What happens if pop stays after phase 1?

 I am just gonna pull some hypothetical numbers for the sake of discussion using these insane pre-release hype numbers. Let's say that after phase 1 (Post Layering) there are 20k players online at one time on a server. Wouldn't this create an unplayable vanilla experience? If I am remembering correctly weren't the old vanilla servers around 3k active players max at a given time? Is there a solution to this issue or has Blizz backed themselves into a corner with the conservative numbers of servers at release?
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Queues.

Queues everywhere.

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They will just have to open new servers and deal with the complaints. They know it could happen, but think it is the lesser of the evils as merges make people really angry, where they can say splits are “voluntary-ish” and give free transfers.

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20 thousand at the start. 3 weeks later probably down to 3k and thats not a consistant number thats just assumed total after some playtime.

They know people will drop off like a rock and subs will come down and they’ve prepared for it accordingly. The mumbo jumbo about servers being high pop and urging members to move is just for show to the investors and nothing more so they have a nice looking powerpoint.

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I think you are correct. It would appear the only solution would be insane q times. I am just hoping they can think of something else.

The pop won’t stay high on the servers. I’ve heard numbers ranging from 60% minimum to even 95% will be gone before phase 2

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people just don’t understand that forcing queues and transfers is worse than merging. sadly, they have to experience it first hand before they can piece together the puzzle.

only when they get a 78 hour queue and be told to transfer to Glubtok where their name is taken and half their guild got split up into Springvale by miscommunication will they realize they picked the worse option to support.

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Why did you feel the need to use preformatted text?

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Have free server transfers actually worked in the past?

Gilneas (my original server) went through both over time iirc, so yea I experienced it. Merges force name changes and jam two economies into one server. “Splits” are more about opening a new server and allowing free transfers, so many that move do so somewhat by choice to avoid queues.

Lets try to stay on topic, thanks.

There’s not really going to be much else of a solution.

Either you overpopulate the realms and risk long queues if there isn’t a drop, or you put them at normal population and risk needing mergers if there is a drop.

In either case they have to risk something that’s undesirable.

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there’s a huge difference between your realm slowly growing a queue over time and asking a few people to hop which has happened regularly in wow history, and arbitrarily deciding one day that 50-90% of the realm now needs to be queued or transfer which has never happened before

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True it hasn’t, but no one knows which will happen - empty servers or crowded servers. Seems like Blizzard is making the call that they can handle crowded servers more gracefully than empty ones, so they are going with high starting pops. It also allows the servers to look more populated for longer, in case the numbers do dwindle during phase 1.

Blizzard has much better servers now than 15 years ago.

Also, it depends on how long phase 1 lasts.

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By the end of phase 1 Blizzard will have a good handle on how many will stay and how many will disappear from Classic.
Then they will either open servers or figure they have enough.
Queues will happen and should happen, too many servers is way worse than not enough.

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So you’re saying Classic WoW as a whole is going to lose 85% of its playerbase in the first month? And Blizzard is pretending otherwise because they want to keep the interest of stockholders and investors?

You’re hilarious. I hope you’re trolling.

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doesn’t matter still can’t read that font

I would say 85% is high, 50% is more likely by the 6 month mark.

Exactly. Some people are delusional though, and want to dump on Classic’s name just because they can.