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Producers letter / Server merge spoof:
dolanious
Member Posts: 186
This spoof was posted on the main boards, it's funny cuz it's probably going to be true:
Producers Letter Explains Upcoming Server Moves
Thanks to all of you, Star Wars Galaxies is growing.
We've been attracting more and more people over the past months. That's one of the big factors that went into our decision to spend time improving the progression for new characters. We've been getting a lot of feedback on it, improving it as we go, and we look forward to it going live this week as a part of Patch 27!
There's another topic we've been listening on that I wanted to talk about today. Server growth, and the perception of the size of the worlds.
In reality most of our 36 US, Europe, and Asia SWG servers currently house the same number of people as your average server from any MMO. Because of the size of our game world, some of the worlds feel less full than they should for them be ideal, fun places to play.
When we first started out, SWG had 369 total zones or instances of zones. The game has since expanded to having over 600 of them, just about doubling the playable space.
On some worlds, it can seem like there are fewer people to make friends and group with, fewer opportunities to bump into others. Nothing makes a world feel more alive than other people. When you don't run into enough other people, folks who otherwise love the game are more likely to drift away.
It's no secret. It's a problem that's been discussed on a few of the server forums, and it's one that we've been spending quite a bit of time thinking about as well.
Over the next few weeks, we're going to do something that might seem counterintuitive on the surface for a growing game, and combine a few of our existing servers reinvesting in the ones that remain.
We're going to do this in a way that is meant to have the least interruption or negative impact on those who are affected.
The Plan
From now until the launch of the GCW Expansion, here is what we plan to do:
1) On Thursday 2/9/06, we will be temporarily opening the Character Transfer Service to all users free of charge.
During this period, normal operation of the SWG Character Transfer service will be suspended and all characters can opt to move elsewhere once.
If you've been debating joining friends on a different server, you can take advantage of this opportunity no matter which server you're coming from.
This is to let people who don't mind leaving their guilds (or are not in a guild), and can pack up all of their shared bank belongings, choose any destination server they prefer, except for Bria.
For the free transfer period, Bria will be removed as a transfer destination. It's already the most full server that we have, and we unfortunately can't risk a situation where that server would become overloaded.
2) At the same time, Patch #27 will be going live. During the downtime for this update, we will be doing some database maintenance to prepare for the server moves.
One thing that we will be doing is removing placeholder characters who are under level 5, have less than 1,000,000 credits, and have not been played in more than 60 days.
If you have characters that you wish to keep that are under level 5 and have less than 1,000,000 credits, please make sure to log them in at least once before Thursday 2/9/06 if you want to keep them.
3) From there, this is the schedule of daily moves:
On Monday, 2/9/2006, Ahazi will move into Bloodfin
On Tuesday, 2/10/2006, Chilastra will move into Eclipse
On Wednesday, 2/10/2006, Flurry will move into Gorath
On Thursday, 2/11/2006, Intrepid will move into Kauri
On Friday, 2/12/2006, Kettemoor will move into Lowca
On Monday, 2/13/2006, Naritus will move into Radiant
On Tuesday, 2/14/2006, Scylla will move into Shadowfire
On Wednesday, 2/15/2006, Starsider will move into Sunrunner
On Thursday, 2/16/2006, Tarquinas will move into Tempest
On Friday, 2/17/2006, Valcyn will move into Wanderhome
On Friday, 3/18/2006, all servers minus Bria will move into Corbantis
On Friday, 4/18/2006 Corbantis will move into Bria
Throughout the process, we plan on using some of this time to augment all of the worlds and their databases with new hardware to ensure they're even better positioned to handle the growth SWG sees week to week.
4) On the weekend of Friday 2/17/10 through Sunday 2/19/10, as a part of the pre-launch event leading up to the release of the GCW Expansion, Bonus Experience Weekend will be returning on top of the existing live event that will be occurring in many of the Theed zones.
5) On Monday, 2/20/2006 after everyone has had at least one weekend to decide if they enjoy their destination server, the Character Transfer service will once again begin charging for the transfer service and will again be available for transfers to Bria.
6) On Tuesday, 2/21/2010, the GCW Expansion will be coming to all servers (Bria).
SWG will then be a game with 1 server across our global locations.
The Effects
Moving characters and guilds around has traditionally had effects such as names needing to be changed as a part of the process. The idea is to make the move as transparent as possible. That's not to say that there won't be a few visible effects.
Here are some of the details of what people can expect as a part of these moves.
For those characters who do not choose to move early via the Character Transfer Service and are moved automatically on their moving day, some may be automatically renamed (with one or more 'x's appended to their name) in the case that their name is already taken by an older character. If that occurs, the renamed character will be able to use the /rename command once to choose a new name for themselves.
For guilds who are moved, the same thing may occur with the guild name, though is much less likely. For those guilds who are renamed as a result of the automatic moves, a guild leader can use the /guild rename command to rename their guild once.
Characters who move across servers will retain memories of their item discoveries from their old servers, just like they do today. No one will lose records of discoveries.
Characters who move and have items up for offline sale on the brokers will need to re-list their items on their new servers.
Characters who wait for the automatic move day will have their settings and posessions migrated with them, including UI settings, in-game mail, stored notes for Friends and Ignore lists, recipe filters, macros, socials, guilds, and shared banks.
The day that Corbantis moves, all listed auctions will be reset and listing fees refunded. Items will be returned to the game.
In Closing
I understand that this move will be seen as a controversial one, especially so given that we're not doing this for the reasons games have done it in the past.
Hopefully the above steps that we are taking clearly communicate that we have every intention of ensuring that there is as little disruption to your game experience as possible. We ask that you view this move in the same way that we do: a short term disruption followed by a much longer term period of continued growth and server community health...not to mention more Star Warsy!
Your game is our passion. We wouldn't want to do anything that we felt was hurting either you or it.
As always, you have our thanks for playing SWG.
- Smedely
Senior Producer, SWG and WOW Player
Comments
They took the EQ2 news of the server merge and changed it just a tad.
I made a post about it and got slammed!
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
lol, are you bekabukk? His post got deleted fast.
Anyway, if there is a server merge it will look exactly like this one. I'll bet you anything.
I would have been insulted if I was an EQ2 player:
"Thanks to you we're growing!"
"...and because we're growing, we're merging servers."
That's a fallacy if Ive ever heard of one. I mean really, we're mearging servers because we're growing? LOL.
The hypocrisy at SOE knows no ends.
*chuckles* good one on someone's part.
Althought I doubt server merges would ever happen simpley because they aren't sharp enough to work out how to merge the PA's. That and it would be an acknowledgement to business lost and / or no new business coming in. I was actually shocked as hell when they did it with EQ II.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
I agree that by default merging servers is an admission of failure and declining subs, but in the end ...EQ2 merged regardless. SWG might also.
I agree that by default merging servers is an admission of failure and declining subs, but in the end ...EQ2 merged regardless. SWG might also.
IF they could handle the PA problem with the merges I would agree. However I think that is a real thorn in their side. Although it wouldn't be beyond them to just tell everyone to use house packet and you can all fight for your place back after the merge, so I dunno.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
I agree that by default merging servers is an admission of failure and declining subs, but in the end ...EQ2 merged regardless. SWG might also.
IF they could handle the PA problem with the merges I would agree. However I think that is a real thorn in their side. Although it wouldn't be beyond them to just tell everyone to use house packet and you can all fight for your place back after the merge, so I dunno.
Well, they couldn't revamp the combat of the game either but that didn't stop them. They couldn't get New Game Enhancements to work properly, but that didn't stop them. They couldn't make 9 professions out of 30 more Star Warsy and Iconic, but that didn't stop them either.
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
Good points. I don't think PA's would be much of a problem, it's a coding issue... I mean the PA doesn't break if you pack up the guild hall, I don't see how that would be much different than a merge.... see what i'm saying?
How did EQ2 handle the PA problem, how is it different from SWG?
Good points. I don't think PA's would be much of a problem, it's a coding issue... I mean the PA doesn't break if you pack up the guild hall, I don't see how that would be much different than a merge.... see what i'm saying?
How did EQ2 handle the PA problem, how is it different from SWG?
My thoughts were that they would be trying to avoid making anyone pack up because then they would possibly have to sacrifice their chosen location for a new one. That is why I said that. House pack-up would do it, however they would have to try to placate everyone when they tell them we are marging, so your losing your spots and get to start over.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
Good points. I don't think PA's would be much of a problem, it's a coding issue... I mean the PA doesn't break if you pack up the guild hall, I don't see how that would be much different than a merge.... see what i'm saying?
How did EQ2 handle the PA problem, how is it different from SWG?
My thoughts were that they would be trying to avoid making anyone pack up because then they would possibly have to sacrifice their chosen location for a new one. That is why I said that. House pack-up would do it, however they would have to try to placate everyone when they tell them we are marging, so your losing your spots and get to start over.
I understand what you are saying perfectly Fad... I just think you give them too much credit for caring. Perhaps they don't go ahead because they can't take any more losses in subscription numbers, but not because they worry about placating everyone who would loose the spot they picked for their house or the city they helped to build. To me loosing your house or your city sounds a lot like loosing the professions you worked on for 2 years. They didn't care much for that one did they?
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
[quote]Originally posted by Fadeus
[/b][/quote]
.... so your losing your spots and get to start over.[/b][/quote]
Listen to what you just said. Everyone just started over with the NGE, literally, _everyone_ has lost what he or she had and are picking up the pieces to rebuild something new. Obviously, SOE has no qualms with taking things *away from people regardless of how much a player will lose or however much they have to 'start over'.
I don't know that much about EQ2, but it sounds like they had their server merge rather quickly --as in not long after it went live (or am I wrong?).
I'm really not sure what to believe about the possibility of a server merge for SWG. In the past i've said I don't believe they'll do it, and I still hold onto that....but if SWG is going to merge servers they will do it before summer, or they'll never do one at all. What do you think?
Wait...
I did some digging... what EQ2 server merges? Or are you talking about EQ1... you know... the game that's been out 7 years now?
As to EQ2? They stood up way too many servers at release (they had huge expectations for growth) and a server merge probably wouldn't be a bad idea, in the short term, to make some of the emptier servers more populous.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Actually at release they had to add servers to deal with the amount of new accounts. The server farm doubled initially because of the overburden on the original server count they had. So no they didn't launch with too many.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Not sure why I even remember that, it just kinda stuck there. If they have to merge now though that means they are not getting a consistent flow of new customers which is a slow painful death.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
as the second or third poster in this thread pointed out, this swg letter sounded real because it was just a modified version of the actual letter just released for EQ2.
as the second or third poster in this thread pointed out, this swg letter sounded real because it was just a modified version of the actual letter just released for EQ2.
I think everyone already knew that...
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
Tin Foil hats dont work.. its all a conspiracy
Server merges doesn't automatically = failure/bad thing.
If consolidating servers improves the gameplay experience of the players then its a good thing. Ultimately it improves the "feeling" of the mmorpg since the servers are more populated.
As a EQ2 player I'm not bothered about the reduction in servers. I did find it interesting that no one mentioned that the server number for EQ2 is increasing due to the introduction of the PVP servers next week. At this stage there is no need for EQ2 to retain the same number of PVE servers with the PVP introduction.
SOE are reducing the quantity of MXO servers. Im sure after the Matrix Combat upgrade, which apparently is pretty solid, its going down to 1 server. A MMO which is definately dying, but the server reduction will have a positive impact on its members until the plug is pulled.
dms...
as the second or third poster in this thread pointed out, this swg letter sounded real because it was just a modified version of the actual letter just released for EQ2.
I think everyone already knew that...
...excepting the person whom my reply was too, which is perfectly fine...hence my quote of their post. "Everyone" does not always include everyone..