Server merge = Monster Apocolypse PVE event?

AOC plans on having a dynamic world with each server being different, eventually server populations will dwindle and servers will need to be merged. Starting a new server and moving both server populations to it and having the players duke it out might be fine if the node system ends up having as high of a turnover as they seem to indicate, however just losing everything you've built but keeping your resources won't be any fun, so what if you designed server merges as planned events, set several months out, tie it into the lore, make it an apocalyptic event like. Maybe something like monster coin, 3 months before server close the server close is announced and a server wide apocalypse begins initiating mass evacuation to the divine gates. The players can start caravans to bring mats and other stuff they want to keep through the caravan system they are already designing. Then you have players surviving while defending their caravans as they make their way to the divine gates to join the new server and you also give some excitement to the end of the server.

Think about what it would be like, the clouds ashen, fissures opening up across the land, your guilds caravans bumping across the once smooth road. An eerie silence permeates the air pierced only by the occasional sound of wildlife being extinguished by the monsters plaguing the world.

This allows a more fun transition to the new server and gives opportunity for looters and opportunity for players to struggle against hordes, which we all enjoy

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Atama

Just as long as we're not talking APOCALYPSE Apocalypse. No more Battle Royale please.

Gizban

SUPERB idea!

I would recommend shutting down pvp and make this a pve event. Evacuees vs End of the World.

Going back through the gates is lore+!

Bravo

Dygz

Yep. My expectation is that a World Event will presage server merges.

unknownsystemerror

Yeah, but it really doesn't make sense to waste time and resources on a mechanic that few people would see. The whole point of server merges is killing off one that has an unsustainable population. Thus, you are creating whole mechanics and animations for an incredibly small niche. There is sure to be a lore reason given for it and they are sure to have a plan in mind for actual launch, unlike New World that spent a month going "Whoopsie! We never put that code in! Give us a month to code it! WHOOPSIE! We broke a huge number of peoples accounts who tried to transfer! Delay, delay, delay!" Them wasting time and resources on some non-promised fluff to make people feel special because their server choice was bad, instead of working on the multiple promised systems that they will still be working on and polishing even after launch is scope creep.

QuiQSilv3r

unkonwnsystemerror "The whole point of server merges is killing off one that has an unsustainable population. Thus, you are creating whole mechanics and animations for an incredibly small niche."

Simple logic dictates that this is wrong because to populate a new server with 8000-10000 active accounts they will need to close those accounts previous servers meaning that at least 8000-10000 people will get to enjoy this event. Hopefully this kind of apocolypse event would build upon their already existing code for caravans and corruption/monster events.

@unknownsystemerror

Atama

QuiQSilver wrote: »

unkonwnsystemerror "The whole point of server merges is killing off one that has an unsustainable population. Thus, you are creating whole mechanics and animations for an incredibly small niche."

Simple logic dictates that this is wrong because to populate a new server with 8000-10000 active accounts they will need to close those accounts previous servers meaning that at least 8000-10000 people will get to enjoy this event. Hopefully this kind of apocolypse event would build upon their already existing code for caravans and corruption/monster events.

@unknownsystemerror

But the point is that if a server has a large population like you describe, it won't be merged. You only merge a server that has a tiny population not worth keeping anymore.

QuiQSilv3r

@Atama They said they want server populations to be between 8000 and 10000 players, so assuming that a 8k-10k population is when AOC is most fun then at 5k if they have a solid system in place for a server merging then they will be more likely to merge 2 servers of 5k each into a new server. What you don't want to see is server merges plaguing the game. For example, your server has 2k people, castles are easy to take, nodes easy to destroy etc etc. The server should have been merged ages ago. Multiple considerations go into merging a server. If you merge too late the gameplay might have deteriorated enough that you had players quit because the game wasn't as fun as it should have been instead of just quitting for their own reasons.

So if you don't have a good system in place for merges, merges might happen less often and be seen as more of a pain in the ass instead of something fun. You want to merge servers BEFORE the population is tiny because at that point you will be losing players you wouldn't have normally lost. AOC said themselves they want 8k-10k active accounts per server, so merging servers once they hit half capacity seems more ideal then waiting till they are at 1/4 or even lower. Which goes back to my point, this idea would be experienced by 8k-10k people since thats how many you need to populate the new server

Atama

They anticipate having 8K-10K active accounts per server, and will cap them at 50,000 total (active and otherwise). I don't read that as saying that they will ensure that every server has 8K-10K active accounts. I haven't seen anything that suggests how many active accounts they want to have, or consider to be a healthy number. There is a lot of speculation here.

Dygz

I don't know what the tipping point will be, but I also expect server merges to be with several low pop servers, rather than adding a low pop server to an average pop server.
All of the low pop servers would have an event that destroys those worlds and the "survivors" appear on a world reborn from the ashes of the old worlds - similar to Ragnarok.

QuiQSilv3r

I guess my original point is the most important then, regardlesss of how many severs you merge the new server will have 8-10k active accounts meaning 8-10k people will experience this event @Atama

Sylvanar

unknownsystemerror wrote: »

Thus, you are creating whole mechanics and animations for an incredibly small niche.

Lets assume you are correct, then from development perspective, it would need to be developed once yes BUT the same code can be reused every time there is a need for merging the servers and further built upon too if needed.

So, is it worth it? Hell Yes!
Why? Cuz it will enrich game experience rather than be a coin toss on how much players will lose cuz of the server merging.

As far as accounts on servers are concerned, 8-10k people can play concurrently does not mean that there will only be 8-10k accounts per server. It will most definitely be 30k+ accounts per server. So when you say that "very low" number of people will get to experience this that number would still be in tens of thousands.

Like when you get a 100Mbps connection doesnt mean that your ISP is permanently allotting you 100Mbps bandwidth from their resource pool. They are allowing you to use whatever you want with an upper limit of 100Mbps. As a result many people are using that same 100Mbps at the same time cuz normal usage doesnt go beyond 1-2Mbps unless you are downloading or streaming. Same is true for this as well cuz those 8-10k players wont be online 24x7 and daily too for that matter.

QuiQSilv3r

@Sylvanar yeah pretty much, plenty of people would experience this kind of event making it quite fun. Just a question of how much effort it really takes and if that effort is worth it long run.

Dygz

If the devs think it will take too much time, they won't do it. Sure.

Sylvanar

QuiQSilver wrote: »

@Sylvanar yeah pretty much, plenty of people would experience this kind of event making it quite fun. Just a question of how much effort it really takes and if that effort is worth it long run.

How much effort? First of all, as this is related to server merges so it need not be a priority pre-release. From development perspective, it depends on how extensive the effects of "Apocalypse" is gonna be. It can be done in 2 ways:
- World wide changes in landscape: In this case it would be quite an undertaking from art and design perspective as well. Imagine WoW WoTLK to Catacalysm, sort of.
- Only the area where Portal will spawn will have the effects of Apocalypse visible: As this would be focused in relatively smaller area, it shouldn't be too taxing on development, art and design teams. Kinda like the Dark portal in Blasted Lands in WoW.

Worth it in the long run? As server merger wont be a one time thing and are likely to happen from time to time, yes it is definitely worth it.

Songcaller

If they implemented it and it turns out good then I'd try and level a toon on one of said servers or more just to play the game mode.

unknownsystemerror

Neurath wrote: »

If they implemented it and it turns out good then I'd try and level a toon on one of said servers or more just to play the game mode.

And thinking like this is exactly why it should not be a promoted thing. You chose. Poorly. Your server died. Intrepid has tons of other backend systems and rules/guidelines they have to put out on server merges before they make something pretty for what again, a low population being merged into a higher population, is a niche event.

Intrepid has sold name reservations that are server specific. What if your name, that you paid for to reserve was good on your server, but some other chad has Sepiroth already? Who has preference on having to rename, the merged toon coming in who paid, or the the person that was on the larger server who possibly never had a package?

We know we are able to have "a comfortable amount" of characters on a server. What happens if the cap is say 5 as just number thrown out there. You have 5 on Server A which is the one being merged into, but you have 5 characters on Server Q which has died. You get to pick and choose who gets deleted? Where does their stuff go? Are resources moved to the new server, is specific gear, are one of a kind legendaries that might have been achieved on your dying server allowed to transfer over?

There are many things that Intrepid has to work on as exceptions and hypotheticals for any server merge tech they plan to have in place. Throwing more creep for what is bound to be a niche event for a lower population when they have thousands of man hours already committed for core pillars and mechanics is a waste.

akabear

Quite like the idea of a themed serious of events leading up to transfer.

Much more engaging than an ordinary closure date and then log in on a different server!

Songcaller

I've played many an mmo where servers have merged and guild names had to change, character names hd to change and guild city locations had to change. If the game mode I'd added and the game mode is good I'd rather play the game mode for the experience. Its the same principle with raiding or besieging. If the devs implement a game mode the game mode should be played.

There would be no loss. I've often played last stand modes. It would be good if the devs blocked resurrection and log ins during the end phase and the server dies when the last soul online is slain.

Of course, until the game is released I do dabble in fantasies.

Sylvanar

unknownsystemerror wrote: »

And thinking like this is exactly why it should not be a promoted thing.

What is wrong with this though? Not all accounts on a server are active, I doubt in most servers if even a third of them would be.

He isn't talking about griefing anyone or anything. He would make a toon, play the event and than that's that. Many people make alts, play around for sometime and then shelve them or use them as extra storage space. If you are a hardcore MMO player, which you look like, you probably have done this as well.

unknownsystemerror wrote: »

Intrepid has sold name reservations that are server specific.

What does this have to do with Apocalypse event? Server merge will happen and this is a consequence of that. What you are saying is server merging is bad and should be avoided. That is 100% true. But Apocalypse event OP is suggesting is aiming to make the server mergers an impactful event rather than simply going through the motions cuz IS said so.

QuiQSilv3r

@unknownsystemerror "Throwing more creep for what is bound to be a niche event for a lower population when they have thousands of man hours already committed for core pillars and mechanics is a waste."

Don't get me wrong, its not a priority level idea, but you keep saying it will impact a small population, please think about it, at the very minimum you will have several thousand people experiencing the merge, thats if they move everyone to an existing server, if they move everyone to a new server then everyone on the new server will have experienced the event therefore meaning 8000-10000 active accounts will experience the event.

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