Guild Wars 2

What if WvW maps put a dynamic cap on the allowed number of players on a map per server based on the server with the least number of people on the map? Hear me out…

When I join a SPvP match I’m automatically slotted into a team with less people to keep things even. When I join a team in most other online games, I’m likewise assigned to a team to keep the numbers balanced. I know WvW isn’t spvp and I know it isn’t like other games but while the general population disparity between servers can indeed be dramatic, what’s preventing a system like the overflow/queue from dynamically adjusting player caps in just WvW maps?

By simply capping the allowed number of players on any team to the server with the lowest representation you can avoid issues of nightcapping, coverage imbalances, and useless outmanned “buffs.” You can sleep easy knowing that whenever you log on you can expect to face a similar amount of enemies and that your comrades later on can expect the same. Not only will this ensure that matches are won more through strategy and skill but minimize the complete blowouts that are commonplace throughout many tiers. Such blowouts are often more attributed to population gaps than skill gaps so this solution should curtail this issue significantly.

In my opinion if ever there were a means to bring people back into the fray we all love then a balancing system like this could do it. But what do I know, it’s probably impossible due to technological limitations or something

This won’t work in WvW, because there is nothing for a player to do but sit in a queue if their server happens to have more people interested in participating in WvW than one of two other opponents. In sPvP, there is always a game to jump into. The fact is, as much as many would like it to be, WvW was never designed to be perfectly balanced. The closest thing we have to dynamic population balancing is the ranking system, which tries to match servers that are as close in scoring capability as possible.

People are already waiting in queues already so I don’t think much would change for higher population servers. Over time the ranking system ought to pair servers with comparable wvw-interested populations. If people have such an issue with queues there’s always the option of switching to lower pop servers to keep things balanced.

kid of like this guy suggested?
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/pvp/wuvwuv/Cap-the-maps-already/first#post836098

the bot issue is old, but my point still stands that servers could close out a map and then organize a blackout on it holding it with a minimum of people, gaming the system and killing the fun.

maybe i misunderstood your idea though?

I think a sort of dynamic population balancing should be introduced in WvW. My idea on population balancing would be along these lines:
Any server should be allowed a base number of players in the map, regardless of the other servers; like, say for example, 30 players as a base population.
For more players to be allowed into the map from any given server, the opposing teams would have at least half (better 2/3) of that amount in the map, too. So, if the first server wants to have 40 players on the map, there should be at least 20 (better 27) players from the other teams combined on the map, too. If there are less than those a queue would form for the first server. This queue would only apply to the server with the most players on the given map and only for those joining the map. So if a server has 100 players on the map, and the other teams leave the map, so there are only 20 opponents left, the 100 still may stay in the map, but unless the other servers’ players come back into the map, no new player would be allowed into the map until the dynamic balance quota would be met again.

It may not be a perfect solution, but it allows servers with a low WvW population (sometimes just timezone related differences) maybe not really to compete, but at least to participate with some degree of possible success.

The day something like this would be implemented I would quit this game.

To the op this isnt sPvP where you can leave and reenter a new game any time, on a whim, maps are permanent, and if you have a queue on 4 maps, YOU CANT play wPvP, because your sever pop is too big, or there are too many pve carebears doing jump puzzles or unlocking pve map.

Finally why would you cater to a server that may be dead, or its comunity doesnt care about wPvP, this change would be so ilogical.

That is what ESO plans to do, can’t wait for that game : /

how can there be a queue for a realm that is outnumbered ?

and even ‘if’ there are 166 players of your realm on all 4 map (wel i can’t call (1 + (3*1)) 4 maps ), there are still queues. logging in and finding queues on all 4 maps is about the same to me as getting stuck on character selection screen or the servers being down with one difference. if i am waiting to get a spot in one of the 4 maps, i can whine in guild chat. if the game is totally down or i’m on character select i need to take my whines to the guild forum shout box.