Had a few random thoughts this morning regarding ToR. In order to preserve or save this game - I really think BioWare needs to do the following:
- Close 1/3 of the servers. There are just way too many servers. Especially for new players to choose from. I doubt they have the technology to merge any of them, but closing dead ones and giving players free transfers to wherever they want will go a long way. Yes some players will be upset about their legacy name being taken (or changed), but it's essential for the long term health and growth of existing servers that aren't dead (yet).
- Immediately put 1.3 on the PTR after 1.2's release. James Ohlen claims to already have people working on content for 1.5 - Therefore, they need to show players that (hopefully) re-sub they're committed to faster content. Personally I think 1.2 is a lot of fluff. Mostly UI changes and basic features that should of been available at launch. As a Raider & PvPer, the Legacy System doesn't really interest me at all.
- Make a big splash. Recent news regarding MMO's centers around Mists and Diablo 3. You could even throw Guild Wars 2 & Secret World in the mix. BioWare needs to advertise something to get the masses excited again. Seems they're really pushing Legacy. Which is fine - and I'm sure some are genuinely excited about it. However, many people simply don't care about leveling (or alts). And would rather have other features or content to look forward too.
As an example; they keep hinting about Guild Capitol ships. Show me a video of piloting my own ship to dock into a capitol one. Hinting at user-controlled space travel. That would be awesome, and certainly create a lot of buzz in my opinion.