http://www.swtorarena.com/backend/applications_addon/other/statistics/db/population/overall-yearly-big.png I tried really hard to like it but I went back to WoW. I won't even say anything. Here is the authenticated population data. Good luck to those remaining.

How are there only 300,000 concurrent players when I read everywhere that they broke records and have 2,000,000 copies paid or whatever? Please help me understand

Currently, when I look at servers for US on my loading screen, all are light except about 3, one of which is medium and two of which is high. When I look at the EU servers, almost all are medium, with one or two on high. However, when I check the server data weekly, just out of interest, this changes a lot. What does it mean when it says light or medium or whatever? Does this mean total resident characters on a server? Does it mean current people playing? And should it be a distressing sign that every single US server except 2-3 are light only three weeks after launch? Explain smart folks, especially if you just stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.

It is not "low end computers." I have a 7-week old top of the line computer, a solid state drive, 16gb of RAM, a 100MBPS cable modem connection and STILL 25% system utilization, major lag, ability lag and system choppiness, especially on the imperial ship and in PvP. It makes me batty and disappointed, especially because I fronted the money to have my new PC for this game (and, sure, other things, but was excited for SWTOR). As I mentioned in another thread, there must be a load problem. I imagine this is the engine and, while not impossible to fix, it can take a while. Months, not years. This gets down to RAM and CPU utilization, as well as the bits of the system and throughput. It takes a lot more work to split up the processing work throughout an individual's computer. You have to manually decide how many things will be allocated, on the development end of the software. II think BioWare can and will fix it, and I hope they do. This is definitely game architecture. I don't buy any explanation for ANYTHING in-game except that it needs to be fixed on the architecture front. I have run a billion endurance tests to make sure it's not me, as it only happens here or in games I'm playing in beta with known architecture problems. Also, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3254382679_8235a915bf.jpg

I just find it frustrating to have a 7-week old top of the line computer, a solid state drive, 16gb of RAM, a 100MBPS cable modem connection and STILL 25% system utilization, major lag, ability lag and system choppiness, especially on the imperial ship and in PvP. It makes me batty and disappointed, especially because I fronted the money to have my new PC for this game (and, sure, other things, but was excited for SWTOR). As I mentioned in another thread, there must be a load problem. I imagine this is the engine and, while not impossible to fix, it can take a while. Months, not years. This gets down to RAM and CPU utilization, as well as the bits of the system and throughput. It takes a lot more work to split up the processing work throughout an individual's computer. You have to manually decide how many things will be allocated, on the development end of the software. II think BioWare can and will fix it, and I hope they do. This is definitely game architecture. I don't buy any explanation for ANYTHING in-game except that it needs to be fixed on the architecture front. I have run a billion endurance tests to make sure it's not me, as it only happens here or in games I'm playing in beta with known architecture problems.

1. Only because I haven't used it on these forums yet, and I'm dying to, cool story bro 2. It's not because of your computer. It's because you're a communist. But seriously, yes, there must be a load problem. I imagine this is the engine and, while not impossible to fix, it can take a while. Months, not years. This gets down to RAM and CPU utilization, as well as the bits of the system and throughput. It takes a lot more work to split up the processing work throughout an individual's computer. You have to manually decide how many things will be allocated, on the development end of the software. I'm sorry you're having these issues. I am too, as are many. I think BioWare can and will fix it, and I hope they do. This is definitely game architecture. I bought my computer 7 weeks ago and have a 100mbps network connection with a solid state drive and I still have lagging and choppiness as well as the ability delay so I don't buy any explanation for ANYTHING in-game except that it needs to be fixed on the architecture front.

I just read this and it was encouraging (on a PCGamer Redirect to a press release): This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

Your post is really well written and I agree. I guess even if I could get a stable version of WoW with Star Wars skins, that would make me happy for a few years, even at max level because gear stuff doesn't capture my imagination or worries too much. Although I've never been a very high hour player (like 10-15 hours a week), I'll admit having the extra time for the Mrs., reading, movies and cooking has been nice. Maybe it's a mixed blessing. ...but I'd really like a WoW with Star Wars skins so I can keep the dream going a few more years Team Fortress 2 was fun too for a little while, especially as a mindless diversion. This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

Ok, that's fair Relatively brief...as compared to The Dead Sea Scrolls This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

Will do. Thanks for the great suggestion! This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

Very interesting. It is reassuring to know you are probably feeling many of the same things, but perhaps with more perspective on the development history. I will definitely google that! This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

I definitely had a great time while I played it and the community is really super. That was really notable. Still, I don't know, I just couldn't get into it. But it's probably just me. It's definitely a great product and I know many enjoy it. A big part though, also, is people have different graphics preferences. I don't even necessarily need the sharpest graphics or anything, but it always looked very burnt and dark to me in Rift. I know this may sound silly but it wasn't my jam. And, again, all the classes made me a little crazy I'm with you though - good product, no question. This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

I tried Rift for about three months. It's fine and well made but it just didn't appeal. I didn't like the story and the graphics felt very bland and grainy, with everything very "dark". I don't know. I also thought being able to put in "any" talent tree was almost too much choice and overwhelming. Also, the Rifts were initially novel but I just found they got too repetitive and distracting. Perfectly fine game but just didn't do it for me, but I appreciate the thought. Also, I love the Star Wars IP. I loved Lord of the Rings IP too, but that just didn't get there either and was drastically unfunded. I welcome other suggestions. I've tried almost every MMO to try to hit the bullseye (free and paid). This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

I will keep this brief. I have had my dark moments of wondering whether SWTOR would make it, whether it's too front-loaded with single-player quests and whether the end-game and/or many game bugs will get there. I remain patient and hopeful and try to keep believing it will happen. In the interim, I couldn't take it anymore after my PvP-queue kicked me out to the loading screen for the eighth time so I decided to try going back to WoW for the last week of my subscription (I cancelled there). I just couldn't do it. I COULDN'T do it. I saw myself in Stormwind again, the same setting, the same gear, the same city-sitting for queues to do the end game grind. Ugh. I tried, for literally an hour, to get myself psyched up again but after seven years I just couldn't. I finally decided to just uninstall WoW. I thought, what else can I do. Sure, there is LoL, there are shorter-form games that don't require the same grind investment. There's Civ5. There's my Shogun 2 and my Tropico, not to mention Sins of a Solar Empire. I don't know. Maybe I'm just older (Let's just say around the 30 mark for age). When I started my FIRST MMORPG, EQ, goodness, I was in high school. I just feel like times have changed for MMORPGs. So many games pull on people's attention and there are so many options and I think the Wizard of Oz curtain has been pulled on people's eyes in terms of end game content and the endless city-sitting. I really had big hopes for SWTOR. I still do. I feel excited in a way I haven't in years, although I know clearly many things about this game are NOT revolutionary, although for a mass-market MMORPG, these are slow-moving behemoths in which innovation is tricky. I feel something exciting around the IP, some game concepts that can and do gel together. But there is a long way to go. I just feel like the death knell of SWTOR would feel like the end of an era for the expansive, rich "mass-market" MMORPG for me. Sure, there will be stuff like GW2, LoL, pseudo MMOs...FTP arena games with paid components. It feels like the direction of things. I guess I feel personally invested in this because the direction of the market and the attention span of kids for games is also changing. Market surveys indicate that the biggest growth (and it is getting bigger for young kids) is the easy to play, "fast" games and consoles. I just feel like SWTOR is "A New Hope" and maybe the last (for me) and that if server condensing or FTP happens, I will smile, move on from the MMORPG as my leisure time and just try something else. Heck, when I first played EQ, or when I first played WoW, everything felt pretty fresh and exciting. Now, I feel like most MMORPG players have become like hogs being led to the trough (myself included). "Where is my content?" "Where is my endgame?" "Where's my loot and my rendering?" I think the magic is gone and the fox is in the henhouse. All that is left is expectations and game development firms not willing to put up the money or risk to meet them. Sadly, I feel like this is the last hoorah and I hope Bioware keeps it going as long as possible, making it a happy and extended one. This thread has been closed for being a threat to SWTOR, Bioware and maybe even America and for being exceedingly silly, including adult themes and partial nudity

I did some investigation into ability delay as a primary game issue. The thread was closed but please feel free to read it if interested. http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=169153&page=2