A month or two makes quite a bit of difference in the general attitude towards an MMO it would seem.  The list below is quite an impressive start for the 3 DarkFall Coorespondents: Kelly, Andy, and Megan. 

Unfortunately it didn't seem to last very long for some reason.  Their last posts in DarkFall's Forum were:

Kelly:  2/26/09

Andy: 5/21/09

Megan: 4/14/09

These are the Features that were coming in at a record pace not that long ago:

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3093/Combat-Guide-Part-Two.html

Posted on 05/27/2009 by Kelly Price  (The Magic guide was "coming soon")

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3089/Combat-Guide-Part-One.html

Posted on 05/26/2009 by Kelly Price

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3064/Skills-in-DFO.html

Posted on 05/20/2009 by Andy Cormier

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3015/Overview-Part-II-Looking-at-the-Down-Side.html

Posted on 05/07/2009 by Andy Cormier  (This was part 2 of a 10 part series... parts 3-10 must still be "coming soon")

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3007/The-Conversion-of-a-Self-Proclaimed-Carebear.html

Posted on 05/05/2009 by Kelly Price

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2995/Survival-Tips.html

Posted on 05/01/2009 by Kelly Price

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2979/424-Patch-The-Good-The-Bad-and-the-Mundane.html

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Megan Clark

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2970/Etiquette-Tips.html

Posted on 04/27/2009 by Kelly Price

So anyone heard anything from them? 

Are they still playing?

Taking some time off from being Coorespondents?

Just curious... it seems a bit odd that for some that were so adamant about DarkFall to suddenly grow so quiet. 

Aventurine probably can't afford to pay them anymore.  [rimshot!]

Originally posted by SuperCrap

Aventurine probably can't afford to pay them anymore.  [rimshot!]

Now, now... don't go picking on them. 

I'm just curious...  what about DarkFall causes people to burn-out so fast?

Besides Darth is there anyone left from pre-Beta days that is still playing DarkFall regularly?  And likes it?  (You don't count damian7). 

downtoearth... pretty quiet last few months.

imbant... equally silent.

seggallion... non-existent the last few months.

Sure... there have been a few new-comers that have come and gone, and then some more new comers who are here for now.  But besides Darth... who has stuck with DarkFall since it's Release?  And it's only been out 4 months. 

When it's a niche game to begin with... burn-out that fast is a sure-fire recipe for failure.

If you were DarkFall's Devs; wouldn't you wonder why your MMO had such quick burn-out?

UO's player-base stuck around for years... some have been there since it released in 1997.

Lineage 2's player-base stuck around for years... some have been there since it released in 2003.

EvE Online's player-base stuck around for years (AND continues to grow)... some have been there since it released in 2003.

I mention the 3 games above because they are the most similar to DarkFall's play-style.  Meaning that they are PvP orientated and have either full-loot or at least some sort of item loot. 

So, what is different about DarkFall from those 3 listed above that makes players not stick around very long?

Hmm... now if only we had some ideas as to what might be causing this disparity for DarkFall. 

I was actually wondering what happen to the blogs and articles myself.

Originally posted by Fariic

I was actually wondering what happen to the blogs and articles myself.

Yeah... it was a pretty sudden drop-off.

April and May we were unindated with them... then June hit and Poof! 

1 of 2 things happened is my guess. 

All the Coorespondents quit and didn't submit any of the remaining Features

Or...

The staff at mmorpg.com realized that interest in DarkFall has dropped off sharply and decided it was a waste of time to post the remaining Features.

As it stands now if it wasn't for the Skeptics/Critics/Haters/Trolls.... DarkFall's forum here at mmorpg.com would be a very, very quiet place indeed. 

Perhaps when the NA server Releases in July interest will rebound? 

When partisan advocates finally come to terms with the shortcomings of their adulation they don't tend to announce it. They just slink away and hope people forget.

Originally posted by xzyax

I'm just curious...  what about DarkFall causes people to burn-out so fast?

Besides Darth is there anyone left from pre-Beta days that is still playing DarkFall regularly?  And likes it?  (You don't count damian7). 

While one has to cede that part of the problem is that Darkfall isn't very good (I'm being generous), one should also acknowledge that the mmo market is not today, what it was for eg. UO, Lineage 2 or Eve.

The market was much, much smaller when those games released. Expectations and standards were lower. And they've had time since then to develop and improve.

Now, mmo players have so many alternatives available to them. You can try a game, decide it sucks after a few weeks, and move on. You've lost the cost of buying the game, but there'll still be some other game you can go and play and enjoy.

I'm far from worshipping at the altar of capitalism, but what we have now in the mmo market is a situation where it makes good on its primary promise - quality and choice for consumers.

what about the "Egg" guy who had that obnoxiously large sig and belittled everyone who dared say anything bad?

Originally posted by eyeswideopen

Originally posted by ianubisi

When partisan advocates finally come to terms with the shortcomings of their adulation they don't tend to announce it. They just slink away and hope people forget.

 

And then there's Darth........

Don't pick on any person specifically, its a forum for views, not personal.

Perhaps they simply felt that Paragus' blog was sufficient. Whether you agree with his opinion of the game or not, he writes very well.

Originally posted by xzyax

A month or two makes quite a bit of difference in the general attitude towards an MMO it would seem.  The list below is quite an impressive start for the 3 DarkFall Coorespondents: Kelly, Andy, and Megan. 

 

Unfortunately it didn't seem to last very long for some reason.  Their last posts in DarkFall's Forum were:

Kelly:  2/26/09

Andy: 5/21/09

Megan: 4/14/09

 

These are the Features that were coming in at a record pace not that long ago:

---

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3093/Combat-Guide-Part-Two.html

Posted on 05/27/2009 by Kelly Price  (The Magic guide was "coming soon")

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3089/Combat-Guide-Part-One.html

Posted on 05/26/2009 by Kelly Price

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3064/Skills-in-DFO.html

Posted on 05/20/2009 by Andy Cormier

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3015/Overview-Part-II-Looking-at-the-Down-Side.html

Posted on 05/07/2009 by Andy Cormier  (This was part 2 of a 10 part series... parts 3-10 must still be "coming soon")

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/3007/The-Conversion-of-a-Self-Proclaimed-Carebear.html

Posted on 05/05/2009 by Kelly Price

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2995/Survival-Tips.html

Posted on 05/01/2009 by Kelly Price

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2979/424-Patch-The-Good-The-Bad-and-the-Mundane.html

Posted on 04/29/2009 by Megan Clark

 

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/4/feature/2970/Etiquette-Tips.html

Posted on 04/27/2009 by Kelly Price

---

 

So anyone heard anything from them? 

Are they still playing?

Taking some time off from being Coorespondents?

 

Just curious... it seems a bit odd that for some that were so adamant about DarkFall to suddenly grow so quiet. 

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

 

I'm just curious...  what about DarkFall causes people to burn-out so fast?

I lolzed when I read this. Thx.

Originally posted by Stradden

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

 

Just saying...

One of those "Features" was to be a 10-part series... 2 out of 10 is pretty pathetic.  Even Grianne of the Noob made it father into her 10 part "preview".

Another of the "Features" was intended to have another part as well... no dice.

From the looks of it no new Coorespondents have stepped in to fill the gap.  For a game that is only 4 months old... that is pretty fast loss of interest. 

It's pretty evident that the amount of posts and visits to DarkFall has dropped off dramatically in the last month.  At the current pace it will be all but a memory in a few more months. 

One can't help but wonder what it could have been if it had a competent dev. team. 

Originally posted by Respit

Lol, how can you leave out Darkstar111? One of the most vocal and ardent of the supporters?

Darth is small fry...

Yeah there were quite a few of them back before Beta and during the official Beta.  Now that it is in un-official Beta status... not too many are to be found. 

I'm sure it's because they are all happily playing the game and too busy to post in the forums now. 

Or, perhaps it's because us mean "carebears" chased away all the "hardcore" PvP'ers?   Hmm... 

Originally posted by Stradden

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

Thanks for that Stradden.

Don't forget what else you said though awhile back. You said DF generated a lot of traffic so it only makes sense to post articles. Now the traffic is all but dead so now it also makes sense not to publish them anymore. That relates to what you're saying, that less people are interested so fewer articles are coming in your lap, but to my point... does it even make sense to publish them anymore, even if they might be in your lap?

DF getting attention: Post all articles given (even though some of their content was completely skewed)

No one cares: Publish articles that will generate more traffic: Aion, free realms.. so on

Originally posted by Cereo

Originally posted by Stradden

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

 

Thanks for that Stradden.

Don't forget what else you said though awhile back. You said DF generated a lot of traffic so it only makes sense to post articles. Now the traffic is all but dead so now it also makes sense not to publish them anymore. That relates to what you're saying, that less people are interested so fewer articles are coming in your lap, but to my point... does it even make sense to publish them anymore, even if they might be in your lap?

DF getting attention: Post all articles given (even though some of their content was completely skewed)

No one cares: Publish articles that will generate more traffic: Aion, free realms.. so on

 

Not sure if Stradden will ever say it, but it only makes sense to run the site that way.

They would obviously give preference to Features that are for more current games and/or for games that are more popular.  If they could only put up 1 more Feature and they had 2; 1 for DAoC the other for Aion... you can be sure the one for Aion would be put up first.

Now I could be totally off the mark here and mmorpg.com posts every single Feature they get from every single Correspondent no matter how old the game and no matter how many articles they write... but I'm thinking that is not the case.

Originally posted by xzyax

Originally posted by Cereo

Originally posted by Stradden

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

 

Thanks for that Stradden.

Don't forget what else you said though awhile back. You said DF generated a lot of traffic so it only makes sense to post articles. Now the traffic is all but dead so now it also makes sense not to publish them anymore. That relates to what you're saying, that less people are interested so fewer articles are coming in your lap, but to my point... does it even make sense to publish them anymore, even if they might be in your lap?

DF getting attention: Post all articles given (even though some of their content was completely skewed)

No one cares: Publish articles that will generate more traffic: Aion, free realms.. so on

 

Not sure if Stradden will ever say it, but it only makes sense to run the site that way.

 

They would obviously give preference to Features that are for more current games and/or for games that are more popular.  If they could only put up 1 more Feature and they had 2; 1 for DAoC the other for Aion... you can be sure the one for Aion would be put up first.

 

Now I could be totally off the mark here and mmorpg.com posts every single Feature they get from every single Correspondent no matter how old the game and no matter how many articles they write... but I'm thinking that is not the case.

It's not that we only follow the "hot games" with the correspondent program. They are, as mentioned before, doing this for free. So you tend to see "hot games" have more people willing to volunteer to write about them, thus an uptick in the number of articles about them.

With our regular coverage, you generally get a more consistent and even distribution.

Originally posted by Dana

Originally posted by xzyax

Originally posted by Cereo

Originally posted by Stradden

It's not just darkfall. Please remember that Correspondents at this site are volunteer writers. There is always more interest from volunteers surrounding games that are brand new. as time passes, some Correspondents seem to drop off a little bit. That being said, I get Correspondent articles submitted to me weekly. there are no Darkfall articles in the list this week, btu they might show up next week. It's all a matter of what comes in, when.

 

Thanks for that Stradden.

Don't forget what else you said though awhile back. You said DF generated a lot of traffic so it only makes sense to post articles. Now the traffic is all but dead so now it also makes sense not to publish them anymore. That relates to what you're saying, that less people are interested so fewer articles are coming in your lap, but to my point... does it even make sense to publish them anymore, even if they might be in your lap?

DF getting attention: Post all articles given (even though some of their content was completely skewed)

No one cares: Publish articles that will generate more traffic: Aion, free realms.. so on

 

Not sure if Stradden will ever say it, but it only makes sense to run the site that way.

 

They would obviously give preference to Features that are for more current games and/or for games that are more popular.  If they could only put up 1 more Feature and they had 2; 1 for DAoC the other for Aion... you can be sure the one for Aion would be put up first.

 

Now I could be totally off the mark here and mmorpg.com posts every single Feature they get from every single Correspondent no matter how old the game and no matter how many articles they write... but I'm thinking that is not the case.

It's not that we only follow the "hot games" with the correspondent program. They are, as mentioned before, doing this for free. So you tend to see "hot games" have more people willing to volunteer to write about them, thus an uptick in the number of articles about them.

With our regular coverage, you generally get a more consistent and even distribution.

 

I appreciate mmorpg.com's staff in clarifying how the Correspondent program works and why we haven't been seeing much from them lately.

Just a thought for future reference.  It might not be a bad idea to suggest to Correspondents that want to do a 10-part Feature for a particular game that they reconsider and stick to 1 or at most 2 part Features.  Either that or I suppose mmorpg.com could wait until all 10 parts of the Feature are submitted before they publish the first one.

Anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge the help from mmorpg.com staff in understanding why we've been seeing less from DarkFall's Correspondents. 

Thanks.

Who knows with Aventurine's NA server announcement today some more Correspondents might jump on board on pick up where the old ones left off.

 Jon was quite candid when quizzed about the (arguably) disproportionate coverage of a game at 'launch' with (at the time) about 5k users. It generated traffic. I pretty much stopped cliking on DF stuff round then. Seems everyone else did too. After all is said and done hanging round a train wreck feeling sad for the survivors but secretely gloating just a little because you got off at the last stop is not really a productive use of anyones time.  I still pop back now and then to see whats going on, which is not a lot aparently.

TO OP:

I cant speak to those people or what they said or didnt say but as a Darkfall fan I slowed down my posts 100% becuase I was really getting tired of reading all the DF hate posts that all said the same thing over and over and over again.

Plus I got tired of trying to understand why people continue to post of a message board about a game they do not like.