Reasons for leaving the club
Reasons for leaving the club
I see two more people have left 2O2E today, Lashed and Iprento. So I thought I would open a thread for people to explain why they chose to leave. I am sure for some it is just RL preventing them getting involved, but my concern is that we as a club may be failing our members in some way. without knowing why people are leaving we are unable to be sure one way or another. I know I have seen Lashed on line looking for people to play with, but as most of you know I am usually grinding away at a track or car and unless that player is doing the same races I assume they are looking for a more...fun? game and just carry on with what I am doing.
So if you are thinking of leaving please give us the heads up on why, maybe we can put right what is wrong, or at least know that it's a "it's not you, it's me" situation.
Often a forum can create the feeling there is a clique. I have seen that time and time again. I know there is not one, but others may not. Yes there are people that tend to dominate threads...we know who we are
But all are welcome to come forward with ideas, suggestions and indeed insults LOL
Anyway the floor is open, If you are on the cusp of leaving, drop by. Let us know why, and if there is anything we can do to put right what may be wrong we will.
I don't really feel like I left. I joined D2NR a while back because I have such limited time to play in any series ( I always made time for Spazcar) but when that ended I was left with spec series races that due to my busy evening life (I'm the pitching coach for three Baseball teams) I could never participate in any way.
I like so many people was at the end of my rope with Forza 4 and all the problems that exist with the game. I tried to find something in the game that was fun to me and my limited time and just kind of fell into running mostly C class races in public lobbies. Since the latest patch, I've actually started enjoying this game again.
I think for some of us alot of the top notch competition stopped playing Forza and that took away alot of the fun as well! Since the release of Forza 4, 2O4F saw alot of new members and alot of players that were new to the game. I saw more events happening for beginner players and less events for everyone else. I hope that someday soon people start coming back to Forza and 2O4F because I believe that this is still the best group of guys out there to race with!!!!!
KIWI JORDAN KID
Yeah I've noticed that a lot of the really talented guys aren't around anymore. It's a sad day when I'm becoming one of the fastest in the club.
I'm not sure whether it's simple burnout, or an unwillingness to accept the changes that came with the new version, but losing so much talent hurts.
PC sims seem to have captured a lot of guys attention as well.
Well, when FM5 comes out for the "720" I'll still be here.
I'm so out of the loop, I'd not realized that a bunch of people left. How many are left noe Knight? Perhaps we should consider consolidating the Euro club along with the American clubs. I've not been playing for many of the same reasons as Kiwi. Most of the old folks quit for various reasons. Lots of new people came in, but many were what I call "short timers". They're the ones who bought forza but never intended to stay in the 1st place.
If I had to guess, I'd say a good member retention rate is 1 out of 10 recruits. I think we grew way too fast & now we're dealing with the aftermath. It's always been a struggle to keep people playing, & I just don't have the time to commit to it like I used to.
I've even considered turning things over to another leader if someone thinks they know how to revitalize things around here. I still ove Forza & all my friends that I've made here, but I'd let it take over my life to a certain extent. After 4 years, I'm just tired of trying to keep things going. It's a very thankless job. No matter what you do, someone's not going to be happy. Very rarely will you ever be thanked for your efforts either.
So basically, I've really just gotten over tryong to keep everyone happy & entertained. I had hoped that the group would run itself to a certain extent after this long, but I guess that's not meant to be.
Yes I get that, and see why some of the older/longer serving members move on, and after all if you are with D2NR your still in the family
This was more for the new people that gome and go at an alarming rate, I'm sure most of them are no great loss but we may be loosing some good people for reasons we are unaware of.
I too hope that now the lobby issues have been sorted some of the other top drivers will return, there is a need for some elite races just as there is for Novice as well as series for all.
Thanks for your reply, and I hope to bump into you on track sometime (not literally of course)
I hope my post wasn't too long & made a little sense. I also thank you for your concern Knight. I'm glad to see that there are some folks who care. I swear, sometimes it's like pulling teeth trying to keep this thing going.
JC, having founded and run a RL car club I understand how easy it is to get burned out. This place was a blast 2 years ago and you were definitely front and center in keeping it going. I for one thank you for trying. My interest has been waning of late as well. Just sticking around for Snappy's series it seems. Euro guys still have a bit of enthusiasm but I can't make that schedule work.
Thanks again, JC.
I think we really need to focus on a re-consolidation of active members into one group.Then perhaps keep things a little smaller. I'd much rather have a smaller group of dedicated players instead of a huge group with folks that are barely ever on.
I also think that having to subdivide the group ingame has been detrimental to our group. A lot of folks that have come in since FM4 still don't realize that there are divisions other than their own or they just don't reach out & try to connect outside their division.
I too want to thank you Mr. Cotter, you and 2O4F made playing this game so much fun for me. Like I said my life is very busy now and it will slow down again in a few months when Baseball is over! I hope that their is some sort of consolidation that happens and all of the dedicated drivers will once again have a fun place to race.
Thanks again,
Dave aka KIWI JORDAN KID
Sorry Cotter we jumped posts, I must remember to "quote" The Euro club itself seems to have a fair few active members but I can only see who comes and goes from there.
I think it would be hard to consolidate us all into one club because of the 100 member limit. I don't know about the US...that is for those guys to work out.
I am also cognizant of the fact that the time zone differential makes it very hard for the two sides of the pond to support each others events, there is no way around that and we just have to live with it. I have lost count of the amount of great looking races I cannot make because they occur well past bed time.
I feel sure the future of the club is secure, 2O2E alone has new series up and coming, new rivalries building and members like Church and myself starting to work together on new projects. The US clubs I'm sure are the same.
I have thought for some time that the total open door policy is part of why we see so many come and go, but it is what brought those of us that stay here...Maybe there is an argument for a new members club, a holding area for new members while they find their feet, or leave. If they are steady, productive and active they could earn the right to join with their relevant group. Just a thought and feel free to shoot it down, I am by no means married to the idea and there could well be factors that have not occurred to me.
As for yourself Cotter, relax mate. Look around, what you have built is here, and here to stay. As soon as the new admins get their forum tools we will be actively taking care of business on the forum. I will continue with my Saturday event to help new people acclimatize and practice new skills as well as working on new series along side Church and anyone else who want to join in the...Fun? With Pap caring enough to supply us with the tunes, and as it turns out no too shabby as a teacher, your self and tourni dropping by we have a great "race school" developing. we could build that into something that new people would be expected to join and qualify from...of course a US version would have to happen as well...sorry blue sky thinking there LOL
One other thing I think we may have gotten a little overboard with is organized events. We've gotten to the point now where there are so many that people are either running in them or practicing/preparing for them. Thus, leaving no time for just casual fun racing. On the other side of that coin though...If someone wants to do an event, who are we to tell them that they can't. I've always encouraged folks to make something happen if they're not getting what they want here. Unfortunately, I don't see a solution for this issue.
+ 1
Well, if you want an unofficial, anti-organized, unscheduled event unorganizer, I guess that'd be me. Can I be unappointed?
I run random pick up rooms all the time, as I can't runmost oraginzed events, they seem to hover around 10PM EST and I can't runthat late. Conversely, Euro's run at 3pm EST and I can't run quite that early, soemtimes I can do 3:30 EST, but lately it's been 4:30pm EST, sooo, I get on, look around, see on my friends list people in season mode, or such, and spam a club and friends list invite for a pick up room.
Barrring that, I've been forced to run in publics, multi class usually, and I've made an amazing discovery. Due to running with theh aliens in here, that kick my ass, I've gotten better. I've run in the top three, and at times the top in lobby points, so if not an absolute winner, a consistent one.
But I feel that the "2o4f" club invites aren't doing much, and the friends list is, so maybe the membership isn't up to date on the club list. And I kinda agree, with all the organized stuff, I never seem to see many undoing as it were...
the nearest I do seem to see are the "track days" which although organized and scheduled, seem to still be informal enough to draw people in. Just a guess.
And I haven't seen Snappy twice ina month, he's the leader.
It's funny you say this because my first reaction when I get into a lobby with a bunch of 2O4F guys is that there's an event going on, and I should leave
I've been pleasantly surprised lately though, and a couple of times it was just a pick-up room.
Pick up rooms FTW!
I've been having a blast w/ the Euro guys the past couple weeks when they've had a room going on.
I've already got 3 points series' going on in rFactor, along w/ EUSL in FM4 (I'm sure I'll probably run Snappy/Jarhead's Friday night series' as well once I get back on a normal shift. Just managing my time, and making sure I don't burn myself out.
Not at all mate, Okay it may not be everybodys cup of tea...though there is always interest. I have noticed there seem to be more folk randomly getting together for practice sessions and we have a shit load of fun, short runs and no worry about contact or ruining some ones race. It is also the fundamental reason many of us stay, a reason to put the game in the Box, a reason to practice...hell some days a reason to get up in the morning.
Hadonetomany...okay what do you want? if it's casual racing keep an eye on the CSL'S for me practicing, don't be put off by the fact it says practice, grab any old car you want and join in.
Don't take it personally Knight, just my feelings on the state of things. The clan has lost something over the years, and with every new game released it seems to have gotten worse and worse. Like Cotter said it could be things have grown too big and too fast. I know I miss the times when I knew everyone in the clans name by the sound of their voice and we had a lobby going almost every night of the week where we just dicked around for hours. Now with over 800 members it's no longer the small niche group of guys having fun after work. For me it has become work to try and keep up with it all.
I know I'm partially to blame because I could do something about it (rather than just not participating any longer), and I'm sure the new members are a great group of guys who I would enjoy racing with. I'm also not against the events (whatever floats your boat and all that) I'm just trying to give some insight as to why someone may leave or stop playing.
Ah well see words make a lot more sense than a +1 LOL. as Cotter says 800 is a very misleading number, and sure no personal attack felt mate. What we have here is a classic example of what you are talking about. You are a long standing member and I am a Jonny come lately...Had I known you I would already know what lay behind your +1
Yes I understand the feelings of those who come from the dim and distant beginnings of the club, but and it's a big but he he. Had it stayed still, it would no longer be here. Many of us newer members are here because we were fed up to the back teeth with the hoppers, we wanted something more. Here is where we found it. Tuners, Painters, Series, Alien drivers who would share and try to pass on their skills, and great guys who are fun to race with. I have said it over and over, the club is what we make it. If your a rivals fanatic there are people to help you succeed, if your an achievement collector yup we can help there too. If you want to get on the top ten of the leaderboard well here is a car to do it in, if you want organized races look no further.
No it is no longer a small niche group of folk dicking around, it's a variety of niches dicking around
I found out if you want something that isn't here...create it! if it floats great, if not tinker with it till it does or move on.
So while I sympathies with the old guard and I am not pointing a specific finger here. If you don't like what you see make something you do like. If that is a bit of casual racing after work...let us know...hey I'll be on tonight and am opening a casual room for a bit of fun, or hey would some of the original members like to join me for....etc, etc. This is a virtual world with no limits, room for everyone.
I have said it many times I love being here, and I will always be grateful to those that started it, if not for 2O2F Forza would be gathering dust and I would be playing MW3 or some such thing.
That 800 number isn't accurate. That is everyone we've ever had since the start. WE've actually maintained a fairly steady group base, I think a bit of the burn out is inevitable. The lobby issues were the last straw for a lot of folks, but convincing them to come boack now may be a moot point. The only thing we can do is keep moving forward. Hopefully once I get my reconsolidation plan solidified, we'll be able to get part of that "small club" feel back. I'm just glad that there are still other people here who care as much as I do & want to ensure we have a future.
Yes Exactly Oldschool. I've gotten to the point personally where I'm not really much into runining a series. I seem to get bored with the car quickly because I prefer variety. Hence, I now lean more towards "casual/ run whatever you want" rooms. Not that having lots of events is a bad thing, but we just need to find a balance.
I think the folks that want to run casulaay (myself included) need to make more of an effort herein the forums to announce our intentions.
For instance. If you know that you'r gonna be getting on around x time & just want to mess around, then post it up here & let folks know. A lot of people will get on & then not see anyone else playing & then log off. Perhaps if they see something here, then they will make an effort to be on at the same time. Just a thought here.
I"m glad you've posted this thread Knight. It's a discussion that's been needed but I wasn't sure how to address it construtively.
That's my job Cotter, to open my big mouth and put cats among pigeons
Glad to see you hit the same point as me in reference to the casual races, I see "So and So wants friends to play forza crop up all the time, I pull up the player and they are not in a lobby but sitting on the main screen or on a storefront or some such thing. Create a feckin lobby!!! Then I can see what you are wanting to do and decide yeah that looks like fun or feck it if your running S class that's not my thing...
Gentlemen,
As a 'newbie' may I put a little perspective on my view? And no I am not leaving!
I feel slightly 'intimidated' by the whole 2o4f...thing... I am not that good but enjoy just getting out there and using my old muscle cars even if i am running mid field.
I do participate in a Retro touring car series and am looking forward to being part of Knights Fairlady extravaganza but, outside of that, spend most of my time in the hoppers trying to improve, tune and generally enjoy myself.
To a newbie it all feels a little... organised?
I would love to commit to a full season but work, life, kids, wife, beer etc sometimes mean that this is not possible sorather than join and let people down I tend to not join at all. Yes, yes I know that is a pretty lame excuse and I would love to be more involved but time is a commodity that is in short supply in the house of Dawg... That and the fact that I have to share MY Xbox with my 13 year old and you get the picture.
Anyway, love to be part of the Clan and am looking forward to being more involved as time allows.
Keep up the good work though as without this forum I would still be at the back of the pack or worse have relegated the game to the trade in pile and gone back to COD!
P.
I have to point out, especially to the newer guys, that it's not all abou tthe racing, the banter in room is great too, and that racing with the aliens WILL improve your skills. Mine did by accident, I was oblivious, until I hit the hoppers last weekend. Either they've gotten worse, or I've gotten better. And it sure wasn't a deliberate act on my part...ask anyone that knows me, I've got the word "accidental" written all over me.
Kinda like Church's roof...
Sounds like oldschool is already spearheading what some of us are wanting, but the times I'm available (usually 8:30-11:00 PM EST) may not jive with when he's on. I'm going to be knocking the dust off my rig tonight so we'll see how it pans out. Going forward I'll be sure to use the forums here to post up when I plan to be online. If there's not already a lobby created when I log in I'll make one. I've got no problems with hosting and running a room if people are interested.
+1 LOL
Just checked the time that would be here to see if I could swing by....4am LOL maybe not.
Thanks for your input Paul_Y I know exactly how you feel that was me a couple of months ago. I think a thing to remember is no one is going to have a go if you only make half a series, you would be only one out of probably half the field. (something I benefited from in the recent EUSL) Everyone has a real life and we all know that comes first. Better to have someone half the time than not at all
...Okay if you see one that is over subscribed then moving over for another driver you know is going to be there every week is right and proper but otherwise dive in and have fun when you can. Just for example the STCC has a privateers room, there is space for more drivers but no commitment to be there every week. The cars are a blast and the racing is fun as hell.
Sure, rub it in you bastid!
Don't worry, I got your number. 
I should be on around 4:30 Pm ESTish and until dinner If I'm allowed, hehe. Which might make for a good 3 hours of time, but I usually jump into the track days run Anthony has On Mondays. If he isn't on, I'll start one up.
Was thinking about the lack of interest in the Forza 4 Game and the seemingly exodus of players and why it has happen. Seems like Dominos!!
(1) Forza 4 for the problems and head in the sand reactions. Same tracks..Same cars..On and On and On...Forza and their problems has opened the door for the likes of other sim games. For a guy like me to compete somewhat with the guys that are fast I need to practice and practice and it is time consuming. Then when it comes to the organize race...The Race Won't Start...1-2 Laps you may get the boot and if that doesn't beat all then for me it is the Fanatec Wheel problems. After all the practicing...For What???...You can't even start the race or get booted after a couple laps?...WTF??
(2)Fanatec Wheel issues...Let's see...Elite wheel...$550 Plus...ClubSport Brakes..$2-250...Rennsport Stand...$100-$150..Turtle Beach Headset ...$2-250...and here is the best part..The headset won't work with the Elite Wheel. So now you have a great wheel that you cannot run in Forza 4 using the Turtle Beach Headset. MF'ERs!!!
(3) Microsoft for the incompetence of licensing companies to make accessories for their game that don't work. Is it really 2012??...And the products you license are even compatible??..WTF??
(4) 2O4F...Last stop for the Dominos!
Bottom Line...People like me are tired of the Forza BS...Microsoft BS and Fanatec BS. That is before I even get to the subject of some of the organize races we have here. Sign Up it says only to find out that the rules change daily if not twice daily. And then Forza states now that all the problems are solved..My Ass is still sore and will be sore for a long time. Turn 10 gets what it deserves...DESERTION!!!!
P.S. Venting...It's a Beautiful Thing!!!!
Whoops!