Guild Wars 2

tl;dr Megaservers have fixed the population problem but have brought many new problems into the game. Why couldnt ANET just allow you to pick a server/overflow? Why are Megaservers the answer? Being clever for the sake of being clever maybe?

This has been bugging me ever since the Feature patch and I hope to once and for all get the answer.

So we knew there were issues with players finding certain maps baron and empty and so ANET decided to try something groundbreaking and possibly never before seen (I havent played enough MMOs to know this). Megaservers were introduced and with them all kinds of issues have sprouted up ranging from issues with guild missions (take for example the fact one person completed guild challenge in the wrong server yesterday meaning the entire guild on the other server didnt get rewarded) to overcrowding at certain events, contested WPs etc etc. You can read other posts for the list of faults.

So the main issue was that of baron maps. What do megaservers do that allowing people to pick instances cannot do?

This would solve the world boss issues once and for all. This wouldntve caused the issues with guild missions, contested WPs, overcrowding(zerging) and wouldve allowed players to play how they want to play. Pick a highly populated server or a baron one depending on your preferences. I cant help by wonder what the new maps are going to be like when released, with players zerging from one objective to another paying no attention to the story that is unfolding.

ANET seems insistent on turning GW2 into a mindless zergfest with no immersion and im not sure why considering theyre basing the entire games future on the Living Story.

It was to fill up empty maps by removing the need to host multiple copies of the same empty map, and instead move those people in to one map. It also aims to streamline the old overflow system by placing you on maps where your friends, party, and guild members are located.

The only problem with the system right now is that you can’t manually select which instance you want to be in. If they had the district option from GW1, things would be much better.

probably more than anything it makes them look bad when new players play their game and find the world empty.

Bad for their reputation which in term cut their profit to get new players into the game.

People had been asking for an ‘underflow’ system for a while, so that underpopulated maps could have a chance at no longer being empty.
How quickly these forums seem to forget that…

The Megaserver does accomplish that, though as it has been pointed out already, it needs tweaking, which they have been doing with varying degrees of success, I believe.

ShinjoNaomi.1896:

People had been asking for an ‘underflow’ system for a while, so that underpopulated maps could have a chance at no longer being empty.
How quickly these forums seem to forget that…

The Megaserver does accomplish that, though as it has been pointed out already, it needs tweaking, which they have been doing with varying degrees of success, I believe.

This.

ShinjoNaomi.1896:

People had been asking for an ‘underflow’ system for a while, so that underpopulated maps could have a chance at no longer being empty.
How quickly these forums seem to forget that…

The Megaserver does accomplish that, though as it has been pointed out already, it needs tweaking, which they have been doing with varying degrees of success, I believe.

Yeah, I’d rather not go back to a time where I couldn’t do events/bosses/temples because no one was on my map. The ‘underflow’ part works out great, actually.
It just needs a few tweaks for the upper end, which has been mentioned at length in other threads. (Which is why this one is likely to get closed soon. :P)

For NCSoft to save money on server costs.

Its easy to see who has read my thread and who has just read the title.

I’ll add a tl;dr to the top I think.

Vol.7601:

For NCSoft to save money on server costs.

^this

The line about it getting the zones populated was the cover story.

WE didn’t. Anet did.

To expand: Anet wanted to avoid the term “server merge” so they came up with the all overflow all the time system they called megaserver. They also claimed it was because of server pride in wvw. So, they completely destroyed the concept of servers, and now they only matter to 500 people at a time, at most.

Kibazuka.1390:

…

Wow.. Just, wow. Forum rules notwithstanding, I should say something really mean right now. But I’ll just go with “You’re wrong.” and tell you that your counter-assumptions do what the popular phrase says they do.

I’m definitely not an advocate of a 50-man beatdown of content that does well with 5 to 10 people. (Not that most of the bosses are complicated anyway.) This so-called 11111 gameplay comes from huge population loads, but it also had to do with overly-simple boss mechanics which stifle half the weapon skills and refuse to make use of the other half. Thusly, autoattackAFK11111.

As for guesting to another server, well than the Six I don’t need to do that bother anymore! …Shame about the RPers and guilds and soforth that got kittened in the process. :\

We need home worlds back in cities, smaller server shards, and, with any grace, districts.

I personally love the megaservers. Makes the game more like an mmo now instead of a single player game.

honestly i enjoy it until i need to farm a specific type of mob. seeing 3-5 people already farming it slows my progress quite(a)bit.

Fixing the population problem by introducing the overpopulation problem was THE thing to do.

Megaserver system is the best addition to the game. The game had deserted, dead maps before. It’s an mmo now.

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

Rauderi.8706:

…

Good for you that you dont have to guest anymore, its still a fact that it only took some seconds and you had the choice how to do your content. Now there is no choice.
Along with the absurdely long list of other problems it introduced i dont deem the introduction of megaservers justified at all.

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

It always did baffle me why they don’t do this, not just in GW2, but in lots MMOs. Though I figure it’s got a lot to do with server identities, much like how we lost a lot of that identity when megaservers hit.

Though, there’s going to be no new idea that shows up in this thread that hasn’t been hit on in https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feedback-Questions-MegaServer
Suppose 40 pages is tl;dr though. :\

Umut.5471:

Megaserver system is the best addition to the game. The game had deserted, dead maps before. It’s an mmo now.

You seem to be missing my point. Map population could have been sorted in a number of different ways. Im asking why megaservers were deemed acceptable despite there being countless issues with the system.

I also think that megaservers just reinforce the stereotype that GW2 is a Zerg-based game. Why couldnt they allow players to choose overflows? I hate seeing hundreds of players trivialising what used to be fun events so why am I forced into high pop servers? Why cant I take a group of friends/guildies and complete events with just us?

ANET seem insistent on dumbing down GW2 and megaservers are a part of this problem. I think im justified in asking why.

Rauderi.8706:

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

It always did baffle me why they don’t do this, not just in GW2, but in lots MMOs. Though I figure it’s got a lot to do with server identities, much like how we lost a lot of that identity when megaservers hit.

Though, there’s going to be no new idea that shows up in this thread that hasn’t been hit on in https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feedback-Questions-MegaServer
Suppose 40 pages is tl;dr though. :\

Yes, but instead of removing server identity from a few servers, they destroyed the concept of servers for all of them. That’s better?

Megaservers obfuscates population issues and avoids the bad press surrounding the phrases “shutting down” or “merging” servers.

Becka Williams.4978:

Rauderi.8706:

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

It always did baffle me why they don’t do this, not just in GW2, but in lots MMOs. Though I figure it’s got a lot to do with server identities, much like how we lost a lot of that identity when megaservers hit.

Though, there’s going to be no new idea that shows up in this thread that hasn’t been hit on in https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feedback-Questions-MegaServer
Suppose 40 pages is tl;dr though. :\

Yes, but instead of removing server identity from a few servers, they destroyed the concept of servers for all of them. That’s better?

Server merger has the bad reputation in and of itself, often labeled by critics as the a sign of a dying game.

Thereon.3495:

tl;dr Megaservers have fixed the population problem but have brought many new problems into the game. Why couldnt ANET just allow you to pick a server/overflow? Why are Megaservers the answer? Being clever for the sake of being clever maybe?

DUDE. Megaservers weren’t about IMPROVING the game.

ArenaNet noticed that many worlds were half-DEAD. They could do server MERGES, but that’s usually seen as a sign that a MMO is DYING, and they got SCARED that doing those merges would scare people away.

Hence, server merges WITHOUT merges: megaservers.

The idea wasn’t THAT bad. It was just BADLY implemented. Because:

• If you are playing through an EVENT and you disconned, GOOD LUCK getting back to the same map you were in. If it’s one of the many FACEROLL events, you could return to a server earlier than yours, and the event is already done; or you could go back to one that is later than yours, and the event is at an earlier stage, wasting your time (KARKA Queen often sees this.). If it’s a HARD event, though luck – you could be against Teq when it’s at 10% health, DISCONNECT, and when you go back you’re in a server that has failed the event. NO WAY BACK.

• The system was MEANT to preferably put people from the same party and the same guild in the SAME map. This is a JOKE, considering how often it does not happen.

• Communities were destroyed (ASK RPers).

• A good but POORLY implemented idea (as usual for ArenaNet) was the notion that one map could influence what happened in the others. We had this ONLY on the Orr temples, but it was an interesting mechanic that could be further expanded. Well, NO MORE. This kind of mechanic has been removed from the game.

• CONTESTED waypoints now show up even if the waypoint isn’t REALLY contested; you have to join a map to see if a given waypoint is really contested or not. This is RATHER obviously a poor implementation.

Unfortunatelly, ArenaNet’s philosophy of QUICK and EASY fixes led to solving a problem while creating a multitude of new issues. I can barely wait to see how they will ALIENATE the WvW community when adding megaservers to WvW.

Y’all have not responded based on the rules of the forum – y’all are just whining a lot. This will end up in the trashcan since there is already a thread on mega servers.

People (READ GUILDS) would have complained that a server merge would force them onto a server that they did not want to play with (server ID is only worth anything in WvW and PvP) anything else it doesn’t matter.

With Megaservers it seems to be a kittened if you do kittened if you don’t. Without Megaservers maps were much emptier and in my experience you’d be lucky to come across someone in a middle range map when an event wasn’t going on. With Megaservers it’s harder to organize events, and you the sorting isn’t very good.

Rauderi.8706:

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

It always did baffle me why they don’t do this, not just in GW2, but in lots MMOs. Though I figure it’s got a lot to do with server identities, much like how we lost a lot of that identity when megaservers hit.

Though, there’s going to be no new idea that shows up in this thread that hasn’t been hit on in https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feedback-Questions-MegaServer
Suppose 40 pages is tl;dr though. :\

how exactly would you handle wvw then? or did people forget that there’s actual wars in a game called guild wars..

Lightsbane.9012:

how exactly would you handle wvw then?

You mean, the part of the game that SUFFERS because we have many SERVERS at the bottom of the ranks because they lack COVERAGE? In which a few worlds in the last tournament had FOUR players to defend THREE different maps? WOW, I so have NO IDEA of how to do server merges for THOSE guys DDDDD:

/sarcasm

Meanwhile, WvW people are having TROUBLE rallying players because you can’t port to a TOWN and tell people to help because your BL is UNDER ATTACK. You’re as likely to warn your ENEMY than your allies.

Megaservers was a way to merge servers without using the dreaded words “server merge.”

They also save Anet money because not as many instances of each map have to be spawned.

Lightsbane.9012:

how exactly would you handle wvw then? or did people forget that there’s actual wars in a game called guild wars..

No need to be hostile. :P It’s actually a good question!

Server merges could be good for WvW, by upping the populations on low-pop servers and providing more competition. Typically, when a server merge is about to take place, they do free server moves to the low pop servers as incentive to buff their numbers. They already sort of did this once when the latest WvW season hit, so if they had to pare down servers, they could certainly do it again.

Megaservers solved the problem of not having anyone to do dynamic events with when you go to a zone by having all the dynamic events already done when you go to a zone.

Test.8734:

Lightsbane.9012:

how exactly would you handle wvw then?

You mean, the part of the game that SUFFERS because we have many SERVERS at the bottom of the ranks because they lack COVERAGE? In which a few worlds in the last tournament had FOUR players to defend THREE different maps? WOW, I so have NO IDEA of how to do server merges for THOSE guys DDDDD:

/sarcasm

Meanwhile, WvW people are having TROUBLE rallying players because you can’t port to a TOWN and tell people to help because your BL is UNDER ATTACK. You’re as likely to warn your ENEMY than your allies.

Your random capslocking of words is hilarious.

robertul.3679:

Your random capslocking of words is hilarious.

DUUUUUUDE!

It’s NOT capslocking!

It’s GOOD OLD shift pressing!

SHIFT for the win!!!!!!!

Blockhead Magee.3092:

Vol.7601:

For NCSoft to save money on server costs.

^this

The line about it getting the zones populated was the cover story.

Lol, it’s not like they would have had a separate physical server for each instance. MMO ‘servers’ haven’t been actual separate physical machines for years. Everything is virtual these days.

I begin the game on launch day. I remember how crowded in queensdale, i have tasted every single DE in QD. When i arrived sparkfly fen, i admit i was slow leveler, it is a beautiful map with lots of space. What i mean space is, 0 population.

I tried many different event, sink the risen boat, champ troll etc, alone. Never able to success in those event because of the server i am in is a low population server. I am able to move to a mid populated server during the free transfer period.

Still, i am not able to taste every DE in mid level map what so ever until…. mega server is up. I made a new cha and test a bit the new trait system, it is amazing that wherever i go, low lv, mid lv, high lv map are full of players, and lots of DE that i have never played is up (i’ve 8 x lv80 pre patch). My server almost never beat TEQ once until mega server….

I feel your pain, but for more causal players who don’t join big guild, don’t enjoy organized guild activities (not like being forced to keep attendance for the guild seat, not like being forced to 100% rep), and i rather enjoy pug dungeon, pug big fight, done some random foes with strangers, “good job” and dismiss.

Mega server is doing more good than harm to us.

Its a pain in the kitten to get obby shard now. No matter what you do, you will end up in a map that its not open in. Plus now you can’t guest to an open one. So now you’re sitting there waiting for one of the longest events in game to fail once then to finally complete it just to get obby shard. Why are they so guarded? Couldn’t you just put the vendor at the mystic forge? There’s 0 reason not to.

Thereon.3495:

tl;dr Megaservers have fixed the population problem but have brought many new problems into the game. Why couldnt ANET just allow you to pick a server/overflow? Why are Megaservers the answer? Being clever for the sake of being clever maybe?

This has been bugging me ever since the Feature patch and I hope to once and for all get the answer.

So we knew there were issues with players finding certain maps baron and empty and so ANET decided to try something groundbreaking and possibly never before seen (I havent played enough MMOs to know this). Megaservers were introduced and with them all kinds of issues have sprouted up ranging from issues with guild missions (take for example the fact one person completed guild challenge in the wrong server yesterday meaning the entire guild on the other server didnt get rewarded) to overcrowding at certain events, contested WPs etc etc. You can read other posts for the list of faults.

So the main issue was that of baron maps. What do megaservers do that allowing people to pick instances cannot do?

This would solve the world boss issues once and for all. This wouldntve caused the issues with guild missions, contested WPs, overcrowding(zerging) and wouldve allowed players to play how they want to play. Pick a highly populated server or a baron one depending on your preferences. I cant help by wonder what the new maps are going to be like when released, with players zerging from one objective to another paying no attention to the story that is unfolding.

ANET seems insistent on turning GW2 into a mindless zergfest with no immersion and im not sure why considering theyre basing the entire games future on the Living Story.

Dude you have obviously NEVER played WoW on one of Blizzard’s TOTALLY dead servers, a huge reason why so many left WoW and came to GW2, playing on a quiet server may seem like a good idea, until it turns into totally dead one !

Do not encourage Anet to go back please., there is nothing worse than an empty server, take it from someone whom knows :-(

Test.8734:

• If you are playing through an EVENT and you disconned, GOOD LUCK getting back to the same map you were in. If it’s one of the many FACEROLL events, you could return to a server earlier than yours, and the event is already done; or you could go back to one that is later than yours, and the event is at an earlier stage, wasting your time (KARKA Queen often sees this.). If it’s a HARD event, though luck – you could be against Teq when it’s at 10% health, DISCONNECT, and when you go back you’re in a server that has failed the event. NO WAY BACK.

That’s got nothing to do with megaservers, the game’s done that since launch. If you leave a full map, no matter the reason, nothing short of a miracle is getting you back in.

Blockhead Magee.3092:

Vol.7601:

For NCSoft to save money on server costs.

^this

The line about it getting the zones populated was the cover story.

Or they could have done it for both reasons.

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

Firstly it looks bad, secondly it’s a temporary fix. Populations change over time (especially around WvW tournaments time), so ANet would potentially needlessly merge a server or would have to add more servers later.

Becka Williams.4978:

Why not server merges, than? That would make more sense than completely destroying the concept of servers.

With guesting the concept was already a bit murky.

Thereon.3495:

Umut.5471:

Megaserver system is the best addition to the game. The game had deserted, dead maps before. It’s an mmo now.

You seem to be missing my point. Map population could have been sorted in a number of different ways. Im asking why megaservers were deemed acceptable despite there being countless issues with the system.

It seems ANet liked the idea and believed that they could tweak and fix the bugs over time. So for them they probably saw it as a live-beta.

I think the megaserver system is great. It’s not perfect, but it’s nice to see maps populated again. I hated running around places like Wayfarer Foothills all by my lonesome. Now this game feels like an MMO. Of course it needs tweaking, but I definitely don’t want to eliminate megaservers entirely.

The reason is simple. You can’t have megaservers if you let people choose where they want to go. People will stay on their home servers or stay on good/highly populated overflow and avoid bad/low populated ones. Not only do they need to move people from lowly populated overflows to highly populated overflows. They need to move people from good/highly populated overflows to bad/low populated overflows. You can still taxi to highly populated ones. However, the main idea is remove the options to easily pick the best ones so people can be distribute into other overflows without much difficulties.

i don’t see any problem with megaserver… in fact i’m loving it.

the only change they need to make to the megaserver system is the major town like LA, where it need to have server identity.

whats the point to play an mmo-rpg without the first 3 letters?if i want to play alone i have my handheld console and a bunch of jrpgs.

The problem is we weren’t playing alone before megaservers. We were playing with the players from our servers, communities, guilds. Now, we are playing alone, since %95 of the players you see at any moment are random, intelligent (not %100 sure for this) mobs.

I think rather than arguing about the megaservers, which I really doubt ANet will remove at this stage (and I actually hope they don’t), we might be better off agreeing what feasible changes we would like to see.

For me, the biggest and most reasonable one would be making the home cities and LA server based again.

As if they are listening any feedbacks. Their only response for the 41 pages of feedbacks is “We have a team for megaservers.”

I don’t mind who i am playing with, no matter a random one or from my server. All i know is I am from a time zone where i played at most other player is sleeping. No matter it is NA or EU server. So empty map is what i am usually playing with before patch.

Hello,

Since we are receiving a lot of feedback about this topic, we are gathering it in a dedicated thread. You are very welcome to repost your question, comments and concerns in this discussion.

Thank you for your understanding.