Head start servers, what's the point?

Some backers will be able to play on headstart servers (2 days head start I believe). After the headstart these servers will open up to the general public.

After the headstart new fresh servers will also open up for everyone.

I asked around a lot and not a single soul that was NOT eligible for the headstart said they would play there at all since they all wanted to start at the same time as everyone else. Also, many people who are eligible for the headstart (me included) don't want to play on a headstart server.

Headstart servers will be limited in many ways till "full release" but it still creates a big problem.

99.9% of non-headstart players won't pick a headstart server at full launch, they will all pick a fresh server. This will create a big divide (and potentially very dead servers later on) in the community at launch.

The solution? Make every single server headstart or scrap the idea completely.

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Gumdrops

99.9% of non-headstart players won't pick a headstart server at full launch,

Where did you get the numbers, just your own friends?

Marzzo

MODBOT wrote: »

99.9% of non-headstart players won't pick a headstart server at full launch,

Where did you get the numbers, just your own friends?

Yes, and my guildies from some other games, over 100 asked. Not a single one was interested at all they hated the idea.

I think it is okay but most people just want a fair start.

Usually (based on other games) people pick headstart servers based on the knowledge that many newbies will join later and they will have advantages because they will be many levels ahead (free material farms and no competition for mobs). New players know this though and don't want to give the advantage and this way they almost always pick a fresh server.

Gumdrops

Interesting, maybe im counting to the 0,01% but I personally prefer the headstart server even without headstart because I don't want to be with a mass of other players in the beginning area.

unknownsystemerror

Reads more like a "someone has something I don't and can't get, so I will shit all over the idea!" post. (even though he does with BoW) Since we are just making up numbers I will do the same. 99% of people at launch will have no idea of the long road of development and will have come on board after the huge marketing push that is sure to come once they have a date. Intrepid will vastly underestimate the server load required like every other mmo launch (WoW classic is the latest example) and people will go to whichever server still has room and least amount of queue time. Which will be the headstarts, since the estimated 5k people that have headstart will have spread onto those and gotten out of the starting portal areas, making the queue times less.

Damokles

Well to be honest here guys... what will the headstart people be able to actually do?
Nodes will be blocked, which means that they wont be able to open up new quest zones.
They will do all the quests at the beginning, and then wait for everyone else to join....
Then they will have to wait for everyone to do their beginning stuff, or they will have to do all the expedition quests on their own.

Karthos

So here's the thing.

Polling your own guildmates and friends means literally nothing.

You are essentially only talking to people who are like you. Who joined your guild to do thing you also like to do, who are your friend because you have alot in common, including really bad ideas on how polling actually works.

So what's happening is you're just confirming your own bias.

The reason games have a head start is to "soft launch" the game. I've been part of many head starts that were really "dead starts" because issues with the server were discovered. Stores do a soft opening all the time. Tired and true method.

Just because you don't want something and "100" other people who are predisposed to agree with or humor you also voted in your favor doesn't mean that thousands of others should cater to you.

Selfish and entitled. This is what I'm reading here.

Ravudha

The point for some head start players is to gather information before the rest of their guild joins the server on the normal launch day. Head start players can actually be the reason for other players to join a server.

Azathoth

I will be on one. Also, after a few weeks, what's the difference between a regular server and one that started 2 days early? This might actually allow me some pretty open and smooth game play for the first month or two since "so many" people are worried about a "fresh server."

Not my concern really.

What will I be able to do?

Travel, and get far away from the soon to be max influx of people on release day.
That way the area I am in could potentially be a little less populated for a few days in that, upon release, I doubt many people will actually care that there was a two day head start. I know it's an MMO, so there should be a lot of people about, and I want that too. But the mass congestion of starting areas is not something I will have to do with my first character, and that will be nice.

As for guilds, yeah, I get that. Because if you are in a tight guild and only 10 of hundred of your mates have access to a head start, I could see why waiting for them to pick a server would be best.

Nagash

to be honest I got the pack with the headstart not for the head start but for the lifetime sub so I couldn't care less about the headstart

Varkun

Nagash wrote: »

to be honest I got the pack with the headstart not for the head start but for the lifetime sub so I couldn't care less about the headstart

Yes was the lifetime sub that attracted my money that if delivered on has the potential to keep me playing for many years.

Ghoosty

When the launch will be near, I plan to buy headstart package. The reason is that I would like to go to a nice place little far from the startzone. So when the real launch is started, I will be able to develop the chosen node immediately and I will have some level advantage. If all beginner quests will be solved in that 2 days, I can farm some materials or/and xp from mobs.
But! I also have some fears. Like in WoW classic the first servers are full, with big queues, but the new ones are less populated with less queues. If I chose a server what will be overpopulated, I can lose all of my advantage. Maybe I should restart in another server.

unknownsystemerror

@Ghoosty There is no headstart available for purchase, and there won't be in the future. Steven already ruled it out after such a stink was made the first time.

Ghoosty

unknownsystemerror wrote: »

It seems I remembered wrong. Somehow I remembered that the preorder packages contained headstart, but now I checked and you are right.
In this case my fears are not valid.

Thank you!

Damokles

Ghoosty wrote: »

But! I also have some fears. Like in WoW classic the first servers are full, with big queues, but the new ones are less populated with less queues. If I chose a server what will be overpopulated, I can lose all of my advantage. Maybe I should restart in another server.

I think that they could fix that by giving everyone on those full servers one time server transfers. The main reason why people stay on such massively overpopulated servers is because they dont want to lvl a new character to the same lvl as their old one.

I also think that they did a good job with slowly adding more servers to the roster instead of starting with many at the same time.

Ghoosty

Damokles wrote: »

I think that they could fix that by giving everyone on those full servers one time server transfers. The main reason why people stay on such massively overpopulated servers is because they dont want to lvl a new character to the same lvl as their old one.

This may good solution in a game like WoW. These transfers are not live from the first day. What if I can transfer to a server where my dreamed node is already a vasal of another node? In AOC each server will be different, with differently open. I know I can start a node siege, but how many chance I have as a new player there without friends.
But as unknownsystemerror confirmed there will not available to buy a headstart package, it is not my problem anymore.

Nagash

Varkun wrote: »

Nagash wrote: »

to be honest I got the pack with the headstart not for the head start but for the lifetime sub so I couldn't care less about the headstart

Yes was the lifetime sub that attracted my money that if delivered on has the potential to keep me playing for many years.

life time sub for unlife ^^

Atama

I’ll be on a head start server. Guess I’m part of the 0.1%.

Damokles

Atama wrote: »

I’ll be on a head start server. Guess I’m part of the 0.1%.

I will most likely also join a headstart server as well even though i dont have a headstart xD

OnyStyle

It may seem unappealing to go on the head start for you and your guildies who do not have the benefit But for those of us who do, we see it as an opportunity to scout out areas, be ahead of the curve and not need to compete for leveling spots.
It is also important to note that people follow their friends. So if just one person has head start and has 5 friends, then those 5 friends will choose the head start server on launch. Of course, it does not end there, those 5 friends could have friends as well and the cycle repeats. Not to mention guilds with leadership going to a head start server could bring dozens or even hundreds of players to a server.
I expect the head start servers will be super populated. Which, for a player driven game, is appealing to me anyway.

Damokles

OnyStyle wrote: »

It may seem unappealing to go on the head start for you and your guildies who do not have the benefit But for those of us who do, we see it as an opportunity to scout out areas, be ahead of the curve and not need to compete for leveling spots.
It is also important to note that people follow their friends. So if just one person has head start and has 5 friends, then those 5 friends will choose the head start server on launch. Of course, it does not end there, those 5 friends could have friends as well and the cycle repeats. Not to mention guilds with leadership going to a head start server could bring dozens or even hundreds of players to a server.
I expect the head start servers will be super populated. Which, for a player driven game, is appealing to me anyway.

And for those that want some information on headstart servers: just watch one of the probably hundreds of streams of players that have a headstart

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