I SENSE A GREAT DISTURBANCE

Krones was quick enough to lift some supposed Star Wars: Galaxies primetime server populations before they were deleted into the dark depths of Al Gore.

ID: 24 - Name: Europe-Infinity - IP: 195.33.138.101 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0334
ID: 23 - Name: Europe-FarStar - IP: 195.33.138.75 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0133
ID: 22 - Name: Europe-Chimaera - IP: 195.33.138.41 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0331

ID: 1C - Name: Shadowfire - IP: 199.108.197.130 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0518
ID: 1B - Name: Wanderhome - IP: 199.108.197.103 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0462
ID: 1A - Name: Tarquinas - IP: 199.108.197.87 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0456
ID: 19 - Name: Starsider - IP: 199.108.197.50 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0414
ID: 13 - Name: Tempest - IP: 199.108.7.148 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0457
ID: 12 - Name: Valcyn - IP: 199.108.7.111 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0455
ID: 11 - Name: Sunrunner - IP: 199.108.7.73 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0493
ID: 10 - Name: Scylla - IP: 199.108.7.50 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0457
ID: 0F - Name: Naritus - IP: 199.108.8.137 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0496
ID: 0E - Name: Kettemoor - IP: 199.108.8.117 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0522
ID: 0D - Name: Intrepid - IP: 199.108.6.178 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0456
ID: 0C - Name: Flurry - IP: 199.108.6.133 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0473
ID: 0B - Name: Radiant - IP: 199.108.198.70 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0266
ID: 0A - Name: Lowca - IP: 199.108.198.36 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0227
ID: 09 - Name: Kauri - IP: 199.108.196.178 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0245
ID: 08 - Name: Gorath - IP: 199.108.196.131 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0271
ID: 07 - Name: Eclipse - IP: 199.108.196.101 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0397
ID: 06 - Name: Chilastra - IP: 199.108.196.84 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0357
ID: 05 - Name: Bloodfin - IP: 199.108.196.40 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0441
ID: 04 - Name: Corbantis - IP: 199.108.6.105 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0460
ID: 03 - Name: Ahazi - IP: 199.108.6.79 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0520
ID: 02 - Name: Bria - IP: 199.108.6.53 - PortA: 44463 - PortB: 44462 - Population: 0722

My calculator of +5 Solar Powered estimates the total concurrent primetime playerbase at 10,363.

So, if these numbers are indeed true and represent a viable indication of the SWG active subscriber base, let's have a little comparison.

Dark Age of Camelot, a game older than SWG and that which has no big name license attached to it in order to help it sell more units, has a primetime audience of somewhere around 26,000. When I checked at 6am, a time definitely not prime and which occured just before I started writing this post, 9,776 Albions were zerging 1 Hibernian.

Eve Online, a sci-fi MMO which allows it, at least loosely, to be compared to SWG and that has found it's own niche in the market, topped 22,000 players concurrently online earlier this year. On the same shard, nonetheless. Just this month Eve also reached 100,000 subscribers, a very applaudable acheivement when we look back at its beginnings, and which should allow Eve to keep its PCU consistently at that level. Those numbers are no fluke.

And then we have SWG. A game backed by both a huge MMO developer and a giant movie/entertainment business. A game that at its inception had an army on its payroll and still commands a hefty employee roster. A game, that by all rights of its name, should have more than 10, 363 concurrent players. A game that was identified to contain gameplay that let the side down, and thus was changed dramatically last year. A game that told its players, observers and the media that these changes were going to turn the game around, were absolutely needed because they were the. best. ever, and that would strengthen the game for the time to come - regardless of how many veteran players were lost to the churn as a result of this monstrous metamorphosis. A game that wouldn't focus on just surviving and then improving its position by making smart, careful changes (as Eve has done) but instead would take the fight to the big boys.

"People within the company feel so much pride in this game that they want it to beat the crap out of World of Warcraft...with the changes we're making in Galaxies, I think we're headed in the right direction."

If this number of 10,363 is an improvement, as it was aiming to be and as has been touted as being achieved, congratulations. Really. But if I had ever seen the PCU numbers pre-NGE, I would have cringed. Perhaps that's what the suits did indeed do. Hence this seemingly rash decision to go ahead with the game-wide sweeping changes.

Honestly, I think the numbers have dropped since the pre-NGE days. Sure, there may have been a spate of 10-day trials. But chances are those people will have left along with the scorned veterans that were considered a necessary casualty.

Honestly, and sadly, I think some heads will begin to roll soon, if not tumbling already.

Comments

[D-0ne]

SWG sucks. The game has some seriously bad design problems. Worst PVP and PVE designs ever.

[Abalieno]

DAoC should be at around 30k online at the sametime on Sunday, worldwide.

Compared to the 23k records of Eve.

In general there's a 8-10k of difference between the two.

DAoC is suppposed to have above 150k and below 200k total subs worldwide (but probably closer to the first). So it could make sense. Roughly.

I've read those numbers on SWG on f13 but I'm still doubtful about them. Even if I wouldn't be all that surprised.

I would be MUCH more curious about EQ Classic numbers.

[Tale]

My EQ1 raiding guild is still going strong. I haven't played since 2002, but they're top tier on their server and have outlasted all our spin-off guilds in other games (WoW and EQ2 included).

[Fraya]

Regardless of the influx and immediate egress of 10 day trial'ers those of us who were around pre-CU and pre-NGE know how much danger the game is in.

I dont have the hard numbers but just from wandering around the game during primetime and off-prime hours you can see the difference its that drastic.

With every major overhaul to a game that mearly needed tweaking and the systematic removal of the few unique and interesting things the game had to offer I can say for certain that it has gone from a thriving game that suffered only from some severe balance issues to one that is being held together with chewing gum and hope due to poorly and cheaply done redesigns on top of an already unstable core.

Unfortunately at this point the damage is permanent.

Even if they were to improve the game to be the best one ever made only those people who have never heard of SWG would play it.

The game's and SOEs reputation is destroyed for the hundred thousand subsribers they had and their friends as well as anyone whos heard about this disaster.

I know I and my friends have all vowed to never play another SOE game again.

Its the same vow I hear repeated often all across the internet whenever someone mentions SOE and the NGE.

This does not bode well for Sony (even if it wasnt their fault).