Guild Wars 2

I was searching around trying to figure out how server population caps (Full/High/Etc) are calculated, and generally found two opinions.

1.) Server Caps are calculated by the number of accounts currently playing on the server. For example: If the cap is set to 100 accounts, and 100 accounts have that server as their “home”, and 90 accounts are currently playing, then 10 accounts can transfer to the server.

2.) Server Caps are calculated by the number of accounts that call the server home, regardless if they are currently playing or offline. For example: If the cap is set to 100 accounts, and there are 100 accounts that call that server their “home”, but only 10 are playing, then zero players can transfer to that server.

The best answer i could find is this thread: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Server-Populations/first#post703192

CC Eva states..
> when you see a server FULL means that the people who’ve chosen that server as theirs, or players who have moved to that particular server, have reached the cap, independently of where did they create their accounts.

This is helpful, but doesn’t explicitly answer the question at hand.. It really sounds like server caps are based on Option #2, which makes the most sense in my opinion, but it would be great if we had a very clear answer to this.

As it is, we have players operating blackouts to try and squeeze hundreds of extra players onto their servers and i fear they are wasting their time under false assumptions.

An answer would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

#1

That is why you see changes in the status during prime time and off peak

Pretty sure it’s #2.

I think it’s a combination of the two. For instance, Tarnished Coast has coordinated blackouts to allow other guilds to transfer to their server.

Karizee.8076:

I think it’s a combination of the two. For instance, Tarnished Coast has coordinated blackouts to allow other guilds to transfer to their server.

Assuming that even works..

Karizee.8076:

I think it’s a combination of the two. For instance, Tarnished Coast has coordinated blackouts to allow other guilds to transfer to their server.

I was online to see this happen today. People were asking everyone in wvw to sign off for 30 minutes in hopes that it would decrease the server population to allow a guild to transfer over. I did log out but I actually stayed out since then, do you know if it worked?

The unfortunate part is that a lot of people started arguing about how it didn’t work and such in LA, so we (TC) don’t even know how many people did it outside of the guilds that committed.

I saw a player in one of the Lion’s Arch overflow advertising to sell his account which he created on Crystal Desert just before it became full. He said the account is empty but it’s on an active WvW server with healthy active population. Is this allowed? Pretty sure it’s not ethical.

ANET already said that is 1. I don’t have the link right now, but that is Official.

I dont’ know why people always felt there is some elaborate formula.

Maybe Anet just felt the server is over populated and open/close it as they felt fit.

marianitten.1247:

ANET already said that is 1. I don’t have the link right now, but that is Official.

That’s the thing, people on both sides of the fence are claiming official, and no one has any god kitten links. xD

Here, official kitten link with reply from the dev:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Server-Populations/first

This has to be the most circular of all arguments on these boards…

Absolutely none of the “official” statements prove either side conclusively. None.

There is only personal interpretation mixed with personal experience and we all know how individualistic those can be.

It HAS to be option #2. Just think about it; if it were option 1, you would have situations where you could be playing on, say, Tarnished Coast, log off for the night, and then try and log back on in the morning only to see that you’ve been moved to the Sanctum of Rall server because TC is currently full. Obviously that doesn’t happen, so it has to be option #2.

This is why you can have servers with a listed population of High or Full, but if you transfer to it, it’s like a ghost town. That’s because despite having a lot of players listed as having that server as their “home”, most of those players have since quit, but their accounts are still listed as being on that server.

FateZero.8536:

Here, official kitten link with reply from the dev:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Server-Populations/first

I hope you’re trolling, seeing as i linked and quoted that in the OP.

You’re quite observant :P

Zaxares.5419:

It HAS to be option #2. Just think about it; if it were option 1, you would have situations where you could be playing on, say, Tarnished Coast, log off for the night, and then try and log back on in the morning only to see that you’ve been moved to the Sanctum of Rall server because TC is currently full. Obviously that doesn’t happen, so it has to be option #2.

This is why you can have servers with a listed population of High or Full, but if you transfer to it, it’s like a ghost town. That’s because despite having a lot of players listed as having that server as their “home”, most of those players have since quit, but their accounts are still listed as being on that server.

Except that they already confirmed that you’ll never be denied access to your home server regardless. Of course, I can’t link a source though so you’ll either have to believe me, look for the source, or don’t. That’s about how this particular discussion has gone for the past 6 months now so it’s just par for the course…not me trying to be rude.