MMO developers/publishers shooting themselves in the foot?

I know a lot of financial decisions have to be made when estimating server load at a game's launch, but is there really no other way? Nearly every big name MMO, or always-online game, is an absolute mess on release. How many potential players/subscribers are they losing by not having the game be accessible while it's at its most momentous?

It seems like it would make more sense to take the financial hit in the beginning and load up on servers. At least then you can adjust down if the population decreases rather than trying to catch up, and rendering the game unplayable.

How crazy is it going to be if the same thing happens with Elder Scrolls Online? We'll get that inevitable and familiar statement, "We are thrilled with the response to Elder Scrolls Online. As a result, however, server load is above our expectations blah blah blah." while thousands of people are soured on the experience.

Here's hoping FFXIV is the last time this happens. You gotta' know what to expect by now, big name MMO makers.

P.S. I am completely ignorant on the topic, and have no idea what I'm talking about.


Reddit can be disappointing.

I visit Reddit more or less every day. I like that they promote free speech, and the community has done great things for people. But then sometimes a large amount of users get behind something that sucks. This is from today:

Top of the front page.

It's just lame, and shows that a lot of people's sense of humor is disconnected from their conscience.