Solarverse

I don't think it is a big secret as to the obvious population decline as of late. I have seen people leaving other servers because their population has decreased to join Excelsior and I have seen videos on youtube speak on this and I have even noticed my own SG who was once one of the biggest SG's on Excelsior dwindled down to almost nothing. I know people who say that the population has not declined and that is fine. That's your opinion, but this opinion is mine. I have a theory based on observation as to why this population decrease is happening. First, allow me to explain to you why I am still here before I go in to why so many players are not still here. I am still here because I play alts like crazy, I level them in all kinds of ways playing all kinds of content. I keep my LFG chat window open and I join pretty much anything that is around my level. If nobody is advertising anything my level, then I start my own teams. I level to 50, then I switch to my farmer and I farm enough cash to pimp out my 50 and then I rinse and repeat with a brand new character, different powers, different AT, different experience. Only on occasion will I break out my level 50 and actually play end game content. In fact, to this very date, I have yet to play all the end game content. There is still (even after playing this game since close to the beginning) a lot of end game content I have not even touched yet. So there is a lot still left in this game to keep me interested. Here is what I do not do that I have seen others do who are no longer playing the game. These are people I have grown close to, so this is very hard to say because I am kind of throwing mud on the people I care about by saying this...however, this is what I have seen with my own two eyes. They get a new character, they go straight to the AE building, they power level to 50 in less than a few hours, then they build to max capacity, then they do the same end game content over and over and over and over and over and over.....you get the idea. A select few had a designated badge whore character, and those few lasted a bit longer than the others, but only for a while longer as they are now gone as well, only to periodically return from time to time and most of the time it is because I call them to action because I need help with something that I only trust my SG to help me with. Meanwhile, I have been steadily creating alts, steadily playing the game instead of power leveling and have yet to touch all of the end game content, I have yet to collect all the badges even on my main character, and have yet to burn 1-50 on a character to avoid playing the low level content. In fact, my badge character who is also my main, only has about 700ish badges. He still has a LONG way to go. I think it is clear to me what type of player is here for the long haul as a regular, and which type of player will ONLY be showing up when end game content is released or when a new power comes out. This IMO is very unhealthy for a game. Now, I know that people who prefer to power level are going to rage at me and most likely will even insult me. I know people's reasoning behind it and how they feel about it as I have been reading the arguments in favor of power leveling over the course of this game's history. However, regardless of how they feel about it, I feel it has taken a clear (at least clear to me) toll on this game's population and IMHO is not good for the Homecoming Team or the health of this game. Now, I know this is going to be controversial because I am picking on Power Leveling...that is a big no no with a lot of people...you just don't pick on power leveling. However, I believe this is having a negative impact on the game and I am not here for you, I am not here to pat you on the back and say that it is okay...I am not here for you, but I am here for the game and the survival of the game. I am here for what is best for the game. I for one do not want to play a City of Heroes version where very few people are left playing. Despite your arguments in favor of power leveling, I feel it has had a negative impact on this game...the original devs knew this and I believe this is why they struggled so hard to prevent it...they knew the negative impact it would have and as a company who was trying to make money, they simply could not risk players getting bored of the game because they had skipped low level content...even if they had already played the low level content. And yes, there has been a sudden population explosion since the announcement of the new update, that was to be expected. However, I don't play this game for the updates and I don't play this game for the occasional but temporary population explosions because of them. They are here now and when they leave, it will be no different. And I know all of the reasons that people leave and come back...that does not help the overall health of the game. Games do not survive based on people coming back ONLY when there is something new to do. Games survive by having a healthy population in between those times. Rage at me for my opinion if you like, threads like these usually see their fair amount of rage. I can take it. However, this is my opinion based on observation and it is something I would like to address before it becomes too late to address it. Edit: All I am really trying to do here is to get people who PL and quit the game out of boredom, to please consider rolling new characters and skipping AE. I think you might find the leveling process through team story driven content a bit nostalgic and getting to know new people can go a long way to hold you over between new content. I AM NOT trying to say that Power Leveling in of itself is a bad thing or that you should not do it or even that there is a right way to play or a wrong way to play. I am saying that people who ONLY power level to 50, then get bored of the game because all they do is run end game content, could be contributing to the sudden lack of population and before you quit, I think you should give the lower levels a chance before running off. And yes, there are several reasons why people leave and not everyone who leaves is because of what I describe above. However, I think there might be more people doing this than most admit because I have seen it a LOT since playing the game again with people I personally know. Sadly, those people are no longer here to say if I am right or if I am wrong, so this is strictly opinion based on personal experience. However, if you get bored and you are somebody who typically skips low level content, just give it a try before you leave. Playing low level content just might be fun for you. And after giving it a try you still feel meh about it...then by all means...do what you have to do. And if you do decide to try it out, chances are we will bump in to one another at some point and you will get to listen to all of my bad jokes. 😉

I do remember when it did not exist. You had to run back out of the mission the way you came.

Exactly. I have enough macros and binds, I honestly don't want to fill my keyboard up with more binds or my trays with more macros. It gets to be too much to I pick and chose what I *need* rather than what I don't need. However, putting them in as options to pick from in the character customization window would be great. Pick your style and never need a macro unless you wish to divert from that chosen style. Also, whatever happened to the *lean in to your turn* animations? Remember those?

Are you trying to drag @Bill Z Bubba and his known Tank farts in to this? 😄

Ah, I guess some people's nerf is other people's adjustment for balance. I don't consider something a nerf if it is the same or better than what it started at.

The link for "Beta Patch Notes: Issue 27: Second Chances, Page 1 (Build 2)" does not work.

It was about issue 3 or 4 when I noticed something strange. I was flying through the air when another player happened to be flying toward me and something just looked strange about it. From my perspective it looked like he was almost vertical yet flying straight ahead. I thought it was a bug until one day I took a look at my own character in flight from a side angle...then it became pretty easy to see, that the pose for flight is all wrong. My character flies through the air looking the same as theirs did. So I drew a diagram (of sorts) that shows which direction I am flying, which direction I am angled, and then where my body should be positioned and how my head should be tilted to compensate for the body positioning change. He should look more like this... I'm just curious, how difficult would it be and how time consuming would it be for one of the Devs to correct this? I think depending on how much time it would take, would be whether or not it would be worth it to correct. Thoughts?

This is really great. It gives people who hate all of those animations a way to lessen the amount of FX, while allowing people who enjoy them to keep them without them being nerfed for everyone. Thank you very much for this. The more options this game has and the less forced changes the Devs have to implement the better for everyone!

It was a question to the person who said it. I did not say it was getting nerfed...somebody else did. I just asked why.

I have to admit that I had a friend who confused my Tank once, I left RV ran straight for a massive mob of lowbies under Atlas and one shot them all with Foot Stomp. Good times, funny as hell, but not something that I am really proud of.

Just to clear myself up. I don't mind them following me, in fact I prefer it that way. However, teams are very impatient and can't wait to start using powers, and most often lock them down before they even have a chance to move. So these days I just assume that is what will happen and play as such. The days when players waited for the Tanks to get the mobs stacked on him before unleashing hell has been replaced by players who don't really know the bonuses to waiting and since even doing so much as suggesting to wait is usually taken offensively, I don't say anything at all. So i don't even suggest anymore. If it gets too annoying, I just quit and play with SG mates who have been here since the beginning and play more to my style of playing.

Hell, I kind of felt like it was a well rounded and well balanced powerset. And Dark Melee is getting nerfed? Why exactly? It's not exactly the greatest powerset, I personally find it a bit lacking if anything.

Yeah, I don't believe in the Mandela Effect at all. It's a fun idea, but don't believe in it. It was simply a fitting title. I do however believe my brain is just confusing SWTOR for this game though. Pretty sure I have solved the mystery, heh.

I have a thread on this in the suggestion forums. If you want that sound back, I suggest you support that thread. It's listed in my Sig.

Because of the really cool title name of the thread? 😄

I just remember them being icons above the heads of players. You could right click on a player's name in your team list, then there would be an option to ad a marker above their head, and then there would be another drop down that let you choose which marker you wanted there. So if it was the Tank you wanted to keep track of, you would place the Shield marker. If it was the blaster, you would place the Blaster icon. There there were other random symbols as well. Like a diamond, or a circle, or a square, so on. Like I said, it did not even last a solid two weeks from what I can remember, the Devs removed the function almost as fast as they added it. I was kind of ticked that players couldn't be responsible with it, because it was a huge help...when done by responsible players that is, heh. The only other MMOs that I have played are Age of Conan, Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars The Old Republic (Hmmmmm....maybe it was that game and I am just getting it confused with this one. That is a huge possibility...but dammit, my brain won't stop telling me that it was this one) World or Warcraft, Asheron's Call, Lord of the Rings, DC Universe, Champions Online, Black Desert and Star Trek Online. But...the more I am thinking of it, I am starting to think my brain is confusing that option from Star Wars The Old Republic for this game. The mystery might have been solved. And if so, I am very sorry for sending everyone on this wild goose chase. If I am right, then maybe some day, somebody can find this thread and confirm.

Now granted, this is if my memories are correct about it even being in this game to begin with, however, it would have been before the re-work in the Hollows. Since I didn't go to Hollows much after the rework. I preferred the original Hollows and when it changed I stopped going there...until the game came back that is.

What would be helpful is if I knew what it was called (if it was even this game) that would be extremely helpful. I could then at least do a google search. It would be even more helpful if an original Dev played this game and they could confirm...even if they did not say they were an Original Dev, heh.

No, but I have on occasion gotten lost in the Chantry a time or two, lol

It might have been another game then. But i seem to recall running Frostfire and team mates kept changing the icon above the Tank's head, he ended up getting ticked off and quit the team because it was driving him insane. It was not long after that, the option was removed. I seem to recall that option only lasting maybe 2 weeks tops before the Devs took it away because players were abusing the hell out of it. If it was this game, it wouldn't have lasted any longer than a couple of weeks before it was removed. I believe it was being done on a trial basis to begin with, just to see if people would be responsible with it or if they would abuse it. Well...you know...people. Again, it might not have been this game, but my memory of it being this game is so strong it's driving me crazy.

If it was any other game, it would have possibly been DCUO, mayyyybe CO...but I am almost positive it was this game.

I remember a time (maybe even a short time) where we could place a marker above a player's head on our team so that we could keep track of the Tank, or the Healer, or so forth. You could choose between a shield or a cross or any other symbol that represented a specific class. However, if memory serves, it was really upsetting players because they did not like having the marker above their heads so this was eventually removed as an option. Now, this is what I remember. However, anyone I have tried talking to about this has no memory of this whatsoever. Am I experiencing a Mandela Effect here, am I remembering something that most people have forgotten, I just have a better memory, or am I thinking of a different game and confusing it for this game?

I think Energy Aura would have the same problems that Ice Tanks have; issues with Resistance. I'm thinking it won't be all what it's cracked up to be.

@The Philotic Knight might want to add to this discussion, since Force Fields are (to my knowledge) one of his favorite powersets. Me personally, I don't know what they need, but I would most certainly like to see them improved...somehow.

I'm not very hip to Absorbs, but do Defenses and Resists calculate *before* the Absorb Shield takes a hit?