Why don't more people play this game?

shihabdider · Post by **shihabdider** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:50 pm

As the debate over rank resets rages on, it occurred to me that any statistical method of skill-ranking, however sophisticated, requires a decent sample size to be accurate. And we just don't have that, we have 1 server with a few dedicated people at any given time and 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 games on non-sg weekends. Can you imagine regular 15v15 pick up games on multiple servers? When I first installed this game I was expecting real chain of command type stuff, where you have the comm give orders to captains/lieutentants who have their own 3-4 man wings/squads and carry out tasks given by the comm with those wings. But this is impossible because we have a player base of about 50 active players.

So why the *&^* don't more people play this game?

Granted, it is old (though the community has patched issues/bugs and kept the game up-to-date). And it is hard to learn (though the vets are ever willing to teach newbs). And the graphics are outdated (though texture packs exist). But still, this is a deep and rewarding game with a very welcoming community. We should have people coming in by the thousands but instead the older players are actually leaving.

I just don't get it, is it because the game is unknown? Or is it simply a self-perpetuating circle in that to have players we need players? I wonder if we are ever going to be able to play this game the way it was intended to be played (or if an alternative will be created sometime soon that the community will migrate to).

I for one, am still waiting on those huge 25v25, chain of command, actually using the different wings, games. A man can dream.

Post by **MagisterXF94** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:55 pm

shihabdider wrote:QUOTE (shihabdider @ Sep 6 2014, 10:50 PM) As the debate over rank resets rages on, it occurred to me that any statistical method of skill-ranking, however sophisticated, requires a decent sample size to be accurate. And we just don't have that, we have 1 server with a few dedicated people at any given time and 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 games on non-sg weekends. Can you imagine regular 15v15 pick up games on multiple servers? When I first installed this game I was expecting real chain of command type stuff, where you have the comm give orders to captains/lieutentants who have their own 3-4 man wings/squads and carry out tasks given by the comm with those wings. But this is impossible because we have a player base of about 50 active players.

So why the *&^* don't more people play this game?

Granted, it is old (though the community has patched issues/bugs and kept the game up-to-date). And it is hard to learn (though the vets are ever willing to teach newbs). And the graphics are outdated (though texture packs exist). But still, this is a deep and rewarding game with a very welcoming community. We should have people coming in by the thousands but instead the older players are actually leaving.

I just don't get it, is it because the game is unknown? Or is it simply a self-perpetuating circle in that to have players we need players? I wonder if we are ever going to be able to play this game the way it was intended to be played (or if an alternative will be created sometime soon that the community will migrate to).

I for one, am still waiting on those huge 25v25, chain of command, actually using the different wings, games. A man can dream.

http://www.freeallegiance.org/FAW/index.php/History
I think this provides the best answer.
Vets will tell you more for sure.

Archangelus · Post by **Archangelus** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:32 am

Sorry man but I wont spend my time explaining why 25x25 sucks. But they just suck, anything except sup, is nearly non-viable. Although back on, the game lacked serious balancing problems.

Elzam_ · Post by **Elzam_** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 1:20 am

People don't play the game because the community is full of tossers. And because the game is stagnant.

MrChaos · Post by **MrChaos** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 1:37 am

Tossers aside what you desire is competitive squad play. After a decade I can tell you a random scrum of peeps just are not cohesive enough to pull off wings.

Post by **Dome** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 1:44 am

There are a number of reasons why more people don't play and you already mentioned several of them:

1) Lack of constant games means some new players log-in, see no players, and immediately uninstall
2) Steep learning curve
3) Default keymapping is atrocious
4) New players expect much better default graphics in this day and age
5) Community "tossers"
6) Most younger players expect instant gratification and don't see the value of learning a game that only has people playing at certain times
7) Our website is old looking and we still have low-res screenshots in the screenshots sections and zero videos in the videos section
8) Allegiance can only be played on Windows
9) (Insert other reasons)

MrChaos · Post by **MrChaos** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 1:54 am

Dome is a *#$@head

Post by **Dome** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:35 am

Broodwich · Post by **Broodwich** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:52 am

A whole bunch of people whined about big games happening and how terrible they were. And they are nowhere to be found when all it is is small games. They couldnt be asked to start a game of their own together, and god forbid they command it themselves.

15 v 15 used to be late night when i started. But no, it was never much of a chain of command type thing. Best it got was maybe having a few people doing different things that needed to be done, and the rabble would follow along with them. I think QDY had a pretty good breakdown of the average team.

Problemz · Post by **Problemz** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:22 am

I remember a few giant games like that, when everyone would overload into a sector and people would just start dropping like flies because of the sector overload, hilarious @#(!. Just really annoying voice that you cant turn off