So, Ghallanda is getting gutted because SSG botched HC server transfers?

[Deadlock]

Let's see where the dust settles on this. I've no plans to move from Ghallanda and nobody else from FoNaS seems to have either. I'm still posting pugs when I log on and they're still filling so ....

I do know from the chats I've had in the last week or so that nobody is cursing the people who are transferring, we're all big boys and girls who can make their own decisions for themselves. I've decided I'm happy where I am for now

[vryxnr]

There are exceptions, but from what I've seen so far, most of those who transferred moved as a group, and many who stayed were not in those groups "in" crowd. So many who stayed are still filling with the same /similar people, and those who left were mostly grouping with their "in crowd" anyways.

It's going to be those who were in those "in groups" who stayed who are going to suffer the most, because their normal groups are no longer there, and they'll have to group with people they usually ignored and who may not be as uber as their old group was now... or transfer from what feels like a sinking ship to them (because the people who they normally joined are no longer there) in order to play with them again.

At least that's my impression... even before the free transfers, that has been my impression of g-land. There was very little in the way of true PUGs. Instead there were exclusive / private channels and guilds that grouped together, only sometimes opening up a pug for anyone to join but those would still only fill with the "regulars" who knew them already (or avoided by others who knew them already negatively), with the very rare random person who is actually not already in the in group. For the most part, all the different cliques kept to their own lanes and didn't co-mingle very much. (which also makes things seem more dire than they actually are when your own clique loses members and doesn't replace them because everyone else isn't elite enough, etc). Most of those who are not in any of the big guilds / cliques were wary of joining their pugs for fear of being slow or even ostracized for being the "new guy" in the group. (and I've seen it, people going on auto pilot and being yelled at, or yelling at others, for not doing a quest in the exact way the group is used to, or not being in a strong enough build, etc).

Though it's also still very early (too early imo) to make a concrete judgement on the state of g-land post transfers.

[KoobTheProud]

The reality is probably that Orien will be a huge server bordering on mega server status and Ghallanda will be the second or third smallest server for awhile with no obvious means of replenishment since Orien will still be the default server for now.

My guess is that SSG will watch how things plays out for a several months and then if Orien is stable and the load-balancing is working to keep it so they may well open up another free transfer window but just to Orien this time.

They know they have an overall pop problem, particularly when HCL is running. If they can finesse one of the servers into a size that it's always popping even during an HCL they're probably going to do that. This with minimum effort required to actually make the transfers more amenable to people, just putting the option out there and letting the players figure out the issues with guilds, shards, mounts and all the things that won't transfer.

I'm actually considering moving a main to Orien in the hopes that the server will still be populated during HCL. I paid to move a main to Khyber last year and watched the server go completely dead on the afterthought HCL after the first one ended. Won't make that kind of move again.

[slarden]

Change is good.

[Stradivarius]

Change is good.

Sure if you're Orien.

Not so much for Ghallanda though.

[Dandonk]

Not so much for Ghallanda though.

Do not try to play on Ghallanda. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: There is no Ghallanda.

[MaeveTuohy]

Change is good.

Change is change, and opportunity.

[Wizard1406]

They know they have an overall pop problem, particularly when HCL is running.

Yup, less than 2000 players total online usually. That's the population of one server, to have a game with full MMO feeling and lots of grouping going on. Maybe 2-3 servers. But certainly not 8-9 (hardcore).

Proper server merges (along with server upgrade to handle higher population) would be much appreciated.

[Fauxknight]

Proper server merges (along with server upgrade to handle higher population) would be much appreciated.

Or really just one player pool with multiple channels, aka mega server. I don't know if the DDO framework can handle that without exploding though.


G-Land continuing to lose bodies. Just ran some raids earlier today with one of the larger guilds left and was feeling good, till it comes up that they're still all planning on transferring.

[KoobTheProud]

Feeling like you're being left behind is a nasty vibe.

I think the transfers are going to take off as it becomes clear what the damage to the population really is.

[Stradivarius]

There won't be anyone on G-land by the end of the month. We'll have two dead servers but G-Land will be devoid of anything, Wayfinder players are on there because it's their kink.

Think both Khyber and Cannith will take a womping too before all this is said and done.

[KoobTheProud]

I don't have a good test character on Orien because the last time I played there was 2012 or so and I was playing alts not doing the limited TR's available at the time.

That said, Orien has the most people on right now and it is smooth as silk. Khyber has about two-thirds the players on at the moment and it is chugging. However I'm comparing a 28 life toon with full banks, a TR cache and mostly full inventory to a first life toon and that's clearly capable of making things look different.

I may have to move one of the mains over to get a good comparison.

OMG. Just went to search for the date Orien launched and it launched at the beginning of F2P in 2009 and it was billed as a new high-capacity server setup to handle the sudden influx of many new accounts.

[Livmo]

I don't have a good test character on Orien because the last time I played there was 2012 or so and I was playing alts not doing the limited TR's available at the time.

That said, Orien has the most people on right now and it is smooth as silk. Khyber has about two-thirds the players on at the moment and it is chugging. However I'm comparing a 28 life toon with full banks, a TR cache and mostly full inventory to a first life toon and that's clearly capable of making things look different.

I may have to move one of the mains over to get a good comparison.

OMG. Just went to search for the date Orien launched and it launched at the beginning of F2P in 2009 and it was billed as a new high-capacity server setup to handle the sudden influx of many new accounts.

Dip a toe in Sarlona as well?

Best beaches in DDO

[Stradivarius]

OMG. Just went to search for the date Orien launched and it launched at the beginning of F2P in 2009 and it was billed as a new high-capacity server setup to handle the sudden influx of many new accounts.

Orien truly is the megaserver as foretold in the prophecy.

[pjw]

...
My guess is that SSG will watch how things plays out for a several months and then if Orien is stable and the load-balancing is working to keep it so they may well open up another free transfer window but just to Orien this time....

Not so good if you have Astral Shards, a guild, or...worse...multiple TR caches to clear out. This is just another cluster-whatsit brought to you by the people who said hardcore would not affect main servers.

[gravisrs]

G-land was already second lowest population. Looking at the transfers it will be a ghost town similar to Wayfinder eventually.

You think there will be another free transfers opportunity? I doubt TBH.

If I were on G-land I'd take that into account, because later I will have to leave my shards (anyway) AND pay for the transfer.

[Deadlock]

*Clutches pearls*

You mean if we don't move now then we'll have to .... pay for it .... in the future?

Seems only fair since Ghallanda seems to be the focus of all of the drama that they offer a free server transfer for anyone who wants to come join us on Ghallanda for the rest of the year

[Mamalian]

*Clutches pearls*

You mean if we don't move now then we'll have to .... pay for it .... in the future?

Seems only fair since Ghallanda seems to be the focus of all of the drama that they offer a free server transfer for anyone who wants to come join us on Ghallanda for the rest of the year

That might rob SSG of tens of dollars.

[mbartol]

That might rob SSG of tens of dollars.

Talk about fiscal irresponsibility.

[Maldorin]

A single character transfer is 2495 points. So for someone to completely transfer from one server to another with alts and mules for TR cache, shared bank and crafting storage, it could easily be 300.00 or more even when accounting for larger point bundle discounts. Add in the ability to consolidate certain server specific expansion pack bonus items like sovereign XP posts and it seems pretty clear it's a good time to move.

-IF-

There's not a lag issue created.

But if the solution to lag is to maintain almost no players on all the servers, this game is done for anyway.