You raise some excellent points and I'd say that not ALL the servers should be active at launch, maybe have 2 or 3 of the servers active at launch and then leave the rest to be inactive unless it turns out to be needed. I agree with you on what you said bout the Exalted VIP only server coming back, as for the TEST Server, I think that should only be used if the group who'll be maintaining CoH/CoV (if the deal gets approved by NCsoft) will also be updating it, but if the group will only be maintaining CoH/CoV then I don't think the TEST server should be used.
Also, as I said in the beginning, you raise some excellent points, points I did not consider when making this thread, so thank you for taking the time to make those points (and i'm being serious bout that).
You're welcome. Like I said, I'd love to have all servers back at relaunch but I just can't see it happening. I would think that 5 servers perhaps 6 would suffice. I would also look at the accounts at sign up and see just how many are from "across the pond" as it were, a.k.a. Euro-accounts, and see if there were enough to justify a Euro server at relaunch. Otherwise I would probably have to leave the Euro servers offline as well unless the numbers justify a return of said servers.
As to the ones I would bring back, well since we'd all be starting over again even though some servers had certain reputations such as Virtue being the RP server, Freedom being the PL/farm server, Champion as a drama server and so on, those reputations really no longer matter as this would be a restart. So I would use the following server names:
1. To celebrate the return of the game and of beign free from NCsoft control/ownership: FREEDOM server
2. To celebrate the goodness in the hearts of the new owners and the fanbase who never gave up: VIRTUE
3. To celebrate the triumphant return of the game: TRIUMPH
4. To show that we will climb any heights and scale any mountain needed for our beloved game: PINNACLE
5. To show that we are truly champions of online gaming the CHAMPION server
6. and finally, to celebrate the sweet, sweet feeling of victory over the return of our beloved game: THE VICTORY SERVER!!!!!!
Test server should be offline until the devs can actually make updates that need testing before go live.
The Exalted VIP private server should be the last to return if they plan to have be a private/VIP server again
These are the other servers, I would keep them offline in standby mode and monitor the metrics and population of the active servers and see if any should return. IF circumtances merit a return I would bring them back one at a time with a week's notice to the players as to the date and time for then the server activates thus giving everyone the time needed to get ready to jump in and make their alts on it. Also IF I could make some changes to the PVP system that I have in mind , part of which would be the mitigation or removal of issue 13 changes, I would activate one as a test PVP server and if the changes are well received make it a PVP only server
Guardian
Justice
Infinity
Liberty
Protector
(Defiant, Union, Vigilance, Zukunft) they were the four Euro servers before server merge was done. I would likely just bring one euro server back if needed.