Hey! Where Did Everyone Go?

[TheMaxpower]

As time goes by, the population on my server gets smaller and smaller. When it is difficult to find people to run with, I simply don't play.


SSG - Please merge serves so there are a sufficient amount of people to run with. Or at least allow us to merge servers for you, by allowing us to transfer servers free of charge and allowing us to bring all our stuff with us.


Time to think long term and prolong the game as much as possible.

[SpartanKiller13]

As time goes by, the population on my server gets smaller and smaller. When it is difficult to find people to run with, I simply don't play.

Time to think long term and prolong the game as much as possible.

What server/timeframe are you on? If Wayfinder, there's your problem. If odd hours compared to server peak times, that's also an issue.

Cannith is busier than ever, and growing (although it's the current default server).

[HastyPudding]

What server/timeframe are you on? If Wayfinder, there's your problem. If odd hours compared to server peak times, that's also an issue.

Cannith is busier than ever, and growing (although it's the current default server).

Cannith has been the default for far too long. Give another server a chance....

[Epicstorms]

There are always people that claim their server is better, or assume you're in the wrong timezone for your server, etc etc.

Fact is, population is declining (which is normal) over time.
Compared to years ago, the population is really low. Yes that's for every server.

The devs really should do something about this someday.

I also occasionally just stop playing as soloing is boring or I can't find a proper group for higher reaper or whatnot.

[ComicRelief]

"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."

[Hobgoblin]

"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."

End this! You will never win.
No. But I can lose. Again. And again. And again. And again, forever. That makes you my prisoner.

[TedSandyman]

As time goes by, the population on my server gets smaller and smaller. When it is difficult to find people to run with, I simply don't play.


SSG - Please merge serves so there are a sufficient amount of people to run with. Or at least allow us to merge servers for you, by allowing us to transfer servers free of charge and allowing us to bring all our stuff with us.


Time to think long term and prolong the game as much as possible.

Move to a different server.

[TedSandyman]

A sever merge doesn't have to be complicated. Trying to completely automate it would cause problems but it doesn't have to be as complicated as some make out.

Designate server X as the server that is getting shut down and server Y as the destination server. Inform all of the players on server X that they have to move and give everyone a free account move to server Y.

If you are a guild leader, the guild will follow you wherever you move to. No one else will stay in you guild. Simply inform your guild of your impending move and make sure to inform the guildies that they can rejoin on the new server once their account is moved. If the name is already taken on the new serve you will have to change the name of the guild. It sucks. But you will have to get over it. If your character name is taken, append a _2 to the end as they did for the European server a while back.

You may possibly be allowed to stay on server X, but no new accounts will be allowed on server X. Or server X will be shutdown after some appropriate time to give everyone a chance to log in and transfer.

The developers may be forced to keep the server running or at least save the user data, so that people logging in a year from now will be informed of the situation and will be given the opportunity to move. People logging into the server will be told what to do to get their accounts activated on server Y.

[Yamani]

A sever merge doesn't have to be complicated. Trying to completely automate it would cause problems but it doesn't have to be as complicated as some make out.

Designate server X as the server that is getting shut down and server Y as the destination server. Inform all of the players on server X that they have to move and give everyone a free account move to server Y.

If you are a guild leader, the guild will follow you wherever you move to. No one else will stay in you guild. Simply inform your guild of your impending move and make sure to inform the guildies that they can rejoin on the new server once their account is moved. If the name is already taken on the new serve you will have to change the name of the guild. It sucks. But you will have to get over it. If your character name is taken, append a _2 to the end as they did for the European server a while back.

You may possibly be allowed to stay on server X, but no new accounts will be allowed on server X. Or server X will be shutdown after some appropriate time to give everyone a chance to log in and transfer.

The developers may be forced to keep the server running or at least save the user data, so that people logging in a year from now will be informed of the situation and will be given the opportunity to move. People logging into the server will be told what to do to get their accounts activated on server Y.

Here is a list of things that don't transfer:
Your Friends list
Your /Ignore list
Your Guild name, level, airship, amenities, membership ranks, or other guild-related benefits. You will appear in the new world guildless.
Items in your True Reincarnation Cache
Items bid on or posted to the Auction Houses
In-game mail
Shared Account Bank and Crafting Storage items
Your Astral Shard balance
Your Creature Companion Stable

Thinking something is easy, might not actually be the case just cause you think it is. To merge servers it would cause massive losses to the players on the server that is shutting down. While also causing an influx of players on a server that probably cant handle said amount of players. Which also doesn't fix the core issue of players grouping with others.

[Maldorin]

Here is a list of things that don't transfer:
Your Friends list
Your /Ignore list
Your Guild name, level, airship, amenities, membership ranks, or other guild-related benefits. You will appear in the new world guildless.
Items in your True Reincarnation Cache
Items bid on or posted to the Auction Houses
In-game mail
Shared Account Bank and Crafting Storage items
Your Astral Shard balance
Your Creature Companion Stable

Thinking something is easy, might not actually be the case just cause you think it is. To merge servers it would cause massive losses to the players on the server that is shutting down. While also causing an influx of players on a server that probably cant handle said amount of players. Which also doesn't fix the core issue of players grouping with others.

Don't care
Don't care
Devs could take care of a lot of this with some compensation and coupons given to guild leaders. Guild could quickly reform.
TR cache has to be emptied every TR not really a big deal
Don't bid on anything. Don't post anything. For like 3 days
Check your mail
Coupons for Max inventory bags for every character transferring. Coupons for shared bank storage on new server.
Spend before moving (convert into items of value and place in inventory)
Don't care

Is it inconvenient? Yes. Is it impossible? Of course not.

I guess it just depends on what side of the merger issue you fall on. I used to care, now I don't. I'd be fine if they designated a server as the "primary" one. I only play 2 characters now. Easy to transfer.

I say this as someone having transferred from Orien to Cannith to Ghallanda back to Cannith. I don't see a merger in principle as much different at all.

Other than potentially lag I cannot understand how it can be seen than anything other than good for the game to have more people able to group together.

Every level cap increase, every new TR incentive (like new races), every difficulty addition (I'm looking at you reaper) fractures the player base. Then there's flagging. Content owned.

I'm in a big guild. It's still often times not easy to group. People are scattered across 30 levels and fewer people want to play alts now.

But merge or not merge I don't care anymore. I'll just play with my very small group of friends until the game dies. I think mergers would have been better had they happened years ago

[Zavina]

Here is a list of things that don't transfer:
Your Friends list
Your /Ignore list
Your Guild name, level, airship, amenities, membership ranks, or other guild-related benefits. You will appear in the new world guildless.
Items in your True Reincarnation Cache
Items bid on or posted to the Auction Houses
In-game mail
Shared Account Bank and Crafting Storage items
Your Astral Shard balance
Your Creature Companion Stable

Thinking something is easy, might not actually be the case just cause you think it is. To merge servers it would cause massive losses to the players on the server that is shutting down. While also causing an influx of players on a server that probably cant handle said amount of players. Which also doesn't fix the core issue of players grouping with others.

Yeah i couldn't ever move from Orien based on that list. Having my own Kraken, and just upgraded to Crafting Storage VII (to give an idea of how crowded my storage is) today.

[Gemini-Dragon357]

A sever merge doesn't have to be complicated. Trying to completely automate it would cause problems but it doesn't have to be as complicated as some make out.

If it was easy they would have merged the servers already. They automated character transfer awhile back and a bunch of things don’t transfer over. There is obviously a huge issue on their end merging/moving non-character server specific things. I’m sure they know it is in their longterm interest to merge servers. Awhile back I remember reading on the forums that they tried to contact people who were involved with the server merge in 2007, I guess looking for advice, but it didn’t pan out.

Also, some people are really attached to their character and guild name. They wouldn’t be very happy with a -1 or being forced to change it.

[HungarianRhapsody]

A sever merge doesn't have to be complicated.

This is the most incorrect statement that has been written on the Forums this entire year.

[AbyssalMage]

As time goes by, the population on my server gets smaller and smaller. When it is difficult to find people to run with, I simply don't play.


SSG - Please merge serves so there are a sufficient amount of people to run with. Or at least allow us to merge servers for you, by allowing us to transfer servers free of charge and allowing us to bring all our stuff with us.


Time to think long term and prolong the game as much as possible.

(A) It is summer time (At least in the Northern Hemisphere) so A LOT of players are doing things with family. Don't expect to "See people back" until late September (When college starts back up).

(B) Turbine/SSG have been draining the player base with their releases. My guess is they were hoping to "Infuse" the player base with people "eager to return" like every other expansion/update. IMO I think (A, above) was a major factor in why that didn't happen. People were planning vacations and trips. I suspect that we will see some "eager to return" players in late September but by then most of the "sheen" of Sharn will have been lost and the returns will be much lower. Players are going to remember why they left in the first place.

(C) Long term, merging the servers will not solve the problem; it just delays the inevitable. There needs to be a complete change in philosophy. DDO's success was blazing their own path and doing what "couldn't be done." Then they started mimicking other MMO producers and find themselves with depleting players (and the summer doesn't make it any easier).

[Yamani]

(A) It is summer time (At least in the Northern Hemisphere) so A LOT of players are doing things with family. Don't expect to "See people back" until late September (When college starts back up).

(B) Turbine/SSG have been draining the player base with their releases. My guess is they were hoping to "Infuse" the player base with people "eager to return" like every other expansion/update. IMO I think (A, above) was a major factor in why that didn't happen. People were planning vacations and trips. I suspect that we will see some "eager to return" players in late September but by then most of the "sheen" of Sharn will have been lost and the returns will be much lower. Players are going to remember why they left in the first place.

(C) Long term, merging the servers will not solve the problem; it just delays the inevitable. There needs to be a complete change in philosophy. DDO's success was blazing their own path and doing what "couldn't be done." Then they started mimicking other MMO producers and find themselves with depleting players (and the summer doesn't make it any easier).

[Ab]Not only is it the summer but also the week of the 4th of July.

[Chai]

(C) Long term, merging the servers will not solve the problem; it just delays the inevitable. There needs to be a complete change in philosophy. DDO's success was blazing their own path and doing what "couldn't be done." Then they started mimicking other MMO producers and find themselves with depleting players (and the summer doesn't make it any easier).

Pretty much this right here.

They need to mimic a completely different subset of MMO producers. The ones who halt their vertical progression to one system and begin horizontal progression in other systems.

In these threads over the years we've seen alot of pre-supposed "seasonal" reasons for why the servers havent seen re-population.

Spring - Its nice out and everyone's outside curing their cabin fever, on spring break, not sitting in their house playing games. They will be back in the summer.
Summer - Its super nice out and people are busy with yard work, on vacation, traveling, they will be back in the fall.
Fall - People are back to school, churning out that new fiscal year at work, getting those last rays before winter, when they will all be back on DDO.
Winter - People are too busy with the holidays....
/rinse, repeat.

[Thrudh]

Where did everyone go?

I don't know about everyone, but I was out riding my jetski at the lake last weekend.

I'll be back more when winter comes around.

[Propane]

Summer time --> firepits (cleaning up trees downed by storms), yard work, etc... my playing time is about 1/2 in the summer...

[cdbd3rd]

I don't know about everyone, but I was out riding my jetski at the lake last weekend.....

So that was YOU scaring all the fish!!!!



Don't need merger. Just Global chat.

It works for LOTRO, it would work here.

[vms4ever]

Don't need merger. Just Global chat.

It works for LOTRO, it would work here.

For some values of "work". Biggest problem is the opportunity for a single rude person to reach and out and annoy a vastly increased number of people. ("You can't make me not post spoilers in world chat. I'm just going to keep posting spoilers.", pro-/anti-vaccination spamfest, "GOAT", etc)

World Chat without active moderation is non-optimal.