Why is Castle Defense eliminated again?

Hello, when both Castle Defense and Cake Wars Solos were announced on Discord (October 29th), this was the statement:

- Added Cake Wars Solos (this is not a temporary addition like the following game)
- Added back Castle Defense
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Now I do admit that's a tad bit hard to understand. What gyro was trying to say here is that Cake Wars solos was not a temporary addition, it was instead a long term more permanent addition. However, he said "like the following game", implying that the following game (which was Castle Defense) would indeed be a temporary addition for the season.

I understand your comments about the player count, but decisions about gamemodes like this are usually made by higher up leadership for a reason. It might be that they predict the game would lose popularity quickly if is it made available for longer.

 

Castle Defense was only ever intended to be an event game, much like what Castle SIEGE on Java has become ever since its (mostly) permanent removal in 2018.

However, going by the numbers, I don't see why they'd eliminate it and keep Solo, unless they really, really like sticking to their guns even if it turns out that might not be the best option in the end. I barely follow Bedrock at all, but I think CW Solo is only on Java. That being said, it had zero players since day one, totally dead on arrival, only rarely having enough to start a single game. I don't know how well CD is doing, but if it had 1k players at any point in the past month, it was way, way better off than what we got, and got to keep on Java.
And yet the far more popular game is the one that's removed... Seems a little counterintuitive, not gonna lie. But then again, the best option would have just been to keep both. They had nothing to gain by removing either, and the potential for major losses (in players) by removing Castle Defense. I doubt anyone would be bothered by CW Solo going bye-bye, but it's always the safer option just to leave it be.

Another important thing to remember is that yes, the Devs do make mistakes. Not every decision they make is the best one, and not everyone is worth defending or trying to justify. You can try, but you'll often find there really isn't a good reason. In fact, one of their undeniably worst moves was removing several games that still had a decent following, we all saw the consequences of that, and yet they did it again... I respect them and their work, and am grateful for all they do for the server, but always remember that not every move they make is the right one. Timmi had no way of knowing CW Solo would turn out like this, he probably had every reason to believe it would be a huge success and would revive CW on Java considering how many people asked for it for so long, but the ever-fickle fanbase wasn't on board anymore by the time it finally dropped. They really have no way of knowing if something is going to "work" or not until it happens and they observe it for some time, but in many cases, past is precedent. Removing games just isn't smart (unless you have literally nothing to lose or NO ONE to lose by doing so).

 

CW Solo was on Bedrock like last year as a temporary game, and is most definitely an option on the overall server, hence why it was announced to be a permanent game by gyro in the announcement I quoted.

Some devs get to make their own decisions, but any of their decisions are going to need approval from the lead dev as well as leadership/ownership team. And many game changing decisions such as game removal are made by that higher up ownership level, not the developers.

Not sure why we're talking about CW solo anyway, the thread is about Castle Defense. The game was announced to be a temporary gamemode, so everyone was already prepared to expect its removal. Java has temporary games too, which is beneficial in the long run because they maintain their novelty as they're only available for a small part of the year.

 

Yes, temporary games are nice, I even made a case for having more of them in my last Trainee application suggestions. But still, if it's not tied to a seasonal event, and there's the demand to make it permanent, then why not? Java could really use some new permanent stuff. And here's the biggest thing of all-do they have any way of telling if something is going to "work" or not before it happens? Like with a beta server, or surveys, or forum analysis (suggestions), or even focus testing?

 

I really don't know CD or Bedrock, but it seems like the Bedrock server just needs polish, while the Java server needs something drastic. That's what I was saying needed a new game.

Bedrock doesn't need anything major to stay afloat right now, it's always been stable-Java is just the opposite. It's hanging on by less than a thread, and it needs something big right out of the gate in 2022 to keep the Christmas gains alive so it doesn't end up like last year. It can't afford another 2021. This year started out with 2k players max and now we're down to an absolute max of 400-500, a 75% loss. If that happened again in 2022, Mineplex would barely be cracking triple digits even on Friday and Saturday nights. Timing and planning are everything. You can't go too long between one big update and another, not long at all. People getting bored of stuff FAST is a fact of life. I'm a Pokemon fan, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl just came out, and in a couple of weeks, any remaining hype will be dead. Luckily, Legends Arceus is right around the corner, followed by the (presumed) Gen 9 reveal. Mineplex has Christmas Chaos, an Advent Calendar, a Present Hunt, and MAYBE Castle Siege this December, and then that may very well be all we get until October.

As for guaranteeing the success of new releases, taking community input is good, but giving it a trial run would be even better. By focus testing, I mean seeing if a handful of random, not handpicked, RANDOM players, a mix of high and low levels, enjoy a new game/mode/update and would want to see it on the server. I'm assuming that would give a more accurate sample of what both new and long-time players want from the server, and therefore what will fly with and be appreciated by everyone so Timmi doesn't end up essentially wasting his time like he did with Solo. He's free to do whatever he wants, but I don't see why he'd want to put his time and effort into things that are unlikely to make a difference or draw a crowd (or anyone for that matter...). Sure, people SAID they wanted Solo, but in the end, they didn't care. Maybe they could've known that in advance.

Finally, with keeping event games around, they kept HH around until December first. DECEMBER FIRST-a specifically Halloween game. And yes, it ran its course. I just saw it hit zero players for the first time tonight. It wasn't a bad move, they gave people a chance to fully enjoy it even after the season ended. Also, I wouldn't count on CC coming out until a couple of weeks into December. If they did it today, I guarantee people would be bored of it by Christmas, which isn't what you're aiming for. But for Castle Defense and Castle Siege, they aren't tied to any one time of year, so they could be around forever (and Castle Siege was for four years), or until they really do hit that decline. THEN remove them and bring them back a year later. Castle Siege wasn't in nearly as bad of shape as any of the current Java games any of the times it was removed, and I'm assuming the same is true for Castle Defense. If CD must be an event game, and it doesn't have to be, at least let people get bored of it first to the point where it's just wasting server space.

Sorry for going off on a bit of a tangent, and I believe I've said enough. I just felt the need to stress the importance of Mineplex playing their cards right, especially on Java.

 

Thanks for setting me straight. I shouldn't go making assumptions on things I'm not well versed in. How do you think I could be more informed, or "in the loop"? People like Slash, Valenia, or Ariannna are always telling me things I SHOULD know that I don't.

I'll admit, there's actually a hidden genius in pulling CS and CD from the server "early". It's essentially creating an artificial sense of NEEDING to play the game within a certain and very limited window, otherwise, you can't play it all. You're right, it's a tactical move, as it helps bring people onto the server just for that chance, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's the most (how should I say this...) forthright-move from the Devs, as I'm pretty sure I'm right too in saying that both could be around all year if they wanted them to be. But at least this way they'll never wear out. Still, these short-term gains are of little use if they aren't followed up by something of an equal or greater caliber. I sincerely hope, for the server's survival, that January is an eventful month on Java, and as not to forget our loyal players, for them too. In the meantime, enjoy December on both! There's no shortage of things to do.