Merge some of these servers already

you mean 1 person botting a 2nd doing room clears?

That was also before some specific and recent high impact events at the company. Even if it was for sure going to happen on that GU something would have to give on a server with an especially inactive DF. I doubt a mantra of 'well it will get better when the second GU of 2014 comes out' would hold them over while looking at servers with a much better performing DF.

Anything that was 'inbound, including anything discussed at $OE Live has to be 'suspect' at this point. I won't expect to see a cross server DF in my EQ2 lifetime.

Just for fun did some searches. This is the population break down on a class and server basis, don't have the patience do one for server and class break down. Level 95 only, hidden characters not counted. Pretty sure this data is currently active characters/accounts anyone who is not active is not listed.

Probably fair to say, divide these numbers by three or four to get a better idea of actual players as, there are people like myself who have 25 95's or more as well as other people who only have 1.

Server Break Down

1. Antonia Bayle; 12,960
2. Freeport; 10,227
3. Crushbone; 9,212
4. Butcherblock; 8,216
5. Unrest; 8,080
6. Everfrost; 7,967
7. Splitpaw; 7,753
8. Oasis; 7,189
9. Guk; 7,002
10. Permafrost; 6,963
11. Valor; 5,972
12. Nagafen; 4,924
13. Barren Sky; 4,154
14. Sebilis; 2,548
15. Storms; 1,882
16. Harla Dar; 1,312

Total: 106,361

Class Break Down

Assassin; 3,299
Beastlord; 4,662
Berserker; 4,567
Brigand; 2,678
Bruiser; 3,196
Coercer; 4,557
Conjuror; 3,476
Defiler; 3,446
Dirge; 5,730
Fury; 4,263
Guardian; 2,676
Illusionist; 3,756
Inquisitor; 6,448
Monk; 4,389
Mystic; 4,353
Necromancer; 4,393
Paladin; 4,581
Ranger; 4,531
Shadowknight; 7,748
Swashbuckler; 2,800
Templar; 2,967
Troubador; 4,042
Warden; 5,356
Warlock; 3,878
Wizard; 4,809

Total: 106,601

Test has 83 95's and Test Copy has none that can currently be found. It's possible I can't punch keys right on the calculator too.

There are lag issues on the bigger servers, so not sure if it would be a good experience for the bigger servers to get bigger still.

Maybe server merging such that 10K 95's would be a good move, but with the way you have language localization I don't see how you could do it, nor with the way they split the servers between SoE and Pro-guys. We also don't know if they have the hardware (and the money to buy it if they don't currently) to really support multiple AB or slightly larger style servers up to 15K; as they had to buy some new hardware to do it for AB in the past and additionally simply merging things and moving server pools around, is not a linear thing, they are probably at the limit of what ever database technology they use as far as dealing with concurrency/load as is with the way they have coded and developed this game over the years, hence all the lag issues on the bigger servers.

"Currently Active" means they what? logged in in the last 3 months? 2months? week? As fast as 'news' is occurring you would have to pull the clock down quite a bit to get a good number.

The past few summers have been quiet - but right now Permafrost feels more dead then it ever has been since launch.
Even up to a few months ago I was able to get a group together if I did not receive tells instantly when logging in.

Lately - I have given up after 45min trying to put together a ST contested group - which I don't even need a full group.

So yep it is really dead...

I agree that it is the lack of motivation to run new group instances, but also I think the word of EQnext has people starting to think 'Why should I invest any more time into EQ2, when I am going to just be switching over to EQN'.

Whatever the case is - my vote is for a new round of merges also. If it is multiple dead servers - how about a 3 to 1 merge.

Also bonus EXP weekends in lower tier contested does not really count.. (1) 95 mentored character with a lower level auto-following can completely own a contested zone. This isn't grouping - what we need is more reasons to run group content and more people to run the content with.

Denon/Thomm

Was under the general impression currently active means they are paid (gold) and have logged in once during the last rolling month.The numbers are certainly inflated due to it not being total accounts with 95's on them.

If it means something else since FTP is here then what you see is the total toons. There are around 200 raid guilds/alliances out there some active some not, that's about 5k people, the old metric was raiders are 1% of the player base, maybe these days it is more like 25%? I would have thought. Pretty sure the other 75 are solo players for the most part, I don't think grouping even covers 10% of the player base any more.

All told I don't think EQ2 has more than 30K people that are frequently and regularly on and playing any more, the majority are solo waiting for SLRs or log in to raid.

Where are you getting these numbers?

How ever few it takes to have healthy populations. From my perspective if a server is unable to have at least 20 active raiding guilds, the server lacks the needed population to keep the game healthy.

Its not that raiding is everything, but I recognize each one represents 30-40 active players interested in killing content. When servers have only a dozen at most active, functional guilds, its a strong indicator the game is no longer sustainable. There are of course exceptions for alternate play style servers.

Some limited merging should happen. Unrest and Guk could easily merge, what I question is if a 3rd should be included and if they should designate a server for pacific (Asia / ausie). I question that the population is really healthy enough to have people in different regions spread across all servers vs at least nudging people to the prime times that best match their play.

I agree, cross server isnt going to happen in eq2.

You can use either EQ2U or other fan sites that have search functions on players, some are more flexible than others. EQ2 Players they hobbled the feature for wild carding.

To me it seems that the population issue stems from the fact that the fights in the new zones suck and the gear in them sucks too- so there is zero incentive for anyone to run them.

Most FTP's vanished. Very few are around. Those that do pop stay for a week at the very most then disappear entirely.

Also on the subject of SLR, I can't tell if you're against it or not, but here's my opinion. SLR has never been a serious issue. As a raider who does HM stuff, almost all EM gear is usually sold via SLR. We even will sell certain gear from easy HM stuff like Oligar. Our mains don't need it, and many of the alts we hold are decked in it. We see SLR as a lucrative trade. Most people who buy gear from SLR are usually alts of raiders as well. If I don't see a drop occur often, and it has something that my alt could use, then I'll place the money out for it rather then have to hope it drops in the next couple of weeks. Soloers usually don't make that kind of money either to constantly dish out 150-750p over and over to be decked in EM. Infinite cash bin called ROK/TSO has been closed for 5 months now. Most of them focus on profession work, selling and making things. Others will grind solo instances, which has a payout that's alot smaller then say shiny harvesting. There's nothing wrong with this entire concept.

Main problem is that this game is sinking in terms of enjoyability. SoE's placing a new class in the game, and then announces few weeks later they halved the EQ2 staff. The game's already riddled with issues, yet in the world they live in, this is fine. As long as Smedley fiddles with his thumbs with his lackies arrogantly ignores the surrounding issues, the game will die.

Healthy server population is crucial to increasing the lifespan of an MMO. It's this fact that developers ignore and the reason why many MMO's have died on launch. Anyone remember Warhammer Online? Over 40 servers at launch. Dumb decision. Nevermind that it was unfinished with half the content not introduced at launch. Fact that they were spreading the server population out too far and thin. You leave people stranded and isolated allowing them to formulate "Wow, this game is dead. I guess I'll leave as well," creating a faster lost of players. Where in contrast, a healthy server gives the person a chance to think about "This game might have a lot of problems, but the population seems to be pretty heavy whereever i go.

EQ2 only had two server merges in the past 9 years. Most veterans have migrated over to AB, leaving various other servers completely dead. The average new guy who either is FTP or subbed for gold is highly likely to quit if he were to choose a dead server. No reason to have that server to exist if it's void of people.

If you wait too long, eventually it will be too late to make a difference. The population will have dwindled so hard that merging to just one server won't be enough to recover and regain subscribers. Just take a look at Vanguard...

As a raider on a "dead" server, honestly while I have disagreed with Gaben or others here before (you just happen to be the above poster so I recognized you) they are right. I only log to raid now, I used to be a constant Heroic Content runner, back when I could say "LFM Cella need 1 dps and 1 utility" and I would get 6 DPS tells and maybe 2 Utility classes. Now if I said "LFM Talavan need 1 dps and 1 utility" I would get 3 DPS and have to wait 20-30 minutes to get a utility, or I would be forced to use my Illusionist and hope some tank knows what they are doing.

It's sad to say but there need to be at most 5 servers.
- 1 EU
- 1 PvP
- 1 RP
- 2 PvE

I know one thing that will come of it though, a massive and I mean MASSIVE headache of who owns a name. I have found that there are players who only play because they are attached to their guild and character. If say the character is forcibly renamed Jormungannderx well then he may quit. The cut of the EQ2 Staff only confirms that the game is rapidly declining. It will stick around because there are hardcore raiders and decorators and it's a good game to solo around in, grouping is dead and really a harsh merge may be the only way to even somewhat address the problem.

I love how people always talk about 'the server is dead because I can't get a group'. I see no reason, at all, for me to group with ANYONE I don't know. I don't need the stress of a PuG. I don't need to be told how to do my job and people being pissy because there's a wizard wanting to shoot of AE icecomet on pulls, or because we have a healer that is so used to playing with his HM raid geared friends that he doesn't cure or heal fast enough on us 'regular' folk in favor of DPSing and gets upset when I or the other group members die. I don't want to put up with people complaining about they don't want to go to X zone because they are way past it, or I want to roll on X class loot for my 10th alt even though X class is in the actual blasted group. and lets not forget the 'I bought ubergear via loot rights, and I don't know how to follow directions for strats on fights because I steamrolled the older stuff in my bought raid gear' folks.

me, and my two best friends can handle most content with just us three and our CE mercs. and that's if we even see a reason to run the group content. one friend is in a decent raid guild, he's a swashy. I'm a paladin, other best pal is a templar. me and the templar can do most any of the advanced solo stuff together when the swash is raiding, and when he's not the three of us and 3 Krivoks can heal through most other stuff.

we have some other guilded folks that we play with when they are are on, but yeah. I got no reason or desire to do skyshrine EVER again. I helped probably 20+ people with that timeline, and I don't want to set another foot in that zone. I've helped me and my friends run our mains and several alts through the CoE timeline. I've done the CS timeline completely on one toon.

But I learned a long time ago in EQ2 to avoid PuGs like they are a 28 days later Rage infected zombie that's also a leper that's infected with HIV.

like it or not, that's how a lot of people in Eq2 are. they stick to their own guildmates, their own circle of friends, and they do NOT invite other people into it unless they have no other choice. and they drop them the second they get the opportunity to. and they have no reason to speak in public channels, they don't give a damn about poltical/religious debates. they don't care about the SLR or the bragging or cockwaving you see in 1-9.

I imagine alot of the 'dead' server is that people simply don't want to PuG, they got very little if any reason to do the group content (or they figure the group stuff isn't good enough to warrant the headaches many Pugs are), and once they do the duo/solo stuff they want to do, they log for the night. they don't talk in channels, they don't care about your LFGs. they don't need you or have any interest in you.

so try thinking outside the box when making groups, you might be surprised. Find it amusing that you list a RP server in your mix, that would be the lowest population server around or would be populated by people that have no desire to RP. A server designated as RP is definitely not needed, RP is the player not the server name.

Merging servers will not help your group, the majority of players avoid PUGS like a plague and will only group with known associates and guild mates. The last PUG I tried I left after 30 minutes, the majority of the group was using equipment that was 8 levels out of date, they only had apprentice level spells, two in the group had no AA spent when asked, and had 0 adornments. You where asked not to mention anything about recent events at SOE, yet you insist on bringing it into this conversation to try and justify your mantra.

Your missing my point. To me the RP server is a PVE Server. Isn't that what Antonia Bayle is? A server with the RP flag to which it's the choice of the player? My point was to reduce the current list of 9 PVE Servers (Unless I mistake what Barren Sky is) and reducing it to 3.

Grouping used to be about meeting new people, even as late as SF players enjoyed grouping up. Yes, the comment about staff was an offhand low-blow and I will admit that. Still I do not wish to talk about it but that statement is what some players will be thinking. I personally have no issues clearing zones I just run them with my friends/guildmates like every other PUG avoiding person because the playerbase that actually does Heroic Content is gone. This game really does feel that it has become a Raider/Soloer game with the split being 25/75.

As a closing statement I have ran groups using 3 tanks 2 healers and 2 DPS classes. I also have ran one with 4 Chanters. It's not that I am saying I personally hold out for "perfect groups" I am speaking for how many feel and using my past experience as a point of illustration. I don't see why you felt the need to question me personally about my grouping habits. Yes, you can get groups. Yes, they don't have to be 'perfect groups'. However the fact that "Merge Server" threads seem to re-emerge or be posted in every 1-4 weeks is showing that a fair number of players feel that the playerbase is spread too thin. I feel indifferent myself, it's not effecting me much. I was simply illustrating a potential solution and what some players may feel about certain things going on in and out of game.

the merge server battle cry is a dead and decayed horse - merging servers do very little with grouping, if the players on the servers don't group prior to the merge, they won't group after the merge, it will not enhance PUGS at all. "I have ran groups using 3 tanks 2 healers and 2 DPS classes" when was 7 people allowed in a group? Tried PUGS, the majority of time was a lot of the members had apprentice level spells, no adornments, armor that was 7 or more levels out of date and stone cold grey, the few times I stuck it out I spent more on repairs then the majority of raids I have been on. The player base that runs Heroic content is not gone, they just don't participate in a PUG unless it is a last resort.

Find it amusing that you are trying to back server mergers for more grouping, but then you admit that you yourself "I just run them with my friends/guildmates like every other PUG avoiding person because the playerbase that actually does Heroic Content is gone", how exactly do you know that the player base that actually does Heroic content is gone because you do follow what you preach and start PUGS? It is fine just how it is, a merge will do absolutely nothing

Permafrost is depressing for PuGing. If you haven't tried to PuG on Perma lately, you're probably mistaken to assume you know how bad it is.