How do queues work?

#0 - Jan. 23, 2009, 1:49 a.m.

So as I wait in mine, I was wondering how these work.

Is there a literal number of players that can be on the realm? This would mean that my queue number goes down only as people log off. It doesn't seem likely, but it's not impossible.

The more plausible idea is that once the server hits a certain population, it enacts a queue. But then how does it go down? The time estimate isn't half bad, so maybe it's timer based. Each position in the queue represents 20 seconds or something. This is kind of like the timed on ramps that intelligent cities have around rush hour.

Anyone know for sure? Maybe a (gasp) blue response?

Zarhym

#4 - Jan. 23, 2009, 2:17 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Imagine there's a restaurant with N tables.
When all N tables have people at them, a queue forms outside the restaurant.
When a table finishes eating and the people leave, people from the queue are let in.

This is basically correct. There is a hard cap for maximum allowable players on a realm. The queue begins once the capacity has been exceeded. The estimated wait time is based on the number of people who have recently logged out of the realm, and subsequent players who have been allowed to login. You'll notice the number will sometimes fluctuate drastically before stabilizing again. This is usually due to a number of people logging out at once, quickly allowing more people on, or a lack of people logging off for a few minutes, causing the wait time to inflate.