how many active players are there? server status looks low....

docminus

i am downloading the trial atm, and i noticed (on the eu site) that the status of server gives numbers such as 200+ players one, or up to 500 at the most on another server.
that is not a lot.... is it worth playing then at all? sure, a free trial can never hurt, but is it worth staying then?

Syri

I think that, even at EU prime time, there are more people playing on the usa servers at the moment, especially if you're going for the classic servers. a lot of people have left, so levelling is a bit empty, but i believe the rvr side is still active, just might be a bit lonely getting to it at times.

nynniva

Even on the US servers, unless you're going to play on the one highly populated classic server, you can really level all the way to 50 without seeing more than a handful of other people. I played on Merlin & then on Lancelot, and from time to time I'd see another person but really it was rare. Which is a shame I think, because this game was really great in its day.

WSIMike

I'm on a 'classic' US server (forget the name) that has consistantly (when I'm on) around 1300-1700 people on. I'm on a new character and around Mag Mell there are constantly others running all around.. I see people riding by on horses, etc. Plenty of chatter in the chat channels, etc.

Don't know what it's like elsewhere, but it's fine from my point-of-view.

docminus

too bad - game seems quite nice so far, but as empty as it is, i can just as well play an offline game
maybe i'll try the us version when i get a chance.

Jetrpg

Yeah do, with the US servers you can go to anyserver on them (your character can move freely between servers and there is most often one or two servers that have good population. I leveled non stop with groups in one of them... classics are great too its really the same as regular but w/o toa , i personally liek toa so... but its fun to play on them).

Currently i find it easy to get groups , however, not on the last trial i know of becuase it did not include catacombs which ment you coudl not task dungeon. This is the primary form of leveling currently.

Good startign classes are  (in order):

Midgard- Valks,  Skald, bonedancer, Thanes
Hibernia- Vampiirs, mentalist, wardens(i hate these tho my first 50 too).
Albion- Friars, Heritics, sorcs, reavers, mintrels.

For all sides the primary healers also get groups the easiest.
Mid- Healer (shamans get grousp well also, buffer class). Valks also are ok healers for small groups stuff.
Hib- druids, bards get grousp aslo chanter/buffer/healer
Alb- clerics, friars can gets groups but they are more of a fighter class then ehalign , heritics also.

I am not currently playign just becuase i did so for four years and need a break.

docminus

download the us version now....
kindof sad the whole thing though, isn't it.
no matter what you think about wow, how it is has change the mmo world, how it has attracted non-players, etc., it did ruin it for many other games (although it perhaps only accelarated a trend due to flaws in some mmos?). dunno.

InTheGenes

---

Originally posted by docminus
kindof sad the whole thing though, isn't it.
no matter what you think about wow, how it is has change the mmo world, how it has attracted non-players, etc., it did ruin it for many other games (although it perhaps only accelarated a trend due to flaws in some mmos?). dunno.

---

I used to feel that way.  But lately, I think I've come to appreciate the fact that WoW also brought a lot of people to MMOs that previously had had no exposure whatsoever.

Eventually, some of those folks (certainly not all) will want something more, or something else... and with enough research (and marketing on the part of all the other games), a good chunk of those folks stand to find themselves trying new games (like yourself?).

So... whatever you might think of the megabeast that is the World of Warcraft... I think there are also some benefits to having it around. :-)  And besides, there's always going to be one game out there that serves as a benchmark for all other games.  The trick,  of course, is (if you're a gaming company) to find your own success without losing your own sense of individuality.

Anyway, that's my $0.02.

JulianDracos

---

Originally posted by InTheGenes
Originally posted by docminus
kindof sad the whole thing though, isn't it.
no
matter what you think about wow, how it is has change the mmo world,
how it has attracted non-players, etc., it did ruin it for many other
games (although it perhaps only accelarated a trend due to flaws in
some mmos?). dunno.

I used to feel
that way.  But lately, I think I've come to appreciate the fact
that WoW also brought a lot of people to MMOs that previously had had
no exposure whatsoever.

Eventually, some of those folks
(certainly not all) will want something more, or something else... and
with enough research (and marketing on the part of all the other
games), a good chunk of those folks stand to find themselves trying new
games (like yourself?).

So... whatever you might think of the
megabeast that is the World of Warcraft... I think there are also some
benefits to having it around. :-)  And besides, there's always
going to be one game out there that serves as a benchmark for all other
games.  The trick,  of course, is (if you're a gaming
company) to find your own success without losing your own sense of
individuality.

Anyway, that's my $0.02.

---

WoW
did bring in a lot of non mmorpg players.  There is no reason to
assume that all of those are going to move on to another game, but
certainly many will.  The problem is twofold for other mmorpgs -
the loss of 1/3 of their playerbase and the those leaving WoW will most
likely leave for the "next big game."



There are people that leave WoW for DAOC.  Most of those I have
heard about prefer DAOC.  But, DAOC is not going to get a massive
benefit from WoW.  WoW hurt DAOC and other games more than it
could ever help them.  With EA's money, and perhaps some risky
decisions, DAOC could go on the offensive and try to get a larger piece
of the WoW pie, but it is too risky and the chances of payoff are
minimal.



What WoW does, however, is allow for a larger auidence to be expoused
to mmorpgs.  Then, when all of their friends start leaving for
another game, then they will follow.  Any gainers of this will be
like WAR.  Then again this is double edged.  While WoW
brought in many more non-gamers and those players might play a new game
coming out, that game will need to compete and its success will be
compared to WoW. 



In order for WoW to have an overall positive impact on the industry,
what needs to happen is 2-4 quality games coming out over a period of
18-24 months.  WoW also needs to do something to piss off its
subscriber base so that many people will want to go play something else
(normal player fatigued I do not think will be enough).  As WoW
looses subscribers those subscribers will go fill up other games. 
Essentially, only with a substantial loss of WoW players that are
absorbed by other games can the WoW affect be seen as positive for the
genre. 

docminus

ah, Julian, you described it perfectly, that's what I tried to say, but didn't express too well, I guess.