• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Interest in The Division 2 is Down Significantly with Viewer Counts for the Beta Much Lower than the First Game on Twitch.

120v

Member
Wish they sticked with the snowy Manhattan and take up where the first game finished. They made entire engine around the snow environment, they even called it Snowdrop, and this? Only less appealing environment in the upcoming games is that heavily downgraded Anthem, as much as fun the first game was I have zero interest in the sequel.

it's supposed to be a long running franchise. at some point they'll have to cut away from snowy manhattan, may as well pull that trigger with the first numbered sequel

from what i've played D.C. is pretty legit, game does a good job of portraying a city that hasn't moved on for half a year, melted away snow revealing all the gruesome details of what really went down, vegetation growing over national monuments... not as iconic but the game has something on offer in the way of atmosphere
 
I like the setting change. I mean if anything why not have multiple settings in same game. It snows in DC, obviously. Maybe there’s seasonal changes at some point?
 

pr0cs

Member
I like the setting change. I mean if anything why not have multiple settings in same game. It snows in DC, obviously. Maybe there’s seasonal changes at some point?
I don't think any game has successfully done seamless seasonal transitions... Well maybe forza4 but I haven't played it yet so I don't know how well the transition works
 

Calibos

Member
I think Apex is crushing hype for this and also the season is a very busy one. Not sure why publishers always want to go head to head with each other. April, May and June look fairly dead...Division 2 is supposedly better than the first in every way so maybe the game will gain steam after it’s out.
 

jadedm17

Member
So success is measured by twitch views now? I've never signed up for a twitch account, never watched twitch for longer than 5 minutes, and have no intention of getting a twitch account.. I imagine I'm not alone.
Anecdotal is the word here. How old are you? Its not the definitive but its solid for a base indicator.
 

Ovek

7Member7
That’s because Division 2 is just Division 1 with fewer tall buildings. People got bored of the first and thank fucking god people have finally woken up and don’t fall so easily for the manufactured hype anymore.
 

II_JumPeR_I

Member
Im not suprised. Ive tried both Demos uh excuse me Betas or whatever they call this "tests" for Anthem and Division 2 now and both are pretty lackluster to me.
 
Last edited:

muckymucks

Neo Member
I'm trying to think of something far worse than threatening to kill an 11 year-old child.
People have to pay to play the Division 2 beta, the beta for the first game was free.
Supply and Demand

(Not really?)

People (like myself) who wouldn't buy The Division 2 (at least until a very deep discount years later) would have played the beta if it was available for free.
 
People (like myself) who wouldn't buy The Division 2 (at least until a very deep discount years later) would have played the beta if it was available for free.

It's really not that hard to get a code/invite if you really want one. But I do think it was a dumb decision to switch this beta from open to private.

The beta is nowhere near as impressive as the first one.

Doesn't that have a lot to do with the Division being completely new at the time? I think so.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
People have to pay to play the Division 2 beta, the beta for the first game was free.

I agree they should just hold an open beta but its pretty easy to swing past a GameStop and drop a $5.00 to preorder the game get them to print you a beta code then just cancel your preorder.
 

A.Romero

Member
I have played the Beta for a couple of hours and I found it to be a very polished experience. I mean, it's The Division and it plays like it is. If you didn't like the first one, you won't like the second one. It's pretty simple.

I liked the environment change. If you played the first one extensively you would probably don't want to play some more on the same environment (and this comes from a pretty big Yakuza fan). The launch experience seems will be way better than the first by a long stretch.

I'm 35 and I don't watch streaming so I don't "get" it but I do get gaming and I can say that TD2 is a solid game if that's your cup of tea. However, I don't think it would be entertaining to watch unless it's a constant DZ quest. TD2's beta is pretty limited in content (as it should be) so I bet it gets old pretty fast if you watch some gameplay streams.

I don't understand why people is so against Ubisoft. They have a very defined formula and all their products reflect it. The DLC model is part of what gaming is today so I wouldn't use that to judge a game. That ship sailed a long time ago and there is no point complaining anymore. The market embraced it and the devs and publishers will keep pushing it until we stop paying for it.

Edit: I didn't pay a cent for the Beta nor pre-ordered. I don't even remember registering for it. I play with two friends online constantly and they just registered and got in.
 
Last edited:

Bolivar687

Banned
It's really not that hard to get a code/invite if you really want one. But I do think it was a dumb decision to switch this beta from open to private.



Doesn't that have a lot to do with the Division being completely new at the time? I think so.

No, the Division 1 is a much better game.
 

Freeman76

Member
Its too similar too the first one. They should have made this as an expansion to the first and added all the QoL to the whole package. This should not be a sequel imo and it will hurt sales. Playing this beta has made me reinstall the first game and all its dlc.
 
Last edited:

Bolivar687

Banned
How can you even say that at this point?

Because everything at the very core of the game, the sound effects, the movement, the lighting, the level design, the color palette, the customization, the responsiveness, is all a clear step down from the original. I went back to play today's Daily Challenging mission, to make sure I'm not crazy, and it's just night and day.

The full game could have significantly better missions and dark zones, they could completely revamp the progression system, they could add the neutral lighting setting, but there's nothing they can do to change the reality that the game is not as interesting to look at, and it just isn't as fun to play.
 
Last edited:
I don't think this means anything. Look at Blops4 as example it was blowing up twitch and it died in a week on pc. TD1 was a quality game. No doubt TD2 will do just fine. People probably already sold after first.

edit: why'd I type tw.
 
Last edited:
Because everything at the very core of the game, the sound effects, the movement, the lighting, the level design, the color palette, the customization, the responsiveness, is all a clear step down from the original. I went back to play today's Daily Challenging mission, to make sure I'm not crazy, and it's just night and day.

The full game could have significantly better missions and dark zones, they could completely revamp the progression system, they could add the neutral lighting setting, but there's nothing they can do to change the reality that the game is not as interesting to look at, and it just isn't as fun to play.

Interesting that you'd list movement, which seems like a significant improvement to me.

And fwiw, I'm actually playing through a new agent right now w/o twinked gear as a farewell.
 

Grinchy

Banned
I tried to watch some earlier and it was boring as hell. I made it like 8 minutes. I thought the first one was boring as hell to watch too, though.
 

dorkimoe

Member
I couldnt get my code to work....pre ordered it; entered the code awhile ago; deleted the email. It didnt save or whatever, cant find the email anywhere, didnt get to play at all. It also doesnt look like they changed much at all? That being said I enjoy the 3rd person shooter and loot, so plan on picking it up still
 
Last edited:

lefty1117

Gold Member
heh I actually like The Division 2 better than Division 1 and Anthem. Played it a few hours this weekend, liked what I saw and the change in environment was a pleasant surprise. I initially didn't like the thought of changing away from the winter scene, but playing this has brought me around. The settlements and upgrade options look like they'll be interesting. This will probably get more playtime in my house than Anthem, unless they were really holding back a lot of stuff from the demo that we know nothing about.
 
heh I actually like The Division 2 better than Division 1 and Anthem. Played it a few hours this weekend, liked what I saw and the change in environment was a pleasant surprise. I initially didn't like the thought of changing away from the winter scene, but playing this has brought me around. The settlements and upgrade options look like they'll be interesting. This will probably get more playtime in my house than Anthem, unless they were really holding back a lot of stuff from the demo that we know nothing about.

This is definitely higher on my list than Anthem, so far anyway
 
heh I actually like The Division 2 better than Division 1 and Anthem. Played it a few hours this weekend, liked what I saw and the change in environment was a pleasant surprise. I initially didn't like the thought of changing away from the winter scene, but playing this has brought me around. The settlements and upgrade options look like they'll be interesting. This will probably get more playtime in my house than Anthem, unless they were really holding back a lot of stuff from the demo that we know nothing about.

Happy about the settlements as well.

There's a kind of disappointment when you maxed out med/tech/security in the first game.

If this extends that, then I'm cool with it.
 
Was darkzone even available for play? Is twitch success really a way to predict it's sales? I really don't think so.

Anyway I ain't buying Anthem it was shit and this was a lot more fun... But I probally ain't buying this either.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Was darkzone even available for play? Is twitch success really a way to predict it's sales? I really don't think so.

Anyway I ain't buying Anthem it was shit and this was a lot more fun... But I probally ain't buying this either.
I'm feeling much the same. That and AL is kind of getting my attention now.
 

Xenon

Member
This was already a crowded month. The surprise release and success of Apex legends it's going to hurt a lot of games.

I think it's weird that a lot of people are comparing this game to Anthem. Sure they're loot-based but the gameplay seems to be pretty different.
 

Stuart360

Member
I dont think this means much to be honest. Its not a new game anymore, like the first one was, and Apex has def stole some thunder, thunder of even Fortnite to be honest.
 

lingpanda

Member
The Division 2 beta is more Division. I thoroughly enjoyed the 1st and after the beta it looks as if I will enjoy the 2nd. With that being said, I do not enjoy watching people live stream this game.
 

ZehDon

Member
I've just about finished all of the content in the demo, so I'll throw some thoughts together soon in the other thread, but I feel like I can build on my previous post: the Division as a franchise doesn't stream particularly well, because the stuff that makes the game great to play doesn't translate well unless you're involved. With the beta specifically, the best moments are when I'm weighing up tactical decisions and pulling my team together to execute the plan on the fly. Our communication - terms, phrases, call outs - rely on us having played the first, and on us having played dozens of games together for years. It's not a matter of "even a bad game is good with friends", it's that the game is designed to fulfil the tactical soldier fantasy - calling out "cover me" as you move up, flanking to get that sniper, laying down suppression fire so your partner can get that grenade out. It's not fun to watch in the same way that Fortnite, or now even Apex Legends, are - where there's room for big skill plays, huge clutch moments, and massive upsets. That just doesn't happen here. "Cover me, I'm reloading" isn't as exciting to watch as one guy clearing out two three man teams in a single clip. However, it's really damn fun to play, for the people who enjoy it's particular breed of warfare. With the Division being a known quantity, and given what I've just said, I'm actually not surprised the twitch viewership is down. But the Div2 is really damn good to play, and I think it's going to deliver the goods.
 
Last edited:
Honestly it could be because the competition is so fierce now, there are now free to play shooters now that give you a similar experience to full retail shooters and shooters in general are a dime a dozen now.
 
Was darkzone even available for play? Is twitch success really a way to predict it's sales? I really don't think so.

Anyway I ain't buying Anthem it was shit and this was a lot more fun... But I probally ain't buying this either.

One of the DZ area is available. There's also a non-PvP DZ tutorial mission.
 

ThaGuy

Member
I know that this is a beta but some of the glitches are annoying. Things like no sound, no bullet sound, still crashing, some missions glitching out.
 

VertigoOA

Banned
I enjoyed my time with the first game and then when I revisited it near the tail end of its life a few months ago.

The gameplay here looks better than it ever did. The content looks like it’s there. Etc... (the story looks abysmal but that doesn’t really matter).

However, you know you’re not getting any real exploration or wonder. If the game world is large, you know, it’s still going to feel like the usual huge, yet soulless ubisoft open world.

I hate to say it. Pve games tend to be far more interesting when in a fantasy setting of some kind. I’m just not interested this time even if it looks better than the first.

I’m not leaving destiny and haven’t in six years. I actually really dig fallout 76 in its current form, and anthem looks like it’ll be good for a month or two as well.

But division? I keep buying ubisoft games and I feel like I keep getting tricked.
 
Last edited:

fermcr

Member
The Division 2 and Anthem need to be F2P.
There are so many F2P online games out there that paying for a online game appeals less and less for most people.
 

Ceadeus

Member
Division 1 died off pretty fast.

I think the biggest problem with the series is that it's modern day, so things are pretty repetitive with the same kinds of settings and enemies. So people will get bored grinding.

Put the same kind of game mechanics in a fantasy game with crazy monsters and weapons and people will keep playing.

I don't know if game companies dump season passes for cheap, but UBI always dumps their game prices for bargain binning fast. Don't be surprised if Division 2 is 50% off 3 months later.

lost Planet 2
 
Based on my extensive experience with Independence Day and House of Cards, Washington DC is an incredibly boring city except for two or three buildings.
A winter setting would be a huge improvement.
Why would I want to spend my time in such a boring and generic location?
 

Stuart360

Member
I put 15 hours into the beta, loved it. Anyway i thought i would download the first game again and give it a proper run through. I swear the first game looks better, i mean the sequel looks great as well on PC but i think the first game has better graphics, polygon counts seem higher as well with much more garbage and stuff littering the streets.
 
Top Bottom