If TOR had the needed population, I wouldn't have to wait 5 hours to play a warzone. Also, cross server quing gives me people to play with without me having to switch to another server, thereby leaving my RL friends, guild, and alts behind. You are correct though, I will probably be leaving. Which is a shame because I really like playing this game. It's just that my schedule isn't "compatible" with TOR's schedule it seems...

TOR has the needed population because I, on the 10th populated server, have no issues with queues, nor do I have any issues making a full 24-man ops group within 20 minutes, THREE times in two days just 5 days ago. If my server is 10th place, and I get it that fast, then, by using the laws of average, by the time you get to the 30th server, you'll start to have issues.

Also, the population is there, they're just not playing at the same time as you anymore. Like they did at launch.

I'm surprised this seems to be a new concept, given that it's happened to every single MMO every launched.

Right now, for somethng like 50% player base (the ppl outside the 2-3 overpopulated servers) the game has 1 BIG problem, rest are just more annoyances than anything, thats it: Low servers population making game unplayable.

For a couple months now, we have seen people leaving the game in a daily basis, some of us took the deccision to leave our "dead servers" and start a new career on a more populated one, in the hope, that sometime along the road we would be allowed to transfer our insane amount of hours invested to our new server.

But today we know this is not happening any soon (summer) and that in order to choose our targeted server for transfers we will have to pay.

So thats how Bioware pays us for our loyalty, forcing us to pay for something that is not our fault, we didnt choose to play on a low populated server, at launch you put a ridiculosly low server cap, forcing us to spread among tons of tiny shards, after launch hype, people started to leave game, leaving most of the servers as we can see them today .. almost empty.

Whos responsible for that? me? dont think so, if server caps would not have been so low at launch i would have choose Tomb of Freedom Nad (EU) the main PvP server choosen by Spanish community, but queues at launch were ... hours long, Bioware did it afraid of servers overloading and underperforming, along the road, they just improved hardware or simply got rid of their fears. Today that server holds a lot more population and queues are fine.

I can understand you have to take some measures to avoid server transfers to collapse specific serveres, but forcing us to pay is an OUTRAGE, the are other solutions that doesnt imply insulting us, the loyal people that have keep playing and paying while others canceled waiting for better times.

SOLUTION:

Take a snapshot at yesterday's date of lvl 50 accounts on each server, allow people to FREE transfer chars to any server where they already have a lvl 50 toon, this will not affect server load, since we are already playing there.

Also ... summer? server pop is your #1 issue right now, you are killing your own game, everything else (ranked pvp, legacy, ....) is important but not game breaking, there are 3 steps you need to acomplish as soon as tomorrow in order to give game a boost:

1- Server Transfers

2- Cross server LFG tool

3- Server Merges

Please consider it.

The only two that come to mind are Fatman and Swiftsure, but as you suggest, there really aren't that many. Most servers have fairly average populations. The problem is that BW diluted its player base by opening up too many servers when the game launched. That decision haunts them to this day.

What choices did they have? If there were less servers, the average queue time and lag in December 2011 would have been horrendous (something like 4-5 hours). With a lot (120+) of north american servers, they were able to deal with millions of players who played for an average daily playtime of 8 hours! Not 2-3 hours, 8!!! I bet that for the SWTOR staff, it was a huge dilemma. What would you have possibly done if you were them?

The only two that come to mind are Fatman and Swiftsure, but as you suggest, there really aren't that many. Most servers have fairly average populations. The problem is that BW diluted its player base by opening up too many servers when the game launched. That decision haunts them to this day.

"Haunt"? I doubt it. TOR had the best launch with the least queue times of any other MMO in history. That's a good thing, in case you didn't notice. Now, they're doing exactly what's expected: offering server transfers in an organized, strategic way to populate all servers.

Chicken Littles notwithstanding...

While I am pleased with the tentative release schedule of summer, since it is pretty close, strictly speaking, people have made valid arguments about being outraged that Bioware wants us to pay for server transfers. Bioware/EA need to do a lot of stuff to save face with customers right now, in order to save/stabilize the population. Server merges, LFG tools, character transfers, etc. will really improve the grouping problems most of the current players are experiencing.

That said, you will not see those features save the game if people have to pay for them, especially if they are overpriced like I think the transfer features on WoW are. $25 to $30 dollars for server transfer like WoW? You want people to pay and not feel completely back-stabbed? Then $5 dollars is the limit. And given the circumstances (mainly that the players are not the ones to blame for playing on a server in the beginning of the game that slowly decayed to low population) any charge on these features is just going to make them lose more subscriptions than it will save, IMO. Bioware needs to set things right while also not mugging us for a few extra dollars in the process. The customer needs to be happy, key point of a business. Customers will go elsewhere if they are not treated well.

And my strong belief is that server mergers are a good choice for Bioware here. Simply transfer all the characters from about three(?) low population servers together, for free! If you want to choose your destination, maybe you have to pay a small $5 fee. Seems like a possible compromise...though if we have to pay $5 for each character and we want to move multiple ones, the price could add up and become unacceptable. Bulk moves are the way to go.

SOLUTION:

Take a snapshot at yesterday's date of lvl 50 accounts on each server, allow people to FREE transfer chars to any server where they already have a lvl 50 toon, this will not affect server load, since we are already playing there.

It would be quite telling to see actual accounts that have 50s. Understand, however, that this will be completely different than doing a server search of 50s online. Just yesterday I went to Coruscant on my new alt, and there were over 90 on Coruscant alone, over 60 on Taris. Now, those can't be all new players. That means that all those level 50s on my server? They're playing alts, just like I am, me with 2 level 50s to my name.

So, doing a search for current level 50s online will tell you exactly Jack Squat.

While I am pleased with the tentative release schedule of summer, since it is pretty close, strictly speaking, people have made valid arguments about being outraged that Bioware wants us to pay for server transfers. Bioware/EA need to do a lot of stuff to save face with customers right now, in order to save/stabilize the population. Server merges, LFG tools, character transfers, etc. will really improve the grouping problems most of the current players are experiencing.

 

That said, you will not see those features save the game if people have to pay for them, especially if they are overpriced like I think the transfer features on WoW are. $25 to $30 dollars for server transfer like WoW? You want people to pay and not feel completely back-stabbed? Then $5 dollars is the limit. And given the circumstances (mainly that the players are not the ones to blame for playing on a server in the beginning of the game that slowly decayed to low population) any charge on these features is just going to make them lose more subscriptions than it will save, IMO. Bioware needs to set things right while also not mugging us for a few extra dollars in the process. The customer needs to be happy, key point of a business. Customers will go elsewhere if they are not treated well.

 

And my strong belief is that server mergers are a good choice for Bioware here. Simply transfer all the characters from about three(?) low population servers together, for free! If you want to choose your destination, maybe you have to pay a small $5 fee. Seems like a possible compromise...though if we have to pay $5 for each character and we want to move multiple ones, the price could add up and become unacceptable. Bulk moves are the way to go.

Most server transfers are free. You know, to the ones that will benefit you most. However, if you wish to move to one that will not benefit you most, i.e. one that's not on the list, it'll cost ya.

In short, you most likely won't have to pay.

Are we talking about this Rift? http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-01-19-rift-maker-trion-raises-USD85-million

 

100+ Million in 10 months. Rift is dying like TOR is dying. As in neither are. You really should refrain from inflicting your peculiar brand of insanity on us again.

hahaha rift is not dying they are only getting better when i play there is tons of people on unlike swtor with almost every server dead. the dev team has no clue what to do i bet most of the people will be gone if we do not get transfer's soon very soon

Most server transfers are free. You know, to the ones that will benefit you most. However, if you wish to move to one that will not benefit you most, i.e. one that's not on the list, it'll cost ya.

 

In short, you most likely won't have to pay.

If you read recsa's post on page 14, just a couple above mine, you'll see he started over again on a high population server when his original become too low in population to play on. He is angry that he'll have to pay to move his original characters to his high population server in order to link them up. I have read posts by others in the same situation. People rerolled on high population servers because they did not see any other choice. Now, down the road, they will have to pay in order to bring their original high level characters to their second, new server? That doesn't seem fair, they should not be blamed and made to pay for Bioware's mistakes when managing the number of servers and server population at launch.

I suppose you could argue they could move their characters from the high pop servers to the lower one...but that hardly seems like a safe bet when you're concerned with having a server that is populated enough to play on. Might as well ask them to quit.

I do not see any way around closing some servers down, as the population will naturally abandon some low population servers. We can only move so many off higher populated servers and other servers in general...the total game population cannot support the current number of servers. That is why I argue for mergers.

If you read resca's post on page 14, just a couple above mine, you'll see he started over again on a high population server when his original become too low in population to play on. He is angry that he'll have to pay to move his original characters to his high population server in order to link them up. I have read posts by others in the same situation. People rerolled on high population servers because they did not see any other choice. Now, down the road, they will have to pay in order to bring their original high level characters to their second, new server? That doesn't seem fair, they should not be blamed and made to pay for Bioware's mistakes when managing the number of servers and server population at launch.

 

I suppose you could argue they could move their characters from the high pop servers to the lower one...but that hardly seems like a safe bet when you're concerned with having a server that is populated enough to play on. Might as well ask them to quit.

 

I do not see any way around closing some servers down, as the population will naturally abandon some low population servers. We can only move so many off higher populated servers and other servers in general...the total game population cannot support the current number of servers. That is why I argue for mergers.

You could also argue that no one knows what server to what server is going to have to be paid for. Which is true. Chicken Littling at this stage is a bit premature.

hopefully this will make some people happy. though i think they should force a few servers to close moving all the players. atleast people can not say bioware isnt listening and reacting in a positive manner.

 

sure it may be the summer before they come in , but i could see that being a logistics nightmare to move all those players properly

It's probably a bit late, and really they could just merge some (just allow duplicate legacy names, it is no big deal and more than two people with the same last name of "Smith" is), but yes.

It's probably a bit late, and really they could just merge some (just allow duplicate legacy names, it is no big deal and more than two people with the same last name of "Smith" is), but yes.

Do you have data to back up your claim that allowing duplicate legacy names is "no big deal"? It really seems like a big deal to me...

I suppose you could argue they could move their characters from the high pop servers to the lower one...but that hardly seems like a safe bet when you're concerned with having a server that is populated enough to play on. Might as well ask them to quit.

Could not have said it better, most of the people that will get the promotional transfers will probably be people that have already quit the game and comes back to test how the consolidate server works, but i feel that people has ... "easy quiting" so the new server might aswell become empty in few weeks, im not doing the same mistake again.

My new main is in a high pop server, i just want to consolidate my legacy and credits, its not like asking for soemthing that is not rightfully mine, i have done my part, i rerolled and not unsubbed, now im rewarded having to pay

Could not have said it better, most of the people that will get the promotional transfers will probably be people that have already quit the game and comes back to test how the consolidate server works, but i feel that people has ... "easy quiting" so the new server might aswell become empty in few weeks, im not doing the same mistake again.

 

My new main is in a high pop server, i just want to consolidate my legacy and credits, its not like asking for soemthing that is not rightfully mine, i have done my part, i rerolled and not unsubbed, now im rewarded having to pay

Really? You know which servers will have to pay to get to which servers? No? Then no one has any room to talk here.

Really? You know which servers will have to pay to get to which servers? No? Then no one has any room to talk here.

Have you, biodrone, even read Dev's reply?? the free server transfers will be only available to Promotional servers, obviously those will not be FATMAN (US), TOMB OF FREEDOM NAD (EU), ... and such

I doubt they'll let us move free to any of the current heavy pop servers as it would just overload them. I'm thinking that if i'm still here i'll hang back once the transfers happen and keep an eye on the ones they give as a choice to see which become the more populated then make a decision. If none of them end up with a heavy population i'll either pay to move to a decent one or i'll be gone, it will just depend whether it happens sooner rather than later.

Even if it was free, why the hell would you want to?? Well, it doesn't matter. RIFT already proved that most MMOers are smart enough not to transfer to a heavy server.

Have you, biodrone, even read Dev's reply?? the free server transfers will be only available to Promotional servers, obviously those will not be FATMAN (US), TOMB OF FREEDOM NAD (EU), ... and such

Thank gawd. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some that were dumb enough to do that...

Really? You know which servers will have to pay to get to which servers? No? Then no one has any room to talk here.

As others have said as well, it seems like a pretty safe bet to assume we will not be allowed to freely transfer to high population servers. Those servers do not need more players. The promotional or targeted servers will likely (logically) be low population and likely several other low population servers will get the chance to all move to and consolidate on it, effectively the merger I am arguing for.

Any other course of action by Bioware would be....highly illogical IMO or represent a serious deviation from the plan laid out in the quotes from the dev that started this thread.

As others have said as well, it seems like a pretty safe bet to assume we will not be allowed to freely transfer to high population servers. Those servers do not need more players. The promotional or targeted servers will likely (logically) be low population and likely several other low population servers will get the chance to all move to and consolidate on it, effectively the merger I am arguing for.

 

Any other course of action by Bioware would be....highly illogical IMO or represent a serious deviation from the plan laid out in the quotes from the dev that started this thread.

Light to Standard is my bet. That'd be the smartest move. Which presents the player with a LARGE list of servers.

Thus, no paying.

Even if it was free, why the hell would you want to?? Well, it doesn't matter. RIFT already proved that most MMOers are smart enough not to transfer to a heavy server.

The better question would be, why wouldn't I? I don't do PvE and spend my time solely in Warzones, the less time standing around doing nothing waiting for matches to pop the better.

The better question would be, why wouldn't I? I don't do PvE and spend my time solely in Warzones, the less time standing around doing nothing waiting for matches to pop the better.

Yes. Absolutely. Once you pass the 3 hour queue to log in, right?

Thank gawd. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some that were dumb enough to do that...

Have you even stop to think most of us rerolled on those servers weeks ago? right now we have lvl 50 toons working on end game content on those high pop servers, and coming from a dead server it is like paradise, so now we have to definitively say good bye to our "old toons and legacy" or pay ... maybe its ok for you, sure you are not in that situation, but its not ok for me.

Have you even stop to think most of us rerolled on those servers weeks ago? right now we have lvl 50 toons working on end game content on those high pop servers, and coming from a dead server it is like paradise, so now we have to definitively say good bye to our "old toons and legacy" or pay ... maybe its ok for you, sure you are not in that situation, but its not ok for me.

I remember all the threads last week of people begging others to stop rolling on Fatman. I also remember seeing quite the queue on that server for several days.

You really wanna repeat that?