Merge Servers

[Sokól]

For a 1 year now all servers have dropped 1/4 to 1/3 in population.

I am questing at level 18 now and I have a hard time filling my LFM´s. (rarely fill shortman when I get a few bites)

I would really like an official statement here.

I play on Argo like the OP.

[cjgoddard]

Really the title says it all. There is a shrinking player base and there are far too many servers. By consolidating the servers the game becomes more active and attractive to new players, old players and returning players.

Ok, have at it.

the easest fix is to allow indiviual's to do raids without having to be in groups... problem solved!!!!!!

[Thlargir]

Really the title says it all. There is a shrinking player base and there are far too many servers. By consolidating the servers the game becomes more active and attractive to new players, old players and returning players.

Not to me, so no thank you, but thanks for asking.

[KilzCasualKillers]

Yes. Merge the servers. A man can only solo for so long before he gets lonely and says "**** it"

[Battlehawke]

A better idea would be to release a "box" set with:

2 New Raids (including a great battle with Tiamat) with heroic or Epic Options
6 New Quests all with either Heroic or Epic Options
3 New Races (not Iconic) including Gnome, Tiefling and Dragonne
3 New Classes (all with 3 PRE's) including Warlock, Shaman, and Cavalier
1 +20 stone for each toon.
Ect., ect.,

You get the idea.....

[Zoda]

Either merge servers or make transfer free.

[Hendrik]

Because a lot of folks who want to merge the servers feel it will help with grouping. In my opinion, it wouldn't do much of that at all. On all servers, the majority of grouping takes place in private channels or guilds. The LFM is a sparsely used tool, game-wide. The chances of meeting new people might increase slightly - but (and again, this is just my forecasting here) it would not help to any appreciable degree. When DDO first merged servers, we did not have the option for private channels - so yes, the LFMs increased for a time. But soon, they were back down to what they were before the merge. With the existance of channels - we would not even see that initial bloom on the LFM panel like we saw the first time.


In the meantime, you would anger much of the customer base over naming issues, character-space issues, and displeasure at not merging the servers in the right combinations. It would happen again, because it's exactly what happened last time DDO merged. I know people who walked away from the game over those issues, and never came back in near equal proportions to those new people I met post-merge. So, you'd lose a fair number of people over this in a game that already is having population issues. People who would likely not have left otherwise.

And then there is lag. More players means more lag - and DDO has always had a problem with large numbers of players on their servers at any given time. Merging the servers would mean more people complaining about increased lag, and likely getting fed up over the inability for that lag to get fixed. Which, again,could lead to less people playing that otherwise may have stuck around longer.


I don't see any upside to merging that would really help out the players very much. I see merging servers as a red-herring that a lot of folks have latched on to, and one with a very short-term benefits that would actually hurt more then help in the longer view once the collateral effects of the merge start to sink in. IMHO, merging the servers would just drill new holes in the bottom of an already sinking ship.

Once again Mem speak truth.

It will not fix any LFM issues at all. It requires the players to post them. If players are not posting them on X server and not posting them on Y server and you merge them, all you get is a lot more players not posting LFMs on the new Z server in addition to annoyed players with name issues, guild name issues, and now increased lag.

Server merge is not the end all, fix all solution people think it is.

[Hendrik]

Yes. Merge the servers. A man can only solo for so long before he gets lonely and says "**** it"

And how will a server merge fix you soloing?

If people are not posting LFMs on your server and they are not on the server you are merged with, there are still no LFMs. If you are not posting a LFM on your current server and will not on the merged server, you are still going to end up soloing or you will continue to sit and wait for someone else to post one and hopefully for the Quest you want to run when you want to run it.

However, YOU can fix your solo 'problem'. Post a LFM yourself! Low and behold, you are no longer soloing! Plus you now have the added benefit of actually doing something to fix the LFM "issues".

To fix any/all LFM "issues" the players must post a LFM.

So post one!

[SealedInSong]

Really the title says it all. There is a shrinking player base and there are far too many servers. By consolidating the servers the game becomes more active and attractive to new players, old players and returning players.

Ok, have at it.

Lots of good posts here about the complexities, but I think what it comes down to is that most agree that player-to-player interaction is good for the game.

Currently, there are too few players to populate the extant servers.

Thus, if there is a cost-effective way to merge the serves, it should be done.

Re: name changes, I think it might be more cool if they gave everyone a free name change. So, either accept Name-1 or Name-2 or change your name.

Personally, I'd rather change my character's name than be forced into Sealedinsong-1 or whatever.

[SealedInSong]

A better idea would be to release a "box" set with:

2 New Raids (including a great battle with Tiamat) with heroic or Epic Options
6 New Quests all with either Heroic or Epic Options
3 New Races (not Iconic) including Gnome, Tiefling and Dragonne
3 New Classes (all with 3 PRE's) including Warlock, Shaman, and Cavalier
1 +20 stone for each toon.
Ect., ect.,

You get the idea.....

Gotta point out that Hendrik and Memnir provide good points. Then again, it would be useful to see some metrics on these, i.e. which server has the most LFMs, and how many people on it? % of LFMs per day vs active people on serve per day.

Re: Battlehawke's idea, content should always bring players back in.

If I saw psions released, I would come back and play the game even if two decades had passed.

[Cathimon]

They are just trolling... It's not unlike that dude on American radio who was saying that if you're poor and starving, just go make a sandwich and eat.

They think that the answer to the lack of players to play with is to make an LFM post. AS IF WE DID NOT DO THAT ALREADY! Trolls will be trolls.

Server merge, free character tranfers.

[Memnir]

They are just trolling...

No. Just because you disagree does not mean we're trolling.

I honestly feel that a server merge would not only fail to solve grouping issues - it would cause more lasting problems then they'd temporarily solve. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't have said so. I've only ever given my truth on how I see things - be they positive or negative. In this case - yeah, I think a server merge is nothing more then a placebo some folks have latched on to in the hopes it will make things better. You don't have to agree with that, but demeaning another person's opinions won't bolster your own.

[Cathimon]

Disagreeing is one thing. What you guys are doing is trolling. Saying stupid **** like ''Make an LFM'' when you know we do just that serves only to make yourselves look like fools and antagonise those who have the genuine interest in making things better for DDO. That doesn't solve the problem of low population either. Your chances of assembling a hockey team on some unhabited island in the pacific are what they are, void. If you're against merges because you think it's more trouble than it's worth, okay. But don't come here and tell us to make an LFM, that's the best exemple for trolling there is.

[Missing_Minds]

I think a server merge is nothing more then a placebo some folks have latched on to in the hopes it will make things better. You don't have to agree with that, but demeaning another person's opinions won't bolster your own.

First line opinion, the second line fact. I agree with both.

you know we do just that ....

We do? Frankly no we do not know, and no your server is not. If your server was, that wouldn't be brought up nearly as much.

Let alone my personal opinion about groups that just don't go any where. Instead of waiting for it to fill, just get a move on. Make due with what you have and *have fun.* It is a game after all. (I'll grant you, raids are a different sort of beast.)

Being called a troll for offering suggestions. *smirk* primary reason why I don't bother much with the tech area any more. Too many people asking for help then insulting the people that were offering advice when little useful information was given.

[Memnir]

Disagreeing is one thing. What you guys are doing is trolling. Saying stupid **** like ''Make an LFM'' when you know we do just that serves only to make yourselves look like fools and antagonise those who have the genuine interest in making things better for DDO. That doesn't solve the problem of low population either. Your chances of assembling a hockey team on some unhabited island in the pacific are what they are, void. If you're against merges because you think it's more trouble than it's worth, okay. But don't come here and tell us to make an LFM, that's the best exemple for trolling there is.

I said just make an LFM? In this thread? Where? Please quote me.

I think you've got a bit of befuddlement going on here - beyond even the basics of what is and is not trolling.

[Cathimon]

I said just make an LFM? In this thread? Where? Please quote me.

I think you've got a bit of befuddlement going on here - beyond even the basics of what is and is not trolling.

Henrik said it, I wrongfully assumed you were with him on that point. My apology.

As for you, I didn't read your thousands of posts, just a few here and there and I take it you think server merges are more trouble than its worth. Here's the thing though, there's an issue with lack of players to play with. Do you acknowledge that? If you do, do you think something can be done about it, I don't know, transfers made more affordable or even free? If you don't think there's a problem, ok, maybe that doesn't make you a troll. But in my book, that makes you ignorant.

And truth be told, I really want a word from the devs on this. There's never consensus on these forums, there's peoples who think duping is cool because they can get their scales off the AH for pennies, empty servers are okay because it means less lag and etc.

Dev word plz.

[Drevok]

I think ...
What the future plans are for ddo is key. Without much advertising and little improvement in new player retention I can see that a server merge unfortunately makes sense. Basically a step above maintenance mode.
However if new real expansions or major modules are planned for the next few years, basically motivation to try bring ddo to a prime, I believe a few thing better done may be adequate. First make the post korthos experience for new players much better. Next improve LFM, incentive to make an lfm and to join one (maybe 10% boost for level 1 to 6), etc, there are already many good ideas I've seen.
I'm not sure how all feel, but when I logon to an empty server, not very motivating. LFMs count is Parr of that. currently, four servers is enough if nothing major is planned

[Vellrad]

Lets say servers are merged.

The effects?

Guilds disbanded, or guildname and guildlevels lost.
Names gone, people quitting game (for example, if I lose a character name, I'm instantly selling my account).
People form new channels, start/join new guilds on new servers.
Everyone keeps playing in their guilds or channels, pug number don't go up.
More items to buy from people, higher audience for selling goods (the only good side of merge).

As long as my names are intact, I don't care if they will merge servers or not, it won't change absolutely anything

[Cathimon]

Lets say servers are merged.

The effects?

Guilds disbanded, or guildname and guildlevels lost.
Names gone, people quitting game (for example, if I lose a character name, I'm instantly selling my account).
People form new channels, start/join new guilds on new servers.
Everyone keeps playing in their guilds or channels, pug number don't go up.
More items to buy from people, higher audience for selling goods (the only good side of merge).

As long as my names are intact, I don't care if they will merge servers or not, it won't change absolutely anything

Doing nothing also has effects, Vellrad. I got close friends who left the game entirely, and I hardly play anymore myself...

BTW, you'd INSTANTLY ''sell'' your account if you'd lose your character name? Seems a bit drastic. I remember when we joined DDO, me and my four friends when the game became F2P, none of us could get the names we wanted, the names we used in all the other games we played before, because they were all taken in the past (by players who didn't even play anymore I am/was assuming). We didn't quit anyway, we took other names.

People always complaining, always unhappy. What about free/more affordable transfers Vellrad? How would that affect you?

[Thlargir]

Here's the thing though, there's an issue with lack of players to play with. Do you acknowledge that?

No. I have no problem finding players to play with.

I look at the lfms, if there is a quest I want to do up, I join, if not I go do stuff on my own, see, no problem.