Originally posted by baine1
I can't imagine HTC would willingly fragment its customer base _ a base that I think everyone would agree would list camaraderie and community as the main reasons they continue to fly year after year.
I also can't imagine that this was done on a whim or as some sort of an experiment.
At some point the community, any community actually, can become too big to remain "a community". It fragments itself with conflicting priorities and intrests.
Airwarrior had 1200 players online nightly, with 3 duplicate arenas of the most popular setup, and a number of other arenas. Yet, former AW players here today consider themselves all from the same community, whether they were "FR" or "RR", "euro", or "pac". They just had more options of where to hang out. And in groups sized where you could get to know people, instead of being a face in the croud.
Frankly any fracturing isn't being done by HTC. Its being done by a player base too difused and populace to put on any kind of unified front for community standards. Just read the incesent whining on the message boards. One group wants a small corner of the map for their prefered game play, and another group can't help themselves to grief that corner of the map. I for one am optimistic about the change.
The MA at peak times has become like the biggest loudest hot nightclub. The nightclub can be fun, but its not always condusive to things you'd like to do (shoot pool with friends, watch a game on the big screen with friends, actually carry a conversation without having to yell in the other persons ear). Think of it as a rennovation of the night club to a disco/sports bar/deck and beach club. I can't believe being given more options is so terrible.
They'll figure out the tweeks needed to make things work smoothly.
