devtrackers.gg
So, OP makes some interesting points and personal observations however there is a lot misinformation in this thread that I would like to take the opportunity to clear up, and address some of the concerns.
First; we have no split in MM for players based on skill. Matches are constructed based on the available ships that are waiting in the queue and consideration to the 40% uptier rule. There are various rules that MM takes into consideration before and after the 3 minute time limit. As with any game, players will eventually move on, so I have no doubt some of our more experienced players are either taking a break or moved on, but the same can probably be said for the not so good players too.
We keep a steady eye on our player numbers year round across all server, I'm pleased to say the game is in wonderful health in terms of player numbers given its age. We have always had a recruitment system of sorts available, the original version had many improvements we wanted to make and with the development of the game and new aspects being unlocked (containers etc) we wanted the rewards to better reflect the content that is available in the game. When revamping anything in game, naturally we want to promote it to the playerbase so they are aware it exists and that they can use it. Having more players is definitely not a bad thing, so of course, recruiting of new players is important - however it is not the only thing that is important.
Within this thread I have saw the graph showing supposed player level numbers, there are some major inaccuracies with that graph and it does not show player levels accurately. Unfortunately I cannot provide the internal graphic publicly at this time. Naturally, with the seasons we do have dips in player levels that typically coincide with real life events (holiday, school seasons, etc), this downward trend in those months is expected and predicted. It is wrong to use these periods as "proof the game is dying".
Metas shift and change in a seasonal like manner. We've gone through Smoke meta, and we've gone through radar meta. Shifts of meta is what keeps the game diverse and interesting to play long term. When things change you have to change your approach to playing too.
Onto your key points:
Smolensk: is a different style of play that was designed to shake up things on the seas. It has done that. Now, whether its too strong at the moment, we're keeping a close eye on her. If she needs balancing, she will be. Ultimately, despite her ability to do damage via HE, she had suitable weaknesses that counter the strengths.
CVs: we spent a whole year and a half getting them into a better position than what they previously were, yes rockets can smack you for several K if you're not careful, but do you remember CVs 1HKO ing DDs within the first few minutes of the game, or taking 70-90k off a battleship in one go. Currently, we are pleased with how they are preforming in relation to other ships as well as their interactions with other ships. We are investigating and looking into the issue of 3 CV games at lower tiers and the rate of which these are occurring. If we have anything to announce on this matter we will of course update you via the Dev Blog.
AA: We have made several tweaks to AA in the last few patches that have gotten it into a position where it is preforming suitably against planes. When used correctly AA can be extremely effective against planes, it just needs to be utilized in a different way to the old system.
Kremlin: We recently just nerfed her and will be assessing her after this to see if further changes need to be made.
OP Purchase ships: The balance and dev team work very hard to ensure when ships are released they are balanced and fit into the mechanics of the game appropriately. There is no benefit for us to release ships that are OP as is only breeds distrust and descent in the community. We have made mistakes in the past, we recognize that, we tried to fix it but the community revolted at that notion. Instead of allowing OP to roam the oceans we removed them from sale.
You main pain points, are all elements that are not monetized; so how is it led by greed? Smolensk, Kremlin, Kleber, AA, CVs - All earnable/free content.
Submarines are having a very long testing cycle to ensure they enter the game in a better state than what the CV rework did - we have learnt that lesson and are not rushing it.
AA is in a position we are mostly happy and would like for it to rest for a bit so we can have some longer term data.
CVs we're looking at lower tier match distribution at the moment.
Smolensk is being looked at.
Kleber has only been released for one full patch so we'd probably start reviewing FRDDs
Kremlin has already had one nerf and we are willing to do more if stats and sentiment suggests we need more.
Fem,