Mythic: Population Balance? (and 1-22-09 maintenance)

Durruck

Durruck

Pirate!
From The Herald. Note that I did not take the time to color all the text that they colored. You'll just have to follow the link if you want that info :)

We wanted to take a little time to talk about one of the current community concerns: the subject of Faction population differences. Over the past few months, we’ve been closely evaluating the differences in the number of players who actively play Destruction on each server versus those who play Order. We have seen some shifting with free server transfers that has, in truth, improved the Faction population differences. In most cases, the number variances are actually very subtle, but we wanted to share some data with you.

On average, the Faction population difference on each server is negligible; and surprisingly, it is not always the same Faction that has the higher populace. The majority of the servers have an extremely equal Faction population breakdown of 50/50, with the remainder following very close behind. (This is based on active players who are currently gaining Experience and/or Renown Points.)

Delving even further into those numbers and variables, here's a comparison of the active North American server averages, versus the one that has the most noticeable population Faction difference (Monolith). These percentages were all pulled from the last week. Order percentages are in blue, Destruction in red.

Average of All North American Servers

Active Accounts Per Faction: 49% / 51%
Relative Average Exp. Earning Rate per Time Unit: 50% / 50%
Relative Average RP Earning Rate per Time Unit: 50% / 50%
Average Exp. Per Character: 50% / 50%
Average RP Per Character: 50% / 50%

Monolith

Active Accounts Per Faction: 44% / 56%
Relative Average Exp. Earning Rate per Time Unit: 50% / 50%
Relative Average RP Earning Rate per Time Unit: 50% / 50%
Average Exp. Per Character: 51% / 49%
Average RP Per Character: 51% / 49%


So, what do all these percentages display? On average, there are slightly more Destruction players, but the rate of progression is equal. And while Destruction does have a sheer character/account numbers advantage on Monolith, in terms of open progression it is also very equal and balanced, and in some cases Order is actually gaining slightly more.

We do realize that numbers alone do not always equate to the very real perception players experience when waging war in open RvR. There are many different variables that can play into what you actually experience, including the time of day/night, the organization and cohesiveness of the group, and player skill. As developers, we also realize that it’s simply not possible to control these aspects, and there are times when one side is inevitably outnumbered on the battlefield. We have always taken that fact into consideration in our designs, and so there are ways to turn the tide in your favor, even if you don’t have the number advantage. This perception of balance is one that is always on our minds as we continue our efforts to make WAR great.

We’ve all seen situations where good organization, communication, cunning strategy, and skill can overcome the odds to defeat a larger, but less organized group. Sometimes that isn’t always enough, but it certainly helps. The most successful groups in any game have appointed strong leaders who give orders, players who listen to those orders and react quickly, loyal guild Alliances that work together, carefully calculated strategies, and often voice chat. We encourage the Faction communities on each server to try out some of these tactics, band together, and build a force to be reckoned with!

As always, we will continue evaluating each server’s Faction population, and will not hesitate to make adjustments if/when necessary to ensure the very best experience for our players.
Click to expand...
 
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Also, server downtime today until 12:30 EST. No specific patch information available at this time.

Interesting... when it disconnected me, it gave me the option to "quit to desktop" and "quit to patcher". Altho quitting to the patcher did quit to desktop. I wonder what the advantage would be? You still have to re-watch the movie (if you haven't deleted them) and would still take forever to load. It would only avoid having to re-enter your credentials. Hmmm.
 
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I smell a scam in the measurement categories! Probably a lot of people left saying 'yadda yadda' realm is imbalanced. IMO, experience progression in the game has nothing to do with the fairness and enjoyment of the game. I would much more want to see the lvl 40 breakdowns, the percentages of locked/owner realms, and scenario win percentages. (Just in case someone undervalues scenarios....scenarios can not be overlooked because they are a key factor in locking out a zone.)

Those are the things that I believe RvR/PvP players take most enjoyment of at a global level. Did we/order as a cohesive unit get something done. It's easy to say that the level progression is the same from tier 1 to tier 3 cause it's just noob chars. I think they'd be showing a more gloomy story if they compared end game achievements and renown earnings for lvl 40s.

All this said, I believe the structure of the game is balanced. I believe order will overcome their lack. There's just more premades and better gear on the destro side at the moment. That will probably always be. However, as more premades are formed, I can see a group of order wearing annihilators giving a good fight to a group of destro wearing conquerors. I watch the tier 4 locks frequently and destro typically has two zones locked at any time. I've only been on one unsuccessful fortress attack but it was nice to have the elf zone!

Onward and upward!

ps. can someone tell me why my signature doesn't update?
 
Har har har...

Then there was this thing about the 3 kinds of lies from some British dude...
 
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No, there 10 kinds of people: those who know binary and those who don't.

Also, numbers (especially statistics) never lie; they report exactly what you want.
 
I agree with Sam. Numbers report what you want and averages over time really hide the details. (If I used Mythic's average approach at work, I'd say a network's link is 50% utilized: it's only 100% during the day and 0% at night, we're fine!) What they forgot to point out was in the details - specifically I would be interested in not averages but how many Destro who have high RR vs Order who have RR in a percentile rating. I bet that would shed some light on it. Also, the fact that free server transfers allowed a balance to happen means that Destro got bored and wanted to move around a bit more was the thought that came to my mind.
 
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