Guild Wars 2

What if all explorable zones were automatically overflow zones?

As time goes on certain zones (all to some extent) have become unpopulated often to the point of <10 people in an entire area at once. This can make the game feel really isolated and lonely – at least for me. In some zones, this can even be downright disadvantageous, specifically in the higher level event-based zones.

This is no one’s fault and it was expected to happen – the initial game launch rush through each zone on the way to 80 has ended, and people are now more deliberate both in the methods they level with and which zones they prefer. Anet has given us a very large world that’s going to expand even further over time, and for this I applaud them. It’s an awesome place to explore and adventure and have fun.

But it’s more fun with people. What if, upon entering a zone, people were placed into overflow zones containing an array of players from multiple servers? The option to use a home world zone could be implemented as well just in case some preferred it that way. The way I see it, this would create a more lively atmosphere and restore the sense of unity and urgency in places like Orr, where more than one event chain could be feasibly done at once and some events could actually be completed at all.

What if Overflow zones were made standard? What do you think?

- Is this something that could show promise if implemented correctly?
- Would it be more fun to have more people in each zone, cross-server, or do you prefer having less people but they are from your home server?

i cant find anybody to play with.

arenanet just needs to stuff more people into zones that’s all…

there is something similar to this called an underflow, which is where if the map has too few people you can be prompted to join an underflow, which enables people on that map to join a cross-server version of the map (basically an overflow in reverse)

It’s been suggested quite a few times already, and I do hope Anet plans to implement it.

Zenyatoo.4059:

there is something similar to this called an underflow, which is where if the map has too few people you can be prompted to join an underflow, which enables people on that map to join a cross-server version of the map (basically an overflow in reverse)

It’s been suggested quite a few times already, and I do hope Anet plans to implement it.

Right, that is basically what I was suggesting. I don’t see the downside to this feature – hopefully Anet does implement it. However, in doing so they would have to admit that some of their zones are scarcely underpopulated, and I’m not sure if they would be willing to do that. Hope they do though.

Zenyatoo.4059:

there is something similar to this called an underflow, which is where if the map has too few people you can be prompted to join an underflow, which enables people on that map to join a cross-server version of the map (basically an overflow in reverse)

It’s been suggested quite a few times already, and I do hope Anet plans to implement it.

This would be awesome. If they worked like the overflow ones it would also really help towards the “guesting” feature they have not implemented yet.

Suggested this some time ago. people laughed. I still dunno why they laughed. Does it really take 7 years of a game being out to have simple things like this one in there? Why is it that they can do guesting for everything else but open world and why is it that the tech for guesting doesn’t automatically fill up to a certain percentage the slots available in a zone so it’s not exactly overflow but you are seeing people there.

I hope when Guesting is implemented, some sort of auto-guest or population list feature is included, so people in low population zones can all guest to a few selected servers, thus concentrating the available players together.

I couldn’t agree more about the ‘underflow’ idea, implement it! Let’s hope that the Christmas push adds a new wave of people racing to 80, so that I might be lucky enough to complete Mal’s Leap and Cursed Shore maps.

Good idea. Just make all non-city zones into overflow servers. Currently it makes completely no difference with PvE being on a overflow server. When you try to enter WvW, the server knows your home server and can simply send you there. It also fixes the problem of unable to see WvW from an overflow server, which is very stupid. If you need to meet others, simply form a party and join them. Also automatic solution for guesting to other servers.

I can think of nothing bad but a lot of merits in this idea. Why don’t they do it?

i would go back to any low lvl zone if i could farm (low lvl mats and low lvl nodes but apparently you get same lvl gear even in lowbie zones) but we arent allowed to do that.

Hologramx.6402:

Good idea. Just make all non-city zones into overflow servers. Currently it makes completely no difference with PvE being on a overflow server.

Overflows do not get WvWvW world bonuses.

Astralporing.1957:

Hologramx.6402:

Good idea. Just make all non-city zones into overflow servers. Currently it makes completely no difference with PvE being on a overflow server.

Overflows do not get WvWvW world bonuses.

Yeah that’s silly too. If you cannot get into your home server on a specific map, you don’t get that bonus because your server is full? That’s ridiculous.
After all, since most (all or not, not sure) bonuses from WvW are on individual, they should be given to each individual player according to your home server, regardless of what server you are on.

In theory this is an excellent idea. In practice, it will be difficult to manage. If it was done, it’d be amazing, orr would function properly, starter zones would have people in them, etc. If done poorly, it’d just suck.

I think it can be done, but it will likely take some complicated programming depending on how they work it, and we won’t see it for a long time.

DC Universe did something similiar to this and it worked out really well. They created a portal so could traverse back and forth between the PvE and PvP servers.