Another Day, Another Dozen Subscribing Matterson Players Walking Away

I'd like to share three screenshots that tell a story. A story of what is happening on Matterson every night now during prime time. These screenshots were taken today, 2/12/2014 at around 10:45 PM EST, right at the heart of prime time.

The first screenshot tells a tragic story of the TR, with 20% of the world population (was 18% when I logged in), attempting to hold off the NC. As you can see, we've got almost every TR online at Camp Connery. The NC, with 40% of the population, have the majority of their forces there with another platoon moving into Briggs Laboratory uncontested. No matter what TR does, we can't hold them back.

The second screenshot turns the story from tragic to pathetic. As the NC pushes the majority of their population advantage against the faction they outnumber 2:1, what are the VS doing? Well, they're moving in multiple-platoon strength from 5 minute ghost cap to 5 minute ghost cap, straight up into Mao where they will continue ghost capping in multi-platoon strength to warp gate.

Between the NC and VS borders everything is quiet. A couple squads, at most, and mostly pubbies, spread out at Crown and Scarred Mesa. The full weight of every (EVERY) major NC and VS outfit is engaged in a multi-platoon, multi-front, ghost capping zerg on the lowest population faction.

You can imagine how this feels to players like me, in the third screenshot. You can imagine how players like me feel when an alert starts, and the lopsided population you see here gets even worse.

It's only been two nights in a row that they've ganged up on us like this

It's been happening every single day since WDS started. It's only in the last two nights that they've done it during prime time. Talking to the major VS and NC outfits in chat, now that they've got a taste for how easy it is to farm WDS points, they have no intention of stopping the cease-fire and farming of TR territory during prime time until WDS ends.

I remember when VS and NC pops were that low, new matterson fad is to eat as many TR as you can
TR will bounce back eventually
take a break or tough it out is all I can really say, hang in there

Are you new here?

Despite SOE's supposed incentives to the contrary, it's completely normal for the least popped faction to get double-teamed. For alerts, which are territory-based, which is easier? Taking a base from the faction that can only place a platoon or two to defend against you (and in doing so most likely risks them losing another base to you because you have more forces) or taking a base from a faction that has equal or greater pop than you? Clearly it's the former in most cases. TR has a few outfits that can fight well against odds, but so do NC and VS, and they generally have more people online in outfits by sheer fact of having higher population.

TR's top players are moving on. I can't imagine the attrition among the middle and low tier TR player base if I'm seeing this many high-end players walk away each night.

I'm Mattherson TR, this is making me real, real sad. I just switched over from AOD to 903, and I guess I'll just keep fighting

I'm not saying we never get double teamed, I mean it's only been two nights in a row that they've warpgated us and seriously pushed us with multiple platoons. I will concede that I usually only play during primetime so if it usually happens later I'm not around to see it

heres a dog
hopefully it made you feel a bit better
not as fun shooting TR if they're out popped, I'll go kill some NC for you guys

I don't understand why SOE doesn't attempt any semblance of balance in this game. Letting one team win by just having more numbers is silly, and letting two of the three factions double team another is also silly

Hey I made the same switch a week or two ago, you're gonna have a much better time in the 903rd than anything AOD ever offered

Er...when was that? When I joined back in March of last year, NC was the overpopped faction, then there was a brief period where the server was relatively balanced, right before TE left, where TR had the advantage from around 7pm-9pm weekdays when TE ran ops, and then ZOE came out in May ( I believe--may have been early June), then it was VS for a the entire summer--there were a couple weeks between the end of August and mid-Septemberish (when WDS started) where the pops became close to even again, and then WDS Preseason 1 threw populations in favor of VS again, and then with PU01 NC and VS pops both increased over TR, followed by PU02 which resulted in higher NC pops, and then WDS Preseason 2 which took an already poor server balance and destroyed it completely in favor of NC and VS.

with 20% world pop, to be fair, they don't have to gang up on you to warpgate you.

You're forgetting something very important about that second picture, Tek. If these pictures were indeed taken at 10:45PM EST today, then this was right as the Bio-lab alert was winding down. Since the TR didn't hold a single Bio-lab, and Vanu had six of them, then what you see in the north-west corner of that picture is the NC attempting to establish a small buffer between your forces and Saurva Bio-lab.

And since most of the NC population was on Amerish and Esamir at the time, what you're seeing is a couple of small, random pubbie squads pushing your warpgate. The majority of organized outfits were on Esamir attempting to hold Ymir Bio-lab, while the TR forces were pushing Mani in the north.

I understand that you're upset. I am too. Nobody likes the way this WDS crap is going, nor do we like the effect it has had on our server. But don't go stirring the "VS/NC alliance" pot when you clearly don't have or aren't willing to face the facts. Don't complain that you're getting double-teamed when your own faction was attacking one of the three NC Bio-labs in the alert, instead of assaulting the VS whom had six. That's poor propaganda, even for the TR...




Source: http://ps2alerts.com/alertdetail.php?AlertID=1807

Mattherson VS/NC could definitely help remedy the situation by creating TR Alts during times that the TR are underpopulated. For instance GOKU's TR Alt outfit FRZA helps even the odds during the times we are underpopulated, and it would be very nice if more of the organized VS/NC outfits could follow in their footsteps to help out Mattherson TR . Mattherson TR can definitely continue to increase coordination between our major outfits, but there is only so much we can do while being at such a large population disadvantage.

In the end balanced server populations equal a better gaming atmosphere which is prone to create more satisfying fights. This is evident on Fridays when all major TR outfits have most of their regular players on, which is not surprisingly when Mattherson TR has populations consistent with Mattherson VS/NC, and good times and fights can usually be found. If Mattherson TR is able to experience a more pleasant server atmosphere, which would come from more balanced populations/ increased outfit coordination, then new TR players would also in theory be more likely to stay on Mattherson and increase the TR's population over time.

Mattherson TR can and will improve coordination between our major outfits to help improve the situation, but VS/NC the TR would appreciate it if you both could fight each other more and/or get on Mattherson TR alt characters when our population is low like this. More balanced populations in battles, and on the server as a whole, creates more epic battles on a more consistent basis. In the end I would hope that's what most people on the server want.

Very seriously, what does AOD offer its folks?

To be fair, the NC usually gives better fights (and we're often confused as to why you attack our bases during alerts where VS is winning, especially as it's often when you guys are losing bases to them ;p). I think it's more a perspective issue--often the opportunity to attack a base is more dependent on geography and continent pop than who's winning overall. If we see an opportunity we go for it. VS also tends to redeploy much faster than NC, and with much larger numbers. We bring one platoon, they bring 3-4 a minute later, which doesn't give good fights sadly. There are also situations where the population is just BAD and you have to go for SOMETHING, and going by pops, this was one of those nights:
http://borderlinetactical.net/rsnc/world-population/?world_id=17&zoom=1

It's also a bit telling that NC/VS still had the pops to go ghostcap things when TR clearly didn't have the spare change of troops to go fight nowhere near the alert =T

It nearly always is running platoon and makes sure to stay civil with plenty of chances for people to try their hand at commanding. Its a great starter out outfit and to get to experience the large numbers part of the game. 903rd is more focused and Iamcommandershepard is a hoot so its a good outfit to join if ready for more organization.

I was lied to. I was told a FRZA was a type of wine cooler in yell chat.