Oh, I haven't seen if this bonus is attached to your account or just currently created characters. So do all my future characters get the bonus too? If not, this seems like as good a reason as any to make sure you have all 8 character slots full with potential characters you might play down the road. Even if (or perhaps especially if) you only play one character currently. Edit: As an after-thought: It's amusing how this reminds me of real life. Aren't the transfers supposed to be rewarding enough? Now you have to throw free stuff at people? The correlation is how it seems people need rewards for going to work or do a good job. These days, they need bonuses and incentives above and beyond simply staying employed or collecting a paycheck. It's silly, but I guess the times they are a changin'... lol

(Edit: Nevermind. I solved the issue myself.)

In my opinion... yes, they did. I can't even solo some content anymore without dedicating an entire evening to it. I may not have done many flashpoints before and only had a large 10-hour PvP window on my previous not-close-to-dead server but at least I could solo content in minutes before that can now take hours to complete. I'm glad "most" people are happy now. Honestly, I am. It's just a shame, again in my opinion, we were all funneled into the same few servers rather than creating real balance across the existing servers.

I don't know why either. The two appear to be completely unrelated. *shrugs*

In his specific case: fair enough.

If that were the case, then why would you respond? Obviously you either believed some of his story or just want to troll yourself. I gave you the benefit of the doubt just as I did for the OP. The point is people in PuGs don't necessarily know why someone refuses to use 3rd party software and it is unfortunate, in my opinion, that people are discriminated against for reasons such as that. My point, ultimately, was to encourage the OP to play the way the OP wants and to express the OP isn't alone in feeling the way the OP does, nor should the OP feel pressured to install things on his (fine.. I'll just say his) computer that he doesn't want to simply to participate in an in-game activity that does not require (takes a breath) third party software. I only quoted you because you felt someone who is deaf does not apply to the topic at hand and I disagreed with you.

What if the OP didn't use vent because the OP is deaf? The OP is apparently not deaf, but many other video game players are. That is a much greater issue and certainly applies to the conversation, even if it doesn't fit neatly into your point. It's really not that difficult to type. You responded to the OP. Did you use Voice to Text technology to do so or did you press your fingers against the keys on the keyboard? Apparently millions of people can type (even if they type very poorly). Need proof? Check out http://www.twitter.com. Millions of people who have absolutely nothing interesting to say manage typing just fine. Many of them do it while driving which is far more difficult than typing while killing a raid boss. I'm not deaf, but I do not enjoy listening to people blah blah blah about whatever they think is clever or interesting. I will enter vent for ops just because it is easier but only in my guild's vent or for a special circumstance (like a multi-guild event). Even when I run an Op, I'll type the necessary information because I don't discriminate against people who prefer to not use 3rd party software. The reasoning for not wanting to use it is irrelevant. I've seen people kicked from groups because the sound of their voice is "annoying" or the way they speak just as often as being kicked for playing poorly. It's pathetic and sad. The people who would kick me because I don't want to listen to them feel self-important don't matter to me. These are the same type of people who won't let me heal as a Mercenary because "force-using healers are much more effective" and make me play as DPS because "statistically, the DPS of a Mercenary is far greater than that of a sniper." Eh, I'll play my own way and be just as successful... thanks anyway. With the LFG tool (i.e., PuGs), it's random and you take your chances. I agree with the point that you should just find a guild or regular group who fit your playstyle. I know it can be difficult, but it is far more worthwhile than just taking what you can get and being slapped in the face for it (as you have described). It is far more difficult to find guilds who do not "live in Vent," but they are out there. You'll find them eventually.

I loved visiting Taris in TOR having played both KOTRO and KOTRO 2. Personally, I enjoy seeing the passage of time from one game to the next. I'm glad Taris was handled the way it was. It shows the galaxy (at least in BioWare's vision) evolves and can change. I don't know. I thought it was cool finding things I recognized in the rubble and remembering how things were and seeing how they are now. Life changes and we have to accept that. I'd have been disappointed if nothing significant had changed in the galaxy over the years between KOTRO 2 and TOR. Oh, and specifically to this point: "they'll have zero idea that YOU where the one who lead them there,YOU where the person that gave them hope to go their because YOU went into the sewers and found all three journals and gave them to rukil wrikle skin.it was YOU.it was THE PLAYER who did it." No. It's a story. As a writer, I feel no remorse over any characters that die because I wrote them that way. It's the same with video games. As a video game player (or, in this case, an MMO paying customer) I am making decisions for fictional characters who affect fictional places and things. None of this is real. At least, in regards to how non-player characters or non-player places are affected. You should keep that in mind. You might sleep better at night. There is no need to mourn over all the dead of Taris. They were never real to begin with. /comfort Do you feel remorse for all the pretend beings you've personally pretended to slay in any video game you've played? Feel not for the Koopas, my friend, for they feel not for you.

Yep... exactly. Bolded for emphasis. I am glad so many are happy fighting each other for spawns. I've noticed a few "why be a jerk" threads but really, there isn't much of a choice. Well, unless you enjoy waiting forever and finally giving in and fighting other players to ninja spawns they're "ninja-ing" from you. The overcrowding has forced me to either be the kind of player I detest or not play at all. As of tonight, I chose the latter. I remember UO and EQ. I stopped playing those for the same reason. It's not confined to the tiny Black Hole area of Corellia, regardless of the spin people put on it. I'm glad some are having a great experience. I dealt with spawn fighting for 2 hours tonight on Belsavis (not the dailies.. just regular questing) and have been dealing with it far too often since the transfer. I'm glad I kept one 50 on my old server so I can at least get something done without having to be frustrated by the overcrowding. Of course, it's only a matter of time before they take that from me too, so eh.. It's an MMO. I'm not supposed to want to avoid other players and be upset when I encounter one. With situations occurring this often, it's difficult not to feel that way. And don't bother with the "group with people" or "join a guild" arguments. I am in a guild and I was grouped. Unfortunately, with a 4-person limit and 24 people in the same area (off-peak... like 6am EST off-peak - that was yesterday morning) with most of them trying to do the same thing.... well you get the idea. Good luck, though. I sincerely hope they wise up and let us play the way we want. I'll check back in a year or two and see if they finally get around to it. Personally, I wish they could just put my old server back the way it was. I said it then and I'll say it now: It really wasn't that bad. 1 East Coast RP server was simply... ill-advised. Seriously ill-advised. Oh, and yes, BioWare did many things well. Forcing everyone on (EC) RP servers onto the same, single server was not one of them. 2, perhaps. 1? Not so much.

Ahh, my apologies. I stopped paying attention after the first wave of emails went out as I was already working on my 5th 50 and my legacy was mid 30s. The point though is the free month wasn't for or given to everybody as has been suggested.

Actually, no kudos from me. The fact is, if I were being paid to work in an industry I love I'd put up with a ton of crap too... especially if it was part of my job to do so. Yay for going to work... Good job earning that paycheck... I guess. LOL

I am fairly certain this recent thread beats this topic to death: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=492118 also, Speak for yourself. I want the developers to do their job just like I want the community team to do their job. The Dev's job is not to sit on the forums and chat chat all day. Thankfully it isn't or we'd have that to complain about. Let the community team being the liaison between we customers and the development team as it should be. What you really want are the decision makers explaining themselves on the forums. Developers (the vast majority of them in established, successful non-indy companies, that is) are the workers, not the decision makers. Heh, next thing you'll want the Customer Service reps coding systems or the CEO to sweep the floo... heh okay, so the latter wouldn't be that bad, but you get the idea.

Since derailing the topic and being defamatory is so important to you "older, more wise" folks, I'm curious how many of you bought your kids cars at 16? Back in the day (yes, I was actually there) that was all the rage and apparently still is. No, I worked and saved over 3 summers to buy my first POS car at 18. It's always so amusing to me, however, when I see these types of arguments. I just listened to a radio ad for Hyundai with a teenage girl who "is so smart I picked this car" for her parents to buy her. That's what they chose as a marketing gimmick to relate to the "average" consumer. I'm just saying entitlement is nothing new. It simply has more attention thanks to modern media and has now become the norm (like countess other things that are just as important and detrimental to society). If only this game were free to play, then your entitlement arguments would hold water (back on topic, sort of). I don't care if it's $500 or $.05, if I pay for something I expect to get my money's worth. My money's worth is dependent on expectations set by the company promoting the product that has interested me. That's not entitlement. Unless, of course, you feel entitled you will receive the product advertised to you when you hand over the negotiated price. That would change the definition of entitlement substantially, however. (No, I don't think we need free time for a few lost hours... just for the record. Facetious arguments, like this one, help me kill time. I'm going to go do something useful now like flush my eye sockets with Drano.)

I would agree if BioWare forced you to sleep. At least use an argument that makes sense. No sarcasm necessary.

This.... exactly as quoted.

Only those with a level 50 received a free "we appreciate you" month of game time. If it was for compensation of some sort, they should've mentioned that. As it read, and was promoted, it was a "show of appreciation" for those with level 50 characters. I'm not arguing with you. I just expect accuracy. Thanks.

Have you considered implementing contests for the community to participate in? These may be anything from fluff item, speeder, or even social gear item design contests to fiction writing or art design contests. You could even sponsor fun things like videos, comic strips, or caption contests. Submissions can be narrowed down by the community and winners selected by the BW team (or visa versa). Awards could be having item designs incorporated into the game, having non-game contest winners featured on the official site, or maybe even a month of game time. I think this would be a fun, exciting way to include the community in the foundation of the game. Thanks!

Congratulations folks! Well done BioWare! Now, of course, actual choices (for free) mean a precedence has been set and I feel a glimmer of hope... somewhere...

I'm amazed you guys are so willing.. no, eager to throw more money at BioWare for a service that hasn't run it's full course yet. All they've done so far is overpopulate a few, select servers for free. I'm still waiting for the chance to consolidate my characters and finally end up on the same server as friends from other games for free. This issue was due to the ill-advised way BioWare handled the servers at launch. Maybe once that is corrected a paid system would make sense. Before then, we really need the opportunity to resolve this on-going, known issue. After all I've paid so far (and continue to pay) there is no way I'm going to pay extra money for that resolution. You shouldn't either. Once that issue is resolved, BioWare, make 'em pay. Not before.

Ahh.. there's the Twit. 3 minutes after.. still in the server.. lol

Funny still.. 3:01 edt and I'm still in game. Communication FTW

Oh yeah.. definitely no communication problems there. /endsarcasm

Didn't reply to me when I asked about the "server going down" announcement. LOL Technically, yes.. you get an answer there far more readily than you do anywhere else. Just thought it was funny with you saying that and still not a word on twitter about this... yet.

for the record... 2 minutes til 3 edt.. still on server.. announcement was 5 minutes early...... shouldn't have logged out, I guess. lol

If maintenance is cancelled, why am I getting "server will shut down in 10 minutes" messages in-game? (posted here because, of course, the appropriate thread is locked)