First, full disclosure:

I'm a PVE type with all my mains on Star Forge but -- having 117 toons across four accounts scattered across all servers -- I'm also an altoholic on stearoids and sort of do a little bit of everything except roleplay, but I did spend four months in a moderately demanding SWTOR roleplay guild on Bergeron Colony (forget the name).

So:

PVP types want to be all on one server so their queue pops will be whatever they're going to be.

Roleplayers don't want to be merged because then they're dealing with the Toxic™ PVPrs.

PVE players, if forum threads mean anything, fall into both the merge and don't merge camps.

Players of all stripes worry about name collisions, etc., and all the side-effects of merging.

Here's a slightly different idea than just merging servers:

1. Open up free character transfers for 90 days.

2. Re-brand Star Forge as the PVE/PVP North American server.

3. Strip all PVP functionality from Satele Shan -- don't even make PVP possible -- and relabel it the Roleplay server.

Result:

Having no way to conduct PVP on Satele Shan, but having free transfers, the PVP types will migrate to SF.

People on SF who have no desire whatsoever to see a horde of PVP players can freely migrate to SS.

We would wind up with this tiny, isolated, sub-group of roleplayers left completely unmolested by the PVP types on SS, and a "merged" population for the PVP types on the other (once PVPrs freely migrate to Star Forge).

This isn't a bad idea but I'd flip the servers. Star Forge was the server that Ebon Hawk merged to, and that was the big RP server. Satele Shan was the one Harbinger merged with and IMHO that is probably best for PvP and such.

It doesn't affect me either way, but SF has been the growing go-to server for PVP types for a while now, Harbinger's history no longer applies, and BC had a very large RP community, so I imagine everyone will stake out their interests as to what server gets the non-PVP axe.

It doesn't affect me either way, but SF has been the growing go-to server for PVP types for a while now, Harbinger's history no longer applies, and BC had a very large RP community, so I imagine everyone will stake out their interests as to what server gets the non-PVP axe.

The migration from RPers from Begeren to Ebon Hawk was already a thing, and it seems like the Harbinger crowd chased away the remainder to Star Forge by now. Satele Shan is just the server now where people that chased away anyone not like them complain about how dead the server is.

At any rate, I would always be against a free transfer period as opposite of a merge, because being unable to take along my guild and being guaranteed to lose dozens of names on transferring means it's never a realistic option for me, and I would stay put, only to see everyone else abandon ship.

Merge or don't merge, but don't kill off one server without one. That's what your idea would come down to.

The migration from RPers from Begeren to Ebon Hawk was already a thing, and it seems like the Harbinger crowd chased away the remainder to Star Forge by now. Satele Shan is just the server now where people that chased away anyone not like them complain about how dead the server is.

 

At any rate, I would always be against a free transfer period as opposite of a merge, because being unable to take along my guild and being guaranteed to lose dozens of names on transferring means it's never a realistic option for me, and I would stay put, only to see everyone else abandon ship.

 

Merge or don't merge, but don't kill off one server without one. That's what your idea would come down to.

My idea would almost kill it but not quite. I am not an authority on the size of the current RP community, and I dare any player to say that he or she is, because we really don't know, but at least that near-dead server would be a nice go-to place for the role play types never to be molested again by the PVP types. The role players would have their own little cocoon, along with anyone else not wishing to be around PVP types at all.

My idea would almost kill it but not quite. I am not an authority on the size of the current RP community, and I dare any player to say that he or she is, because we really don't know, but at least that near-dead server would be a nice go-to place for the role play types never to be molested again by the PVP types. The role players would have their own little cocoon, along with anyone else not wishing to be around PVP types at all.

Except most RP players like to do more things than only ever RP, and people would still be forced to either be where they don't want to be or give up a lot of things that they worked for.

This is probably the most horrible-sounding idea I've heard in years, for someone like me, on many levels, and I pray that nothing like this will happen.

It doesn't affect me either way, but SF has been the growing go-to server for PVP types for a while now, Harbinger's history no longer applies, and BC had a very large RP community, so I imagine everyone will stake out their interests as to what server gets the non-PVP axe.

Star Forge is by far the default RP server in NA, if not the game. It would make more sense repurposing SF as the RP server.

Except most RP players like to do more things than only ever RP, and people would still be forced to either be where they don't want to be or give up a lot of things that they worked for.

 

This is probably the most horrible-sounding idea I've heard in years, for someone like me, on many levels, and I pray that nothing like this will happen.

I agree they shouldn’t strip out the pvp eliment.

It doesn't affect me either way, but SF has been the growing go-to server for PVP types for a while now, Harbinger's history no longer applies, and BC had a very large RP community, so I imagine everyone will stake out their interests as to what server gets the non-PVP axe.

As cyrusramsey said, AFAIK there was a fairly large exodus from BC to Ebon Hawk because people were very upset about being merged with Harbinger. So a lot of the BC RP community is on SF now.

I would wager that PvP on Star Forge is growing because it's the larger server, but I would still say that it's where RPers are.

Wouldn't removing all possibility of PVP make it harder to RP some things? A bar fight, having a Jedi and Sith meet and decide to do battle ... they wouldn't even be able to make use of the new Rishi stronghold.

Also, as someone else posted, just because someone likes to RP doesn't mean that's all they like to do. You'd basically be forcing people to have characters on one server for RP purposes only and then have to switch to another server to do other things - which would make it a little difficult to RP on the fly.

Except most RP players like to do more things than only ever RP, and people would still be forced to either be where they don't want to be or give up a lot of things that they worked for.

 

This is probably the most horrible-sounding idea I've heard in years, for someone like me, on many levels, and I pray that nothing like this will happen.

This. My guild is a roleplay guild but we do a little of everything so forcing us to chose one server for roleplay and another for pvp or anything else is not a good idea. This would actually drive more people away from the game if they couldn't be on one server and do what they are like to do with the people they are used to playing with.

I'm very much a "once in a blue moon" PvPer but I wouldn't want to be on a server where that isn't possible at all. Nor would I want to be on a server that is all about that PvP so that would leave me in the middle and nowhere. PvP shouldn't be eliminated from either server.

Also, as others have pointed out, Star Forge was predominantly PvE-RP after the mergers and it was only later on that PvP crowds trickled into Star Forge because, hey, surprise, Satele Shan which housed the large portion of PvPers somehow wasn't popping enough with its queues. That alone, I think, would make this a bad (though creative and I can see where you're coming from) idea. Die-hard PvP only people would remain on the 'designated' server but they may not form a group large enough for their type of gameplay and for rapid queues. Not without the support of those who play a bit of every niche but, like me, don't want to be on a PvP server thus moving to the other. I'd worry that over the course of some months, your solution would kill PvP entirely and turn that PvP server into a ghost town while simultaneously causing a portion of players to quit the game altogether.

So, nice suggestion but I can't see it working in the format you propose.

I would wager that PvP on Star Forge is growing because it's the larger server, but I would still say that it's where RPers are.

Agreed.

The more populated or large the server, the more pvpers because RP and PvE people pvp too. You would essentially be taking pvp away from the RP people who also pvp. This is a very bad idea because I RP, pve and pvp.

Maybe they could create a solo experience server that locked all LFG queues and opened up that group content to a solo experience that allowed those on that server to solo operations and flashpoints for the story in them. There would be no grouping. Just solo play. People who wanted to mainly have solo experience and might find some RPers could still RP by having custom chat channels.

You would need some safety guards to stop people farming those achievements and transferring. You could do that by not allowing transfers from that server. But you could transfer to it with a big warning to explain you can’t transfer off.

Agreed.

 

The more populated or large the server, the more pvpers because RP and PvE people pvp too. You would essentially be taking pvp away from the RP people who also pvp. This is a very bad idea because I RP, pve and pvp.

 

Maybe they could create a solo experience server that locked all LFG queues and opened up that group content to a solo experience that allowed those on that server to solo operations and flashpoints for the story in them. There would be no grouping. Just solo play. People who wanted to mainly have solo experience and might find some RPers could still RP by having custom chat channels.

 

You would need some safety guards to stop people farming those achievements and transferring. You could do that by not allowing transfers from that server. But you could transfer to it with a big warning to explain you can’t transfer off.

A solo experience server? I'd be all over that faster than you can say Galactic Command Though I can't see that realistically happening. Would be nice.

Horrible idea!

And like others have stated, SF is the RP server. SS is the PvP server. (Even if some say PvP is "dying" on SS. *rolls eyes*)

As a soloist who neither roleplays or participates in pvp I don't really mind which server I play on. However, that being said, as a subscriber who plays SWTOR from regional Australia, what would be most useful to me (and I dare say other Aussies, New Zealanders, and gamers from the Pacific region) would be a West Coast USA server.

A big reason why I don't participate in group content (and why some boss encounters in flashpoints are difficult to the point of frustration) is because most of the time I'm playing with either red dot connectivity, or on a good day, one or two bar connectivity.

My connectivity and gameplay would be improved by having fewer hops from regional Australia to the BioWare servers.

As other people have said - this is a horrible idea.

You are proposing a situation where you can only PvP, or PvE, or RP. Plenty of people use the same characters for more than one type of activity.

Horrible idea!

 

And like others have stated, SF is the RP server. SS is the PvP server. (Even if some say PvP is "dying" on SS. *rolls eyes*)

Lmao SF is turning into the hub for the endgame PvE'ers and PvP'ers though. The SS server has been dying for a couple of months now, but ever since 5.9.2 it "crashed" and faced a mini-exodus. Ranked almost never happens there anymore.

3. Strip all PVP functionality from Satele Shan -- don't even make PVP possible -- and relabel it the Roleplay server.

So we're assuming that anyone who RPs doesn't want to do pvp ever in any form? Tell this to my alt casual rep guild that does literally everything the game has to offer including RP and you're gonna hear a deafening gasp of "I can't believe you even suggested that"

The easiest way for players to get pop would be having cross-server ques. I don't know if this is realistically executable in the Hero Engine but it would be the best choice for everyone without taking anything away from anyone.

Having everyone move from SS to SF or vice versa isn't going to fix the name dilemma so many people are having btw.

A free transfer period will just cause all the issues we had with the long running low cost transfers... only worse.

So.. no.. this idea is a bad one.

PvPers are notoriously fickle about server populations and do appear to follow the "grass is greener over there" model. SS was the result of a consolidation largely around the old Harbinger, which had been the go to server for most PvPers who largely only PvP.

SF was the result of a consolidation of Ebon Hawk and other remaining RP servers and as such it is a community that likes to do a lot of different things in game, including PvP.

PvPers are now moving more toward SF from SS and have been for some months now. SO.. yet another server that the PvPers declared the informal home for PvP is being abandoned as they move over to a server with a lot of RP players. Deja Vu all over again. I'm fine with people changing to a different server, but let's not make it free, or almost free, because it just encourages server hopping based shenanigans for a variety of things... like PvP hopping to game ranked, etc, etc. If they want to do it.. they should pay the freight.

And removing the ability to play PvP on any server is an exceedingly bad idea, because a lot of players are into some casual PvP... just not PvP as their only content they play.

I'm on Star Forge and don't want it RE-BRANDED. The Ebon Hawk merged with Shadowlands and JC, we are good as RP PVE. You want a pure pvp server, do it to Satele Shan. After all, all the people on Harbinger were there and they were all mad for PVP. <.<

*raises pitchfork* Leave my server alone.

As a soloist who neither roleplays or participates in pvp I don't really mind which server I play on. However, that being said, as a subscriber who plays SWTOR from regional Australia, what would be most useful to me (and I dare say other Aussies, New Zealanders, and gamers from the Pacific region) would be a West Coast USA server.

 

A big reason why I don't participate in group content (and why some boss encounters in flashpoints are difficult to the point of frustration) is because most of the time I'm playing with either red dot connectivity, or on a good day, one or two bar connectivity.

 

My connectivity and gameplay would be improved by having fewer hops from regional Australia to the BioWare servers.

I'm with the Aussie. We don't need a server apiece based on how we play, but where we play. Bring back the left coast server!

First, full disclosure:

PVP types want to be all on one server so their queue pops will be whatever they're going to be.

Roleplayers don't want to be merged because then they're dealing with the Toxic™ PVPrs.

PVE players, if forum threads mean anything, fall into both the merge and don't merge camps.

Players of all stripes worry about name collisions, etc., and all the side-effects of merging.

 

Here's a slightly different idea than just merging servers:

 

1. Open up free character transfers for 90 days.

2. Re-brand Star Forge as the PVE/PVP North American server.

3. Strip all PVP functionality from Satele Shan -- don't even make PVP possible -- and relabel it the Roleplay server.

 

Result:

Having no way to conduct PVP on Satele Shan, but having free transfers, the PVP types will migrate to SF.

People on SF who have no desire whatsoever to see a horde of PVP players can freely migrate to SS.

 

We would wind up with this tiny, isolated, sub-group of roleplayers left completely unmolested by the PVP types on SS, and a "merged" population for the PVP types on the other (once PVPrs freely migrate to Star Forge).

I disagree heavily not only with the proposal, but also with the assumptions behind the proposal.

I was not really aware of Satele Shan's status as a PvP server, as apparently this concept is being floated. While I have been on Satele Shan for the past 2 years or so and not on Star Forge, I am surprised about RP'ers fears of PvP'ers on Satele Shan, given that they've already survived the community on Star Forge for 2 years.

You seem to believe that PvPers can be isolated from PVErs, but that seems to be a pretty big kick in the balls for unranked warzones I'd say.

As far as name-collisions, I'd say here's a better alternative: BW should come up with a way to add in new special characters (i.e. *) so that people can make minor changes to their names, and of course at no cost. They could even give away some CC as compensation for it.

The opening post actually makes me think that another server merge is inevitable due to the fact that we're even having this kind of conversation.