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Age of Conan: Beta Progress and Server Set-up
Szark
News ManagerMember Posts: 4,420
Funcom has posted an update on beta progress and the server set-up for Age of Conan in their regular Friday Feature.
Today we wanted to update you on something which has been a lively debated topic recently, namely our server set-up and our Beta progress.
We therefore wanted to give you some in-depth info on what you can expect when we launch in March. We would like to point out that this is how we plan things today, and that some of this may change.
First of all, when it comes to our main server centers for launch we are splitting them into two primary territories; North America and Europe. This is the core divider. This means that your primary server destination will be decided according to where you buy your retail box. So, North American gamers will only get the choice of North American servers, and vice versa. It is important for us to mention that this is done in order to ensure a best possible experience for US and European players respectively. We are aware of the fact that many would like to play with their friends across the ocean, but we have decided on this approach for the overall performance for the largest amount of players. Should you play on a server on another continent it would mean a potentially poorer gaming experience, latency wise, and we would like to avoid that at all cost. As most of you are avid MMO gamers you are well aware of how important latency time is in a genre like ours (not to speak of FPS games;), and this comes as a consequence of that. We are therefore not doing this to set up artificial boundaries, but to give you all the best possible time in Hyboria. If there is an absolute wish for you, or your guild, to play on another continent you will need to do so at your own initiative, meaning having to secure copies from abroad.
;)
Read more here.
Comments
It looks like we are seeing some sad effects of the level of graphics combined with Real Time Combat.
I think there are going to be a lot of guilds that find this decision to split up servers based on continent to be a bad one at the very least. Sucks that you'll have to import a copy of the game just to play with friends in some cases.
But it seems like they're doing it because of latency, which is strange because if you were worried about latency then you would pick your continent's server and if you weren't you'd pick a different one. It seems much more common sense to give people the choice, instead of limiting them or forcing them to import a game because they want to play with their long time guild friends.
I'm a bit disappointed with this decision since it's going to really be bothersome to lots and lots of guilds out there.
Oh well. A sacrifice that must be made for top of the line graphics crossed with realtime combat.
Hope it's worth it. 
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I live to fight, and fight to live.
I don't think you understand why they are doing this. If you give people the choice a lot of players from Europe and abroad would hope on the US servers. And vice versa for us hoping on the EU servers. When they show up not only do they have bad latency. But it effects everyone in the world.
Do you think I should have to suffer becuase Europeans want to play with there US guild mates? I do not and I think this change is for the best. And like they said things could change before release.
PS. And its not hard to get a copy of a game abroad. I have been importing Japanese games for 10 years or longer.
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Tested over a 115+ games since 1997.
Currently Playing:
Played(Retired): AOL NWN(91-95), UO, EQ1/2, DAoC, CoX, Lineage1/2, SWG(Pre CU/NGE), Planetside, Anarchy Online, FFXI, AC, Vanguard, D&D, AoC, DCUO, Rift, Eve, others
When they show up not only do they have bad latency. But it effects everyone in the world.
And how exactly it "effects everyone"?
Btw, you can always make it in a way SOE did in EQ2 - you can choose your continent but you have to use another launcher in order to do it. And by definition you see the launcher of your country. So, no accidental choices.
Many, many times gamers voted for free choice, many times it was said that our convenience - is OUR business. Do not make decisions for us! Yet they still use that old lame excuse about "latency and your convenience".
Why not to say openly - we can not do it because of financial agreements or technical difficulties. Did not expect it from Funcom.
QFT
There are good and bad things about this step, but I still think its more good than bad. Also as it was said, it could change before release or also AFTER relese if they see it didn work how they want.
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Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.
the only way that I could see this problem being solved would be to have a EU server, an NA server and Who cares set of servers. people who want to play with thier fellow countryman and not be bogged down by foreign latency can play on the specified servers for that purpose. Players who wish to play with people from over seas and do not care about latency issues can play on the mix and match servers. Of course some would still be better for americains and some would be better for Euros based on where the server is located but clearly the people playing on this type of server wouldn't care anyways.
Wouldn't that work?
What also sucks, is that i'm a night person, so some days I can't go to sleep and stay up until 3am.. and guess how many people are on in lotro?? about 5.. guess how many would be on if they let Europeans? about 100. It makes a huge difference for me.
The only benefit i can see from playing on a US server, being from the UK, is the language.
If there is one thing that annoys me about Europian servers is that there is always the language barrier. They only ever make English/German/French servers leaving a lot to be desired...
I don't think that they are hindering peoples freedom of choice, i doubt very much that you'd end up paying more for the game from the US...might even get it cheaper! Guildmates can easily arrange shipping and if not they'll be someone shipping them over in bulk.
As SpellShaper said, with realtime combat the need for a pristine connection is important. For example a player from X continent playing on Y continent will create latency for the whole map in an FPS game, thats why if you play a game of that type your suddenly find the map go empty when someone who brings in latency appears, some even have options to boot the player that is causing the problems.
Most MMO's use a roll of the dice to determine the result of the encouter so latency isnt so much of a factor, It hadn't even crossed my mind this problem would effect AoC, and it will with Spellborn also. Lets hope the separate servers for continents do find a solution to it, or it'll most likely go to the roll of a die... *yawn*
It'll be good to hear from some beta testers however on how performance is, and what type of powerhouse computer i'll be having to fork out on.
The best system so far for this is the EQ2 system, where you have your local server cluster pre-chosen but you can easily change it and patch up the other one as well (in EQ2 the choice is between EU and NA servers).
However, this is still not as bad as it could be, at least they won't hinder us from buying overseas versions of the game or trying to block the credit cards depending on where you live. I would say this is far from the superb EQ2 solution but it is acceptable.
So no mention on the possibility of oceanic time server? I hope the dev at least explain about how the lock out system works, timing etc... so that we have a chance to battle with the US guys.
RIP Orc Choppa
jeez 2007 and companies are still worried about what "country" your computer is sitting in - lockout that connection, prevent that language, cover up that head chop or boobie - are we ever going to get over these artificial "national" censorship boundaries.
In UO and EQ one of our best, most active guild members was a student in Germany who played over his university's fast optical connection. When MAE was behaving itself he had lower pings than many of us in the states. Mmogs are also an excellent way to practice using another language, far better than any classroom.
Bad news for EU - The language barriers are high & hard on the mainland. A sizable chunk of the player base won't/can't speak english, so servers end up a mishmash of german, spanish and french, to name the most common, but also every other language in EU. This is annoying. I vividly remember my WoW server being made the "unofficial spanish server". This meant that most times I didn't have a clue what was going on in main chat and I couldn't get a group because I didn't speak spanish, which led to slow levelling and ,ultimately, to me quitting WoW because at that time character transfers weren't available. I have seen this happen in pretty much every other major game I've played, i.e. EVE online where some major corps have a germans-only rule (Yes Stardust, I'm speaking about you....so sue me PSEWAR
- Franz). Most other games you solve this problem by going to US servers where most people speak english. Thanks to FunCom for removing that solution....while I do agree that AoC seems a lot more latency sensitive than other games of the genre, the bottom line is that language mix leads to bad communication which leads to a bad gaming experience.
And before you get off telling me that I'm a language imperialist, let me assure you that english isn't my primary language. It just annoys me that I'm forced to play on a fragmented server where all the major guilds are set by nation and not by skill or in-game social standing.
can't you just spam each other in the foreign language and get skill-ups in that language?
broadband only means limitation by continent will keep the latency 10 to 60ms, vs the aprox +100ms latency add from crossing the atlantic or +200ms from crossing the pacific.
[quote]Do you think I should have to suffer becuase Europeans want to play with there US guild mates? [/quote]
Simply put, yes, I do. This is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game, NOT a first person shooter. All mmo's are vehicles for social interaction first and foremost, the game is secondary to this. If it were not, then people wouldn't bother playing online games with inherently inferior overall game play when compared to top of the line single player games. People *want* to be around other people for a multitude of reasons, and while I am very much into pvp in mmo games, that is not the primary reason I play them, nor the primary reason 85%-ish of all people play them (can't remember where the 85% came from but somebody somewhere said only 15% of mmo gamers actively participate regularly in pvp in mmos that offer it).
There is a helluva difference between a precisely aimed shot in an FPS and a sword swing in a medieval fantasy. I think this is a poor choice on Funcom's part, not just for the multinational guilds but for everyone in general. I like my ping times as much as anyone, but 100ms either way won't affect my game play enough to noticeably hurt me, and anyone who can say they can consistently beat a 1/10th of a second timer to get a shot off even in an FPS is a liar, let alone have it make any difference at all casting a spell or swinging a melee weapon.
Funcom is screwing up. Segregating the players is not the way to fix anything, but maybe improving their networking code is....hmmm. Too bad they don't read anything the fans might want overall.
Regardless of the designation, as long as that aircraft is assigned to drop things in the dirt, it's a target, not a fighter. - Robert Shaw, "Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering"
If anyone feels this is wrong you could always let them know by sending an Email to :
feedback@funcom.com I know several of the guild Im in has sent one in.
Although there ARE work arounds for international guilds, in this day and age, and with games out there now that freely let you change district, this is a bit behind the times - weird considering the technology in game IS ahead of its time.
A step back in my opinion, if this is the way it has to be it has to be, but im pretty sure its something that could be changed around at somepoint.
so you people actually play the simulation of a persistent "world" and complain about different languages ?
How about instead of deciding server based on location you actually measure ones connection and if you have good ping you can get in. If you have bad latency (90+ ? Whatever is deemed necessary for flawless play) you get directed to another server.
Surely an american player with great ping in europe have every right to play there, and vice versa.
I agree with the enforced language server being a good thing. Make special servers for the kids that only speak their mother's tounge (and make sure to implement permanent squelch/mute features in case they join anyway)