Lower Server Populations/Player Density

[Strider]

Anyone else notice a significant change in server population?

It's been very difficult to find any servers with more than 3 or 4 players with shops or playing on teams over the past 2 days. Overall player density in the servers I'm being dropped in seems to have decreased significantly. Hopping servers 15+ times just to find a server with enough people to do any events is rather annoying. lol

The total players online is not the issue. As of typing this, Steam alone lists 26,854 playing.

So, did Bethesda spin up more servers in anticipation of a large influx of new players thanks to the Prime series? So everything is currently more diluted and spread out? I have noticed a lot of new players.

Or did they change how provisioning works and your being forced into low population servers?

Or, perhaps I'm just having REALLY bad luck? I mean, I don't have a lot of points in Luck, so I'm not ruling it out. :)

[BizarreMan]

I think it’s low level players without camps or the icon turned off.

And people watching the show and not playing.

[ronr42]

With the series, free week and the game being on sale for $7.99 USD, the number of people playing on Steam went from about 7k to almost 28k.

I'm still farming Plans from the Mothman Equinox and I'm now having to server hop 3 or 4 times to find a server where there's enough players over level 100 to complete the event.

Some Public servers have 20+ new players under level 50 and only 1, 2 or 0 Camps with vending machines.

It won't last. A week from now things will somewhat get back to normal(everyone that is a veteran player wondering if the game will survive another few months).

[Uther]

Agreed. Lightly populated servers is a huge detriment to game play. They need 8 players minimum on a server. Right now, if I read the steam charts right, there are 25k players and I can't find a server with more than four players.

[ronr42]

Originally posted by Torque:

Agreed. Lightly populated servers is a huge detriment to game play. They need 8 players minimum on a server. Right now, if I read the steam charts right, there are 25k players and I can't find a server with more than four players.

All the servers I've been on since the Fallout series and the free week started were 20+ to full. It's just that most of the servers have New players on them that are level 30 or less.

[bunny custard]

I've had the opposite, I'm on servers that are very full, and noticing a ton of new people. I just think a lot of new players dont have their camp icons up on the map.

[AbsynthMinded]

Pro's know when to server hop or link up to servers with people from the friends list who might be online. Population density maxes out at 34? 36? You only need pop when you want to do Events.

[ronr42]

Originally posted by AbsynthMinded:

Pro's know when to server hop or link up to servers with people from the friends list who might be online. Population density maxes out at 34? 36? You only need pop when you want to do Events.

That's exactly what's working for me. I pick a random veteran friend from my list and join their server. Then, there's been enough higher level players to both complete the Equinox and have several Camp vending machines.

Edit; 24 players max to a server.

[AlexSledge]

CAMP icons are turned off to start; New players be lurking.
The TV show just came out, they could be off watching that.
Seemed to be in the dozen range of people at the Mothman Equinox event the past few days. Except this last go - only me & two others. Maybe a backend issue.

[Wack-A-Mole MLRS]

Yep, been doing allot of Events by myself or with just a few others, Server's are full of Level 2-20 every where. Tried maybe 15 this morning. Last few days just be laying low. Nothing to sell or buy from them. Just did Mothman with 3 of us and my Level 300 was the highest on the map. The other 2 were level 35 and 51. Had a blast.

[lockwoodx]

Servers are usually packed. Stores are seldom but that's fine I don't need the competition

[Strider]

Definitely a huge uptick in new players, and that's fine by me. Just have to do a lot more hopping to find enough to do Mothman so I can farm plans. My wife and I have been doing most of them on our own, or with one other player.

It is what it is. Glad to see it's just a huge increase in players and not some other change. :)

[$$Billionaire Trash$$]

Originally posted by ronr42:

With the series, free week and the game being on sale for $7.99 USD, the number of people playing on Steam went from about 7k to almost 28k.

I'm still farming Plans from the Mothman Equinox and I'm now having to server hop 3 or 4 times to find a server where there's enough players over level 100 to complete the event.

Some Public servers have 20+ new players under level 50 and only 1, 2 or 0 Camps with vending machines.

It won't last. A week from now things will somewhat get back to normal(everyone that is a veteran player wondering if the game will survive another few months).

dude, 7k concurrent players an hours is nothing to sneeze at

[EtaYorius]

I keep joining games with 3-6 players, all below lvl 50. I got no idea what is going on, but at least i am not getting disconnected every hour or so. But YES, there seems to be a lack of players, specially over lvl 100+. I don't even bother with events anymore, as i was the only one doing them and failing them... i can't be at many places at once defending different targets.

I thought it was just me that was being thrown with low level players.

[Ragnarok]

I'm enjoying the sudden demand for my ♥♥♥♥♥♥ plans. Also, some of the events are more satisfying with less players. . not all of them, but some. And daily ops are a pain to get a full group for. If at least half of these new players stick around then I think it'll be good for the game.

[NERVA]

Yeah I have seen the opposite, well over a dozen most of the time. Although yeah its a lot of lower level players, but that's because its the free weekend. I'm guessing people that don't see a lot of players are being put into empty servers because all the other ones are full from so many people playing again.