While Eve is different in that the nature of that game simply works for a one server solution, I think instancing up things will work. It just helps everyone. BW probably can't merge servers because EA doesn't want bad PR, and many people like me who actually LIKE the game have unsubbed (on my free month at the moment) because our servers are dead. By doing this, they can avoid the bad PR by spinning it as something different, and people will always have a place to play where there are tons of players, so long as this game doesn't drop below 5,000 subscribers :-P

Didn't you read my original post? By INSTANCING! The same system that already exists but wasn't used beyond the first couple weeks for individual servers. Note that this would not mean that everyone would be on one actual server blade, there would still be many, but people freely moving between them. So if everyone goes to tatooine, there would be dozens of instances of it on the list with say 50-100 people per instance. If you are on one and a friend on another, click his, go through the load screen, and you are now in his. Or maybe it could be automatic when you are invited into his party. I don't know.

Ya but the point of this idea is to have instances, so ti wouldnt be a fleet where you couldn't move- it would be a fleet just like what a moderate level fleet population would be, but then many instances of such populations. So if you are on instance 7 and your friend invites you, maybe you'd go to instance 13 which also has 75-100 players on it. The only issue I could conceive of is with the chat, it would simply move too fast if it were unified. But if every instance had its own chat, you could then move to other instances if no one was biting on the one you were on for what you happened to be looking for.

Essentially, even fleet would use this. If you got invited to a friends party, you would join their instance of fleet. I could see how general chat would be too much, but this could be worked around too with good enough tools. Come on BW, we don't want to see this game die because EA is scared of bad PR!

Think about it, it would solve the population issue and avoid the bad PR of server mergers. They aren't merging servers, they are "utilizing an exciting new technology". The tech is already there. Remember long ago back in December when you could switch the instance of a particular zone to join your friends on another? Given that my server is now close to dead, I haven't needed to use that tool since probably January, but wouldn't it work? If not one, then maybe 4-5 mega servers.

http://www.mmofringe.com/forum/17-Star-Wars-The-Old-Republic/26734-SWTOR-Not-one-of-EAs-Top-Priorities?limit=10&start=20 Like I said above, EA is in cut their losses mode. They are not a patient company, and may even be the reason BW refuses to merge servers. In their eagerness to avoid a day of bad PR that would come from mergers, they will have a game with more servers than players.

Well ya, but what isn't speculation is that BW did say they wouldn't be doing the typical layoffs. EA's bottom line said otherwise.

But you should care, because if Bioware doesn't address at least the relevant concerns instead of shutting down their threads, this game will be a free to play by winter. Which may be fine for you, but, just don't expect too much new content when that happens. Even for you, what happens when you are done with the quests and stories? You will leave. MMOs need endgame.

That is true in most cases, but in this case it was not "supposed" to happen, according to BW themselves earlier on. Check this out: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/mmorpg/swtor-layoffs/

Why are they so efficient at shutting down threads within friggin MINUTES, but server merges/transfers? Eh later this summer. Who cares if my previously populous server is down to 10-15 people at prime time, less than a match of Call of Duty in the central player hub of an MMO. And for the guy who said "EA has a plan", when have you ever known EA to stick with products? They shut down servers on old games quicker than anyone in the business, and they don't apparently consider SWTOR, their $300 million dollar game, as "in their top five priorities". EA is not in save SWTOR mode, they are in "cut our losses" mode, as illustrated by today's layoffs.

Just had a topic I posted about the game closed within a couple minutes of posting it. IN the middle of the night. They can't get an LFD tool out or merge servers, but they can pay people to police the forums around the clock. Anyway, here is what I said: I came back to these forums for the first time in weeks, only to discover they have descended into complete negativity. Half the topics on the front page are people demanding server merges or transfers or LFD. All reasonable, and all that should have been done not just soon, but yesterday. And another thing I noticed troubled me, that some posters spoke about "Why" SWTOR has failed, as opposed to "if" it will fail. The game to them is not dying, but already dead. I want to argue, but a look at my server population makes the launch day queues seem like they happened, well, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I made many friends while leveling. I loved leveling. The story was amazing on my warrior, and the instances were great fun. But I logged in, the last time a few weeks ago, only to see that of more than 30 people on my friends list, none were online. I played for a few hours that day on an alt, and non logged in. Coincidence? Maybe. What is not is that I asked a Guildie what has become of our guild, which a month after launch typically had 30-40 players online at any one time. Now? If at any given time you see 2-3 people on, it must be prime time. It is simply depressing. I don't like walking around an empty fleet. I do not enjoy seeing a game I anticipated fall apart in slow motion. Bioware must do something, ANYTHING, to save this ship before it sinks. It is time for BW to drop the conventional wisdom BS and start doing the hard fixes. Yes, investors get all panicky when they hear about server merges. But wanna know what kills your game faster than spooked investors? Having more servers than players. This also goes to having a LFG tool for instances. I'm sorry, but "DPS LFG for any HM" spamming for half an hour is not fun and it certainly does not build community. This game has many other flaws. But if people logged in to a populated server and knew they could find groups easily, they'd be willing to wait while the rest of the game was brought up to par. At least, I know I would. As it stands, I have some time left on my account. I will not be renewing until merges or a robust LFG tool is implemented. And even then, I have done what I didn't think I'd do and begun playing WoW again. If Pandas revitalize that game for me, who knows if I will want to ignite a lightsaber again. Tick tock Bioware.

I came back to these forums for the first time in weeks, only to discover they have descended into complete negativity. Half the topics on the front page are people demanding server merges or transfers or LFD. All reasonable, and all that should have been done not just soon, but yesterday. And another thing I noticed troubled me, that some posters spoke about "Why" SWTOR has failed, as opposed to "if" it will fail. The game to them is not dying, but already dead. I want to argue, but a look at my server population makes the launch day queues seem like they happened, well, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I made many friends while leveling. I loved leveling. The story was amazing on my warrior, and the instances were great fun. But I logged in, the last time a few weeks ago, only to see that of more than 30 people on my friends list, none were online. I played for a few hours that day on an alt, and non logged in. Coincidence? Maybe. What is not is that I asked a Guildie what has become of our guild, which a month after launch typically had 30-40 players online at any one time. Now? If at any given time you see 2-3 people on, it must be prime time. It is simply depressing. I don't like walking around an empty fleet. I do not enjoy seeing a game I anticipated fall apart in slow motion. Bioware must do something, ANYTHING, to save this ship before it sinks. It is time for BW to drop the conventional wisdom BS and start doing the hard fixes. Yes, investors get all panicky when they hear about server merges. But wanna know what kills your game faster than spooked investors? Having more servers than players. This also goes to having a LFG tool for instances. I'm sorry, but "DPS LFG for any HM" spamming for half an hour is not fun and it certainly does not build community. This game has many other flaws. But if people logged in to a populated server and knew they could find groups easily, they'd be willing to wait while the rest of the game was brought up to par. At least, I know I would. As it stands, I have some time left on my account. I will not be renewing until merges or a robust LFG tool is implemented. And even then, I have done what I didn't think I'd do and begun playing WoW again. If Pandas revitalize that game for me, who knows if I will want to ignite a lightsaber again. Tick tock Bioware.

Queues are annoying, but when you do load in after 20 minutes or whatever, you enter a packed server. That is a good feeling. What isn't is spamming to find a group of four for half an hour. I was about to ask the NPCs to join.

That works too. As long as we end up with less servers than now.

Right?! LoL. What I don't get is the people saying "chill out it is coming, God be patient!" THOSE people are the ones who aren't helping. Those of us pushing for quicker merges or at least transfers are the ones with the games best interest in mind. Nothing makes people want to leave like an empty server. Even an end-game which is average (just my opinion, not trying to flame, and I love other aspects of this game) can be weathered if you see lots of people around to do stuff with. But this game on a low-pop server is just an RPG. Which is fine, but, won't keep people for more than a couple months. Maybe they buy an expansion too, play the story, and leave again. But ya, Bioware better hurry up. I won't pretend to know how difficult or easy it is to make server merges happen, but it doesn't matter. GW2 is out soon. A wow xpac is out soon. Tick tock bioware.