Guild Wars 2

This is my idea to fix underpopulated zones without merging servers and I call it Underflow!

Basically we already have a system in place in the game that when a zone is overpopulated it puts people in an overflow server where they wait for a queue to join the “real” server. Since we don’t really see that these days, why not reverse-engineer that technology and create a system that takes all players in a zone from all the servers and puts them into an Underflow server. This will eliminate that empty zone problem that plagues areas outside of the starters, dragon events, and Frostgorge! Got a new friend wanting to play GW2 but can’t play with him all the time? He may get bored if he’s playing an MMO by himself so here comes more players courtesy of the Underflow system. I know nothing of game development but I can’t imagine that it would be too difficult to just reverse what the overflow system already does.

TL;DR?

*Create underflow system by reverse engineering overflow system
*Pulls players from all servers in a specific zone to populate it.
*Eliminates empty zones
*Re-invigorates area for new and old players alike!
*New idea: Use a channel system similar to other MMO’s like Dragon’s Nest

If you like this idea and want to see it, bump these threads and let the devs know how you feel!

EDIT

Found out I’m not the first person to think of this idea:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/events/Do-you-remember-when-the-game-is-started-and-the-areas-had-a-lot-of-player-I-want-it-back/page/2

~Credit to Sumpskildpadde.4367 for bringing up this old thread

This is a great idea, I wish I thought of it. All that would need to be done is to add a prompt to join an overflow server (or “underflow server”) if the map you’re in is fairly empty. It could be a player choice, similar to how you’re given the option to leave an overflow server when space opens up on your server.

This would be a very appreciated changed. Especially if combined with revamped events and champion loot. It would make the open world (in any zone) feel even more alive and engaging.

Draehl.2681:

This would be a very appreciated changed. Especially if combined with revamped events and champion loot. It would make the open world (in any zone) feel even more alive and engaging.

Yea this ^. This is the whole reason I came up with this idea, right now when I have a low level character and all I find myself doing to level him is clearing the starter zones then crafting to 80, is that how we should reach max level? IMO I feel that zones shouldn’t have been created if all we had to do was craft, but then this wouldn’t be Guild Wars 2 it would be, Happy Crafty Online Game. I love the different ways to level a toon in this game, but I feel that too much emphasis is placed on, go level using WvW or our new temporary content instead of the entire world that was crafted specifically for that purpose.

Raust.9751:

Draehl.2681:

This would be a very appreciated changed. Especially if combined with revamped events and champion loot. It would make the open world (in any zone) feel even more alive and engaging.

Yea this ^. This is the whole reason I came up with this idea, right now when I have a low level character and all I find myself doing to level him is clearing the starter zones then crafting to 80, is that how we should reach max level? IMO I feel that zones shouldn’t have been created if all we had to do was craft, but then this wouldn’t be Guild Wars 2 it would be, Happy Crafty Online Game. I love the different ways to level a toon in this game, but I feel that too much emphasis is placed on, go level using WvW or our new temporary content instead of the entire world that was crafted specifically for that purpose.

I don’t craft myself to 80, That takes too much effort and running around collecting stuff. This is the first time I’ve even heard of someone suggesting that a an idea! Just seems crazy to me.

Anyway, I do like your idea though, Some zones do have population issues, not so much on my server but i know other servers are more desolate. An option to transfer to a global server with players from all the other servers would help deal with those issues.

I just have one concern though. If there’s lets say 10 people in Queensdale on each server at this one point in time, and 5 of those people transfer to the underflow, then you’d have an even more underpopulated server map. Sure the underflow map would be booming with people, but it would keep some people from staying in their home server. This can give the impression to new players that the game has a giant margin between new player characters and high level veteran players as well as make them feel even more alone than before, which just gives more motivation to join the underflow map. Eventually everyone in those maps will always be in an underflow, and on each server those maps will always be near completely empty.

such a good idea ive decided to start a toon specifically for map completion this would make that experience so much better get my vote

But wont they need to make the world bosses spawn at the same time for each server this way? any way I totally agree with this +1. I say remove server zones, make Underflow and Overflows and smart system that puts you together with friends in you friend list and guildies + remove the cost of waypointing to your cultural city (that will populate them)

Zayd Akira.1942:

I just have one concern though. If there’s lets say 10 people in Queensdale on each server at this one point in time, and 5 of those people transfer to the underflow, then you’d have an even more underpopulated server map. Sure the underflow map would be booming with people, but it would keep some people from staying in their home server. This can give the impression to new players that the game has a giant margin between new player characters and high level veteran players as well as make them feel even more alone than before, which just gives more motivation to join the underflow map. Eventually everyone in those maps will always be in an underflow, and on each server those maps will always be near completely empty.

Well with the underflow system it would essentially replace the current server system, there would never really be an empty server. Again like I said earlier, I don’t have a lot of knowledge on how Anet designs server stuff. I just hope they would keep the system as un-intrusive as possbile. Or another solution to this issue would be a channel system you see in a lot of F2P mmo’s like Dragon’s Nest, Spiral Knights, and Vindictus to name a few. Is your zone underpopulated? Switch to a “busy” channel to get more players there. My main goal is just to have Anet see this idea and they can figure out the bugs and potential problems and possibly implement it.

Just like Raust, I too have no knowledge whatsoever on game development or server technology. But if they could somehow make the game merge low population zones when the game detects a low amount of players in a specific zone. I don’t really know how this would work, cause then you would be playing alongside players from potentially a lot of different servers. But if it only applies to pve-servers then perhaps it would be possible somehow? The “underflow” servers would of course have to have it’s own timers which would be different from your own server’s, but I’d argue that that’s a small price to pay to be able to experience the content with other players.

And thank you, Raust, for creditting me

This is gravely needed.