I don't consider this EXCELLENT player retention

"

arknath wrote:

tbh most of the people that play this game seriously don't play it off steam anyway. Standalone client might have different numbers.

"

鬼殺し wrote:

"

Xavathos wrote:

"

The_Reporter wrote:

Somebody needs to explain to OP that PoE isn't an MMO

Of course it is.

MMO simply means Massively Multiplayer Online, which PoE is. You can play with people from all over the world, connected all at the same time. MMO says nothing about the gameplay.

Traditionally MMO meant 'massive player group experience' -- not necessarily in the same instance, but certainly in the same overall world. This is why the forerunner to PoE instance-wise, Guild Wars 1, resisted the label MMO for years, settling on the amusingly clunky CORPG.

From that link, we get this interesting quote:

"

A competitive online role-playing game (CORPG) differs from the standard massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in that they are less focused on the massive group experience. All outside areas are instanced, meaning that a player and his group are the only ones there, so that every player gets his or her own unique version of the game's story without the headache of killstealers or people disrupting the fun.

And this, from another, more official wiki:

"

The different genre was chosen (as opposed to the "Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) RPG") due to the perceived differences between the game and other MMOs: the focus on Player versus Player (PvP) rather than Player versus Environment (PvE) play made it almost a unique case at the time, players received their own instanced copy of explorable zones and parties were limited to 8 players each, a tiny number compared to the massive caps of other games, which often allowed for up to 64 players in a single party (and unlimited players in non-instanced zones, which were the norm).

From these we can glean that an MMO(RPG) has a number of things absent from PoE, fundamental things I'd argue, such as larger parties, even larger raid events, even LARGER realm events. Killstealing. Boss camping. And so on.

When you get too flimsy with the definition, you lose all meaning. If PoE is an MMO simply because it has 'a lot of online players playing simultaneously', so are Hearthstone, Words With Friends, Overwatch, Dark Souls, and Farmville.

PoE is not an MMO, regardless of arbitrary tags on steam or Wikipedia or the fact that MMO-focused sites cover it. It's an online ARPG where the closest you'll get to a massive player group experience is poe.trade. Everything else is the opposite of massive: small partied instances, very limited number of players even in the town instances.

You can argue with me but you'd be wrong, and I'd ignore you -- in this one instance. I respect your opinion on pretty much everything else. :)

"

Lvgamer wrote:

The OP has to learn steam is NOT i repeat NOT the only client... there is a client that LOTS LOTS of people use... the steam numbers aren't really accurate.

"

jddc78 wrote:

To be perfectly honest, I am not even sure it is healthy for the longevity of the game that people play league after league beginning to end. It leads to burnout.

"

Lvgamer wrote:

The OP has to learn steam is NOT i repeat NOT the only client... there is a client that LOTS LOTS of people use... the steam numbers aren't really accurate.

"

LMTR14 wrote:

"

Johny_Snow wrote:

Incursion = insane power creep with no end game.
Delve = actual end game.

What cant you guys understand?

Further, how do you think a better retention should be achieved?

focus on permanent game mode instead of temp leagues that are only marginally different from each other. simple as that. no leagues, no league dropoff curve.