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Posted: Apr 18th 2008 2:02AM (Unverified) said

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Actually just a week before launch FLS had 18 servers planned, then cut it back at the last minute to 11. At launch half the servers were lightly populated. Yes, the game has been bleeding since launch, but the real problem was being grossly over-ambitious from the start. Whomever predicted that they'd have more players live than they had in open beta hasn't watched an open beta launch since...well... 1997?

SoE, of all people, should have known better. Vanguard the previous year was exactly the same story - a hardcore game guaranteed to have a niche audience. Theydreamed that beta numbers were the tip of the iceberg, and more would stream in at launch. Nope. Like PotBS, all those extra servers just scattered the player population more thinly, setting the game up for consolidation as soon as its disappointed parents could be forced to see the situation.

The modern truth of subscription MMOs is simple: you'll have more people in open beta than you will on launch day. There's no need to add servers for launch. In fact, it's smart to keep 10-20% of your open beta servers offline at launch, waiting in the wings to see if they're even needed.
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Posted: Apr 18th 2008 7:23AM koehler83 said

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I think by the phrase 'independent systems', he actually means 'DEPENDENT systems'... common mistake.
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