Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
190,000 people are playing this game, thinking of returning?
grimboj
Member Posts: 2,102
Got your attention? Good
those stats are based on http://www.mmogchart.com/Analysis.html and are most likely innacurate.
If you are thinking of returning to the game to see its twilight now is actually a good time, hyperinflation means that vet rewards are now worth a fortune and asof pub 29 you can solo jus like pre cu
Im gonna get flamed to hell I know but Im jus appealing to the people who miss the game and dont know why they left. I have played about 30 games trying to find an SWG replacement (it was my first mmo) and its simply not possible for me and I feel like I wasting time trying up to now. There is a LOT of hatred surrounding the game but a small niche of people are holding it together, merging guilds and servers to keep it alive for the people that are trickling back. There was no pub 29 exodus, people came out of the closet to admit that they actually liked what SOE has done and vets are trickling back to enjoy the game in its twilight years. If you want a game where you can have business 3 & Master fencer then that has gone but you can now have 2 characters per server to have master architect and master jedi for example. Jedi is accessible, dungeons are soloable, loot is aplenty and all vets are rich.
SOE has made their mistakes and the final product is here, you should
have a 2 week free trial depending on how long you have been away so
come join us watching the sun set
--
Note: PlayNC will refuse to allow you access to your account if you forget your password and can't provide a scanned image of the product key for the first product you purchased..... LOL
Comments
I think they count 190k by doing clever manipulation of stats. 1. Any Account that is paid via the regular SWG fee. 2. Trial Accounts 3. The Notorious Station Pass, this could count anyone that has a station pass and has SWG "Active" does not mean they play or use the service. 4. One player owning multiple accounts.
I played the game when there was I think 500k accounts active, roughly. Let me say it was quite a different game then, and it didn't feel like a ghost town.
I don't think he's begging others to join, he's just stating it how it is.
Not sure how he's soloing instances post-pub 29 though, took a 7 man (well, 6 + 1 woman
) guild group to do HK tonight and we got hosed at the oppressor. Not that I'm complaining, it's nice to have to do some strategic planning before an instance run now 
I doubt they count trial accounts as they never have and unless they lied to sirbruce he would not even accept it.Also if they use the all acccess to count they would have higher numbers for sure (though they might have counted some of them who logs in regularly to SWG).
Also the game never ever had more then 350k at its peak about launch time.However no matter what the numbers are a farcry from what it was.
Also the game never ever had more then 350k at its peak about launch time.However no matter what the numbers are a farcry from what it was.
For some reason, Bria apears to be surprisingly busy these days. Population is biased towards US prime time, but during those hours, there's plenty of people on. While Bestine apears rather calm, Theed, coronet and eisley are active, as well as mustafar and kashyyyk. Even while traveling around you often run into people. Same goes through for other specialez hot spots, like Nyms, Kadaara, Moenia, various instances, etc.
I don't know how many are indeed uniques, but the difference from time after NGE is stunning. This is also the reason why I expressed that comparing to NGE I personally find the number 170k closer to reality than 50k
Take it as you will.
Yeah, Chilastra is doing decently too
I loaded into Bestine today and there was around 15ish people there. No idea why because it's not a hotspot for anything, not even the Legacy quest runs through it.
People that liked the CU seem to be coming back again now with pub 29...
Those numbers are wrong, and everyone knows it.
Subtracting Trial accounts & pre-paid, there are no more than 50k of subs. Even Raph thought the numbers were overestimated. Let's look at the facts, not some self-appointed counter:
By stating those numbers as accurate, all you are doing is weakening your cause with those who would be on the fence going back, simply because if they did resub they would feel lied to. I've been playing, and they game is a shell of what it was. You can compare soloing to pre-CU, but it's much worse than that.
Pre-CU I was the only one that ever soloed the entire Geo-Cave, including the Ackley, as a non-Jedi (on Gorath). Back then, people were amazed, and it was EXTREAMLY difficult to do. I had to plan, test & die MANY, MANY times. I spent 5 mil in armor alone, and a small fortune on my Hammer. It was a real accomplishment, and several tried after me, came close, but failed. We ALL had fun trying.
Now, I've grouped with 7 Ent's, noobs and Traders I've found hanging out, and gone to get them the Ackley badge. But I didn't just get them the Ackley badge...
In 30 minutes (starting in the Myd cave) I was able to:
I did all of these in less than 30 minutes, including traveling. I got a Bellbub (best fighter in the game), a cyber arm, a Bane's Heart (in demand), a Jedi Peotection Imperial looking Jacket (VERY rare), 2 Premium/3 Select pearls, some decent 3 stat stuff & junk. I sold most of it for a total of about 18 mil. All poeple in my group, although they were not combat or even on the planets, got ALL of the badges.
That was with my Elder Medic, no speed stim. I then tried it with my Elder Jedi. It was a bit more of a challenge, but I did it all in about 45 minutes (had to Cloak a few times to drop agro).
My point is that the game is boring, it's accomplishments are tainted & it's rewards and hyper-inflated. By claiming it's the same you'll only anger anyone who wants those days back, once they see how far it is from it's hieght.
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!
I don't think he's begging others to join, he's just stating it how it is.
Not sure how he's soloing instances post-pub 29 though, took a 7 man (well, 6 + 1 woman
) guild group to do HK tonight and we got hosed at the oppressor. Not that I'm complaining, it's nice to have to do some strategic planning before an instance run now 
What are you talking about? Were there even instances pre CU lol? Im talking about DWB & the dant POIs. It doesnt take 8 people to take down a kunga. Im not begging anyone to come back, the bottom line is that the negativity surrounding the game keeps people away and the game is entering its final phase, where the people left on the game are the people that want to play more than they want to whine. These people are constantly persecuted as feeding the SOE monster but the bottom line is, if you still have fun on a game why play another game thats less fun? Some large ex-swg communities are heavy segregated because pride is more important than fun.
If you dont find SWG fun thats fine but dont exaggerate the state of the game using phrases like 'nightmare' as its simply not true - the game is fine. Its not a skill point sandbox but as games go its fine and new subscribers are joining on the free trial and liking the questing & levelling but have to completely avoid the forums as any attempt to ask for help or build communities is completely quashed by the haters.
I have talked to people on many games and theyre all jus looking for the thing that pushes them back onto the SWG side of the fence, a sign that the storm is over. I think NGE has shook off the majority of the people that didnt like where the game is going and were starting to filter down a bit.
--
Note: PlayNC will refuse to allow you access to your account if you forget your password and can't provide a scanned image of the product key for the first product you purchased..... LOL
I actually said they are inaccurate. Theyre quite obviously an over exaggeration based on sonys unsurprising reluctance to reveal the true sub numbers.
--
Note: PlayNC will refuse to allow you access to your account if you forget your password and can't provide a scanned image of the product key for the first product you purchased..... LOL
But the final phaze in SWG happened in November. Only the echoes remain.
Shayde - SWG (dead)
Proud member of the Cabal.
It sounds great, so great in fact, I pitty those who canceled
I don't like it when you say things. - A Vanguard fan who does too.
09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
I actually said they are inaccurate. Theyre quite obviously an over exaggeration based on sonys unsurprising reluctance to reveal the true sub numbers.
Now if you would have added that into your statement, I wouldn't have taken issue with the numbers. But by stating in your title that those are the numbers, and by only saying they were most likely inaccurate, you're misleading readers to believe that those numbers are near accurate or could be accurate.
That said, your sig couldn't be more accurate. WORST HYPE EVER. The sad thing is that SOE helped them make a fortune by launching the NGE, hehe.
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!
There's very little that can be done afk, so people don't run afk bots anymore, except for grinding entertainer in mustafar cloner.
Many people only do instances, or some specialized looting, so they only log in for short ammounts of time. This is about subscriptions, not playtime. Playtime has dropped considerably and noticably. There just is nothing left to do for long periods of time. Even pvp when it gets momentum lasts 10 minutes tops, even if it involves 50+ people. Then people scatter, log off, go loot or something.
Just because people don't play that much, doesn't mean subscriptions are that low. 50k is impossible, it would require those people to be online 24/7 in 8 hours shifts.
Your numbers just don't work out. But then again, what do I know.
Hauken Stormchaser
I want pre-CU back
Station.com : We got your game
Yeah?, Well i want it back!!!
I don't think he's begging others to join, he's just stating it how it is.
Not sure how he's soloing instances post-pub 29 though, took a 7 man (well, 6 + 1 woman
) guild group to do HK tonight and we got hosed at the oppressor. Not that I'm complaining, it's nice to have to do some strategic planning before an instance run now 
What are you talking about? Were there even instances pre CU lol? Im talking about DWB & the dant POIs. It doesnt take 8 people to take down a kunga. Im not begging anyone to come back, the bottom line is that the negativity surrounding the game keeps people away and the game is entering its final phase, where the people left on the game are the people that want to play more than they want to whine. These people are constantly persecuted as feeding the SOE monster but the bottom line is, if you still have fun on a game why play another game thats less fun? Some large ex-swg communities are heavy segregated because pride is more important than fun.
If you dont find SWG fun thats fine but dont exaggerate the state of the game using phrases like 'nightmare' as its simply not true - the game is fine. Its not a skill point sandbox but as games go its fine and new subscribers are joining on the free trial and liking the questing & levelling but have to completely avoid the forums as any attempt to ask for help or build communities is completely quashed by the haters.
I have talked to people on many games and theyre all jus looking for the thing that pushes them back onto the SWG side of the fence, a sign that the storm is over. I think NGE has shook off the majority of the people that didnt like where the game is going and were starting to filter down a bit.
Heh, somehow I thought I read instances in there...don't ask lol. There was one instance pre-cu though: The Corevette.
Not sure, but if the rest of the reply was directed at me, I'm on your side
There's very little that can be done afk, so people don't run afk bots anymore, except for grinding entertainer in mustafar cloner.
Many people only do instances, or some specialized looting, so they only log in for short ammounts of time. This is about subscriptions, not playtime. Playtime has dropped considerably and noticably. There just is nothing left to do for long periods of time. Even pvp when it gets momentum lasts 10 minutes tops, even if it involves 50+ people. Then people scatter, log off, go loot or something.
Just because people don't play that much, doesn't mean subscriptions are that low. 50k is impossible, it would require those people to be online 24/7 in 8 hours shifts.
Your numbers just don't work out. But then again, what do I know.
Well, according to Raph's previous posts, Blizzards open discussions and previous MMORPG articles, the accepted (and general) industry estimate is that 1/3 of subscribers will be on durring peak hours. 2433 represents the average number of subs on each server durring peak hours (usually Friday & Saturday nights). If the math bothers you, sorry, but I'm no Statistition and go by what the Pro's tell me. If you feel it's an over-estimation for peak hours, then the total Subs would actually be lower.
I personally feel 50k is too high. I NEVER see more than 200 people on during peak times, and I have traveled around on a Friday night looking them. Taking is Station Pass users, year subs & trial accounts (all that don't play), the "official" number may be higher, but I doubt by much.
Raph's last post about estimating numbers was actually very revealing. The diffence with SWG is that most people don't hold on to accounts to keep them active, since they don't plan on playing again.
I know a guy who had a Station Pass but only played SWG. He had it to keep his EQ account live. He's canceled his Station Pass and picked up EQ alone, although he doesn't play and hasn't for years. I asked why and he said he may want to play again. I asked why not with SWG and he responded he doesn't want to play again, so why save it. This was the same guy who had 4 accounts Pre-CU and didn't see eliminating them until the CU hit. That's quite a turn-around for a year.
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!
Some large ex-swg communities are heavy segregated because pride is more important than fun.
There is nothing wrong if you are having fun in the game. By all means play. The statement above stuck in my craw a little. Maybe you haven't been reading these forums or the official ones but I don't think its PRIDE that's is necessarily keeping customers away. It's called being a smart consumer.
SOE has been battering their customers for a good while now. If you played EQ you will very easily relate to people who have played SWG, maybe not on the same degree but you will be able to relate. If you've been reading these forums and the official ones you will notice that a lot of people would just LOVE to be playing SWG again, but they won't. Not because of pride, but because as a smart consumer they know their financial and time investments in anything made by SOE is shaky at best. If you like the game as is now, there is nothing in SOE's past that will insure that it stays that way. Historically it has been determined that the odds are it won't. As much as people cry that an MMOG always changes or sadly quote the "Game experience may change" label on the box, what a lot of consumers feell they are really saying to SOE is "Exploit my time and money for whatever nefarious schemes you think will add a few bucks to investor pockets". Some customers will not stand for that and I say hooray for them.
I've boycotted particular restaurants for consistent bad service/food. Being an instructor for large groups of out-of-state people who when lunchtime rolls around are asking a good place to eat, I let them know. I let them know what I consider good, I let them know what I consider decent, and I damn sure let them know about places that I've had numerous bad experiences about. I always tell them that their mileage may vary and sometimes they do go try my bad experiences. It doesn't matter, the point is I exercise my right as a smart consumer everyday and pride has nothing to do with it.
By the way just in case you may not understand what the term "smart consumer" means, let me help you out. People work for their money. A person who works for their money will only have so much "disposable income". Even though the term "disposable income" suggests money that can be thrown away, it is not infinite. A smart consumer knows this and although they may make bad purchasing decisions they strive to not make the same ones twice. They also feel an obligation to let others know about their bad purchasing decisions not out of pride, but to say "Hey they burned me, you better watch out". To me it seems, those only acting out of pride are those who endure a painful experience because they don't want to let others know that they have basically wasted their time/money. Or worse yet, the don't let others know because they want someone to be in the same boat they are in so they don't feel as stupid. I will concede though that there are those who honestly feel like they are getting their moneys worth and would like to see others do the same.
As far as SWG goes. People have been burned, they've been burned bad. Their time/money investment has been thrown out with the dishwater. What you people that are still playing have to understand is that these people are going to let others know they were burned. They are going to do it for a long time and there is nothing you can say or do about it. Just like they can't tell you NOT to play SWG. From here on it it's a battle for both sides.
Now my personal feeling about SWG is that it is a bad time/money investment. Not only is the gameplay not stable, but in my opinion the company behind it is even less stable. Which is sad considering the size of it. Bizarre and drastic changes to gameplay and a high personnel turnover rate even for the volatile world of gaming companies, not to mention the corporate arrogance in regards to the playerbase. I feel my time/money and the time/money of my friends, colleagues, and anyone that asks would be better served elsewhere.
Now if I totally mis-understood your pride statement I apologize and if not I hope you understand a little better.
I don't think anyone is stupid enough to leave a game out of peer preassure. They leave because they are not having fun anymore, they feel cheated, they don't like the direction of the game or simply found a game they liked more... But to say that is belittling their reasons and pretty insulting.
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
1. You can *Never* regain that '1st MMORPG' experience, for good or bad, ever again. Don't bother even trying.
2. SWG 'subscriber' counts are just plain bogus. A better way to calculate total real subs is to count the max players on a server at any one time and multiply by 4. (EVE excepted, of course). At a stretch, maybe by 6 or 8, but only if they are running the newest hardware with Solid State Ram Drives.
3. Don't know why folks cannot just accept the fact that SWG is done for and move on. Read the latest opinion piece here on MMORPG for a good idea on why SWG=Dead.
Good Luck, and Good Hunting
Well, according to Raph's previous posts, Blizzards open discussions and previous MMORPG articles, the accepted (and general) industry estimate is that 1/3 of subscribers will be on durring peak hours. 2433 represents the average number of subs on each server durring peak hours (usually Friday & Saturday nights). If the math bothers you, sorry, but I'm no Statistition and go by what the Pro's tell me. If you feel it's an over-estimation for peak hours, then the total Subs would actually be lower.
Yes, it bothers me. The numbers sample that was posted then showed 11k people online. So 30K? Then the number quoted for EQ were 20%. Some other games report 10%.And if you reduce the peak login percentage, the total subs only gets higher.
I doubt they count trial accounts as they never have and unless they lied to sirbruce he would not even accept it.Also if they use the all acccess to count they would have higher numbers for sure (though they might have counted some of them who logs in regularly to SWG).
Also the game never ever had more then 350k at its peak about launch time.However no matter what the numbers are a farcry from what it was.
Careful: Sirbruce lists SWG's accuracy as a C. He states that he inferrs SWG's numbers based on some vague statements about how large it is in comparison to other games. Based on those comparisons it could be anywhere between 40k subs and 500k subs. I suspect he just guessed at a number somewhere in the middle to get the figure 190k subscriptions. While I am more than willing to use SirBruce's numbers on anything he rates B or higher I generally don't put much stock in accuracy ratings of C or lower. They're just educated guesses.
Personally my guess is that SWG is closer to 120k actual subscribers with around 40k active players.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Check-Yo-Self befoe U Wreck-Yo-Self!
*Remember: It's a race to kill all of these things, it starts from the first entrence into the instance to attack NK.
I started the clock when I entered NK's instance, that's why I started there. 3 minutes to kill him (I pull him and leave the lackys), use the stone instead of waiting to be kicked, travel to Yavin Labor, 1 minute. I takes 2 minutes to drive to the cave, and if all the doors are still active for you, it takes a minute to run down there. 2 minutes to kill the Ackley (if that), die, clone & droid, one minute at most. Fly to Bestine and shuttle to Mos Krayt (our town right outside the GY), 1 minuteThere's a third spawn near the town I shuttle to. We're at 10 minutes. Kill each Dragon, 1.5 minutes each to 2 minutes (I leave out a bike, after all it was a race), so leats say we're up to 20 minutes. Die, clone, droid & fly, 1 minute. Land at Science and shoot to the NS cave, 3 minutes. 2 minutes per NS Elder, the henches go down fast on the side.
Now, this was before "Chapter 1", but I've done all of those things since (it's all I do, I supply my friends with cash & Jedi goods) and they are about the same. I just got done killing NK with my Elder (I use him and leave him in the cave since FR is awesome for that trip down to him). I took about 3 minutes to pull & kill him with my Elder.
Try it Obi, you're a medic. Get all you ducks lined up and run it. Having done the Geo cave so much, my doors were still active and that saved a TON of time, but if you keep the codes on the side it should be fast if you only open up the 5 doors you're required to.
Start out killing 2 Ancients (they're easy to pull quickly, I was lucky there was a third, and I got the Grands because you can get them stuck on the rocks, but that's not garunteed) and shoot straight to the Science OP. If you have a JP or BARC you should make it to the cave (or Stonghold & cave, the SH are easy to kill) in no time. Remember, NS Elders and 82's, they go down like Butta.
Tell me what time you get. Heck, I'll even try it again with my Medic to give you a Post-C1 report, but I doubt it will be much different, although killing the Ackley with my Elder Jedi should be a LOT harder (he seems tougher for some reason).
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!
/hijack
BEST AVATAR EVER
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!