I've been a devoted RO player for years now. I love the game. I support the servers I frequent and may some day be able to launch my own. I've been watching with keen interest the creation and production of the various RO offshoots like Darkest Hour, Mare Nostrum, Carpathian Crosses, etc. Perhaps there are more I haven't tried yet.
I don't want to see this fantastic game die; I want to see it prosper. But the following is the situation as I see it, and that's why I am posting these observations with the best of intentions. I know some of you have been playing this long enough to know what I'm talking about. This is just my opinion; maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Mark my words!
NOTE: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER "RO IS DYING" OR "DOOM AND GLOOM" THREAD. IF YOU THINK IT IS, THEN YOU ARE NOT READING IT CAREFULLY ENOUGH!
These are my observations:
The player base for RO is not what it used to be.
The number of RO servers has declined, and of those that remain, many sit empty much of the time. I remember the days of hundreds of servers and waiting in line to play on them. Now if I want a packed server, my choices seem to be Danzig 24/7 or Danzig 24/7. (No offense to those servers who choose that format, you are free to do what you wish and I appreciate having a place to play as do others.)
The variations of RO have spread this dwindling player base out even more.
Darkest Hour, Carpathian Crosses, and Mare Nostrum are all excellent, totally awesome games, but they are essentially just versions of the same game we all love: RED ORCHESTRA. With so few players to go around, the inevitable result is that they all suffer from lack of support.
Tough games are tough to love.
Let's face it, the RO family of games are harder than most and take a lot of time, practice, and perseverance to learn to play well. Not many newcomers are going to have the interest and/or patience to go through the process of researching what games are available, then downloading and installing all the necessary files correctly, only to find a handful of active servers. That will scare potential players away. Nothing says "dying game" louder than a bunch of empty servers (except maybe only 5 empty servers). If we want RO and it's variations to survive and prosper, it has to be as simple as possible to get the game started; leave the challenge for the gameplay itself. The current situation is just the opposite.
UNITE or DIE?
I would really like to see all of these great games combined under the Red Orchestra banner, with all their resources focused on a common platform. Why not be able to play Red Orchestra, and over the course of several maps experience all the variations rolled into one? Russians v. Germans one map, Germans v. Allies the next, British v. Germans after that, and so on. Those servers who preferred to only offer one version or another could still do so, but the rest would offer more variety and fun than ever, and bring all the player base together again. The devs could also work together on a common cause, thus resulting in faster and better results for all concerned. Failure to unite resources is not helping the game or it's mods. On the other hand, bringing everything under one roof will help keep them all improving, attract (and KEEP) new players, and bring RO into the future with guns blazing as The Standard for realistic WWII shooters.
I just don't think that it helps to fracture a game this specialized into smaller and more exotic pieces; why not combine them and keep the continuity? There aren't enough players, and the competition for attracting new players is formidable. I hope that all the devs of RO, DH, MN, and CC can get together, set aside their differences, and work together for the sake of the game(s).
"United we stand, divided we fall."
I don't want to see this fantastic game die; I want to see it prosper. But the following is the situation as I see it, and that's why I am posting these observations with the best of intentions. I know some of you have been playing this long enough to know what I'm talking about. This is just my opinion; maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Mark my words!
NOTE: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER "RO IS DYING" OR "DOOM AND GLOOM" THREAD. IF YOU THINK IT IS, THEN YOU ARE NOT READING IT CAREFULLY ENOUGH!
These are my observations:
The player base for RO is not what it used to be.
The number of RO servers has declined, and of those that remain, many sit empty much of the time. I remember the days of hundreds of servers and waiting in line to play on them. Now if I want a packed server, my choices seem to be Danzig 24/7 or Danzig 24/7. (No offense to those servers who choose that format, you are free to do what you wish and I appreciate having a place to play as do others.)
The variations of RO have spread this dwindling player base out even more.
Darkest Hour, Carpathian Crosses, and Mare Nostrum are all excellent, totally awesome games, but they are essentially just versions of the same game we all love: RED ORCHESTRA. With so few players to go around, the inevitable result is that they all suffer from lack of support.
Tough games are tough to love.
Let's face it, the RO family of games are harder than most and take a lot of time, practice, and perseverance to learn to play well. Not many newcomers are going to have the interest and/or patience to go through the process of researching what games are available, then downloading and installing all the necessary files correctly, only to find a handful of active servers. That will scare potential players away. Nothing says "dying game" louder than a bunch of empty servers (except maybe only 5 empty servers). If we want RO and it's variations to survive and prosper, it has to be as simple as possible to get the game started; leave the challenge for the gameplay itself. The current situation is just the opposite.
UNITE or DIE?
I would really like to see all of these great games combined under the Red Orchestra banner, with all their resources focused on a common platform. Why not be able to play Red Orchestra, and over the course of several maps experience all the variations rolled into one? Russians v. Germans one map, Germans v. Allies the next, British v. Germans after that, and so on. Those servers who preferred to only offer one version or another could still do so, but the rest would offer more variety and fun than ever, and bring all the player base together again. The devs could also work together on a common cause, thus resulting in faster and better results for all concerned. Failure to unite resources is not helping the game or it's mods. On the other hand, bringing everything under one roof will help keep them all improving, attract (and KEEP) new players, and bring RO into the future with guns blazing as The Standard for realistic WWII shooters.
I just don't think that it helps to fracture a game this specialized into smaller and more exotic pieces; why not combine them and keep the continuity? There aren't enough players, and the competition for attracting new players is formidable. I hope that all the devs of RO, DH, MN, and CC can get together, set aside their differences, and work together for the sake of the game(s).
"United we stand, divided we fall."
- Aesop (620-560 BCE)
(from The Four Oxen And The Lion)
thanks for your time, ggs
Last edited: