server and averages less than 30 active players. Chaos is the NON RP server and Order is the RP server for north america. Unity is the GN mismanaged European server which is on its last legs.
The population numbers speak volumes. Which will improve when
the add actual content to the game ( WoW has that despite its incoherent types though I have never run into any of them )
and
They fix the performance issues with the game. Horizons still lacks far behind just about any other MMO for performance.
Once thats done than it will be just fine and they will not have to knock an additional 30 percent off of game subscriptions.
Or... you can just help Tulga and HZ die and not fuddle their numbers by using the 14 free trial.
Khoal, Anyone can guesimate how many people are playing on the servers and be accurate. It doesnt matter if their off by 10-15%. There is still an extremely small player base keeping HZ alive.
When I took the trial I would've have said about 250 people max were online on a friday night. Even if I was off by 10% that would only make it 275 people. Tulga doesnt have to release anything for the veteran MMORPG'r to know HZ has no future and is basically a high-school science project.
18,000 people are playing FREE Settlers of Ganerath (Dark & Light) for the next 5 months. The world is Huge and although it's somehwat a dissapointment by TODAYS standards, it easily outpaced old games like Horizons.
But, by all means take the trial of Horizons. You might even have fun like I did. But the game offers no staying power and the engine and mechanics are horrid. It fun for 5 days... but so is playing with your childrens toys on christmass morning, but thats not something you yearn to do everyday. Either is Horizons.
Well all yur numbers are quite wrong. either that or your playing in the middle of the night or durning the day when every ones working or in school. peak hours EST there avrages about 700 -1000 on Chaos and on the RP server of Order there are between 600 and 700 nightly. The weekend vary depending on the holidays and so forth as in any game. As far as haveing to keep accoutn alive so you dont lose your plots . ROFL thats a load of crap. You have 6 months after cancleation before the they place your plot or lair into the reclamation list. and still from there you get a e mail waring about it so u can buy a month log and if you CHOSE to and start the clock again. I mean if your a 12 year old that loves nothing but Hack & Slash all the time and nothing to break up the bordum of that type of game then ya Horizons is not for you. The community is very strong. With Month long events, World projects, and allot more then just run around and kill kill kill. With the addition of the long awaited missing dragopn content and the advancement on the missing upper content now going into testing the games far off from dieing out. if ya dont play running your mouth about stuff you dont know about makes no sense. but some folks seem to feel they know every thing about every thing out there and other get a chuckle out of it
Firstly, prove those numbers please. Secondly, how many of those a playing the free trial?
Even if they have 2000 subs that's only $25900 income per month. You think that covers the cost of a dev team, advertising, server maintenance, bandwidth costs, lighting, rent bills....
Horizons has failed to make more money than it has spent since it was launched. Even though they were able to escape ALL their development costs by going through chapter 11, and slashed costs by getting rid over 2 thirds of the dev team they have still not posted any eivdence of actually making a profit.
Months ago many members on the official forum posted their concerns that Horizons would be cancelled and the technology would be used for their next project. David Bowman responded that they had been able to reduce costs to a signifigantly lower level than most of their rivals, with a smaller staff, and had secured finances to keep the game going. He said subs numbers were small but slowly increasing.
What he did NOT say was that they were for the first time in profit. Since they have NEVER been in profit do you think they'd miss the chance to announce when they do? No. They are still in the red.
The question remains, how long can they continue to sustain a monthly loss before they are forced to quit.
lol BS.
Horizons hasen't seen 700 people nightly since release and then just after they merged the servers.
Be happy it gets 400 and realize thats an improvement since March 2005 before they started their latest advertising blitz. No as well their stated policy is 30 days from plot cancellation and they have now started to do that now that the automated plot reclaimation system is now in full working order. It only took longer before because it was bugged.
Month long events ? what month long events ? Oh you mean the festivals which entail things like fireworks and decorations for your plot ? That does not count as event. OH the recent building projects that took... 2 days to complete. What month long events are you talking about exactly ? About the only thing you said that was truthful was that if you like hack and slash than Horizons isn't for you. The question then remains whats in it for the average mmo player ? Hauling bricks around ? creating and deconning the same tool or weapon over and over again so you can level another pointless crafting class ? There is no hacking and slashing in Horizons well because there is not content to support that. Unless you like fighting the same golem over and over again just with another skin. But even then you have to hope that it doesn't use its invincible powers of invisibility and lag to squash you. When you do finally kill it you most likely get a piece of ore, maybe a tech or form odd chance at a crystal. None of which can be sold to the games vendors because they nerfed them out pretty much in the last major patch. But I guess if you like hauling boards bricks and bars to your storage based plot than I guess horizons works for some.
You are just yet another HZ fanboi who is threatened because someone questions the direction their game is going. Horizons is around because their CEO manipulated the bankruptcy laws and the playerbase they do have left is loyal. Maybe one day Horizons and Tulga can escape the stigma that is it's past. But they haven't earned that yet, so the real chuckle is watching you guys try to shield your reality from what is the truth. TulgaAE did that once to themselves and the game ended up in chapter 11. Not because it was an uncooperative creditor but because they lied to themselves, the playerbase and the people they owed money too.
So play the game. But do not shroud yourself in a dream world and enjoy it. How long it lasts I do not know. But horizons is now two years old and still does not have advertised content in game. Its reaching end run fast. I firmly believe Tulga has their sights set on other projects for their vaunted but as of yet unproven evolution engine.
********The TRUE Horizons Review*********
Horizons has a very small population count because it suxs ... badly.
How do I know? Because I use the trial once ever month to see (count) for myself.
Small population count = suxy play, everyone knows that.
Community? haha ... over rated and irrelevant.
Horizons is worst then any game ever put out on the market .. trust me.
Horizons is on its last leg and will eventually die ... very soon ...I promise this time.
Suppose may just make it to a "niche* game .. if they are lucky.
Horizons is only here because they manipluated the judge, the courts and our legal system.
Horizons only survives now because of its small fan base (aka players) that we call fanbois.
Everything the devs do now is to little to late and will make no difference at all.
The devs only know how to make data base changes, they provide no real content at all.
Horizons has never made a profit and never will.
I really have no idea as to why I follow this game when I don't even play it.
Matter of fact, I have no idea why I even care at all since I don't play it.
I'm not even for sure why I spend my time debating/complaining about it on forums.
I know why ..because I long for the game I was promised so long ago by the Great David Allen!
Oh and .. to protect the innocent (newbs) from this game .. its my honorable duty to them.
And .. to make sure everyone knows how I and others was wronged and let down by this game then and now.
But ... I do know that I'm right and your wrong... this is fact and undebatable ...
Why? Because I only deal in pure truthful facts unlike the fanbois of the game who are blinded bias'd idiots.
You can try the trial if you wish .... but don't say that I didn't warn you ... dumb***
******* The End - Brought to you by Anti-Hz R' Us ***************
Hope no one is offended by my post, I was only trying to help sum things up for you guys/gals and take a look from the other side for myself (with a tad of humor .. atleast in my twisted mind). Really. Did I miss anything? But ... then something occured to me, to be honest, after much thought of my sarcastic review above I'm now kinda confused. I cannot tell the difference between fanbois and slambois (if there really is such a thing?), afterall both are very dedicated to the game and believe in their cause .. I mean I could never have the dedication to spend so much time debating a game I don't play, never will play or hang around in the hopes it will become something its not. That to me is just as much a fanboi, if not more so, as those that play. Part of me admires both sides of the debate for their dedication and efforts to their cause .. I really mean that. AlthoughI've always been saddened by all the mud flinging that goes on .. yes .. just like I just did and have done on occasions in the past, despite my efforts not to do so.
I have come to realize, despite the fun and drama of forums, it is no place for me. I wanted to be a apart of communities and have thougtful constructive debates about games. But, every forum I have ever visisted regardless of the game is just full of critisim lingering on the edge of hate imo. I now feel like a soldier who looks around the battle field at all the wounded and cannot tell the friend from the enemy within all the smoke and chaos becauase they all look alike. I want no more part in it, it just not me.
Wish all of you well and happy gaming now and in your future. (sorry if this entire post made no sense, was meaningless or long winded - but I wanted/needed to post it and I had time to spare)
Happy Holidays to All of You,
Zarcharien
If your scenerio is correct, they can go on until whoever is paying the bills gets sick of throwing good money after bad.
Honestly though, all we can do is speculate from here. There is no dought this game is just a minor player but if people like it, more power to them.
By the way, the worse game out there is NOT Horizons....its Star Wars Galaxies. If you want to try a true piece of smelly, constantly changing, broken, unfinished crap try this baby out. (its new and improved now)
I would happily refer someone to Horizons over SWG anyday of the week.
I decided to make another trial account today. I played the game like 6 months ago and I couldn't stand the lag. Luckily that seems to be fixed now, it runs fairly smooth. I'm only in the newbie area but I'm impressed with the number of players I see. The world isn't empty by any means, at least not where I am.
lol accurate but you forgot to add the part that is applies to the fanbois as well.
I mean really, if you say even one thing that puts the game in a bad way you have no idea what you are talking about. Remember Zacharian using the defense you play the game still is irrelevant. Why do the fanbois choose to stand in the trenches and fight just as hard as those who aren't ? Same concepts apply. Besides we need not really debate here because over at the official forums the battle is going just as strong here. So strong that the moderators over there are being kept busy double time trying to mod it all away. Boards like these are but mere side distractions to what goes on over there.
fact is the chaos doesn't have 700 people nightly visible. Populations are improved from last year. But according to the fanbois there are 10's of thousands playing therefore it must be fixed...
Fact the game is getting old. Its engines are out dated and need to be replaced by an expansion at the very least. It is now past premiere mode as Bowman likes to think it is not. It is in subsistance mode and will never ever get the subscription numbers it once had. But according to the fanbois the game has no lag and no performance problems despite the fact it still does. That its graphics are the best out there despite a graphics engine that is over 4 years old. That the game doesn't lag with many people in a single area.... yup works gud !!! The fact that there is still no war with the WA and that the game HASEN't gone into dragon we are us isn't happening.. nope not acknowledging that pink elephant are we !!! Yup advertised content is in game.... remove lips from Bowman's rear please
. I could go on and on here....
So yes they have done some good things but with anything that is Horizons they are as well over hyping Mr Beagle's addition to the game. Umm folks the man is in his late 60's, he isn't going to be pumping out the work.
Anyway there are two sides to this story. But unlike a fictional Alpha stage 2 test of horizons( at least know the history of the game before making that claim) one has to pick through what is truth and what is not.
So play the game and enjoy it. But do not sell it as snake oil that cures everything. Its CEO is adept as it is both in the legal system and out of it ( that is fact as well ). You guys do not need to be sucked into the same dream world.
New motto...
TulgaAE @ Horizons we know drama !!
But in the end none of this matters. Who cares but it makes a good conversational piece.
Kind of off the subject, did you know Horizons had planned to have such a large launch/fan base they had a Zboard and even action figures all lined up.
The original models and ideas behind this game are not really in the current game. There was a website somewhere that had all the original race models. They still look good to this day. The graphics and models we see are not what was originally proposed. There was also to be PvP on a racial scale (Elves where hostile to Orcs for example) Oh, Orcs and goblins where a playable race also along with many others not seen today. There was also religious system of some sort in place.(and the resulting PvP) It was a HUGE project. There where to be Underwater areas and a playable swimming race, Airborne play (not just dragons) I think angles and demons if Im not mistaken. Ships, and all sorts of dungeons and cities. I don't think the Aegis was part of the original idea. I think that was added when they realized they couldn't do any of this other stuff. Its been a really long time.
I'm no fanboi I just accept Horizons for what it is now. I nice little niche game. On my PC, I didn't pick up hardly any lag last summer. I didn't mind playing to much. The people where ok but it was missing any purpose. I leveled up a guy twice to level 20 to get a new class so could start for a third time at level 1. Ouch and people say Lineage 2 is a grind. At least in L2 you dont have to start over at level 1 when you gain a new class.
The original designers (and I've heard all the stories) did do one thing...They bit off more then they could chew. The people there now are simply holding down the fort of their version of the game. the actual Horizons was never released.
Edit - and playable vampires also!
Edit Edit- here is the site page
http://www.rpgplanet.com/horizons/races_old/
Well I really have no interest in bashing this game, I really don't care about Dave Bowman or how they amnaged to stay afloat. Good for them. It just think its to bad either way that the original Horizons was never fully realized.
Here are some of the original screens
Now does that look like the current Dwarves?
And this is not what the Elves look like now
And where are the Orcs?
I remember people always called it vaporware back in the day, I guess they were somewhat right. Are there any old screenshots from the first web site?