Any plans for a permanent solution to queues?

#0 - Jan. 8, 2009, 12:27 a.m.

Dear Blizzard,

For more than three years now, your playerbase has struggled with server queues. This is understandable for a game that is so popular, and you have offered free and paid transfers as a workaround.

But server transfers are only a workaround, and they are not a very viable or attractive prospect. Most people are not comfortable with leaving their friends, acquintances, and reputations behind and start fresh (socially). This is proven by the fact that queues are still here and they are as long as ever. They have helped a little here and there, but not that much.

Furthermore, a lot of people are frustrated because they rightly feel like Blizzard is asking them to make a choice between their social connections and the ability to play the game when they actually want. It seems like if you are unfortunate enough to be playing on a popular server, you can't have both.

So my question is this: what are your plans for a permanent solution to queues that will not involve asking your customers to make a sacrifice?

Yours sincerely,
LC

Zarhym

#4 - Jan. 8, 2009, 12:54 a.m.

Q u o t e:
So my question is this: what are your plans for a permanent solution to queues that will not involve asking your customers to make a sacrifice?

The most viable solutions beyond offering free character transfers would typically mean that we would make that sacrifice on your behalf. Free transfers remain the most effective way of dispersing populations without us having to force dispersal. They are also good for avoiding any drastic measures that may have negative consequences later. We cannot always predict how populations will grow or diminish over time across all of our realms, and allowing free transfers to low-population or new realms is a relatively modest, yet effective method of curbing wait times.

Zarhym

#39 - Jan. 8, 2009, 1:23 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Checking the "free transfer" page, anyone else notice that it's only the PvP servers they're allowing folks to move from?

Hmmmmm, subtle ecouragement to those of us on PvE maybe?

I've addressed this multiple times today (including in the "free realm transfer" sticky post). We will be offering free transfers from a number of PVE realms to a new PVE realm hopefully within the hour. Opening a new realm requires more checks than opening up transfers to existing realms, which is why PVP and PVE transfers were not released at the same time today.

Zarhym

#43 - Jan. 8, 2009, 1:27 a.m.

Q u o t e:

You're under the impression anyone actually listens to you, Zarhym.

=P

:(

Zarhym

#61 - Jan. 8, 2009, 2 a.m.

Q u o t e:

Thank you very much for your response.

I think you're setting up a false dichotomy between "free" transfers and "forced" transfers, as if reducing the number of users is the only way to address a performance problem in a system.

What about hardware and software upgrades? Eliminating performance bottlenecks, changing your code to use system resource more efficiently? Things like that. I know that the answer is not as simple as "zomg we must buy a faster CPU for our server and overclock it!" but really, do you have IT specialist teams that are constantly working to streamline system performance? Or are you thinking of server transfers as a "oh, we don't really have to do any real hard work, we can just let the customer eat the bullet" sort of thing?

Again, I am looking for concrete answers regarding permanent (or at least ongoing) solutions. Please, Zarhym, give me an honest answer. Do you have any plans to improve back-end architecture in order to reduce queues?

Long answer: There are constant checks to streamline and improve our systems. For the most part though the answer to the queues we're seeing is not to find a way to allow more players on each realm without compromising its stability. There might be such answers on a realm-to-realm basis, but I'd stress that the overarching issue doesn't stem from the shortcomings of our hardware at the moment. With that said, we will look to provide whatever solutions we can, both by dispersing the populations of our realms, as well as ensuring our infrastructure performance is being maximized to support the player base. I think it goes without saying though that the first option is much more immediate, and I do not have additional details to provide regarding hardware improvements or realm capacity extensions at this time.

Short answer: Yes, we're approaching the issue of queues from all angles possible. Some solutions, however, are more immediate than others.

Good questions, and thank you. :)

Zarhym

#74 - Jan. 8, 2009, 2:20 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Meh to transfers.

Why not just upgrade the servers to support a thousand or so more. Poof many servers leave the que behind and the really bad ones get a huge cut in que.

"Just upgrade the servers" is a massive understatement. Given the hardware and components on which our realms currently operate, just placing an order of such a scale as to allow for 1,000 more players on each realm would take months to fill (as it did the first time around when our realm received large-scale hardware upgrades). This is aside from the fact that 1,000 more players on a realm will have consequences for which I don't think you're accounting. Even if the realms were capable of supporting substantially more players, that's not necessarily going to do anything good for game play, or even the average player's computer. I can't imagine running around Dalaran with 1/5 or even 1/4 additional players allowed to be on the realm.