Multiplayer numbers?

"DRM FREE" was listed literally in ALL the kickstarter backing options $20 and up, so much for "wasn't for the longest time"

yeah. it wasn't there. : )

I'm not making this up, we got server quite recently.

sorry double

Offline server was promised after release, and they delivered.

yes, and it was only delivered recently. I know all this?

on a promise side of things it was also easy to understand it would be the case on release. it wasn't. thus, nearly two years of playing with DRM, the stats are accurate.

They had the DRM because alpha/beta, it makes sense because they didn't need the alpha and beta versions leaked, I was ok with that. I am not OK with having to play through steam, I will not touch this game ever again should it become steam-only like company of heroes.

well thankfully that is probably an eventuality you won't have to deal with.

the fact that the steam and uber versions are the same bears several advantages.

one of which being they have no obligation to merge : they both stay at the same level of advancement and share the same playerbase.

OH Wait 8000th post! WOO!!

There could be an obligation to merge - if Uber goes bankrupt. In which case, I'd prefer something like FAF to steam. The playerbase is not entirely the same, I as a backer had an option to convert to steam key, but I didn't, so I only play through Uber's launcher. So, in this case, there are more people who can launch via the Uber launcher than those who can launch through Steam, because there are certainly some backers who have not converted their keys to Steam.

well..... we did ask if hosting PA games through FAF would be allowed by UBER...

can't remember where, nor if we got a dev answer, may have to ask again.

this could only be beneficial to both communities, but I fear I will be very alone in believing that.

Why would they go bankrupt?

I don't think there will be anything to prevent that- the intention is for Uber to enable user hosted servers soon so...

The main problem would be that *some* people have an axe to grind in trying to prove one game superior to the other....

there is, if UBER does not agree, then FAF (or other offline lobbies) would be foolhardy to attempt it and won't.

FAF being used as an unofficial lobby for FA is done entirely with the legal benediction of the implicated parties.

Steamcharts data are literally just "X steam accounts online in the game". Playfab would have the information for everyone logged in, steamcharts should not unless for some reason PA is unique and handles its information differently than any of game on steam.

As for numbers of players doing single player or coop vs AI exclusively in RTS's, both my own experience, and from I remember having read places I'd probably put it around 85-95% playing that way, with some leeway on the game and the community around it.

idk, the same reason cavedog collapsed and GPG was bought out? can't stay afloat forever.

@tatsujb

Please give me your source that Steam gives all players, as pastats numbers seem to show that is wrong.

not like I don't desperately want to.

once again ...search has failed me ... and I you, sorry.

The big ol' table of what tracks what:

Uber Launcher includes non-steam launched directly from the exe
I am not sure what happens with players who have a linked steam account but don't log in via steam (eg., not sure which row they count towards)

Steam Charts: http://steamcharts.com/app/233250
PA Stats: http://pastats.com/

Since we can't readily see PlayFab stats, and nothing can see truly offline players, there is a significant gap in the measurable playerbase.

Edit: We can, however, can a rough ballpark guesstimate at the % of offline Steam players.

While looking at steamcharts in the past, one thing was clear. Each big update to PA resulted in a measurable increase in player count. However, one update did not: The release of the Offline Server. Instead, player count appeared to drop significantly. It went from a steady average of ~2800 players to an average of ~800. So what happened? Let's make some assumptions and draw some conclusions.


Dots indicate available data points. Vertical line is when offline mode was released. Note the trend appears to start before the line, but that's only because it is drawing a best guess line between only two available data points (dots).

Assumption 1: The change in player count was due to the patch.
It was steady for a long time, and it was steady again immediately after the patch. So it's reasonable that the decrease was caused by the patch.

Assumption 2: There was 0 new players brought in by the patch.
This is almost certainly not true (given historic precedent), but it's easier to assume this than to guess a figure. We can take this into consideration at the end.

Assumption 3: The loss of players was due to those players moving offline.
This is probably not entirely true, but I would guess a vast majority did. There's nothing else to suggest why a sudden drop occurred, and given Assumption 2 already puts us lower than expected, I believe this is a reasonable assumption.

Assumption 4: The % of offline players to online remains constant.
We have no data to suggest either way on this.

From these assumptions:

Averaged current Player count immediately before offline mode: 2,800 (steamcharts.com)
Averaged current Player count immediately after offline mode: ~800 (steamcharts.com)
Number of current players going to offline mode: ~2000 (assumptions 1-3)
% players in offline mode at any time: 2000 / 800 = 250% of online players

Completely ballpark, of course. This would put the current figures for Steam at:
930 current online players
2325 current offline players (assumption 4)

The steam charts show offline, and online players. Did you include sales, for the increase in players? Whenever there is a sale, the player base rises.

Steamcharts does not show players running steam in offline mode, but it does show player running steam online but running a local PA server, as the table shows.
There was no sale during that time when the offline server was released. If there was, then the number of offline players would actually be significantly higher.

It would be impossible for Steam to show offline players since they're... offline. =P