Population

darktravesty

Just wondering what the population is like. I see it on the site, and numbers are all fine and dandy, but I want to know from the players. Is the world empty, do you see people all of the time, or something in between? Is the game dieing, like some might say, or is it still in its prime?

darktravesty

Oh, also, I forgot. Will I have to solo until higher levels because no one is around there? Is it very newbie friendly?

Ecksphive1

having just started playing this game. I would say its well populated in everywhere but the classic areas. Dont be discouraged in the first 15 min of the game if you dont see anyone. There are alot of people here and the DAOC community is one of the most newb friendly communities ive seen. If you have the expansions (which you should!) youll be fine, theres plenty of locations all over the expansion areas. I first played and solo'd alot because i just didnt care, but if you are anti-solo, there is definiatly methods that will get you in a group fast. theres a lookingforgroup toggle you set the options and preferences for the group (time, level, duration, purpose etc). So to answer your questions. i would say the population is decent enough to notice that its an MMO and the interaction is there. And being a newbie....i think its very newbie friendly

brihtwulf

The level of population is hard to explain, depending on what you're comparing it to.  For example, I play on a classic server, Gareth, that has between about 1200-2500 people on it at one time.  In the lower-level areas, you will see people, but again this depends on another variable, which realm you're in.  On Gareth, most players are in Hibernia, secondly Albion, then Midgard.  So, divide those numbers up.

About 50% of the population is Hibernia, so 600-1250 people are there.

About 30% is probably in Albion, so 360-750 people

Leaving around 20% in Midgard, so 240-500 people there.

So, compare the game to something like WoW, and you're going to be disappointed.  There will be nowhere near the number of people playing.  I think most modern MMOs have a higher population, but perhaps DAoC will bring more in with the updated engine and new content.  Now, on a weekend, you'll see some people wandering around, but most of them will be at or near a Task Dungeon.

Elnator

I don't think those numbers are accurate for gareth.  I think it's probably more like 40% Hib, 30% Alb and 30% Mid.

I have played all 3 realms on Gareth.  Hib is a LITTLE more crowded but it's certainly not 50% of the server.  And I didn't notice any significant population difference between mid/alb. 

 

As for whether there are people to group with?  The only time I found trouble finding a group to hunt with was level 1-20 on a normal server.  On the classic servers there are groups at every level.  On the TOA enabled servers you can find groups once you hit 20+.  You will occasionally find groups of players on the TOA servers below 20 but they're definitely harder to find due to the /level command.

Gareth is, hands down, the most active server and the one I enjoy playing on most. 

RJCox

While you're closer El, you're still off. I won't give exact numbers but I will say that Gareth is a lot more even than both of you give it credit for. Rather than 50/30/20 or even 40/30/30, it is fairly close, all three realms are in the 3X range. And for the record, the order you listed them in isn't even correct.

Goes to show how misleading the populations can appear ingame, you don't always see what the other realm is really doing.

Maxzius

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Originally posted by darktravesty
Just wondering what the population is like. I see it on the site, and numbers are all fine and dandy, but I want to know from the players. Is the world empty, do you see people all of the time, or something in between? Is the game dieing, like some might say, or is it still in its prime?

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The game is not dieing, but population will depend upon what server you choose to play on.

If you choose a Classic server, there will be plenty of people to adventure with at every level.
If you choose a Normal server, there most likely won't be anyone around until you reach 20th level.

I just brought a couple of friends over to DAoC and had to move to a Classic server for this reason. It would have been less fun for them to grind by themselves, this is a mmo afterall. I would have liked to show them ToA and artie raids, but I knew they probably wouldn't make it that far. (regardless if you hear otherwise, ToA is actually a good expansion with a ton of content and much to do... it's problem was it's effect on PvP).

Anyway, I would recommend starting a character on Gareth (Midgard, if you know what's good for you ) as there will be plenty of people all over the place.

Elnator

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Originally posted by Kunou

While you're closer El, you're still off. I won't give exact numbers but I will say that Gareth is a lot more even than both of you give it credit for. Rather than 50/30/20 or even 40/30/30, it is fairly close, all three realms are in the 3X range. And for the record, the order you listed them in isn't even correct.
Goes to show how misleading the populations can appear ingame, you don't always see what the other realm is really doing.

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Oh I was sure I was off and fairly strongly suspected that the balance was more "Everyone somewhere in the 30's" but didn't wanna start a huge fight .  I'm surprised that hib isn't the highest pop though they certainly seem to be the most active lately, at least in the low end areas.