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Is Bioware unable to merge servers?

Jason2444Jason2444 Member Posts: 372
in Star Wars: The Old Republic

So i was browing the SWTOR forums and I came across the Q and A that said Bioware was working on letting people copy characters to the test server...

 

First of all, it obviously should have been there on release, but this raises a bigger question...

 

There have been tons of people asking for their server to be merged or transfered because frankly, their servers are dead. So taking the above into account, does Bioware want to merge servers but are simply UNABLE to because they don't have the ability to copy/transfer characters?

MMOs played: WoW, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars, Planetside, Global Agenda, Star Trek Online, RIFT, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, EvE online, APB
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Comments

  • cyress8cyress8 Member Posts: 832

    They weren't expecting a loss of subscribers. They thought the game would keep growing like WoW, so they did not think about it. :D
    Seriously, most mmo devs start developing the technique for server transfers a few months after release. It is something that is not even necessary until 2-3 months after release. Servers are usually still full around the 1-2 months. Gives them leeway.

    BOOYAKA!

  • BardusBardus Member Posts: 460

    I think it's more that merging servers this soon is acknowledging the game is in trouble. Double edge sword though since forcing people to play on empty servers will cost far more subscriptions than mergers. It's all a PR balancing act.

    image

  • Jason2444Jason2444 Member Posts: 372

    Wow the peices are really falling into place now

     

    The reason they put such a low cap on servers at launch was because they needed people to space out because if a server stayed with a long queue, they would be unable to let that person transfer.

     

    That's why they added so many servers, they didn't WANT servers to be full because then people would be perma stuck in queues.

     

    They did the same shit with Warhammer online. Jesus Christ Bioware, get your shit together

    MMOs played: WoW, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars, Planetside, Global Agenda, Star Trek Online, RIFT, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, EvE online, APB
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  • musicmannmusicmann Member UncommonPosts: 1,095

    I don't think it's a problem with servers having to few players that want to transfer. I think it has more to do with faction imbalance. The loudest people who are screaming for mergers are people who play republic. They can't compete in Illum because of the balance indifference.

  • Jason2444Jason2444 Member Posts: 372

    Originally posted by musicmann

    I don't think it's a problem with servers having to few players that want to transfer. I think it has more to do with faction imbalance. The loudest people who are screaming for mergers are people who play republic. They can't compete in Illum because of the balance indifference.

    There are people who are saying they only see 20 people on fleet at prime time.

     

    Let's assume the fation imbalance on that server is 2 to 1. Hell let's be generous and say it's 3 to 1. That's still only 60 people at prime time.

     

    Some servers DO need to be merged

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  • waynejr2waynejr2 Member EpicPosts: 7,771

    Originally posted by Jason2444

    Originally posted by musicmann

    I don't think it's a problem with servers having to few players that want to transfer. I think it has more to do with faction imbalance. The loudest people who are screaming for mergers are people who play republic. They can't compete in Illum because of the balance indifference.

    There are people who are saying they only see 20 people on fleet at prime time.

     

    Let's assume the fation imbalance on that server is 2 to 1. Hell let's be generous and say it's 3 to 1. That's still only 60 people at prime time.

     

    Some servers DO need to be merged

    Are you playing swtor?

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  • Jason2444Jason2444 Member Posts: 372

    Originally posted by waynejr2

    Originally posted by Jason2444

    There are people who are saying they only see 20 people on fleet at prime time.

     

    Let's assume the fation imbalance on that server is 2 to 1. Hell let's be generous and say it's 3 to 1. That's still only 60 people at prime time.

     

    Some servers DO need to be merged

    Are you playing swtor?

    A tiny bit. I'm probably not gonna play past this month.

    MMOs played: WoW, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars, Planetside, Global Agenda, Star Trek Online, RIFT, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, EvE online, APB
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  • ChicagoCubChicagoCub Member UncommonPosts: 381

    It's not really a matter of being able to merge servers, technically it's not that hard.  They just don't want to do it until they have to.  It's still a pretty big announcement that you have to merge servers, people take it as meaning things aren't going so well.

  • Jason2444Jason2444 Member Posts: 372

    Originally posted by ChicagoCub

    It's not really a matter of being able to merge servers, technically it's not that hard.  They just don't want to do it until they have to.  It's still a pretty big announcement that you have to merge servers, people take it as meaning things aren't going so well.

    That was a mistake that Warhammer made, though.

     

    They added too many at the start and then waited 6 MONTHS to merge.

     

    The longer they wait, the bigger the magnitude of the merge will be. They can either merge 5 servers now or 60 in 4 months

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  • ComfyChairComfyChair Member Posts: 758

    Originally posted by waynejr2

    Originally posted by Jason2444

    Originally posted by musicmann

    I don't think it's a problem with servers having to few players that want to transfer. I think it has more to do with faction imbalance. The loudest people who are screaming for mergers are people who play republic. They can't compete in Illum because of the balance indifference.

    There are people who are saying they only see 20 people on fleet at prime time.

     

    Let's assume the fation imbalance on that server is 2 to 1. Hell let's be generous and say it's 3 to 1. That's still only 60 people at prime time.

     

    Some servers DO need to be merged

    Are you playing swtor?

    On the server i used to play, prime time on the imperial fleet had around 30 players.

    The game's dead on most servers.

  • Master10KMaster10K Member Posts: 3,065

    Well I think Bioware is incapable of doing it right now, becuase they aren't even able to allow people to transfer/copy their level 50 characters over to the PTS. This is why Endgame content in SW:TOR (Raids, Builds, Ilum) never gets the testing it deserves.

    image

  • synnsynn Member UncommonPosts: 563

    Originally posted by ComfyChair

    Originally posted by waynejr2

    Originally posted by Jason2444

    Originally posted by musicmann

    I don't think it's a problem with servers having to few players that want to transfer. I think it has more to do with faction imbalance. The loudest people who are screaming for mergers are people who play republic. They can't compete in Illum because of the balance indifference.

    There are people who are saying they only see 20 people on fleet at prime time.

     

    Let's assume the fation imbalance on that server is 2 to 1. Hell let's be generous and say it's 3 to 1. That's still only 60 people at prime time.

     

    Some servers DO need to be merged

    Are you playing swtor?

    On the server i used to play, prime time on the imperial fleet had around 30 players.

    The game's dead on most servers.

    well i must just be lucky then because i have alts spread across 3 servers and during prime time there is always alot of player on fleet. I can't remember the other 2 servers but my main one is bergenon(sp?)

  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Originally posted by synn

    well i must just be lucky then because i have alts spread across 3 servers and during prime time there is always alot of player on fleet. I can't remember the other 2 servers but my main one is bergenon(sp?)

    must be luck Begeren Colony is in the top 12. Sucks to be in the other 102.

     

    And the fact they have been unable to allow people to transfer testers to the PTS means not having the capablity to do so is very probable.

     

    So it's either they can't or they won't let people merge. Neither choice bodes well.

  • djmtottdjmtott Member Posts: 177

    There's no reason to waste time during pre-launch development on tools to merge servers. You're using all of that time to get the game ready.

    After the game launches and if the need becomes apparent is it time to use up resources towards that end.

  • MosesZDMosesZD Member UncommonPosts: 1,361

    Originally posted by djmtott

    There's no reason to waste time during pre-launch development on tools to merge servers. You're using all of that time to get the game ready.

    After the game launches and if the need becomes apparent is it time to use up resources towards that end.

     

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  • KLECKOKLECKO Member UncommonPosts: 48

    I dont understand why they would need to merge servers on a single player game. :)

  • fiontarfiontar Member UncommonPosts: 3,682

    Originally posted by Bardus


    I think it's more that merging servers this soon is acknowledging the game is in trouble. Double edge sword though since forcing people to play on empty servers will cost far more subscriptions than mergers. It's all a PR balancing act.

    Exactly. No MMO wants to do mergers a couple months after launch. It's just proof that either the game isn't doing well, or they flubbed the rollout with too many servers, or both.

    If they aren't capable of server mergers and character transfer, that's a different story and could create serious issues for the game moving forward.

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  • arctarusarctarus Member UncommonPosts: 2,581
    That's why most likely they will go ahead and implement LFD, to provide players in low pop realm with an alternative to group with other players. Server merger so soon after release is a huge no no.

    you will drive players away that'd on the fence, and this negative news may even prevent new players from joining. Look at wow, they also have low pops server but still no merger after 7 years.

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  • KakkzookaKakkzooka Member Posts: 591

    My guess is they're delaying mergers so as not to spook the shareholders.

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  • headenheaden Member UncommonPosts: 229

    Originally posted by KLECKO
    I dont understand why they would need to merge servers on a single player game. :)

    Bah-zingah!

  • DistasteDistaste Member UncommonPosts: 665

    It's very possible that they lack the capability to properly transfer characters. In Beta they couldn't even do template characters right to test the 40+ content. If there is one feeling that I got in beta it is that they are lacking in the programmer and engineer department.

  • NBlitzNBlitz Member Posts: 1,904
    I don't see the problem. They could announce they're converting a bunch of servers into trial servers :D

    Bio totally needs to ask Trion's marketing dept for some tips.
  • bartoni33bartoni33 Member RarePosts: 2,044

    Originally posted by KLECKO

    I dont understand why they would need to merge servers on a single player game. :)

    That's some funny shit right there!

    I'm sure they are able, just not willing...yet. If the pop actually gets as low as everyone (well not everyone but you know who you are) says it is/will be then they will. Not any reason to right now. Why piss off players for no reason. They have done that enough with the "Hi-rez was a bug" shit and the "Customizable Ui? What's that?" garbage. All incoming BTW.

    Now I will GTFO of this thread and not return in fear of getting temp-banned AGAIN for calling out BS.

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  • stayontargetstayontarget Member RarePosts: 6,519

    Why not just make lv50 pre-made's for the test server.  

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  • AmbrosiaAmorAmbrosiaAmor Member Posts: 915

    Bioware will have to merge servers sooner or later. But chances are they are going to wait till later until some servers really do hit critically low numbers. They won't do it this soon because it will look really bad all around for such a huge AAA MMO title to have to merge so soon. Those folks that subscribed for 30 days only had their time run out I think yesterday or today. Those that got the 60 day prepaid cards won't have their time run out till the beginning of the 3rd week of March.


     


     


    So while I am sure the company is looking closely at population numbers and simultaneous log ins, I don't think they will act till anytime sooner than that. If they make an announcement of merges it most likely won't happen till the end of Spring with the actual merger happening till sometime during the summer at the earliest. Granted all MMOs do have some sort of decline especially during the 1st couple of months, but let's hope it isn't a nosedive. News travel much faster today than let's say 5-10 years ago, so they need that PR balancing act.

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