Merge/Transfers to Dalborra (Oceanic Servers)

[TheSaamun]

Has anyone gone through the entire server and asked every individual member what they think? Because if they haven't then everyone who is assuming the majority want out are doing just that, assuming.

 

It could turn out that just you select few people who have posted here are the ones with a problem. The argument that it'd get boring to be with the same people doing what I love to do with my leisure time? Screw that, I love the people I hang out with on this server, I'll happily stay and RP, PvE and PvP with them until this game dies, hell it's worth the $15 to be able to play with just one of them.

 

Transfers are the solution, send the people who want out away and it will clean up the community. It will probably also bring back a few people who have left because they disliked the bad eggs. The result is a larger population for those that want it and a close-knit, fun RP community for those that are interested in that.

[JoshieoPandar]

Even if they did open up 'optional' transfers. They'll still merge the origin servers to the destination servers. You'll have the option to remain on your origin server, but only for a limited of time, and new players are locked out from creating any character on the origin server. If anyone's kept track, they've done this already with the US and EU servers.

 

And yes, some of us are on the RP server do actually RP. I enjoy it casually myself, but as others have said we also enjoy other aspects of the game. With the amount of concurrent players around. PvP has been limited to only a few pops a night, and that is quite frankly annoying, which has made me decide to not bother to logging in anymore besides the two-set nights of ops, since I still enjoy my guild's company. For RWZs, it'd be nice to have more diversity to it. Otherwise with no cross-server feature whatsoever, or any communication regarding one. It shows Bioware prefers to do their stuff locally, which means for those optional transfers to be in order.

[Amensis]

The game has many aspects, including RP, PVE and PVP. All these aspects are enjoyed by different people. The problem is without a sufficient population, these events take a lot of organising outside of the Star Wars game design, either through Team Speak, Vent or guild websites which again means that guilds / alliances take on the bulk of the organising, not game features like the group finder or (ranked) warzone queues which often break down.

 

With RP, it is the same, because there are no in-game features pointing you to the nearest RP event or hotspot and lacks visibility. I'm sure many people come to Dav Garagon looking for RP, but the only way in is through existing guilds or to start your own arcs, but with a low population it's too hard and many give up on RP and join the general population. In the end I don't think RP is about playing on an RP server, but finding a group of people to RP with and to do that, you've got to have a decent population.

 

I would suggest in-game publishing (guild notice board) for guilds could announce events and prompt people to get involved in player organised content, such as announcing when your guild is going to queue to all server players, or inviting people to get involved in operations, etc. That would help a smaller population, but SWTOR is a MMORPG and is designed for a massive population so if you're not going to make the game compatible with smaller populations, then you have to ensure there are large populations and in my opinion that means merging servers or allowing character transfers.

[darthnish]

The game has many aspects, including RP, PVE and PVP. All these aspects are enjoyed by different people. The problem is without a sufficient population, these events take a lot of organising outside of the Star Wars game design, either through Team Speak, Vent or guild websites which again means that guilds / alliances take on the bulk of the organising, not game features like the group finder or (ranked) warzone queues which often break down.

 

With RP, it is the same, because there are no in-game features pointing you to the nearest RP event or hotspot and lacks visibility. I'm sure many people come to Dav Garagon looking for RP, but the only way in is through existing guilds or to start your own arcs, but with a low population it's too hard and many give up on RP and join the general population. In the end I don't think RP is about playing on an RP server, but finding a group of people to RP with and to do that, you've got to have a decent population.

 

complety agree with this

I would suggest in-game publishing (guild notice board) for guilds could announce events and prompt people to get involved in player organised content, such as announcing when your guild is going to queue to all server players, or inviting people to get involved in operations, etc. That would help a smaller population, but SWTOR is a MMORPG and is designed for a massive population so if you're not going to make the game compatible with smaller populations, then you have to ensure there are large populations and in my opinion that means merging servers or allowing character transfers.

 

i completly agree with this, i just want better population im sick of the current state in pvp, where we have to cater to the bads to make them que. with utter b/s incentives like recruit wzs and naked wzs which are just padding to people who cant play their class.

[TheSaamun]

i completly agree with this, i just want better population im sick of the current state in pvp, where we have to cater to the bads to make them que. with utter b/s incentives like recruit wzs and naked wzs which are just padding to people who cant play their class.

 

Explain.

 

Seriously, how is equaling the gear level and thus making it about skill without influence of gear catering to those who can't play their class? Sense, you are making none. Recruit gear pvp is one of the initiatives to bring back those who dislike the current pvp set up due to classes reaching the gear level where they are tankier than low gear tanks. The bads and ones who can't play their class would clearly oppose this because they've grinded to get high gear level to make up for their lack of skill.

[darthnish]

Explain.

 

Seriously, how is equaling the gear level and thus making it about skill without influence of gear catering to those who can't play their class? Sense, you are making none. Recruit gear pvp is one of the initiatives to bring back those who dislike the current pvp set up due to classes reaching the gear level where they are tankier than low gear tanks. The bads and ones who can't play their class would clearly oppose this because they've grinded to get high gear level to make up for their lack of skill.

 

mate my scoundrel is possibly the most geared healer atm, but i was always this good since recruit gear, i feel like a big fish in a small pool in this server, im not trying to be cocky or anything but its what ive seen, all i really want to do is play with other people at my skill level so its more challenging for me, i find absolutely no pleasure in facing off with the same skill leveled players over and over and over and over again, i am no upping my skill cap, i am merely loosing touch with the standard id like be playing at. So i would really like it if they could allow me to transfer out.

[SunfirePhenix]

So some of the RPr's don't care if we leave the server?

 

all we want is the option to leave, you will find that after this option is available (if it ever is) there will be little population left on the server, forcing you guys to move or unsub as pointed out in previous posts...

 

and if anything RPr's on this server would gain more people to rp with after a merge/transfer... wouldnt that be more fun???

 

But anyway.......... IM ALL FOR SERVER MERGE or TRANSFER!!! we need more people to PVP and PVE with and maybe ill even give RP a go??? maybe?

[Ailie]

Again, two sides to it. Yes it's their decision & they probably should stay if they want to.. but it may not be what they're expecting..

 

* You can RP on any server..

* There will be very few left as already seen with European & U.S Servers..

* Bioware will then have an entire new complaint thread about the same thing dealt with months ago.

 

If it merges that doesn't mean the end of all RP. Hell you'd have more people to RP with.

 

Hmmm, more people to RP with...

 

For those who have not been Enthusiastic RPers before I'll give you a brief overview of what it's like to try and enjoy your gaming time as an RPer on an PvE server.

 

You join a group and remain in your character. The remaining members of the group mutter underhanded comments and you find yourself kicked out. Okay so they were bad people.

 

So you go to the local tavern to quench your sorrows at being rejected, and because you always thank the barkeep despite him being an NPC someone yells across the room "F***in RPers!"

 

So you see, RPing whilst it can in theory be done anywhere, is not always accepted or enjoyed.

 

And I will again state that if this server was left with 200 people, those 200 will probably be quite happy to keep on keeping on. On a side note, it is interesting that a number of the people here asking for the merge are from one guild who is particularly disliked on the server and is often discluded deliberately from community activities... perhaps there's a lesson in that for all of us.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Ailie

[Ailie]

So some of the RPr's don't care if we leave the server?

 

all we want is the option to leave, you will find that after this option is available

 

No, you're asking for everyone to be merged in together, that is not what everyone wants and we are quite within our rights to state that.

 

I'm happy for everyone who wants to transfer off, might mean there's less drama for a change and we can actually enjoy our PvP again like we used to.

[Ailie]

The problem is without a sufficient population, these events take a lot of organising outside of the Star Wars game design, either through Team Speak, Vent or guild websites which again means that guilds / alliances take on the bulk of the organising, not game features like the group finder or (ranked) warzone queues which often break down.

 

Please name me one MMO that who made this easy in their first year of launch. And every MMO I've played, this has always been the case. If people aren't keen to join guilds then it will always be hard to get involved in group activities.

 

And again, ranked warzones fell over because people started making drama about losing, and this lead to the apparent lack of population

[jasenbicsak]

Ok this is completely off topic now and ruining this thread, Ailie if your not for this transfer/cluster thing then dont post in here....all we want is a way out cause our server is DEAD doesnt matter that you can sit around a cantina with your 5 friends /emoting eachother, the other 90% of the population want a variety to play against rather than the 20 pvpers max we have or the 2-3 guilds that do ops.

 

In the end if they give us a transfer this server will be closed, it will happen we just want it to hurry up

[Jarlgon]

Ok this is completely off topic now and ruining this thread, Ailie if your not for this transfer/cluster thing then dont post in here....all we want is a way out cause our server is DEAD doesnt matter that you can sit around a cantina with your 5 friends /emoting eachother, the other 90% of the population want a variety to play against rather than the 20 pvpers max we have or the 2-3 guilds that do ops.

 

In the end if they give us a transfer this server will be closed, it will happen we just want it to hurry up

 

I have a feeling they will close all APAC servers and force everyone on to US servers.

[jasenbicsak]

hopefully not, they would lose players from us even more id think. I dont personally want to go back to 200fps from 11fps I will cry! haha.

 

if they merge/cluster the three servers it would go off! it would even bring players back, I know alot of people that would.

[Luuyi]

I am little disappointed that threads were deleted. I think it's important that people's honest opinions are expressed.

 

After reading and taking in what's being expressed, I am now for cross-server queing rather than a full-merger/transfers. Cross-servers would allow everyone to get what they want. PVP, Flashpoints, etc would pop more often whilst RP-ers on Gav Daragon would still be in their environment/community.

[jasenbicsak]

clustering(cross server queing) would be the best option but ive heard with the current programming they cant implement it so they will do what they did will the few US servers that died. alow mass exit to another server and slowly close the previous.

 

the merge will eventually happen, theres no point fighting it. you can still RP on when merged, ive been merged as a RP server to a normal server and ppl might stuff with you initialy but then they quickly forget and with to many pops going on there not going to waste there time sitting in a nar shadda cantina...

[darthnish]

clustering(cross server queing) would be the best option but ive heard with the current programming they cant implement it so they will do what they did will the few US servers that died. alow mass exit to another server and slowly close the previous.

 

the merge will eventually happen, theres no point fighting it. you can still RP on when merged, ive been merged as a RP server to a normal server and ppl might stuff with you initialy but then they quickly forget and with to many pops going on there not going to waste there time sitting in a nar shadda cantina...

 

^ What he said i have had a similar experience on a diff mmo when they merged the servers.

[KindlyOne]

Sorry about that wall of text post previously. I just had to get that off my chest.

 

About whether we should merge or we should just allow transfers. Here's my two-cents:

 

First point: MMO operations 101: You do not split a server into different types of servers if there is not enough of a population to sustain each individual server. Right now, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that this is the case with the three Oceanic servers. Merge them or watch them die.

 

Next point: Let's say we allow transfers from Master Dar'Nala and Gav Daragon onto Dalborra, but not merges. Why did Bioware lock all the origin servers for the US and EU region? To stop new people from unwittingly creating a character on a dead server. Without the lock, they'll have to keep doing transfers off the origin servers.

 

Likewise, if Bioware don't lock Gav Daragon and Master Dar'Nala, guess what? New people coming into those two ghost towns will want to transfer off. It's a headache. If they lock Gav Daragon and Master Dar'Nala, well ... oh dear, it'll be a ghost town. You might as well transfer.

 

Last point: The RP server really isn't that much different from the PvE server. A similar point exists for the PvP server. Look at Gav Daragon. What's to stop someone from mocking you for being in character? Nothing. They'll do it anyway. You can complain about them and on an RP server, you may feel you have the right to be there, but guess what? Harassment is harassment whether or not it occurs on an RP server or non-RP server.

 

Report them and think on them no more. Don't let them influence your day any further than that.

 

These are my thoughts. If asked what my decision would be, I would refer to the first point: having separate rule-set servers is a luxury afforded by population size. We don't have that population size. Merge the three servers. Don't let new players see and wonder why there are two dead servers next to a large healthy server. Don't give new players the opportunity to make the mistake of starting on a dead server.

[darthnish]

i spoke to a customer support person yesterday night and they assured me that the devs are aware of this issue and as proof i requested them to have a member of the dev team post in this thread to assure us they arent taking this issue lightly. Hopefully that happens soon.

[darthnish]

i dont think the imperial side exists anymore its been over a week since ive had a fight against imperials that didnt involve reps swapping sides to make it happen, if dawn wants to be the top guild on a dead server, by all means you can have that title after visz transfers off.

[KindlyOne]

Getting back on topic, it's possible that cross server match-ups for warzones and flashpoints could save the server. It just doesn't help the raiders that much because it's hard to PUG even story mode EC.

 

The cross-server feature would go a long way in stemming the frustration players are feeling on Gav Daragon with respect to group finder and warzone PvP. It might keep players interested and it might keep the population sustained that way.

 

But I would like explore the cross-server idea a little more. What about opening it up to the GTN as well? 'Cause as you know, the auction house is another feature affected by low populations.

 

What if we allowed cross server raid formations? A raid leader would have to form the group first, convert it into ops, set the challenge level and loot rules, and when she's happy with it, she would just open the raid to the other servers. People from other servers could browse and see what cross-server raids are on offer, and they can bid to join. If the raid leader sends an accept, that person appears in that operation instance. It's a little clunky, but it allows cross-server alliances. Basically, it's a Group Finder with a more hands-on approach for operations.

 

Some other MMOs have tried giving bonuses to servers with lower populations. For example, a low population server might have reduced training costs at their class trainer. It might have social points bonuses to conversations because it's harder to find groups out in the wild. It might have bonuses to experience and warzone commendation gain. Maybe they could have lowered credit costs for legacy unlocks (the mother of all grinds.) There are a lot of possibilities, a lot of ways to add incentives to playing on a low population server. Worth considering, no?

[ingenuityfails]

But I would like explore the cross-server idea a little more. What about opening it up to the GTN as well? 'Cause as you know, the auction house is another feature affected by low populations.

 

That would be awesome. Probably increase delays between putting up/receiving items, but it would be worth it. But considering the GTN mails your stuff to you, does that mean the mail system would be cross-server as well? No downside to it, and I suppose there could be benefits.

[TrueNovaZero]

I agree that cross-server queuing would do much to alleviate the problem. For the PvPers it would, at least give us something to do between Ops times. The idea of cross-server alliances for ops would be great if communication between servers was much more streamlined. FPs for the sub-50s would be great too. It would at the very least remove the stresses for those instances.

 

CSR has already assured our people that something is being done. When I opted to put a ticket in, I made it clear -- I'm a little jaded when it comes to assurances. They're platitudes. If we're able to actually hear something from the higher-ups, that'd be great... but I'm skeptical. Whatever is going to be done, needs to be done and soon. There's been a few good ideas in this thread alone... many of which, if explored and executed correctly might just solve these issues. Doing so would also mean that it could be implemented across all the servers out there and would be an effective counter to similar problems. But I say this because, time for subscription is coming up and today at least 3 people have mentioned considering unsubbing until things improve (be it new patch, free to play or change in server pop). 3 people unsubbing might not mean much to most, but when they're people who are... effectively "pillars" of the community, that's at worse going to drive more to do the same or at the least just push morale even lower.

Edited September 17, 2012 by TrueNovaZero

[Luuyi]

It looks like Bioware is doing something major with their "High Population Server Tech Testing". They are also going Free-To-Play. All good things take time, SWTOR is an awesome game and I have made awesome friends (strangely, I have never met anyone of them in person) so I am gonna keep faith and give Bioware a chance for them to roll out their coming initiatives.

 

Please excuse but I am not apologising, I promise this will be my one and only finger pointing...I will say my piece and will forever hold my peace. This is my truth (or perceived). I am with another guild and as a guild we are relatively new to end-game content and over the past weeks, Visz has ran about 6 ~ 8 of us through Ops.

 

Visz has an open invitation to anyone to join their website, ops and even their Voice Chat. They have organised PVP events and opened it to everyone. The downing of Nightmare Pilgrim was a 2~3 weeks organising effort and running under-geared L50s.

 

I am really annoyed with Ailie for all the negativities against Visz.

 

Dear Sir/Madam, I find your comments unfair and unfounded. This thread is not about the merits of DAWN or Visz Alliance. It is about the future of the game and the online community. Fact is that as a server, we are experiencing a declining trend in subscriptions. Unless something is done, everything will collapse. Eventually even the might DAWN and Visz Alliance will go too.

 

Ok I am done. Gonna go mind my own business now and give Bioware a chance... plus I have a trooper to level and all 4 Imperials classes yet to complete. See you guys game side !

Edited September 17, 2012 by Luuyi

[Kemra]

It looks like Bioware is doing something major with their "High Population Server Tech Testing". They are also going Free-To-Play. All good things take time, SWTOR is an awesome game and I have made awesome friends (strangely, I have never met anyone of them in person) so I am gonna keep faith and give Bioware a chance for them to roll out their coming initiatives.

 

Please excuse but I am not apologising, I promise this will be my one and only finger pointing...I will say my piece and will forever hold my peace. This is my truth (or perceived). I am with another guild and as a guild we are relatively new to end-game content and over the past weeks, Visz has ran about 6 ~ 8 of us through Ops.

 

Visz has an open invitation to anyone to join their website, ops and even their Voice Chat. They have organised PVP events and opened it to everyone. The downing of Nightmare Pilgrim was a 2~3 weeks organising effort and running under-geared L50s.

 

I am really annoyed with Ailie for all the negativities against Visz.

 

Dear Sir/Madam, I find your comments unfair and unfounded. This thread is not about the merits of DAWN or Visz Alliance. It is about the future of the game and the online community. Fact is that as a server, we are experiencing a declining trend in subscriptions. Unless something is done, everything will collapse. Eventually even the might DAWN and Visz Alliance will go too.

 

Ok I am done. Gonna go mind my own business now and give Bioware a chance... plus I have a trooper to level and all 4 Imperials classes yet to complete. See you guys game side !

 

This.. totally agree!

 

Also those friends who aren't currently playing are a good reason for merger rather than opening transfers, I know a few that had to take a break of an unspecified period of time due to RL concerns, I'd hate to see them come back to find empty guilds and friends lists and decide to quit for good because Gav would be a ghost town.

[darthnish]

guys enough with this guild stuff, no more derailing focus on our goal here