The Republic 95: Server Merges?

Written by: Ryan Verniere (@Shaddoe) | June 12, 2012 8:15 am

55 Comments

Server merges are coming; there is no denying that. Sure, BioWare is not going to call the free transfers being offered for Star Wars: The Old Republic the start of server merges, but realistically that’s what they are. Our whole panel agrees; however, it also agrees that server merges are a good thing. The server populations are spread way too thin. In fact, it was spread too thin the week after launch, and that’s when the game had hit its current peak. The most frustrating issue is not that BioWare is doing servers merges, but how it is handling them. Justin Lowe sees no other good way to move the situation forward, but Larry Everett, on the other hand, is extremely disappointed. He said, “Out of all the ways you could possibly handle server transfers [...] the way BioWare is handling them is the worst.”

To find out more about Larry’s frustration, the exciting updates coming to SWTOR in update 1.3, and Gary Gannon‘s impersonation of Ed Park tune into the show today. We have three media personalities — Gary Gannon from GAMEBREAKER, Justin Lowe from Darth Hater, and Larry Everett from Massively — to tell us what’s what in the world of Star Wars: The Old Republic on our forum called The Republic!

45:20

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25 comments

Jediwolf

Logged in thinking today was the day after 8 weeks of not playing. Updated the client and read the server list notes. logged out again shaking my head in disbelief. Went to the forums ( sigh please don`t make me go there again.) and sure enough this whole server transfer thing has gone down like a Rancid Fart in an elevator with the core community. Real bad.
Why are Bioware determined to not only shoot themselves in the foot but blow their both their legs off while they are at it. its just getting worse and worse for them and yet they are perfectly capable ( Or they were? ) of doing better. Looks like my Star Wars dreams ended in too much fail, and disappointment.
- Judeau
  
  Doing them all at once would be a horrible idea. This way they can monitor the server pops, and adjust them accordingly. More servers will be added.
  - http://www.facebook.com/davidallmighty David Cohen
    
    I agree maybe all would have been bad, but 4? and going to the largest servers as is? The servers they are going to already have que times, so wtf? So far i must agree it looks like this is going to be the final dagger that kills SWTOR
  - http://www.facebook.com/mert.matthews.3 Mert Matthews
    
    Ssh, There is no place for logic on the internet only blind rage over anything so just keep on rustling the jimmies
- Old Ben
  
  > this whole server transfer thing has gone down like a Rancid Fart
  > in an elevator with the core community. Real bad.
  
  Yeah. And I don’t even mean the fart. I mean the fact that the core community fits into a single elevator.
http://twitter.com/Succorbenothi Christopher

Yeah…. 4 servers on the first day. The forums are livid. No real updates from BW. I have to admit it seems this idea is completely horrible.
- jgelling
  
  Apparently they decided to speed up the transfers after a huge uproar, throwing in several more a couple of hours later – when before all they said was it would be “days, not weeks” for more transfers.
  
  In fairness, the community folks seem to be gearing up their forum response time. It’s not like it shows the devs are more responsive than they had been, but the community team does seem more active.
H S

Years from now, when companies train their staffs on managing expectations, BW/EA will be the standard of what never to do.
Deacon1979

People seem to be throwing the baby with the bath water on the swtor forums atm.

Yes the first batch was only 10 servers world wide however they have already added another 8 to the list and we arent even 12 hours into the process, people need to calm the *BLEEP* down imho
Men_In_Tights_Too

Bioware + MMOs = FAIL.
http://www.facebook.com/davidallmighty David Cohen

My server which is usually listed as MED pop at peak hours has 50-80 on fleet at those times, so under a million actual players seem like it might not be too far from the truth. We are also the only guild who is 4/4HM Denova, 1 other guild just got 3/4 last week, we got 4/4 over a month ago, so the raiding side is def deadish. I hope we are added soon, but either way, this whole thing will help the game more then hurt it in the long run.
SeNtReX

As far as i can see they are spreading it out.
Its just a server merge.
When you logon to you account and check the server transfers you will see the following :

Keller’s Void to Jedi Covenant
Hedarr Soongh to The Fatman
Fa’athra to Drooga’s Pleasure Barge
Kath Hound to The Ebon Hawk
Zayne Carrick to Vanjervalis Chain
Eye of Ashlanae to The Red Eclipse
The Shadow Runner to Tomb of Freedon Nadd
Kessel Run to Battle Meditation
Ven Zallow to Jung Ma
The Courageous to Canderous Ordo
Rakata Mind Prison to The Bastion
Soresu to The Harbinger
Lord Ieldis to Begeren Colony
Shaltin Tunnels to The Progenitor
Mecrosa Order to Darth Nihilus
Stereb Cities to The Jedi Tower
The Restoration Zone to Jar’Kai Sword
Phateem Halls of Knowledge to Mantle of the Force
It would be better to update the page itself, but they are updating it @ your account.
http://www.facebook.com/davidallmighty David Cohen

You know their interest in SWTOR is diminishing when their NETFLIX promo looks like the most fun they have all video
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1788280827 Liam Gallivan
  
  Absolutely
David Alcon

I have to wonder if Bioware is trolling us. Are they really just flying by the seat of their pants? I know some of those guys have previous MMO experience.
http://profile.yahoo.com/FJR5OIFQII4WKUPYIHXMODD44Y Monolyth Tha Great

lol people still play swtor 8D
http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-Connors/636500420 Steve Connors

uhhh guys they are adding more servers throughout the day….
Damir Miric

I also though they should blow up Ilum like even while we were doing world pvp (read: were collecting arnaments).
DoctorOverlord

I don’t play SWTOR.

I just wanted to say thank you for that choice of a screenshot
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Bergevin-Jr/1393526370 Jim Bergevin Jr
  
  That’s nothing – trust me they could have used a better angle for that one.
Spatology

the threat increase wont effect gameplay, all mob swamping and such was dependant on the taunt ability, which is unchanged. This increase will help with snap threat for burns like the 2 tanks in EC HM, and aoe tanking in Flashpoints.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1000076690 Joe Benga

Wait SWTOR is still a thing?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Doyle-Hargrave/1182733324 Doyle Hargrave

micro managing at its best with server transfers you ask me. Glad i unsubbed it still hurts i want to play swtor but its just not worth 15 bucks a month. The open world pvp i waited 6 months for it and all i see is this carbear shit they think is good lol. Gw2′s pvp is going to remove whats left of pvp players. 6 months in all there is 4 wz’s to do over and over lol screw that i dont know how people can settle for that worst part is the war hero gear looks like shit. How james and gabe have a job is beyond me but stephen reid is let go seriously? stephein ried is worth more then those 2 put together you ask me
- David Alcon
  
  The number of warzones is not the issue. I could (and did) play Huttball constantly after launch and had no problem whatsoever with it. A well designed map is replayable so long as the variables (players) change from match to match. However, what drives PvP players away are the constant unbalancing of the classes while simultaneously making it difficult for new players to get a foot-hold in the competition. If I’ve been playing for months then my advantage is experience and familiarity…I don’t need uber gear that is 4 tiers higher than someone stepping in for the first time.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Doyle-Hargrave/1182733324 Doyle Hargrave
    
    what drived me away is how fail ilum was and gabe saying 100vs100 when ilum couldnt even handle 20vs20 barely. You may like wz’s but i cant do more then 2 a day its just to repetitive like bf3/cod you still cant choose them either i hate stupid huttball . I agree about the gear i wish they would get rid of expertise it does nothing positive for the game that i have seen when i got my full bm set in 1.2 it was ridiculous how fast i cut through people. The gap between those who have expertise and those who dont is a joke and the recruit gear is worthless. I wish they would get rid of gabe or put in a good pvp team at this point it doesnt matter much though my gw2 beta was everything swtor advertised it would be and more pretty sad anyone that plays gw2 wvwvw 1 times will not be the same after lol tor could have been so much but they are just lazy people who talk way to much about things they dont have. If they spent the time developing as much as they do talking wed have something oh well on to gw2
Jay Nielson

Drink when Larry say’s “defiantly.”
http://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Caliolo/100003765889295 Robert Caliolo

Server transfers do not improve the game. It just consolidates the game.
Improving the game means added content, not fixes.
Add a Planet per update, Add an instance per update, add a species per update.
Things like this “improve” a game at this point. Bug fizes do help but they do not bring players back. New content does.
Deacon1979

The “blow up ilum” thing i would be 100% behind if it wasnt for the fact that 2 of my favourite flashpoints are based around and on the planet
http://twitter.com/aharon Aharon Cagle

I would guess that “different pixel space” would be something like mobile.
T3chn0Viking

Yay. More sensationalist TOR journalism from Gamebreaker. If TOR fails you guys can take some of the credit.
- jgelling
  
  Forbes just posted a “sensationalist” article on TOR failing as well. Listen, I have a soft spot for Bioware from the KOTOR days and a love of Star Wars, but even I realized the mass layoffs a few weeks ago after the EA earnings call was the writing on the wall.
  
  You can blame the media or you can blame developers that didn’t even bother to plan for server transfers in advance or a serious end-game or a group finding tool, but it won’t change the fact the game is sinking pretty darn fast.
- H S
  
  I think you can pretty much blame EA and BW for everything.
steven via

What if the servers are physical? Should we expect BW to go out and buy new physical servers to support the moves?
- http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr
  
  Its highly unlikely BW owns the physical servers. The game is hosted on various data centers across the world. BW could lease new server space and allow for transfers on a first come, first server basis.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=714772938 Mark Ryan Strong

I’m personally in a holding pattern on the game right now, I’m still subscribed but I’m not playing as much as I would like due to running out of classes to play. I enjoy the game and appreciate it for the content that it does have. However, I would really appreciate some new quality story content to play through.

I agree the game is hurting right now in the category of people actively playing but I feel that there is a size able section of the subscribers who aren’t active who are waiting like me for something new. Only time will tell if Bioware is able to adequately deal with the issues before them but I completely believe that if they manage to salvage the situation they have the best base for a successful MMO that a developer could hope for.
scottsummer

Seriously i would go back if they “fix” open world pvp.
http://www.facebook.com/elias.rowan Elias Rowan

Man everything I hear about what is going on with this game just baffles me. It’s just a constant – “WTF are they doing?”
http://twitter.com/chumppi chumppi, Riku M.

Justin playing DPS spec on an operative, pro!
wutru

Gary sounds so fucking annoying when he goes into that little girl’s voice. Stop it already, you dumbass.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/ADEN6X6TYCORSSGEHKWMBIHDHY Eclipse
  
  You are what we call a hater.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SGHUTXU3AZVZVA4TXL7234IW3A Edward

Bioware:People is leaving in droves from the game!!!!
Bioware: What can we do?
Bioware: Nerfs, misinformation and crappy transfers that don’t allow consolidate characters?
Bioware: DEAL!!!
http://profile.yahoo.com/ADEN6X6TYCORSSGEHKWMBIHDHY Eclipse

Only 40 comments?

Yeaahh….
http://profile.yahoo.com/R5LCXTKOQ23X3N3PT2APUFUS3I dave

to be honest the server transfers are working amazingly well so far and everyone that is impatient can wait a few days, people are leaving but after the server transfers jung ma is active as hell and it feels like it did back in january,
all the servers they added for prerelease because people were freaking out about server q times is now biting those people in the butt, this is a great controlled way for bioware to control server pops there were things that would have made them smoother but for all intents and purposes this is going to help the server health of alot of servers and make the game alot better over all.

Also cannot wait for Taugrim to be on Jung Ma again
- Key Foster
  
  Agreed. But finally its here.
- http://twitter.com/lifensoul Steven Whiting
  
  Unless you’re in the EU on RP-PvP Lord Calypho, like me, we getting no free transfer despite our server being dead, because we’re the only English RP-PvP server so there is no where to move us, because they are refusing to give us the option to move to a PvP server.
Hayden Halbrook

Is it too soon to call this gam a flop? I will give it the year I promised, but it seems like the game has become a punch line. I hope it recovers, because I like it. Who knows?
- http://www.facebook.com/raymondjenkins1969 Raymond Jenkins
  
  300 people in the fleet in the middle of the afternoon today. It is a whole new game now. I am having tons of fun once again.
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/ADEN6X6TYCORSSGEHKWMBIHDHY Eclipse
    
    How is merging the dredges of 5 or 6 servers into one making it a “whole new game”?
    
    They still haven’t addressed many of the reasons why people started leaving in the first place – which means they’re going to once again begin losing people.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Mac/777995513 Alex Mac
      
      High concurrent players still means people can do content easier. And we can go back and worth about the quality of content but one of the issues was that people just…couldn’t experience the game. Operations, PvP, etc. The low populations meant that it was affecting what people could do and what they couldn’t to such a point that it was negatively affecting the sum experience.
      
      Populated servers are vibrant, you have options for what you want to do. Want to PvP? Your queue time had gone from twenty minutes to two. Want to raid but you’re missing a slot because your guildmate is off on a business trip? Great, you’ll have someone you can pick up for that slot in a much shorter time and you can do the content you like. Are you an RPer but your community was small and clique-y? Now you have a wider pool and broader pool of players to explore and create stories with in the world.
      
      If you cannot see how population consolidation helps the game, you are not thinking. At all.
http://www.facebook.com/raymondjenkins1969 Raymond Jenkins

You had me until you said that The Secret World might negatively effect subscriptions. LOL TSW is not going to threaten anything, it is simply terrible.
rodrigot teixeira

The host should just stop hosting TheRepublic and go cheer for its failure in other shows, he’s not doing any good here and his transparent despise for swtor is affecting negativelly the enjoyability of the show.
Key Foster

Same here, I just looked at the symbol and not the color of the aoe on the ground.

I believe they will recover. Server mergers is just a must.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Mac/777995513 Alex Mac

They’ve already helped.
http://twitter.com/Succorbenothi Christopher

Is anyone else really sick of the Ancient Aliens bit? Ok funny first time. This is the 434th time stop bringing it up. We know you love the drivel they put up on the ‘history’ channel these days.
Deacon Szabo

Is it just me or has the podcast become a bit of a bitter MEHfest of half-hearted discussion? Not like I blame the guys…

The Republic 95: Server Merges?

Patch 5.3: Blizzard’s First Ever Live Video Interview!

This Week in MMO Ep 144:
WildStar, Rift, Dust 514

Legendary Ep126:
Raiding Ra-Den Revelations!

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