Guild Wars 2

Right now many tiers are still not that competitive, or two servers are competitive and the other determines the outcome (this is the case in tier 3 for 3 weeks now). Many servers are not good enough for the tier above, but too good for the one they are in.

The problem is the rating system has a hard time pairing up 3 servers that are all even with each other. And honestly the idea (myth I dare say) that the 2 weak servers would gang up on the third, has been an utter failure.

I think it would be so much easier to find pairings of just two servers, head to head, that are close to even with each other and have many more competitive matches in every tier. It would also increase rivalry and purity in the direction of who you are supposed to be focused on, and this would likely drive more players to get out into WvW for their server, instead of just relying on the whims of a 3rd wheel server to balance everything out. It just hasn’t happened.

Redesigining the system for head to head would require alternations to the maps, but it is something they should seriously consider for the WVW changes in February or beyond.

The common complaint of this would be that population size is too dominant. But that is why GW2 has a rating system in the first place. Factions aren’t just matched up with random numbers like say in Warhammer. You would get pairings with close to even populations, and hopefully even similar times of strength and weakness (such as oceanic strength).

The fact that there would be 3 different maps to PvP (EB and 2 BLS) would also add a layer of complexity and strategy to even a head to head match, so that its not just about clashing two zergs into each other and the biggest wins. Since most servers cannot full coverage 3 maps, who wins would much more come down to who is distributing their forces best over these 3 maps.

I think the purity of strategy and reward for winning in a head to head would just be so much greater than the current matches, which are often just rolls of the dice with who wins (or perhaps more, who is 2nd) being random based on who a 3rd team decides to attack more that week on a whim.

Ok so. By that logic, Dragon Brand would be paired up with my server, NSP.
But Dragon are Oceanic so they cap during the night when 90% of WvW is empty.
Do we fight ghosts?

Here is the solution that you seek.

I think that the map should be even bigger with 4 servers on it rather than the odd number of 3.
That removes a gang up on the superior server simply because of logistics. While 2 servers may gang up on the leading server, all three servers ganging up ont he same map is basically impossibru lvl 1000 since keeps and tower usually only have 2 gates with 2 supply camps (or less). Meaning that the extra server will have to fight with the other servers if they want in on the game.

Reducing double team and increasing fun.

3 is the perfect number discovered with DAoC. With 2, you get RvDoor (or WvDoor in this game). With 4 you get 3v1 against whomever’s on top. Plus, you push past the limits of technology for people on the map. Just look at culling now. With 3, you can 2v1, but that 1 has a chance to defend. Plus, you can’t count on the other to not back stab you, which is an entirely valid tactic. You find more fights than you do 1v1.

Anyways… 3 is perfect. No more. No less.

Sorry is this is a little disjointed. I’m trying to multitask and failing per usual.

3 is the magic number.

Direct head to head would result in stalemates.

I’ve seen a lot of strategic variations coming from the 3 servers that just wouldn’t be possible on na head to head because of no choice on who to atack. Also having 3 teams with separate goals provide players with atack oportunities even if outmanned. My server usually fields low numbers and we would allways been pushed to defence on head to head. With 3 servers, we can grab oportunities to atack when the other 2 are engaged at some atrition fight between them.
Considering the strategic options, and remembering that your current situation is just one of possible match ups (2 strong and 1 weak), maybe you can come up with something to make the weak one atack your enemie. Give him “free” keeps from your strong enemy for exemple and avoid atacking or holding their strategic holds.
Anyway, i do think the 3 servers model superior to na head to head given the strategic variations it introduces.

The complaints people are typing are already happening. If one out of 3 servers has the strongest Oceanic, then they just cap both other servers stuff. It’s still PvDoor half the time. Except now you get 3 servers worth of points for doing it.

Few people ever articulately elaborate why 3 is so great other than they once had fun in some old game that used the mechanic. But maybe it wasn’t the mechanic that made it fun, maybe that was just incidental, or maybe it did work DAoC, but GW2 is not that game, and here it is not working. This is the biggest fallacy in MMO player logic, they wrongly want everything from their first love MMO. In GW2 3 servers actually decrease competition, and the top server is actually benefited by having one other team that almost always works alongside them to strengthen their win, rather than contest it. This is not creating good matches or balance.

I have been playing WvW since the week the game released, and it all that time, only one time, one time, has a 3 way match been so competitive and fun that it would not have been improved by simply picking the more closely matched two servers, and having them head to head.

As an afterhtought, if Anet really likes the idea of more than 2 sides in a fight, they should have got truly creative and done 4 servers, but only two teams, with alliances rotating based on score. How fun would it be to get a random allinace server each week? Share chat, no damage betweeen allied servers, etc. It would also be so much more easy to balance 2 v 2, than 1v1v1. Few wars are 3 sides fighting. Most are two sides, with multiple parties on each. Think the Axis vs Allies.

The idea that a stronger server will be kept in check by having two enemies to fight against doesn’t actually work.

The reality is that in my server’s current matchup, BG/SOR/IOJ, the dominant server is winning by an egregious amount, while the other two servers fight each other for scraps.

those scrap fights are a lot of fun. Often the top server is bored, and spends most of their time bragging on forums, while the bottom 2 servers have an awesome time battling it out to the last minute…