112613-is-wildstar-dead

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			I have been seeing and watching a lot of people say Wildstar has failed, no one plays it any more etc.. I really want to get into Wildstar but is there even enough people to play? Is the game going to shut down within a year? Whats up? Some one please inform me!	
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			I'd wait a few months.	
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The game isn't "dead" as long as the servers are up and running, which they very much are. 
 
So what are you really asking? Is the game popular enough for you to enjoy?  
 
That's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself, perhaps with a 7-day trial if you can find a key so you don't have to pay full price up front if you're not sure.  Right now many of the servers are low pop, but there's a temporary fix for that already in place (free transfers) which will provide some immediate remedy, and a more permanent fix on the way ("megaservers" -- server merges.)  If you do a little research and find one of the popular servers to roll on you will find people, or if you wait for the merge, you will find people.
 
"Is the game going to shut down within a year?"   No one knows. It's up to NCSoft, Carbine's publisher (and owner).  Carbine is making a ton of changes to try to arrest and hopefully reverse the population decline, and a lot of players in various forums have expressed a liking for the game and a willingness to come back if the various issues are successfully addressed.  
 
If the population decline isn't arrested by the new changes, the game is likely in trouble, but it will most probably change its business plan (as in, drop the sub) before it's shut down completely, because it's too big an investment to just pull the plug while there's a still a hope of recouping costs and achieving eventual profitability.  
 
So to sum up:  The game's not dead, but it's had a severe population decline since launch. (Exactly how severe is hard to gauge as there aren't a lot of real numbers out there, but we have a few, mostly NCSoft's profit reports.)  This is being addressed. Will it fix matters for the long run? Impossible to say.  Will you be able to enjoy the game? That depends mostly on you.
 
I'd say track down a free trial, roll a character on one of the populated servers, and see how you feel about it then.  	
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The game isn't "dead" as long as the servers are up and running, which they very much are. 
 
So what are you really asking? Is the game popular enough for you to enjoy?  
 
That's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself, perhaps with a 7-day trial if you can find a key so you don't have to pay full price up front if you're not sure.  Right now many of the servers are low pop, but there's a temporary fix for that already in place (free transfers) which will provide some immediate remedy, and a more permanent fix on the way ("megaservers" -- server merges.)  If you do a little research and find one of the popular servers to roll on you will find people, or if you wait for the merge, you will find people.
 
"Is the game going to shut down within a year?"   No one knows. It's up to NCSoft, Carbine's publisher (and owner).  Carbine is making a ton of changes to try to arrest and hopefully reverse the population decline, and a lot of players in various forums have expressed a liking for the game and a willingness to come back if the various issues are successfully addressed.  
 
If the population decline isn't arrested by the new changes, the game is likely in trouble, but it will most probably change its business plan (as in, drop the sub) before it's shut down completely, because it's too big an investment to just pull the plug while there's a still a hope of recouping costs and achieving eventual profitability.  
 
So to sum up:  The game's not dead, but it's had a severe population decline since launch. (Exactly how severe is hard to gauge as there aren't a lot of real numbers out there, but we have a few, mostly NCSoft's profit reports.)  This is being addressed. Will it fix matters for the long run? Impossible to say.  Will you be able to enjoy the game? That depends mostly on you.
 
I'd say track down a free trial, roll a character on one of the populated servers, and see how you feel about it then.  
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I have been seeing and watching a lot of people say Wildstar has failed, no one plays it any more etc.. I really want to get into Wildstar but is there even enough people to play? Is the game going to shut down within a year? Whats up? Some one please inform me!
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Yeah, there are definitely enough people from all accounts and sources.  The problem is that they were using the old WoW model of server allocation.  At launch, they expanded the number of servers because there were queues and the servers were all hitting cap.  So they extended the upper limit to the breaking point and opened a bunch of servers, especially for PVP realms.  Then, inevitably, a bunch of the people who tried the game didn't like it and left.  That's normal for the MMORPG launch cycle.  Unfortunately, the servers didn't go away.  So that means that there's enough population, but that population is spread out on 14 servers that are meant to be operating at a much higher capacity.
 
Megaservers are being introduced now, which means they never have to add or subtract servers again (there will be one PVE and one PVP).  But there are plenty of people around, especially on some of the servers that never had a major population issue.  That change is being introduced over the next month or so and should alleviate the issues on those servers with huge population problems,
 
But my server (Evindra) is definitely crowded.  Most people spend a lot of their time in housing though.  It's an RP server, and we're all trying to get ready for the megaserver change (which will mean there's no more RP tag) by putting together great housing plots.
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Thank you so much!
I really like the Wildstar community on the forums, you guys really help me decide! And thank you again for not coming on here calling me an ass :)
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Honestly, Bad design choices and slow to fix/change bad design choices, have lead to even further bad design choices that has led to the worst game choice of Megaserver. 
 
Here's the Pros and Cons to consider (My Opinion)
Pros
Interesting Game Lore
Great Character Design
Great World Art
Wonderful Combat
Amazing Dungeon Design
 
Cons
Horrible Class Balance
Bad Design Decisions to fix Bad Design Decisions
Knee Jerk Fixes that cause more problems
Lack of respect for parts of their community (RP Community yeah don't say you respect us when you've spit on RP-PvPers and now are kicking RP communities with this Megaserver you don't care call it what it is.)	
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Ass.
 
 :lol:  ;)
 
Just teasing.
 
Yeah, what they said. Wildstar is a lot of damn fun, man. Join us on Evindra, even if RP ain't your thing. 	
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http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/
I think this goes a long way to explain what has happened. Players mostly just do not have the time to sink into extensive amounts of attunement and raid prepping requirements. Also almost everything at 50 requires a group without a great deal of soloable content currently to keep you busy during the week in between raids. We can only farm Elder Gems, Rep and farm so much before it simply gets boring.	
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			Hopefully the Megaservers and upcoming changes with Drop 3 will fix everything and get players to come back to the game. The drop can't come soon enough tho.	
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Hopefully the Megaservers and upcoming changes with Drop 3 will fix everything and get players to come back to the game. The drop can't come soon enough tho.
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Can't fix the community it's going to destroy though. :P
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Can't fix the community it's going to destroy though. :P
 
Honestly if I thought it was possible I'd demand a refund of my sub money and game box money because i didn't buy a game that was a megaserver. I hate megaservers, sadly I know I won't get my money back so *throws hands in the air frustrated*
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			OMG WE WERE ALL DEAD SINCE THE BEGINNING	
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OMG WE WERE ALL DEAD SINCE THE BEGINNING
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OMG WE WERE ALL DEAD SINCE THE BEGINNING
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			Honestly, I've been seeing a lot of new faces.  I think we've leveled out and probably have been for a while.  Hopefully, though, the next drop brings a lot of people back.  For all the whinging coming from my corner of the Wildstarverse, this patch will answer a lot of the grind issues people had with the game.  And the PVPers seem happy with the last fix.	
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Good thing most of the RPers are sticking around then. And I've read many posts from people saying they're excited to try RP with the folks from Evindra when the mergers go through.
 
You toy with my emotions, man! One post you say how terrible everything has become or will become, and the next you make a coffee thread. And back again. TELL ME WHAT TO BELIEVE!
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			If you play Strawberry Fields Forever backwards it'll say 'I buried Wildstar'	
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Can't fix the community it's going to destroy though. :P
 
Honestly if I thought it was possible I'd demand a refund of my sub money and game box money because i didn't buy a game that was a megaserver. I hate megaservers, sadly I know I won't get my money back so *throws hands in the air frustrated*
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I've never played on a Megaserver, but hoping and thinking that it would have good potential.
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			Games only dead if you don't have people to play with or don't have things to do that you enjoy. I have both of those so no, the game isn't dead for me at least ;).	
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To give you the answer you're looking for, without asking you to decide for yourself:
 
Is the leveling process in this game fun?  Yes.  
Is it alt friendly?  No.
 
Is the crafting good?  Yes and no.  The crafting is new and interesting, but requires dailies and of course is being phased out now the game is no longer new.  Are there professions that are dramatically better than others?  Yes.
 
Is the PvE (non-raid) exciting, challenging, and fun?  Exciting yes, it's all new.  Challenging? Definitely, without a good group you may not even complete the instance.  Is it fun?  Of course, if PvE is your thing.  Some caveats though, it is not pug friendly.  There is a thing called an attunement process, which as it stands right now is pretty frustrating and terrible.  They're looking into changing it though, perhaps after you hit 50.
 
Is PvE raiding exciting, challenging, and fun?  You'll have to look for someone else to answer that as I don't intend to raid in this game.  I know that most people are pleased once they can experience it.
 
How is the competitive PvP scene.  There isn't one.
Will this game ever be e-sports material?  No.
Does a new player who is good at pvp in other games have a shot at having fun / competing?  Yes.
Is PvP noob friendly?  Without a doubt, no.
 
How does the game look since release?  Worse.  Different bugs, poor design decisions, with more on the way.
Do the developers listen?  Of course they do!  Do they act on it / make good decisions to go along with listening?  Of course not!
 
Are megaservers a product of anything other than interest decline in the game?  Yes.
Will this game be free to play in the next 6 months?  Yes.  They're already gearing up for cash shop aspects.
 
Does this game have potential to succeed? Yes of course!
IS the game worth paying for to play?  Yes!
IS the game currently dead?  No.  The next drop will either keep people interested or cause a massive decline in subscriptions.
			
				
	Edited September 6, 2014 by BusterCasey
	
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			Is the game dead? more or less, but it can still be enjoyable whatever grabs your attention. However leveling in zones is a no no until mega merge happens because you'll fall asleep and attunement progress does not help much either.
			
				
	Edited September 6, 2014 by BusterCasey
	
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Hey everybody, 
 
I cleaned up this thread a bit to try and steer it back on track. Not every thread needs to become feedback about the megaserver move.	
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Hey everybody, 
 
I cleaned up this thread a bit to try and steer it back on track. Not every thread needs to become feedback about the megaserver move.
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Games only dead if you don't have people to play with or don't have things to do that you enjoy. I have both of those so no, the game isn't dead for me at least ;).
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			Well, this thread has been enlightening... I'd probably only take Vic's opinion seriously overall. Most likely megaserver will bring back a lot of players that were too bitter to transfer/cared more about population while leveling up and also mask the actual population. It'll at least create a more vibrant looking level of activity thus making "the game is dead, abandon ship" comments that people make which scare players off go away so we can actually grow with the changes being made for PvE and PvP.	
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Will this game ever be e-sports material?  No.
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Hey OP,
 
I believe I've still got a key left. Need to have a lookzy. If I do and you want one you can have it (7-day trial).	
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			I'm paying for a subscription, but I've barely been able to play over the last month or so.  Love the game, wish I had more time for it.	
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This is one thing I disagree with, With some more tender loving care the PvP arenas in this game could be e-sport material.
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But it still has potential.
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			Not being esport material didn't stop WoW :P	
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			The game had 450k subs at release so likely x3 that in trials...1/2 of which left IMMEDIETELY due to poor optimization and standard bugs. Then the attunement grind...in a less than massive mmo...so yeah...niche game...good luck with that. Could have retained a strong stance for hardcores if the game flowed well enough to retain player base but it's a shame it didn't. Grinding to a screeching halt imho.	
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Can't fix the community it's going to destroy though. :P
 
Honestly if I thought it was possible I'd demand a refund of my sub money and game box money because i didn't buy a game that was a megaserver. I hate megaservers, sadly I know I won't get my money back so *throws hands in the air frustrated*
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The game had 450k subs at release so likely x3 that in trials...1/2 of which left IMMEDIETELY due to poor optimization and standard bugs. Then the attunement grind...in a less than massive mmo...so yeah...niche game...good luck with that. Could have retained a strong stance for hardcores if the game flowed well enough to retain player base but it's a shame it didn't. Grinding to a screeching halt imho.
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Scott, I wouldn't pour too much haterade on it. You might cause the thing to stop working and then we won't have any game at all. As far as communities go, I'll finally be able to dust off my PVE exiles and play with you guys on Evindra. I know you can't possibly be looking forward to t.... wait... I mean it'll be a great time!
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			Playing on stormtalon or pergo or one of the other very populated servers, and you wouldn't even know there was a population decline.	
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			Thank you all for the replys, really.. thank you.. But keep in mind I am here just to know how the games population is, so please don't come here and hate on the game  ;) 	
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Scott, I wouldn't pour too much haterade on it. You might cause the thing to stop working and then we won't have any game at all. As far as communities go, I'll finally be able to dust off my PVE exiles and play with you guys on Evindra. I know you can't possibly be looking forward to t.... wait... I mean it'll be a great time!
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I've seen that sentiment quite a bit. Looks like a lot of people are looking forward to meeting up with the Evindragons when this merger goes through.
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Most certainly not dead. I'm constantly doing stuff with guild mates, whether they be Dailies, RP events, goofing off in Housing, or simply tagging along with someone who is doing stuff for their path(a GREAT RP TOOL).
 
I am having FUN. It is worth it :)	
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			Some server are super, super dead or deathly wounded. Other servers might as well be hyperactive children (Pergo, Stormtalon and Evindra (Exiles side)). Either way, this will not matter in 3 to 6 weeks when we all get clumped up together (by server type, minus the RP subtype), which will make the game feel more alive.As many mentioned, try and get your hands on a 7-day trial and roll on one of the aforementioned servers. Otherwise you will feel very lonely. Carbine recently opened free transfers so people can escape their own, personal hell known as the ghost town servers.	
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But do we want to meet up with you not on our home turf? No, I sure don't! Sure there's some of you that are great but there are plenty that aren't. I really don't get why you guys can't get that, Look I'm all for having you all over to have fun at my place, but I don't want to go out to a public place where I have to hide my fun for fear of getting harassed.
 
This is pretty simple. They already said they won't be policing.
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Must be referring to the conversational "you." I know you know I'm already on Evindra, have been since early access.
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			No. Wildstar is not dead. <3	
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I have been seeing and watching a lot of people say Wildstar has failed, no one plays it any more etc.. I really want to get into Wildstar but is there even enough people to play? Is the game going to shut down within a year? Whats up? Some one please inform me!
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Yes, that is correct.
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PS, I see you running around Ilium a lot... but I won't tell you who I am, in case we meet and you think of me as "that jerk from the forums." ;)
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But do we want to meet up with you not on our home turf? No, I sure don't! Sure there's some of you that are great but there are plenty that aren't. I really don't get why you guys can't get that, Look I'm all for having you all over to have fun at my place, but I don't want to go out to a public place where I have to hide my fun for fear of getting harassed.
 
This is pretty simple. They already said they won't be policing.
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Change is sometimes good and fear will turn into not care. I understand what ya mean though, but I won't let that side win. I am who I am and I become even better.
 
Hope that helps.
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			Well, since we're intent on using this thread for megaserver feedback as well, I'm going to go ahead and close it up and point everyone towards the ongoing megaserver feedback thread. https://forums.wildstar-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/111868-megaserver-feedback-thread/	
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