For some of us it was to be with our friends, our free companies who may have moved over, or even to find new friends and begin new adventures. To actually be with people who had the same timezone or a similar timezone as us, not those living on the other side of the world.

I also know of NA and EU players who moved over to be with their statics or friends here despite the ping and timezone differences.

I know many people who gave up their houses to come here and be with their free companies or friends and they liked the idea that they'd be able to get a house or their old area back. That in exchange for leaving their old houses behind so they could support their friends and help populate a new datacenter they'd have a decent chance of getting their old plots back or just a plot at all in some cases.
We knew it wouldn't be full fcfs because of the demand for lottery, but it would have been appreciated if we were atleast allowed half fcfs and half lottery so it catered to all kinds of people. We have been asking for that and have been overlooked entirely.
Yoshi P said that there would be a lottery system, you are correct, but they said it would be for the Empyreum at first and they would roll it out where they felt fit.

As someone who actually gave up my dream plot to be here I feel spat on.
If I knew it was full lottery when OCE dropped I would not have transferred. Good ping and OCE friends be damned.