Interview with the Turbine Staff

[Silchas]

No, if you read the fine print you will see that the SHARE is based upon (and TMP% is based upon...):
Source: Nielsen Games - GamePlay Metrics™. Share is the percentage of the gaming audience measured that played the title. Overall TMP% represents the percent of total minutes played from the Top 100 non-casual/pre-installed PC games measured.

So they measure both how many individuals play in their sample group, and their average playtime. The number of log-ons a bit irrelevant without the amount of playtime really. In other words: Lots of people play, and they play a good amount of time. Of course, calling a system that's perfectly ok for statistical analysis "dumb" does show your ability and knowledge of statistics. Just putting it out there you know ;-)

I would like to add that to this. Nielsen is relied upon by Fortune 500 communication and entertainment companies as well as advertising agencies and their clients to provide accurate information upon which they can make business decisions. People in this forum may think this is about nothing more than "bragging rights" but there actually is an important purpose to the information that Nielsen provides. To somehow suggest that Nielsen doesn't know what it is doing or that it's information is inacurrate or irrelevant is naive at best.

[Arbalister]

I would like to add that to this. Nielsen is relied upon by Fortune 500 communication and entertainment companies as well as advertising agencies and their clients to provide accurate information upon which they can make business decisions. People in this forum may think this is about nothing more than "bragging rights" but there actually is an important purpose to the information that Nielsen provides. To somehow suggest that Nielsen doesn't know what it is doing or that it's information is inacurrate or irrelevant is naive at best.

Bah! They're total wankers! These guys gave low scores to Star Trek, in the 60s.
What do they know? :-)

[Silchas]

Bah! They're total wankers! These guys gave low scores to Star Trek, in the 60s.
What do they know? :-)

Just because Star Trek was too sophisticated for the milk-toast audiences of the 1960's doesn't mean Nielsen didn't do their job right .

[Arbalister]

Just because Star Trek was too sophisticated for the milk-toast audiences of the 1960's doesn't mean Nielsen didn't do their job right .

You know, I wonder if comments like that are why my requests to get a Neilsen box have always met with stony silence. :-P

(no, you can't just *ask* to be a neilsen household...it don't work that way...but I had to go for the joke.)

[Silchas]

You know, I wonder if comments like that are why my requests to get a Neilsen box have always met with stony silence. :-P

(no, you can't just *ask* to be a neilsen household...it don't work that way...but I had to go for the joke.)

I figured that would prompt a good reply, lol.

[OldMadeOfLions]

Personally, I think the devs should post their long list of items on their "todo" list Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend and just let the forums percolate for a while

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

[Silchas]

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

We are going to hold you to that!

[Arbalister]

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

We are going to hold you to that!

MoL PROMISED "things!" When are you releasing them! Are they live on Bullroarer! Can they be purchased for TP! Do VIP's get free things! :-)

[hucklebarry]

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

This is exciting! I can clearly see how housing will now get that major revamp. WOOT! However I think it should be number 1 instead of number 2. Seriously, no on needs you to be wasting your time on transparency for the necklace icons.

Thanks for the update!

[Comstrike]

WoW is facing the same plunge that AOL faced. Though Blizzard/Activision likely will do better in surviving as a money-making operation than AOL did. Their game is dated, graphically inferior, rank with negative stereotypes, the IP has no "soul," such as LOTRO or SWTOR can boast, and people have realized they can walk way from it.

I doubt they have 5 million active subscribers overall, I think they are into deep churn between active and in-active players. China is not performing well enough to sustain the game, and government in-fighting has crippled growth there. (Turbine is washing that grime off CDC's failure to launch over there too, but the falacies of China being great for business is for another thread.)

EA is targeting the right number, the North American and Eurozone people with SWTOR. They could well match WoW in net active subscribers within 24 months. Turbine will prove wise beyond measure by going to F2P a year ago, which may be among the reasons this game not only survives, but thrives. The industry will evolve greatly in the next couple of years as well. SWTOR will likely drive some major players to take the plunge. Some will move too fast and fail, others might start the long-work that yields another legit success. (Hopes for DUNE, but oh well.)

These aren't games anymore, they are online services. That I think becomes the real truth that we see emerge. And that I think will sit ill with some people who especially disliked F2P.

[Arbalister]

This is exciting! I can clearly see how housing will now get that major revamp. WOOT! However I think it should be number 1 instead of number 2. Seriously, no on needs you to be wasting your time on transparency for the necklace icons.

Thanks for the update!

Its not what he said, it's what he didn't say. SO this must mean that Eagle mounts will be in game, but VIPs will have to pay for them while F2P players get them free! No fair! And... characters played by Arbalister will now be covered in carbunkles, just because of this post...

Er...

Forget I said anything...

[Silchas]

You know the more I think about it I am sure they promised in 2008 to work on the other thing before that thing.

[GregJL]

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

I thought you were supposed to promise us "this, that, and the other thing"!

[Regero]

Here's mine for today:

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

You're right, this was therapeutic!

MoL

I don't like the direction Turbine is evidently taking with such "Things". Clearly I must now rage quit to voice my displeasure at such things, but i will still lurk in the forums and probably play the game for over a year after I quit.

[OldMadeOfLions]

I thought you were supposed to promise us "this, that, and the other thing"!

A quick update for you guys. I did the thing. Now I'm doing the other thing.

Just wanted to keep you in the loop!

MoL

[Silchas]

A quick update for you guys. I did the thing. Now I'm doing the other thing.

Just wanted to keep you in the loop!

MoL

Wow! You obviously didn't spend enough time on the thing. I want my money back.

[Comstrike]

Really MoL "doing" a Thing just strikes me as something that should be kept private.

[Celestrata]

A quick update for you guys. I did the thing. Now I'm doing the other thing.

Just wanted to keep you in the loop!

MoL

Great to hear that you're narrowing down your list of things! Meanwhile, I'm dealing with Werk Cat today. *sighs*

[OldMadeOfLions]

I've got to hand it to you, I hadn't thought of that!



MoL

[Silchas]

Really MoL "doing" a Thing just strikes me as something that should be kept private.

This conversation is suddenly very disturbing....

[Lohi]

WoW, according to their system has almost 4 times as many players as Lotro, at least in their coverage area.

Most of the numbers coming directly from the game publishers have to be taken with a grain of salt. There are just too many ways to count players. The number who've ever subscribed (because none are ever removed), number of players who've logged on in the last two months (to account for vacation), average number of daily players, etc. Then that doesn't take into account players with multiple accounts, dual boxers, gold farmers, people just showing up to chat with friends, differences between the one-hour-a-month subscriber and the daily player, etc. The publishers are going to release the numbers that make them look the biggest, whereas internally they will use numbers more representative of revenue (how much revenue to we get for a new raid versus a new zone, etc).

[Lohi]

1) Do the thing
2) Do the other thing

My list of things to do never survives the list of emergencies on my desk on Friday morning.
("Customer injuries? I don't think it's my code, but I'll have a look just in case."
"No, I'm not the one who provided the Lithuanian translations, check with Bob."
"Salesmen injuries too? They didn't push the red button did they?"
"Sorry the congressman will have to wait until after my lunchtime raid.")

[Sapience]

A quick update for you guys. I did the thing. Now I'm doing the other thing.

Just wanted to keep you in the loop!

MoL

Well now you've done it. We're not supposed to talk about the other thing.

[Baresira]

I've got to hand it to you, I hadn't thought of that!



MoL

Heh. I see what you did there.

[Arbalister]

This conversation is suddenly very disturbing....

One might say...its..."gripping."