#Dear BigBox

21 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

placid plaza
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Wrote to BigBox and Meta today..... don't want to see this game or the community die!!

Dear BigBox VR and Meta teams,

I am writing to you representing and reflecting the views and opinions of the dedicated players of Population: One and members of a community that has grown around this game. We are a passionate group that deeply values the unique VR battle royale experience you created and the friendships we have built through it.

However, we are concerned about the game's future and the impact recent changes have had on the player experience. Our community forums on Discord and Reddit are filled with players expressing frustration over several key issues:

The perceived decline of the core experience: Many players feel that the fast time-to-kill (TTK) and recent gameplay shifts have moved away from the signature vertical combat and tactical flying mechanics that originally made the game so special. The removal of popular modes like "Phoenix Squads" has also alienated a significant portion of the core player base who preferred that style of play.

Persistent technical issues: The player experience is being significantly hindered by numerous, recurring technical problems. Many of us regularly encounter "Connection Lost" errors, the frustrating "Not Enough Memory" error (even when storage is available), game freezing (what the community calls "black boxing"), and various issues with in-game sound and microphones. The feeling is that these fundamental issues have not been adequately addressed, which makes it difficult to enjoy the game consistently.

Growing toxicity and lack of moderation: Despite the reporting system, many players continue to encounter toxic behavior and harassment that goes unaddressed. We fear this harms the game's reputation and makes it less welcoming for new and existing players alike.

Uncertainty and a perceived lack of communication: There is a widespread feeling of disconnect between the developers and the player base. The absence of a public roadmap or regular, transparent updates on your long-term plans has led many to speculate that the game is "dying" and that the community is being left behind.

Shrinking player base and negative player experience: Longer queue times, especially outside North America, and an increase in bot-filled lobbies for new players have created a less engaging and competitive environment for many long-term fans.

We believe that our cherished game is at a critical juncture. The community is eager to know whether you intend to invest in fixing the current issues and making Population: One great again or if you have shifted your focus to a potential replacement or sequel.

We kindly ask that you communicate with us through the official channels we frequently use, such as the Discord server or Reddit. An update, however small, that acknowledges our concerns and provides some insight into your future plans would go a long way toward rebuilding trust and re-energizing the community.

We are not asking for a promise to release a sequel or a commitment to reverse every change, but simply for clear, open communication. We all feel like we could lose a much-loved game and the community we are all very fond of. We want to be a part of the solution and help shape a positive future for Population: One.

Thank you for your time and for the countless hours of fun you've provided. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
NAC_TAZPOT
And on behalf of, The Population: One Community

tranquil snow
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In summary

“The Pop1 community is worried about the game’s future. Players feel core gameplay has drifted, technical issues persist, toxicity isn’t being handled, dev communication is lacking, and the player base is shrinking. The letter asks BigBox/Meta to be more open with updates and plans so trust can be rebuilt and the community can stay alive.”

polar garden
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Not so sure about the growing toxicity part. I haven't personally experienced that or heard complaints about it, but I have a long established friend group. I suppose newer players would have a much different experience.

Generally, I would say the letter is well written. It touches on some core issues and notes some things you would like to see changed..

Big Box built an awesome game with the "vertical combat system." Meta purchased BB. Unless Pop1 can attract and hold on to new players, Meta won't be investing. There isn't a huge flow of new people in VR right now, and P1 only gets a portion, that is why you are seeing bot-filled lobbies (Classic Map only). It's the first safe place for new players to land where they won't get stomped out of the game. More experienced players generally stay in other game modes and the algorithm in the CM seems to do a good job separating experienced players from those with a lower MMR.

Personally, I would like to see Meta do a better job investing in the future of this game. I don't think they recognize what this game has done for VR. I've personally bought 4 Quest headsets (and countless controllers) because of this game alone. I don't play anything else in VR. I don't think the replayability factor of this game can be overstated. It drives headset sales. That said, Meta has accumulated nearly 70 billion in operating losses for its reality labs division (VR & AR). Investors are split and that's caused a lot of retraction from VR and an increased focus on AR, and even then, there is plenty of skepticism about their ability to generate profitable returns in a reasonable time frame.

VR in general is retracting right now. It's not just Pop1. My personal belief is that Big Box is very important to VR. Meta's headset prices have doubled, but the quality of content needs to be there in order to drive sales. For me, when this game is gone, I'm gone, unless Meta gets serious about supporting it's developers.

placid plaza
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Spot on @polar garden you get what I am trying to say here. The toxicity element is based on the number of people I come accross nowadays that talk smack or are generally rude or obnoxious in lobbies, I see far more now than when the game was paid for and see even more since changing Gamertags became so quick and easy. Generally I love the game and the community and don't want it to crumble. Like you, I pretty much only play PopOne, what would I do with my life if it disappeared?? ☺️

cunning coral
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The toxicity is mostly from younger players and especially against female players at least that's what I experienced with my teammates/clan mates

tranquil snow
cunning coral
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Never saw that but I mute almost all loud and young players cause I can't hear my teammates talk over them screaming or playing music

tranquil snow
molten gyro
placid plaza
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My bad, I meant Evolving Squads! I personally would have preferred to have kept that mode over classics.🤭 (Others may disagree?)
The essence of what I am saying remains though! 😉

tranquil snow
placid plaza
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Very true! Hasn't evolved in a very very long time! 😂

tranquil snow
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They need to be more active in general, posting ads about this game would make so much more people start playing, the bugs in the game and with Meta just completely ruins the experience

shadow ruin
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@hidden sandal you have to read this

coral iron
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To touch on a couple points, I also haven't been a fan of the rotating maps on the weekends primarily favoring the Evolving Map. I love Phoenix and find the matches more competitive.

Black Boxing, Low Memory, or Connection Lost issues are annoying but as someone who plays a lot of other VR games too, this isnt an isolated Big Box Pop1 problem. I consistently get low memory errors playing AZ2 and Batman. Meta needs to investigate this.

I'm also shocked at the lack of advertising for this game. It wouldn't cost a lot for Meta/Big Box to purchase some headsets and sponsor some big streamers of other games to come on Pop1 and stream the game for a few days and help introduce the game to other gamers. I'm sure some streamers like Ninja or CourageJD would do this and bring thousands of new eyes to this game.

placid plaza
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Thanks for all the feedback and input folks! There are numerous issues and irritations with PopOne and some do or don't like certain changes so we will never be in a place where we all agree on everything but fundamentally my concern is that there seems to be no communication from BigBox or Meta on what their plans are to fix, change, update or renew anything in PopOne.
Not even had a 'thank you for your feedback' from my email which I sent over a week ago! 😔

arctic canyon
cunning coral
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My clanmates got harassed and experienced toxicity but not from fellow clanmates

tight vortex
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I think the only real issue with the game are the technical problems. Especially the frequent black boxing, the low memory bug and the bad match making (which is very obvious in play lists where it tends to open new servers instead of filling exisiting ones that gives this white spread feeling that the game is dying even there are a lot of players.

With the rest, I dont see much need to do something. If you dont like toxic players, then simply dont play with them! Play with friends on private servers. I rarely meet any toxic players and even less cheaters. Same with war, legions, classic, evolving.... I mean, we all have preferences and its impossible to make everyone happy. So have the rotating maps is actually the smartest thing they can do. And here again: If you dont like the current game mode, play on private servers...

sacred nebula
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It would be nice to have at least one normal day on the weekend with Phoenix. I don’t play pop anymore on the weekends and so do a lot of other people.

twin saffron
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honestly for me it feels like pop one is not getting many big gameplay changes