I have to say, I don't really care what SE, EA, Blizzard, or anyone else says; you don't shoot for a 41.3% retention rate after your first month.
Is 600k a healthy player base? Absolutely. Many long-term MMORPGs would kill for that kind of number.
Just not after their first month of billed subscriptions.
If this feat was accomplished in say, March, 6 months later, alright then; that's a good, healthy number. But if less than half of the people who purchased the game are interested in it a mere 30 days after playing it, then it speaks loudly to the what your game has to offer (or in the case of FFXIV, doesn't offer).
I would suspect the numbers for this month will be even lower, and by December, possibly even halved,
What? As pointed out before, that's 7% higher then average retention. Not to mention I still on occasion get (short) login queues on my server (Malboro) during peak hours.
Between the official numbers, anecdotal evidence from current players, and Squeenix's extremely positive outlook, all indications are that the game is doing well, and will continue to do so (so long as content is added on a regular basis).
You and the rest of the negativity vampires on this site can sit here and predict doom and gloom all you want; that (fortunately) won't affect the game's success in the slightest.
I find it hilarious that so many people here are obviously bothered because a themepark game is doing well & being enjoyed.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
Just to point out that it's not just western players that dislike what they did with this game, JP players don't seem to be that happy with FFXIV ARR either.
Are these JP players that bought the game all trolls? Use google translate if you want to read the complaints, they are pretty much complaining about the same kind of things that are posted on this forum.
Just to point out that it's not just western players that dislike what they did with this game, JP players don't seem to be that happy with FFXIV ARR either.
Are these JP players that bought the game all trolls? Use google translate if you want to read the complaints, they are pretty much complaining about the same kind of things that are posted on this forum.
Yeah, 1/5 is pretty much a perfect representation of the game. No hyperbole, no trolling, just straight up distilled truthbombs:
FFXIV:ARR is worth a 1/5 review score. As an MMO, as a video game, as an entertainment product. For the price range.
Using LOL is like saying "my argument sucks but I still want to disagree".
Originally posted by TakooSo the big question is. Will there be enough White Knights playing this game in 3-6 months from now?
To you maybe.
So many people, who call themselves "gamers / MMO'ers / Mmorpgr's" love to try and spin anything even remotely positive in a game and trun it into a negative. Why ?
Here are some numbers from the Devs, yet they are spun around by so called MMO fans.
Personaly I won't ever see / meet or play with almost any of the current 600k players. The game could have 100, 100k, 600k or 6,000,000. Makes no difference.
They do not affect me or my gaming. I could care less if there were only 100 people subbing as long as the developers are happy that the game remains profitable and keeps turning out updates as promised. That the developers beleive the game is worth supporting is what matters. Not what some burned out MMO hack believes.
I don't care if the game does not please the majority or is not the largest record breaking game in existance - it pleases me, I'll play it and enjoy the time I choose to spend in it.
I'm not 'White Knighting' nor bashing just because it's the in thing to do. I'll support a game, point out short comings and expect bug fixes, in the meantime I'll play because I enjoy it. Not because you may or may not like the game and certainly not based off any 'numbers or stats' that really have no relevence to my enjoyment.
I really wish MMORPG had an 'Upvote' System as I would so give you a thumbs up for this.
As an FFXIV and FFXI player, I wholly agree, I play the game because I enjoy it, yes I am still yet to hit 50 on a single toon since 1.0 launch and doing Legacy to here, Personal reasons prevent me from rushing through the content, but I enjoy playing the game and that is what counts
In 6 months this game will be dead, there's just not enough soul to it. It's a decent game, I enjoyed my first free month, but it's another one for the pile.
Just to point out that it's not just western players that dislike what they did with this game, JP players don't seem to be that happy with FFXIV ARR either.
Are these JP players that bought the game all trolls? Use google translate if you want to read the complaints, they are pretty much complaining about the same kind of things that are posted on this forum.
Yeah, 1/5 is pretty much a perfect representation of the game. No hyperbole, no trolling, just straight up distilled truthbombs:
FFXIV:ARR is worth a 1/5 review score. As an MMO, as a video game, as an entertainment product.
Looking at the UK figure I had to laugh, read the 1 star review and lets break them down shall we...(esp as only 2 of them)
First review... placed 25 September , gave 1 star and according to the negative reasons this was due to server issues...
second review.. Placed 1st September...
Since buying this game it has been unusable - first error messages for server full were given and kick you from login, and now the server list is not even downloaded. Worst MMORPG experience I have ever had !. AVOID
yeah.. ok Amazon star rating really tells it as it is
An MMO is a long term hobby, not something you're done with in less than a month.
I liked the game for a short while but was totally done with it before subs even kicked in (which is something unheard of to me on any mmo I've played), as such yes it deserves a 1/5 to many people if marked as an mmo. This isn't crysis or something where pretty graphics and a few weeks entertainment is enough, it's an mmo and it's failing on the core concept of that.
So yes 1/5 is justified, and a heck of a lot of those reviews giving 1/5 are on core concepts of the game not server issues.
The thing that this proves most of all is that no the JP core won't carry the game no matter what happens in the west, they are seeing the game exactly the same as we are seeing it here, poor.
SE FAnboys (myself included) are loyal. FFXI didn't see a big dip or jump in numbers for 10 years.
That's because it wasn't a story/dev content driven game like FFXIV is. Not to mention, FFXIV already released once, and burned. Where was that loyalty then?
It's 100x a better product. When 1.0 failed, SE apologized, made the game free for 1 year, provided rewards for those taht stayed (Legacy) and reducted the subscription price for those that stayed with the game knowing it was broken.
Loyalty comes in when you see what YoshiP has done and the devotion he's shown to the fands and the IP. FFXIV is a VERY good quality product with it's Meta score above 80%. It used to be 40 something meta score from agregate reviews. AT it's lowest point, 1.0 had 30k players. YoshiP, during a live letter said he was able to TRIPLE that number from when he took over to when 1.0 went down in anticipation of ARR release.
SE has earned the loyalty aspect. Plenty of people hate this game or don't care much for it. I'm willing to bet, pretty comfortably, there are 500k people around the world (we're not even including China where this game is scheduled to e released) that like this game AS IS and will be staying for the long haul.
So wait, you're contradicting yourself here.
First you respond to someone else regarding long-term retention rates by citing that SE fanboys are loyal, and use FFXI as an example of people who stuck with one of their MMOs for years.***
Then, when questioned on where that Fanboy loyalty was with XIV's first release, you change your stance to say "well the loyalty was earned by the better second release", which basically undermines your first assertion, that the loyalty is there in the first place.
So, in other words, there is no Fanboy loyalty to SE at work here. It's just people refusing to buy/play/support a crappy game, but being willing to buy/play/support a better/less crappy one.
You're loyal... as long as you like the game. That's not "fanboy loyalty". That's conditional patronage.
So, in other words, at least per your explanation, "SE Fanboy loyalty" doesn't exist.
*** - Of course, it doesn't necessarily follow that because FFXI maintained a loyal playerbase all those years, that ARR will as well. That's a flawed assumption to make. Different game, different times, different expectations and players. Attention spans are far shorter and there's far too many new "shinies" always looming on the horizon. Also, ARR does far less to stand out from the crowd these days, than FFXI did in its time. It remains to be seen what ARR's keeping power will be.
Originally posted by Hyanmen Actually, it is very much possible to say what this means.
It means that FFXIV:ARR is doing a lot better than it's past competitors. You can try to analyse the reasons but they all lead to one conclusion: FFXIV:ARR is doing better than the rest of them.
No you can't~. The market is different so the numbers are meaningless. This is statistics 101. It is like trying to compare baseball players. You have to use a method that puts their stats into context when you compare players from different eras (markets) or the numbers just have no meaning at all.
I have to say, I don't really care what SE, EA, Blizzard, or anyone else says; you don't shoot for a 41.3% retention rate after your first month.
Is 600k a healthy player base? Absolutely. Many long-term MMORPGs would kill for that kind of number.
Just not after their first month of billed subscriptions.
If this feat was accomplished in say, March, 6 months later, alright then; that's a good, healthy number. But if less than half of the people who purchased the game are interested in it a mere 30 days after playing it, then it speaks loudly to the what your game has to offer (or in the case of FFXIV, doesn't offer).
I would suspect the numbers for this month will be even lower, and by December, possibly even halved,
What? As pointed out before, that's 7% higher then average retention. Not to mention I still on occasion get (short) login queues on my server (Malboro) during peak hours.
Between the official numbers, anecdotal evidence from current players, and Squeenix's extremely positive outlook, all indications are that the game is doing well, and will continue to do so (so long as content is added on a regular basis).
You and the rest of the negativity vampires on this site can sit here and predict doom and gloom all you want; that (fortunately) won't affect the game's success in the slightest.
I find it hilarious that so many people here are obviously bothered because a themepark game is doing well & being enjoyed.
It's not a case of negativity; you don't shoot for a 41% retention rate. Not after the first month. You know why? Because that number only decreases, not increases. After 3 months, that's the majority of the box sales you're getting (until the PS4 release, or a first released expansion)
Think of 1,450,000 as your ceiling/glass (abstract, not absolute); whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, that glass is over half empty or less than half full after 1 cycle of billing. That is going to shrink; basic business there.
Like I said, after a few months, 600k is amazing. After 1 month, 600k is awful! Sub model games depend on continuous interest and subscribers... apparently, over half the players aren't interested in subscribing.
Waiting for something fresh to arrive on the MMO scene...
Comments
What? As pointed out before, that's 7% higher then average retention. Not to mention I still on occasion get (short) login queues on my server (Malboro) during peak hours.
Between the official numbers, anecdotal evidence from current players, and Squeenix's extremely positive outlook, all indications are that the game is doing well, and will continue to do so (so long as content is added on a regular basis).
You and the rest of the negativity vampires on this site can sit here and predict doom and gloom all you want; that (fortunately) won't affect the game's success in the slightest.
I find it hilarious that so many people here are obviously bothered because a themepark game is doing well & being enjoyed.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
Just to point out that it's not just western players that dislike what they did with this game, JP players don't seem to be that happy with FFXIV ARR either.
Amazon.co.jp review scores:
PC
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00E3OR7WI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384004030&sr=8-2
5/5 score. 44
4/5 score. 30
3/5 score. 27
2/5 score. 32
1/5 score. 150
You can link to the PS3 version from there,
5/5 score. 66
4/5 score. 70
3/5 score. 42
2/5 score. 58
1/5 score. 271
Are these JP players that bought the game all trolls? Use google translate if you want to read the complaints, they are pretty much complaining about the same kind of things that are posted on this forum.
Yeah, 1/5 is pretty much a perfect representation of the game. No hyperbole, no trolling, just straight up distilled truthbombs:
FFXIV:ARR is worth a 1/5 review score. As an MMO, as a video game, as an entertainment product. For the price range.
I really wish MMORPG had an 'Upvote' System as I would so give you a thumbs up for this.
As an FFXIV and FFXI player, I wholly agree, I play the game because I enjoy it, yes I am still yet to hit 50 on a single toon since 1.0 launch and doing Legacy to here, Personal reasons prevent me from rushing through the content, but I enjoy playing the game and that is what counts
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Norsefire-logo.png
Killing dragons is my shit
Looking at the UK figure I had to laugh, read the 1 star review and lets break them down shall we...(esp as only 2 of them)
First review... placed 25 September , gave 1 star and according to the negative reasons this was due to server issues...
second review.. Placed 1st September...
Since buying this game it has been unusable - first error messages for server full were given and kick you from login, and now the server list is not even downloaded. Worst MMORPG experience I have ever had !. AVOID
yeah.. ok Amazon star rating really tells it as it is
/Sarcasm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Norsefire-logo.png
An MMO is a long term hobby, not something you're done with in less than a month.
I liked the game for a short while but was totally done with it before subs even kicked in (which is something unheard of to me on any mmo I've played), as such yes it deserves a 1/5 to many people if marked as an mmo. This isn't crysis or something where pretty graphics and a few weeks entertainment is enough, it's an mmo and it's failing on the core concept of that.
So yes 1/5 is justified, and a heck of a lot of those reviews giving 1/5 are on core concepts of the game not server issues.
The thing that this proves most of all is that no the JP core won't carry the game no matter what happens in the west, they are seeing the game exactly the same as we are seeing it here, poor.
So wait, you're contradicting yourself here.
First you respond to someone else regarding long-term retention rates by citing that SE fanboys are loyal, and use FFXI as an example of people who stuck with one of their MMOs for years.***
Then, when questioned on where that Fanboy loyalty was with XIV's first release, you change your stance to say "well the loyalty was earned by the better second release", which basically undermines your first assertion, that the loyalty is there in the first place.
So, in other words, there is no Fanboy loyalty to SE at work here. It's just people refusing to buy/play/support a crappy game, but being willing to buy/play/support a better/less crappy one.
You're loyal... as long as you like the game. That's not "fanboy loyalty". That's conditional patronage.
So, in other words, at least per your explanation, "SE Fanboy loyalty" doesn't exist.
*** - Of course, it doesn't necessarily follow that because FFXI maintained a loyal playerbase all those years, that ARR will as well. That's a flawed assumption to make. Different game, different times, different expectations and players. Attention spans are far shorter and there's far too many new "shinies" always looming on the horizon. Also, ARR does far less to stand out from the crowd these days, than FFXI did in its time. It remains to be seen what ARR's keeping power will be.
lol making it sound like the game deserves 1/5 if it doesn't do what no video game has ever done aside from excessive grinding.
[mod edit]
No you can't~. The market is different so the numbers are meaningless. This is statistics 101. It is like trying to compare baseball players. You have to use a method that puts their stats into context when you compare players from different eras (markets) or the numbers just have no meaning at all.
It's not a case of negativity; you don't shoot for a 41% retention rate. Not after the first month. You know why? Because that number only decreases, not increases. After 3 months, that's the majority of the box sales you're getting (until the PS4 release, or a first released expansion)
Think of 1,450,000 as your ceiling/glass (abstract, not absolute); whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, that glass is over half empty or less than half full after 1 cycle of billing. That is going to shrink; basic business there.
Like I said, after a few months, 600k is amazing. After 1 month, 600k is awful! Sub model games depend on continuous interest and subscribers... apparently, over half the players aren't interested in subscribing.
Waiting for something fresh to arrive on the MMO scene...