Guild Wars 2

It’ll probably be like EotM where certain worlds can join up together.

In the AMA session it was mentioned that population caps would be lowered. I dont think thats a good idea if one of the servers is a dead server. It would be better if it was that same cap, not as per server, but as total cap per both servers combined.

That was my take – 2 servers on the same 4 maps with each other. Pro : crickets tiers will see many more people. Con: they could also see a que for the first time since launch.

I thought I read somewhere that they would be checking activity levels at time slices to balance the servers in conjunction with glicko ratings. Not sure if it is accurate.

Even with the API you can track capture levels and kills/deaths by time blocks. Just having aggregate values for each server and a spread sheet is enough to find some balance. However there will always be some outliers that have production spikes at specific times that will not allow for fully balance matches.

I have no idea how they intend to combine glicko ratings or even if they intend to. For multiplayer (or multiserver) teams, I think you need to compare each team member with all opposing team members and incorporate the aggregate change into the glicko score. The problem with doing it on a server to server basis is that lower ranked servers will see huge gains and higher ranked servers will see huge losses. All glicko ratings will be pushed to the middle and IMO will essentially become meaningless since the disparity between high and low population servers is so severe. In other words, the glicko ratings will no longer accurate describe any individual server. I’m definitely interested in seeing how they are going to do this.

I do hope that this combining of different entities is the first step to alliances.

Liston.9708:

That was my take – 2 servers on the same 4 maps with each other. Pro : crickets tiers will see many more people. Con: they could also see a que for the first time since launch.

I’m pretty sure this is what they meant by linking servers. It makes no sense to simply combine scores if you are trying to fix population imbalances.

Tyler Batman said in one of the reddit things linked, that they will post this "detailed explanation" right before EU reset on friday. And then the EU pairings as EU reset, and the NA pairings as NA reset. To avoid gaming the system.

joneirikb.7506:

Tyler Batman said in one of the reddit things linked, that they will post this “detailed explanation” right before EU reset on friday. And then the EU pairings as EU reset, and the NA pairings as NA reset. To avoid gaming the system.

Unfortunately, anet has already informed, the people they like, what the server merger plans are, and these people have already “gamed the system” in their favor. These people have been bragging about it for a week or more.

The whole TC alliance move to get with the most populated lower server DR should be more than obvious for anyone saying the information isn’t out there already.

Bearded.6485:

joneirikb.7506:

Tyler Batman said in one of the reddit things linked, that they will post this “detailed explanation” right before EU reset on friday. And then the EU pairings as EU reset, and the NA pairings as NA reset. To avoid gaming the system.

Unfortunately, anet has already informed, the people they like, what the server merger plans are, and these people have already “gamed the system” in their favor. These people have been bragging about it for a week or more.

I’m sure some insider (disgruntled dev, alpha tester maybe?) spilled the beans and that’s why we see so many people running to a few specific servers. I hope anet surprises them by not doing what has been reported in that fake release notes. Though, I bet the fake ones are going to end up being pretty much right anyway.

According to the leak it’s basically two servers working on the same maps in an alliance. Since the early leak was pretty much spot on, it looks like they have already made the initial pairings and are resetting everything to prevent shenanigans.

These alliances will be flexible so I’m not sure how they’ll determine how much work each server is actually doing to reflect their “glicko”. (ie a T1 server will do 90% of the work when paired with a T8 server, how will this be split up to determine ranking for each server?)

Joey.2769:

The whole TC alliance move to get with the most populated lower server DR should be more than obvious for anyone saying the information isn’t out there already.

GoM is destroying SoR and Kain too. Not by quite as much but DR doesn’t seem to be that much more populous. Looks like there’s just a huge gap between SoR at #20 and everyone above.

MaximillianVonSchatten.6278:

These alliances will be flexible so I’m not sure how they’ll determine how much work each server is actually doing to reflect their “glicko”. (ie a T1 server will do 90% of the work when paired with a T8 server, how will this be split up to determine ranking for each server?)

The way I understand it, 2 linked servers will have shared rating. For example if Far Shiverpeaks is linked with Whiteside Ridge, they do not have ranks separately anymore, only one linked server FSP+WSR will be ranked.

If in the future there would be need to unlink those or link WSR to another server, they can go on easy route and just count number of players logged into WvW every month from both linked servers. It does not have to be exact, just close enough. Then split the rating based on players counted.

Anyway, thats how I imagine it. We will hear about actual system soon enough.

For determining pairings dynamically, Anet had to create an algorithm to match worlds. Any sort of algorithm needs to be tested. Given that, the joke server merge list looks like it is either an alpha test of that algorithm, or a manually created pairing fed to test the linking code.

I don’t see why a dynamic pairing algorithm would not be beta tested during the match-making phase of next reset.

Oh boy. They are doing it manually. Better hope the manual process is run with a snapshot of the data close to reset.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/4fjrxt/we_are_the_gw2_dev_team_here_to_chat_with_you/d29gka1

I believe the WvW linking was announced as being a sort of ‘beta’, so I imagine it will all be rough at first, with tweak after tweak after tweak, as is the SOP for ‘betas’.

Imo, it sounds to me like Anet isn’t real sure how it will all flesh out…..but I think it all has the possibility to be very exciting, if players are just patient with all the problems that will pop up during this ‘beta’.

Chaba.5410:

Oh boy. They are doing it manually. Better hope the manual process is run with a snapshot of the data close to reset.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/4fjrxt/we_are_the_gw2_dev_team_here_to_chat_with_you/d29gka1

If it doesn’t consider all the movement in the last 10 days, it is doomed from the start. It probably should have waited an extra week or so to consider the patch changes as well – YB queued every map for the first time in forever

Bad system is still bad. What was that saying a while back? Putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t change it, it is still a pig.

When has there NOT been major player movement before a big WvW announcement.

End of Free Transfers
Tournament Season One
Tournament Season Two
Tournament Season Three
Full Servers
Linked Servers

Anet should have locked transfers, then announced WvW changes.

This is just server merge lite. They aren’t resetting glicko scores, they haven’t even discussed how individual servers are going to get or lose glicko from a match up or how that might affect future pairings. They definitely have not addressed any aspect of making the glicko score or your server performance meaningful. Even with composite servers, the actual movement up or down the ladder is going to remain as slow and as pointless as it is currently. They should have gone all in with alliances, but they aren’t doing that, so server merge lite which will become server merge permanent as soon as they get tired of manually pairing the servers, which I predict will happen after the first or second round of pairings. All of the changes are reactionary, none of them is “a design to achieve a larger goal”. There is no concept other than fix the massive open wound. This is not how you revitalize the game mode, this is emergency damage control…

They have time to dork around because there is no competition with similar game play. CU isn’t out in 2016 so play until you get burnt out, tired of it, frustrated, are just no longer having fun. Can always come back later.

Most of us in this discussion are speaking based on assumptions and ignorance. Nothing wrong with that but there really isn’t much data out there that is publically available that lists what the changes will be. Having said that what it being discussed sounds like another bad idea.

This is what happens when a format of play is left unattended. They should have never allowed transfers. They should have fixed the orbs. They should have reviewed the data and see if breaking scores on servers of find another solution. If they couldn’t then they should have halted it right then and there and focus rather on guilds, alliances, classes, characters, player portal listing stats like number of deaths, kill streaks, fastest time in jump puzzles, most deaths in jump puzzles, most realm ranks (non boosts allowed) gained in a week, by player, class, and other fun stuff that ties it to account/class – bragging rights.

Then go back and see how to right the wrong while removing edge of mists…