That is good news.

I’d like to be able to turn it off. I’ve come back to the game after a very long absence (I played at launch) and want to experience the class stories while playing a game that poses at least some level of challenge. At it is, I’m just breezing through all areas and this seriously is putting me off keeping my sub going.

The problem as I see it is that SWTOR has never really given the feeling of a living world, for a lot of MMO fans this is a very important feature. It almost feels like it was a deliberate decision to strip away standard MMO features in favour of a linear quest grind with a class story. I see where you coming from with the RPG element however that element really seems tied to what feels far more like a simple player experience. I’m not saying that SWTOR is a bad game, I do think however that it’s currently far too limited and needs development time in non-combat related activities and development of the world. The problem is that launching the game in the stat they did will now limit future development as it cost them subscribers, the empty severs were evidence of this. My current mind-set is to give them until 1.3 is released, then if I’m still bored with the game cancel my sub and check back in a year. I want the game ot do well, I want a great SW MMO to play, but at the moment I don't think we're getting that.

If it hopes to succeed in the current market, yes. You seem to be getting quite defensive about the game but this is the bottom line no matter how you look at it. Does this game have the rounded content needed to be successful in 2012? The answer at the moment is no. People were pointing this out during beta.

Immaterial, I’m not saying that they conned anyone. I’m saying that what they released doesn’t have the content to compete long-term in the current market and that a direct comparison to the release version of WoW is nonsensical for a MMO released in December 2011.

I do wish people would stop attempting to compare this game to WoWs early days. We are in 2012, SWTOR is a modern MMO, released by a big name RPG developer and the game is in competition with its contemporaries. They’ve had 5 years to look at what else is out there and gain an understanding to the market and customer expectations.

It matters to a lot of people because they see the potential in the game and want it to be better. Also if you want a SW MMO then it’s the only game in town these days. I don’t think anyone is trying to get the people who are enjoying the game (or think it doesn’t need improving) to follow them, they just disagree with these people. Personally I am at a loss as to why anyone who plays the game and enjoys it in its current state wouldn’t still be in favour of improvements, or why these people seem incapable of looking at the situation objectively and realising that something is going wrong.

<Bang> That was the sound of a nail being hit on the head. Do we need server merges? Yes. Do BW need to also sort out the root cause of the low server population? Even more so. A lot of people seem to think that merging the servers together will solve all the issues. It won’t it’s just a stopgap that will buy time.

The leaps of logic the fanboys are now making to defend the problems are getting funnier and funnier. Reread what you just typed. “Unless you are the only person left in your guild what’s the problem? . . . you only need 17 others to go play.” I’m assuming this isn’t sarcasm.

Star Wars Fan: “The original trilogy are fantastic films.” Star War Fanboy “Everything about Star Wars is great. Lucas can do no wrong, Jarjar Binks was a shrewd move and a deep character that kept true to the SW ethos.” SWTOR fan: “This game has a lot of potential but really has a lot of room for improvement. I’ve had loads of fun with it but I see its very obvious faults. I relly hope BW pull something out of the bag so it’ll still be going strong in a years’ time.” SWTOR Fanboy: “SWTOR is fantastic, it’s great just as it is. I wish all these trolls would stop whining. Any changes are a bad thing, unless BW say they’re a good thing, in which case they will become a good thing. God I love BW so much, I bet once they read this post I’ll get an invite to the pub with the dev team.“

Interesting post, all the things you mentioned are not part of the MMO experience. I do at times think they should have just not bothered with an MMO and made KotOR3 and made it to the same standard as the Mass Effect series (not counting the ending)

Cool, will BW be suspending the subscription charge for all the people on ghost town servers in the meantime? Grated that’s a rhetorical question to make a point but it’s a point worth making. People back in a January were saying that game may not have much longevity and were predicting all but empty servers within 6 months. BW have failed to address the longevity issues or put any contingency into place for low server population. So either they couldn’t predict what a bunch of players could or they simply didn’t bother to plan.

Super can indeed refer to something’s size (e.g. Supercarrier) and when placed before the word server I certainly inferred that it meant a server with a large capacity. From what I can tell, the people saying that BW aren’t the ones referring to superservers do appear to be correct in at least that. It seems to be the gaming news websites that have started this off, possibly starting with PC Gamer. Not that there’s a big differed if the actual word is used or not.

What about people who don't want to leave their guild? I’m on the server that BW put my guild on. Once the server pop went down were we all supposed to abandon our characters and start from scratch on a new server? Is that really what we should have to do?

I gradually slipping from content to unhappy, I’d class my current stat as disillusioned and borderland apathetic. I’ve seen a noticeable decline in server population in the past month which isn’t helping but if I’m honest I have to say that I’m just bored with the game. It’s never felt like a proper MMO to me, the world has always felt to sterile and there is nothing to do beyond the level/gear grind or the frustrating datacron hunting. I’m seriously considering unsubbing and checking back in a year to see what’s been added. The issue is that I’m not convinced that SWTOR will still be a subscription game in a year. I loved the game at launch, but knew back then that it would be a temporary thing, there just isn’t enough non-combat content and the world is far too sterile.