The population drops everyday Pages of suggestions in the forums to improve and entice new people to the server but is there any reality of a large player base on Nagafen any longer? I personally doubt it. Is it possible , probable, that SOE would close the server and transfer us elsewhere? or would they just let it die out a long slow death I have lots of toons and a guild hall I love. I have all but one tradeskillers at lvl 100. I have 3 lvl 100 toons. And the rest on their way to 100 in one stage or another. Plus a scattering of other adventures that I have worked on over the years. I cannot afford to move them at $10 a pop or to even begin to decide who I would move for $10. (or is it $25?) In the past there were server merges PVE to PVE and PVP to PVP. There is no place else for Nagafen to go to. Seems like we are just going to die out
I am sad to say that the developers have no interest in even addressing what they promised that they would do, it is very sad that it has turned out this way.
And I'm happy to say that the people who stick it out will not be disappointed with the resolution when it is complete. I don't know for sure, but I will say that there is a good chance that once the cross-server systems are finished, it will be much more reasonable to not just keep Nagafen alive, but put it to good use. Until then, feel free to transfer or re-roll.
Must be nice to have inside info and so much confidence about positive changes while the rest of us lose hope
You are a fool if you believe that cross server dungeons are the solution to the empty server problems. For you guys its all about grouping with other people or what? Ive left Nagafen for good and went to Antonia Bayle and its a difference of day and night. Will you have a broker full of rares? Will you have a broker full of master and grandmaster spells? Will you find people to level your guild? Will you have other people craft things for you when you need somthing? Will you raid? Will you socialize with anyone else besides the guards? I'll make it short and simple: NO. You will, and this is the BEST case, have a group of people to run heroic dungeons (whether these people will actually be able to complete any dungeons is not even guaranteed). Congrats! you are now gonna enjoy 20% of the game. Everything else remains dead. Great once in a while you finish a zone and get this super awesome rare item, too bad there's no one around to brag. This cross-server feature, if that will ever work anyway, is not gonna bring any good to nagafen or any other dead server. Its a huge mistake spending important dev ressources on that, believe me. Even if I had non stop open world pvp on nagafen, I probably wouldn't go back. I got used to everything a good populated healthy server brings.
What needs to happen on a blue server is an open world zone (call it Nagafen version of Tranquil or Phantom sea) which accommodates Pve and open world pvp. All open world rewards, mobs, quests, harvest ables, etc. If you don't want to risk pvp, then don't go in the zone. BGs and Warzones are orchestrated vanilla pvp which does not satisfy the danger/risk element of open world pvp.
Sort of like the Trollmoors in LOTRO. It's not a bad idea, but I'm quite suspicious such a zone would go largely unused by most of the other players on the server, & as a result I'm not sure it's worth the development time. But I could be wrong, & perhaps something like that is in the works.
Our server has actually been pretty nice here lately either some people got banned/quit/transferred off server that were using questionable tactics. I have actually had a few good fights here lately out and about. My guild is running zones ( not progressing as quickly as others but we are not hard pressed either and play it by ear allot ) We do need more players though and either we the player base need to take some sort of action to entice players to play on our server or SoE needs to figure something out. We have given SoE some ideas and we need to give them some time to sort threw and figure their end out.
Can someone please link the video that Vox player did when their server was the barren wasteland that Naggy has become? I think it would give the appropriate picture as to how long SOE will pretend that everything is fine. ...and yeah, cross server platforms...rumors of secret infos...whatever. Queuing for LADs isn't going to save Naggy. They are actually just another example of what kills red server play. If Naggy were a thriving community, and LADs went in, then people wouldn't need to form groups with their faction, run across the real open game world to get to the dungeons, and then repeat this in different zones as they level up. They would just need to hit ALT+Z and wait...never leaving the safety of their guild hall...kinda like now with BGs. Coincidence? The only way to revive red server play is through red server play. This means tough choices for SOE on limiting the mechanics of a red server. Kinda like they did with faction seperation...they also need to make hard calls on nerfing travel options, both the ability to just take a bell everywhere and avoid overland travel, to flying mounts being nerfed unless flying combat is allowed. People played on the red server for the thrill of playing the normal EQ2 game PLUS getting to kill each other, and the risk of being killed while playing that normal EQ2 game. If SOE is unwilling to return that sense of thrill and risk, then there is no point in doing anything else.
Free transfers for a dead server. Never thought I would say that. But how could one person move all their toons and Pay for that? If there is not an option to merge with another PVP server then offer transfers. Nagafen will never be what it was or intended to be. I didn't come to Nagafen (originally Venekor ) to have glorified BGs. If there will be an opt in server... or Nagafen like New Tunaria.. Cross server.... or whatever you all think will happen, allow us to opt out. I remember when I think Blackburrow merged with some other server (I actually forget the server but whatever) we were given to option to join any server of our choice. Give us the same courtesy.
I feel your pain....I'm not on a PvP server but am on a low pop PvE server and like so many others I question SOE's refusal to do server mergers....yes...I know they make 25 per toon for transfers but seriously....I'm almost certain the amount of players quitting because of low pops or because of the expense to transfer all their toons exceeds the what they make off single toon transfers.....from what I hear most of the devs play on AB so they are clueless to how bad it is on other servers trying to find raiders to fill a raid and groups to run heroics.....cross server dungeons is not the answer in my opinion.....maybe one giant maga server is!....if nothing else....give everyone a one time free "account transfer" to move "all" our toons to more populated servers.
Just allow us to go to pvp-server like we can go to bg-server - with a shadow-copy whenever we like having redundant data, e.g. if you get a pvp-achievement you got it on pve server - so no competition is getting spoiled pointswise by players who xfered from pvp to pve.
I just returned a couple of weeks ago and Naggy is pitiful. The game is a hollow shell. A free transfer might buy you a couple months but honestly...whats the point. Oh, when is Next launching? lolololololllllllllloooooooooollllllllll ~!~ No news there since they killed off Tunare in some bizarre mugging while she was out walking in the woods. People gave them 500 pages of outrage and ever since they have been basically silent on Next.
Well, it would be really cool if this cross-server stuff could incorporate characters temporarily moving onto Nagafen and then off again as they wish. I'm definitely not saying this is the case, but it *is* possible. Aion has been doing something similar for years, but moving PvPers in the opposite direction onto the PvE-only "Fast Track Server" at will so they can level faster and not get ganked as lowbies. In Aion, you have to go back to your home server to sell in the broker or use the banks, but otherwise you can come and go at your leisure to the "Fast Track Server" which is double XP, if you want to level faster and not get ganked by highbees. Then I think at 50 or so you are forced off Fast Track and permanently back to your home PvP server (all the other servers in Aion are open PvP). So this type of thing might possibly be done with Nagafen, just in reverse: PvE players could come to Nagafen, then go back "home" to sell etc. I don't know, it's just a thought. NCSoft is somehow making it work, and it's not like they are known for spending millions on their games to keep them going. Cripes, they don't even crack down on gold farmers or botters!
Interesting what Aion is doing. On the one hand one of the issues I have had with pvp servers is the ganking. You try to level and gear your character which usually means being funneled through chokepoints to quest hubs and the result is you get ganked over and over again. It seems they have solved this problem. On the other hand, there is a certain element of additional difficulty in figuring out how to best advance your character under harsh circumstances. But when your new expansion is only two zones, the issues solved by the former seems more compelling than sticking it out in the latter. As for gold farmers and botters...I would say its a pretty sad state of affairs when the Asian farming sites don't even want your plat. Basically means your games economy is kaput. Literally worthless. The EQ2 economy is a disaster. Well, at least the cool kids are all still running their dupe hacks!
The fact is, PVP in MMOs, especially MMOs like EQ2, is hilariously stupid of an idea. Most can agree that PVP in general is an attempt to show superiority over other players. Superiority is measured in 3 ways: 1. Who you know 2. What you have 3. How you use it First, as much complaining as there is about "ganking" in EQ2, apparently "who you know" isn't a legitimate measure of power. "3 people jumped me!" or "3 people jumped me and my newbie friend!" With that in mind, you have gear and skill. The natural progression of things is that geared, higher levels are more experienced at the game. So newer players are doubly penalized and at a disadvantage, even if the balance is perfect between gear and skill. But that is never the case. Especially in MMOs like EQ2. Gear/AAs/Levels are the primary factors of superiority in this game. Not player skill. No matter how much you argue it, someone 3 levels higher than you with double your AAs and mastercrafted over your hand crafted could probably handle you AND your two friends. So if gear/grind is the overwhelming factor, what is the point of fighting? You could just crunch numbers and figure out the winner. And can you really claim superiority if you just.. play more than someone else? On the other hand, if skill is the deciding factor and gear/grind are pointless, why are you PVPing in an MMO which is built around gear/grind? Why not play Tekken? EQ2 has the right idea when it comes to PVP balance in MMOs. Items and abilities are tweaked to function properly in PVP. There's still a lot of balance problems, but the ability to handle those separately make it playable, where many games fail on that front. EQ2 PVP at level cap is functional, but no MMO does PVP well. PVP is a test of skill, MMOs are a long term test of grind. Reintroduce the "Who you know" factor and skill means even less. It's why Planetside fails as a PVP game WHILE being a first person shooter with no NPCs. In perfect balance, numbers will always win. And in the end, I think most of the people complaining about Nagafen being dead are casual, small group or solo PVPers, which is an impossible group to cater to. That is why Nagafen is dead. There are plans to give it another life. Those plans are probably distant. Again, either wait or don't.. but most people just don't find PVP in this game fun. That's why they stopped playing there. That's why development hasn't committed resources to it.
While there are some good points in the above post. You obviously do not play on Naggy on a reg basis. I have been checking server load on FP side for the last month almost every day during prime time. The high return I got was 100 ( does not show anything above that and only got that 1 time most of the time the high return was mid 70's ) The low return was 42 Now if you take those numbers and generously say that Qey has the same amount on and that exile ( who we know there are only maybe tops 20 players ) Even at the high its 220 players and it more likely the average load of the server is around 130-160 prime play time. In what world is that not a dead server? Even if we could all /3 [High Level ] and talk to each other its still dead by any standard. No this is not coming from a solo player its not just about the PvP on Naggy some guilds like mine are running zones and out and about in full groups. Still does not change that seeing people is few and far between. Numbers above obtained /who all to show all zones /who in TS and PS return single digit numbers 99% of the time to include myself and group.
Q here. I have been doing the /who all for a week or so now. Never above 50. Usually in the 30s. MLK holiday I thought might be a bit more action - mid 20s. Qs in TS or PS: Usually just me. Sometimes there can be up to 3 of us. One of them is a crazy person I think. Cheers!
For lack of anything else to say...you come across as clueless regarding the EQ2 red servers, you sound like you never played on them, and at best you sound like someone conjecturing up revisionist history. Anyone who played on Venekor, Nagafen, or Vox would know what it was like...and to say that most people stopped playing on the red servers stopped because they didn't find the PvP fun...or that the EQ2 MMORPG gear grind didn't lend itself to PVP is clueless at best. The EQ2 PvP servers were flooded with people...absolutely flooded. Even with the factions forced to group only amongst themselves they were thriving. This is the most important thing to realize as to why it was successful...it was NOT a PvP game. It was EQ2 with PvP enabled. This meant that the amazingly vast, well thought, and immersive world that people PvE'd in, now had a risk when you played it. You no longer just /afk'd where ever...you would come back to a revive screen. You never got bored running a questline that you had run many times before, as you had another faction running it to, trying to kill you when you ran it...to take the mobs, the grind area, the quest updates, or just to kill you for fun. Those "complaining casuals" and "small group" PvPers packed those servers to overflowing...and contrary to your misinformation they were easy to cater to...they didn't ask for PvP only gear, they ran HQs, dungeons, or did obscure quests to get a single piece of gear that gave them an advantage...or they crafted...or tinkered...or raided...in short, everything in the game. They didn't require committed Dev resources...they just played the game that was already there. So yeah...numbers always win. More gear and more AAs win. There wasn't and will never be balance. But in spite of all that SOE had more than one red server FULL of people playing EQ2 with PvP and loving it so much that blue server play was a sad boring thing that they never wanted to return to. So why did they leave the red servers? It doesn't need to be said again...there are countless posts already, and countless more on the old archived forums that I'm sure SOE wishes weren't public and easily found with a internet search. But to summarize...you are wrong, people did find the PvP in EQ2 fun...they stopped when SOE made it to where you got your rewards in BGs, instead of on the red servers...they stopped when SOE made to where you didn't play the normal EQ2 game, in the normal EQ2 zones to get your gear to PvP in...or even to play the PvE game. SOE had the best iteration on PvP in an MMORPG ever...and all they had to do was leave it alone, but they couldn't.
Your whole post is summed up as "People quit because it became unfun" but the truth is, it became unfun because people quit. The only truly happy people were crafters because of the level locking dynamic and the desire for gear at every level of gameplay. The game lost people, for many reasons. PVP servers lost more, because PVP was never "good". It was always gimmicky. Losing people on PVP servers is a cascading problem. For PVP fans, less players equals less PVP content. And when content disappears, more players leave. Except the problem becomes exponential, and suddenly the server has less population density than Chernarus. Not to mention the double whammy of not being able to group or raid properly, which was eventually the killing blow. I'm a blue server raider. I played on PVP. I rolled and rerolled every time all of my friends wanted to play over there with people from other servers. Additionally, I know everyone who has played this game seriously in the past 5 years. The opinion is pretty consistent, minus the fact that nostalgia clouds their opinions on what is or isn't fun. Regardless, attacking my supposed lack of information or experience doesn't change my objective (and accurate) observations about the MMO PVP skill versus time investment paradox. Nagafen has always been one gigantic battleground server for people from other servers. Except before, we had to make new characters. Yes, Battlegrounds hurt Nagafen PVP.. because the temporary Nagafen players stopped making characters over there. And since a large portion of the population has gone down, the temporary population disappeared. Whether you agree or disagree with WHY the problem exists, I don't care. The solution is not complicated in theory, but it is not possible with the current database setup and hardware. That will change. The solution would be to turn Nagafen into one gigantic battleground server. With a significant, permanent EXP bonus for playing there, people would be rewarded for the risk of PVP engagement, without being required to do so. It would allow for the cross-server overworld grouping people desire, without the necessity of some weird matchmaker. At the end of the day, people could return to their home servers if they should choose to do so, and the current Nagafen residents could be granted the transfer token they beg for. The only problem is the removal of the "hardcore, forged in the flames of PVP" characters people pride themselves on, but honestly.. that's not coming back. Yes, you'd be able to level outside of PVP.. not "earning" your way like the legendary reds of yore, but that ended when transfers became an option, and was never something to be proud of to begin with. None of this is even secret information. None of the specifics have been vocalized. All I can say is, this is a problem that CANNOT be addressed correctly until the fabled database revamp is complete. Which as anyone with any information about the state of this game is aware, is the holy grail of performance and feature improvement. Once that is complete, many possibilities are available, and if PVP can be revived, that will be the time and method. There's no sense in doing it yet.
