1. Server underpopulation is still expected. Only one (1) patch, the first step of the core battle mechanics has been implemented, this patch included very low content (interesting sidequests and dungeons).
2. Dungeons have actually put a large sum of the population to grind parties and dungeon content.
3. Again, this is to be expected still. The game has not taken off, and is going to take more than two dungeons for high levels to change that.
4. the search system does not "fail" as you like to put it. It is simply not used by the playerbase. The game still does not encourage pick up groups properly, weather they be for grind parties or any other form of content. I agree, the system needs to be enhanced in some way.
5. Only one change was done to transportation on 1.18. and that is the free return every 15 minutes. I dont understand why you point this out, besides maybe for the sake of it, when virtually no changes have been made to transportation at all and when is confirmed chocobos and airships are coming on 1.19.
6. For what I have experienced in my server, there is now incentive to level up and specifically because of the rank 45 dungeon.
7. Make macros for your ability switching. For the whole action bar swap it takes how much? fifteen to twenty seconds using three macros to swap it completely?.

The game is comprised mainly of higher level players that have not quit after all this time. So seeing Toto-rank empty after a while is no surprise. You need to see this was planned towards the future, if this game ever takes off, it will not be the case with new players. Toto-rak will be done continually by lower level players.

this could not be fixed by:
- servers get merged > because this is still not considered to be a P2P worthy game yet. The remaining player base is being used as feedback source for content, mechanics and feature implementation for the PS3 release. While they do care if we are having fun or not, they do not really care of the amount of players in each server as long as the features they implement are being tested.
- population increase (unlikely any time soon) > at least not until PS3 release.
- incentive (such as a special hat or armor if you have all jobs at 50) > The incentive right now is only experience new content, something different that what you guys have been doing for almost a year. besides the shiny gear Dzemael Darkhold has
- level sync > With a large player base this will not be necessary. On ps3 release everyone will be low level, and with armoury system you can always switch back to a low level class and help friends. This was necessary in XI after quite a few years after game release only.
- greatly improved party search features along with world population view > I agree with this completely.


Right now Partying is there and is a thriving business, gathering leves spots has already been confirmed it will be addressed (look up the Dev responses), why you mention it, I would not understand. Leves, Aetheryte camps, behests are now part of the solo community. Aetheryte camps are no longer the gathering spots for the player base as the original team intended, so seeing camps empty is to be expected. The game has shifted, for the better.

This patch only released the first step of battle changes, the high level content introduced (this is not end game content in my view, but there is already another thread created on this, so I will not derail this one ;p) was only introduced to not leave players with nothing to test these changes, while the content progresses (sp?) the story of the game, it is something that is not introduced at all while a game is being developed or on this case re developed. More forms of low level content have already been confirmed, like the rank 11 ~ 17 tutorial dungeon planned. And once again, I agree player search features need to be enhanced greatly, but that, has also been confirmed will undergo changes after the server side issues have been fixed, and of which we have not heard details on the progress of those fixes at all (this also has its own thread)