Describe the Problem
Currently, when a large number of players congregate in major cities—especially during peak hours or testing phases—the server worker responsible for that city grid can become saturated. This results in login queues, often caused by players remaining AFK in high-traffic areas.
This matters because:
- Players are prevented from entering the game world even though surrounding server grids may have available capacity.
- Queues slow down testing efforts by limiting concurrent player activity.
- Server stress testing becomes skewed toward city congestion rather than distributed world load.
From a gameplay perspective, this can feel frustrating, especially when the world outside the city remains largely accessible but unreachable due to a single overloaded grid.
Context / Observation
Ashes of Creation uses a server grid (server worker) system where the world is divided into square regions, each handled by a worker. When a major city occupies a grid, heavy player concentration in that square can trigger queues, even though adjacent grids remain underutilized. This creates a bottleneck that impacts login flow and large-scale testing accuracy.
High-Level Idea (Lore-Friendly Framing)
Rather than entering the world directly through a saturated city grid, players could be given the option to enter Verra through lesser water-based offshoots connected to the city’s main Emberspring.
These would not be full Embersprings or portals, but minor, water-based attunement pools—temporary entry points that allow players to spawn into adjacent server grids instead of waiting in queue.
How This Connects to Emberspring Lore
Embersprings represent places where Verra’s life-force surfaces, enabling rebirth and attunement. It would make sense that this energy does not exist in isolation, but flows outward underground, surfacing in nearby areas as smaller pools.
These pools:
- Are spiritually linked to the main city Emberspring
- Allow entry into the world, but not respawn binding
- Represent emergence through Verra’s living waters rather than teleportation
Lore-wise, the player does not “log in” or “portal in,” but emerges into the world through flowing life-force connected to the Emberspring.
Gameplay & Technical Impact
When a city grid is full and a queue triggers:
- Players could select one of these adjacent Ember Pools as a world entry point.
- They would spawn alive in the surrounding grid instead of the city grid.
- Normal travel, risk, and world interaction remain intact.
This approach:
- Helps distribute player load across adjacent server workers
- Reduces queue pressure without bypassing gameplay systems
- Encourages natural movement into cities rather than instant congestion
Visual Reference
(Image attached)
The image illustrates a main city server grid surrounded by adjacent server grids. Each adjacent grid contains an Ember Pool linked to the city’s main Emberspring. The example uses all eight surrounding grids for clarity, though fewer could be used depending on design needs.
Invitation for Discussion
Has anyone else experienced queues caused by city grid saturation while nearby areas remain empty?
Do you think lore-based world entry points like this could help both player experience and server testing without breaking immersion?
