The problem is, has been, and always will be, that Blizzard’s focus with regards to managing server populations from day 1 was always about avoiding dead realms. To Blizzard’s credit, that was a valid strategic focus in the summer of 2019 because they had no reliable model for likely population and dead realms ruin this game.
However, using layering as a band-aid they allowed monster servers to form and remain too committed to a faulty design principle to fix the core problem. It doesn’t matter if your server and infrastructure can handle 2000 concurrent users, if those servers were only designed to provide content for 1/2 or even a 1/4 of that number.
When we move into The Burning Crusade the issue won’t be the elemental plateau being over-farmed, or not being able to get Netherbloom spawns. In BC, just about everything that moves is worth killing at 70. Players are going to be farming for end game mats in every single zone. Food in Hellfire, Zangarmarsh, Terokkar, and Nagrand. Motes in Nagrand, Netherstorm, and Shadowmoon. Rep items in Terokkar, Netherstorm, Shadowmoon.
Sure, they can pile layers on top of layers to minimize queues and balance load, but Shadowmoon Valley was designed for maybe 80 players or so at a time (15 or so in each of the 3 elite areas, about 5 or so in the other 7 quest areas), Netherstorm may be in that same ballpark or slightly under. We’re talking about taking players in Classic being able to farm 10 zones for end game materials where they don’t meaningfully impair the levelling process and funneling them into 7 zones where they will be competing with characters levelling for almost every spawn. Layers can’t fix everything.
Plaguebloom issues are a problem if you’re trying to raid right now, but if you’re not trying to clear Naxx you can live without any consumable linked to the overpriced herb. Assuming the mega servers carry over to Burning Crusade in May, if you’re hitting 67 in June your only option to finish levelling will be chain running Shadow Labyrinths.
They did this back in 07. They should do it again. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.engadget.com/amp/2007-01-19-get-out-or-split-wow-free-transfers-on-overloaded-realms.html
They threatened to force transfer players if not enough of us transferred to the new realms they created. This was back when blizzard still had a back bone. I was among the players who left Scarlet Crusade for The Scryers.
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Imagine having a back bone, and being anything more than a bobble head nodder at <huge>Activision</huge> - <tiny>Blizzard</tiny> .
These are some odd numbers you’re throwing around. Here’s Jeff Kaplan saying: “On a lot of servers, we will see five to seven hundred people in Molten Core at prime-time every night of the week.”
https://youtu.be/Falm0H7VEiQ?t=213
That’s just in Molten Core.
I’m not at all surprised those aren’t the real numbers, I did intend that as a rhetorical point and apologize for any confusion.
However, in 2005 those mega servers were being actively managed by Blizzard in an effort to reduce those numbers. Which is why Archimonde was in 3 separate server transfer offers that year. Kilrog was in 2, as were several others, and as referenced above, they later grew more aggressive in their efforts.
I rolled on a small server to avoid these problems, I’d be really mad if Blizzard started dumping free or forced transfers onto it.
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Play on a big server, deal with big server problems.
It’s almost like people are completely blind to the many, many low pop realms.
There are pros to being on a big server, and there and cons to being on a big server.
You don’t get to have all the pro’s with none of the cons, at the end of the day where you play is completely upto you, and there is a server out there for every playstyle.
Solve your own problems, use your brain, move to a smaller server, stop whining.
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Same. I left benediction at the height of its population for bloodsail buccaneers and haven’t looked back. It’s crazy to me that most of the complainers on the forums don’t realize the thing they have in common with all the other complaints is their server size.
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Reminds me of the Ronnie Coleman quote.
“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-as s weights.”
Everyone wants to play on the hardcore server, everybody wants to be where the actions is, but ain’t nobody wanna have to compete for resources or do what it takes to play in an overcrowded “hardcore” environment.
These people have never even considered the possibility of moving, even though it would fix all their problems, it hasn’t even entered their brain because their ego wouldn’t let them play anywhere except for the most populated over-hyped server.
I think it stems from retail. There is no server really anymore. Everywhere they go is crowded. Plenty of mobs and resources for all. Blizzard gives them everything they want. They can’t stand that it’s not the case in vanilla. Med-low pop servers are the best. Tbh I’m not sure how bloodsail is still considered medium.
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And, as always, we have descended to ad hominem attacks. But, for context, keep in mind that free server transfers have been closed since 04/30/2020 and even then were extremely limited in scope.
The problem with those xfers was blizzard didn’t do anything to ensure players took them. In my experience very few players will move unless given an incentive to. Whether the incentive is good or bad. Them threatening to force move people in 07 definitely lit a fire under us.
I italicized threatening because people keep missing that part. They keep thinking im suggesting blizz forced moved us when in reality they just said they would if we didn’t move enough. We moved enough.
An example of extreme narcissism. The reality is most people don’t want to be body builders and most of the small segment of the population that do lift weights.
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The problem now is that server populations that worked for Classic will not work for The Burning Crusade. The key now is what Blizzard decides to do. If the The Burning Crusade Classic was a separate client with separate servers you could transfer your character to this problem goes away, if people choose to create super servers again knowing their peril that is on them. However what leaks we’ve seen indicate that is may not be what they have in mind.
Actually a different example of extreme narcissism.
Everyone wants to play on the hardcore server, everybody wants to be where the actions is, but ain’t nobody wanna have to compete for resources or do what it takes to play in an overcrowded “hardcore” environment. These people have never even considered the possibility of moving, even though it would fix all their problems, it hasn’t even entered their brain because their ego wouldn’t let them play anywhere except for the most populated over-hyped server.
I know the reason people aren’t leaving and I know I am correct, therefore I can make broad statements regarding their motivations and work ethic.
I agree the peril is on them. However, I believe the servers will progress. I’m merely saying blizzard can fix it without layering that actually fixes the problem instead of putting a band aid on it. They seem to like band aids these days over actual fixes.
Yes exactly. I don’t have enough information to guess the numbers but I have absolutely no interest in playing on a hard core server and I only look for “streamer” servers or popular or hardcore servers to make sure I don’t roll on them. I’m sure I’m not the only one who does that.
A lot of them lose it when you suggest a smaller pop server. No one is saying anything about their work ethic. It’s their inability to fix their problems while demanding blizzard change the game. Blizzard gave them an option. They refuse to take it.
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The entire discussion is based on a massive upcoming change e.g. The Burning Crusade. The entire point is that populations that worked for Classic won’t work for Burning Crusade and too many players don’t realize that.
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But how are they supposed to simp to their favorite streamer if they aren’t on the same server? lol
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