Its simple: Any tool that has only a small audience that doesn't consist of the general populace in terms of having an equal number of members of all different preferences likes/dislikes is a completely flawed and unreliable tool. XFire isn't some popular thing, its actual population is low and I'm more then certain its population doesn't evenly label out a good majority of the population of players.
With that logic, you are saying that if I were to take a poll of say Fox News Viewers of their preferences of the Democratic Party Vs Republican Party, despite being a Republican propaganda machine, that the poll results will show a result that represents the general public, despite the fact its viewers are often republican favored, and as I believe last polled, consists primarily of the 68+ demographic. Its not going to be accurate at all.
Don't ressurect a thread that has 0 merit behind it and for those who use any relative though, is quite obviously a false statement that no one can remotely debate to be true.
Accuse someone of spouting garbage by spouting garbage!!!
The purpose of this thread is to discuss XFire numbers and from those try to extrapolate MMO playerbase numbers from. The mods of this site said they would support such a thread and sticky it so here is hoping they will.
"I just got the Q4 quarterly report from EA, and they report 1,3m subs, so I will add this. My latest estimate of 1,41m subs was pretty generous, however I always try to be conservative in my estimates, whether they are downward or upward.
What it does show me is that the Xfire numbers are a good indication to base estimates off, purely based on Xfire I would have estimated 1,2m."
So with that in mind, let us start with some theory-crafting. This is the method I use to get estimated player base numbers. I take a game with a known playerbase and from those games calculate what I would call the X-Fire factor. As an example I will use Eve estimated playerbase of 360k subs (only counting the subs in the West as I believe X-Fire is not used much in the East).
Then I divide this sub. number with the X-Fire played per day which for Eve is currently at 690.
360k/690 = 522 (rounded)
So 522 is the X-Fire factor which I will use to calculate the playerbase of other games. It would be better if I had another game to calculate the same for but currently I dont know any known sub. numbers of any other game. But this is just an example.
So lets use this number to estimate another MMOs playerbase, such as SW:TOR which has a players per day number of 1.471. Multiply this with the X-Fire factor to get an estimated playerbase of SW:TOR:
1.471*522 = 768k (rounded)
Same method for GW 2 gives a playerbase of 2 million.
Reasonable? I think so. Keep in mind that the released sub. numbers for SW:TOR was way back in Q1 2012. And GW 2 has sales of 2 million a month or so after release.
Here is the problem with that. Xfire can only track those who use their services. I have not used xfire in years. I use raptr now. The only way you know the true population is if the company releases that info. Otherwise any calculation you have will be incorrect. Websites have been trying to do this for years but are always wrong because they do not have all the factors.
Adults do not get sucked into the social mess of marketing. Most older Gamerz do not run things in the background. They are gaming. Additionally, most people who built their own PC learn not to install ancillary software. Thus their high-end systems are not on these polls.
These polls are just a sub-set of teenage activity, not the entire field.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
OP, While you try to make a good point I am sorry but just using XFire is not a reliable method of gauging an mmo's population.
I could just as say that since most people on this forum favor GW2, FFXIV & The Secret World as their top 3 then they must have the best population. So if you think those 3 game have higher overall populations then any other games then I guess it is correct, but I think it is just the sample from this site and does not reflect the overall population of any game.
While your thoughts do reflect what XFire players are playing it does not reflect the overall population of the games.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
Is this a necropost? ::headscratch:: I thought our dedicated x-fire salesman continuous re-poster was no longer with us.
Me too. Maybe its a nostalgia necro.
This pinned thread provides a very important service in these forums. It keeps all the Xfire and Raptr crap in one single pile instead of flung all over the site.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
This pinned thread provides a very important service in these forums. It keeps all the Xfire and Raptr crap in one single pile instead of flung all over the site.
So viral marketers are no longer promoting these products, or using them to de-promote the opposition's titles?
Comments
Accuse someone of spouting garbage by spouting garbage!!!
I am so impressed by the logic.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
The reviewer has a mishapen head
Which means his opinion is skewed
...Aldous.MF'n.Huxley
Well out of curiosity are you saying its legitimate?
DAoC - Excalibur & Camlann
Please Note: I'm done arguing with unreasonable people with an agenda and/or those that fail to see logic.
Argue if you must, discount my post with anti-logic and/or Hyperbole. I won't be responding any longer.
That's just, like, my opinion, man.
Here is the problem with that. Xfire can only track those who use their services. I have not used xfire in years. I use raptr now. The only way you know the true population is if the company releases that info. Otherwise any calculation you have will be incorrect. Websites have been trying to do this for years but are always wrong because they do not have all the factors.
These polls are just a sub-set of teenage activity, not the entire field.
my top MMOs: UO,DAOC,WoW,GW2
most of my posts are just my opinions they are not facts,it is the same for you too.
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
I could just as say that since most people on this forum favor GW2, FFXIV & The Secret World as their top 3 then they must have the best population. So if you think those 3 game have higher overall populations then any other games then I guess it is correct, but I think it is just the sample from this site and does not reflect the overall population of any game.
While your thoughts do reflect what XFire players are playing it does not reflect the overall population of the games.
Me too. Maybe its a nostalgia necro.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"