Catwhoorg

The edn of Beta event.

There were 3 servers up.
The one I was on had gotten to Mercy Island 26 when I logged.


and yes you can do a search to find total numbers logged on.

It pulls up both CoH and CoV
Triumph - right now 1482 users, of which 1020 are CoV Archetypes
(so 462 on CoH)

Here is the one with Septembers numbers included.

If you poke around the Euro boards you get the occasional infomation about server load (on the English servers that is anyway).

The Europe launch has 4 servers, 2 English, one French one German. The numbers on the English speaking servers are at BEST equivalent to a US light load server, usually significantly worse.

However for the next 2 plots lets assume a server is a server is a server.

This plot is the monhtly access (# of subscribers) divided by the number of servers. This is likely one of the ways that NCSoft decies if and when to open new servers on its stable of games. (being as a server costs money to install and keep up)

From December onwards you could pretty much argue a trend line up down or static. Id call it flat with fluctuation, but make of it what you will.

Really, what we as players note isn't the subscriber number per se, but how busy the server is. Now only the peak rate is released, but Peak rate divided over the servers shows essentially a flat line since December.

It is important to take this number with a VERY big pinch of salt - there is likely to be lesser contribution (not zero but lesser) of the peak rate from the Euro Servers as the peaks will not co-incide. This graph will understate the peak load per US server since EU launch.

adds 'ally' to FSB's word

Woot more points for me!

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Yes, it is clear that some* people will leave CoH after readin this discussion

*
Some in this case being defined as being a non-negative integer value


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Isn't zero also an integer (and also non-negative)?

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yep, hence the precision in the definition.

Yes, it is clear that some* people will leave CoH after readin this discussion

*
Some in this case being defined as being a non-negative integer value

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It all comes back to Pilcrow's avatar, doesn't it?

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Always maybe if it was un-banninated we wouldn't talk about it so much.

Ok from the top Q (ie the triple letter score) - after stealing some 'Q's form the game next door

Quniquireme (alt spelling quinquareme).

that covers 3 triple word scores, and I think bumps my total into the 4 figure range.

Its a Greek galley with 5 banks of oars.

Just checked the dictionary its

Quinquagesimal, sorry for the one letter wrong.

It refers to a period of 50 days. Often used to desribe the time between Easter and Pentecost.

for some very obscure use of the word 'often' I feel.

I just pulled it from an old radio joke.

IIRC it means a 50 fold division (as in decimal is a factor of 10), but my classics are very rusty.

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Yah the day I see superheroes farming instances for uber gear is the day I join the Scrabble Tournament Championship

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Man, you make fun, but Scrabble tournies are hardcore. I've heard stories about the words they use. It's insane, seriously. I'll see if I can find the website.

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I'll take

Quinquegesimal

on a triple word score, plus the four, two and three letter words going cross ways for the win!!!

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OK yes, they've added a couple new mission types as mentioned by catwhoorg. They've added a couple new zone events. And? (don't bother saying Arena, Warburg, Siren's Call, and Bloody Bay... not interested in PvP, tried it, died everytime, not fun).

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Just because it is of no interest to you, doesn't make it not new content.

This game has (as of September) 150 000 active players, that is 150 000 different opinions on fun, and what is interesting.

Catering some areas of the game to a proportion of this playerbase is good business practice.

TF's are considered 'non-casual' freindly by some. Doesn that mean the devs should not invest time and effort in making new TF's ?

No it doesn't

What they are doing is making TF's more accessible (shorter in time) for the casual gamer.

The PvP interested people had ZERO zones before I6, now they have 3 of different feels and levels.

PvP content in this game seems to be the most 'accesible' of any current MMORPG to the non-hardcore PvP person.
Does it require different tactics and a chnage in thinking, yes it does.

Besdies, there are still over 40 PvE exclusive zones in CoH/CoV (If I counted right)

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You're a funny guy.


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thanks

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Everything a Nerf in the last 10 months?

Hyeprbole

Some big things added
Striga (maybe not sure on timing)

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Was here when I got here... looks like last November.


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That is why I was specifically saying I wasn't sure on the timing. I dont recall the exact times and dates of the issues.

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ADDED new mission types (ie escorts missions, and wave attacks)

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Yes, you got one.


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thanks

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Sleected power boosts:

Added healing to INT

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A boost followed by 6 nerfs is not a boost:
1. Lowered from 400% to 200%
2. Made only half enhanceable
3. (indirect) HO heal reduced from 50% to 33%
4. Lowered from 200% to 150%
5. Made only 1/3 enhanceable
6. (indirect) can only use 3 SOs to enhance.


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From where I started (at zero +regen in INT) it is still a boost, and I for one am glad of said boost

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threw in -regen as concepts to help AV fights

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You do realize that one worked both ways? regen scrappers were especially hurt by mobs that now do -regen also.


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Yep. I know a little about playing a regen scrapepr at the high levels. -regen is a bigger boost for us in PvE, than against us. (us being teams of course).

-regen is quite quite deadly in PvP, on more than just regen scrappers.

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Altered pool and FF defenses so they will always stack with everyones defenses in some manner.

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I consider this one a bug fix, not a boost. It was absurd that they did not stack before... all those useless bubbles being casted.


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call it what you will it was a power change, that was not a nerf.

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Personally, I know of more people who left because the game was too easy, than over the nerfs.

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Tankers were too easy. Other than that though, I don't think the game needed more than a few tweaks rather than the gutting that has happened.

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When abouve the mid 20's, most teams I would join with any charctcer, were running on invincible as the effective default setting.

Hardest setting as the default is showing that things are broken.

The broad brush of ED has caught a few powers and concepts that do need looking at (Empath Auras for one example).

On the whole the game will be IMHO better in 6 months because of ED than it is now.

Currently, it is a better (more balanced and more fun) game now than before I5 and I6.

All IMHO of course.

Maybe we should add it to Wiki and see how long it lasts.

A genuine lol here.

Everything a Nerf in the last 10 months?

Hyeprbole

Some big things added
Striga (maybe not sure on timing)

ADDED Elite bosses to some TFs (Positron, Synapse and IIRC Citadel)

ADDED Sonic Tanks to Sister Psyche

ADDED new mission types (ie escorts missions, and wave attacks)

Sleected power boosts:

Added healing to INT

added - Dam res to tar patch

threw in -regen as concepts to help AV fights

Altered pool and FF defenses so they will always stack with everyones defenses in some manner.

Added defense debuff resistanse to defense sets.

I4 and I5 patch notes listed pages of power BOOSTS

Personally, I know of more people who left because the game was too easy, than over the nerfs.

Some of them have now returned, and are enjoy the new challanges.

So my friends list becomeing ungreyed again (folks leaving WoW to come back to CoH) gives me a different perspective.

Will some of them move onto DDO or AA or something else soon ? I am sure, but it there will always be a turnover, as folks move around the MMORPG genre.

For a MMORPG to be a runaway success in the Asian Market it needs to have 2 things

1) Endgame content
2) PvP

Without ED there was no way of getting both of those in the game in any meaningful way, IMHO.

Painful, for some right now, sure

But you know in 6-12 months few will remember ED, as the player base will be mainly composed of people who have joined post I6.

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I read that but things like daily and monthly make it seem otherwise. Any company can booster its numbers to make it look better. If it was done technically it is true since they were playing but not actually subscribed. If I saw the source of the numbers might make a difference though. I have searched before without any luck.

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Go to www.NCSOFT.COM
click the english version

Top menu bar - company - go to IR (investor relations)

Side menu - IR report
Download the "3Q FY2005 Earnings Release(Consolidated)"
It is a zipped .pdf file.

Yep saw one (not sure if it was serious)

Not posting a link to it.

Yeah I think I threw my ribs on the wrong thread with the way this one has turned.

*sigh*

When are you going to come and sign books in the Southern States, States ?

yeah. I think June is a traditional seasonal peak in ALL MMORPGs in the US market, but dont have the in depth tracking that others have done.

Look at the numbers for Guild Wars though. That baby is HUGE in US/Europe 1.65 Million. That rivals WoW.
(Though of course the no fee thing helps, they can really only track the number of licences, not the number of users paying and playing).

Fantasy Stuff is a different genre, and the numbers in a niche game like CoH/Cov, heck throw in Toontwn etc.

June -04 Concurrent access was ~32 000.

From the Sept Figure to exceed that one is quite a leap. (+50%)

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I think Asia would be a good market and we should launch there. >_>

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Slated for January 06 in Korea at least.

yer 9 mins late.

3Quarter release is out

Monthly access was 150 068,

down roughly 13 000 from June. (-7.9%)

Max Concurrent users was up, daily access roughly the same.
Here and download the 3Q earnings release.

NCSoft Interactive (The NA branch) is back in the black - with positive profits. A quick scan shows Guild Wars being a Key portion of this switch around.

I'll update the graphs tomorrow and post them.

Boards ?

We get boards with this forum game thingy ?

White House ? No

It goes Deeper than that.

You cite the NCSoft site but dont use their June Numbers ?

A plot of the numbers

Number dropped aroun the lauch of WoW. Who would have thought that the most popular MMO in the world would have taken some folks from here ?

Seriously, knock WoW or not, it is the biggest (overtook LII this Summer).

I'll update the chart tomorrow with the 3rd Quarter Numbers, if I can.

EDIT

I pulled up the Lehman Brothers Report. They arr predicting sales of 250K copies of CoV in 2005 and a further 115K copies in the 1st Half of 2006. They alos comment that this forecast is believed to be conservative.

there si some fascinating reading in there about playtimes for L, L2 and WoW for example in Internet cafes etc. (Did you hear about that Guy in Kor.... (withers under Cuppa's glare))

It is an analysts report, so usual disclaimers about forward looking statements, not making investment decisiosn based upon this etc..

Interesting to read though.