Migration to new Message Boards! ~Discussion~
By
Aggelakis,
Posted on: 2009-06-23 16:56 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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I wonder how long until someone posts "Will my post count transfer too?"
[/ QUOTE ]Two posts above you (more or less).
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Let it be noted that I didn't ask if our post count will be transferred over or not. I actually do NOT want to have the post count shown and I wouldn't be totally against the reg. date not showing either. Too many people have 'ego' battles because of both of those (less of the reg. date though from what I've seen).
Edit: vbulletin...obviously I can only wait and see but....I'm not enthusiastic about vbulletin :/
Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991
When they first talked about a new forums, I knew this day would come. Never seen the reason for 2 forums to begin with.
Welcome to our EU brothers and sisters and don't worry we don't bite, much.. 
Europeans play this game? o.O
-Listen to my Light!
-MA #1065 "Star Struck"
Sweet, I think
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Europeans play this game? o.O
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Only on Tuesdays.
Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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Your definition of a "dead" server please? I find it hard to believe that there is any server that has so few players that it could be closed down.
Writer of In-Game fiction: Just Completed: My Summer Vacation. My older things are now being archived at Fanfiction.net http://www.fanfiction.net/~jwbullfrog until I come up with a better solution.
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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Your definition of a "dead" server please? I find it hard to believe that there is any server that has so few players that it could be closed down.
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Dont touch my server! I like it the way it is. To hell with heavy pop servers!
::::wonders if there is a Largo on the EU boards::::
-Largo
Founder of A.G.O.N.Y. Supergroup on Victory
Member of Thought Sanctum VG on Victory
Member of St0rm Batallion SG on Guardian
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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Read the many, many, many threads about this exact topic. I think UberGuy even has a stock response for this suggestion.
Victory: @Brimstone Bruce
Brimstone Bruce (lvl50 Stone/Fire Tanker) Broadside Bruce (lvl50 Shield/WM Tanker)
Ultionis (lvl50 Dark/Dark Defender) Cortex Crusher (lvl50 Mind/Kin Controller)
Patronox (lvl50 Kat/Dark Scrapper) Harbinger Mk.7 (lvl50 Bots/FF MM)
NightShift for Life.
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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What are you smoking?
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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What are you smoking?
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That is a good responce 
But I don't think weed is that good anymore.
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I wonder how long until someone posts "Will my post count transfer too?"
[/ QUOTE ]Two posts above you (more or less).
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Let it be noted that I didn't ask if our post count will be transferred over or not. I actually do NOT want to have the post count shown and I wouldn't be totally against the reg. date not showing either. Too many people have 'ego' battles because of both of those (less of the reg. date though from what I've seen).
Edit: vbulletin...obviously I can only wait and see but....I'm not enthusiastic about vbulletin :/
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If I'm not mistaken, the I13/Mac closed beta forums were using a database that was essentially a clone of the BB boards. I can't seem to get to those forums at the moment, but it listed post counts and they weren't reset from the copy from the live boards (not sure about reg date).
@macskull, @Not Mac | XBL: macskull | Steam: macskull | Skype: macskull
"One day we all may see each other elsewhere. In Tyria, in Azeroth. We may pass each other and never know it. And that's sad. But if nothing else, we'll still have Rhode Island."
"One day we all may see each other elsewhere. In Tyria, in Azeroth. We may pass each other and never know it. And that's sad. But if nothing else, we'll still have Rhode Island."
Europeans on our boards? Hmm... That could be a problem.. I've never been able to wrap my mind around all those Thee's and Thou's and Forasmuch's...
Dang it.. that means I'm going to have to write a few song parodies from the Beatles and A-ha now.
My mind wanders so often you've probably seen its picture on milk cartons. - Me... the first person version of the third person Steelclaw
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i'm pretty excited for a new search system.
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You and me both !
~MM
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*prepares for the arrival of Golden_Girl*
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Yay! I enjoyed her posts.
I hope the new forums don't have a post count, that would cut down the +1 crap.
QR
If we lose the 
face, I'll blame the foreigners and quit in disgust.
I've already forgotten about most of you
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Why don't you guys also add the EU game servers to ours and collapse a few of OUR dead servers. You have many to choose from, that's for sure.
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Read the many, many, many threads about this exact topic. I think UberGuy even has a stock response for this suggestion.
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Actually, that would be me, with this:
Why server consolidation is not a good idea.
Welcome to the forum. You have posted one of the oft repeated suggestions, "Consolidate the servers."
Disclaimer
Yes. This is a cut and paste reply that I keep handy, as well as a quick bit of instruction on how to search. Neither are meant to cause fights or to be insulting. The search instructions are in, not just because forum rules say flat out to search, but to help you and anyone else reading this use the search tool effectively.
The body of the cut and paste reply is the way it is because we've seen these arguments numerous times before. They're a summary of the salient points that come up each time. They are not here to insult you, make you feel stupid or otherwise "bring you down a peg." Instead, they are meant as instruction and information. Please read through the points and the explanation behind them to see the issues that are commonly brought up in response. They may not always match your suggestion 100% - in fact, you may have explained around one or two of them - but they're there for consideration and refinement of your idea.
Yes, I do look forward to the time, with some of these suggestions, that someone not only addresses all the points, but does so exceptionally well. It'll probably be added to the end of the cut/paste reply, with credit. For now, though, read and consider the points. They really are just there to help you, and move discussion along to help ideas evolve.
If you're going to see this and say an "evil forum vet is just shooting down your idea," or "You think you're the last word because of your post count," you're wrong. Heck, if you say the second, you've just worried more about my post count than I have in the last four plus years. Tongue-in-cheek comments in here are meant as hummor, not put downs.
TL,DR section.
First, my stock answer, one which I stand by and repeat with all due fervor. HELL NO.
Searching effectively
1. Click on "Search" up at the top of the forum.
2. On the left, under "Forum(s) to search," select "Suggestions and ideas."
3. On the right, Keyword Search Terms. This is probably where your problem was if you did search. Try the following, exactly as typed:
+server -pvp -"re: "
This will search for anything with "Server" in the title, including Servers, Combine Servers, Consolidate Servers, and The Server At Mcdonalds Is Rude. it will eliminate "PVP," so you won't see PVP server requests, and the -re: portion of it removes replies, so you'll see the root of every thread that comes up, letting you see just how many threads there are on this. (The last helps for other subjects, as well.)
4. Click the "In subject" radio button. This is a search, not a cute blonde in a bikini. Here, you want to ignore the body.
5. Leave Username Search blank.
6. Date range, Newer Than, change the 1 to a 3, and the time to Months.
7. Result format doesn't matter. Click on "Submit."
As I try this now, (12/3/08,) we have:
Consolidate Server
Server Stats RSS Feed
$server modifier ofr chat
Fix the forum server
Earlyissue server
Merging low population server
Combine slow server
Server status
Global chat on the Character and Server Screens
Rated M server
Add Ponies, Nerf Vills, merge Servers, PistolMelee
Server Visiting
Display Central Time on Server Status Page
Ignoring the smartalec reply, that's three full discussions about this topic.
You should have read one of them if (inevitably) something similar comes up in your search.
Now, on to the topic at hand....
Why server consolidation is not a good idea.
1. Just because YOU like living in New York City doesn't mean I can't like Kansas.
Yay, you love having huge lag spikes as you get near the black market/wentworths and a busy broadcast. Congrats. Enjoy Freedom. Some of us - many of which you will get replies from with this subject - like *low population* servers. If we *wanted* to be on Freedom, we'd *be* on Freedom.
I have characters on Freedom. I rarely play them (and actually moved a character OFF of Freedom to finish leveling it to 50) because *I DON'T LIKE FREEDOM.* I dislike the banality of broadcast, the high percentage of *horrid* teams I've come across there, the lag around any gathering point- and I've got a decent connection and system. For much the same reason, I typically startin Galaxy City instead of Atlas Park - I don't *want* to log in to a costume contest with several 50s spamming powers and nonsense arguments in broadcast.
Some of us *like* nice, quiet servers.
2, Kansas, part 2.
In addition, servers have their own personalities. No, I don't mean that literally, there's no AI to worry about if you start hearing "Daisy, Daisy" over your speakers or headset. Freedom's a crowded mess. Virtue is the RP server. Pinnacle is the "Drunk" server. Others have specific communities, such as those from Australia/NZ, Europe, etc.
3. "I only saw one other person. World of Conancraft has eleventy billion!"
So what?
We don't run around camping spawn points in this game. People are in missions. People are spread across many zones. Search on a map or do a /whoall and you'll miss those in missions, as well as those who are, for whatever reason, on /hide. Your "search" there didn't give you a full picture, not in the least.
I understand the "feel" of things being "not very populated," but take a good look around when you're in game. Typically, you don't really have a lot of visibility. Standing in steel canyon, there could be multiple, full 8 person groups surrounding you, and it's likely you'd never see them. We have buildings, walls, architecture, trees and more limiting our visibility. Yes, it can make you feel more alone... but that's rarely the case. Add to that that the population is spread between many, MANY zones, most quite large, and among two sides... well...
4. "I put up my LFT flag and nothing happened!"
Learn to search. Don't just wait. Form a team yourself.
5. "I AM SPARTACUS!" No, not any more.
Remember logging in and seeing all those slots? Everyone has those - some buy more than the base 12, you get an extra one each year, you could have a total of 36 on any server. Everyone does. Every one has a character with a unique name. Maybe not a *good* name, but a unique one. Every one has a character with a unique name. Maybe not a *good* name, but a unique one.
Now merge servers. Suddenly, CoolBlasterDude from server 1 is getting merged with CoolBlasterDude from Server 2. Who gets to keep their name? Nobody has been able to answer this with any degree of satisfaction. Add a number? But I am NOT CoolBlasterGuy1. And what if the name's too long? Does the older character keep it? What if they're not as active?
People are *VERY* attached to their names. They are, quite obviously, part of their character.
6. "This Is SPARTA!" Sorry, Sparta exists already. You are GenericSG 8734 287 9798.
What else has a name? Supergroups. And I can *guarandamntee* that the same name is in use on multiple servers. Sometimes it's 'branches' of the same SG, sometimes it's coincidence. But with *everything* involved in an SG - from its identity and reputation on the server, to everything stored in the database about what it owns, what its base is like and such, this would be a disaster in the making. And no, auto merging them when the servers merge, even if they have room to, is not an option.
This, of course, assumes that they *CAN* move supergroups as a unit. More than likely, it'd just be a mass character move, with bases, prestige, anything stored in bases and all SG affiliations just gone forever.
7. "I am... where'd Spartacus go?"
Remember all those slots? Well, you start with 1/3 of the available ones. You can buy up to 36 total (24 on top of the ones you get initially.) Now, what do you suppose would happen if you merged two servers, and someone has, say, 20 characters on each? Not unusual. In fact, before those extra slots, I had *filled up* several servers. Do those characters just disappear? Do they move? Free move to another server sounds great, right... well, except you now kick them from their supergroup, remove them from their friends lists and more. This makes for angry and unhappy customers. Or rather, ex customers.
8. I will play where I damn well want to. And you can too.
And that should be blunt enough. If I want a crowded server, I'll go to Freedom. If I want an RP server, I'll go to Virtue. I do NOT want to be shoved onto another server I *don't* like. If I wanted to go there, *I'd be there.*
If the server you're on isn't "busy" enough for you, you have two options that won't bother anyone else.
(A) If it's low enough, reroll. You have a ton of character slots for a reason.
(B) If you don't want to reroll, server transfers are available, and relatively cheap. They also finish fast - you should be up and running and being spammed to join someone's SG on the new server in a few minutes, in most instances. So YOU can go to the server of YOUR choice without screwing ME over.
9. "It'll free up server hardware for Freedom!" No, no it won't.
Freedom, because of the load it tends to have, already has more resources dedicated to it than other servers. And ALL of the servers have been upgraded multiple times. The servers are not allocated exactly the same. The servers that handle less of a load have less dedicated to them. So this argument doesn't fly.
10. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Last but not least (at least until better points come along to be added,) server consolidation is widely viewed in the industry as an MMO going on life support. No, we don't have WoWs numbers (and you should actually pay attention to when and how they got those.) They're an abberation in the MMO industry. COH has had and does have a very successful, sustainable population even at its lowest points, so there's no economic need to combine anything. The flip side of that, of course, has been suggested above - you crowd people together, break up their SGs and friends lists, cause characters to go missing and poeple definitely *will* quit, both out of annoyance and a sense of "The game is almost dead!"
In conclusion....
As stated before, when it comes to server consolidation... HELL NO.
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QR
If we lose the face, I'll blame the foreigners and quit in disgust.
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I will say that I do love the face....please let it come with us!
Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991
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I wonder how long until someone posts "Will my post count transfer too?"
[/ QUOTE ]Two posts above you (more or less).
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Let it be noted that I didn't ask if our post count will be transferred over or not. I actually do NOT want to have the post count shown and I wouldn't be totally against the reg. date not showing either. Too many people have 'ego' battles because of both of those (less of the reg. date though from what I've seen).
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And I'll say to you the same thing I always say when someone attempts to make this point. Show me the money. I never see anyone crowing about their postcount in any serious manner. Anyone with a long posting history knows how meaningless it is. However far more often are people who assume the worst from people with high post counts and fly off the handle and use it as a straw man.
I don't care if we keep them or not. I like looking at the numbers from time to time to get an idea of how active some of my favorites are, but if they were gone I wouldn't notice other than to pour out a sip of my fruit smoothie to wave goodbye.
If people really think post count numbers are the source of serious forum problems, I recommend they need to reassess what they're getting from the threads they read, because it's not that big a deal either way.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
I really hope that Soon means Soon and not Soon because they've already said Soon and that was not Soon.
I'm with the crowd of I'll believe it when I see it actually happen.
That is all...
QR: Anyone with grossly inflated post counts are going to be well known for the substance of those very posts.
Having said that, I think we need a list of ways to ease the transition.
1. NA board members must include extraneous vowels into words.
2. Euro board members introduced to Forum Games.
3. NA board members inoculated against kidney pie, head cheese, and spotted dick.
4. Euro board members innoculated against Taco Bell and KFC.
5. NA board members elect a Pwnz Court to administer to Euro boards.
6. Euro board members introduce Creative Genius series to NA boards.
7. TheOcho goes bilingual to assist the new Euro board sections: TheEight.
8. Avatea goes from Polynesian Mythology to Vermont Mythology: Champ.
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
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7. TheOcho goes bilingual to assist the new Euro board sections: TheEight.
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For some reason, I found this to be incredibly amusing. I laughed probably more than I should have.
Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."
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QR: Anyone with grossly inflated post counts are going to be well known for the substance of those very posts.
Having said that, I think we need a list of ways to ease the transition.
1. NA board members must include extraneous vowels into words.
2. Euro board members introduced to Forum Games.
3. NA board members inoculated against kidney pie, head cheese, and spotted dick.
4. Euro board members innoculated against Taco Bell and KFC.
5. NA board members elect a Pwnz Court to administer to Euro boards.
6. Euro board members introduce Creative Genius series to NA boards.
7. TheOcho goes bilingual to assist the new Euro board sections: TheEight.
8. Avatea goes from Polynesian Mythology to Vermont Mythology: Champ.
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Spotted dick is not too bad - my friend gave me some for Christams a year ago - "The result of a slight fracas
in the mess, sir,
with regard to the quality of a pudding
known as spotted dick.
Agatha Christie
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Breath: Not holding.
Belief: When seen.
Query: name conflicts?
Edit:
® = alt+0174
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Best Post Ever.
Joins Memphis Bill Fan Club.
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I'm still waiting for my Fan Club Decoder Ring/Bottle Opener.
My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
"The tip of a shoelace is called an aglet, its true purpose is sinister." The Question