Cantr Is Dying. What Then Shall We Do?

[Solfius]

it dipped to below 1100 after the last bout of heavy lag, I think it got as low as 1047 or around that mark.

The lag is better now and the player count is improving again, but it doesn't show any signs of substantial growth

(Just going on my turn reports here, it's the only reason I collect them, to see how the player base grows and shrinks)

[saztronic]

The high water mark was over 4000. So we're at roughly 25% of where we used to be.

[Solfius]

I wonder, when did we peak, and what was the state of Cantr at the time?

What characterised Cantr at its most successful point in its history, and how does that differ from today?

[Arlequin]

There was more interest in text browser games I think. When Archmage, Ogame, Urban Dead and the likes were big.

I think browser games were basically some of the favourite procrastination time pits until the paradigm shifted to wacky YouTubes, LolCats and Personal Webpages Where One Doesn't Really Need To Write Much.

[El_Skwidd]

Despite the changes, I still hold Cantr as the best online RPG I've ever come into contact with. I do play Guild Wars (comparable to, but also way cooler than, World of Warcraft for those of you who haven't heard of it) and I still think Cantr is more open ended and way more wide-scale and fun to play.

I've actually got more and more of my friends into the game as the player numbers decline... for some reason people who wouldn't play when the count was high have gotten into it now that the count is low. People I've talked to that try it and quit are looking for a more fast-paced experience, and I think someone mentioned in another thread that it should be easier for newspawns to get started on stuff. I don't see how that can happen without giving them things right off the bat. Maybe the spawn rates could be weighted heavier towards bigger locations? More people = higher probability of activity, meaning that there's a higher chance someone'll be online to interact with a new player.

That said, I have no idea why the player count declined. It might have had something to do with the item deterioration which was badly implemented, but that is fixed in my opinion and is a good addition overall.

Ask your friends. You'd be surprised who gets into this sort of thing. If everyone active on the forums brings in one more person, what's that... 200 players?

[toon]

I play this and Guildwars also. But you can't really compare them ... in my opinion. They are both totally diferent, but I do like Cantr because it's more than just fighting. You have seperate characters with seperate lives. Guild Wars is a combat game you can play iwth alot of friends. I also agree that spawn location should be changed to populated areas. That way people will see that there is actually activity in some places.

[Trezker]

4000 - 1000 = 3000 * average amount of stuff left behind....

There must be incredible amounts of riches left behind. Entire ghost towns with treasures waiting to be claimed...

[nitefyre]

I just wanted to note the theme of the 4 most active topics:

1) Cantr Is Dying. What Then Shall We Do?
2) The Dead Character Thread
3) How many dead characters do you have?
4) How Disapointing, Cantr Fails in a BIG way (sic.)

Is it because the average Cantrian/person is a big whiner or has a constant subconscious fear/infatuation with death? Or is there something wrong with Cantr?

[El_Skwidd]

4000 - 10000 = 3000 * average amount of stuff left behind....

There must be incredible amounts of riches left behind. Entire ghost towns with treasures waiting to be claimed...

Also, nitefyre, I do think people are being a little more negative than they need to. We've still got a good game on our hands.

[saztronic]

I think (if I remember right) that I started this thread back when it seemed like the player numbers were dwindling fiercely. They do seem to have plateaued at around 1000 or 1100, so maybe there's no cause for concern that it will waste away to nothing.

However... while the game is still good, it isn't what it once was. And I'm not some old fogey sitting on the porch railing about how much better things were in his youth. It's just simple fact that there used to be four times as many people -- which means four times as many active people, as well. Think a moment about the level of interaction and potential that generated for your characters.

Now... I only run two. Because otherwise I'd go nuts from boredom.

2306-1: John, can I borrow that hammer?

2311-7: Sure, here you go.

I exaggerate. But not to an extraordinary degree.

[DylPickle]

2306-1: John, can I borrow that hammer?

2311-7: Sure, here you go.

I exaggerate. But not to an extraordinary degree.

Sad but pretty close to true. I can't believe 3000 players dropped off like that. *poof*

[Trezker]

Well, there were massive lag issues and most players dropped during that period right?

Now things seem to run smoothly. Something I don't think I ever experienced before... Can't quite remember how it was when I first joined, but there was lag now and then as far as I can remember.

Now that the worst issues have been solved(?) I think players will return.

[Solfius]

and I remember when Cantr used to run out of bandwidth at the end of each month, seems funny to think about it now, had less than 1000 players then.

Still, does anyone know when we peaked?

[BarbaricAvatar]

Just think though, maybe having a large number of players and therefore a large number of processes was part of the reason why the game was lagging. If they all come back.....

[formerly known as hf]

The time trends on public statistics suggest a peak for English players around years 1280-1300. The stats don't go back further than that, though, and may have been higher previously.
http://www.cantr.net/trendgraph.inc.php?type=players_by_language&code=1


For Polish players, the peak was a little later - the scales are useless (well, non-existent), but I'd estimate that at around 1400-1500
http://www.cantr.net/trendgraph.inc.php?type=players_by_language&code=9

The old players in th English speaking areas (not sure how many days count as 'old') has a different pattern - plummetting at one point (no idea why, maybe too much lag?) but growing steadily since - I'd guess from players hanging around, rather than older players returning (one thing I've noticed is not only are we not getting new characters, we're having trouble keeping long-term players too.)
http://www.cantr.net/trendgraph.inc.php?type=old_players_by_langu&code=1]