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Will this game be implementing server "shards"?

Will there be a ton of different servers or will there be one megaserver?

Most MMORPG's today implement what they call server "shards" which just means different instances of the game running of the same server to break up populated areas in one zone. Some games are more intelligent about this than others.

Server wise what is Intrepid's plan to make this game feel alive and populated, but not overcrowded?

Comments

  • If I remember right, I think they were talking about different realms for PvE and PvP? I may be mistaking that for Pantheon though... Anyways, I don't think the game would run right if it was just one megaserver, so I definitely expect the game to have mutliple realms depending on how many people are playing. i'm sure they will have tests to see what the optimal number of players per realm is.
  • imo im hoping for no shard's instead make more servers with cross-server instances such as dungeons, arena's etc
  • [quote quote=3828]imo im hoping for no shard’s instead make more servers with cross-server instances such as dungeons, arena’s etc

    [/quote]

    Well, even games that utilize that (i.e. World of Warcraft) still utilize shards for single servers as you get hundreds (sometimes thousands) of people in one area, especially with big events like a launch.
  • I hope they do something like this, to some degree at least. I still remember the dreaded ESO Beta/Launch I being stuck in the middle of a 1000 man strong crowd, not being able to move, talk or anything. Once you got free and into the game however, the instancing/shards worked fine ;)
  • [quote quote=3749]Will there be a ton of different servers or will there be one megaserver?

    Most MMORPG’s today implement what they call server “shards” which just means different instances of the game running of the same server to break up populated areas in one zone. Some games are more intelligent about this than others.

    Server wise what is Intrepid’s plan to make this game feel alive and populated, but not overcrowded?

    [/quote]

    If talks go well with google, we might get just one big server for each region.
  • [quote quote=3898]
    If talks go well with google, we might get just one big server for each region.
    [/quote]
    The dream :) Like ESO, but manage the shards and instancing better please :)
  • When we talk about the shard system, are we talking about "phasing"? Being in the same are, but not being in the same phase? I hope we don't get that.
    Instances are fine and have a great porpuse, but phasing is not something I want to see in AoC.

    Think about it, the whole Caravansystem on a Server makes no sense anymore, those who want to attack that specific caravan for whatever reason might not even be able to reach it simply because there are too many people in the area. Or the other way around, people can't defend it because they are phased to a different plane.
    What about Sieges, will they are excluded from phasing for the time of the siege? They can ancompase the largest amount of players, so why have phasing in the first place?
    I haven't seen the benefits of phasing yet, Servermanagement can do the trick just as fine even if there might be some inconvieniences especially in AoC when you have to merge a Server for example.
    All that aside I think the goal is to have several servers anyway, otherwise the talk about different storys and worlds created makes no sense.
  • @Grisu You can compare it to phasing yes, its more or less the same. But the magic of phasing is that you can choose where you want people when. So you can basicly make it so around a sieges everyone is together, in a 500m radius of a caravan everyone is together etc. I'd imagine you can also choose what to see, even though your not in the same phase, so caravans are always visible, and you only phase together with others once you get close.

    IMO you can't really merge servers well with the system they propose, so having very large servers and phasing is probably the only real option. Otherwise it gets messy every time you need to merge :(
  • [quote quote=3926]<a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/users/grisu/" rel="nofollow">@grisu</a> You can compare it to phasing yes, its more or less the same. But the magic of phasing is that you can choose where you want people when. So you can basicly make it so around a sieges everyone is together, in a 500m radius of a caravan everyone is together etc. I’d imagine you can also choose what to see, even though your not in the same phase, so caravans are always visible, and you only phase together with others once you get close.

    IMO you can’t really merge servers well with the system they propose, so having very large servers and phasing is probably the only real option. Otherwise it gets messy every time you need to merge <img alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f641.svg" />

    [/quote]

    Well, not exactly, phasing implies ties to a static location. Hence being "phased" to that location. The concept of shards is like this.

    You have an original container of players that gets full. It will then create a "shard" or a mirror of that server, but smaller. It will continue to do this until enough shards have been created to meet the player demand (or the hardware demand is at its limit)
    When players log off, it will destroy the mirrored shards until the player demand is met again. These shards are linked to the main server which do the exact same thing.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/a0EgNlO.png" alt="" />


    HOWEVER! This is where the tricky part happens in this game and it's living breathing world. Players may be doing dynamic events on two different shards, with two different outcomes, how does the server handle that then? The shard system is great for breaking up players in congested areas, but as to how it would work in this game I have no idea. That's why I'm asking if there's a technology they've developed for Ashes of Creation or what exactly their plan is.
  • I'm pretty sure they are going with the standard individual server structure to provide different groups of people ways to control parts of the maps.
  • I dont mind the Shards like SWTOR or ESO does. But no Automated Group finder tools. Force people to make friends. Yes a Group Browser where I can put up a group and list what we are looking for, Plus as a group leader I can browse people looking for groups and what they are looking for.
  • [quote quote=3951]<blockquote>
    <div class="d4p-bbt-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/will-this-game-be-implementing-server-shards/#post-3926" rel="nofollow">Julemanden wrote:</a></div>
    <a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/users/grisu/" rel="nofollow">@grisu</a> You can compare it to phasing yes, its more or less the same. But the magic of phasing is that you can choose where you want people when. So you can basicly make it so around a sieges everyone is together, in a 500m radius of a caravan everyone is together etc. I’d imagine you can also choose what to see, even though your not in the same phase, so caravans are always visible, and you only phase together with others once you get close.

    IMO you can’t really merge servers well with the system they propose, so having very large servers and phasing is probably the only real option. Otherwise it gets messy every time you need to merge <img alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f641.svg" />

    </blockquote>
    Well, not exactly, phasing implies ties to a static location. Hence being “phased” to that location. The concept of shards is like this.

    You have an original container of players that gets full. It will then create a “shard” or a mirror of that server, but smaller. It will continue to do this until enough shards have been created to meet the player demand (or the hardware demand is at its limit)
    When players log off, it will destroy the mirrored shards until the player demand is met again. These shards are linked to the main server which do the exact same thing.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/a0EgNlO.png" alt="" />

    HOWEVER! This is where the tricky part happens in this game and it’s living breathing world. Players may be doing dynamic events on two different shards, with two different outcomes, how does the server handle that then? The shard system is great for breaking up players in congested areas, but as to how it would work in this game I have no idea. That’s why I’m asking if there’s a technology they’ve developed for Ashes of Creation or what exactly their plan is.

    [/quote]
    Hmm I see I kinda misinterpreted the term then :) Thanks for clearing it up.
  • [quote quote=4023]<blockquote>
    <div class="d4p-bbt-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/will-this-game-be-implementing-server-shards/#post-3951" rel="nofollow">bazgrim wrote:</a></div>
    <blockquote>
    <div class="d4p-bbt-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/will-this-game-be-implementing-server-shards/#post-3926" rel="nofollow">Julemanden wrote:</a></div>
    <a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/users/grisu/" rel="nofollow">@grisu</a> You can compare it to phasing yes, its more or less the same. But the magic of phasing is that you can choose where you want people when. So you can basicly make it so around a sieges everyone is together, in a 500m radius of a caravan everyone is together etc. I’d imagine you can also choose what to see, even though your not in the same phase, so caravans are always visible, and you only phase together with others once you get close.

    IMO you can’t really merge servers well with the system they propose, so having very large servers and phasing is probably the only real option. Otherwise it gets messy every time you need to merge <img alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f641.svg" />

    </blockquote>
    Well, not exactly, phasing implies ties to a static location. Hence being “phased” to that location. The concept of shards is like this.

    You have an original container of players that gets full. It will then create a “shard” or a mirror of that server, but smaller. It will continue to do this until enough shards have been created to meet the player demand (or the hardware demand is at its limit)
    When players log off, it will destroy the mirrored shards until the player demand is met again. These shards are linked to the main server which do the exact same thing.

    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/a0EgNlO.png" alt="" />

    HOWEVER! This is where the tricky part happens in this game and it’s living breathing world. Players may be doing dynamic events on two different shards, with two different outcomes, how does the server handle that then? The shard system is great for breaking up players in congested areas, but as to how it would work in this game I have no idea. That’s why I’m asking if there’s a technology they’ve developed for Ashes of Creation or what exactly their plan is.

    </blockquote>
    Hmm I see I kinda misinterpreted the term then <img alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f642.svg" /> Thanks for clearing it up.

    [/quote]

    Being a living breathing world might not work with phasing. I will agree with that.
  • [quote quote=3968]I’m pretty sure they are going with the standard individual server structure to provide different groups of people ways to control parts of the maps.[/quote]

    In one of the Q&A videos they stated that each server will progressed totally different from another via node system so this is telling me they are using a WoW style server system.
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