Server Merger Needed to Sustain Playerbase

[Myrmidon]

4 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

I don't think the sky is falling, but I do understand the OP's desire to play on a highly populated server.  It's just more fun.  I would encourage anyone else who feels this way to move to Excelsior as it currently has the highest population already.

This.

[MTeague]

10 minutes ago, Myrmidon said:

I find PUGs like running water on Excelsior, so no issues on that front.

Same.  Although I will say, I get teams WAY FASTER, if I post in chat that I'm forming one, as opposed to waiting to see an LFG happening for what I want to do.

[Fan Mail]

The other thing to consider is the hopeful future legal legitimacy of Homecoming.  In case there would be a boost in player base if the game was advertised in some way after the fact.  Technically, we're all illegals!

Edited January 16, 2020 by tafilr

[MTeague]

3 hours ago, Apparition said:

 

Yep.  I know that if I were to lose my name, I'd probably just leave.

I wouldn't leave.... but I might simply retire characters rather than accept having to rename them.  Depends on the character.  About 12 of my character names I am VERY firmly attached to, because I had those names on Guardian back in Live.  Even having to change spelling or add an extra word in front of them would distress me.  I'd see if I could move them to another server and rename them, and if I could not.... they would simply be parked forever, and I would focus on other characters. 

 

I'd also probably take a 2-3 week break playing Civ IV BTS while I /pouted and railed against FirstWorldProblems, until I got back on and played the characters whose names I could keep.

[MTeague]

4 hours ago, Rathulfr said:

While I wouldn't necessarily leave, I would be sorely put out.  It's why I have a level 50 "Rathstar" on all 4 servers. 

That's further than I'm willing to go.  I can sort of see it for ONE SINGLE character. 

But "name-squatting" for a character I've created and just havent' played yet, is one thing. 

Reseving a character name, or several names!, on a server I don't even play on... that would feel wrong to me.

 

I guess it does depend how much you bounce around various servers though. I tend to be only on Excelsior.

[Rathulfr]

19 minutes ago, MTeague said:

That's further than I'm willing to go.  I can sort of see it for ONE SINGLE character. 

But "name-squatting" for a character I've created and just havent' played yet, is one thing. 

Reseving a character name, or several names!, on a server I don't even play on... that would feel wrong to me.

 

I guess it does depend how much you bounce around various servers though. I tend to be only on Excelsior.

I played each and every one of the characters to 50 (they were not AE PL'ed after level 22), as I was trying out different builds to see what I liked.  I just transferred them to the other servers as I went along, reserving the name.  I do bounce around to different servers from time to time.  My original SG was on Bree, then Torchbearer, then Indomitable, and finally on Excelsior.  I also do some "lite" RP on Everlasting when the mood strikes, and I have a good friend who's exclusive to Everlasting, so I moved my "main" there, to play with them.  I also occasionally hop on the Discord voice-chat, and join teams on the other servers if that's where the action is.  So I don't think I'm "name-squatting" by maintaining 4 different Rathstars (although I really only play 2 of them routinely) on each of the different servers.

 

[Myrmidon]

5 hours ago, MTeague said:

Same.  Although I will say, I get teams WAY FASTER, if I post in chat that I'm forming one, as opposed to waiting to see an LFG happening for what I want to do.

It’s likely that we have teamed several times in PUGs if that’s your thing.

Edited January 16, 2020 by Myrmidon

[Clave Dark 5]

10 hours ago, NNDeepdish said:

 Way too early for these "sky is falling" freakouts.

I think characterizing the initial post was a freak-out is a bit disingenuous, if not unkind.  It probably helps that I can understand where they're coming from - I play on Indom and often at very late/early hours; teaming at that point is pretty tough.  There are a number of ways to address that, and making a suggestion to merge servers was one of them.

[Myrmidon]

5 hours ago, MTeague said:

I wouldn't leave.... but I might simply retire characters rather than accept having to rename them.  Depends on the character.  About 12 of my character names I am VERY firmly attached to, because I had those names on Guardian back in Live.  Even having to change spelling or add an extra word in front of them would distress me.  I'd see if I could move them to another server and rename them, and if I could not.... they would simply be parked forever, and I would focus on other characters. 

 

I'd also probably take a 2-3 week break playing Civ IV BTS while I /pouted and railed against FirstWorldProblems, until I got back on and played the characters whose names I could keep.

I have to say that while I wouldn’t leave, I would be pretty pissed losing my name.

[Outrider_01]

The game, based on the universe with Drizzit which I can't remeber...hid names behind a global as far as I could see.  Yeah, it and the Star Trek were basically a single server with many instances of the same zones but it was a cool idea.  CoH can't support it, I would never give up a name..got it first and haven't got around to it yet; would you give up a reservation just because someone asked they wanted it and you wanted it?  Not likely, unless you were courteous.

[Myrmidon]

If there ever comes a time that we must merge servers, then our global names (and those character names) should be exclusively reserved to us.

[Wintercat]

I play on Reunion, and I can honestly say that while I solo a lot (by choice, I like to read the mission text in peace), whenever I want a team, I find one within a couple of minutes. If LFG is empty, then I form a team. It's never been a problem.

[Parabola]

Really don't see there being this kind of problem (also a Reunionite). Hell, I'd probably still play if it were just me and 7 others on the server. We'd just have to get to know each other and organise when we were going to be playing so we could team up.

[GastlyGibus]

Can't say I share the same sentiment, friend. I work the graveyard shift at my job, which means my usual playtime is early morning to early afternoon before I go to bed. On Excelsior, even during early weekday mornings, I have no issues at all with finding or starting teams.

 

Considering how the donation goals for the servers reach their max within minutes of them being announced, I don't believe a server merge is needed at this time. 

[Carnifax]

11 hours ago, MTeague said:

Same.  Although I will say, I get teams WAY FASTER, if I post in chat that I'm forming one, as opposed to waiting to see an LFG happening for what I want to do.

Me too, generally. I always feel slightly anxious that I'm not doing it "right" (+4x8-Council-Radio-only isn't my thing) but it tends to work out. On a PuG if someone doesn't like it they'll just move on anyway. 

[Coyote]

12 hours ago, tafilr said:

The other thing to consider is the hopeful future legal legitimacy of Homecoming.  In case there would be a boost in player base if the game was advertised in some way after the fact.  Technically, we're all illegals!

 

So... that makes the Kheldians... Illegal Aliens? 😛

[Coyote]

1 hour ago, Carnifax said:

Me too, generally. I always feel slightly anxious that I'm not doing it "right" (+4x8-Council-Radio-only isn't my thing) but it tends to work out. On a PuG if someone doesn't like it they'll just move on anyway. 

 

Yeah, same. And you can advertize the team as "Maria Jenkins story arc - Praetorians & AVs", so people will know what they're joining. And frankly, those kinds of teams are rarer, so I actually think they fill up faster when you advertise them as story arc teams rather than radio mission teams.

[Greycat]

17 hours ago, DougGraves said:

I would like to see the player base consolidate on one server.

On the flip side, I'd hate that. Wasn't a fan of the idea on live, not a fan of it here, and honestly haven't seen it as needed.

 

Hmm. Wonder if I can find my old copypasta and see how relevant it would be... 🙂

Edited January 16, 2020 by Greycat

[NNDeepdish]

7 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I think characterizing the initial post was a freak-out is a bit disingenuous, if not unkind.  It probably helps that I can understand where they're coming from - I play on Indom and often at very late/early hours; teaming at that point is pretty tough.  There are a number of ways to address that, and making a suggestion to merge servers was one of them.

We can agree to disagree. The subject of the thread insinuates that if something isn't done, the playerbase will dissipate which is in my opinion unnecessary fearmongering without any evidence or accurate statistics, something I don't appreciate. 

 

There's absolutely no need to implement forced server merging when anyone can move to whatever server they want. 

 

If everyone wanted to play on the same server, they would. So why do you think they don't? 

 

[golstat2003]

8 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I think characterizing the initial post was a freak-out is a bit disingenuous, if not unkind.  It probably helps that I can understand where they're coming from - I play on Indom and often at very late/early hours; teaming at that point is pretty tough.  There are a number of ways to address that, and making a suggestion to merge servers was one of them.

Merging servers is probably the last suggestion I would have made to address that. Especially with all the problems that would cause for everyone, that has been outlined it here. EDIT: And to be clear, the OP was posted in sky is falling way. Which it isn't.

Edited January 16, 2020 by golstat2003

[Humpty]

Server transfers are free as well as name changes just transfer to Excelsior its by far the largest populated server atm.

[HelenCarnate]

8 hours ago, Outrider_01 said:

The game, based on the universe with Drizzit which I can't remeber...

Hah good one.

[Number Six]

20 hours ago, DougGraves said:

I would like to see the player base consolidate on one server.

Actually not possible.

 

The total concurrent numbers, even on weeknights, is higher than the maximum number of players allowed on a single shard, even for when the game was in retail. If everyone played on a single shard, there would be constant queues during prime time.

 

Raising that maximum any higher than it currently is can be done, but when we experimented with it early on, found that the limit is there for a good reason. dbserver (the piece that manages a 'shard' like Excelsior) has a ceiling of about 2,200 - 2,500 players before it starts having issues. Beyond those numbers any kind of database latency at all can very quickly escalate into cascade failure and cause instability.

 

Splitting up the player base solves the design issue, even if the shards share the same hardware resources, mapserver pool, and database backend.

[Outrider_01]

34 minutes ago, HelenCarnate said:

Hah good one.

Neverwinter Nights

 

Would give you a better link, but I prefer Wiki as a basic source as a reference to find better ones.   Cryptic Studios who developed, of City of Heroes/Villians fame.  And it came out exactly 6 months after the great and final moment of CoH/V, kinda makes you wonder why... 🤬

[Oubliette_Red]

How is it that no one has posted a /jranger in this thread yet.

 

😄

 

Want a higher population? Invite people to come play that don't currently play CoH.