Population before 2.5 is starting to dwindle
Forum awash with "Lack of content destroying this game" "2.5 ever coming out?" "____ is killing the server"
2.5 test server is put up for several months but only like 5 people help test it.
Admin decide that the only way to ever get 2.5 in is to just bite the pillow and go in dry.
2.5 is practically unplayble for 2 to 3 weeks
Forums now awash with "2.5 is killing this server"
Staff work like fevered mad men to make the server playable and fun again.
2.5 works really well except for a few persistent bugs that are manageable if you follow a few commonly known fixes and procedures.
Many of their problems are caused by not upgrading their client like they were told. Scream and kick in /ooc like petulant children about how its the staff's fault.
People ignore these fixes and continue to be giant crybabies about the issues because they cant take responsibilities for themselves or follow direction.
Forums now a wash with "I loved this server but 2.5 sucks and I will never be back" forum posts are particularly abusive towards the staff.
Staff, worn down from the tons of work they have had to do to make the game enjoyable, succumb to IRL and fatigue from the abuse of players about things that were out of their control.
2.5 is totally playable and fun, many guild make good head way in progression while top tier guilds stop raiding and cry about how they can't raid because the game is unplayble.
Several high tier people quit. This leaves much of the rest of the high tier raiders fucked because they've been carried most of their raiding career. Forums erupt in whining.
Progress on server continues slowly and quietly by remaining staff who don't put much effort into keeping the player base informed.
Whining at legendary proportions, everyone seems to forget how terrible some 2.0 bugs were.
Forums consistently have someone who "quit and is never coming back" posting about how bad 2.5 is.Still haven't tried it since fist 2 weeks, just parroting what they read 3months ago, many of the bugs they are whining about are fixed or a non-issue.
Low staff creates a need for more help. Staff picks Rymy and a new age of progress dawns.
The knocking out of the remaining bugs and the sheer size of the work load Rymy is pumping out reminds the rest of the staff that when they arent putting out fires and being harassed by the player base that they got to do some really fun things they enjoyed. Many quietly start coming back.
Population of server begins to slowly grow again. More than just returning players, large chunks of new players are also coming to try the server.
While not as strong as in 2011, population is good and there are enough active t10-13 guilds to cause plenty of dicks to be stepped on.
New content released, unkilled monsters killed.
Old crybabies come back to forums to make stupid fucking posts, their attitude was not missed.