Class population breakdowns

[Dakel]

I saw these great class population diagrams here

http://wiki.project1999.com/Project1999:About

Just wondering if there were any more up to date ones? I don't know why, I just find them fascinating.

Some random thoughts looking at these...

I wonder if some of the unpopular classes are that way because they're broken, or just very difficult?

Rangers for example. Even in lower level classes, very unpopular despite being an interesting class overall.

Evil vs good. SK's are unpopular, but necros are hugely popular. Ok, so that's because Necro's are like solo chars on crack. Still, SK's are unpopular despite being really great tanks.

Bards. Seriously a confusing one for me! They can solo, and bring a lot of value to groups. Very cool. I also find it interesting that right from the start of EQ, it was said that Bards can solo or be part of a group. Yet, to me, their solo ability seems more like an accident of game mechanics. Did the original dev team really want Bards to be able to kite? Or did they anticipate they would solo in some other way? Either way, why aren't bards more popular? Is it just because they all get carpal tunnel?

To a lesser extent, the Ranger class is the same. I know they're difficult because well, sadly, they tend to die. So much agro and so few ways to mitigate it. Soloing is possible though, and a good ranger is good at DPS for sure. I've known some really great rangers that can solo very efficiently.

Maybe it's just that those classes eke out the margins. The core of the game is designed for group play, so those classes tend to rule the day. Warriors, monks, rogues, enchanters, clerics, shamans. All solid group classes and tend to be popular.

Solo artists tend to go with the most efficient. Necros and Druids. Ok, just a thought on druids...my first char long ago was a druid. I had no idea they were overpowered, or easier to play than other classes. For me, when I realized that and saw it. I no longer wanted to play that class. So many powerful spells! I guess they were the good solo artists to offset the evil necro ones? Would just love to know what the game designers had in mind at the start, and then how things evolved. Did it turn out the way they wanted?

So, does that mean that rangers are just second rate at everything? Easier to solo with a necro, easier to group as a monk or rogue for dps?

So, popularity is maybe a result of...

Group friendly classes overall do better. All of them, even the less popular. Solo artists do less well, and tend to gravitate toward the most efficient options. I think that would explain all except the poor little bards...

Ok, so that's more than a few random thoughts but there it is.