Server Merge Discussion Thread

[cyrusramsey]

The 'technical' reasons against merges feel like poor reasons to me. If a reason to not merge is the loss of some asset in the game, then these are things that can be solved by BW:A. I'd agree to such measures being a requirement before merging, not to tagging these obstacles as reasons not to merge at all.

 

Aside from that, I have very mixed feelings about the matter.

 

On the one hand, I've gotten a DvL XP suit on every North American server and four Euro servers, and.. wow, was it ever a pain to get anything done on the old pvp servers. It feels horribly selfish to me how some people wish to keep empty servers to themselves, when the game was clearly not meant to be like that and it has a significant potential to scare off new players. Also, while my primary server is not one of the ghost towns, queuing for a HM FP with both a tank and a healer and then having to give up after an hour because there's just nobody else in the queue also makes me wish for either a merge or cross-server queuing.

 

On the other hand, if I had to go and rename many of my characters, there would be a very big chance that I couldn't bring up the energy to carry on anymore. My characters are why I still play, their names are not trivial to me. Also, I've seen the other servers, and the thought of getting merged into the likes of Harbinger makes me cringe, it's not a place I found welcoming. Finally, it could have immense impact on conquest. I'm not sure I like the idea of having to join a large conquest guild just to matter in that regard anymore.

 

All in all, I find that what arguments I have against a merge could largely be circumvented by technical means, and I'd be willing to suck up the rest if it was for the good of the game. Fact is that if they were to attempt something like this, they would have to take it slowly and make preparations to mitigate as many issues as possible.

 

(Saw someone mention something about this: Begeren Colony being my primary server, I would much rather see it merged into Ebon Hawk than with Harbinger, even if they're on different coasts right now.)

[DWho]

Even IF (and that is a HUGE IF) BW were to get the merge process 100% perfect and players lost no personal assets and guilds were merged intact with all guild assets intact, there are still the issues of server populations/communities.

 

Many people are very happy on their current servers.

 

Some players prefer a lower population. Some do not want to spend all their time fighting over resources or quest objectives. While it is possible at times to move to another instance, all too often there is only one instance with a population some players find to be too crowded, often just beneath the threshold for a new instance to be created.

 

Some prefer a more respectful and responsible community than one will find on Harbinger, the highest population server and also the server with the highest percentage (and number) of players who display "less than desirable" behavior. Some do not even want to think about being forcibly merged into the cesspool that is Harbinger.

 

These are very important points. Excessive competition for mission objectives is a very frustrating situation. If you want an example, look at how difficult it is to complete the bonus mission for the Coruscant heroic Face Merchants. You get to the area and there are already half a dozen people standing around waiting to jump the spawn when it materializes. Now take this situation and apply it to many of the mission objectives on Tython, Coruscant, Korriban, and Dromund Kaas (the kill X NPCs or find X components missions). I played this game when there were 150 people on the starter planets and it was very frustrating to be lined up 5 or 6 deep on mission objectives, or worse, you wait your turn and then someone jumps in and ninjas the objective. High population brings out the worst in people (ninjas, chat bullies, harassment, chat sewers), Harbinger is a good example of all the things that can go wrong with a high population. Just sit in chat for a while on fleet there and you can see how disgusting it gets.

[HuaRya]

Harbinger is a good example of all the things that can go wrong with a high population. Just sit in chat for a while on fleet there and you can see how disgusting it gets.

 

Getting a bit nonplussed with these 'safe space' type comments about hurting words. Franklly I see them on every server. Moments ago I was on the planet DK on TEH and there was a long banter back and forth about inapropriate sexual innuendos.

 

It's the same as saying , oh by the way all those people smell like bad cheese................

[cyrusramsey]

Getting a bit nonplussed with these 'safe space' type comments about hurting words. Franklly I see them on every server. Moments ago I was on the planet DK on TEH and there was a long banter back and forth about inapropriate sexual innuendos.

 

It's the same as saying , oh by the way all those people smell like bad cheese................

 

DK is horrible everywhere, and sure, every server has its share of unpleasant people, but if I ever feel like it's getting bad on my primary server, all I have to do is visit Harbinger for 15 minutes to be reminded how good I have it.

[cyrusramsey]

I do not know if this has been mentioned already, skimmed the pages but didn't carefully read everything, but I noticed someone express concern regarding character limits. I know my partner has had more characters on one server than the actual server limit for a long time after a previous server merge. It required buying several character slots to unlock one more extra slot once they expanded the cap, but none of the existing characters were lost then, so it would surprise me if that would be an issue in the future.

[Storm-Cutter]

While they're making money off people swapping using Cartel coins, they'll hand-wave it away. - even if people realise it's dead after a few levels and won't/can't transfer, so they quit.

 

I can't see that character names are a big problem. - There are work-arounds if you've got a special snowflake name, and It surely can't be that hard to transfer guild, achievement and stronghold details into a merged database for a new server, can it?

 

BW team too small to do the work, and too blinkered to address the bigger issues.

[Eli_Porter]

I think they should keep it simple, and only merge the PvP servers into the highest pop servers.

 

Also, they should fix the population indicators so players better know how to pick a server.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Eli_Porter

[Eshvara]

IMO, a better approach would be to label those servers as "very light" or "very low population". That leaves those servers available for those that prefer that lower population while also deterring any new players who prefer a more populated server from choosing those servers.

I still think in most cases, people go to the server with the most players, which would also be why some servers are dead and stay dead.

[Eli_Porter]

I still think in most cases, people go to the server with the most players, which would also be why some servers are dead and stay dead.

 

And some players avoid high pop servers intentionally. For lots of reasons stated in this thread.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Eli_Porter

[Eshvara]

And some players avoid high pop servers intentionally. For lots of reasons stated in this thread.

 

Absolutely, but do you think they would cater to the few or to the many? Servers that are low populated stay that way for a reason.

[Eli_Porter]

Absolutely, but do you think they would cater to the few or to the many? Servers that are low populated stay that way for a reason.

 

They stay low, but they don't die out fast. Otherwise JC would've been dead two years ago.

[Halinalle]

One of the biggest reasons why queue times are long is because healers and tanks get too much criticism from dps. For example, marauder does a mistake -> blames healer and/or tank. Edited June 6, 2017 by Halinalle

[Eshvara]

They stay low, but they don't die out fast. Otherwise JC would've been dead two years ago.

 

Well they'll never have 0 people on them, even TOFN has 1-2 people in the fleet.

[mmmbuddah]

NO. It will not work because of idiots that will grief and troll rp and nothing there to stop them. Grief a pvp player, she kills you. Grief a rp player on an instance nothing can be done to stop it.

 

Apply RP rules to the instance. Simple. Then implement a system to ban trolls from those instances. It really isn't hard.

[mmmbuddah]

Yeah right and I play from New Zealand you can play this game fine on 300-400+ MS no problems at all

 

400 ms is unacceptable for pvp. You would always be at a disadvantage. Always. Respect for people playing on those pings, but that does not mean the quality of play should suffer for everyone because you have a high ping rate.

[StupidWiz]

One of the biggest reasons why queue times are long is because healers and tanks get too much criticism from dps. For example, marauder does a mistake -> blames healer and/or tank.

Or from the tank and healer themselves. I've been on the both end myself when I made mistake as the healer or tank, and the tank (when I'm the healer) or the healer (when I'm the tank) called me trash and then left the group. It's easier to be dps cause the blame won't be cast on them first. Thus why the queue will always take longer eventually, cause it's easier just to call em trash than patiently point out their mistake and *gasp* maybe teach and guide em to do better.

Edited June 6, 2017 by StupidWiz

[Eli_Porter]

Well they'll never have 0 people on them, even TOFN has 1-2 people in the fleet.

 

There's a diffference between the dead PvP servers and JC. JC actually has a community, TOFN just has material farmers running around.

[Celise]

Bioware needs to start getting players back to the game by doing good things again. otherwise i can't see any hope for any of these servers in a few years from now, and it will happen at the current rate of dwindling numbers. i don't even think one gaint server will fix the problem if it comes to it.

 

the best form of defense is by going on offense, meaning bioware need to do something to combat the drop in players.

[omaan]

Why would anyone think that a new thread would make people change their opinions.

 

Those against server merges are not going to suddenly support those server merges or stop voicing their objections to those merges simply because there is a new thread.

 

Those who want server merges (either because they rely upon LFG fodder, "they want to 'protect' someone who is not even playing the game but MIGHT POSSIBLY at some distant time in the future decide to try the game" or any other reason) are not going to suddenly change their minds and show concern for those who would be negatively impacted by server merges.

 

Yet, there are people who wants server merges (many players on t3m4). Or at least cross-server queues. Why don't bioware don't give us cross-server queues? It would solve all population problems

[Darkside]

So, you're answer is to negatively impact multitudes of people who are playing the game NOW (and likely supporting the game financially by subscribing) by forcing them to suffer the nightmares and headaches server merges would cause, in favor of someone who is NOT even playing the game now and only MIGHT POSSIBLY decide to try the game (return to the game) at some undetermined point in the future?

 

Yes! Because those few subscriber hold outs are causing more long term damage to attracting and retaining new subs than the value that they offer to the game. Let's say the server has 100 active users, but they cause 1000 potential subs to turn away from the game, all due to the appearance that the game is dead. Also the onus should not be on new players to try and find the most populated server. Most, and rightfully so, would assume that the server type they chose is going to be populated, even if it is only average. All dead servers should be nixed for the damage that they cause to the game's percepted image.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Darkside

[Tisaren]

It's probably been mentioned before, but I hope that IF BW decides to merge servers they will keep a RP server available in both the US (Ebon Hawk?) and EU (The Progenitor?). These servers could also appeal to players who prefer solo play and do not give a **** about PvP and/or raiding. They could call these servers mmoRPg servers

 

Another option would be to make character transfers free, but I don't think forcibly moving people to a single server, to accomodate the PvP/raiding 'community', will benefit the game. Obviously I am only speaking for myself here, but if I am forced to move to a new, single server, I will most certainly unsubscribe.

[DiamondDove]

18 people on Imp fleet and 30 on pub side during prime Aussie time (8 pm) on Harbinger tonight. I have never paid any heed to the threads requesting server mergers before - but now I am sitting up and taking notice.

 

I know that fleet numbers are only one possible surrogate for server health, and that gree is currently on, but I must admit these numbers have me worried. It seems like only a few months ago that there were multiple fleet instances.

 

If this is a real population collapse, then I think server mergers are the only realistic solution.

 

I know how people on 'dead'' servers feel - we were all kicked off Dalborra (APAC server) when the fleet population was still 200+ each night. I stayed until the end and the server never felt dead because I still had friends there to do FPs, OPs or dailies with.

 

The game has not felt the same since, and not just because the ping is now 10 times slower. You build up a community on a server, and when you are forced to merge that community is shattered. Harb is certainly nothing like Dalborra was. Even though our guild transferred over intact, it was never quite the same again.

 

If the heaviest pop server is this low, however, I don't know that we have a choice but to vote for mergers.

[AscendingSky]

Apply RP rules to the instance. Simple. Then implement a system to ban trolls from those instances. It really isn't hard.

 

EAWare has done little to nothing to deal with harassment in a lot of prominent cases in the past. There's a whole other thread about that currently on this forum. RPers facing harassment are simply told to put the perpetrators on ignore (which doesn't help because ignore lists don't have infinite capacity while harassers can just keep switching/creating new alts in perpetuity, or get their friends involved) and don't do anything about said harassers. Not to mention there are multiple ways to harass and grief RPers that the ignore list doesn't block in any way. So I don't have any faith that they could 'police' any RP instance on a merged server effectively enough to protect their customers who RP there from facing even more abuse than they already do.

 

Not to mention that smacking people down after the fact is a reaction, not a preventative. RPers like me will still have to put up with a constant stream of garbage coming from griefers and trolls who apparently have nothing better to do with their time. Most of the people who do that don't use their main accounts; if one gets banned, they just make a new one and keep going. It is literally impossible for anyone to prevent all harassment from happening, and unless they assign employees to monitor chat everywhere RPers might be 24/7 there will always be hours and days of delay inherent in stopping harassment presently going on, at best.

 

This is why an RP instance on a merged server would not work.

Edited June 6, 2017 by AscendingSky

[darthscotty]

They stay low, but they don't die out fast. Otherwise JC would've been dead two years ago.

 

 

Not sure where the idea that JC is a dead server comes from. It has a very healthy population and ques pop for whatever you want. I do not do ranked so cannot comment on ranked ques. People who want to raid have no trouble getting groups, fleet is active, always lots of stuff listed on the GTN. JC is fine leave it alone.

[Jedi_riches]

Server merges, No thank you. TRE is health enough as it is without trying to dump several other servers into it (3 French, 3 German and another 2 English), I don't wish to have knightmares in chat when I become unable to understand the other languages spoken I am on a English speaking server for a reason I only can speak English.

 

Also please consider the impact on none instanced quest objectives if you merge servers, players already complain about re-spawn times etc and BW have shown no indication of changing this and there is no proof that they would re-valuate this view after merging.

 

Also finally unless Bioware can 100~% guarantee players will loose nothing not even character names it should not be considered again, names are important parts to many people and loosing any would make my desire to play again go down significantly.