What Should Blizzard do about Low Pop/"Dead" Servers?

[Celista]

I am one of the few people who actually likes low pop servers, I was on one during wrath...lot less competition for ore, eternals, Netherwing eggs, time lost proto-drake, etc...and the community is nice on smaller servers, as long as you are in an active guild. The only potential downside is inability to pug content with alts (if your guild didn't have an alt run or only had one alt run) and recruiting players off-server for raid progression, although if your guild was decent you had much less competition for server first titles, etc., which infinitely helped recruitment.

You NEED an active raiding guild on low pop servers though (unless you're content with just doing cross-server content like older raids, battlegrounds and LFR), as opposed to busier servers where you can pug current content and do pretty well, aka Illidan and Mal'Ganis.

Yeah, lots of upsides to low pop servers...I don't hope they merge.

[Henock]

It's the impression and the upheaval they cause for any delays. Gamers know if servers merge the population is not sustainable and too many will bail. The upheaval part is once merged is settling in on a new server. That is not easy, and chat flame wars can exist for months as those transferred continue to act like the new server was like their own, and not acknowledging they are the new guys on an existing server and no rep. It's a hierarchy thing.

Then during the move they should change the name of the servers completely to something else. For example, if they combine aegwynn (low pop) and maelstrom (med pop) into one server then it should be named something like ghostcrawler. Just something to say "Hey you're all being moved onto a new sever. Only Blizzard knows the physical locations of your characters. So you nerds can get the F*** on with whatever you were all doing before the move. Everyone is new to this server."

[Marahdeka]

CRZ hasn't fixed anything. All CRZ has done is make the situation worse, a lot worse. Now instead of just farming against the people on your servers and the botters we have to farm against people and botters from other servers? Yeah, that sure did help low pop servers alright... NOT.

As to fixing them it really is stupid simple. Blizzard has 2 options, both easily done.

Option 1, give each account a free server transfer every month (to a limit of 1). This way people can slowly migrate to wherever it is they want to be as far as populations go. This is already a practice with multiple other MMOs and it is time Blizzard jumped on the bandwagon. Plus if they did this their would be an increase in revenue from server transfers. How? Easily. Most people don't server xfer as it is because it is too expensive. With a freebie per month MANY people will see this is a way for transferring their main toon and their support toon at half the normal cost thus increasing the volume of paid xfers.

Option 2, MERGE SOME FUCKING SERVERS. "QQ what about my name I wanna keep my name." This is easily handled as it is handled by other MMOs that have merged servers. The oldest active toon keeps its name! OMG THATS SO HARD!!!!!! Same goes for guild names. Damn look how easy that was! As for the technology they say they don't have. Lets be honest, if Conan had the technology to merge server then what is the chance that Blizzard doesn't? Cmon, how stupid do they think we are?

And "other MMOs" are very successfull, right? Right?

[Fishyface]

Merging the servers is the only option. I dont care if you if you wanna be Gandalf. Find a name that is a little more original, it will take you 20 mins max to rename yourself with a little research.

Problem solved.

Oh forgot you people who "love low pop servers", play skyrim. You will have a greater overall gaming experience and still get that "i want to be alone" feeling. That is all, thank you.

[Celista]

Oh forgot you people who "love low pop servers", play skyrim. You will have a greater overall gaming experience and still get that "i want to be alone" feeling. That is all, thank you.

That wasn't a necessary comment. Just because you don't agree with me doesn't mean you can be disrespectful (to me as well as the other people who see the perks of being on a low pop server). Basically you are saying because you don't like high pop servers don't even bother playing the game and go play another game, which is wrong on so many levels.

Skyrim is a solid rpg but it is not an MMO. There are many mmo elements a player can get on a low pop server, especially considering you can still run LFR/dungeons/scenarios/battlegrounds/rated battlegrounds/old content raids with no issues while being on a low pop server. Communities are more tight knit too.

The only real downsides are pugging/raiding current content that is not LFR and AH prices on low pop servers. For casual players who don't even bother with normal mode/heroic raiding until the current tier is over it's not even an issue. Having a guild really helps on low pop servers so you still get that sense of community when you log in. If your guild has some solid raiders you have less competition for those server first achievements too.

You can't even complain about old world zones feeling empty with CRZ.

[Commander]

I love my low pop realm and I would hate to rename my 6 alts. So no, thank you. I have more than enough money to transfer if I wanted to. So do 99% of people who play this game.

[Delaios]

I'd prefer them to merge servers, and taking faction population into account when doing it. Two low-med servers with imbalanced factions, merge them to create a more healthy server with a more even faction balance.

CRZ's has been a bandaid fix for them

CRZ only fixes not seeing anyone while levelling in old content, which is both bad and good. It's good for atmosphere, but it's bad if you're after rare herbs/minerals/battle pets. I play a low pop server and I'd love to get me a Minfernal, but there are allways several people camping them due to CRZ.

[Commander]

I'd prefer them to merge servers, and taking faction population into account when doing it. Two low-med servers with imbalanced factions, merge them to create a more healthy server with a more even faction balance.

The majority of players doesnt want "faction balance". Notice how all realms except a select few are one-faction realms? That's because people want it to be this way.

[ranolphus the great]

i think they should give people who stay on servers that have a low pop incentive to move to a better server

[plantation]

Just wanted to say that being on a dead server sucks. The last PUG raid I was in couldn't kill spirit kings in MSV normal. Everyone kept dying to the stupidest shit like the marching soldiers. My own guild just wiped for 2 hours on the first boss in HoF because no one knew how to avoid the yellow circles. My only options are to stick with them or stop raiding, because the other 3 guilds that have any progression AT ALL have full rosters. It's a lose/lose situation. And while I hate the idea of paying Blizzard to move my virtual character from point A to point B, I'm really starting to consider a server change. Already have a few names reserved on my choice server, which is literally the polar opposite of the one I'm currently on.

If Blizzard did merge servers, it would be the greatest thing ever. They won't though, because suckers like me keep buying their virtual transfers. brb paying money out of my ass while they push a button and laugh.

[Maester]

They're too lazy to merge the servers. It's the only explanation, they don't care what it implies because they've got 10 million strong still playing the game, none of which would have a valid reason for being against the idea of merging.

It just takes a lot of time and effort to merge the servers.

[jetersky]

The only things that truly frustrates me about low pop servers, is the economy. So with that, I vote for cross-realm auction house between the lowest population servers. Other than that, I kind of like the quiet atmosphere that comes along with playing on these servers.

[Pua]

If at all possible, I'd really like to put the argument to rest that "Blizzard won't merge servers because they would have to admit that subscriptions are down". Every three months Blizzard gives clear indications of whether or not subscriptions are up or down.

Everyone who cares about it and a fair number who could not care less knows that subscriptions are down from a few years ago. So whatever their reasoning is for not merging servers, it's not this.

Seriously, if Blizzard did a 180 tomorrow and announced that server merges were going to happen, people who rushed to forums to proclaim that the secret was out that subscriptions were really down would look all the more moronic for doing so.

Unfortunately, your post doesn't go on to the most important part of your point:

Why aren't they merging servers if what you say is true?

[MoanaLisa]

Unfortunately, your post doesn't go on to the most important part of your point:

Why aren't they merging servers if what you say is true?

Because this was said in an interview at GamesCon last summer:

There won't be any server merges, as cross-realm zone technology will be applied to the problem.

While you may not like that answer--many don't--it's the last thing I can find from Blizzard about the subject. I remember in the past they have mentioned the problems with guild names, player names and the general feeling that some people like small servers and their opinions need to be considered as well.

If you want a link, go hit the following and either brush up on your French or use the Google translator:

http://worldofwarcraft.judgehype.com...patch-5-1-etc/

This is not to say they won't change their mind but Blizzard's way of doing things is to sidestep the stuff that other MMO's have done that have led to problems and beat down their own problems with technology. That is certainly where this is headed.

[Ragedaug]

If they merge 8 and create 2 new servers they could say they decided to make 2 new servers since they know there's people who want to start fresh, but to do that they had to merge some existing servers because there was a bad horde/alliance ratio. And done. In the end, this is kind of true too.

I think this spin would mostly work. I also like the fact there you wouldn't have one server shifted to another, making the transplants feeling like the red-headed step children. Everyone would be new to the new server.

I think it would be good to give a 30-60 day notice for all the low pop realms (or most of them) with a list of choices for which new realm they can go, knowing character names would be first come-first serve as players are choosing where to go.

---------- Post added 2013-03-11 at 03:07 AM ----------

One or two things that would really help:
1) Allow bulk transfers (I can pay one cost, maybe the same or just a little more than the current transfer cost, to move several/all of my toons from one server to another at once).
2) Allow free transfers once every X months.

In my opinion, free server transfers needs to finally be built into the game. The restriction would be how often you can transfer, however the entire process can be automated and would allow many players a ton of freedom and could very possibly breath a little bit of life back into the game.

[Deleted]

Shut down dead servers and give players free migrations to any server.

and the fact that faction dead servers would stay dead because people dont want to migrate to dead servers?

[RicardoZ]

if they want to fix low pop servers they can make them the non-CRZ servers. Everybody who hates CRZ (a lot of players) will flock there and they won't be low pop anymore. Problem solved.

[MoanaLisa]

if they want to fix low pop servers they can make them the non-CRZ servers. Everybody who hates CRZ (a lot of players) will flock there and they won't be low pop anymore. Problem solved.

There were plenty of people who posted against CRZ with the reason they liked their low population servers just as they were and didn't want to see a bunch of strangers on their server. So why would those who prefer a low population server want a lot of people migrating into their low population server? Looks like one problem solved; another created.

[ringpriest]

They're too lazy to merge the servers. It's the only explanation, they don't care what it implies because they've got 10 million strong still playing the game, none of which would have a valid reason for being against the idea of merging.

It just takes a lot of time and effort to merge the servers.

I don't think it's laziness, I think it's fear that merging servers could generate bad press and give ammunition to the "WoW is dying" folks.

[holst]

If Blizzard isn't going to allow transfers off/merge with other servers, they are going to have to create incentives for people to populate the dead ones. Perhaps a special buff that grants extra experience or something? Free transfers to that realm? I'm not sure.

Also, Blizzard could change the battlegroups of these servers to be in the more competitive ones. Might attract PvPers who want to be in the "best" battlegroup without having to deal with the craziness of high-pop servers.

What I do know is that a lot of folks tend to go to servers they know are good, or where their friends are already playing. From a roleplay server perspective, there is a reason why Moon Guard and Wyrmrest Accord are almost always full/locked: they have the best reputation for roleplay. I'm sure there are known servers/havens for PvP and raiding as well. People tend to want to go where common interests are, so you have to create some amazing incentive to get them to populate a dinky, dead server instead.

Slightly OT: As a player on a server who shares a battlegroup with Moon Guard, I rue the day CRZ was invented. Our perfect, low-key-but-still-fun Goldshire has become yet another Moon Guardian red light district. Sigh.