I am under the impression that most guilds have a sister / allied guild in the opposing faction. We really need a way to communicate in game with our allied guilds. Custom channels need to be extended to both factions (perhaps a flag set in the same fashion as channel passwords / moderated status etc.). The fact that we have gone so long without the functionality to chat cross faction to allied guilds is a blight.

While not a project manager I have been managed by several, and know several either working for or having worked for big enterprise. I knew the 4hr maintenance window was very unlikely to met, why was that time frame posted? None of the project mangers I know or have known would report optimistic time frames. They would report realistic time frames and would not be talked / bullied into entertaining discussion with their superiors about best case timeframe for delivery, only most likely timeframe for delivery.

Umm extended maintenance is a sign of failure - a sign the release / project manager failed to understand the roll-out / the product / or their teams.

I think the problem most people have with micro transactions is that they will lead the game to being pay to win and/or it will cost more than a monthly subscription to play through the same content (had it been released under a sub model). Now it is possible that a good MT system could be designed that did not induce a pay to win scenario and wasn't extortionate, but nobody with a shred of sanity would believe that EA would be the people to implement it

Micro transactions are a way of fleecing the customers. Given the cost of using MT to experience all the content cost a substantial bit more than the subscription model for a user. If MT were introduced and they bought advantages not available to a subscriber I would be finding something else to do with my limited spare time. While my individual value from the subscription model is not very high due to the limited number of hours I get to play per month it is still better than the cost of trying to access all the same content via MT. EA/Bioware is on very shaky ground. They're already in patch cycle hell (c'mon EA/Bioware learn to build a proper test harness and do regression testing, have your release managers grow a pair and say 'we're not releasing this patch as scheduled as it isn't tested/is failing testing'). They don't need to be spending developer time on making a MT system when each patch is breaking existing systems, what's going to happen when their latest patch wipes all the items from a character that someone has paid real money through the MTs.

I helped a healer spec'd sage as a 3 lvl down healer spec'd sage. You will need each helper of the same base class to go into options and enable 'same class story access' (words to that effect). Meet at one location planet/fleet and have everyone board your ship, then fly them all to Stark's ship.