Less Players = Smaller, Tighter RS Community?

[monte]

It's been interesting to say the least reading posts on TIF and RSOF today. If I had 3k (like that amount?) from every player who claims to have either already quit or plans on quitting, I wouldn't have to work as much in this game anymore.

 

 

 

Does it really matter though if everyone of these people follow through on their threat? Does jagex really lose? Or maybe more importantly, who wins?

 

 

 

According this this recent BBC article, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7090490.stm , there are 9 million registered rs users and 6 million had played within a 2 week span.

 

 

 

To say that 1 million dedicated PKers (and other disgruntled players) are walking out the door is still represents a small percentage of the overall population. On top of that, the game has seen its population grow by almost 35% (according to the article) each year. Even if that rate slows, it won't take long for the game to match current levels.

 

 

 

Jagex takes a hit on the bottom line by losing subscribers but the effect isn't as severe as some would think. It takes *very* little to run a MMORPG once the game itself is written.

 

 

 

Case in point, I was a long time player of Anarchy Online. Released in 2001, the game never had more than 60,000 subscribers ( http://www.mmogchart.com/ ) and still lives on today despite a subscriber base of around 10,000 people.

 

 

 

What does a smaller population mean? It means a smaller, tighter community. Players who stick around to play care about the game and are more involved in the storyline. It means better input from more knowledgeable players that can be more easily addressed by developers and it means developers who are more easily able to interact with the players.

 

 

 

RS is just too big. It's too hard to make changes and create content that keep everyone happy. Part of me hopes that we see widespread withdrawals from the game because I'm not going anywhere and the game will benefit at this point with fewer people.

 

 

 

I hope it gets down to 500K people overall....what do I care if Jagex nets 1 million or 30 million over the course of a year?

[Wkw]

gree. Smaller communitys rock.

 

 

 

I remember back near my join date (I forget) I would always see the same people on the same world.. Now with 160 worlds, everyone is gone :(

[Kingvictorr]

I am pro-small community. Runescape was the best when it had 500k players. Now all the hype on miniclip.com has create a larger game.

[Ice_and_Spec]

ya i suppose but...all these updates we cant do anythign anymore -.-

[Adam007]

I wouldn't call it them making the community smaller. They're alienating and ridding themselves of a select group of players, those who are effected greatly by this. They still have the same group of players they've been focusing on for the past few years who are completely unaffected by this and will continue playing. Lucky for jagex that's the vast majority of players.

[Attila88]

Look at polls. The % of people who like piking is less then 20%.

 

 

 

Still a great community, but often each pker has more then an account... a main, a few pures at least.

 

 

 

Even admitting that everyone who pplays Pk will quit the numeber of people who join will superseed them in a month or 2.

 

 

 

People who will join now will find a runescape without scammers, lures, merchants lobbies, hipertestoenoic idiots who will kill them if they just try to explore the wild, even if unarmed. No more account hackers, beggars, and all what has made runescape a unpleasent place to play.

 

 

 

Everyone will have to build up his own fortune. It will not be possible anymore to pour millions in a character and buy the skills up.

 

 

 

Will pass from camelot without seeing a group of morons teleporting to the sape place speaking all the time of how much money they will gain from teleblock, if not autoing.

 

 

 

I am sad for stakers, as they did not deserve this. But every pker at least one time killed someone doing a cleu scroll or running to the abyss. "they deserved it.. not enter the wild if you not want me to kill you safely". Made people hate the wild and now they cry.

 

 

 

GOOD JOB JAGEX!!!!

[alcoolj]

Who does this affect the most though? Pures, pro-pkers, those who monster hunt boss monsters in teams and want to share the loot, people who host parties to distribute goodies amongst friends, etc.

 

 

 

Pures and pkers can still go to Bounty hunter, but loot sharing and a private party is no longer available. I hosted a clan training competition recently and gave away 3M in prizes, this was a great success for the clan, but alas with the 3k limit we can no longer do this same event :( imo this will mean more players will concentrate on skilling and have less contact with mates = poorer community?

[Krimm911]

agreed, the only thing I don't like about the update is having drop parties among your friends/clan mates. With recent updates it won't be possible any more which is a darn shame.

[monte]

Who does this affect the most though? Pures, pro-pkers, those who monster hunt boss monsters in teams and want to share the loot, people who host parties to distribute goodies amongst friends, etc.

 

 

 

 

It definitely affects this segment of the population the most and for those that have been brought to the brink of quitting, it's a shame. Unfortunately, the overall success of the game and the rwt opportunities that arose from that success is what has us in the position we are in today. Moreover, it's fruitless at this point to say what jagex could have done in the past or should have done differently in the present to bring a different outcome. Someone, somewhere along the way would have felt wronged.

 

 

 

Still, the death of runescape isn't even on the horizon. I mean, for anyone that quits, it's the end but no matter what the outrage or the numbers involved, I see minimal impact. A plague could strike dead half the rs users in the world tomorrow and we are still talking about one of the largest MMOs out there. I'll eat my hard drive if 3 million people quit because of this update.

 

 

 

So, I guess that was the point of my original post. I also feel bad for those affected that play a good, honest game and I hope the system will be tweaked to appease most of them. But, the game is too big right now to really feel the effects and in fact, may be better off by a mass exodus anyway.

[anonymouse_]

A small community is good, but who cares about the community when the game sucks?

[Erichermit]

I dont mind the new updates much. I would prefer them, of course, but if it truly removes autoers and RWT forever then I am happy with it.

[Sbrideau]

I wouldn't call it them making the community smaller. They're alienating and ridding themselves of a select group of players, those who are effected greatly by this. They still have the same group of players they've been focusing on for the past few years who are completely unaffected by this and will continue playing. Lucky for jagex that's the vast majority of players.

 

 

 

+1

 

 

 

Also, if the community gets smaller, it is truly better for reasons others said :D.

 

 

 

The game gets better when it's small than when it's big.

[Tiragath2]

A small community is good, but who cares about the community when the game sucks?

 

 

 

You just killed eight nails due to blunt force trauma to the head.

[Latinoking]

A small community is good, but who cares about the community when the game sucks?

 

 

 

+1

[Stakor]

A small community is good, but who cares about the community when the game sucks?

 

 

 

+1

 

 

 

+1

[Kiriyama]

I dont mind the new updates much. I would prefer them, of course, but if it truly removes autoers and RWT forever then I am happy with it.

 

 

 

If the price of losing RWT and Autoers means I can no longer give stuff to friends, host private drop parties or even help out newbies then I'd rather have the scum.

[JordanGM]

I love it. PKing is gone, but I could care less. I pked a lot, but.. oh well.

[Whitearmy]

How many servers are there nowdays? When RSC was up there were umm, 21-24? can't remember.

[Nabbagad]

Yes, maybe quite a few people have quit within the last day due to the new update. But for one, most people who say they will quit, probably wont.

 

 

 

New players are constantly joining the community and I don't think we'll see much change at all. Maybe for the next week or so, the amount of people playing will drop, and when the 95% of autoers that are gold farmers (yes, random guess) have gone due to being useless, we will see a declined number.

 

 

 

But I do expect it to pick up again and i doubt that what you have forcasted will take place anytime soon.

 

 

 

Hey, I could be completely wrong but this is my opinion.

[Shyla]

We were talking about this in the clan channel. The people who'll be left behind would like the old schoolers 1-2 years from now. And it's quite funny...when tons of people decided to quit, Jagex added more game servers.

 

 

 

"Im an old schooler, I used to tb. Bet you don't know what that means."

[UchihaArashi]

Erm i don support the update but tats not the point i am here.

 

 

 

Just wanna clarify this..by preventing trading of more than 3k of value, they are supposed to stop botters and macroers by preventing them from sending the goods or gold to their mains rite? But since they are botters and macroers if i am not mistaken they shud be able to find a way to send money or items(under 3k each time) by botting also rite?

[SwreeTak]

I like the new updates, even though Jagex could have made some things better. But overall, I'm satisfied.

[Straw_Hat]

a good percentage of people are quitting

 

yes they got rid of rwt and bots but in return are hurting the gameplay of millions of legit players

 

 

 

pkers, monster hunters, merchanters, stakers are greatly damaged by the updates

 

what's left? skillers?

[Reztral]

I agree, maybe this update will weed out alot of the immature players. Unfortunately though, there will be some mature and respected players that leave, but all in all, this should help the community as a whole.

[Ravenkana]

Who does this affect the most though? Pures, pro-pkers, those who monster hunt boss monsters in teams and want to share the loot, people who host parties to distribute goodies amongst friends, etc.

 

 

 

Pures and pkers can still go to Bounty hunter, but loot sharing and a private party is no longer available. I hosted a clan training competition recently and gave away 3M in prizes, this was a great success for the clan, but alas with the 3k limit we can no longer do this same event :( imo this will mean more players will concentrate on skilling and have less contact with mates = poorer community?

And also the lack of professional PK'ers will filter down to the skillers. Many goods on the high end of skills will go unused; rune arrows, bloods, potions etc. There just won't be a demand for those products any more. Er... Not as MUCH of a demand I mean.