When will there be a "SERVER MERGE?"

[vibenode]

Ok, i've been playing on 'The Kumumgah' since release now. I chose this server as all the high pop ones had excessive queue times and I expected it to grow. Unfortunately this has not been the case. Warzones (level 50) only run from between 13:00 - 23:00 on my server and due to there being LOADS more Empire than Republic its basically 10 hours of same faction Huttball until the queues die for the night. I checked on 'Bloodworthy' and when there are 4 50's on the whole fleet on my server there are about 40 over there = Geif X-fer!

 

Now, I'm loving the game and I feel I am willing to wait until issues to be resolved (providing it doesn't take the mick, I think i'm rolling with another 3 months as I feel by 6 months after release BW should have addressed most if not all of their current problems). HOWEVER, most people not as patient as I am. If BioWare don't 'fess up to the fact that they made too many servers and start correcting it they will lose a good chunk of their playerbase on these low pop servers (and there are a LOT of them)

 

I would be totally loathed to pay for a server X-Fer for something that isn't my fault (BW making too many servers) but I would just to enhance my gaming experience. As someone mentioned these low pop servers don't feel very MMO like. The Imperial Fleet on 'The Kumumgah' is a ghost town with he odd player running past every 10 mins.

 

Ilum is also a HUGE issue. X-server WZ's will resolve the WZ's queues and variation but Ilum is pointless and lame on our server. There is hardly any world PvP on my server just an endless 'ildo farm for armaments, VERY boring when I have seen whats its like on even a standard pop server let alone heavy, very heavy and full.

 

I think though what has been most bugging is that BW haven't actually made a post on these issues that I have found. This is by far the biggest issue that will threaten their amount of subscribers (and the longevity of the game), why have they not taken action or at least commented on it. At my current level the game is JUST warranting my sub, if I was on a larger server I would be 100% satisfied with my sub and continue for a long time as I think the PvP in the game is awesome.

 

P.S Comments from BW like, re-roll your toon. No chance I'm rolling on another server when my main toon is a Battlemaster!

Edited March 2, 2012 by vibenode

[Druru]

Yeah I got my mains stuck on a server, basically consisting of 50's just not logging in any more, and ofc they don't care much about the game to play alts, So leveling alts myself with 10 people/planet is a joke.

 

Rolled on a high pop server just to test , and the difference was huge. Although the world/planets sometimes feels sluggish fps wise (!)

 

Give us SERVER MERGERS NOW!!

[vibenode]

Sorry did I also mention, My guild is literally keeping my server alive. We are VERY active PvPers who are currently making roughly half all the WZ groups running, Without <Sith Happens> on The Kumumgah there would pretty much be 1 wz every 2 hours and not even any same faction huttball. The empire would have to wait for enough Pub's to log to get a wz If this isn't a priority issue for BW then im sorry they are not cut out the the MMO business! Edited March 2, 2012 by vibenode

[darkguru]

I have a lvl 50 sith battlemaster on the Uthar Wynn server (European - English). The population on the server dropped dramatically after the first month of the game (guessing unhappy people not resubscribing). Now its a situation of every night i get in to play (normally around 5pm til 10pm) and the most imps that are on Ilum is around 10, when compared to a month ago when there would be at least 20. I love the pvp battles but hate the armament farming, bioware really need to take a serious look at this. And i know its not just the end game parts that are low, i have a few mates in the guild who i help lvl up a lot, and the planets they are on a literally dead. Last night we we're the only ones on quesh for a whole hour. Love the game, loath the populations, get it sorted please bioware, i have patience to wait but many people don't.

[Zhijn]

All the EU servers have gone down massively, except perhaps one or two french and german server.

 

I re-rolled to LoL [EU-EN] and it was quite fun the first 2 weeks seeing people all over the place, now its becoming exactly like the first server i was on.

 

Its frustrating that EaWare has done nothing or said nothing about this.

[islander]

Well, part of the issue people complain about is the lack of Republic/Rebels (sorry, I just refer to them as rebels, old habits die hard).

 

You can look at the Fatman server. Great population. Unfortunately, nearly 2/3 imperial. That's a lot of Huttball.

 

Although I completely agree with low pop servers being lame (mine isn't THAT low, but I'm still looking for a transfer as it's pretty low); I also think people (and I'm included) need to roll Republic more on the servers we transfer or restart on.

 

The real problem with pvp is the fact everyone wants to be Imperial. I contribute to that problem. However, on Ajunta Pall I'm rolling Republic (where my sister guild is)

[xxTheShadow]

So leveling alts myself with 10 people/planet is a joke.

 

Rolled on a high pop server just to test , and the difference was huge. Although the world/planets sometimes feels sluggish fps wise (!)

 

 

10 ppl per planet! wow! that is very high pop, i usually see 2-5. morning or night. and like 8pm evening a busy imperial fleet is 12. You have it good!

[Binabekj]

Bioware has about 10 new posts each day about merging servers and nothing is being addressed. Yes - this isn't Wow or another game where the maps or zones are smaller and thus the population will be forced to interact with each other or wait years for quests to be complete. Sorry rambling...my point is simply this: the perception is that all servers are empty because there are so many worlds and a vast amount of land to explore so you really don't see a lot of people until you start hitting the mid 30's. This is because of a few reasons: a) The game is not getting any new subscribers...I see this happening but not to the degree that people say but yes there is a definite decline in new subscribtions. b) server imbalance - Bioware basically has to break almost every Imperial class for months or give some incentive to play the republic as every fanboy wants to "evil" and each server has at least a 5 to 1 ratio in favor of the Empire. Who wants to constantly get beaten up each day and have thier lunch money taken? Better to join the gang and pick on some other kid right? It's easier to do correct - and therefore that's why everyone plays Imperial now. c) It could be....wait for it....too many damn servers! That's right - simply too many damn servers for the population at this point. Rifts and LOTR merged servers quickly to avoid losing subscribers but for some reason ( I am thinking some idiot CEO ) Bioware doesn't want to pull it's head out of certain orifices and merge servers. At this point - if they don't do something quick this game will be free to play sooner than later. Hope to hell this makes Bioware wake up but I doubt it.

[marco-wado]

It is not simply perception. There is a decline in population numbers, watch this:

 

http://www.torstatus.net/the-red-eclipse/history/7d#!/the-red-eclipse/trends/60d

 

I have the luck to be on a fairly crowded server, The Red Eclipse. But still, you can clearly see a decline in population...

 

I am starting to get a little worried about this. I enjoy this game, but if people are leaving this game in large numbers, it is not a good sign...

[Garandhero]

http://www.torstatus.net/death-wind-corridor/history/7d#!/death-wind-corridor/trends/30d

 

 

look at that full and heavy trend completely died out, all we have is light pop <-- sad panda

[Sith_Mauler]

or at least the ability to transfer off a server. Edited March 2, 2012 by Sith_Mauler

[JonnyRambo]

I play on Senator Constipex and we are suffering from the same problem. There are a total of 59 online players at 19:00 GMT of which 18 are lv 50. It's even worse on the Imperial side.

No one finds groups for FP's, we have 1 warzone every hour and Ilum is deserted. Usually, we don't have a wz until around 15 and they end at around 11 entirely so if you cannot play between that hour, you wont have any chance to pvp at all.

 

Leveling up an alt is truly a single player experience now, being near impossible to find anyone to do a heroic 2 let alone 4 and the same goes for FP's.

 

PVE is just as bad, there are a handful of guilds with enough members to actually do anything. As far as I know, only two republic side ones are able to finish operations.

 

More players leave everyday because of it and if measures aren't taken soon, most will stop playing entirely. An urgent answer to this problems is needed otherwise every "founder" player playing on the low populated servers will give up. Rerolling on a different server is hardly a solution for those with friends and who have already invested much time on their mains and alts.

[Garandhero]

It's true, I am considering dropping sub because of lack of grouping options... I go on and REALLY want to experience Flashpoints and Heroic 4's (not just PL to 50) and cant find groups to do them so im getting worn out by the grind of solo(ing) for $15/mo.

 

 

Please merge servers so I can play with others...

[Teabaker]

http://imgur.com/plqL1

 

Impossible to play atm.

 

EDIT: And Server of Ragnos isn't the emptiest server out there.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Teabaker

[GellonSW]

Rifts and LOTR merged servers quickly to avoid losing subscribers but for some reason ( I am thinking some idiot CEO ) Bioware doesn't want to pull it's head out of certain orifices and merge servers. At this point - if they don't do something quick this game will be free to play sooner than later. Hope to hell this makes Bioware wake up but I doubt it.

 

 

Waiting for the Biodrone to come here and say well, der, merging servers equals bad press! Even if you potentially save yourself thousands of subscribers by consolidating your resources so that players when they login have the option to find group (this IS a MMO , right, right?).

[islander]

Waiting for the Biodrone to come here and say well, der, merging servers equals bad press! Even if you potentially save yourself thousands of subscribers by consolidating your resources so that players when they login have the option to find group (this IS a MMO , right, right?).

 

This is exactly why they are full steam ahead on cross server queueing.

 

Then they'll do character transfers, and knowing EA ($$$) they will charge money for even initial transfers off of lower pop servers.

 

...and they'll then lose even more subs.

 

People don't want cross server queues. They want their own community - not some bas****ized solution that removes all accountability to the gaming population on a local level.

Edited March 2, 2012 by islander

[Gamstun]

i'm noticing it more and more everyday that the population continues to drop.....

[stickyickytricky]

If they couldnt come out with a transfer for the oceanic when they opened the servers who really thinks they will offer it to us before next fall? Currently they are saying the oceanic players will be allowed to transfer sometime in April.

 

I don't even want to think what would be screwed up if they did merge servers.

[Faeldawn]

Waiting for the Biodrone to come here and say well, der, merging servers equals bad press! Even if you potentially save yourself thousands of subscribers by consolidating your resources so that players when they login have the option to find group (this IS a MMO , right, right?).

 

It's too late already, thousands have left and next subs due date more will vanish including many who subbed initially for 3 months.

 

The dying servers get smaller and with some amazing F2P games on the horizon, ME3 launching, GW2 is F2P, Tera also launches soon...it's also supposed to be an amazing year for mmorpg releases in particular...once players leave most won't return.

 

The irony of it all is they won't need server transfers, there won't be anyone left on those servers by the time they implement it.

[SinisterZz]

I do think Bioware is preparing some kind of statement concerning server merges but are withold by the parent company (EA Games) to release any negative news. I would do the same if i was that big and any news like this would have a negative impact on the outside (shareholders). Tassaa Bareesh is still an empty server with no excistent Ilum pvp on republic side. We desperatly want merges.

[Kayfaei]

Server pop is a issue I agreee... but the even BIGGER issue is the dang phases they have that is seperating people!!! Please BIOWARE lift this. It's a freaking plague. Your on corellia and you see 61 other people there in the left hand corner of your screen but you ONLY pass two or one other person while you're there? Its not that big of a place. If we have to wait or fight over the same mob then so be it. Least then it'll feel like a real MMO Edited March 2, 2012 by Kayfaei

[stickyickytricky]

It's too late already, thousands have left and next subs due date more will vanish including many who subbed initially for 3 months.

 

51 days on my 3 month that i got at launch!!!!!

 

I will miss the forums, not the game!

[MrWhoCares]

So many servers and very few players for them.

 

I am a casual player but you can call me a "fun boy" because I love this game, I have no problem with bugs or game mechanics.

 

My only problem is low population servers, I love PVP and PVE parts of the game, but if I can find enough ppl to do those.

 

My server deserted 45 mins for to wait warzone is toooooooo much or to find PVE party.

 

Combine the servers and then wait for the population growth to add new servers or you are going to lose all.

 

Ps. Sorry for my English

[Akash]

Server mergers equal name loss for a lot of people, and that means people leave.

 

It's a big deal for some players, including myself.

 

You go to the trouble of getting the game early, getting the names you want reserved on your server, then for no fault of your own if your server isn't a "destination" server, you wind up stuck with some crap like Verbetrexxx.

 

On the flipside, this wouldn't be the first game I've left when server merges kicked in.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Akash

[Bonezmccoy]

We all know, ad nauseum, that A LOT of people are complaining about the population levels. The answer is not dropping subs. It's a great game - and it can get better. The answer is not complaining and begging for merges or free transfers. We know that open-to-all transfers are incoming soon after the Asia-Pacific transfers are complete. We know that our 50s can be moved, eventually. We know that many people will do this, but that it will largely be an individual (or at most guild-level) decision.

 

What if, instead, we took our fate in our own hands and used some of the resources out there to mass reroll on a few of the lower population servers. A lot of low population server residents rerolling on a few low population servers could bring those servers up in population enough to support a real community, filled with puggable fun and social opportunity.

 

Tostatus.net has some general population information on it. Also, http://dulfy.net/2012/02/24/some-numerical-population-data-for-swtor-servers/ has even more. I'm hoping to post something in this thread with a list of compilations - assuming that even 5% of a server's active population moves, mass migrations to a few servers could improve things drastically. Yes, those who don't reroll or are unwilling to reroll will get the shaft, but when transfers are open, this will happen anyway (although to a different extent).

 

So, who wants to crunch some numbers with me and come up with a list of targets?

 

And who wants to flame this idea without putting one out yourself?