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A dev response to a dead server... good stuff..
ArcheusCross
Member Posts: 793
So every now and then I come across an awesome morsel of dev intelligence (or in this case, the lack thereof)
So anyway, this is a thread stating the population of Kauri during a recent saturday, followed by many well thought out responses.. and people begging for a red name to come and post... what happens next is classic:
----------------------------
Valara wrote:
I've posted this elsewhere but I wanted to mention it in this thread as well to share our recent answers. This topic was discussed at length at the community summit, and DeadMeat also talked about it in this interview on Massively.com:
The idea of server merges has been on the table but not in the plans for some time. In response to player discussion of the population issue, the next Chapter Update will have a number of advanced search functions. Can you give us a few more details about what that will entail? Do you see this as a stopgap measure? Are there a set of criteria in the works that will give you a firm idea of when server merges are a must?
LJ: We are very sensitive to the population issues that exist on a few of the servers. It is our hope that this new community search interface will help players who are actively out looking to find groups as well as helping to facilitate players finding others that share similar interests in-game. The new search mechanism works server-wide and will allow players to more precisely pinpoint what they are looking for with respect to player groups and shared interests in-game.
Our goal is to help players on the lower population servers by actively identifying the issues and challenges they face and presenting ways to remove obstacles to increased game-play satisfaction. We are looking at a number of ways to help mitigate these population issues. With a game like SWG, which has player housing and cities along with server unique resources, it is difficult to use a standard merge approach without causing a lot of controversy and inconvenience. Quite honestly I want to avoid that by adding positive, experience-enhancing systems to the game that address the challenges by offering positive solutions in a way that adds something for everyone.
We appreciate the continued feedback on server populations as the team continues to investigate positive solutions.
-----------------------------
Heres the link: Link
For some reason this dev thinks the search fuction is going to help a server with 5 people on it during primetime.. quite interesting...
ROTFL... its amazing people still pay for this game.. or much worse.. defend it...
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
Comments
I agree with you about this game, and about merging.
What the developers need to realize; is that server merging is inevitable. They will continue to lose more and more customers over time as the game fades out. So they can waste time adding new systems to the game, etc; or they can just get the server merging over and done with.
Either way, whether it comes this year, or the next; it will happen eventually I'm sure. Just a matter of time.
Sweet. After clamoring for three years, the community-in-exile has finally gotten what it wants. A new search engine!
Wait a second...
Yeah. the sad thing is we all know they could do free transfers if they wanted to due to the fact that the transfers are even available... for a price.... so why not do it free? It would save them a few subscriptions.... and build customer loyalty...
after all its not the players fault that the game is leaking subs... we didnt force the nge down peoples pie hole.. so why charge us for a transfer? OHHHH thats riiighht.... they KNOW the game is dying and just want to squeeze every cent they can out of the player base before it goes the way of the dodo....
and you know whats funny? i bet after they do as many transfers (for $) as they can they will pull the plug on the game.... hmm.. this bait and switch sounds firmillar doesnt it?
again... im surprised people even defend this game...
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
And the issue here is?
The way I read it, it sounds like the developers are a little worried that merging servers could cost some subscriptions so they're exploring other options to make everyone "happy". I doubt it will work in the long run though because the game is aging and it's very unlikely it'll ever see a large enough surge in population to make the group search tools useful on the low population servers. So those on the low population servers will continue struggling while SOE pretends the low population server issue has been adequately addressed with the introduction of an lfg tool.
Sometimes it is better to apply a tourniquet and loose a limb rather than to keep reapplying bandages and hope the bleeding will stop.
Sure server merges are an inconvenience to everyone, but the method to do so, should be of providing incentives to player accounts that make the move. Prevent new accounts from going into the designated closing servers. For those accounts in the closing servers, provide an initiative to make players want to move to another server, and be happy to do so, not told to do so. Example, providing x number of credits, some nefty items, and some XP, etc.
Or oh my, use game content as well. Imperial crackdowns are occurring on the closing servers. The Empire is introducing a Relocation Program due to rebel activities... A new Death Star is going around blasted planets of those closing galaxies... Oh the drama!
But no.
Providing incentives to players? Unheard of. Against corporate policies.
Using game content to enforce policies? Unheard of and beyond the skills of the development and management staffs.
/tell Sorry, but this is going to be bad either way bud. Do you want to bleed out or have the tourniquet?
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
And of course they continue to ignore the elephant in the room that the NGE and horrible past and present mismanagement and incompetent development is the CAUSE of the servers being empty.
The fact that they think some new search tool is going to change the fact that there isn't enough population to have a server is in and of itself proof positive that everyone in the SOE Austin building is insane and needs to be locked up.
As someone who actually plays the game, I do admit its not going to help much. Thankfully I play on a decent populated server (Ahazi) so I dont have the problems other servers have. But a LFG tool is useless because their is already a tool to do that. Its called Galaxy Chat. Ahazi GC is FULL of people LFG at any time. Why not make it a default Channel tab like Chat and Planet tabs already are? I know on my server Skee has been very active in letting people know about GC to help out new players.
Bartoni's Law definition: As an Internet discussion grows volatile, the probability of a comparison involving Donald Trump approaches 1.
Remember all the anti-social people that play SWG that you never see but run into them now and again ... thes ones that never talk and do their own thing and avoid contact with others.. I wouldnt be suprised the new LFG tool has the option to block people from finding who you are and where you are for privacy concerns but those people are just digging their own holes anyway what tells us there are less people than there really is ..... I cant wait for the results of the LFG and the server populations finally in Chapter 10
Quite possible the best analogy of the current situation, or in this case, what should have been done.
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
So they are somehow going to convince the six people currently playing on Kauri that Badgersmaker's grouping tools are going to create players out of nothing? lol....silly SOE...
A server with only 5 people on it? Sorry, SW:G isn't MxO or PotBS....
But I agree that Mergers and Free Transfers need to be implemented if they want to maintain the level of subs they currently have.
And they need to fix a way to support Datapad items.
MMO History: 2528 days in SW:G
Shut down and wipe, then restart fresh with 3 precu servers. Let the chips fall where they may.
Ah so they say it isn't just the homes and cities but the rolling resource spawns.
Tsk. Choose 5 servers. Force-Pack everyone everywhere up, cities and all.
Clear the lands on the five servers of all traces of homes and cities.
Announce a date for server merge.
On the go live new servers date, only those who are actively playing can log in and set down their homes and cities again. A nice land rush as their was the first day of player cities.
Poof.
As far as the resources, well Blix can figure out how to switch that stuff over to the remaining five, if anyone can.
There ya go.
People seem to forget how buggy the pre-CU and CU was. Personally I only experienced the "Pre-CU" from December 2004 until the CURB in April 2005....but meh..
I'll take the 32 professions that were.........No Balance Tweaks.....Dump the 250 skill point system on top of the current Combat Speed engine....Ramp up 15 new Routers and 15 new severs.....pull everyone from the low pop servers and medium pop servers to 2 of the new tech servers.....Transfer the pop from the heavy servers to the new tech......Give everyone with 30K or more of resources a 30k kit per 30k units (no trade though)...
Cause a 5 year resource cycle spawn on the new servers to help produce high grade resources for servers best.
Current content......Current NPC AI.....32 professions...250 skill point system....Loot and Crafted on equal footing......A Decay system that has a repari system that is 100% effective 100% of the time......Insurance terminals....A whole Bloody HAM bar...Health Action AND MIND pools......Wounds and Fatigue back....
A Purple Force Pool Back.. XP loss for BH death....Jedi as the Full Temp Alpha Class....Multi Temping like the MCarbs/Mrifles/4xxx BH or MBH/MRanger/MScout.....
Its not hard to fix the game. Its getting rid of Smedley and putting a Vet in charge of the Dev team.
MMO History: 2528 days in SW:G
Very original. We *never* hear that phrase around here...
Very original. We *never* hear that phrase around here...
I see you read the entire post.I am sick of the Pre-Cu roll back cries. As we are nearing the 3 year mark since the NGE.....I think it is a given that it's just not going to happen.
I don't mind if people complain about the game or current issues.
But at this point, I have to say that the Roll back crowd needs to get a life.
And my comments are just as original as a cry for a roll back.
MMO History: 2528 days in SW:G
Very original. We *never* hear that phrase around here...
I see you read the entire post.I am sick of the Pre-Cu roll back cries. As we are nearing the 3 year mark since the NGE.....I think it is a given that it's just not going to happen.
I don't mind if people complain about the game or current issues.
But at this point, I have to say that the Roll back crowd needs to get a life.
And my comments are just as original as a cry for a roll back.
And im sick of of posts saying for us to get over it. Im glad we have something we are each sick of.... but theres onnnne small difference... this is the place for all of the anti-nge stuff.... not to mention you have the option of reading this... so... yeah theres the door, watch out for the swing back... its a killer.
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
Kind of funny, if there's only 6 people or so on that server, why not just screw them too and make the merger. I mean, what's 6 more people lost to the thousands who fled this already dead game.
Very original. We *never* hear that phrase around here...
I see you read the entire post.I am sick of the Pre-Cu roll back cries. As we are nearing the 3 year mark since the NGE.....I think it is a given that it's just not going to happen.
I don't mind if people complain about the game or current issues.
But at this point, I have to say that the Roll back crowd needs to get a life.
And my comments are just as original as a cry for a roll back.
Where, in any of my posts, have you seen me cry for a roll back?
exaggeration .... i dont think any game has 5 people on 1 server........
Playing: EVE Online
Favorite MMOs: WoW, SWG Pre-cu, Lineage 2, UO, EQ, EVE online
Looking forward to: Archeage, Kingdom Under Fire 2
KUF2's Official Website - http://www.kufii.com/ENG/ -
Playing: EVE Online
Favorite MMOs: WoW, SWG Pre-cu, Lineage 2, UO, EQ, EVE online
Looking forward to: Archeage, Kingdom Under Fire 2
KUF2's Official Website - http://www.kufii.com/ENG/ -
People seem to forget how buggy the pre-CU and CU was. Personally I only experienced the "Pre-CU" from December 2004 until the CURB in April 2005....but meh..
I'll take the 32 professions that were.........No Balance Tweaks.....Dump the 250 skill point system on top of the current Combat Speed engine....Ramp up 15 new Routers and 15 new severs.....pull everyone from the low pop servers and medium pop servers to 2 of the new tech servers.....Transfer the pop from the heavy servers to the new tech......Give everyone with 30K or more of resources a 30k kit per 30k units (no trade though)...
Cause a 5 year resource cycle spawn on the new servers to help produce high grade resources for servers best.
Current content......Current NPC AI.....32 professions...250 skill point system....Loot and Crafted on equal footing......A Decay system that has a repari system that is 100% effective 100% of the time......Insurance terminals....A whole Bloody HAM bar...Health Action AND MIND pools......Wounds and Fatigue back....
A Purple Force Pool Back.. XP loss for BH death....Jedi as the Full Temp Alpha Class....Multi Temping like the MCarbs/Mrifles/4xxx BH or MBH/MRanger/MScout.....
Its not hard to fix the game. Its getting rid of Smedley and putting a Vet in charge of the Dev team.
I was never an afk grinder and I never used a combat macro. I still think the game was great. I played the game from second day until NGE and I loved it.
As far as forgetting bugs. No. I remember the bugs. You think someone can't have a positive memory of something without remembering the bad things? That's one of the frustrating things about SWG. They could have just fixed some bugs, and balanced some things, but instead they changed core mechanics of the game.
As far as 'getting over it', your just being silly now. Here you are....years later....posting on a Star Wars Galaxies veteran forum. GET OVER IT.
They cant merger servers. Dead horse is still dead.
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