50% loss of player base in 4 months

[Joeguy 941]

Title kinda says it all really.  Tanki was getting 19,000 players online at peak time back in May.  Less than four months later, with the massive XP boost of the summer, the constant doubling of that obnoxious summer boost (basically 6X XP almost all summer), and now the sabotage to Flash, Tanki is just barely breaking 9000 players at peak.  More than half of the few players left after all the other toxic updates (MM, drones, ODs, augments, Tankoins, etc) over the last couple of years stopped playing Tanki...or at the very least play way way way less Tanki.

A 50% drop is shocking.  But Tanki will tell you that it is because of how Flash games are dated and no one wants to play them anymore...player base erosion from natural attrition is their stance.  But you, me, and all the players who love the real Tanki know that it was a great game but what they have done to it makes it almost unplayable at worst and absolutely frustrating at best. 

50% of your players don't get tired of playing a game within a span of four months...impossible.  They get disgruntled and quit because of toxic changes to the game...like the really stupid 6X XP and now the assault on Flash.   We can't access missions from within Flash...ridiculous!  And these Tanki dev fools apparently plan even more sabotage to Flash in the future.  They just don't see (or don't care is more likely) the writing on wall with a drop of 50% in four months.

The good thing is with such low numbers it is not hard to increase the player count by percentage.  Maybe that's what Tanki-AP is going for in the future.  Maybe they are going to try to sell the company and will be able to pitch "Brand new platform, latest HTML design, and player base doubling every month"...yeah doubling from the 1000 players it eventually gets down to.

[Viking4s 10,791]

90% loss in 4 years - it was 110k in december 2016.

[Thomas11239 366]

Sometimes I really wonder how they pay their team. I mean, wages are low in eastern europe but still...

[Joeguy 941]

8 minutes ago, Thomas11239 said:

Sometimes I really wonder how they pay their team. I mean, wages are low in eastern europe but still...

From what I've gleaned over the last couple of years, I'm pretty sure Tanki has been making more money than they ever did in the first 7 or 8 years.  For awhile, while paints and bundles were a relatively new thing and Tanki still had 40,000 players at peak times, I think they were rolling in dough.  But now, as numbers die off and the bundles are just another old bundle, I think they must be starting to feel the pain of bleeding the golden goose too quickly.  Maybe they knew they couldn't make an HTML game that could come up to the standards of Flash and they have timed their demise to the termination of Flash...who knows other than them.

I'm pretty sure the big money days are done for Tanki and it's all downhill from here unless they can adequately fix HTML or pull off some magic stunt with the mobile market.  My hope is someone will buy them out and start to improve the game instead of this constant downgrading in the name of abject greed.  Offer a good product and the money will come.  Tanki had it, but squandered it in a few short years in a frenzy of greed without concern for the future.  Well the future is knocking on their door now.

[E_polypterus 2,374]

I didn’t really read much of the post since when I saw the topic creator I knew I’d have to face a looong text wall.

[thunderhunter123 741]

@Joeguy Don't forget. We have school, college and work right now. So that's why some tankers can't play at the moment. They will try to play when they can.

That's why it seems we have like 9000 tankers.

But I believe we do have 10,000+ tankers playing Tanki Online. And we'll get more as soon as the company, and us tankers, advertise T.O. to our friends, etc.

 

[DieselPlatinum 5,121]

40 minutes ago, thunderhunter123 said:

@Joeguy Don't forget. We have school, college and work right now. So that's why some tankers can't play at the moment. They will try to play when they can.

That's why it seems we have like 9000 tankers.

But I believe we do have 10,000+ tankers playing Tanki Online. And we'll get more as soon as the company, and us tankers, advertise T.O. to our friends, etc.

 

Sorry to say this, but that excuse is getting old.

 

If people who have a busy life enjoy the game, they'd make it happen in their free time.

10,000 people leaving in just 3 months is too much to be an incident of a busy life. It's far more reasonable to think it was the trend of bad updates that has been plaguing the game for almost 2 years now combine with the ridiculous exp boost.

 

I was prepared to toughen up through all those horrific changes. Sure I complained a lot about them, but I stuck through with it anyway. And then this whole exp boost came out like a disgusting surprise. Still, I shifted my focus on unused accounts, for the time being.

But now that the exp boost is assumed to be permanent, I can't even progress in the game however I want to, just more forced to do so in a certain way. So now what's the point in even doing the missions?

 

Now the only good things left in the game is parkour and hanging out with friends.

[Joeguy 941]

On 9/7/2020 at 8:14 AM, thunderhunter123 said:

@Joeguy Don't forget. We have school, college and work right now. So that's why some tankers can't play at the moment. They will try to play when they can.

That's why it seems we have like 9000 tankers.

But I believe we do have 10,000+ tankers playing Tanki Online. And we'll get more as soon as the company, and us tankers, advertise T.O. to our friends, etc.

 

There are probably more like 65,000 players playing throughout the 24 hour day, but they log on at different times.  The 9000 is at peak times which is the only thing we can actually track without some serious OCD issues.  9000 at peak equates to about 65,000 overall if you assume an average player plays for about three hours a day (my guess based on my best math).

Tanker's day will bring out thousands more players and some of those will linger after the celebration.  So peak numbers will shoot up to maybe even 20K if there is a super drop gold box day and maybe 15.000 during regular Tanker's day festivities, but then it will start to shrink back down to 10K or 11K quickly and then dwindle back into the 9Ks again. 

The thing is, when numbers drop this low it is pretty easy to get huge increases percentage wise.  If you have one player and get a second, you just had a 100% increase in players.  Getting another 6000 players logged on at peaks shouldn't be that hard when there are millions of registered accounts and Tanki had 19,000 at peaks just four months ago.

What is telling is the rapid attrition of players with every stupid update like 6X XP...oops there goes a few thousand...Flash sabotage...oops there go many thousands more. 

The main point is Tanki is bleeding players very very quickly.  It is obviously not school and work since there has always been school and work.  Also, bare in mind this loss of players has happened during Covid lockdowns for pity sake.  If anything way more people should be playing...but instead of Tanki getting higher numbers during Lockdowns and all the gamers stuck at home, their numbers are plummeting.  Quite telling...one awaits the next brilliant update in the steady march towards Tanki oblivion.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by Joeguy
oops...I wrote 55,000 and I meant 65,000

[NumberSix 40]

It really isn't that difficult. Way back when in the late 1990s I attended a browser game developers' convention. Secret is to make all items available by either investing game time or money. Not have unfair advantages for buyers like a whole Mk +1 for tankoins vs. crystals. If you even things out that way the impatient players will invest money while the non-buyers are happy too.  Then you concentrate on either developing good missions or new items. If you really want to do swell, you even listen to what the players would like to see in your game.

But then, they said that that was a customer-oriented approach. I don't even know whether there is a Russian expression for "customer orientation". The closest word seems to be Мошенничество ...

 

[Joeguy 941]

59 minutes ago, NumberSix said:

It really isn't that difficult. Way back when in the late 1990s I attended a browser game developers' convention. Secret is to make all items available by either investing game time or money. Not have unfair advantages for buyers like a whole Mk +1 for tankoins vs. crystals. If you even things out that way the impatient players will invest money while the non-buyers are happy too.  Then you concentrate on either developing good missions or new items. If you really want to do swell, you even listen to what the players would like to see in your game.

But then, they said that that was a customer-oriented approach. I don't even know whether there is a Russian expression for "customer orientation". The closest word seems to be Мошенничество ...

 

I think Tanki used this approach for the first seven or eight years.  Then they got greedy...who knows why.  The greed started showing itself around the time of the paint separation....about when what's-his-name, ponytail boy got hired.  All the little niceties started to get shut down and the "You will enjoy Tanki the way we say to enjoy it" regime came into existence.  One example is a return bonus if your account had been idle a month or so.  That was one of the first to go.  There were quite a few ways that Tanki showed that they valued the players and appreciated the players continuing to play.  But, sadly that all got tossed out in the name of greed.  Then they started gearing up towards Matchmaking; the ultimate "do it our way".  MM got rid of all choice in how you play Tanki...then it became time to really pour on the greed pressure with drones, alts, magic hulls, Tankions, constant re-balance of turrets and hulls, and a bunch of others...you know what they have done.

IMO Tanki started out as a customer oriented company, but tossed it all away for quick, maximized profits in the last three years regardless of the consequences.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Joeguy

[NumberSix 40]

OK. I have to agree here...

[Joeguy 941]

2 hours ago, Adriel.RB said:

As of now the peak is at 10k

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Joeguy

[myfeetaretired 26]

Couldn't agree more, especially with drones/augments. Who thought it was a good idea to allow a hornet or wasp to have as much health as a titan or mammoth? With the right augments shaft is one of the most effective short range turrets in the game, vulcan can be fired endlessly, magnums can place mines anywhere on the map while in hiding. As a hornet with the right drone you can have your OD active for over 50% of a match, making enemy protection modules useless. These changes hurt gameplay and should have stayed on the test server. I've been a player for nearly 10 years and seen this game through ups and downs. The current state of the game feel more like call of duty (low time to kill) than a skilled game. SO many great maps are not in MM and can never be played with full teams bc as you said, there are only ever 9000 players on at a time and battle funds are significantly lower in battle list matches than MM.

[alkyng 3,080]

regardless of P2W updates, there are thing aren't Pay to Win but make the game worse

like -- MM system -- Overdrives -- HTML5 version -- turrets Augment (though it's Pay to Win items) -- paint seperation

also maybe the most reason is the (( Players them selves ,, the player base have changed a lot 

in past old gold days 2010-2012 we were have a good players also a hot tanki videos also clans wars in youtube and unique videos

now we just play with players like robots without turning their turret and without chatting in chat (Robot in other means)

[E_polypterus 2,374]

12 minutes ago, asem.harbi said:

paint seperation

Paint separation was a good thing wasnt it?? You could select ANY three of your preferred modules instead of the one given in paints. For example, you like the Zeus paint, but it gave you fire prot and no freeze prot. So if you really wanted freeze prot youd have to equip another paint. Also you hardly ever got freeze and fire prots in the same paint.

Edited September 7, 2020 by E_polypterus

[alkyng 3,080]

8 minutes ago, E_polypterus said:

Paint separation was a good thing wasnt it?? You could select ANY three of your preferred modules instead of the one given in paints. For example, you like the Zeus paint, but it gave you fire prot and no freeze prot. So if you really wanted freeze prot youd have to equip another paint. Also you hardly ever got freeze and fire prots in the same paint.

Yes, it's just a personally opinion, maybe I have to not put it in my comment

but as my opinion I see Tanki were enforce us in some selected combinations of protections that we have to choose some of them, and you have to choose what you see can give you the best proper for you and Fight, and I accustomed with it and I see it's restrict our freedom of select what we need - - and I like it

now with the freedom of select what you want it make some players with OP 50% MAX of 3 turrets,, but in past the choices were lesser

btw, it's just a personal opinion that maybe differ from one to another

[DieselPlatinum 5,121]

11 hours ago, Joeguy said:

I think Tanki used this approach for the first seven or eight years.  Then they got greedy...who knows why.  The greed started showing itself around the time of the paint separation....about when what's-his-name, ponytail boy got hired.  All the little niceties started to get shut down and the "You will enjoy Tanki the way we say to enjoy it" regime came into existence.  One example is a return bonus if your account had been idle a month or so.  That was one of the first to go.  There were quite a few ways that Tanki showed that they valued the players and appreciated the players continuing to play.  But, sadly that all got tossed out in the name of greed.  Then they started gearing up towards Matchmaking; the ultimate "do it our way".  MM got rid of all choice in how you play Tanki...then it became time to really pour on the greed pressure with drones, alts, magic hulls, Tankions, constant re-balance of turrets and hulls, and a bunch of others...you know what they have done.

IMO Tanki started out as a customer oriented company, but tossed it all away for quick, maximized profits in the last three years regardless of the consequences.

 

 

Not only did they start becoming greedy, but they also became unreasonable and were showing favoritism towards certain equipment.

[tankiexpert1 105]

Many of my clan members are leaving the game as well.  Same old, mundane tanki every day  

[Mr.Threatz 61]

I still dont understand how people here think that Tanki is the one doing away with flash? Like dudes adobe itself is terminating flash lol so Tanki built the new client and yes its not perfect but no game is perfect. The player base might be decreasing but I still have not seen a time where I cannot join a battle,always plenty of them. Anyways GG and have fun. 

[DieselPlatinum 5,121]

1 hour ago, Mr.Threatz said:

I still dont understand how people here think that Tanki is the one doing away with flash? Like dudes adobe itself is terminating flash lol so Tanki built the new client and yes its not perfect but no game is perfect. The player base might be decreasing but I still have not seen a time where I cannot join a battle,always plenty of them. Anyways GG and have fun. 

Doesn't mean that tanki needs to make life on flash more and more unbearable. Either cut all ties from flash immediately or let it die on its own.

 

Besides, if they have time to be removing features from flash, then they certainly have time to be making improvements to HTML5.

Edited September 7, 2020 by DieselPlatinum

[wolverine848 13,097]

19 hours ago, thunderhunter123 said:

@Joeguy Don't forget. We have school, college and work right now. So that's why some tankers can't play at the moment. They will try to play when they can.

That's why it seems we have like 9000 tankers.

But I believe we do have 10,000+ tankers playing Tanki Online. And we'll get more as soon as the company, and us tankers, advertise T.O. to our friends, etc.

 

what is 10k +?  11,000?    9k or 11k... it's low - especially compared to 2-3 years ago.

Does not matter if they advertise and bring in new players.  Once those new players realize what a huge disadvantage they have they will quit the game and leave by WO5.

The only players that will be left in the game are current Legends who like the xp multiplier so they can get 40k bonus more often.   The game will not be sustainable with just them - no way they could sell enough.

[Okami 3,041]

17 hours ago, asem.harbi said:

like -- MM system -- Overdrives -- HTML5 version -- turrets Augment (though it's Pay to Win items) -- paint seperation

Replace Paint Separation with Drones.

Augments are fine, it's the OP ones I have a problem with.

[alkyng 3,080]

6 hours ago, GrayWolf8733 said:

Replace Paint Separation with Drones.

Augments are fine, it's the OP ones I have a problem with.

I just mention the non-P2W things, and Drones one of the pure P2W things, I don't think anyone have doubt about it

but if I will mention P2W items, its divided into 2 parts, 

First the pure P2W things:   Drones no stupid non-buyer player will use it to consume 3 drugs at the same time --- Mk7 items before  compared to buyers--- Hulls Augments no need to explain because it with Tankoins

 

Second the Semi-P2W things _{but not 100%}:   Turrets Augments because its too expensive --- Druggers in MM you can't play without a hot number of druggers --- MU's after Mk7 --- Protection Modules its hard to fight some buyer with 50% Max of protections

Edited September 8, 2020 by asem.harbi

[NumberSix 40]

On 9/7/2020 at 8:33 AM, Joeguy said:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Keep those posts coming now that we've officially entered the "quadruple XP phase".

[Joeguy 941]

On 9/7/2020 at 6:49 PM, E_polypterus said:

Paint separation was a good thing wasnt it?? You could select ANY three of your preferred modules instead of the one given in paints. For example, you like the Zeus paint, but it gave you fire prot and no freeze prot. So if you really wanted freeze prot youd have to equip another paint. Also you hardly ever got freeze and fire prots in the same paint.

Yes I think the paint separation was a good update although it hurt a lot of players at the time.  i guess that was unavoidable.  But, yeah, it was good IMO.  What it was though was a turning point in the game.  It marked the beginning of the downhill run for Neo-Tanki...it's more a milestone than a bad update.