Base player size - What motivate them.

[Nalrach]

Tulga never wanted to say how many players are realy in the game. But if you look at the buttom of the forum listing you see .. "" 4,456users have contributed to 69,629threads and 130,774posts."" I know this is since the beginning and many have left or the fact that many players don't bother with the forums. Let say that only 30% of people do read the forums, so that make the HZ population around 10-15k a small size compare to the large player (AC, EQ & WoW). But if you consider "DarkAndLigth" a game that apparently the Beta was attocious, has just enter their last phase of testin "Settlers Of Ganareth" and the 10,000 available keys were gone in 1 min 20 sec. Apparently they had 250,00 on the potential subscriber list.

So what we can say for the HZ base player in this second aniversary. What quality or what reason(s) can we say keeps them in the game and still after all the difficulties that Tulga has to revive and place the game on a new true path, what can we say about the current base players. Because the game still has many issues, and not many exciting feature for saling to get new players to join the player base.

What would you say to someone to come to HZ?

[Nalrach]

Kumu you missed my point and question entirely.

With all the game been popular and the new one getting such a draw ... What really makes player base (as small as it is) stick with Horizon, because lets not go blind, we always ********** about this or that. So why are we staing? And what can we say to someone to come to play HZ?

Because, I can really define why I stay, and I have no strong sale point's to convince someone from buing the game.

[Levity]

This has been asked before, and the overwhelming response is always "Community."

This game has a lot to do, and the people you do it with are good folk. I follow a WoW forum, and the Dark and Light/Settlers of Ganereth pages, and the trolling and flames are atrocious. HZ people are just plain nicer and more mature. In game, we help each other, we cheer each other's wins, we help each other recover from losses.

Sure, we have some tensions and rivalries, as is inevitable. Still, what we consider intolerably rude wouldn't even raise an eyebrow on the other forums. That could be due to the self-filtering process that keeps PvP mentalities away, since there is no PvP, just a horrid undead foe that one day will menace us a lot. Really. Any day now.

The game itself offers incredible flexibility (for bipeds). My only reason for having extra accounts is to hold more plots, I can do most anything I want within my five character limit. I get a lot of control over what I do, and can switch off as it gets to feel like a grind. Build lots, learn lairshaping, go hunting, hang out and chat with people, craft tools and weapons for those in need, it's very easy to move around between activities. This is what is called "casual gaming," I believe.

Also, there is excellent communication from above, we all know who the devs and reps are and can chat with them, josh with them, even trash talk them a la Warsong :). This is a very friendly game.

It really comes down to the people here. You guys are all fantastic. Community Community Community!

-Levity Merrel

[Raeshlavik]

With all the game been popular and the new one getting such a draw ... What really makes player base (as small as it is) stick with Horizon, because lets not go blind, we always ********** about this or that. So why are we staing? And what can we say to someone to come to play HZ?

Because, I can really define why I stay, and I have no strong sale point's to convince someone from buing the game.

For me it's the people really. No other MMO (and I have a -few- under my belt at this point) has such a fantastic, high qualityuser base. For me personallyitboils downto not being a PvP battleground 24/7 and the fact that I really can make a mark on the world... And, well, Horizons has dragons. [:D]

Overall I'd have to say Horizons players are a more mature lot.

For an example: Log into Horizons and just watch a few chat channels for a bit. Now, log into WoW and hang out in the Crossroads for a few minutes... My point about player quality should now be self evident. (chuckle)

[Raeshlavik]

Beta numbers are WORTHLESS.

Dragonshard, the RTS that I tested had 2500 beta keys.

Yet there were only 8 people that were ever online. Even once. Some people get a beta key, log in, notice that it will not be anything like they want, and simply stop testing.

I did that for DDO. I got accepted, logged in. Played for a week, reported what I found, deleted the beta.

If I have absolutly no desire to play the game, I have no desire to test it.

I did exactly the same thing... I got into the DDO beta, wandered about amidst the rest of the clueless, did a sample quest, logged out and deleted it.

All I posted in the forums was: "The AD&D concept just doesn't make for a good twitch game." and left it at that.

But, it's a Turbine game... After Asheron's Call I'm afraid I just can't take them seriously. [:D]

[Spexx]

I'm new to HZ and have been playing a little over a month. I've played many other games including TSO, THERE, Second Life, SWG, AO, WoWand EQ2.

I found HZ on MMORPG.COM while searching for a new game after running away as fast as I could from SOE and EQ2. While EQ2 is a great game, it's FULL of bugs, the community is huge and also quite cold, the developers don't listen to the community and the attitude and lack of action from SOE's customer service department (do they even have one?) made me vow never to install another game by SoE on my computer again. No matter how good a game is, my vote is based on the company that runs it and the community that plays it.

With HZ, I really didn't know what to expect other than I read it had a wonderful community... and my goodness! Were they ever right! I have never seen such a helpful and welcoming community as Horizon's. I quickly became a member of an incredible guild and have been having a great time playing ever since.

As I posted on mmorpg.com just this morning.. Horizon's may not have the latest graphics engine, the best content or the most bug-free game, but the incredible community makes me look forward to logging in to the game as much as I possibly can.

That's what I've told many people that I've played with online over the years.. and there are now a handful of my friends running around in the game feeling the same way I do.

See you all in game... and Happy Holidays!

[C`gan]

I'll answer as well: the ability to make a difference in the world.

How many other games out there can you point to something in the community or world, something your character doesn't own, and say "I helped build that"?

How many other games allow you to own your own land and make decisions on what you want to put there besides houses?

How many other games allow you to decide whether you want to build it all yourself or pay others to build for you?

The community does indeed make a difference. When someone is out questing, help can be requested at any point without worry of failing the quest. New and returning players find out all too often that they can and will get help for the asking. Though the landscape may be sparse (supposedly) of characters, all one has to do is join the chat channels to find the riches of the community that Horizons has to offer.

[Goriax]

I play because I can do things I can't do anywhere else:

1. Build stuff which is part of the world. Not an instance. It's even there when I'm logged off. Now of course, as a dragon, I can build a lair of my OWN design -- not of some game designer -- which will exist even when I'm logged off.
2. Play a DRAGON
3. Solo.
4. Not have to spend mega hours every week camping crap and playing to end up with a good character. I.e. you can have a good character, a job and family at the same time.

I suppose UO still offers (1) if you can find a plot (I'm not playing it). There's a few games which offer (3) although often it's in a gimped state to some degree (EQ2 is in that category). Some probably offer (4) although offhand I can't name any. Nobody else offers (2). Even when ToA comes out as far as I'm concerned only HZwill still(2). ToA will just give people who want to play dragonsthe chance to let bullies from all over the world make them miserable for their enjoyment.

Community depends a lot on circumstances. The best community I've had in any MMORPG was when I was playing EQ1. For awhile it carried over to EQ2 until the others quit. If you're in with a good bunch of friends all is cool, of course if those friends quit and nobody will talk to you you might as well quit too because there's nothing you can do.

HZ doesn't need hundreds of thousands of subscriptions to continue. I remember seeing DB mention they could do quite nicely and turn a small profit with I think he said 20K. When you've only got a dozen staff and three servers you just don't need the megabucks youneed with 200 staff and 50 servers. Other MMORPGs also have a relatively small number of subscribers compared to the big guys. There's a LOT more MMORPGs out there then just WoW and EQ2. Many of them only have a few thousand subscribers.

[ForHeavensSake]

This game offers a wide variety of lore, customisation, community and can appeal to all ages. The opening character creation means you can spend hours simply designing your dragon or bi-ped, from facial features to scale colours and markings.
The crafting in this game exceeds any I have played before, if you dont feel like working on your own plot, then there was the chance to help rebuild damaged bridges, artifacts or even the rebuild and reclamation of Feladan. Creating cool new looking dyed armour or the introduction of tool colours means even more appeal.
Community values far exceed it as well. A young player can join and is instantly welcomed, offered ideas on how to play their toon either in crafting or adventure and never has to worry about being killed by a pvp and have all their items removed, giving them the chance to explore and learn not only about the game but themselves as well.
There are plenty of games that offer PVP to those wishing for PVP , but Horizons has the community and the chance to play as dragon or bi-ped either solo or in a group (although personally I have noticed a decline in group hunts which is sad) and it is the friendship base I have formed that keeps me coming back day after day

[Snowdonia Honeythorn]

A friend of mine I made in CoH is trying the 14 day trial as we speak by no prompting by myself. I told him about HZ and pointed him to the community page cuz he'd never heard of it. He woulda bought the CD but couldn't find it in any stores.

But I kinda refuse to delusion anyone into playing HZ. Yes, the community is great. Yes, the crafting is top notch. Yes, it's excellent (in my opinion) that you aren't stuck into a role. But with all it's problems and the slow process it is going to take to get it all sorted out, I can't justify to myself trying to get someone else to play.

If they choose to do so on their own like my friend mentioned above, cool. I hope they enjoy it and have little issue with it. But for the time being, I just can't bring myself to talking it up and recruiting people for it.

[AA0]

I'm right now in the same boat as Snowdonia.. I know people who are looking for a new mmorpg, I don't say a thing about hz, its not ready to come out of beta..

[Vizharan]

I generally recommend people to the 14 day free trial. They may or may not like the game, thats for them to decide. I at least like to give them the chance to try it out on their own. And if they dont like it, cancle, no harm done. Maybe they'll come back in a few months, years, whatever and decide they like the changes etc. And this time around they'll have at least a little background knowledge.

[Goriax]

I'll recommend HZ given a reasonable opening. If someone wants to talk about how much they like this or that MMORPG, I'll mention the MMORPG I'm playing. But I'm always up front about it's problems and mention the free trial.

[Finduilas]

Tulga never wanted to say how many players are realy in the game. But if you look at the buttom of the forum listing you see .. "" 4,456users have contributed to 69,629threads and 130,774posts."" I know this is since the beginning and many have left or the fact that many players don't bother with the forums. Let say that only 30% of people do read the forums, so that make the HZ population around 10-15k

Huh? How did you come up with that inflated figure. 4,456 X 3?

4,456 (actually now 4,492) is the TOTAL number of people that have posted, in the last 13-14 months. If ALL of them still subscribe, AND they represent 30% of the player base, you'd get your 15k. But I supsect that the VAST majority of that TOTAL no longer plays.

Getting accurate figures is not easy but there are 2 better methods than the one you used.

1. Monitor the number of active users on these forums, over a time span (certain times of day and over weekly period), put the names into a database/excel spreadsheet to avoid duplicates, and assume that registered users are currently playing, and paying, and multiply THAT figure by 3. Not really accurate, since some users may still come to the forums, but have stopped subbing, and some visit as guests, because they play, but don't want to register. However, you'll still be closer to the mark than your above guess.

2. Or do a server census, of active players, on the 2 US servers, and have someone check Unity, then extrapolate from there, accounting for invisibles players, and subs they may be active, but not used for whatever reason.

My guess would be 250 on Order, 1000 on Chaos, 250 on Unity. I hear many have quit Unity so may be less.

[Finduilas]

But if you consider "DarkAndLigth" a game that apparently the Beta was attocious, has just enter their last phase of testin "Settlers Of Ganareth" and the 10,000 available keys were gone in 1 min 20 sec. Apparently they had 250,00 on the potential subscriber list.

Inaccurate at best. DnL STILL has an active beta. SoG is the beta client, true, but it is NOT a beta test, but a free promotion to passify the playerbase, because DnL was supposed to launch this month. I believe the reason the delayed the AGAIN can be directly related back to Horizons, and IT'S distastrous launch. They know full well the consequence of releasing an unfinished game.

Secondly, the first wave of SoG players numbers 10k. There may be some subterfuge involved, certain parties snapping up keys to "ebay", so that number cannot be verified. However, they "claim" they will add new waves, at intervals. Since the entire world is hosted on 1 server, with only 1 starting area, you can see why.

Dark and Light has 250,000 registered users, but using your own example (multiply by 3), some 500-750k might actually be interestedin it.

Some players who have played SoG have posted that it is very similar to Horizons. Ofcourse in HZ you PLAY a dragon, in DnL, you ride one.