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Server Merge Discussion Thread


EricMusco

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Make 2 mega servers. One East coast, and one West coast. Funnel all existing north American servers into those two. Use the additional then free servers to help support the main two. Boom problem solved.

 

Wrong, it is not solved at all like that. I think Most people here should be educated, and i'm not meaning to be dis-respectful but give people the technical knowledge of Facts of what can happen. and why i'm against some mergers. "Some server mergers".

 

1) People have lost their Character names. This is a very bad problem for any server Mergers of any kind for Any MMO that this happens with. Peoples Character names can be most sacred to them, and if they lose their Character names, then they will no longer want to play this game. It is that serious for gamer's.

 

2) Loss of Cartel Market Items: These Are also most sacred to most Players as well, and in Server merges, the dark reality can be that for a lot of players they can lose a Lot, or sometimes most to All Cartel items. I know Bioware does their best to keep stuff like this from happening, but these Uninteded things happens regardless. These things have not just happened in this MMO without Server merges, but also other MMO's.

 

3) Loss of Achievement and Characters/other Legacy Rewards: These things can also come up as Lost or totally gone from a Characters or all of a person's inventory where they see things that have been earned as far back as Launch can no longer be there items wise from Legacy and Special-events from Bioware that could totally be gone forever.

 

4) Loss of Achievements: A great many, if not Most of us gamer's take great pride in our Achievements.......Unless bad ones lol. These Achievements that we can lose from Server-mergers would, or could be no longer attainable to very hard to get. If some players lose these things and the above, it could drive them to quit the game, which would be very bad for all of us.

 

5) RP and PvP/ PvE people don't usually work: If all these said people like, say RP server people were bunched together by server merging, Then prepare for a Huge Customer Backfire and more customers leaving. As you Devs know well, and i hope you do heheh. The Reality is that PvE, PvP and RP people do not get along, but very rarely, as i have seen this happen with my own eyes, not only from this MMO, but others as well, where people only make fun and insult the way these other players play. You know this will happen, as it already has.

 

6) Lost of Strongholds/ Stronghold items: This is another problem that could, and usually do happen, even with my Characters it has. With Server-merges comes usually the loss of items and Customizations we have put into our Strongholds. This is another things most people don't think about and should. I lost my Characters Strongholds including their customizations . This for some could make some customers leave because, unlike me, for them this is almost a holy thing for them..

 

Character Advancement: Sometimes people also lose their Character progression, whether it be doing the Galactic Command grind which i hate the grind myself heheh. But /bugs have happened before with all kinds of Character progression, all or different kinds of forms to, and for some even the level of their Character's levels to.

 

Maintenance: We do not know how much back-end servicing we will need with any kind of mergers, but i don't the servers to go up and down all the time Unless we do the server Maintenance goes down for a very long time, as lg as it gets the job done. People will understand that better, then the servers always going up and down for emergencies, although emergency server maintenance does happen and should be expected.

 

There are other problems that can happen in-game with /bugs, but thought i'd list the other big issues for now. The listed things are things that could happen, i don't know where and how Bioware would have things backed-up right now.

Edited by MandFlurry
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And RP accommodations does not mean a separate instance like pvp. That will not work as people will get on that instance and harass and grief rp.

 

Would just prefer that a rp server like Ebon Hawk stay just the way it is and not be merged with a server, say like, Harbinger.

 

And if you merged servers this time be sure the assets are done better than they were or better yet transfer guilds in tact with all their assets without having to jump through hoops to get the guild restarted and all the assets back.

 

I agree with casirabit.

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Ben said the population issues would be re-examined early in 2017. He never said that BW would be discussing the results of that re-evaluation with us.

 

Late January or early February in 2017, if I recall correctly, BW DID extend the 90 Cc transfer sale indefinitely. That seems to coincide with the early in 2017 time frame for BW's re-examination of population issues.

 

At the same time Ben said populations issues would be examined, he acknowledged that transfers were not a solution. But it doesn't matter what Ben said at this point.

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Ben said the population issues would be re-examined early in 2017. He never said that BW would be discussing the results of that re-evaluation with us.

 

Correct. And with Keith in the producer seat now, we have yet to see any change in approach here.

 

Late January or early February in 2017, if I recall correctly, BW DID extend the 90 Cc transfer sale indefinitely. That seems to coincide with the early in 2017 time frame for BW's re-examination of population issues.

 

Yeah. This fact is lost on most players apparently.

 

Setting transfer fees to be essentially permanent discounts to 90cc... in conjunction with the timing and lack of any further comment by the studio = this is what they decided to do for now. Clearly.. at least for the forseeable future (and validated by this morning by Eric), the studio has nothing further to share.

 

The reason I think they are silent for now about this topic is because they have nothing further to disclose and yet want to keep their options open later on to do something different. I think the studio understands the validity of negative impacts to guilds unless/until they develop a method to transfer guilds as part of a merge (something currently not available to the player base). I think we will hear more from them when/if they get their arms around this very real negative impact to players. Of course this falls on the deaf ears of the guildless random PuGing players that are most vocal about importing more cannon fodder for their playing delight through forced merges.

Edited by Andryah
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I think it is very important to the lifespan of the game we start making mega servers.

Lively servers are the breathing heart of a Massive Multiplayer Online game.. I mean it's kind of in the name isn't it? :rolleyes:

 

Either way, you can expect a number of problems coming from server merges and I think the first and formost biggest problem is that people will want to keep their character names.

That will not always be possible if we just forcefully bump all characters on 1 server for each region and call it a day.

 

I really think there should be a carefully thought out solution to that before we actually do any server merges.

I for one am not sure if I'd be willing to continue my subscription if I suddenly had to rename 8 characters from a name I've been using since I started in '12.

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I 100% think that SWTOR needs a mega server. It would be so good for the game and a huge QoF change for everyone. Plus it think it will help with the lifespan of a game I really love playing.

 

As a side note and using only NA as an example, would have two mega servers help or hurt updates/game development etc?

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At the same time Ben said populations issues would be examined, he acknowledged that transfers were not a solution. But it doesn't matter what Ben said at this point.

 

And yet you chose to use Ben's statement as a reason why BW should have "something to say" about server merges.

 

It is also possible that at the time Ben made that statement, BW felt that transfers were not a solution, but BW later changed their stance on that and subsequently extended the 90 CC transfer sale indefinitely. I'm not saying that they did change their stance, only that it is a possibility that they did.

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Attention Moderator:

 

The pattern of a new person posting their opinion followed by the instant rebuttal of the same 3 people is going to deteriorate this thread just like the other threads were.

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Attention Moderator:

 

The pattern of a new person posting their opinion followed by the instant rebuttal of the same 3 people is going to deteriorate this thread just like the other threads were.

EXACTLY!!! It's the same damn thing over and over and over again...

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server merge is not really needed if you look at it like the old days with shadowlands its a pve server and The Harbinger being the bigest server do to a higher number of players on the west coast now i see the drop on shadowlands and if you ask all the players who left mostly left the game do to the RNG system mostly making other players who didnt give the servers time left to biger servers mostly being harbinger and the pvp servers are dead mostly bc of the ganking that was going on for low levels so the level syc is 3years to late for them to help build up pop is for a system to be set in place that will let jung ma pot5 to have free char transfers for 1month and with in that one month you dont move your char will be auto moved and if you are gm of a guild kiss it good by
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Can someone articulate why they DON'T want server merges?

Please don't include reasons like "My stronghold/ guild/ achievements won't transfer".

Let's assume for the sake of discussion, that BW can get the transfer process 100% perfect and nothing is lost.

What is the argument against merges at that point ?

The only solid reasoning I've seen thus far has been that RP players want to be left alone.

Is there anything else?

 

Thanks,

Brian

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1 Mega Server for each region (US, EU).

Instanced versions of each zone and chat divided in: PVE, RP, PVP, RP-PVP.

To determine which instance/chat you go to it would use flags (like the PVP one we have now).

 

There done. Problem solved.

 

Now how to solve the name collisions during merge time that is another question :D

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1 Mega Server for each region (US, EU).

Instanced versions of each zone and chat divided in: PVE, RP, PVP, RP-PVP.

To determine which instance/chat you go to it would use flags (like the PVP one we have now).

 

There done. Problem solved.

 

Now how to solve the name collisions during merge time that is another question :D

 

Going to repeat my response in regards to instance rp

 

No that will not work. Greifers and trolls will still be able to grief rp. There is no way adding a rp instance will help keep griefers off the rp instances. It will not work like a pvp instance because I think if you grief a pvp player he can just kill you on a pvp instance, there is nothing stopping a troll/griefer from doing that on a rp instance.

Edited by casirabit
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EXACTLY!!! It's the same damn thing over and over and over again...

 

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.

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1 Mega Server for each region (US, EU).

Instanced versions of each zone and chat divided in: PVE, RP, PVP, RP-PVP.

To determine which instance/chat you go to it would use flags (like the PVP one we have now).

 

There done. Problem solved.

 

Now how to solve the name collisions during merge time that is another question :D

 

rp is more than just "chat" it's a sense of community and the "feel" of the server. Even the economy is a bit different on an rp server, as rp'ers might value things a bit different than the average player. A "chat" or instance is a very poor substitute for a server and would probably just ruin it.

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Some of us don't want servers merged but the rest of you will never understand that. Just because you want to cue faster for things. Instead of merging servers why not have cross over for group finder instead. I picked my server for a reason if I wanted a high pop server I would of picked one. I shouldn't be forced to play on a high pop server.

 

There are many reason I don't want my server merged it's fine the way it is.

 

Sorry, but I don't understand how megaservers can have negative impact to anyone's playstyle. If you wish to be understood, please make an effort to expand on these many reasons.

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I think it is very important to the lifespan of the game we start making mega servers.

Lively servers are the breathing heart of a Massive Multiplayer Online game.. I mean it's kind of in the name isn't it? :rolleyes:

 

Either way, you can expect a number of problems coming from server merges and I think the first and formost biggest problem is that people will want to keep their character names.

That will not always be possible if we just forcefully bump all characters on 1 server for each region and call it a day.

 

I really think there should be a carefully thought out solution to that before we actually do any server merges.

I for one am not sure if I'd be willing to continue my subscription if I suddenly had to rename 8 characters from a name I've been using since I started in '12.

 

If the servers are merged by coast about 66% of the CHARACTERS will need a name change. Almost all customers will have one or more name changes. 66% of people with really hard to get names that started when the server was new will loose those names. If all the US servers are merged ~85% of characters will need to be renamed.

 

You may for example have had the name "Rat" since '12, but someone else created their "Rat" .1 second before you and now you have to rename. The better the name you have, the higher chance you will lose that name.

Trust me, on a merged server all the "good names" really are taken :eek:

 

 

This is a "feature" that is almost guaranteed to cause many subs to quit. This is why cross sever queues is so much better of a solution.

Edited by Foambreaker
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Why would anyone think that a new thread would make people change their opinions.
I never suggested it would. I think your attacking everyone needs to stop though. People should be free to post their opinions without you shouting everyone down. State your position and move on.
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Traditionally, the rejoinder is "I like to play on lighter servers". If BW decides that that contingent is too large and they can't do cross server either, they should offer a free transfer to a designated server AND ONLY THAT SERVER. If you couple that with a transfer price increase (back to the 25-30 dollar range) on every other server, that is effectively a server merge. That literally makes the choice "stay where you are or merge".
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Can someone articulate why they DON'T want server merges?

Please don't include reasons like "My stronghold/ guild/ achievements won't transfer".

Let's assume for the sake of discussion, that BW can get the transfer process 100% perfect and nothing is lost.

What is the argument against merges at that point ?

The only solid reasoning I've seen thus far has been that RP players want to be left alone.

Is there anything else?

 

Thanks,

Brian

 

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.

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Can someone articulate why they DON'T want server merges?

Please don't include reasons like "My stronghold/ guild/ achievements won't transfer".

Let's assume for the sake of discussion, that BW can get the transfer process 100% perfect and nothing is lost.

What is the argument against merges at that point ?

The only solid reasoning I've seen thus far has been that RP players want to be left alone.

Is there anything else?

 

Thanks,

Brian

 

See my post above.

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Going to repeat my response in regards to instance rp

 

No that will not work. Greifers and trolls will still be able to grief rp. There is no way adding a rp instance will help keep griefers off the rp instances. It will not work like a pvp instance because I think if you grief a pvp player he can just kill you on a pvp instance, there is nothing stopping a troll/griefer from doing that on a rp instance.

 

Good point. I'd say that ideally the punishment for grieving should be harsh. But honestly there is no way to keep grievers at bay. So maybe give a "mega server for RP and another for regular" with the PVP flag being what change your instance.

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If the servers are merged by coast about 66% of the CHARACTERS will need a name change. Almost all customers will have one or more name changes. 66% of people with really hard to get names that started when the server was new will loose those names. If all the US servers are merged ~85% of characters will need to be renamed.

 

You may for example have had the name "Rat" since '12, but someone else created their "Rat" .1 second before you and now you have to rename. The better the name you have, the higher chance you will lose that name.

Trust me, on a merged server all the "good names" really are taken :eek:

 

 

This is a "feature" that is almost guaranteed to cause many subs to quit. This is why cross sever queues is so much better of a solution.

 

In a cross sever queue scenario how would you handle two 'Rats' in a group? Can't we just use same or similar solution for megaservers?

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