Two Things Are Killing This Game

[TheMaxpower]

1. Lag - Please stop introducing new content until lag is fixed. ALL HANDS ON DECK! At times the game is unplayable due to lag. This is unacceptable.

2. Low Server Populations - Either merge servers or allow cross server play! This game is not fun when there is nobody to play with or when raids are difficult to fill. This issue got much worse when HC server was open - live servers were a ghost-town.

Surely SSG is aware of both of these issues. Fix them soon or you will continue to see people leave the game. You have a great game. Don’t blow it !

[Crazeyred]

1) I run a old laptop with windows 8.1 OS I have had lag 1 time in 3 months back playing..
2) I agree with low population on servers is not any fun but cross server playing will cause More Lag.. Merging servers would be mush better more work for SSG setting things up in the short run..

[Saekee]

new player retention with some thoughtful ways to bridge massive grindwall
gap without giveaways or P2W

Lag is a tech thing, I have no idea

[Chacka_DDO]

1) I run a old laptop with windows 8.1 OS I have had lag 1 time in 3 months back playing..

Most likely because you played DDO only 1 time in 3 months?
But seriously I have no idea why there are always players who tell you everything is fine no matter how terrible things are...
Also, your statement is already a sign that you have no idea when you tell us something about your system and OS.
I just assume most players can divide very well between lag that is happening on their system or server-lag happening on the DDO server and the OP is obviously talking about server-lag

2) I agree with low population on servers is not any fun but cross server playing will cause More Lag.. Merging servers would be mush better more work for SSG setting things up in the short run..

Yes, server lag is potentially increased if you have more players on one server but this is anyhow what the OP is talking about.
If SSG works on server lag it might give the potential to merge servers without more lag.
I can only say that the hardcore server had much less lag with a very high population (compared to a normal DDO server)
I can just only assume the reason might be they used better servers of some sort for hardcore to make that possible.
And yes I know I can be wrong because I dont have insight into the real facts but it appears to me that SSG is able to set up servers with low lag if they really want.
The question is if they cannot make the needed investment or if they just only save money at the wrong end.

[Ultinoob]

new player retention with some thoughtful ways to bridge massive grindwall
gap without giveaways or P2W

Lag is a tech thing, I have no idea

Oh yes the Grindwall. Maybe if we could somehow give xp to a new player somehow...

I am with the OP on this. Lag needs to get fixed and population too.

I am by no means a computer wiz kid but I just can't figure out why they cannot make a new process for each instance. Not sure if it is here the lag comes from, but this way you can easily spread the load... Heck you can even do it on physically different servers. There might be an extra load time but i can not imagine it's much and i think all players will be fine with 10 seconds more load time if there is no lag when we are in dungeons.

[Swimms]

1) I run a old laptop with windows 8.1 OS I have had lag 1 time in 3 months back playing..
2) I agree with low population on servers is not any fun but cross server playing will cause More Lag.. Merging servers would be mush better more work for SSG setting things up in the short run..

You must not have played much in the last 4-6 weeks. There has been persistent and regular crippling lag that has been acknowledged by the Devs as an issue that is being worked on. I have played regularly since Ravenloft was released (near daily sessions) and the recent lag (since Hardcore server but more recently with the horse patch) has been like nothing I have experienced in the prior two years. It is not my rig, it is not my internet connection, it has nothing to do with how many times I have logged in or out different characters on my account. It is a problem on the server side or some other issue with their hardware or infrastructure hosting.

[Thrudh]

But seriously I have no idea why there are always players who tell you everything is fine no matter how terrible things are...

And I seriously have no idea why there are always players who tell you everything is terrible no matter how fine things are...

No one is saying "You are not experiencing lag". They are saying "Lag is not universal, because I haven't seen any lag all month". That's an important data point.

Yes, lag destroys the playability of this game. Yet some of us get lag, and some don't. Which makes it harder to troubleshoot.

I can only say that the hardcore server had much less lag with a very high population (compared to a normal DDO server)
I can just only assume the reason might be they used better servers of some sort for hardcore to make that possible.

Maybe it's because of less DPS, and less effects. I know DPS lag was a thing back in the day...

Things were simpler on the HC server... No reincarnation caches to load, no past-lives. It is interesting that HC was mostly lag-free for people who usually experience lag... They definitely should try to figure out what was different.

[Kutalp]

Lag exist but I dont think it is that awfull that it is killng the game. My humble opinion.



I know companies earn through sales; but there should be balance between different types of players (customers if some would insist)


TR race, Reap- rush , Power zerg...TReapowerzerg... is killng it. Not lag.

A garden gnome with giant's power and two cbows and meltlock aura travesty, turns off many players, holding their nose; especially players (customers) had actuall fantasy roleplay experience.



These words are not to BS but for love and sake of the game and the community. (Also for the salesman's). 'Dont use it if you dont like it' doesnt take it anywhere when a couple of ugly ducks choose to fly that way when the entire flock flies the other way. The flock prefer easy abuse which is given as if birthright...The ugly ducks prefer the ancient way of the chap and roleplay based characters...


Flock flies fast and burns fast;wasted to wild hunt...Old ducks get saved but slowly die alone of old age...


You know what happens to birds when they fly past a wind turbine. The wind turbne wins and the entire flock is dead. No more flock...

The ugly ducks may be saved but gone forever...



You dig what I am saying ?




Keep the birds together chap. Do not burn them fast for cheap fast food...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH-mhZLuGRk



Long live DDO.

[Thrudh]

You must not have played much in the last 4-6 weeks. There has been persistent and regular crippling lag that has been acknowledged by the Devs as an issue that is being worked on. I have played regularly since Ravenloft was released (near daily sessions) and the recent lag (since Hardcore server but more recently with the horse patch) has been like nothing I have experienced in the prior two years. It is not my rig, it is not my internet connection, it has nothing to do with how many times I have logged in or out different characters on my account. It is a problem on the server side or some other issue with their hardware or infrastructure hosting.

There is more lag now than normal. But it's not persistent and regular for all of us. I don't know why.

I had a couple of reallybad lag spikes soloing "Watch your step" in the the new Borderlands... But only a couple of minor hiccups anywhere else. (Oh once in Thunderholme slayer group it was really bad too, but that's normal - Thunderholme slayer groups, once they get too big, are almost always laggy).

I just went from 20-30 without much lag at all... No idea what I'm doing different...

[Nebless]

No one is saying "You are not experiencing lag". They are saying "Lag is not universal, because I haven't seen any lag all month". That's an important data point.

Yes, lag destroys the playability of this game. Yet some of us get lag, and some don't. Which makes it harder to troubleshoot.

Thrudh hits it right on the head. I've been playing daily too since Borderland was released and my only lag spots have been inside the Keep and in the Marketplace; the Keep on Khyber, Thelanis and Cannith, the Marketplace on Khyber. And I'm willing to say it's because of my computer specs. I know I can't handle high graphic concentrations, be it here, LotRO or AoC, nor can I handle multiple characters in one place in DDO.

I did get some hitching ONCE while out in the Borderland Wilderness area on Cannith, but other than that nothing and that probably was on the server side. But when I played on Wayfinder I had no lag what so ever anywhere; inside the keep, outside - nothing.

So don't get bent out of shape when others aren't seeing lag.

[Swimms]

There is more lag now than normal. But it's not persistent and regular for all of us. I don't know why.

I had a couple of reallybad lag spikes soloing "Watch your step" in the the new Borderlands... But only a couple of minor hiccups anywhere else. (Oh once in Thunderholme slayer group it was really bad too, but that's normal - Thunderholme slayer groups, once they get too big, are almost always laggy).

I just went from 20-30 without much lag at all... No idea what I'm doing different...

Persistent is probably not the right word choice, but I think it would be fair to call it a "noticeable uptick" in lag relatively speaking.

[shores11]

1. Lag - Please stop introducing new content until lag is fixed. ALL HANDS ON DECK! At times the game is unplayable due to lag. This is unacceptable.

2. Low Server Populations - Either merge servers or allow cross server play! This game is not fun when there is nobody to play with or when raids are difficult to fill. This issue got much worse when HC server was open - live servers were a ghost-town.

Surely SSG is aware of both of these issues. Fix them soon or you will continue to see people leave the game. You have a great game. Don’t blow it !

The funny thing is … these were the same two issues complained about in March 2006 not long after DDO launched. You might consider joining that same prediction team and work on your accuracy.

[lyrecono]

1. Lag - Please stop introducing new content until lag is fixed. ALL HANDS ON DECK! At times the game is unplayable due to lag. This is unacceptable.

2. Low Server Populations - Either merge servers or allow cross server play! This game is not fun when there is nobody to play with or when raids are difficult to fill. This issue got much worse when HC server was open - live servers were a ghost-town.

Surely SSG is aware of both of these issues. Fix them soon or you will continue to see people leave the game. You have a great game. Don’t blow it !

2) undoing all the ballance issues so people have a reason to come back playing might help.....

[Kinerd]

The funny thing is … these were the same two issues complained about in March 2006 not long after DDO launched. You might consider joining that same prediction team and work on your accuracy.

The funny thing is... "you will continue to see people leave the game." was absolutely correct.

[Lerincho]

The funny thing is... "you will continue to see people leave the game." was absolutely correct.

And many return after breaks. Sure the new shiny gets attentions, but DDO has replayability that not every game has, and people return.

[nokowi]

2) undoing all the ballance issues so people have a reason to come back playing might help.....

A 3 year stretch to try and make all dps equal should give you little hope that SSG understands design.

[shores11]

The funny thing is... "you will continue to see people leave the game." was absolutely correct.

People come and people go from this game and every other game. I agree there can always be improvements but there is no doom and gloom like you are prophesizing. This game is now 14 plus years old and I have been here from the beginning to people saying the exact same thing. Guess what the game is still making updates, patches, expansions, etc...

Long live DDO!

[Lerincho]

People come and people go from this game and every other game. I agree there can always be improvements but there is no doom and gloom like you are prophesizing. This game is now 14 plus years old and I have been here from the beginning to people saying the exact same thing. Guess what the game is still making updates, patches, expansions, etc...

Long live DDO!

Agreed

14 years despite Age of Conan was going to be the death of DDO.
14 years despite Lord of the Rings Online was going to be the death of DDO.
14 years despite Neverwinter was going to be the death of DDO.

Notice a pattern?

[nokowi]

People come and people go from this game and every other game. I agree there can always be improvements but there is no doom and gloom like you are prophesizing. This game is now 14 plus years old and I have been here from the beginning to people saying the exact same thing. Guess what the game is still making updates, patches, expansions, etc...

Long live DDO!

It depends on the perspective of what you are looking for. If you are looking for a big pool of players in an MMO, DDO already died.

If you are looking for a game that can just continue on life support, DDO can probably do this for a long time.

The concern people have is the server population they see and the server population they are able to interact with. The game dies for those looking for an MMO when that available pool of players do not meet their needs or preferences.

SSG has had trouble serving both the "must group" crowd, the "solo crowd", the "new player", etc. The game will die when too many people have been designed out of the game, or when the whales no longer like the design direction. Those two issue are at contrast with each other without a large enough player base, as the devs have to choose between the whales and other preferences.

We can clearly see the issues that could cause DDO to die. We just don't know when, and we don't know what action SSG might take to really increase or decrease the player base. DDO would have certainly died without the change to Free To Play, and they are here today because somebody was brave enough to make a change and they were lucky/skilled enough to be successful with that change.

[Lerincho]

Without the actual numbers of the game, judging by LFM is an absolutely wasteful thought process. User channels took the place of that long time ago. Provide concrete data that proves that server merge is warranted and that everything on a single server will cure the lag issue or other problems that people are having.