Asides from the smurfs taking a vacation (some due to sync problems) and the general public doing the same, I've actually enjoyed meeting some new people.
Most of the regular villains have been gooone for some time, but a lot of my other globals are still there, giving me a reason to find out "who the hell is that guy, that's been on my global for so long".
...but yeah, Onion is the pvp server, and with the pityful amount of content I guess that's what's left of the game at the moment, unless you can be (cencored) to grind inf or level up your 123th alt to 50.
The numbers seem to be pretty stable at 150 players on defiant villains. Between issues that's a pretty normal figure, probably even pretty good since the summer has started and this is not the teenagers choise of game (read Conan/Wow/Lotro).
I would rather suggest merging the US/EU serverlist like they did with that not-so-successful car MMO. As it is, we've seen less lag on the american servers than the "european" ones. Spanish-talking people in the US and EU would probably enjoy a spanish server, so that would be a good change as well.
The BIG problem is NCs refusal to treat Villain side as a good way of bringing more people into the game. It's treated as something thrown in. They've rather clearly stated that VEATs only happened because they got some extra funds through the wedding stuff.
That scares me since it means any new villain content will only be shared villain/hero stuff, and if that's the case what's the point having a villain side?
Although I'd like to get my PB to 50 someday, I enjoyed the fire/rad team, and had some fun with scrappers, there's just simply NO WAY I'd go back to hero side, that's to me a four year old boring game with too many kids running around. (whereas villain side seem to have a higher degree of mature players.)
I do miss the stuff the EU staff used to put together. Invasion of Sirens, RSP games etc.
...but put bluntly: The game is 4 years old (since it's not regarded as anything but a wimpy expansion to heroes, byt NC) and it was never a huge sucess. So they're pumping in some new money into the hero side, well I doubt it will help. ...Who, in their right mind, would START playing a four year old game? ...meaning: There will be a continuosly decreasing population even if some people come back for a while.
Like you, shock, I'm basically still playing the game because I like moaning on skype, and a small degree of addiction. I've changed "groups" five times. If the smurfs go, I doubt I'll bother anymore. With no other addictive game out there, I might actually get some! 
...and Yes, with the servers down, I was bored!
i think COX advertisement is very very limited over here, so that could be a big issue of being a quite game and also not being linked to the US COX could also be a down fall due to the fact in other online game it mainly american online that makes up the online figures
and as far as i can tell most of the mmo are all linked to a set of server where anyone can join over the world, but the main thing i find on asking for a team or trying to make new friends is the increase of new players or heroes join villains side maybe for the 1st time are the ones got in seach or saying stufff like this If you are not in my SG, Friends or Globals list don't bother asking to join or to talk to me and plus the new can't tell back from a trial account
I'm pretty sure it's summertime in Europe right now too 
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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They've rather clearly stated that VEATs only happened because they got some extra funds through the wedding stuff.
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No, they've clearly stated that the wedding pack allowed them to bring VEATs forward from I13 to I12
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!!111one!!1 111!1
*Ahem*
Seriously, I've had no trouble finding teams on Defiant Villains. I personally enjoy Villains more then Heroes, partly because the content/missions aren't all over the place! (getting a new contact in bricks, traveling to the new talky mission in kings, traveling back to contact in bricks for new mission which is in kings AGAIN! is not my idea of fun)
I think Sing is right, more mature player base on Villains, and not enough advertisement for it either. But then it hasn't been around as long as Heroes and being a villain probably isn't as interesting to some. Would you rather battle crime and be looked up to or destroy the world and be hated?
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Who, in their right mind, would START playing a four year old game?
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Um WoW... Feb 11 2005 - 3 and a bit years old (from US launch)
Or EVE... 6 may 2003 - 5 years old now or something.
The same people who would start playing other older games...
(Release dates from Wikipedia)
While I've noticed a massive drop in my global friends, that's only to be expected. Most of them have been playing since launch.
If anything though, I'm finding it easier than ever to get a team on villains. Although this is around level 23 or so.
A merge with Union would not be good. I play on both servers and whenever I'm on Union I get bombarded with blind invites, or illiterate tells, and when I have joined PuGs I've tended to get more debt than xp. It seems that Union may have more players but many haven't got a clue.
I'm not really a fan of villains, but I play in a regular team one night a week plus try to level up a few others (but can't seem to stay interested enough in the alts to get them past the 30s)
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The reason i ask is of late the server on villain side just feels empty, my global seems have died to hardly anyone seems to be logging in now, [...]
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Last time I checked, the player numbers villain-side were still quite a bit higher than they used to be before the launch of Issue #12 -- although not as high as during the first couple of weeks, when they reached numbers not seen on Defiant since prior to the Union-only Double XP Event. Not too bad I guess, with this being the summer slump and all.
But there was an unusually sharp drop-off on my global friends list about two weeks ago, when 15-20 of the "old-timers" suddenly left within two or three days without leaving a forwarding address or any explanation. I don't know what happened. Seems to me things just turned weird for some reason.
But thankfully about a quarter of them have started logging on again in the past few days. And there's still more than enough people to start a villain-only Imperious or Lady Grey TF/SF on a whim late at night.
@Nanas (on Defiant)
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But there was an unusually sharp drop-off on my global friends list about two weeks ago, when 15-20 of the "old-timers" suddenly left within two or three days without leaving a forwarding address or any explanation. I don't know what happened.
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They were Villains - it must have been something sinister
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Not really. I'm a usual hero player, yet I've been peeking on villains more than usual for now. Teams still seem to be active, yet I do see a decrease.
Frankly, I can see you have a very good point - we keep getting co-op, which is making us feel like the same side, rather than seperate side content that would make the games feel a little different. Because now, every issue seems to bring a new co-op zone. It's just getting lame now, in my opnion. I'm sure fresh ideas would get some more players onto villians. I don't really think too much heroside content is the problem, too much co-op content is.
[ QUOTE ]
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Who, in their right mind, would START playing a four year old game?
[/ QUOTE ]
Um WoW... Feb 11 2005 - 3 and a bit years old (from US launch)
Or EVE... 6 may 2003 - 5 years old now or something.
The same people who would start playing other older games...
(Release dates from Wikipedia)
[/ QUOTE ]
Do note that WoW is the clear market dominator, it's like MS office sort of. EVE has been HEAVILY upgraded to modern specs, while this game looks MORE than 4 years old IMHO. and honestly I doubt how many new players they draw, even though they've added actual content. (I'll be a bit careful since I've never played either of'em).
Every new big update on EVE has been advertised as if it's (almost) a new game. Banners on even swedish major gaming sites. (well, EVE produceras are from Iceland(?), so maybe that's not too strange?)
With Conan, Champions Online etc I'd never go for this game, especially since it's not even on sale in any store around here. A box in a game store is the most valuable marketting you have.
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Not really. I'm a usual hero player, yet I've been peeking on villains more than usual for now. Teams still seem to be active, yet I do see a decrease.
Frankly, I can see you have a very good point - we keep getting co-op, which is making us feel like the same side, rather than seperate side content that would make the games feel a little different. Because now, every issue seems to bring a new co-op zone. It's just getting lame now, in my opnion. I'm sure fresh ideas would get some more players onto villians. I don't really think too much heroside content is the problem, too much co-op content is.
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Too little villain content then...
I'm all for revamping some of the hero zones, and the clues about Boomtown getting a revamp, doesn't bother me. My point is, if more people where activated on the dark side we might see more people alltogether. NC could really use the villain side in the marketting if there IS a villain side.
Beefing up the villain side might also get the PVP zones to be more interesting even if I doubt it. Inventions where supposed to make it more interesting, instead, anyone with a non-set'ed alt going into a pvp zone to actually pvp will be discouraged very, very fast. Especially since at least on defiant hero makes it a point to hunt them down constantly even if he gets no reward for it, being buffed by 3 other accounts etc, but we all know that story... 
Meh I think the Defiant Population is fine usually a fair few about. I dont like masses of people herding about and spamming chat or invites etc....in fact a smaller number of active villians works well for me, seems more realistic, what we want are some content changes that inspire a bit of contetious hero villian conflict (real bankraids into paragon....and real counter espionage into the rogue isles) rather than more boring Rikti npc's spawns....too bad we cant have a shared union defiant pvp zone tho. defiant Villians Vs Union Heros and Union Villians Vs Defiant Heros would be a nice twist.
Other than that I would welcome a merge with the US servers, it means a more even distribution of population 24/7 (I tend to play late).
Dunno about Defiant CoV or CoH population, but I do know about my SG population, and it has to be a reason apart of genocide, serial murders and Conan, for the massive numbers of people missing.
Rofl Fosca, good one!
Gave me a much needed laugh!
I got more 50s heroes than villains, but I've stopped anyway playing my VEAT because I've been soloing from lvl 29 to lvl 31 and it became boring and frustrating aswell; in fact, not only villains, but also heroes, most of my friends and usual teammates are now regularly playing in Union, so I have two options, playing alone or playing with them, so I think my VEAT will be stuck at 31.4 for quite some time.
Proud Coleader of: Fuerza Letal (H), Liga de las Sombras (V), Legion del Fenix (H), Infernal Justice (H), and a happy member of GammaForce (H) and D.O.A. (V).
My alts: http://cit.cohtitan.com/profile/13494
Don't know from other players prospective, but on my part, I noticed a significent clique taking place on villians and unless you was part of that you would find it hard to get a high lvl team or on to a high lvl TF, thus my retort was to revert back to heroes where PuGS are easier to come by and more of an open player base when it comes to TF's and I only return to Villians when promised a spot on a TF.
Too many 50's to list here's a few you may know.
Slazenger, Area51, Area53, Area54, Erruption, Mind Plague, Thresher, Sheath, Broadside, Debt
Private SG/Clique regard them as the same thing when you have a medium size player base, quite a few people i know got sick of it on Villians and opted back to heroes, not really that bothered myself as tended to solo alot but you can't expect people to stand about at high lvl watching the world go by.
I know this sort of thing happens in mmo's but when a corner of the player base tends to stick to themselves there is only one way thats gonna lead.
Heroes seems different, not sure if it's a larger player base, or the amount of people that don't mind pugs or the fact there is much more content so teams get varied for all the different things you can do, but it just seems a more open player base.
So now all my villians are any use for are to do co-op tf's that way i can get team without spending hours trying.
Too many 50's to list here's a few you may know.
Slazenger, Area51, Area53, Area54, Erruption, Mind Plague, Thresher, Sheath, Broadside, Debt
Well, I suppose if the player-base is small, and there's an active SG that prefers to only play together, then that might cause a few problems - but there must be other high level Villains around, surely?
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
I don't think defiant villains is dead by a long shot, i tend to do alot of solo myself but thats due to my own choice. Not had trouble finding teams when i actually look for one or attempt to start a strikeforce or trial, maybe alot of people just hope they will get an invite from someone rather than attempting to make a team themselves.
Some of the people that have posted here i have teamed with in the past, mainly on respecs or strikeforces as i am not the type of person to do constant missions, as i find no enjoyment in papers which alot of people tend to do.
I can honestly say that defiant villains is very much alive, for myself and the others that take part in strikeforces and respecs which we run every night.
One of the leaders of the Harlequins villain group and currently on defiant.
well, I solo'ed melvin , my robotics mastermind , up to 20th because PUGs were non existent. I asked, I pm'ed, I broadcast and nothing. I was very close to just dropping CoV altogether and concentrating on CoH (actually, whenever I make an alt it is now blue side, primarily because a: I hate the zig intro , b: I hate all those stupid snake missions , c: I hate the lack of variety up to 10th level).
However, recently I have had the great pleasure of actually seeing invites to PUGs and broadcasts looking for people to join. I've been invited to a (unfortunately very quiet) SG called Max damage Inc - i seem to be the only person online, ever....
Imho, the red side has actually picked up a bit in recent months.
It was crowded when it started, then the novelty wore off and it almost died an agonising death. VEATS and higher level co-op as well as crimerora have sparked new interest. And its great (after 10th level!!).
Now they need to keep the interest level they have generated:
vary the starting missions and give option to not do intro/tutorial (cant remember if they give this option already).
More SFs!!! Seriously. more. and not just SG unlockable ones.
Lower level co-op zones and allow players a path to make 50th playing through co-op story lines exclusively.
On a side note: I was playing my main on the blue side and I met a friend I havent seen for a while. a lvl 46 scrapper. and a comment was made that shocked me. "I'm just hanging around for a bit. I'm bored."
What?? you should never log onto a MMO just to "hang around" because you're bored!!! Start a team, join a team, find *something* to do!! It is an unfortunate fact that players will not always entertain themselves. CoX needs to make it easier for players to organise events, teams and one off outings such as GM hunts , Arena deathmatches etc.
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maybe alot of people just hope they will get an invite from someone rather than attempting to make a team themselves.
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This ^
Also: Co-op content, though probably the line the devs would go, is not the answer I'm comfortable with. Heroes and Villains aren't ment to walk hand in hand with each other. The playerbase is split between them (regardless of how uneven), and I agree that CoV could benefit from some more Strike Forces within itself, instead of 'shared content' for heroes that feels 'tagged on' for Villains. Almost like a:
CoV: Can we play too?
CoH: Oh, go on then!
I'm on defiant villains most of the time, and there's almost always something going on/people about. The view of 'is it quiet' is a very heavily based on who you regularly team with/your approach to teaming. I rely heavily on my global contacts for teaming, so in that sense, my own view is heavily biased- though regardless it's would be all too rash to cry d00m.
As a long time defiant player (42 months) it pains me to ask this question but is what the hype has been saying true? is "Defiant dead"
The reason i ask is of late the server on villain side just feels empty, my global seems have died to hardly anyone seems to be logging in now, this i can understand though as of late the game has become dull.
Maybe its time to merge the servers to make it feel like an online game once again or should we all just give up and move to union.If this post seems negative its ment to be as thats just how things seem to be for defiant now.