Justaris

While I recognize that this is an area where fearmongering tactics and DOOMcrying are common on both sides, I think you're being unfair in your characterization here. Yes, we don't know how they'd do a server merger, if they did a server merger, but these name concerns aren't conjured out of thin air as a fearmongering tactic. Perhaps it could be phrased better in Bill's canned speech, but I think the point is that as it currently exists, the naming system for both characters and SGs presents serious impediments to a server merge.

If a poster were to say "merge the servers now!", those would be perfectly valid counterarguments as to why the Devs should not do so (even if it were in all other respects advisable, which is an issue in itself). Stating these things as though they would happen is perfectly acceptable in that context, because without further Dev changes to the way names work (such as the title you mention, for one), that is just what would happen. I really don't see it as a fearmongering tactic but more as a way of making very clear what the realities of the situation are as of now, albeit a somewhat dramatic one, so as to make it obvious how complex the situation is (rather than being a 'simple' matter of collapsing the servers, BAM! and done).

This is a natural concern based on the way names are known to work in the game as it stands now. Names are saved by server, as are SG names. Most seasoned players know this. It's only natural to be concerned as to what happens if two servers collapse into one or if a server gets absorbed into another. And this isn't even getting into character slots - some people already have a full 36 on multiple servers. Granted, that's probably an easier fix (you just allow more total slots per server as part of the same package as the merge), but that doesn't make it a specious or hyped-up point.

To put it another way: of course no one knows for sure that people would lose names / SG names / characters in a server merge, but people do know how things are now and voicing issues like these can only help to ensure that they are addressed if such a merger ever occurs. Personally, I hope it's a very long time coming, if it ever does.

Not quite. They're problems with this notion. You are, however, correct that they're subjective assessments and/or statements of preference. However, the status quo is on the side of those against the server merge. Therefore, the onus is on those for the server merge to make a case that justifies superseding those preferences.

Imagine the reverse scenario, a game with one giant server and some players want to shard it into multiples for whatever reason - less lag, a greater value on the individual player, whatever. It's up to the people who want things changed to make their case as to why the apple cart should be overturned for all the people who like their game quite well as-is, thank you. Same thing here.

Despite being matters of preference, these aren't trivial concerns. If my primary servers were merged into others and I was forced to play on a Freedom-clone and/or lost many of my names, SG names and characters, then it would be difficult for me to maintain interest or enthusiasm for this game. That's one of the few things that I can honestly say would likely make me walk away from this game forever. And I suspect I'm not alone in that.

Even leaving aside the Standard Code Rant, moving bases doesn't address the primary concern which is the naming issue. There isn't a good solution to this issue because it's an issue with the fundamental nature of the game's naming system. Captain Amazing (Triumph) and Captain Amazing (Pinnacle) can't both be Captain Amazing if the two servers were to be merged.

They'd have to either be forcibly renamed, take some kind of tag, or else add a number or other differentiating character. Even if we take the best possible scenario and postulate a newly designed system that allows both players to keep their names with some kind of hidden tag that isn't visible, now you've got other problems, like when I try to invite a given Captain Amazing to my TF. There's a bigger issue here than you're making it seem.

Since you're not contesting #7 I'll assume the canned reply speaks for itself.

8 - And back to the onus is on the guy who wants things to change. Forcing a change like this is going to alienate some players. Probably lose some players. It's not a simple nor is it a straightforward undertaking. If there's not a damned compelling reason to do it, then the potential losses are likely going to outweigh the imagined gains. If the reason is that a larger pool of players is 'needed', there's plenty in the canned reply to debunk that. If no defensible justification for merger can be argued, then things should remain as they are.

9- Reply kind of misses the point. The point was that a server merger doesn't free up hardware because you still need the same hardware to handle the same traffic. Merging Liberty into Freedom doesn't free up more hardware because now you need more hardware on the Freedom server bank to support the folks from Liberty.

This combined with the fact that, as you pointed out, no server is critically underperforming from a hardware perspective, makes this pro-merger argument defunct.

Chances are good that our game will weather CO and DCUO and whatever else just fine. Fans of the genre, who comprise a large share of our playerbase, will probably try some or all three of those games at one point or another, but the pendulum swings both ways: our players may try their games, but their players will likely try ours too. CO Devs swing a nerf hammer and we'll find our populations up, and so forth. At this juncture I think CO may end up being more a boon than a threat to CoX.

Unless our Devs do something crazy like a server merge.

Just to be clear, when people were telling you not to be a healer, they were not saying "don't be an Empath". They were saying "don't be a healer, a guy who just does healing and nothing (or almost nothing) else." Empaths who make good use of their heals, their many excellent buffs, and their blasting secondary are very strong Defenders. There are many good choices for a Defender, but just because people tell you not to pigeonhole yourself into a "healer" box doesn't mean they're saying not to be Empathy. Often some of the most vocal anti-"healer" folks are the Empaths themselves.

Minor nitpick: While this is essentially correct, it would be more correct to say that Dwarf acts as a toggle Break-Free. By this I mean that, like mez protection toggles, it works only so long as it is running. I've seen some players switch to Dwarf and then change back believing that the act of changing to Dwarf negates mez effects. Not so.

Not saying you yourself labor under that misconception, but it bears clarification.

This, too.

The AE wasn't a huge mistake. The Devs having some faith that players would use it for what it was for and not rampantly abuse it, that I can see calling a mistake. Or maybe an overly idealistic misstep. The AE is awesome for what it is supposed to be - an engine, ever-improving, for players to put out their own creative content for other players to experience. I've run some really awesome AE arcs since it came out.

Sadly, the signal to noise ratio is rather low at the moment with all the blatant farming and even outright exploiting going on through the AE, which sometimes makes both finding the legit AE content and getting teams together to do said content difficult. Ultimately there will always be players who prefer to level as fast as possible and couldn't care less about content, story, or anything of the kind.

You can't satisfy those people. No level cap is ever high enough, and they just blaze right to the end skipping everything else and then complain that they're bored. Anything added to appease them gets blitzed in the same manner and you're back to square one again. The AE has become the farmer/PL playground, but that's not all it is by a long shot. Unfortunately, that's the most visible side of what's going on with the AE, but that doesn't make the AE itself a colossal mistake. Far from it.

I do think the AE could have used more extensive beta testing (and more listening and reacting to what the beta testing there was was saying) to try to remove the worst offenses in exploitative behavior prior to hitting live, but that's a whole different can of worms.

This, absolutely. There's plenty of pickup teams around, but right now the AE is the farming FOTM and thus it's a lot more visible. If you're the type that just waits around to be invited or just broadcasts then you're going to get swept away in the AE morass. Starting your own teams is, and always has been, the way to go.

As noted previously, subscriptions are doing quite well - it's not that.