Time to merge the US servers... again. Primetime window getting smaller and smaller.

[Zerileth]

Lol the reasons don't really have to be stated sweaty, but I guess I'll bite.

.

 

I wouldn't call it dead, yet. I was pvp'ing on both servers. Started early on SF 'round 6pm pst and switched about 9pm pst and it seemed both server queues were popping about the same. Check out the French server if you want to see dead.

 

Anyhow, EA will do what EA does.

Edited September 23, 2018 by Zerileth

[Aeneas_Falco]

Lol the reasons don't really have to be stated sweaty, but I guess I'll bite.

• With BW moving the west coast data center to the east coast, they alienated a lot of west coast players and the little bit of APAC players that still played this game. This hurt post-Harb and made SF the bigger server.
  
• People see no reason to stay on SS since it's now like an east coast server like SF, only smaller (and dying each and every day). Better to just hop on SF where most of the east coast and RP players are anyway, thus making the server much bigger.
  
• SF is becoming the newest server for dead server refugees. It's basically like another Fatman. SS is dying and no one wants to play on a quiet server in an MMO.
  
• A lot of the PvP talent from SS started noticing the dying pops on the server so they all migrated to SF or DM.

 

They should just merge already. No one should have to pay 1k cc to transfer each and every toon in their legacy to SF, and it sends a bad message to leave dead servers open for new players who are trying out the game. This is literally the dead servers debacle from 2014-2017 all over again.

 

I don't doubt that the decision not to have a server located on the West Coast alienated APAC players (and others), but I don't think that is why Star Forge emerged as the more populated server. I have characters on both Star Forge and Satele Shan and Star Forge seemed to have a larger population from Day 1.

 

The reason for that I think was that while Harbinger had been the most populated server in North America, it was really the only server on the West Coast with any population of note. The rest were dead or dying. In contrast Ebon Hawk was not far behind Harbinger in population at merger and both Shadowlands and Jedi Covenant, while far from being as active as they used to be, still had somewhat more viable populations than any of the West Coast servers except Harbinger.

 

Star Forge emerged as the server with the heaviest population because there were more players on East Coast servers, they were just spread out between three servers prior to merge, unlike the West Coast servers where most had already consolidated on Harbinger.

[jimmorrisson]

I don't think your reasons against a server merge are in the same league as the reasons for it.

I don't think your reasons for a server merge are in the same league as the reasons against it.

 

Namely the sole few proponents of a one single North American server are Satele Shan ranked PVP players who have no one to play with after Bioware took action against the widespread wintrading and external exploits still taking place FIVE YEARS INTO game's official lifespan.

 

Given Bioware's underhanded nature of last year's server merge - which saw the company wait to till the very last moment to notify players of their plans to merge their West Coast servers (which also served AIPAC) into a singular East Coast server along with lumping Shadowlands and Jedi Covenent onto RP-dominant Ebon Hawk... one could see how Star Forge players and more than a few Satele Shan players would be apprehensive against any more merges.

[Yeldah_]

When are you merger activists going to learn that merging is never going to be a magic population fix? You are looking at this from one perspective and ignoring all repercussions that come with it. I never advocated for a merge in the past. NOT ONCE. I am almost certain that merging has only hurt the game in the long run. Every time it happens at least one player demographic is alienated. Short term solutions which have long term consequences is not the way to go.

[Totemdancer]

When are you merger activists going to learn that merging is never going to be a magic population fix? You are looking at this from one perspective and ignoring all repercussions that come with it. I never advocated for a merge in the past. NOT ONCE. I am almost certain that merging has only hurt the game in the long run. Every time it happens at least one player demographic is alienated. Short term solutions which have long term consequences is not the way to go.

 

Free transfers are the solution.

[Friend-Referral]

Free transfers are the solution.

Nope. We need to avoid free or cheap transfers. The latter was provided in the past and it allowed the small pool that regularly plays ranked to incessantly wintrade and exploit on dead servers for years. Just merge already. SF is the only and barely viable server in NA at this point.

Edited September 30, 2018 by ColorfulCaiques

[Toraak]

Sorry, but I disagree. SS is by no means a dead server, and I don't feel the need to move or get forced to move to SF because some feel a merger is needed. They can always transfer themselves if they feel that the population isn't enough for them. Lets face it all they need to transfer is 1 character for the legacy. Just level any others you need since leveling is a joke now. Edited September 30, 2018 by Toraak

[Friend-Referral]

Sorry, but I disagree. SS is by no means a dead server, and I don't feel the need to move or get forced to move to SF because some feel a merger is needed. They can always transfer themselves if they feel that the population isn't enough for them. Lets face it all they need to transfer is 1 character for the legacy. Just level any others you need since leveling is a joke now.

The endgame PvP'ers and PvE'ers who play on that server would disagree with you on that, especially those that were forced to play an exorbitant amount of CC to transfer their toons to SF or DM for ranked pops.

[Toraak]

The endgame PvP'ers and PvE'ers who play on that server would disagree with you on that, especially those that were forced to play an exorbitant amount of CC to transfer their toons to SF or DM for ranked pops.

 

I see plenty of end game PvE'ers on SS. don't know about PvP'ers, however only 1 transfer is needed, since you can level a character from 1-70 in about 15 hours in game. So transfer your main, with many sets of Legacy gear for any other classes you need. Merger isn't needed, if those people seriously want to transfer fine, but you don't need to transfer a ton of characters. Only need 1 for your legacy perks, any credits you want, and any legacy gear for all the classes you may decide to play.

 

SS is by no means a dead server, just may not have the population for the gameplay you like.

[Totemdancer]

Free transfers would fix the problem for people who want mergers.

[Andryah]

Free transfers would fix the problem for people who want mergers.

 

Free transfers have never been offered except when shutting down a server. I have characters on both servers and I actively play on both. The communities are quite different too.. and I really do not want to see free transfer enabled moves from SS community to the SF community. There is a reason SF is popular and more active then SS, and it's NOT because of group activity requirements.

 

Besides...paid transfers work just as well as they move you where you want to go. Better in fact.. because free transfers just encourage server hopping back and forth for superficial reasons for to game some aspect of the game. They cannot game Ranked ratings anymore...but that was not the only gaming by players with respect to server transfers in the past when they were 90cc for more then a year.

 

The restless, guildless, friendless PvPers are running out of servers to declare as "the place to be for PvP".

 

But this is all academic because SS is nowhere near as dead as some players are pretending. In fact.. the only server I have seen any objective commentary as "being dead" or "dying" is the EU French server.. and I would submit that unless the French players agree.. it's just the usual misinformation being slathered around.

Edited October 2, 2018 by Andryah

[mhobin]

Free transfers have never been offered except when shutting down a server. I have characters on both servers and I actively play on both. The communities are quite different too.. and I really do not want to see free transfer enabled moves from SS community to the SF community. There is a reason SF is popular and more active then SS, and it's NOT because of group activity requirements.

 

Besides...paid transfers work just as well as they move you where you want to go. Better in fact.. because free transfers just encourage server hopping back and forth for superficial reasons for to game some aspect of the game. They cannot game Ranked ratings anymore...but that was not the only gaming by players with respect to server transfers in the past when they were 90cc for more then a year.

 

The restless, guildless, friendless PvPers are running out of servers to declare as "the place to be for PvP".

 

But this is all academic because SS is nowhere near as dead as some players are pretending. In fact.. the only server I have seen any objective commentary as "being dead" or "dying" is the EU French server.. and I would submit that unless the French players agree.. it's just the usual misinformation being slathered around.

 

Most PvPers transferred to find games, not game the system.

 

Stating that SS is in steep decline is not misinformation or slander, it is a fairly reasonable observation. Your ability to defend the health of the game is amazing.

[Mournblood]

And let's say for the sake of argument that you get your way and they do another server merger. What are you going to do when there is only one US server and only one EU server and the population inevitably declines again? Are you going to ask for another server merger after that?

 

If you feel player population is an issue that is preventing you from enjoying the game, a server merger is only going to postpone that issue, as it did with the last server mergers. If you can't accept that reality, then perhaps you might consider moving on to a different game where the population density meets your expectations?

Edited October 2, 2018 by Mournblood

[IoNonSoEVero]

If people aren't happy on their server IMHO the onus should be on them to move or create new characters where they're happier. Not for everyone else to be upheaved, possibly lose names and be locked out of new strongholds and character creation to accommodate them.

 

Before the last set of mergers a lot of people acted like it was a panacea, and yet here we are again.

[CaptRogue]

Most PvPers transferred to find games, not game the system.

 

Stating that SS is in steep decline is not misinformation or slander, it is a fairly reasonable observation. Your ability to defend the health of the game is amazing.

 

No PvPers move around to reset their rating, throw games, etc...

 

The queues were fine. Granked would be grouping often till S9 ended. Then all the sudden some of the PvPers thought the grass was greener on SF & left. Which started an exodus of the "elitist" PvPers to SF...give them time & they will be back. They did this on Harb to SL before mergers.

The state of the server is fine. Queue pops are frequent. Even lowbie PvP pops have been happening tonight.

[Totemdancer]

Best solution is for free transfers. Then people can move around to where they want to play.

[TUXs]

Best solution is for free transfers. Then people can move around to where they want to play.

I could not agree more. Let em swap twice a day for all I care.

[Mournblood]

Best solution is for free transfers. Then people can move around to where they want to play.

 

This is extremely short-sighted.

 

The problem with that is instead of having two glasses that are half full, you'll end up with one that's full and one that's empty. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to take advantage of free transfers. Guilds don't transfer, for example. So a guild who's put in a lot of time and effort to unlock and decorate their flagship won't want to lose that. On a smaller scale, players who are doing well in Ranked won't want to reset their rating.

 

Free transfers only make sense when Bioware is preparing for server mergers, as it saves them work. The pay barrier of paid transfers effectively controls dramatic shifts in population.

[Friend-Referral]

Best solution is for free transfers. Then people can move around to where they want to play.

I'll say again that this will hurt ranked PvP even more again. It'll serve to allow the small pool of bad seeds to wintrade further, and that's the last thing PvP needs.

 

SF has essentially become the new server for dead server refugees. Time for EAware to consider closing dying SS and have 1 NA server. All SWTOR can support at this point is 2 servers (1 NA and 1 EU) and it's time the devs do it now rather than be reactive years later like with the 2017 server merges.

[DavidAtkinson]

I'll say again that this will hurt ranked PvP even more again. It'll serve to allow the small pool of bad seeds to wintrade further, and that's the last thing PvP needs.

 

SF has essentially become the new server for dead server refugees. Time for EAware to consider closing dying SS and have 1 NA server. All SWTOR can support at this point is 2 servers (1 NA and 1 EU) and it's time the devs do it now rather than be reactive years later like with the 2017 server merges.

 

I am willing to bet a large sum of money that SS is not even close to what you describe it to be.....

[Friend-Referral]

I am willing to bet a large sum of money that SS is not even close to what you describe it to be.....

Ranked almost never pops on SS anymore. It's been like that since mid-August, the first 2 or 3 weeks into s10. Many of the PvP'ers jumped ship to either SF or DM because the que times and population, especially for ranked, became woeful.

[Toraak]

Ranked almost never pops on SS anymore. It's been like that since mid-August, the first 2 or 3 weeks into s10. Many of the PvP'ers jumped ship to either SF or DM because the que times and population, especially for ranked, became woeful.

 

Just because ranked may not pop, doesn't mean a server is dead. Only that type of gameplay perhaps. I see plenty of people on SS.

 

If you want to know what a dead server is, look at how low the population was on Jung-ma at the end, or Pot5. Those were dead servers. SS is by no means dead.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Toraak

[Mournblood]

Ranked almost never pops on SS anymore. It's been like that since mid-August, the first 2 or 3 weeks into s10. Many of the PvP'ers jumped ship to either SF or DM because the que times and population, especially for ranked, became woeful.

 

Or perhaps just less people are playing Ranked now after the season 9 debacle. I'm one of them. And if it's only Ranked players that are complaining about low population in their queues, that isn't a sufficient reason to merge servers.

 

Personally, I haven't noticed any significant drop in player population on SS for PvE or PvP (before I quit PvPing about a month ago, WZ queues were popping fast). Today, there were a ton of people in the Rakghoul Tunnels on Alderaan. I'm just not seeing the same issue that others are claiming, unless it's in Ranked, which I refuse to do anymore.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Mournblood

[Totemdancer]

I'll say again that this will hurt ranked PvP even more again. It'll serve to allow the small pool of bad seeds to wintrade further, and that's the last thing PvP needs.

 

SF has essentially become the new server for dead server refugees. Time for EAware to consider closing dying SS and have 1 NA server. All SWTOR can support at this point is 2 servers (1 NA and 1 EU) and it's time the devs do it now rather than be reactive years later like with the 2017 server merges.

 

How do free transfers hurt ranked? You can no longer WinTrade your rating and transfer with it to another server.

That means anyone on a low pop server with a high rating will be easier for Bioware to catch.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Totemdancer

[Totemdancer]

Ranked almost never pops on SS anymore. It's been like that since mid-August, the first 2 or 3 weeks into s10. Many of the PvP'ers jumped ship to either SF or DM because the que times and population, especially for ranked, became woeful.

 

Because no one takes it seriously. A truck load of ranked people have left the game after season 9. Ranked means nothing these days. You shouldn’t take it anymore seriously than regs.

 

What I don’t understand is you say free transfers would be bad for ranked. If pvpers have already started to abondon SS, wouldn’t it be better if those remeaining could transfer off it for free? That would improve ranked, not make it worse.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Totemdancer