Your name is the one and only thing you have in this game that is unique to you. I see the value in that.

Well that's not a thing to be proud of, it's actually quite sad when you think about it

Well that's not a thing to be proud of, it's actually quite sad when you think about it

Says the guy that is making a pitiful attempt at trolling the forums.

I think it's largely a fail PR problem. As I already mentioned, the merger and death of apac servers was inevitable for financial reasons.

It might have been nice if Bioware or EA actually advertised that the game was free to play in Australia. That it was available in Australia. That is had APAC servers. Between 8 months of hanging us out to dwindle doing to nothing and not actively advertising for the game, they choked the life out of GD and MDM, so they could close them all down. This looks like it was a cost cutting decision made before F2P turned the games profit margin around, and no one questioned it to continue to this point, player base be damned.

Just rolled a Harbinger character to see the latency... my best is 220ms... from 21ms on Dalbora

I only PVP in the game and do the class/companion quests

After about 20 mins it is apparent this lag will effect my PVP... I will keep lvling till I can PVP... so I have a comparison

And the reason it will effect me in PVP is I TAB target a lot and use HOT Keys... I am finding just in PVE that I am on top of the mobs before my casts work... there is definitely a 1-2sec lag... and I TAB through targets quickly... when it takes 2 seconds to get to another target or have a med pack... guess what, your too late and your dead

Talk to EA with your wallets and not your hearts!

It's the only language they understand. Save APAC in SW:TOR.

Hahaha you must certainly feel accomplished. Losing your in game name is probably the least significant thing about this whole server merger.

You really don't understand at all, it has nothing to do with accomplishment, but I wont try and convince you, let just say there is a lot of people that DO care regardless of reasons and that made your you really cares anyway statement offensive and incorrect.

The fact that your online name means nothing to you does not translate to mean it shouldn't for others

The ping, the fact that some of us have 12 plus slots full and some on our "destination server" and will no doubt be forced to delete them, and the fact that some of us will have to change guild names, legacy names, player names, are the issues here, the so called survey that I only knew about from this thread was never given to the large general playing public, and the then forced relocation are also all issues, making light of one of these is uncalled for.

Any one of the above means little or a lot to different people and its not your place to judge (nor mine).

ALSO EA/BIO... HERE'S A THOUGHT...

WHY NOT MERGE Harbinger WITH THE APAC SERVERS... THAT WOULD INCREASE POPULATION

OR ARE YOU WORRIED YOUR AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS WILL DO WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO... UNSUBSCRIBE???

Talk to EA with your wallets and not your hearts!

 

It's the only language they understand. Save APAC in SW:TOR.

ALSO SIGN THE PETITION... it is up to 361 and climbing

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-apac-servers-for-swtor-available-and-merge-them-into-1.html

Just rolled a Harbinger character to see the latency... my best is 220ms... from 21ms on Dalbora

I only PVP in the game and do the class/companion quests

After about 20 mins it is apparent this lag will effect my PVP... I will keep lvling till I can PVP... so I have a comparison

And the reason it will effect me in PVP is I TAB target a lot and use HOT Keys... I am finding just in PVE that I am on top of the mobs before my casts work... there is definitely a 1-2sec lag... and I TAB through targets quickly... when it takes 2 seconds to get to another target or have a med pack... guess what, your too late and your dead

Well i don't know what internet connection you have, but i was playing PvP on harbinger with a aussie friend last night and we got through the match fine.

he finished in the top 3 and i was around the middle.

The slight lag didnt effect us.

I did high end pvp for several years in wow (high ranked arena teams) which was always on US servers and I've done enough pvp on aussie servers so have a point of comparison. I just did a heck of a lot more of it while I was on a US server. So I'm pretty sure I do have a handle on things. You didn't answer my question though. Have you played on US servers? If you've tried both as I have then perhaps you'll have a handle on things.

 

Most of the complaints I've seen seem to come from people on dalbora where pop times for pvp and pve aren't as big an issue.

Actually I have... and I used to PVP in WoW for 9 years... which sucked because of the LAG... PVP is so much better in SWTOR because of the local server

I'm freaking Einstein reincarnated with Sir Isaac Newton's brain stitched in for good measure. See, we can all make unreasonable claims on the internet. FWIW, 150 isn't that great. Mine's 154 and I've been an Undergrad for 7 years because I get bored and change degrees frequently.

Well, good luck on finding a program that actually fits you.

But quite frankly, no one here really cares what you have to say. Most of APAC just want to whine somewhere about the decision and are looking for support, not logic. For someone so 'smart' you really don't understand that much. Reminds me of my numerous Comp. Science Lecturers that couldn't get an Overhead Projector working.

For people who do not care I find it strange the pure amount of attention I am receiving, from you for instance.

I assume you will not respond to me in any kind, considering you truly do not care what I am saying.

Anyways, I am well aware of what this thread has devolved into.

What I am looking to do is minimally find people in the community who can move on from the trolling and vitriol, recognize the reality behind what is going on, stop asking for the impossible, and start formulating some plans for what to do.

The APAC threads have all degenerated into EA-bashing in one form or another at some point; usually it takes both time and a small injection of rational thought to redirect it.

Most of the outrage here is that Bioware asked us APAC players what we wanted and the general consensus was a server merge to Dalborra (where I call home) which has a sustainable population but could always benefit from the extra population. The benefit most people wanted (especially the PvPers) was the maintain the low ping to which we have become accustomed to. Secondary benefits included the ability to maintain our identity as the APAC server and the lower population causing fewer name clashes.

I think we are all well aware of what APAC wanted.

We are likewise aware of what EA thinks about the size and scope of that population.

Now the first thing I did when I heard about this was log onto the Harbinger and try to get my names. I got all my Grall* names below but was unable to get any of the others. I advised all my Guildies to do the same of which most could get 1 or 2 but often not their primary name. I understand that when the merger actually happens we may still get to keep some of the names and we will lose some depending on a number of factors.

 

We then began to level to 10 so we could reserve the guild names. During that time I found the general play lag to be bearable. I found a lot more missed GCDs (from maybe 1 in 100 to about 5 in a hundred) but otherwise it seemed fairly playable. I know that once we have moved and are working on "progression level" content that might change and I dread to think of the PvPers in my guild. Interrupting with a 20-40ms ping is vastly easier than interrupting with a 200-300ms ping. This will be amplified by the increased value of Alacrity which will lower the 'interrupt window'.

 

Anyway, what it really comes down to is BW asked us what we wanted and gave us something completely different. If you go to an Ice Cream Parlour and ask for Chocolate, you'd be annoyed if they give you Vanilla because its more cost effective. Same deal here.

We all lost Character Names and Guild names in the server transfers, it happens. I lost 3 in the end.

However, Bioware asking your preference was not a statement that APAC was going to make the decision; they were sending up a trial balloon to see how dedicated the population was and to see if it would be amenable to a move.

In the end I think a good number will actually transfer over.

You really don't understand at all, it has nothing to do with accomplishment, but I wont try and convince you, let just say there is a lot of people that DO care regardless of reasons and that made your you really cares anyway statement offensive and incorrect.

 

The fact that your online name means nothing to you does not translate to mean it shouldn't for others

 

The ping, the fact that some of us have 12 plus slots full and some on our "destination server" and will no doubt be forced to delete them, and the fact that some of us will have to change guild names, legacy names, player names, are the issues here, the so called survey that I only knew about from this thread was never given to the large general playing public, and the then forced relocation are also all issues, making light of one of these is uncalled for.

 

Any one of the above means little or a lot to different people and its not your place to judge (nor mine).

Nope i do not understand why such value is placed into an online game character name.

i play the game for fun, not for people to know my in game name lol.

If you have friends in-game that only know you by said in-game name im sure it wouldnt be hard to inform them of your new name if you had to rename.

Well i don't know what internet connection you have, but i was playing PvP on harbinger with a aussie friend last night and we got through the match fine.

he finished in the top 3 and i was around the middle.

The slight lag didnt effect us.

Regardless what I have... a 220ms Ping is causing a 1-2 second delay... most PVPer's would agree that can be the difference between killing your opponent or dying...

Anyway if you are American... what do you care... it won't effect you... so go Troll someplace else and let the APAC players voice their opinions to EA/BIO... instead of you filling it up with your nonsense

Nope i do not understand why such value is placed into an online game character name.

i play the game for fun, not for people to know my in game name lol.

If you have friends in-game that only know you by said in-game name im sure it wouldnt be hard to inform them of your new name if you had to rename.

Honestly, I was relatively annoyed at losing a few names. Fortunately some sly application of accent marks fixed it.

Character Names, Guild Names, an Legacy Names do actually matter for people who are investing a good deal of time and money into the game.

Always wondered why Bioware did not utilize an Independent and Unique User ID that would allow freedom of name choices (within reason).

Thank you for agreeing with my underlying logic, I honestly felt I was talking to someone who was towing the academic/corporate line.

 

 

I was inferring that you are, in fact, not that stupid. Hubris aside, you have demonstrated that.

 

I also happen to think that EA would be the kind of company to kick up a stink about a small retreat from a market place, likely to generate some local political discourse so they can get some incentives to come in and faff about the place. That's what big companies do when it won't make headlines the world over or they think they have a sizeable backing.

No. I think we are basically in agreement when it comes to EA and the fundamental logic behind the decision.

In so far as local-market shenanigans; I would honestly not be surprised, the modern iteration of EA engages in some rather bizarre decision making practices from time to time. Though in this case the decision was clearly going to engender this kind of response, so I think EA is done with APAC for good in so far as localized investment for TOR is concerned.

I would hardly say that GD is a dead server. PvP que times are perfectly reasonable and group finder works more than quick enough. The other day me and my friend qued for a group finder on our level 20 characters and got one in a minute. Likewise, we did one on our 50's and we only had a 2 minute wait.

In fact the guild I am in has started to cut down on the number of members as it was getting too large.

Americans have always been pampered in games with their low pings. In fact I have heard of people (in different games) rage quit because their ping was over 100, where Australians almost always have to cope with this. The fact that we had local servers for SWTOR was one of the main calling cards for the game.

I would be all for the APAC servers merging into one, as I like my low pings and fluidity I get from it. I am sure that the RP, PvE and PvP communities would be able to peacefully coexist on one APAC server, in fact I have heard of many people suggest this even before this recent announcement.

I must say I find it quite amusing that most of the posters defending the merger are not affected by it while most of the players angered over the announcement are in fact affected by it. Really says something.

Yeah... I'm seeing that pattern too... you have to ask the question... just how many are Americans?

I'm sure if they had to Merge Harbinger with Dalbora they wouldn't be saying the things they are and would be equally outraged at EA

IF you AREN'T living in APAC... butt out of this thread... play on your American servers... why are you even on a APAC server to start with?

This Thread is for APAC players who want to voice their disgust at EA/BIO... not some American Troll who just wants to inflame the situation more and make it harder for us APAC players to get the message through to EA/BIO

SIGN PETITION

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-apac-servers-for-swtor-available-and-merge-them-into-1.html

Wow the same person has taken up most of this page with posts.

View it as enthusiasm for our community

There is no point in trying to give our perspective to IceHawk he will just label it as irrational. He is nothing more than a troll masquerading as a "man of logic and reason". All his points are wild assumptions at best and I don't have the energy trying to educate him.

 

This issue is bigger than a couple of troll guys, lets focus back on the community and what we want in light of the circumstances.

Lol he is actually right though about EA's decision making process.

I deal with corporations everyday and what he said sounds spot on about how public companies such as EA make (and unmake) management decisions.

FYI this latest SEC filing:

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/712515/000119312513112515/d503804dex991.htm

EA is on track to revise its earlier estimates to record an even greater loss than expected. No wonder they are going to try and cut costs.

Also, from a purely business perspective, it seems clear that APAC just isn't profitable for SWTOR. I will do some more research into publicly filed documents.

Update 1:

For 4Q 2012: " $12 million or 18 percent increase in subscription and advertising sales primarily driven by Star Wars: The Old Republic".

Update 2:

"Cost of service and other revenue decreased by $9 million, or 12.0 percent in the three months ended December 31, 2012, as compared to the three months ended December 31, 2011. The decrease was primarily due to decreased server and support costs related to Star Wars: The Old Republic. This decrease is partially offset by an increase in royalties related costs associated with new releases."

Holy crap. EA managed to cut $9 million in costs in just 3 months from SWTOR. These "servers" and logistical support must cost a lot more than we had imagined.

I would hardly say that GD is a dead server. PvP que times are perfectly reasonable and group finder works more than quick enough. The other day me and my friend qued for a group finder on our level 20 characters and got one in a minute. Likewise, we did one on our 50's and we only had a 2 minute wait.

Try group finder alone as a dps and it will be a lot longer than a minute. Group finder when you're already grouped with someone (especially a tank or healer) is the only way to cut down the wait. It's even worse sub 50. In the past month I levelled a new sniper on imp side to 50. I most played during peak times and always played with group finder turned on while I was questing. In all that time I only had group finder pop 3 times and all 3 of them were when I was close to level 50 (collicoid, red reaper and d7). Only ever did a few heroic quests, some of them solo because on most planets there was never more than a handful of players. Usually single figure numbers. I was essentially playing a single player game most of that time.

Generally the only time I get to do any group content is when I schedule it with guild members. I don't pvp much but when I do, there's usually a fair wait before that pops also. I've always like space missions but I've been doing them more and more lately since it's the only dependable way to get bh coms, as there's no need to find other players to do it with.

Regardless what I have... a 220ms Ping is causing a 1-2 second delay... most PVPer's would agree that can be the difference between killing your opponent or dying...

Anyway if you are American... what do you care... it won't effect you... so go Troll someplace else and let the APAC players voice their opinions to EA/BIO... instead of you filling it up with your nonsense

Wow no. MILISECONDS. 220ms = 0.22 second.

Lol anything less than 5000 is a minority and barely noticable at all by big companies like EA

 

But for devils advocate i'll do the math EA reports 2 million players you say 300 that is like 0.003% uhh yeah sorry not even worth looking at

lol @ "2 million". This game doesn't even have half that amount.