Server population is dropping...

[Angedechu]

My point is, ''no LFG and LFD on TOR'' was an extremelly bad move considering that two weeks before launch, WoW introduced the ultimate evolution of LFD, Looking for Raid

 

Of course, LFR is a joke. Of course, LFR is stupidly easy. But it's not normal that it take less time to find a group for a 25 man then for a 4-man....

[Aiysis]

They've also said pretty much said that this is their highest priority other than 1.2, which puts things in perspective. At least for those who are patient.

Yes it's such a high priority that the lead developer manages the project by poking his head into the programmer's office once a day to see how it's coming. (although some websites quoted him as saying every other day) I don't know about you but I tend to take a more hands on approach to my "#1 priority." If you read through the transcripts and listen to the audio from PAX you will learn that they have multiple #1 priorities.

[Incendergel]

LFR/LRG won't help the economy. It won't help leveling up if you want to run heroic side quests. It won't help doing anything other than completing a flashpoint...

 

The game cannot succeed without a healthy server population. MMO's by nature are a social experiment. They are not a single player game!!!!

 

Repeat after me. They can only succeed by a healthy server population. ALL FACTIONS.

[Kastoremaru]

Just logged into Sanctum of the Exalted for some 50's pvp. There were 11 people on the Imperial fleet as of 9:55am. Not 11 50's; just 11 people.

 

Off to play some Steam games.

[GreySix]

Can't freakin' wait for them ) So excited!

And if those too fail to meet your expectations? In the Army we have a saying: "The best post is where you're going next, and the worst post is where you're at now."

 

On another note, if this game loses too many subscribers what is the liklihood of it going to free-to-play, and how would that work? The only reason I did the MMO thing was to play cooperatively with my wife. I could care less about others online.

Edited April 10, 2012 by GreySix

[Photoshop]

Just logged into Sanctum of the Exalted for some 50's pvp. There were 11 people on the Imperial fleet as of 9:55am. Not 11 50's; just 11 people.

 

Off to play some Steam games.

 

Yeah I hear ya man. I will prob keep the game, but wont subscribe again until a merge or character transfer program is in place.

[Kinediks]

Just logged into Sanctum of the Exalted for some 50's pvp. There were 11 people on the Imperial fleet as of 9:55am. Not 11 50's; just 11 people.

 

Off to play some Steam games.

 

I don't even bother pvping anymore on my toons. I log on at 8:00 am east coast, and I don't get a que til about 12:00. Usually that game ends early and I don't get another game until 1:00. It's been a week and I doubt its picked up as there were only 20 people on fleet at 7:00pm, imp side, on The Corsair last night.

[SneakyErvin]

People say other MMOs lose players over the spring/summer time. True, but its not a good sign when they start dropping before 4 months have passed.

 

It also wasnt this noticable on most WoW servers, because the population and population cap on servers was much higher. There were infact so many players that they had to gradually add new servers. And then when people didnt roll ont he new ones they allowed free transfers and such quite quickly. And the game has stayed healthy for 7 years, going on its 8th year now.

 

This could have been the case for ToR too.

 

I didnt reflect much over issues back in WoW because they were fixed quite quickly, they added the x-server RDF aswell as the x-server BGs. I hated it at first, but it was a very good thing, because even if you only had 2 hours worth of time a day you could still finish a dungeon or two, or get some BGs done. Something that isnt going to happen in ToR. There isnt even the chance to get outside the fleet if you wanna do quests while trying and hoping to find a group in time.

 

WZ queues are OK on Jung Ma, but trying to find groups for FPs is frustrating to say the least. When an hour passes and you have no group you just say screw it and log on and do WZ on a toon that needs it, or just to pass time and feel you get something worth your $15. Which imo you really dont.

[Holden_Dissent]

People say other MMOs lose players over the spring/summer time. True, but its not a good sign when they start dropping before 4 months have passed.

 

It also wasnt this noticable on most WoW servers, because the population and population cap on servers was much higher. There were infact so many players that they had to gradually add new servers. And then when people didnt roll ont he new ones they allowed free transfers and such quite quickly. And the game has stayed healthy for 7 years, going on its 8th year now.

 

This could have been the case for ToR too.

 

I didnt reflect much over issues back in WoW because they were fixed quite quickly, they added the x-server RDF aswell as the x-server BGs. I hated it at first, but it was a very good thing, because even if you only had 2 hours worth of time a day you could still finish a dungeon or two, or get some BGs done. Something that isnt going to happen in ToR. There isnt even the chance to get outside the fleet if you wanna do quests while trying and hoping to find a group in time.

 

WZ queues are OK on Jung Ma, but trying to find groups for FPs is frustrating to say the least. When an hour passes and you have no group you just say screw it and log on and do WZ on a toon that needs it, or just to pass time and feel you get something worth your $15. Which imo you really dont.

 

These are some of the most misinformed comments about WoW I've ever seen. If you really were there you would've known the issues and how long they really took to fix. This game has been out 4 months and the only game to have a quicker LFG system at this point is Rift. You have rose tinted glasses on when thinking of WoW. woW didn't have a LFG system for 4 years and it's not because it didn't need it. People were reporting dead servers as early as 2005 and the LFG system wasn't in until what.... 2009?

[Gungan]

These are some of the most misinformed comments about WoW I've ever seen. If you really were there you would've known the issues and how long they really took to fix. This game has been out 4 months and the only game to have a quicker LFG system at this point is Rift. You have rose tinted glasses on when thinking of WoW. woW didn't have a LFG system for 4 years and it's not because it didn't need it. People were reporting dead servers as early as 2005 and the LFG system wasn't in until what.... 2009?

 

WoW had a good, comprehensive server only LFG tool in 2005 - something SWTOR doesn't have.

 

Automatic matchmaking LFG tools didn't exist before WoW WOTLK as far as I'm aware, but that's not the problem.

 

I never once had to wait more than 30 minutes for a dungeon group in WoW, even in vanilla days.

 

I've spent 8 consecutive hours as a tank on a Saturday in SWTOR looking for a flashpoint group. That is un-***********-acceptable.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Gungan

[Rayla_Felana]

People mustn't have played MMos for very long if you think moving to another server isn't something you have to do (or are lucky enough to be on a good pop server that lasts) after an MMO launches, it has always been this way, it was even this way in WoW, Guild Wars 2 should show everybody that low pop servers=/=dead game.

 

SWTOR is nothing like dead, people do not take the MANY variables into account when finding out server pop:

 

This is a game aimed at casual players, a majority of people will log in for 2 hours, go do something else and come back maybe an hour to a week later, people DO have lives y'know.

 

The amount of people that can be doing a flashpoint/Op varies, the hardcore PvE fanbase will usually be sat in these types of areas.

 

People doing Warzones, now this is a tricky one, there are three different warzones, and two separate brackets one with 10-49s and one with 50s, you may be surprised at the amount of 50s in the game.

 

The inevitable cycle of people going from 50 to an alt, just because the numbers on planets later on drop down, does not mean anything significant.

 

People moving between servers, there are many reasons for people to do this actually, and I won't bother listing them, but this happens in all MMOs every day, whether for new guilds, better connection, or wanting a higher pop value.

 

People who only play on weekends(Friday night/weekend) the amount of people that play during this time, because of IRL obligations/jobs is always big, apart from on truly dead servers, numbers of casual players like this>>>>>>People who log everyday/every other day for five hours.

 

There are more variables than this, but I think I made my point.

 

This post will be inevitably picked apart/flamed/trolled by forum dwellers, as happens on every single MMO forum since the dawn of the MMORPG, but I really don't care

 

Take my post for what you will, just my two cents.

[abercromb]

Good post. No need to pick it apart here.

 

The fact is at launch this game needed the servers they made. Now several month later the game has taken the drop all MMO's get after launch and they don't need as many. Why companies don't prepare for this and say at launch that they will merge some after a few months I don't know. If they did they would avoid the usual the game has failed posts. But they don't so we are stuck with double the servers we need and people complaining about getting groups.

 

Be nice to think that some will get brought together sooner than Sept/Oct (my guess) but I wouldn't hold your breath. Be also nice if at the same time they disbanded about half the guilds on each of these servers and we got a few largers ones as a result. Lots of small groups struggling out there at the moment.

[GreySix]

People who only play on weekends(Friday night/weekend) the amount of people that play during this time, because of IRL obligations/jobs is always big, apart from on truly dead servers, numbers of casual players like this>>>>>>People who log everyday/every other day for five hours.

 

That. Or in other words, working adults who enjoy gaming but with lives outside of them. I average probably two hours a day, if I don't come home dead tired.

Edited April 10, 2012 by GreySix

[Skipinder]

Population issues will be resolved in the patch after this one....

 

Patch 1.3: Return of the Playerbase

[tloops]

People mustn't have played MMos for very long if you think moving to another server isn't something you have to do (or are lucky enough to be on a good pop server that lasts) after an MMO launches, it has always been this way, it was even this way in WoW, Guild Wars 2 should show everybody that low pop servers=/=dead game.

 

SWTOR is nothing like dead, people do not take the MANY variables into account when finding out server pop:

 

This is a game aimed at casual players, a majority of people will log in for 2 hours, go do something else and come back maybe an hour to a week later, people DO have lives y'know.

 

The amount of people that can be doing a flashpoint/Op varies, the hardcore PvE fanbase will usually be sat in these types of areas.

 

People doing Warzones, now this is a tricky one, there are three different warzones, and two separate brackets one with 10-49s and one with 50s, you may be surprised at the amount of 50s in the game.

 

The inevitable cycle of people going from 50 to an alt, just because the numbers on planets later on drop down, does not mean anything significant.

 

People moving between servers, there are many reasons for people to do this actually, and I won't bother listing them, but this happens in all MMOs every day, whether for new guilds, better connection, or wanting a higher pop value.

 

People who only play on weekends(Friday night/weekend) the amount of people that play during this time, because of IRL obligations/jobs is always big, apart from on truly dead servers, numbers of casual players like this>>>>>>People who log everyday/every other day for five hours.

 

There are more variables than this, but I think I made my point.

 

This post will be inevitably picked apart/flamed/trolled by forum dwellers, as happens on every single MMO forum since the dawn of the MMORPG, but I really don't care

 

Take my post for what you will, just my two cents.

 

here...this proves you wrong http://www.torstatus.net/shards/us/trends

[Rayla_Felana]

here...this proves you wrong http://www.torstatus.net/shards/us/trends

 

Ah third party sources, always reliable.

[tloops]

Ah third party sources, always reliable.

 

please stop drinking the bioware koolaid and look at the facts.when you can link something that disproves this,ill be the first to say im wrong. log on during prime time and look at the server list,most are light/standard...maybe 4 are heavy,that dosent sound like a healthy population to me. do you actually think this site just makes it all up?

[SneakyErvin]

These are some of the most misinformed comments about WoW I've ever seen. If you really were there you would've known the issues and how long they really took to fix. This game has been out 4 months and the only game to have a quicker LFG system at this point is Rift. You have rose tinted glasses on when thinking of WoW. woW didn't have a LFG system for 4 years and it's not because it didn't need it. People were reporting dead servers as early as 2005 and the LFG system wasn't in until what.... 2009?

 

Of course it had dead servers. They didnt even have RP-PvP servers at start. But the thing is, they were very quick with free server transfers, and there were alot of heavy+ servers, aswell as a much higher population cap compared to ToR, or so it looks. They also solved the problem even more by allowing x-server transfers for a small fee per toon, with zero restrictions.

 

I never had issues fidning groups in vanilla and bc. Neither on Kel'Thuzad or Emerald Dream. Then some time during LK they released a dungeon finder tool, then later on the x-server RDF tool.

 

But its also an OLD game, which did alot of new things that became standards within MMO design. Things neglected by BW in fear that it would ruin the community, because they listned to the opinions of a few, the few that exaggerate the problems that x-server systems create.

 

But ToR currently has an outdated system to find groups, aswell as a population per server, the size of old games such as DaoC, EQ and so on. If not less...

[Holden_Dissent]

WoW had a good, comprehensive server only LFG tool in 2005 - something SWTOR doesn't have.

 

Automatic matchmaking LFG tools didn't exist before WoW WOTLK as far as I'm aware, but that's not the problem.

 

I never once had to wait more than 30 minutes for a dungeon group in WoW, even in vanilla days.

 

I've spent 8 consecutive hours as a tank on a Saturday in SWTOR looking for a flashpoint group. That is un-***********-acceptable.

 

I don't know what tool you're referring to unless you're talking about the [Looking for Group] global channel(which can be player created in TOR very easily, but never underestimate the lazy). I sure don't remember a way to group other than using meeting stones or chat channels until X server was put in.

 

but, to your other point:

 

The difference here is that in WoW you were lucky enough to have picked a populated server. If you had been on a dead server you would've been screaming murder on the forums just like you're doing now. Or you would have rerolled to BlackRock.

 

Just like I was lucky enough to have picked a decently populated server in SWTOR. therefore, there is no problem with population.

[SneakyErvin]

I don't know what tool you're referring to unless you're talking about the [Looking for Group] global channel(which can be player created in TOR very easily, but never underestimate the lazy). I sure don't remember a way to group other than using meeting stones or chat channels until X server was put in.

 

No, the nice LFG window that allowed you to sign your name ont he LFG list so others looking for group could see it. Along with spec and all that mumbojumbo.

[Holden_Dissent]

Of course it had dead servers. They didnt even have RP-PvP servers at start. But the thing is, they were very quick with free server transfers, and there were alot of heavy+ servers, aswell as a much higher population cap compared to ToR, or so it looks. They also solved the problem even more by allowing x-server transfers for a small fee per toon, with zero restrictions.

 

I never had issues fidning groups in vanilla and bc. Neither on Kel'Thuzad or Emerald Dream. Then some time during LK they released a dungeon finder tool, then later on the x-server RDF tool.

 

But its also an OLD game, which did alot of new things that became standards within MMO design. Things neglected by BW in fear that it would ruin the community, because they listned to the opinions of a few, the few that exaggerate the problems that x-server systems create.

 

But ToR currently has an outdated system to find groups, aswell as a population per server, the size of old games such as DaoC, EQ and so on. If not less...

 

Player transfers were introduced sometime in 2006. That's a whole year-ish of time for the dead server people to get some relief.

 

To be fair, sometime in late 2005 they did open up high->low pop migration. Not the same and definitely didn't fix the issue.

 

I don't disagree with anything you're saying (other than your WoW facts), I just disagree with the time frame in which you expect it.

[Holden_Dissent]

No, the nice LFG window that allowed you to sign your name ont he LFG list so others looking for group could see it. Along with spec and all that mumbojumbo.

 

I'll have to go look that up. It's been a while and my brain can only hold so much old info these days.

[Rayla_Felana]

please stop drinking the bioware koolaid and look at the facts.when you can link something that disproves this,ill be the first to say im wrong. log on during prime time and look at the server list,most are light/standard...maybe 4 are heavy,that dosent sound like a healthy population to me. do you actually think this site just makes it all up?

 

Listen mr.Tloops, just because I disagree with you and your third party site does not mean I am drinking anything, I think there is most definitely a Population drop, but nowhere near as bad as you people would like to make it out to be, I have seen the exact same trolling on every MMO release I have been involved with, just drop the act, until we get actual official statements I won't believe the rubbish spouted on third party sites, I can guarantee I can go and find a very similar 'chart' that states an entirely different 'factual' server population degree.

[Skirata_Kal]

please stop drinking the bioware koolaid and look at the facts.when you can link something that disproves this,ill be the first to say im wrong. log on during prime time and look at the server list,most are light/standard...maybe 4 are heavy,that dosent sound like a healthy population to me. do you actually think this site just makes it all up?

 

When sorting by population, I see Soresu listed in the number 18 spot for US servers...on Republic Side, we had 23 people on fleet during peak time last night. I also have some Imp toons on that server and they're not a whole lot better (50-60 IIRC). On another US server, that is listed WAY down on the list where I happen to have a lvl 27 IA from early access (my friends and I left that server due to Queues), fleet had over 150 people and was buzzing with people LFG/LFM in general. Last night wasn't the only night where I found that to be the case...so no, I'm not putting alot of stock into that website's numbers. At least if Soresu really is the number 18 US server, this game is in far worse trouble than I thought! lol

[Unkknownsith]

Ah third party sources, always reliable.

 

Are you a Bioware dev or employee?

 

I will honestly ask you, do you actually believe that EA or for that matter any other game production company would come out with the stats, the third party source is showing.

 

Even with Blizzard there are third party sources giving the data out on the state of the game. It's always been that way, but we'll be able to determine if the third party source is right come EA's shareholder meeting.

 

That is where all the truth comes out, don't believe me even Morhaime from Blizzard was grilled and skewered by Blizzard shareholders over their losses which occurred with Cataclysm.

 

I have zero doubt Mr. Reid will face the same mantra " throw him on the barby " from EA's shareholder meeting.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Sireene
rude - PM'd