Guild Wars 2

xarallei.4279:

Raine.1394:

Yeah, The best solution is to move to a single virtual server as ESO is attempting to do. What we have currently in games, server based, grew out of technical limitations and old thinking about resources and the distribution of work across them. A single virtual server, is where we are headed.

I want to say something about the “one” ESO server I really do. Alas, NDA….

As for GW2, the only thing I can think of for them to improve overflows is add the ability to choose an overflow. In Tera you could choose what channel you were in when a zone was particularly crowded. It’d be nice to choose an OF. Then again everyone would just try to get into the TTS one. ^^;;;

Well, it isn’t “one” server, it’s many servers. And it’s many instances of software. The move around virtualization is non-different from what is happening everywhere in IT.

And, if I were designing instances I wouldn’t have channels. In fact, I would have as a design goal, that players never know they are in an instance.

Raine.1394:

xarallei.4279:

Raine.1394:

Yeah, The best solution is to move to a single virtual server as ESO is attempting to do. What we have currently in games, server based, grew out of technical limitations and old thinking about resources and the distribution of work across them. A single virtual server, is where we are headed.

I want to say something about the “one” ESO server I really do. Alas, NDA….

As for GW2, the only thing I can think of for them to improve overflows is add the ability to choose an overflow. In Tera you could choose what channel you were in when a zone was particularly crowded. It’d be nice to choose an OF. Then again everyone would just try to get into the TTS one. ^^;;;

Well, it isn’t “one” server, it’s many servers. And it’s many instances of software. The move around virtualization is non-different from what is happening everywhere in IT.

And, if I were designing instances I wouldn’t have channels. In fact, I would have as a design goal, that players never know they are in an instance.

I don’t see how that is possible unless you build an absolutely flawless system that will never separate people. Which I don’t know is possible considering you do have to set a cap at something on any given “instance.” Unless the server is so massive it can handle thousands of people in an instance (which I have never seen in any MMO), people will get separated at some point. It’s just a matter of what is the best way of getting them back together again.

laokoko.7403:

Have you ever played a game with 1 virtual server(with instance) before?

Not that I played TESO beta, you still have instanced of zones. And it still segregate players base. You may have a bunch of friend on another server and some on another server. Yes the TESO idea is smartly add everyone together. But I can’t say it’ll always be perfect.

I’m not aware of any current games using this model and it appears that ESO is breaking new ground here. Yes, it is all about managing work across computing resources, software and hardware and players will be distributed across instances of zones, ideally not aware of it. And, yes, it can be implemented well or poorly, but this is the direction for games in the future.

Raine.1394:

laokoko.7403:

Have you ever played a game with 1 virtual server(with instance) before?

Not that I played TESO beta, you still have instanced of zones. And it still segregate players base. You may have a bunch of friend on another server and some on another server. Yes the TESO idea is smartly add everyone together. But I can’t say it’ll always be perfect.

I’m not aware of any current games using this model and it appears that ESO is breaking new ground here. Yes, it is all about managing work across computing resources, software and hardware and players will be distributed across instances of zones, ideally not aware of it. And, yes, it can be implemented well or poorly, but this is the direction for games in the future.

Isn’t Eve Online all on a single shard?

Idk, I prefer to have control over what instance I am in.

Vayne.8563:

Raine.1394:

laokoko.7403:

Have you ever played a game with 1 virtual server(with instance) before?

Not that I played TESO beta, you still have instanced of zones. And it still segregate players base. You may have a bunch of friend on another server and some on another server. Yes the TESO idea is smartly add everyone together. But I can’t say it’ll always be perfect.

I’m not aware of any current games using this model and it appears that ESO is breaking new ground here. Yes, it is all about managing work across computing resources, software and hardware and players will be distributed across instances of zones, ideally not aware of it. And, yes, it can be implemented well or poorly, but this is the direction for games in the future.

Isn’t Eve Online all on a single shard?

Yes but Eve don’t create multiple instance of the same area. It only have 1 instance of any place.

AoC has had instance of playfields seperately for servers. But now they use world servers and have instances depending on players around. You can still switch between instances normally.
On the other hand, I have not played AoC in ages, so I do not know if it works (or if there are enough players left to fill a full instance of a zone… ^^)

So I do not see overflow as a new thing invented by ANet, just new instances like in AoC. The problem is, that those overflows are badly adjusted to fit the event system, which the mario is a part of.

Poorly executed game mechanic with a poorly designed open world event = poor player experience.

The current management of overflow is far from perfect and these mega events, even if awesome have some work to do for the scaling. I love the large scale battle, but you can’t really design a event that need 80-90% of the maximum capacity of your map in players to be able to complete it.

That said, I really don’t the same experience as the some people here. I never go into Lornar’s pass more that 30min before the event (Overflow or not). And usually, this time is fill with organization. I tag up, count my line, go in TS, talk with the other commander, make sure that people are spread equally in each line and by the time i finish explain the events for all new players the event is about to start. You don’t need to get in the map 30min in advance to have a place. I have a lot of guild mate that were able to get in the main map 10min before the events. No you need to get in the map 30min in advance to prepare for the event and this is what make the kind of events so unique. Its not just the zerging of a boss, when half the people are just following the big blob and have almost no idea what they are doing. On Crystal Desert (at least in the hours i’m playing) we usually have enough ppl to succeed in the main AND on the overflow. So you can actually get on the map 10min before the event and still have a place while the overflow still getting filled.

Kaiyanwan.8521:

AoC has had instance of playfields seperately for servers. But now they use world servers and have instances depending on players around. You can still switch between instances normally.
On the other hand, I have not played AoC in ages, so I do not know if it works (or if there are enough players left to fill a full instance of a zone… ^^)

So I do not see overflow as a new thing invented by ANet, just new instances like in AoC. The problem is, that those overflows are badly adjusted to fit the event system, which the mario is a part of.

Poorly executed game mechanic with a poorly designed open world event = poor player experience.

WoW, too, implemented Cross Realm Zones right before MoP and it basically instances a zone for a group of players from various servers. It works very smoothly and I’m rarely even aware I’m in an instance other than my home server.

But, given that everything is competitive in the WoW environment (quests, rare mobs, resource nodes, etc.), the last thing you want to see in a zone are a ton of players. It’s like rats in a cage. However, it would work very well in GW2 as a step towards a horizontally scaled virtual server.

Agreed, overflow is a pain in the posterior however; I have done the Marionette Event seven times now.

• Each time has been in overflow
• Each time we have failed
• Last night I completed 11 of 11 The Origins of Madness Achievements for my Gift of Sprockets

So is it really an issue if you are in the Overflow or not?

Just saying, I don’t like the overflow anymore than anyone else but it did not stop me from successfully completing the "The Origins of Madness Completionist " AND I opened 9 chests in Scarlet Secret Lair.

Overflow or no, still good to go

Most of the time when I joined an empty overflow. People’ll start showing when the event starts.

It dont’ necessary mean there will be enough people. But usually many people showed enough in the last minutes so can at least give it an effort.

Yalora Istairiea.6287:

Agreed, overflow is a pain in the posterior however; I have done the Marionette Event seven times now.

• Each time has been in overflow
• Each time we have failed
• Last night I completed 11 of 11 The Origins of Madness Achievements for my Gift of Sprockets

So is it really an issue if you are in the Overflow or not?

Just saying, I don’t like the overflow anymore than anyone else but it did not stop me from successfully completing the "The Origins of Madness Completionist " AND I opened 9 chests in Scarlet Secret Lair.

Overflow or no, still good to go

Yes, it is an issue. Basically, it doesn’t work for the purpose intended. Suppose a friend tells you event X is happening on your server and invites you up. You go and nothing whatsoever is happening there. ??? The problem is that you must modify your playstyle for the way they have not-solved the instancing problem. Are there workarounds? Absolutely! Does it work? No!

This is a common problem (distributed work over computing resources) that works fine where it has been tried. Anet’s version doesn’t work.

they could ditch the server design and just create multiple overflow of the same zones(from what I heard that’s what GW1 do)