Due to rumours that I have heard about the 'game engine' that Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR) uses I am uncertain as to whether this is actually possible. Perhaps a member of the development team could clarify if it is not. This has the potential to be a very long post as it is something that I have been working on for a while. If this thread gets enough attention I will elaborate on the theory. As player versus player (PVP) gamers know regarding SWTOR, open world pvp has been somewhat abscent for some time. This is largely due to the fact that anyone can select what "instance" they wish to be a part of (PVE or PVP) on the minimap. Open world cannot be forced upon anyone as the PVP servers do not exist anymore. Thus some form of motivation is required for open world pvp to begin. As people have seen with group ranked, a large enough "carrot" can get people to do things they would not normally do. Group ranked pvp has been vastly reinvigorated due to the rewards that one is given for completing the daily or the weekly mission. Thus I propose that if a large enough incentive is given to do open world pvp it can be brought back into the fold. It also has the potential to be incorporated into the current conquest system. Thus I propose that an objective of sorts be given to open world pvp to get people back into it. This would give SWTOR another dimension that could attract old and new hands ultimately expanding the current player base. As a very basic example a clickable node/object/ NPC could be added to an open world phase of the game (certain planets could be utilized) that could be interacted with by players from both factions. Such an object could be guarded by a number of elite tier NPCs (a champion boss or two perhaps) that guard said object. One takes a group of players, fights through the NPCs and claims their reward. The Catch is other players can form their own raid group and stop you. If they succeed in averting your assault THEY gain rewards. Thus you have PVE and PVP merging in a potentially awesome (or terrible) scenario bringing back open world pvp. Opinions?

Firstly, multiple instances can trick people into thinking that the population is smaller than it really is. For a true see the website under 'server status.' Secondly the fleet number is not a true indicator of the population or how healthy the game is. Due to the Galactic Stronghold update people are now spread across multiple planets decorating strongholds and what not. The people who are standing on fleet are almost the minority of the population as most will be doing either story, pvp, or group content on other planets. Nothing actually happens on the spacedock/ space station. The people who are DOING things are elsewhere. The fleet is usually made up of people who are looking for groups to start content.

When I was getting 10-15FPS like you I had to upgrade my system. Probably not what you want to hear but... Alternatively you could try going for 16GB of RAM perhaps? All I know is that I nuked my original system using SWTOR as it was not designed for the game. Also perhaps the graphics drivers might need updating?

Hardly anyone is asking for APAC servers to come back. People are mostly fired up about Satele Shan being East Coast. Harbinger (as it was formerly known)-now Satele Shan, WAS the most populated server in the game before the United Forces update. Everyone knows this. The population was the highest for the longest amount of time. This could be seen on the server status indicator on the website. Why? Because it serviced the largest population of SWTOR players. The old Harbinger server catered to BOTH West Cost American players and ALL of the Asia-Pacific players. Now, the latter have been shunted out, and Star Forge is larger as a consequence. There were two data centres in the US for 6 years. Then they remove the one which serviced the most people merely to save a few dollars.

Wow this comment is hysterical. People are still willing to defend this obviously wrong decision by Bioware and Electronic Arts. I am in awe.

Well, I have waited more than two months for this issue of lag to be resolved and it is clearly not happening. After spending weeks trying to struggle, and claw my way through group ranked pvp (and regular warzones) I am spent. Bioware has essentially ignored my pleas for help regarding the problem that THEY caused. Apparently becasue I live in the South Pacific I don't exist and am not worth their time. I just want them (and everyone else) to know before I drop off the radar that they casued this. I wanted to stay playing SWTOR. This game was good and I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of it. However paying for 300+ms lag is just not going to happen. I apologise to my guild mates and friends that have helped me over the years. I hope SWTOR remains both viable and enjoyable for you guys at least. Also want to thank the few Imperial pvpers who gave us a good challenge over the years, many of you have been great. That's it for me.

I can totally relate to this man's frustration. I have played this game for a long time (2013-2018) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like many others I was drawn in my the story content (which was awesome) and stayed for the player versus player (PVP) and interactive content. PVP is what kept me in this game for so long. The unpredictability and the competitive nature of it was thrilling. Now however I have been pushed out, sidelined, and cast aside because I don't live in the US. The original poster is right; one cannot hope to win against an adversary when their ms is 10 while your own is 300 and above. The fact that so many people are in this thread DEFENDING what EA and Bio-ware have done is infuriating. You would not be defending them If you were the ones suffering. I defended and championed this game for so long telling my friends that it was great and they should try it. What am I supposed to tell them now? That they will pay for poor service and zero customer support? Since the recent server merge the lag has been abysmal. I'm not going to go into that in detail as there are many other threads that have already done so. I have waited more than two months for the miraculous "fix" that was promised and recieved nothing. Pleas for help were brushed aside and ignored. So that is it. I am out. I am leaving not because I wanted to go, but because I was cast out.

Agreed. Satele Shan should be west coast.

West Coast server needs to return. It is not that much to ask. Making Satele Shan a West Coast server is a trifle compared to the number of servers that were present at launch. Yes, I am aware the player base is not as large as it was at launch. This is to be expected with any title. However there were two data centres in North America for a LONG time. To simply give it the axe now does not make sense. The old Harbinger server was servicing more players than many care to admit. The fact that it was at STANDARD population for a longer period than ANY other server is proof of this. So please, put it back.

I think the only way forward is for the West Coast data centre to be brought back so that we can have moderate ping again. It's not as good as having an APAC server PING wise but it certainly is better than being on the east coast servers as we are right now. As others have stated in this thread it is unlikely that they will give us back the APAC server. In addition to this fact, it is also unlikely that Electronic Arts (EA) will show any sympathy for the Asia Pacific and Oceania player base however large (or small) it is. The only thing that is going to get Bio-ware and EA to respond to our predicament is if there is a large outcry by the west coast North American players. However due to the difference in PING being marginal for them, there is unlikely to be a large fuss kicked up in the California region. Thus my Australian friends the situation looks bleak. I do not expect EA or Bio-ware to throw us a bone anytime soon either.

^ This. So much of this. I can also say that I have been subscribing periodically since I started playing this game and until I saw what the effects of the removal of the WEST coast time zone, I did NOT want to discontinue either playing SWTOR or paying to do so. Now however I am looking at doing both of those things. Everyone who has ever tried to play this game competitively knows that lag and server ping is important, which makes it even more crazy that they said game-play was unaffected by the consolidation of the west and east coast servers. All the Australians and Kiwis know that is not the case. They are HEAVILY affected. I suppose that just goes to show who matters to Electronic Arts and Bio-ware and who doesn't.

I'm not leaving yet because I am 60 percent optimistic and 40 percent foolhardy in thinking that this can be reversed. However I will say that this is burning both the Oceania / Asia Pacific players currently and judging by this thread many people are already leaving (take notes Bio-ware and Electronic Arts) which will mean a loss in subscriptions and therefore a loss of MONEY one of the few things that might ring some bells in EA headquarters. The solution is quite simple even if the powers are reluctant to commit to it. BRING THE WEST COAST DATA CENTRE BACK AND MAKE THE SATELE SHAN SERVER WEST COAST AGAIN. If it worked before it can work again. If you do this you will most likely re-gain any players that have left over this issue. This means more money for YOU; which apparently is the only thing that matters regarding Star Wars the Old Republic.

EA, Bio-ware, whoever has the power to make this right, please reverse what you did and bring back the west coast data center. Oceania players are getting royally screwed by this. After returning to the game after a short intermission I discovered that competitive PVP is a no-go. Some of the Oceania players were on the edge prior to the merge in terms of bad lag, now it is unbearable in almost every regard. I cannot adequately perform my combat role in PVP nor in PVE due to the higher latency. When you took away the Oceania servers we made do on the West Coast North American servers. Now you have taken that away too and many players are throwing their hands in the air not knowing what to do.

Consolidation of West and East Coast servers is nothing good for the "out of North America player base." As an APAC player the PING is now borderline unplayable. It just makes no sense at all for there to be two servers on the same coast of the US. The Australian and Kiwi players are hurting a lot. Anyone who engages in competitive PVP knows how important ping is. Subscriptions could very well be lost over this. If it is possible Bio-ware / EA please change it back to two time zones. We like SWTOR, but the game-play experience has to be enjoyable.