Guild Wars 2

Some nice posts from the op

I don’t know how to fix the population issue. I do know that I like belonging to a named server, seeing the same commanders on the map, the same people. My concern which having instances in three colours would be that you would lose this feeling of belonging to a server and the degree of ‘pride’ that comes with that.

I have swapped servers on numerous occasions but this has mostly been trying to find the ideal server that suits me. I like the way that each server has a feel and almost it’s own character.

Server linking appears to be meh as people are band waggoning to the lower population servers, changing costs for transfers didn’t appear to stop anything. I do feel that to fix this something major would need to happen, ie closing linked servers, changing transfer windows and cost to make us think more carefully as players around the server that we choose.

Bond.4602:

I don’t know how to fix the population issue. I do know that I like belonging to a named server, seeing the same commanders on the map, the same people. My concern which having instances in three colours would be that you would lose this feeling of belonging to a server and the degree of ‘pride’ that comes with that.

Server pride still works if we move glicko matchups to glicko-esque rankings within factions instead. Matchups would be based on average activity/pop and there wouldnt always be a fixed amount (ie one week there could be 6 matchups, the next 5, the week after that 7 etc). Basicly a much more dynamic variant of linking, without having links.

This assumes that we differentiate servers ingame however – while points you gain for your color go toward matchup points, it would also go toward server points. So lets say if Deso + FSP end up together on red in a matchup (poor example I know, lol) then you would see Deso having 3500 points and holding specific objectives while FSP have 4000 points holding specific objectives. Together red has 7500 points in that matchup.

Then after say… 4-6 months, you get some loot depending on your server rank in the faction. All ranks and server points reset, servers get randomized for the 3 factions and the war begin again.

Xillllix.3485:

You made a good effort posting all these threads here, but don’t forget Anet isn’t paying you. You shouldn’t have to do their job.

I did it for fun (and glory ofc)

Glass Hand.7306:

I don’t think it’s that difficult to balance WVW. All that is needed is to apply DR to server population. Servers that have above a certain threshold in population get DR on rewards. Slower progression on reward tracks, debuffs on damage, RI, rank progression etc.

ANet stated multiple times that they don’t want for an ally to join you to be a bad thing – ever. It’s one of the tenants of this game, “more is better”, so I really doubt they would go that way.

Bond.4602:

Some nice posts from the op

I don’t know how to fix the population issue. I do know that I like belonging to a named server, seeing the same commanders on the map, the same people. My concern which having instances in three colours would be that you would lose this feeling of belonging to a server and the degree of ‘pride’ that comes with that.

I know! I kinda like it too, but a faction system would not stop a community from creating, for example, a “server map” overflow that they can join from the map list

And you could always keep your favourite commanders in your friendlist to see where they are and join them

Bond.4602:

Some nice posts from the op

I don’t know how to fix the population issue. I do know that I like belonging to a named server, seeing the same commanders on the map, the same people. My concern which having instances in three colours would be that you would lose this feeling of belonging to a server and the degree of ‘pride’ that comes with that.

I have swapped servers on numerous occasions but this has mostly been trying to find the ideal server that suits me. I like the way that each server has a feel and almost it’s own character.

Server linking appears to be meh as people are band waggoning to the lower population servers, changing costs for transfers didn’t appear to stop anything. I do feel that to fix this something major would need to happen, ie closing linked servers, changing transfer windows and cost to make us think more carefully as players around the server that we choose.

Speaking from experience, what you are describing related to server pride, as I mentioned previously, is from the perspective of a host server, not a guest server. Community and server identity on guest servers is at the lowest it’s ever been. In PvE, we have mega-servers…no sense of community or identity there as it’s a blend of several servers randomly connected, which also makes it harder to recruit for WvW guilds. In WvW, guest servers don’t have their own tags, don’t get recognition for taking objectives, and in general, are swallowed up by the larger population of the host server so that you see very little of those that you once knew from your own server.

An idea for a quick and dirty hot-fix:

• Reduce rewards on the number of people/Greatly increase rewards with outnumbered
• Make organized play more effective, let 20 players be able to take down 60+ blob through skilled play.

This should (hopefully) encourage more people to play more organized guild groups and the like, thus more medium size skill based guilds again. And these should thus be encouraged to go to a underdog server for the outnumbered buff/rewards for more bags.

Most likely the bandwagoners will start transfer off again to follow the guilds they trust to bring the bags, and then the guilds will transfer again to lootbag the same pugs

Lots of ifs and what ifs there, but yeah. Some of the changes lately (last 1-2 years) have weakened or discouraged running skill-groups against map zergs, which is just what the game need to counter a larger server. If this was encouraged again, I believe (hope, nay pray!) that those people interested in Skill-Group play would want to move to a outnumbered server for the fights, challenge, and increased rewards.

If not, well, we’re boned.

Edit just to say that I too enjoy lots of your posts Menaka.

Along those lines, perhaps when a server is outnumbered on a map in relation to another server, the more populated server only gets 1 point for player kills, but the outnumbered server gets 3 points per kill. If two servers are not outnumbered in relation to each other, then they continue with the usual 2 points per kill between them. Let’s have some scoring adjustments when large population differences exist, not just extra rewards. I realize other scoring changes are forthcoming, but something like PPK adjustments could be easily implemented a lot sooner.

Population imbalance is the number one issue in WvW. Fix it and the game mode will become greatly more attractive.

Quoting myself:

First fix the population balance and everything else will fall into place effortlessly:

• With equal populations the servers will perform somewhat equal. Only skill, luck and politics decide the matchup winner.
• Then matchup winner can rewarded which brings out ebb and flow of 3-way warfare. Less lopsided, stagnant matchups.
• Instead of measuring coverage Glicko rating would measure skill (+luck+politics). The leaderboard would then be something to brag about.
• A server can be matched up against (almost) any other servers and still have a meaningful matchup. More variation.

Unfortunately I do not have any solution to fix it. I have been reading these forums for suggestions, made some myself, but they all fall short. Server linking is not the solution either.

Here is a list of solutions to fix population imbalance. None of which is very appealing. Just search the forums and read up the naysayer’s comments why.

• Longer queues
  • Less maps per matchup
  • Lower quota per map
  • Equal numbers only access (with auto-kicks)
• Forced migration
  • Server linking
  • Server merges
  • One way transfers
• Handicaps
  • Super soldiers
  • PvE units/elements/loot
• Score bias
• Replace WvW game mode by something else
  • Asymmetric game mode (Diku’s globes)
  • EotM game mode (factions)