General Reminder: Your servers are dying. You need to merge, and foster community.

[Scrapco]

Making a singular nexus for all characters with the individual servers as host wouldn't be too big an issue, would it?

It sounds horrendously difficult. I don't even know what "the individual servers as host" means. Instant temporary transfers? Or you're playing on your own server, and they're copying location info among themselves? What about two toons with the same name, since those restrictions are only per server?

It's a non-starter.

[Chai]

There are 2 members logging into our resident PD guild at the moment.

Most of those folks left when the grinders got what they wanted.

Where are the "its all about the journey and not the destination" folks now?

[Mr_Helmet]

Most of those folks left when the grinders got what they wanted.

Where are the "its all about the journey and not the destination" folks now?

They were never more than 1% of the population in the first place.

[whoolsey]

The solution seems simple,

1, merge servers. make ships/pets etc server wide.
2, delete reaper trees, without that pressure, most people drop down to elite again.
3, Delete epic gear(lv 21 to 30) and epic levels
4, change epic content to a heroic version, e.g. motu pack and haunted halls.
5, give back the old epics, rework some of the stuff to be lv 20, like epic gh, 3bc, etc.
6, create actual endgame

Added some more:
7, remove champs from hard and elite, thats what reaper mode is for.
8, reballance content, remove the dense packs of mobs with far too many hp for its level (looking at you un-dead dwarven miners in the new(heroic) pack).
9, remove chat channels and block 3rd part chat programs

Basicly more pit, less eveningstar.
Even haunted hall, wich looked amazing suffered from the high density, high hp mobs, also that statue!@#$$/^&.

Anyway, i would like to see more ballanced content that support more classes and builds.
Then we might see some more parties being formed.

The people genuinely looking for a challenge will have reaper mode without seeing it become easier over time due to the reaper trees making thins too easy for them.

I also hope the people that were claiming the game got too easy on their triple everything completionist toons have learned from their mistakes.
The imballance in difficulty, the tr&gear&reaper grind has driven of many slightly more casual players that simply have different playstyles and play hours then others yet feel pressured into playing higher dificulties because their lfm's stay empty.
People that want a challenge should learn how to limit themselves in a game like this.
Some of you have chased of half the community with the elitist behaviour and you don't even realise it.

[GlassCannon]

They were never more than 1% of the population in the first place.

Ah, so that's why only 1% of the population is still here then.

No, they were the 99%.

[GlassCannon]

It sounds horrendously difficult. I don't even know what "the individual servers as host" means. Instant temporary transfers? Or you're playing on your own server, and they're copying location info among themselves? What about two toons with the same name, since those restrictions are only per server?

It's a non-starter.

Horrendously difficult? What's so hard about a server to host quests separated from the servers that store character data? Maybe it's how the DDO worlds are built. I mean, character transfers seem to be a tremendous undertaking and all.

I suppose technical limitations will force DDO to die then. Ah well, we gave it a good go, didn't we?

[GlassCannon]

Added some more:
7, remove champs from hard and elite, thats what reaper mode is for.
8, reballance content, remove the dense packs of mobs with far too many hp for its level (looking at you un-dead dwarven miners in the new(heroic) pack).
9, remove chat channels and block 3rd part chat programs

Basicly more pit, less eveningstar.
Even haunted hall, wich looked amazing suffered from the high density, high hp mobs, also that statue!@#$$/^&.

Anyway, i would like to see more ballanced content that support more classes and builds.
Then we might see some more parties being formed.

The people genuinely looking for a challenge will have reaper mode without seeing it become easier over time due to the reaper trees making thins too easy for them.

I also hope the people that were claiming the game got too easy on their triple everything completionist toons have learned from their mistakes.
The imballance in difficulty, the tr&gear&reaper grind has driven of many slightly more casual players that simply have different playstyles and play hours then others yet feel pressured into playing higher dificulties because their lfm's stay empty.
People that want a challenge should learn how to limit themselves in a game like this.
Some of you have chased of half the community with the elitist behaviour and you don't even realise it.

The devs lost their way trying to keep up with the Forum Dwellers rather than the actual people that want to enjoy a fantasy type game.

Maybe the forums just need to be shut down and the Devs go in-game to talk to players about things. That would work better. Let the forums become the wiki, or rather let DDOWiki do that job.

[PermaBanned]

Where are the "its all about the journey and not the destination" folks now?

The more the quality of the journey degrades, the more of us that leave.

[GlassCannon]

The more the quality of the journey degrades, the more of us that leave.

This deserves a "ditto" or "Seconded" or "Agreed."

[Uska]

It amazes me how everyone assumes SSG can't code the solutions in.

It amazes me that anyone thinks they can do better than turbine with less people and less money

[Forzah]

It amazes me that anyone thinks they can do better than turbine with less people and less money

It's a matter of setting priorities.

[Uska]

I thought you weren't playing?

Merging the servers is inevitable, or at least offering some alternative option with similar effects.

I would also vote yes to a server with no PLs benefits and restrictions on reaper AP (no reaper trees).

After a consolidation of servers, what would be the harm anyway?

It won't help grouping nothing will now so merging is pointless. A new server disallowing PL and reaper trees would be a start but take away hirelings and scroll and potion vendors and you might see grouping and no I am not playing just hanging out with a dream thst they go back closer to D&D I know they won't but one can hope until the game closes

[Hobgoblin]

I thought you weren't playing?

Merging the servers is inevitable, or at least offering some alternative option with similar effects.

I would also vote yes to a server with no PLs benefits and restrictions on reaper AP (no reaper trees).

After a consolidation of servers, what would be the harm anyway?

pot, kettle, black

[Chai]

They were never more than 1% of the population in the first place.

And it was still the easiest time finding groups in the entire game. I would get group invites before my character was fully loaded in.

People complain about the lack of ability to get groups, perpetuate the myths about no one ever joining their LFMs, but then poo poo and tut tut fostering a community similar to how a PD community is set up, because they feel entitled to have access to the majority of the games population. The reality is the majority of the games population doesnt play like any one person anyhow, and is not necessary to have access to in order to solve the "cant find groups" issue.

[Gremmlynn]

Don't want a new server? Make it happen in Wayfinder and offer people who want in or out (or just out, don't care) of the server free transfers for tokens.

How about making it happen on your server instead of trying to mess up someone else's. Hooray, you think we should get free transfers to one of the rat race servers many of us play on Wayfinder to avoid, forgetting about the guilds we have built and guild ships we have spent real money on.

Great idea, **** off an already established server full of players to try something people will most likely tire of quickly when they figure out without TR (or altitus) the game doesn't offer much in the way of long term game play.

[BigErkyKid]

Most of those folks left when the grinders got what they wanted.

Where are the "its all about the journey and not the destination" folks now?

Well, which proves my point. Permadeath is a niche play style that is not widespread at the moment in the severs.

A no PLs server (call it DnD classic server) would allow for way better coordination among those who think that PLs and reaper XP divide unnecessarily the current population. No potential for griefing; for example, not join / drop from a group and locking reaper. Or folks not knowing what it is joining and then needing to be dropped. It would also solve the massive problem of being able to TR to change build without loosing all the gear. It is obvious that it is way better than an attempt at house rules in a server that doesn't support it.

This is not my invention; before the forum loud voices shouted them into a corner there were plenty of posters coming out of retirement to say that they felt that XP grinds were placing an entry barrier blocking return players.

At this point, I guess one has to wonder why some people are so vocal against it. Why?

[Chai]

I can think of many different ways to achieve this.

-Feats can be autogranted at a certain level. First make copies of the current PL feats that give no bonusses (just to show that you have them). Then autogrant the original PL feats at whichever level you want and remove the copies. Set the level at 31 if you never want PL feats to be autogranted.
-Put the past life feats in a non-modifiable and invisible skill tree that is enabled at a certain level (just like EDs)
-Add the option for feats to have level requirements, so they are disabled by default when the level is too low.
-The idea of BigErkyKid is also quite simple. With a for loop you can easily remove the existing bonuses.

Disabling and enabling skills is basic functionality in any MMO. Everybody in the industry can do this.

TR PLs arent skills. They are a brand new character that was created, with the passive PL automatically part of the character.

Do you remember the response we got when some of us asked for epic PLs to not be part of the heroic character, and to be added at level 20 rather than at level 1? Dont worry, I'll wait.

C,mon, wheres that "you dont have access to DDO code so you couldnt possibly know" that usually gets thrown down like a rubber stamp right about now? Oh yeah, that only happens when its my idea being disagreed with and the goal posts need to be moved out of reach. Since its someone elses idea being agreed with, now all of a sudden its super easy to implement, with unicorns and rainbows, and no access to the code necessary to make such a claim?

[BigErkyKid]

How about making it happen on your server instead of trying to mess up someone else's. Hooray, you think we should get free transfers to one of the rat race servers many of us play on Wayfinder to avoid, forgetting about the guilds we have built and guild ships we have spent real money on.

Great idea, **** off an already established server full of players to try something people will most likely tire of quickly when they figure out without TR (or altitus) the game doesn't offer much in the way of long term game play.

A don't give a darn where it is; hostility non deserved here.

You can keep your little populated cave all you want. Why someone would defend keeping up ghost town servers to "avoid" players is beyond me.

[Chai]

Well, which proves my point. Permadeath is a niche play style that is not widespread at the moment in the severs.

A no PLs server (call it DnD classic server) would allow for way better coordination among those who think that PLs and reaper XP divide unnecessarily the current population. No potential for griefing; for example, not join / drop from a group and locking reaper. Or folks not knowing what it is joining and then needing to be dropped. It would also solve the massive problem of being able to TR to change build without loosing all the gear. It is obvious that it is way better than an attempt at house rules in a server that doesn't support it.

This is not my invention; before the forum loud voices shouted them into a corner there were plenty of posters coming out of retirement to say that they felt that XP grinds were placing an entry barrier blocking return players.

At this point, I guess one has to wonder why some people are so vocal against it. Why?

Doesnt matter. When I played in that niche community, getting groups was never easier. There were just as many threads about how the game was going to die in a fire if the servers werent merged then too. Fostering a community you can readily get into groups with does not require having access to the majority of the community. Youre better off clustering a minority of like minded folks together who all want to play the game the same way.

[BigErkyKid]

C,mon, wheres that "you dont have access to DDO code so you couldnt possibly know" that usually gets thrown down like a rubber stamp right about now?

Because it isn't applicable here. There are things to which the terms "spaghetti code" or "old code" or whatever other things that get thrown around don't apply. Obviously you are free to keep saying this, but it just isn't true at all.

It is NOT hard. It may not be desired, but it is painfully obvious that it is not due to a technical difficulty. I could point out a lot of obvious reasons why it isn't, but you simply don't want to be convinced.

Since neither of us won't get any points out of "winning" the discussion, I'll drop it to get back to server consolidation.