Steam Charts: some statistics of interest

[Breezin]

Seeing that most players apparently aren't playing anymore already, there's little point in rushing out a fast patch for the fraction that already likes the game enough to keep playing. A mediocre patch may lead the people who stopped playing already to decide not to touch the game ever again. If they, instead, wait some time to create a great patch, they might have a good chance to win a large fraction of those players back, while not aggravating too many due to their lack of quick patches.

That is an excellent point!

I suppose they have to walk that fine line between getting a patch out that really fixes/improves the game but not waiting so long that those that have left have moved on and don't come back.

If I had to predict, and I'm terrible at this, I'd say the patch comes out in 2 weeks.

 

[alpaca]

You specifically mentioned the decline from peak in your first post. The height of BE's peak is definitely affected by the fact that it was released on a single day instead of three days apart. Civ V didn't reach the peak until after the global release and thus the rise time is much slower. Also, since BE was released everywhere on the same day, it was released right before the weekend everywhere. Maybe with a three-day gap in release dates, the peak simultaneous BE plays would be 60,000 or 70,000.

I agree that there is some difference in the trend after a week that can't be attributed to the release schedule, but it's not as drastic as the peak difference. And there could be other factors that affect play rates. Definitely, people might be playing less because they don't like the game as much. But I think the data only seems to so clearly suggest that because we already know that people don't like the game, so the data isn't really proving anything we don't already know.

I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing you (alpaca) for posting the data. It's interesting to ponder, but it's just not definitive.

You're certainly right that the week-end release contributed to the very strong peak, but the extremely steep decline afterwards can't really be explained by that and the release effect alone. The week-end peak seems to be worth about 25%-35% of an increase, so even if you correct for it, you still get a much stronger decrease than for Civ5. While the statistics on their own are perhaps not definitive, I still maintain that they are a good indication that not only the forum crowd is unhappy. So, they can serve to give us some information about the "silent majority". Combining them with observations of the different forums and underwhelming user reviews completes the picture.

By the way, I found another website which has a finer resolution: http://steamcharts.com/app/65980#1m

First point edited to reflect our discussion

 

[prideaux]

I thought it would be interesting to compare how many people play BE compared to Civ5. These days, Steam provides very accurate real-time info on this. A graphical comparison can be found here

As you can see, Civ5 has had a rather stable number of players in the last couple of months, with an average of 40k-50k players. BE, shortly after its release, was played by more than 80k people on average, but now has declined to only 15k-20k. A comparable graph of Civ5 shortly after the release also shows a significant decline, but much less pronounced than BE. Also for comparison, you can find a graph for Total War: Rome 2 shortly after release here, which is also significantly less strongly peaked than BE.

I'm pretty sure the people at 2K will be looking at similar graphs. Now, I guess everybody's waiting for a patch, but the post-release behaviour sure doesn't look like the game was well-received by most players. This agrees with my impression about the crowd in this forum, so we might be more representative than we sometimes seem to think.

Please don't use this thread as another venting location about your pet peeves, there are already plenty of those around. It's meant to be a meta-thread about how the game was apparently received and whether or not the reception on this forum might be representative.

Edit: As m15a correctly pointed out, the initial release peak is perhaps not as strongly suggestive as it looks, as BE was released on a week-end simultaneously across the globe, which makes the week-end peak and the release peak coincide. It should probably be imagined to be more like 65k players when assuming a 35% increase in player numbers due to the week-end effect. The player base also seems to have become more stable now, as can be seen on another website

i wouldnt expect BE to sell as many as CiV up front (because its not a history setting) and likewise have anywhere near as many players as it after a few years and additions.

The way I normally play these days. Is play one huge game right off the bat. Then try a few things but nothing serious. Then not touch the game for another month or so. Its nothing personal but it gives the game time to settle in, a few balnce patches, a few mods that could make things different. So from my point of view the drop off means little.

Especially to some people below who played one game and unistalled it like it was the worst game ever. (and yes I have read that a few times around the place). There will always be people in this era who demand perfection, who craved some sort of earth shattering reaction to games, you know those who let hype rule their opinion. Given that all CIV games werent particular 'finished' on release and are always made better by patches, balancing, mods and community involvement.

This drop off is nothing, especially in this era in which the market place is saturated, not just in PC gaming but all kinds of consoles and mobile games. Gone are the days dedicated and loyal fan base.

Forums never represent the real community. If I was to believe everything I would read, every movie, game, tv show is crap and ALL those on the internet should make things themselves than professionals.

Further more all us CIV players have heard this all before, 2010 was the year the Civilization series ended upon the release of V which destroyed the franchise forever *yawn* really we all know how well that worked out and how solid it is now.

 

[alpaca]

An update with last weeks' stats (also found a nicer site): https://steamdb.info/app/65980/graphs/

It appears that the peak player number has now mostly stabilized at something like 6000-8000 players during a weekday and nearly 10000 on the week-end.

Civ5 now has about 30000 (https://steamdb.info/app/8930/graphs/). Of course, Civ5 also sold a lot more copies, in april it was at 5.4 M copies according to this article, which would give us about 0.6% of the people who own it who are playing the game on a normal day and about 0.9% on a week-end.

 

[AlaskA]

I bet they make patch with some new items (like free DLC) inside and offer it to us near christmas dates. I left this post here and return to it right after christmas.

 

[m15a]

Well, that's definitely a trend. Not even sure the number has really stabilized. Might keep dropping off slowly. Although I guess the big question now is whether/how many people will go back to playing after the patch.

 

[Ryika]

The last 3 mondays:

16.250
10.667
7.332
(other days have similar numbers)

How is that "stabilized"? It drops slower, sure. That's to be expected. But the graph is still pointing downwards quite heavily.

 

[RonMar]

I'm sure it has already been mentioned.

Some players are waiting to start games because the announced patch may break any progress already made in a game started now. If not break, still significantly modify or make it impossible to continue with the games started before the patch is applied.

Each time I start a new game, this is a concern which influences me. As time goes on, it is more likely it will happen.

 

[Breezin]

6000 peak today? That's terrible. This game looks to be dying. They'd better release a patch before it's buried. Yikes!

 

[kirbdog]

I don't really care how many people are playing. Just hope it shapes up to become a better game.

 

[Gamewizard]

It also has to compete with November's releases now, such as CoD, GTA, and Super Smash Bros. There is only so much time to game.

 

[player1 fanatic]

I'm sure it has already been mentioned.

Some players are waiting to start games because the announced patch may break any progress already made in a game started now. If not break, still significantly modify or make it impossible to continue with the games started before the patch is applied.

Each time I start a new game, this is a concern which influences me. As time goes on, it is more likely it will happen.

Exactly.
If game had beta branch, as some other games, I would start new game on it, minimazing the risk of release version of patch destroying game in progress due to heavy rebalancing. At same time, I would still be able to continue any current games in main release branch.

 

[JosEPh_II]

Exactly.
If game had beta branch, as some other games, I would start new game on it, minimazing the risk of release version of patch destroying game in progress due to heavy rebalancing. At same time, I would still be able to continue any current games in main release branch.

I'm knid of amazed at this mindset. It's a relatively short, time wise, play thru game. Starting over shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

But since I'm not interested in Steams badges, or whatever they are called, maybe that's what your concern is about?

As to the OP, I never played CiV, and Only because this was a Sci-Fi verrsion of Civ did I pre-order. So how many players are like me? I've played Civ IV and BtS (plus Mods for BtS) for the last 7 years. I'm a much older player and really have no interest in Steam. (Side rant:Really rather sad that the gaming industry went in this direction.) But if the Numbers are falling below 10K players that is Not a good sign and Firaxis needs to get moving if they want to save BE imho.

I started 5 games I have yet to "want to" finish any of them. I've not touched the game in over a week. I'm disenchanted and jaundiced long time Civ'er who Pre-ordered because it was supposed to be Civ in Space. It's too shallow a game to be called Civ in any shape or form. This could be the death knell of Civ as I know and love. And I hope Sid and company notice.

JosEPh

 

[Hail]

It also has to compete with November's releases now, such as CoD, GTA, and Super Smash Bros. There is only so much time to game.

agree 100%. should also mention Far Cry 4

trying to appeal to the casual audience has it's drawbacks

 

[player1 fanatic]

I'm knid of amazed at this mindset. It's a relatively short, time wise, play thru game. Starting over shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

No it is not. I accumulated 100h with just two games. So 50h on game, average.

And do not have more then 2h on working day to play BtE (more on weeked).

I do not want to ruin my games in progress with drastic balance change. I like my games in progress and do not restart them on first on possibility of boredom.

 

[alpaca]

The last 3 mondays:

16.250
10.667
7.332
(other days have similar numbers)

How is that "stabilized"? It drops slower, sure. That's to be expected. But the graph is still pointing downwards quite heavily.

You're right, I overinterpreted last week's data. There still seems to be some downward trend

 

[Roxlimn]

I'm knid of amazed at this mindset. It's a relatively short, time wise, play thru game. Starting over shouldn't be that much of a hassle.

But since I'm not interested in Steams badges, or whatever they are called, maybe that's what your concern is about?

As to the OP, I never played CiV, and Only because this was a Sci-Fi verrsion of Civ did I pre-order. So how many players are like me? I've played Civ IV and BtS (plus Mods for BtS) for the last 7 years. I'm a much older player and really have no interest in Steam. (Side rant:Really rather sad that the gaming industry went in this direction.) But if the Numbers are falling below 10K players that is Not a good sign and Firaxis needs to get moving if they want to save BE imho.

I started 5 games I have yet to "want to" finish any of them. I've not touched the game in over a week. I'm disenchanted and jaundiced long time Civ'er who Pre-ordered because it was supposed to be Civ in Space. It's too shallow a game to be called Civ in any shape or form. This could be the death knell of Civ as I know and love. And I hope Sid and company notice.

JosEPh

The game has more obvious nuance and complexity than any Civ before Civ3, and definitely more complex than Civ Rev (no knock on Rev - I like that game). I think what you really want is BTS. BTS is remarkably complex for a Civ game. Each Civ before and after is less complex, and there's data suggesting that most players simply don't engage with all of BTS's systems.

For my part, I like all that, but I feel that they've gone wrong with several systems broadly, so I can't fault Firaxis for going back to basics, relatively speaking.

 

[Tabarnak]

Thanks Alpaca for these nice graphs

The 9000 decrease from the halloween patch for civ5 players is probably due in large part from the fact that it has broken the mp state of the game.

So it appears that the mp community is approx. 15% from the overall community.

EDIT:
Nov. 26th:

We think we've tracked down the cause of the problem. Stay tuned, we'll get this addressed as soon as possible.

I suspect a little increase(10-15%) of players right after patch release.

 

[dojoboy]

I know there's a lot of problems with the game, but I can't stop playing it...

Yeah, I just got it and find it very good. There's certainly a role-play feel to it that Civ5 cannot fulfill. BE does take me back to the feel SMAC/x generated. I do feel the diplomacy needs to be overhauled in BE. Firaxis had to do a "copy/paste" job with the diplomacy code. Enjoy it still, and I'm looking forward to some DLC and expansion.

 

[Lord Tirian]

Enjoy it still, and I'm looking forward to some DLC and expansion.

I think that's the frustrating thing. It certainly got the addictive Civ feeling that not many other games manage... yet it feels not-quite-there. Been playing Endless Legend... and now I feel like Civ:BE is the more addictive/fun game but EL is the more interesting game. Can't Firaxis just steal some of that flair and sprinkle it liberally over Civ:BE's very solid foundation?