Why are so few people at Jade Quarry and Fort Aspenwood?

Why are so few people at Jade Quarry and Fort Aspenwood? 10 Market districts, yet barely enough people to fill one aspen district?

People don't know they are there? They missed the quest?
Too hard to get there?
People got there but didn't come back?

I find Fort Aspenwood and Jade Quarry to be pretty fun, but they are practically empty! Someone come play with me!!!

Most of the people I know don't play them because teaming with random people sucks (our opinion, not neccessarily yours). The only times we go back are when we all sit together and time our entries hoping to play with at least one or two guys we know (which is only possible because so few people care to play these maps in the first place).

It's not about winning or losing. Random groups simply are no fun.

or maybe because a majority of the playerbase is not into pvp. And this coupled with the case that the 'pvp elites' don't like random because it doesn't make them feel so elite. Or because of the multitiude of different pvp options which makes the amount of people playing pvp in these areas dwindle in turn resulting in less groups in each pvp area.

yeah...anet tried to force pvp on folks...and give them a taste...but random groups that have no clue what they are doing...sucks...it really does...I love pvp..have a good rank prior to iway times...and i really dont like the way these new missions are done...good missions...just the execution is off...imo

Random groups + "no opposing party" + ridiculously low faction reward compared to alliance battles = not much interest.

There are many distinguishing factors, heres a few:

1/ Alot of players accessing this preview event are using existing accounts that have ONE or NONE free slots, and most of those players are playing and experiencing the new PVP side of things, hence creating a PVP character and using that and new skills and testing them in the new alliance battles by using the NPC's at the Guild Halls to warp there.

2/ Most players prefer not to explore the PVE environment as they will have to re-do the quests and missions, may spoil some of the game by revealing too much, esp what the armour crafts and weapons are, as well as common associated crafting materials etc.

3/ Most players in PVE may not have reached the outposts yet, Fort is difficult to get to from the Kurzick side and a fairly long process on the Luxon Side, where as Alliance battles are easy- talk to npc in a core city to get access

4/ PUG's can still enter alliance battles which i feel should not be the case, Anet/NCsoft should enfoce team creations in alliance battles, allowing one person to enter defeats the point of creating a team, and just encourages leavers, how would you feel if you waited 20mins or so and created a balanced team and are sided with 8 PUG's of which are all assassins and warriors? see screenshot for proof.

--------
EDIT:
External Hosting.

And you base this on what exactly? I've seen a lot of this "carebears are the vast majority" ideology (and most of you do say it with near religeous fervor), I just havn't seen anything concrete to back it up.

The real truth is that Anet forced US to PvE when we never wanted to, and a pretty large percentage of PvP players went away as a result.

They've made a few halfassed attempts to nudge you carebears into a tiny bit of PvP, and you throw a tantrum every time.

As for your reasoning behind the boycott of random arena's, come off it. If those so called 'pvp elites' were serious about avoiding anything that made them feel less 'elite', they'd be more worried about running scared from the top 30 or so guilds than they would ever be concerned about some random group of morons in which the monk runs off to tank cause "I do good damage", followed by his inevitable leaving once he finds out that even crap random PvP is a great deal harder than carebear land.

I wouldn't say the vast majority of players is PvE, I would say the vast majority of players are not very skilled. Since PvE is vastly easier, and requires nearly no skill at all, it stands to reason that all those no skill types would gravitate toward it. They are after all the same sorts who have made spirit spamming, IWAY, and the like so popular in the non-elite forms of PvP.

The near total lack of skills among the carebear faction is something you really can't argue with, although I feel certain you will. If Anet really wanted to do us "pvp elites" a favor, they'd go the next step and force you to PvP against us, all you "PvE elites" on one side, PvP types on the other. They'd make you do it to unlock the next mission, and you'd never get there.

I think I know where this is going: Straight ahead from Question, turn left at Different Ideas, do a U-turn at Angry Person and then crash in the middle of the Flame Avenue and Fire Street intersection.

I'm not an authority here but could we PLEASE try and keep this at a more friendly level? I don't think we need another "PvP vs. PvE"-fight thread.

Now, on-topic, in my case it's because it hard to find good PUGs, even if you're just trying to GET to the Fort. I think many people simply prefere to find alot of new stuff fast, rather than spend time trying out one thing. But I'm sure that once Factions is released, we'll see alot more people in those places.

PvE'ers vs. PvP'ers? There's nothing to discuss, it's two different ways of playing. PvP'ers usually rock, but what do they rock at? PvP, mostly. Some rock at PvE too, that's just cool. PvE'ers sometimes rock, but again, they rock at what they do best; PvE.

I think it's too different to start a fight over "who's best" and "what requires less skill". Both styles require an equal amount of skill, they just require different skill.

And don't go "PvE is so ridiculously easy", because there ARE places where you do NOT want to go with anything else than 8 skilled players. The Petrified Forest comes to mind. If you think PvE's easy, go there alone and get yourself a challenge. There's not reason to fight over something like that.

Yep. I don't know where this PVP vs PVE thing came from, but thats not what I asked about. I didn't ask for flames, I just want to know why more people aren't in Fort Aspenwood and Jade Quarry. If you don't have a theory, don't bother replying

jade quarry is really fun imo, but the reward for 7-10min a fight is simply too low...
u should get a reward for every killed enemy, too(like u get balthasars in ch1)

Where do you get off calling us carebears?

Jade Quarry + Fort Aspenwood = 8 man random arena.

I myself dislike zoning into a mission with my friends, only to find out we might not team up together when we get there.

It friggin sucks.

The Alliance battles are way way way way way more fun.

I cant even leave from aspenwood, and go out exploring from there. Id have to zone back.

Its ridiculous. Im glad its only a preview, because they better let us party up when the full version comes out, or else those missions will ALWAYS be empty.

Jade Quarry + Fort Aspenwood =RA style PvE Mission. Seriously. Every time i've played that mission, the team that ignores the other team for mission objectives and NPCs wins. Wasting your time trying to kill something that can fight you solo or was build to tank for 3 minutes while the rest of its team wears you down 4v4 is wasted energy.

Anet was not fooling when they said these missions will be more rewarding to players who stick to mission objectives and don't worry about the random PvPer that calls in ALL Chat "Want to 1v1???!1?"

If you stick to the PvE side of the mission, you will win it. If you focus on the PvP possibilities you will lose. 9 times in 10 its that simple.

As to the Random aspect of it? Who can honestly say that their PUGs are a sure thing? having the perfect build has been proven, time and again, to be a side factor when coupled with BRAINS in this game. Both together is a nasty combo, missing the later is a sure road to doom.

For me, the reason those are empty and won't find me wandering inside, is because they are PvP games. I am one of those "carebears" that can't stand the rushed feel of PvP type games. Years ago, I loved them, but I grew away from that playstyle.

I did try Jade twice, took an hour for two attempts. Each group was full of screamers and "jerks" so all I got was a worse taste in my mouth for PvP. I'm sure not all PvPers are like that, but all you have to do is see "noob" and "carebear" a few times and see Anet's attempt at getting the two playstyles closer has and will fail.

I have a feeling that this and the other suggestions posted here are why these areas are pretty empty.

Actually, if you reverse these two sentences and consider the thread subject, it can be logically assumed that there are more PvE, or "carebears", than there are PvP players. Neither play type should be forced on either if truth be told. The playstyles are too different. Anet figured this out and, from what I have learned, stopped the forced PvE. Factions, however, seems to attempt the reverse, force PvP.

Why would Anet want to lose so many customers when, as simply looking around these forums, so many PvEers are already reconsidering purchasing Factions. You said it already, PvPers left when forced into PvE. The reverse will also be true.

Being in a preview and knowing that Anet listens to it's players, I imagine, most people here are posting and hoping Anet will resolve some of these issues and make the game better for us all.

To Minus Sign; I wish I had been on your team to test it out.

This sucks. Can't they just put you against a team of hench if it can't find human opponents after 3 tries or something.