The queue has been there. The problem is that the queue can also fill up. Think of it this way: you're waiting in line to get into a nice classy bar (the game). The bar is full (1017). The bar is so classy, no one wants to leave, so they start sleeping there (Afk login). There's two sections of the bar; one for cool people (JA), one for rad people (NA/EU). The two sections each have their own entrance off the sidewalk, and you can queue up for either door (server lists). If you do get in, there's different rooms on each side (worlds). The sidewalk is full (no queue accessible). So many people are trying to fit onto the sidewalk, that someone stumbles and falls over, knocking over everyone around them because they're packed so tight (server list down). Sometimes, inside this classy bar, someone gets squished because of how many people are inside, and they black out (90000). Sometimes the bar is so packed that the bouncers can't get to them with a glass of water and a swift kick out the door (3102). However, they're in the process of building new rooms for this super classy bar (new servers! yes, really!), while people stuck outside, either on the sidewalk, or across the block just staring at the sidewalk from afar (forums, people awaiting physical copies).

The Producer announced in his very long and polite recent letter that based on monitoring server usage throughout the beta, they knew on August 25th that server capacity was insufficient, and immediately began procuring additional hardware. He then detailed the process of literally building a new game world - as in, the machine. They have bought the hardware, they have installed the software, and now they are in the process of testing them. Let me ask you this - If suddenly there were 50 servers in JA, 50 in NA and 50 in EU, but all the new ones were buggy and crashy and laggy and started erasing people's characters... don't you think that would be worse?

I can't get into the game myself right now due to a shipping issue - and I'm pretty pissed that I don't even have the same problems you all do. But I looked into what I could do about it, and I'm weighing my options (I might just buy a physical copy locally and tell Amazon to shove it).

As for what happened between early betas and now? Perhaps, not enough stress testing, and a failure to gauge consumer interest properly. At least not enough time between the real stress test that was EA and the actual launch.