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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Nodes make each server unique, what happens if server merge?
Let's say a server suffers from really low population, so low that the server has to be merged with another server (which they said they were considering a solution to low pop servers).
How will that happen?
What will happen to all the nodes and everything people on the low pop server have invested when moving to the new server?
Will they lose all their homes/citizenship and just get dumped into a completely different world/server as would a new player starting right then and there?
How will that happen?
What will happen to all the nodes and everything people on the low pop server have invested when moving to the new server?
Will they lose all their homes/citizenship and just get dumped into a completely different world/server as would a new player starting right then and there?
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The Metropolises won't be in the same places and housing and freeholds will be all mucked up.
All of the government choices will be broken, too.
Better to just destroy those worlds and start new ones fresh.
The only way will be for another "cataclysm" (sorry) to raise the world and everyone re-enter a new portal to build anew, coming from the merged servers.
Though there are details to be worked out about players coming into a blank world with resources they would;t have had if they were starting a new character on a blank world along with everyone.
Brings up another topic, what does it look like for a new AoC player coming into the game 3 years from now? That initial "pristine" state is going to be pretty unique I think.
Maybe the plan is to have a regular schedule of "new" servers for players that want to experience that, but they run the risk of splintering the player base in a game with mechanics that will require very high, very active populations.
I'm guessing taxes count as upkeep, so someone who doesn't play for months will have their freeholds packed away. Players who have been living in the instanced apartments will have the chance to acquire the vacant spots. Newbies will move into the apartments in any case.
At what point will newbies choose to start a siege in the hopes that they can build a new city for themselves?
Starting new on an established server has the advantage of choose a portal near the type of city you wish to be a part of.
We wouldn't have to wait months hoping folks somewhere are working on building a Science Metropolis. We can just choose a rever that has one (or two). And then enter the game as close to that as possible.
What happens to my Metropolis that I raised from a baby hunting camp?
What about Maaaaa Hooooouuuussse! Its worth game and real currency?
My guild will lose its castle and be homeless?
NEAT!! :(
Correct, you and I seem to be the only two who saw that. If they have to merge, folks, they have a concept in mind. They haven't said what it is.
If I had to guess for the sake of this thread, I'd imaging they'd add most of one server's landmass to the new server, and simply increase its size.
I don't think there is a perfect answer to a merge, with the type of dynamic content that the game is projected to have.
I don’t think there is a perfect answer to a merge, with the type of dynamic content that the game is projected to have.
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It does make sense, but at the same time guilds who were doing relatively well on the low pop server would be essentially refugees in a new world going " You don't understand.. I coulda had class.. I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody!" while the large pop kings just sit pretty with the new former kingly feet grovelers.
<div class="d4p-bbt-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/nodes-make-each-server-unique-what-happens-if-server-merge/#post-23230" rel="nofollow">Atlus wrote:</a></div>
The most logical solution, at least that I can conjure up, is that the players on the lower population server, will be transferred to the more populated server. I am sure this would include keeping all items/currency/etc, but I am sure that this will bother some and not others.
I don’t think there is a perfect answer to a merge, with the type of dynamic content that the game is projected to have.
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It does make sense, but at the same time guilds who were doing relatively well on the low pop server would be essentially refugees in a new world going ” You don’t understand.. I coulda had class.. I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody!” while the large pop kings just sit pretty with the new former kingly feet grovelers.
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I absolutely agree. Which is why I do not think there is any perfect answer to the question. Unfortunately in the situation of a merge, there are going to some folks who are fine with it, some who love it, and others who really don't like it. And everyone would be right in their own preferences, but at a point concessions have to be made, or the entire server dies off and people have to make characters on other servers to continue playing.
Or, they could just let the low pop servers eat up resources, so that the people who remain, can continue with their experiences, even if some are not happy that in-game progress is slow/dead.
<strong>@NeverMuse</strong>
I absolutely agree. Which is why I do not think there is any perfect answer to the question. Unfortunately in the situation of a merge, there are going to some folks who are fine with it, some who love it, and others who really don't like it. And everyone would be right in their own preferences, but at a point concessions have to be made, or the entire server dies off and people have to make characters on other servers to continue playing.
Or, they could just let the low pop servers eat up resources, so that the people who remain, can continue with their experiences, even if some are not happy that in-game progress is slow/dead.
<strong><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/users/nevermuse/" rel="nofollow">@nevermuse</a></strong>
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Quotes have been wonky lately, but mine work today while they didn't previously for a few days, they're still working out the bugs.
If I had to guess for the sake of this thread, I’d imaging they’d add most of one server’s landmass to the new server, and simply increase its size.
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Considering how often and how many live feeds they have, it is hard to keep up with everything they say in them. Even yesterday Stephen did a discord chat with some fans about the game which had a lot of information to it.
Even in other games where server merges have to be done, it isn't a fun thing for the ones that have to leave their server for another. It won't be as substantial in regards to how the world is built in AoC for that server, but when it happens, we will manage. As was mentioned before, being a refugee and going to a new place is the basis for this game anyway. You show up, have nothing, and have to build up.
As well, I know I'm not the only one who will have characters on multiple servers. There will be so many differences and options and things to see depending on the server, it will be mind blowing. This might be the first game I've played in a long time that I will lose way too much sleep playing because I want to see so much and do so much. (Even in the Alpha and Beta phases. I think it is a fantastic idea that the alpha/beta phase will become a persistent world for the PTS server. That will be an excellent thing.)
I'm an altoholic. We are many. We are I.
The Key not to have a completely dead server is start out with servers that can have max of 20K to 30K on them at any given time. You can do that with servers today especially with cloud servers because you can go wider with your server farms as well as database servers. So if the server side is really optimized well we can push 20K easily. Look at a non Blizzard WOW server did with what is considered mid level server hardware today. 17K people online at one time on a private server. Ashes should be able to double that if they work at it.
This is all assuming it even comes to that.. a good portion of MMO's have never merged servers and is also assuming the capability even exists. Maybe if it comes to it, it will be a takedown of BOTH servers and bringing up one brand new one they can grab. Dunno.. too early to speculate!
My assumption is Ashes will be creating more and more severs for the first 1-2 years as they try and accommodate the incoming player base. Asking now about how they will handle server merges is kind of like asking them "what's the third or fourth expansion going to be?" at this stage.
Its very possible server merges will never be an issue for them at all, especially if the game succeeds, which is why I doubt there will be a solid answer from the Developers to this question until well after launch, if ever.
Every biome offers something unqiue. So is always valuable....if not essential.
Allowing 1% guests/tourists population to traverse servers as part of the game world,
allows the players to distribute themselves across servers.
1. The servers arent running at 100% so have improved performance.
2. There is no mass migration issues and faction hopping if you like....because 1% limit on guest players.
3. Servers are scalable, so the code should be scalable to a greater or lesser degree.
I guess it depends how uch redundancy and overhead you build into the system.
Is 10% population enough the keep a server viable ?
These are techinical design decisions that should really be made at stage 1.