A Lot of Early Access Players No Longer Playing

[pilotpierre]

I think the number of the (what were gung-ho) original Early Access members no longer playing is very telling. We have those who say:

 

1. They have uninstalled BoS, or

 

2. They are no longer playing at all while waiting to see what the future will bring, or

 

3. They flash it up occasionally but quickly get crapped of with the unlocks.

 

Or, they have simply disappeared from the forums without comment.

 

Devs, is there any rethinking going on in the background w.r.t. (for example) Unlocks, Pilot Level, meaningful pilot statistics to stop the rot that seems to be occurring?

 

I personally think the core of this game is an absolute winner but it is being stymied by the gameyness of some unfathomable decisions that are alien to a flight sim and flight simmers.

[Yakdriver]

Things that turn BoS into a "PoS" for me at the moment:

 

*online dependent for off line mission generation, stats and profile BS... effort put where it is not needed.

*have unlocked everything, sop SP has done what it was sposed to do. replay value small.

*Community influx from WarThunder pushing for gameyness

*XP counting problems during weekends[prime game time] and nobody present to monitor and troubleshoot as needed, making grinding unlocks w 100% waste of time.

*Squad life impossible due to no way to host , simply, easily in one click. Ad-hoc sessions with buddies are needed.

*No tools to make my own campaign, no way to apply paint to my Plane.

 

Waiting for... "more"

Edited November 18, 2014 by Hawker_Typhoon

[Brano]

I am still here.I fire up the game from time to time during evenings when I have free time.Like with other games (I am involved also in Elite Dangerous Beta).

It is only that most vocal minority is not so vocal anymore.There is majority of players out there who do not participate in forum discussions (quarrels would fit better).

As for me I havent posted a single word on elite dangerous forum.I just play and enjoy the game

[6./ZG26_Gielow]

They are aware about this and I think it will be fixed but it will take some time to achieve.

[Feathered_IV]

I check the forum three times a day at least.  I battle the funlocks a couple of times a week on autopilot, but thats about it.   The big-three flight sims are at a creative crisis at the moment, and tackle gameplay in a kind of grunting missionary position.  I just don't know if I can keep supporting such a plodding, unimaginative genre for very much longer.

[unreasonable]

I check the forum three times a day at least.  I battle the funlocks a couple of times a week on autopilot, but thats about it.   The big-three flight sims are at a creative crisis at the moment, and tackle gameplay in a kind of grunting missionary position.  I just don't know if I can keep supporting such a plodding, unimaginative genre for very much longer.

 

Not only is gameplay tackled in a kind of grunting missionary position, but it is a missionary position with the game on top and the player underneath!

[pilotpierre]

Not only is gameplay tackled in a kind of grunting missionary position, but it is a missionary position with the game on top and the player underneath!

Touche.

[6./ZG26_Klaus_Mann]

I went out bitching on the forums all night while unlocking. Helped me a lot. now I can MP. i was angry and drunk, but I got through.

Edited November 18, 2014 by myfabi94

[t4trouble]

 

 

I just don't know if I can keep supporting such a plodding, unimaginative genre for very much longer.

 

Feels like limbo...

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 I simply quit because lack of options and certain issues. Space Hulk, Mechwarrior Online and others have been in heavy use lately. Will check in periodically though if anything changes.

[Anw.StG2_Tyke]

You guys really wonder why this is happening? Curious how this couldn't be expected what now happens... anyway I expect not playing BoS this year anymore because I doubt that there will be a major patch which makes the game attractive again for me.

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

I fly Every evening......

Having LOTs of funnnn

[Matt]

I spent a lot of time unlocking stuff in SP, mostly to use that in MP. But since MP servers are now limited to 32 players (and MP seems to be compromised in general, AAA not working properly etc.), i don't see much use for BoS apart from testing new stuff introduced in updates.

 

Getting rid of the unlocks won't have a real impact for me, because by now i've unlocked most of the useful stuff anyway.

 

Elite Dangerous replaced BoS a bit, but i also stopped playing ED now, because of an upcoming wipe. I'll probably spend more time playing that than BoS.

 

I'll wait and see what happens in the future and how BoS develops, but for me, BoS offers less than it did before the official release.

[keeno]

Hey,

 

as a day oner I'm still playing after patches to see what's changed but I think it's sad to see how things have panned out after such early excitment over what may be.

[Voidhunger]

I am still here.I fire up the game from time to time during evenings when I have free time.Like with other games (I am involved also in Elite Dangerous Beta).

It is only that most vocal minority is not so vocal anymore.There is majority of players out there who do not participate in forum discussions (quarrels would fit better).

As for me I havent posted a single word on elite dangerous forum.I just play and enjoy the game

Hi Brano,

Whats your fps at max settings in elite dangerous? And what cpu and gpu do you have?

Edited November 18, 2014 by Voidhunger

[Nibbio]

Last of the EA here, bought in a week before release. Quickly losing interest, haven't played once in 2 weeks.

Curiously however I check the forum every day, it seems that watching the little drama unfold is more interesting than the sim itself

[Russkly]

It is a real shame IMO.

 

The combat flight sim element seems excellent (at least according to my limited knowledge), but the game element just isn't doing it for me, and as an off-line player, I need a robust 'game' element.

 

Not sure what the thinking behind this was.  Perhaps they ran out of money/time after 'perfecting' the flight sim part; or perhaps it was always designed as a predominantly MP thing with the SP part being covered off by third-parties, as happened with IL-2 (Loewegrin et al), CloD (Team Fusion et al) and to a lesser extent RoF (PWCG although there already was a decent post-launch career beta from 777).  Maybe it was always intended to provide the combat flight sim element and let third parties work on the MP and SP game experiences, as has happened in the past.

 

With TF 5.0 and WOFF v2.0 coming out soon though, that's where I'll be for the foreseeable future.  (Please don't say, "Good riddance"!)

 

I will still check in here regularly to see what's cooking, but I just can't get into BoS at the moment regardless of its beauty, its feeling of flight, and its apparent fidelity.

 

Feel a little bit sad about actually, because I was really looking forward to it.

 

R

[150GCT_Veltro]

BoS is absolutely amazing online, a lot of fun really even if we still have only 32 players.

 

However, for sure:

 

- unlock, bla, bla, bla,.......not good, not at all; (it should be changed for the online games, is a totally nonsense)

 

- Dserver with more than 32 players (coming);

 

- FMB (coming);

 

- Hosting without a Dserver, the most important feature for a lot of people, Squadrons first of all (we don't know if this option it's coming or not). In RoF this was possible so a missed hosting feature would be a very bad step backward for BoS;

 

- Markings on the aircrafts (this is a must).

 

However BoS is absolutely great online so i wouldn't be so pessimistic, even if for sure sure we need more feedback and attention from the developers for the online games.

Edited November 18, 2014 by 150GCT_Veltro

[SR-F_Winger]

I fly every day and am having a blast. Sure there is room to improve - and it WILL imrpove!! Of that i am certain.

[Livai]

I spent a lot of time unlocking stuff in SP, mostly to use that in MP. But since MP servers are now limited to 32 players (and MP seems to be compromised in general, AAA not working properly etc.), i don't see much use for BoS apart from testing new stuff introduced in updates.

 

Getting rid of the unlocks won't have a real impact for me, because by now i've unlocked most of the useful stuff anyway.

 

I'll wait and see what happens in the future and how BoS develops, but for me, BoS offers less than it did before the official release.

 

Not only PC Gamer said: " The devs are promising dedicated servers with 100-player capability "

--> We are limited to 32-player capability

 

"BoS offers less than it did before the official release"

--> Thats true. A lot is gone but the price remains the same

[von_Tom]

BoS is absolutely amazing online, a lot of fun really even if we still have only 32 players.

 

However, for sure:

 

- unlock, bla, bla, bla,.......not good, not at all; (it should be changed for the online games, is a totally nonsense)

 

- Dserver with more than 32 players (coming);

 

- FMB (coming);

 

- Hosting without a Dserver, the most important feature for a lot of people, Squadrons first of all (we don't know if this option it's coming or not). In RoF this was possible so a missed hosting feature would be a very bad step backward for BoS;

 

- Markings on the aircrafts (this is a must).

 

However BoS is absolutely great online so i wouldn't be so pessimistic, even if for sure sure we need more feedback and attention from the developers for the online games.

 

 

This is about right for me, plus the squad I'm part of is concentrated on CLOD at the moment so playing time in BOS is limited.  Dserver will change that.  That said on Friday I was low and slow on the deck in a FW190 sneaking past a La5 that had an alt advantage, and looking up through the cloud and scanning the sky like crazy - this was a real immersive moment and worth it.

 

Hood

[DD_Arthur]

 

 

 BoS offers less than it did before the official release.

 

Yep.  The devs seem to have driven themselves into a bit of a hole at the moment.   We wait and see.

[1./JG42Nephris]

Great basics but the devs porked the game themselves after it was actually done.

Am feeling a bit a p***ed if someone is trying to cut my freedom of choice in a product I bought, but this maybe some cultural differences between there and the west. Dunno if i am fair in that point however.

Am not gonna repeat the reasons that made me and a lot of my guys quit as theses should be well known.

Furthermore the devs seem to be of the opinion that WarThunder customer was a more decent target to go for, I guess that wasnt the very smartest decision (remember Lofts postings in may).

 

The really sad point is, the game was actually on the success track and left it short before the strike, like a bowling ball.

 

I just deinstalled the game, strafing the forums from time to time but without a seroius hope that things will change, as the dev team follows their hardcoded way. So here we are right now.

[-TBC-AeroAce]

For me in addition to some of the above mentioned things I find myself not playing as much as it was a bit of an anticlimax after release. In ea I loved logging in every week to see what was going on, now we have the final product I've been a bit let down and not as interested. I'm hoping that it will get better but for now it's not that exciting but don't get me wrong I still think it's a wicked game at its core

[TCSEllis]

I agree I only roam the forums now. I am number 3 and 2 of you're answer.

Edited November 18, 2014 by EazyEllis

[mbv]

I keep an eye on the content of the new patches, but the game is currently uninstalled as the campaign was just no fun after a while and I don't fly MP. If the campaign ever becomes more dynamic and involved than it currently is I will certainly be flying again though.

[Pringliano]

I actually uninstalled, and will wait for good news regarding flight dynamics mostly, ground handling, and so on...

 

Also discovered IL2 CloD and am really enjoying it a LOT!

 

Have considered offering my Founder License too, but not before it becomes possible to change ingame tag....

Edited November 18, 2014 by jcomm

[RedGuard]

Wait & see here.

Terribly bored with it at the moment, but still hopeful.

 

Red

[71st_AH_Mastiff]

XP waste of time, it would of been better on MP, and worth it more play time on MP servers.  If XP wouldn't go down during the weekends, and it was on MP also inline with SP. I think more people would be on 

playing MP. 

 

But....Then original IL-2 didn't become number one in 1 year or 2, it took 5 years before it was playable.

[No601_Prangster]

I think the number of the (what were gung-ho) original Early Access members no longer playing is very telling. We have those who say:

 

1. They have uninstalled BoS, or

 

2. They are no longer playing at all while waiting to see what the future will bring, or

 

3. They flash it up occasionally but quickly get crapped of with the unlocks.

 

Or, they have simply disappeared from the forums without comment.

 

Devs, is there any rethinking going on in the background w.r.t. (for example) Unlocks, Pilot Level, meaningful pilot statistics to stop the rot that seems to be occurring?

 

I personally think the core of this game is an absolute winner but it is being stymied by the gameyness of some unfathomable decisions that are alien to a flight sim and flight simmers.

Less people playing, what evidence have you got for that exactly?

 

Maybe there is less posting on the forums but that says nothing about the game. The majority of posts on any gaming forum are by a small minority who post several times a day, either through loneliness or some weird desire to attain the highest post count. They tend not to post anything of actual interest and if some of those people are bored and have decided to move on it can only improve the quality of discourse around here.

[oneeyeddog]

Before Unlock Friday and the Demise of the Eagles Nest Server it seemed everything for the most part was Skittles and Rainbows. Since then the Sturm und Angst has soured my experience more than the unlock system. Its time for a fresh start.

[t4trouble]

 

 

Less people playing, what evidence have you got for that exactly?

 

 

 http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/12961-why-are-servers-always-dead-these-days/

[Zak]

*online dependent for off line mission generation, stats and profile BS... effort put where it is not needed.

The game is primarily distibuted online, and has been initially announced as a single player online sim. So the requirements about internet connection shouldn't be a surprise, that's just how it works.

*XP counting problems during weekends [prime game time] and nobody present to monitor and troubleshoot as needed, making grinding unlocks w 100% waste of time.

We're fixing it, sorry for these inconveniences, I know how annoying it can be.

*Squad life impossible due to no way to host , simply, easily in one click. Ad-hoc sessions with buddies are needed.

Working on it. When you'll see dozens of servers with 3-4 pilots on each - that's it, that's the day when everyone has a dserver.

*No tools to make my own campaign, no way to apply paint to my Plane.

Working on it. On both things of course.

[No601_Swallow]

Less people playing, what evidence have you got for that exactly?

 

Maybe there is less posting on the forums but that says nothing about the game. The majority of posts on any gaming forum are by a small minority who post several times a day, either through loneliness or some weird desire to attain the highest post count. They tend not to post anything of actual interest and if some of those people are bored and have decided to move on it can only improve the quality of discourse around here.

 

Tell it like it is, Prang!

 

And as Hood and others have said, our squadron's mostly waiting for the FMB and hosting capabilities, while giving CloD a last hurrah!

[150GCT_Veltro]

We need the option to host games as clients (hosting), not only a Dserver.

Edited November 18, 2014 by 150GCT_Veltro

[Original_Uwe]

I actually uninstalled, and will wait for good news regarding flight dynamics mostly, ground handling, and so on...

 

Also discovered IL2 CloD and am really enjoying it a LOT!

 

Have considered offering my Founder License too, but not before it becomes possible to change ingame tag....

I wonder of that's why they haven't made this possible yet, they know a lot of us are going to be selling licences as soon as its possible. Edited November 18, 2014 by forsale

[1./JG42Nephris]

Working on it. When you'll see dozens of servers with 3-4 pilots on each - that's it, that's the day when everyone has a dserver.

 

 

Parts of the the dev team seem to do hard with it, but let your customer decide thereselves where to play.

If it would really turn out as you predict, than it shall be like that.

But from my expiereince the well administrated servers which offer well designed mission will be well visited.

Dserver with 3-4 players are probabyl those ones which got used by squadrons or buddies which prefer to fly on an empty server to chekc this or that.

 

Once again, your customers are old enough to decide if, where, when and how they want to play.

Edited November 18, 2014 by 1./JG42Nephris

[JG1_Pragr]

Of course the population could be better. And we all probably know the reasons why it is lower than it could be. But still I can see two and usually three servers full of people every evening/night. And I talk about the "expert" servers. That's some 70 to 100 people online at the same time. With all the problems BoS has right now the game is as populated as CloD (and maybe more). 

Edited November 18, 2014 by II./JG1_Pragr

[Russkly]

The game is primarily distibuted online, and has been initially announced as a single player online sim. So the requirements about internet connection shouldn't be a surprise, that's just how it works.

 

 "...initially announced as a single player online sim".

 

Online as in you need to be online to play it, or online as in it's intended for MP?

 

If the latter, then I wish I had read it earlier.

 

Would have bought it anyway, but still.

[VBF-12_Stick-95]

Servers in the US evening are currently a ghost town.