Guild Wars 2

Is there something we can do to fix this in HoT, when we get switched to a map because we are on a “dead” map we lose all of our participation, and very often we do not end up on an active map. This morning alone I’ve switched maps 4 times in Verdant Brink and every time it was to a map that appeared less active than the one I was on. At the very least since we aren’t switching maps in the traditional way could we at least keep a portion of our participation progress?

Don’t hit “Leave”.

That said, IIRC this is a pretty well known bug with the megaserver tech acting weirdly with HoT maps. It’ll read them as empty when I’m there in a very organized full meta clear. I think the devs are aware of this and working on it, though I can’t source that for you.

That pop-up usually drops you into newly created maps it’s trying to funnel more players into.

As a result my rule of thumb is to assume I will lose literally anything I’m in the middle of doing or about to do. If I’m doing an event I assume it won’t be running, if I’m on a HoT map I assume I’ll have 0% contribution and the map will be right at the start of it’s chain, if there’s a node I want to harvest I assume it won’t be there, if a couple of NPCs are having an amusing conversation I assume they’ll be gone….and so on.

And I use that basis to decide if I want to switch maps. If I don’t mind losing everything I’m doing then I’ll switch, if I don’t want to risk it I won’t. (Or I’ll finish what I’m doing and then swap.)

it really is working as intended.

lets say that your map (Map A) is at 40% population and about halfway through the meta events.

and the other map (Map B ) is at 100% and is currently doing the final meta.

Map B finishes the meta and a bunch of players leave the map because the event is over, now Map B is at 50% population and the game sees this and asks you to join the more populated map because yours only has 40% players in it.

so you, not knowing any better, click to join, now you’re on Map B starting the Meta all over from start with just as few people as before. Except you also joined before they finished leaving, so lets say another 30% of the people leave after you’ve joined. Now Map B has 20% population.

when that button pops up, its asking you to join a map that all those people just left, which usually means the meta just ended.

Klipso.8653:

it really is working as intended.

lets say that your map (Map A) is at 40% population and about halfway through the meta events.

and the other map (Map B ) is at 100% and is currently doing the final meta.

Map B finishes the meta and a bunch of players leave the map because the event is over, now Map B is at 50% population and the game sees this and asks you to join the more populated map because yours only has 40% players in it.

so you, not knowing any better, click to join, now you’re on Map B starting the Meta all over from start with just as few people as before.

when that button pops up, its asking you to join a map that all those people just left, which usually means the meta just ended.

I would argue that this means it’s working as designed – there isn’t a bug in the code causing it to do something erratic – but not as intended.

My understanding is that Anet’s intention for this system, and for megaservers in general, was to try and ensure you’re never on a ‘dead’ map unless there are literally no other people in the area and merging people into HoT maps where the meta-event has just finished is an unforeseen side effect.

It’s one of those irritating things where computers ‘think’ differently, usually much more literally, than people do. (I once challenged an AI expert to make a computer that does what you want it to do instead of what you tell it to do. He told me he’ll do it when I can make people know what they want. I think he got the easier side of that deal.)

you’re right, it is working as designed, but probably unintended. I was just trying to explain the mechanics behind why it looks broken.

I have been moved into a map that was supposed to be fuller but ended up being more dead. Or the big issue of being on a full map then the game crashing and when you get back on you are thrown into an empty one.

I just want to see a return of the district system in addition to district information so you can see how full a particular map is. You don’t need to create a complication automated system of player/map routing. Just give the players informed choices and they’ll route themselves to where they want to be.