Your experience is an echo of a great many people that have posted their desire for a working LFG tool. Unfortunately it appears BW isn't really reading the posts from people like yourself. It would seem they've decided to only really read posts from a very small sub-set of mmo gamers regarding this issue, and other issues for that matter.

Sorry, but I'm 46 years old, have a full time job, am a father of 5, and a 12+ year player of mmos. So sorry, no "basementdweller here, or wowkiddie either. I obviously don't need to have everything I want in a mmo to subscribe to it, since I re-upped my subscription to SWTOR. I will advocate a feature that I don't particularly like if I feel it will help a game retain subscriptions. Addons is a good example of that. I don't really like them, and I've been doing ok so far as a healer without them (mind you still haven't done any operations), but I understand that they have become a standard in modern mmos, and now most mmo gamers expect a mmo to either have UI options out the yin yang, or to have Addons allowed. Being a Father, I also understand that closing your eyes tight and plugging your ears, and yelling at everyone trying to talk sense to you doesn't work, soo my advice to you? Take a chill pill there random "insult everyone that doesn't agree with me" person.

Maybe if some people around here got over a childish hatred of some other game, we could get a louder voice telling BW what needs to be done to get players back, and attract new ones?

I actually quite like the game aside from some major frustrations with lack of modern features. I'm just being realistic and acknowledging that the game was released lacking many features that mmo gamers now want to see in the mmos they play, and thus most have left. Simple as that. I do not play WoW, or any other game.

Yes, because producers never completely lie to gaming press to keep a positive spin going... and for the other part you're right, their report to investors will say a lot. It will say a lot of gobbledygook worded to hide the actual numbers. Never followed a mmo through release in the last few years I take it? Hey, by the way, I have a cherry car just right for you. That smoke coming out of the exhaust is just because of the high performance engine. Honest. C'mon, stop on by.

60% to 80% of the people that bought the game at or around release.

You're completely ignoring THE most asked for feature, by a huge huge margin, makes this thread a joke.

Anybody that believes anything other than the population tumbled dramatically after the first free month needs to come stop by my place. I have a few "really good clean cars" out back I need to sell.

It's not an opinion. It is a fact. A fact that can be substatiated simply be logging into any random server in WoW and seeing that there are still vibrant communities thriving on them. Or log into RIFT and see the very same thing. Or log into DCUO and see the very same thing. The posts from the WoW forums from players that had previously thought their server was dead or dying, and thanking Blizz, have been linked numerous times back in the various iterations of this thread. This is the fourth or fifth iteration of this very same thread. Not to mention the countless threads that have been closed because this thread existed already. There have already been quotes from Blizz devs, Rift devs, and others showing clearly that vast amounts more started finally to be able to see the content they wanted to see, but also Blizz devs citing the increased open world traffic as being a big reason why they updated their quest lines in most zones. That is simply untrue though. Just because people sy it doesn't make it fact. The fact is all you have to do is log into any server in WoW and go out in the game world, and if you played the game before the cross-server LFD tool you will definitely notice how there's many more people out questing than there used to be. Oh, I'm not saying their argument is bad. I'm saying it's completely wrong, with absolutely no history of it being right. No they did not. Cata raids and dungeons were the most difficult yet, and stayed at the exact same difficulty level until just before Firelands was implemented. Which is completely in line with what Blizz has always done. They have always held off "nerfing" until just before any expansion of content to give everyone the chance to gear up for the new stuff coming.

The thing is, no one is able to substantiate why it would make the game bad for them. It's all "I believe ....", and "I think ...", and "This one time? In this one game?....", etc etc. Whereas the people for a cross-server LFD tool have shown over and over clear evidence that 1. No communities in any game with a cross server LFD tool have been destroyed. 2. That cross server LFD tools have saved on the brink of oblivion servers in some games, and entire on the brink of oblivion games. 3. That after cross-server LFD tools were implemented in different games it allowed players to actually experience the game world more, as opposed to spending inordinate amounts of time in one spot spamming chat channels with a LFG message. 4. That not only does it benefit a server community because players are out in the game world more, and thus available to socialize more, it also benefits the entire game's community by bringing players from all the servers closer together and interacting more. Game issues and the like can actually be discussed by players, in game, from different perspectives. 5. That the belief that there is some kind of greater accountability with a server only system is a complete myth. There is no accountability beyond getting put on ignore that works. It never has, and it never will. Blacklists and the like are far far too easily abused, and Bioware encouraging that kind of activity makes them open to being liable for complicity in harassment allegations. 6. That adding a cross server LFD tool does not preclude making content easier. In truth, it actually precludes content becoming more challenging because it allows for players to experience group content much more frequently (practice practice practice). Making those players better. A larger pool of better players allows designers to flex their design muscles more. 7. That those that wouldn't want to use a cross-server LFD tool shouldn't have to use it. There should be a server only option available. I could go on if need be.

I bet your the type that calls standing in fleet for hours spamming a LFG message "work" right?

Unfortunately, it appears Bioware would. This is 2012. This isn't 10 years ago land. The genre has evolved in the direction of easy access to group oriented content. That is what the players of the games in the genre have shown, overwhelmingly, that they want. This was extremely clear while SWTOR was in development. This was even clearer when people that hadn't been following the development of SWTOR in minute detail started arriving shortly before launch. Despite this, there wasn't even a decent server only LFG tool in place, never mind what players really want. All we've seen from BW since is what appears to be a half hearted announcement of a server only tool, but not even a rough estimation of when that insufficient step would be taken. So here we sit waiting for the implementation of what anyone that understands anything about modern mmos knows will not be enough. Then we have to wait until BW finds out for themselves what various other gaming companies have already found out for them. A server only tool is not sufficient. This because, evidently, instead of listening to mmo gamers, Bioware decided to listen to the tiny fraction of their potential subscription base that for the most part doesn't even partake in the content a cross server LFD tool is for. They don't game in a mmo. They merely exist in one. To them it's a mmorp, not mmorpG.

It did exactly the opposite. It finally allowed players to access the instanced content without having to stand around in the cities spamming chat for a group. It finally sent them out into the game world. It sent so many out finally that it's a big reason WoW was forced to revamp their quests in most zones due to more people redoing quests they hadn't seen in a long time. Furthermore, few people "grind" instances in WoW. At least, no one that knows even a bit of what they're doing does anyway. It's an inefficient way to level. The xp gained through open world questing makes for much faster leveling. So if it was faster to level just doing instances in SWTOR, then that would just be poor game design. Funny that you say "killing" intimating that a cross server LFG tool would kill SWTOR. It actually decreased the sub cancellations in WoW when it was introduced, and saved a large number of servers from fading into oblivion. It saved RIFT from hemorrhaging players. So why are using the word "killing" again?

The issue is time though. Do not believe what the spin doctors of BW might be saying. This game's population has already plummeted. Anyone logging into any server knows that. THE biggest thing that has driven players away has been the frustrations caused by having to spend inordinate amounts of time forming groups to do what is for the majority the most fun content in any mmo. More people than bugs, sharding, ques, and all the other issues put together. People with vast experience in playing mmos (as opposed to people apparently with just vast experience theorizing about mmos) know, without any doubts, that a server only system will be just as bad as not having any system at all. It's been that way in every game that's tried the server only first, and there is nothing about SWTOR that would cause that to be any different. The pools of players on most individual servers will just not be big enough. So that's wasting time getting to what is eventually going to be needed anyway. Time where another large chunk of SWTOR's already diminished subscription base finally have enough of the frustration and to go back to games where they can easily group up and do the most fun content.

After 12+ years playing mmos, with sooo many characters on soooo many different servers, I personally have found that the chances of finding good people to group with are much much greater with a cross-server lfg system. Then again, the other thing I've found over that time? The people that are the most concerned with "punishing" other players, and the "social conditioning" of other players, etc etc? Ya, in the end THEY are the ones you really want to avoid grouping with.

Adding an ignore to the cross-server eliminates the chance of you grouping with that person altogether. Not to mention that with no cross server tool every time you put a player on ignore you decrease the player pool on your server. Furthermore, these types very rarely play solitaire. You can bet that they have friends, and it is a two way street. Pretty soon it's you that's not getting the invite because the jerk is with a buddy or two and recognizes your name. The other element that gets washed over by the 'anti cross-server" bunch is that if jerks, ninjas, etc etc are ever going to "learn their lessons" (which they will rarely do anyway), they'll do so much faster with a cross-server tool. It's pretty easy for that type to rationalize out that they're "just on a server full of holier than thous" or some such, but when they're repeatedly getting kicked out of groups from all servers, the message tends to sink in.

Except for the UI, and possibly improving the crafting system, your list are things that are pretty much inconsequential in so far as how the game can be improved for the average player. The average player simply doesn't care enough about the rest. What needs to come first are additions and fixes of things that have driven, and are driving, the average player away. 1. A cross server LFG tool has to be a top priority. 2. Stopping people in Heroics and FPs from being able to roll need on blue or higher gear that their player character can't use has to be a top priority. 3. Improving the ease of use of the Global Trade Network has to be a top priority. 4. Remove pointless running around blatant timesinks.

There are no "consequences". The only "consequence" that has any effect is a group vote kick system. There is no server policing itself. There is no social pressure. There is none of the manure about there being a deterrent to jerks out there beyond a group vote kick system. The rest is all fantasy from people's heads. It's all theory that people think should prove sound in practice, but simply doesn't work, and never has in any game. Just because someone is from your sever doesn't mean they won't be jerks, or rude, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about them being so beyond putting hem on ignore. This isn't about low pop servers either. I'm on what has to be one of the highest pop servers, and people are having just as hard a a time finding groups.

You're obviously talking theory in your mind. I just spent a year playing WoW and my dps character rarely had to spend more than 10 minutes waiting in que, with the added advantage of being able to go out into the game world while I waited. Runs generally went smoothly and were done in around 30 to 40 minutes. If a player dropped or was kicked most often the replacement was almost instant. Please don't try to BS people that actually play mmos (as opposed to those that just take up space in them), and use the modern tools available. Thanks.

Just what makes you think that people haven't been using it, or don't know how to use it? That no one uses it? No one uses it because it's a very poor design, and not what people want. Players want a cross -server LFG tool. They're saying it here, and there's absolutely no way that BW doesn't know that they're screaming it in game. Over and over. Players are extremely frustrated about how hard it is to get groups together. Many have given up trying altogether. If BW doesn't know that, then they definitely don't have people in-game monitoring general chat at fleet on enough servers.

"sigh" Again.... People are aware...... rinse and repeat my previous post. Why would people want to contribute to making a poorly designed system that they don't want work? Put in a system that people already unquestioningly know works, and works fantastically. A cross-server LFG/LFD tool. It's human nature to look at people trying to re-invent the wheel when the wheel that has already been created elsewhere works perfectly, and turn their backs.

If by profitable you mean just there because either the companies that made them are still desperately trying to recoup their development costs, keeping them alive shopping them around to Asian companies to turn into free to play games, or already bought by asian companies and now free to play, then ummm, ya..... oooook then.

It's not that people don't know it's there, or don't know how to use it. It's that people know without a shadow of doubt in their minds that a cross-server LFD tool works far far better, and thus they don't want to use a tool that's poorly designed and utterly useless in the end due to there just not being big enough pools of players on most servers. In other words, they don't want to contribute to stupidity.

A brief and concise history of the "Anti Cross-Server LFD Tool" movement. Blizz introduced the Cross-Server LFD tool. It was very well received. Not too long after it was released a couple of players from Moon Guard (a notorious RP server in WoW) server made posts on the main WoW forums about getting kicked from groups when players saw the name of their server. Role players were aghast, and took it as a personal affront, and also, like all whack jobs, blew the situation way way out of proportion and started believing that it could happen to them as well. Could quickly became did as many began to lie to prop up their negative rhetoric. More and more RPers gathered with their torches and pitchforks! "Down with the cross-server LFD tool!" was the cry! The word spread around various RP communities on different gaming sites, and more torches and pitchforks were added to the mob. No one cared much about the possibility of a few RPers getting kicked from groups, so they had to find new "reasons" why Cross-Server LFD tools were the big baddie. So then we started reading the complete horsepucky about "ruined community" and "decreased socializing", and "server self-policing" (that has never ever worked btw) etc etc. Bioware, to be frank, if you sunk the amount of money you did into this game, and didn't research mmos enough to know this story already, then .... you know.. really I don't know what to say about that. You're letting a small sub-set lead you where your competition wants you. Exactly where it wants you. Gimped.

Years of DAoC showed this to be a fact. no *** needed, thank you very much. Besides, it's inevitable that they will need to make cross-server LFD que tools and PvP Warzone que tools. It's stupidity not to have them already. It's going backward in mmo evolution, which is plain D - U - M kinda dumb.