Ongoing Nightly Latency

This is not something we've ignored. It's simply a matter which, regrettably, does not possess an immediate or easily comparable resolution. All that you express herein is relayed. And documented. And analyzed. And correlated. And projected. It's useful and we're most certainly aware of your situation.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5720153772&sid=1
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5720152675&sid=1
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5720292778&sid=1
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5540036351&sid=1&pageNo=80#1599

Even so, this is something which will likely require more time to assuage completely. You have my sympathies in the meanwhile, of course, and my support. I just ask that you continue to remain patient and informative while this is being addressed. :)

Q u o t e:
Are you able to provide us with updates/progress, im sure theres is a lot of people who are somewhat anxious to find out some progress!

If we possessed such updates, Frzn, we'd most certainly provide them. :)

Trust me. They're all related. :)

There's also this one, as well:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5591019672&pageNo=1&sid=1#0

Q u o t e:
Ah, a consolidation thread :)

My only request is that you do not continue to post therein, as it's outdated (though still possesses merit when viewing our involvement in the matter). The information which has been conveyed this morning has been superb, so there's no need for more at this juncture; I'm merely providing these threads as evidence that the ongoing latency effects that many realms have been experiencing is not being overlooked. :)

Q u o t e:
Can we at least get an explanation as to what's the root of all this trouble? Is it the new honor system, a sick server, a bad router?

I do not possess that information, Aishten. If I did, it would have been relayed.

Q u o t e:
But the rolling restarts dont fix anything

This is likely an issue which cannot be addressed via normal maintenance processes. As the latency concerns are isolated by apparent battlegroups (and, then, only within certain times), I'd say our scheduled tuning is serving its overall purpose.

Although perhaps a poor analogy (since most things aren't really all that comparable to the world of Azeroth)—yearly tune-ups to your car can help prevent unwarranted issues with various components, though it cannot always foresee complications down the road; they help keep a vehicle in working order, but aren't designed to repair a break or a leak or whathaveyou should something more drastic go amiss. As stated previously, these ongoing issues are likely a separate matter and will thus likely need to be addressed separately.

Given that her response is as genuine and forthcoming as possible, it's really not in your best interest to overtly insult our darter.

If you can't keep it constructive, then troll elsewhere.

Translation of your translation—

"Hi, i'm a self righteous Blizzard employee, the game is fine, omg l2p, yeah we know you stupid aussies have lag, and guess what we don't care because we have your money already lulz."

Hi. I'm a Blizzard employee who's been tasked as a liaison between various facets of Support; I care and will do my best to relay information when and where it exists. We're aware that the whole of battlegroup Bloodlust has been experiencing latency spikes at regular intervals are presently attempting to determine the source.

"So yeah, plx stop posting gais, you are making us upset, we have important issues to deal with, like Americans whose alts can't post on da forums!!!!"

Given that some of the threads presently in effect are outdated, I ask that you please refrain from posting therein. The information you provide us is invaluable, so please continue to keep us informed; however, please know that simply asking for an ETA will not spontaneously combust one into existence.

There. That's better. If those are unsatisfactory responses, though, Dostoyevsky (brilliant writer, by the way, and an interesting choice given the situation), then I'm frankly unsure what precisely I can say.

Thanks, guys. While I hate to say "keep it comin'," please know that the updates and information are very useful and appreciated. :)

Q u o t e:
Thank you for changing the thread title :)

No problem. It was an excellent suggestion!

As we do not know what precisely is causing the concern, Hhmm, we cannot yet successfully predict its occurrence. While it is likely (and definitely unfortunate) that these latency spikes will continue until the source is located and resolved, we cannot issue a realm-wide notice unless we are absolutely certain—which we are not.

I hope that makes sense. =/

And, no, you won't get banned from the forums unless you violate policy. Which most within this thread have not. Post on, my Oceanic friends, post on.

Okay folks. I have a few questions for those of you experiencing these issues.

1) What part of the world are you playing from?
2) What kind of issues are you experiencing?

• High Latency?


• Crashes?


• Other?
  

3) When did you last experience the issue?
After I get some information from you guys I might be able to do something with it; don't know what it is just yet, but we'll see. =)

Edit: Added one more for those that might be responding. ^_^

Hey, guys. Please pardon the lack of updates these days past; both Aredek and I have been on our weekends. Needless to say, however, I've been watching this thread progress and keeping track of the information herein—information which has already been passed on to our realm technicians.

As a point of note, however, there's no need to continue with the format Reythur suggested; as he may not have been truly able to witness your concerns in person (and thus requested specific information), I'm pretty darn familiar with the cyclical nature of those latency spikes (and corresponding connectivity issues) which have occurred these few weeks past; in fact, I've been documenting each (along with Aredek) for use by our realm techs and Database Admins. While I possess no form ETA from such individuals, this still remains a priority, I assure you.

That said, I'd like to thank all of you for consistently providing me and my colleagues with concise, apt, and timely updates—your involvement is invaluable, and we appreciate it greatly. This same appreciation applies, as well, for your remarkable patience. That you are still willing to come here and dialogue with us about this concern is amazing and I am much obliged.

Again, thank you and I hope to return one of these days with pristinely good news. Please bear with me (and my kind and awesome teammates, too) in the meantime. :)

Q u o t e:
That seems like an acknowledgment of failure to me. Funny how it takes 15 pages to get a response

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5640976872&pageNo=8&sid=1#148

Eight pages, actually.

You weren't purposefully ignored, Ravishastri, despite how much you wish to think it true. You're only as "second fiddle" as you believe yourself to be. I assure you, my friend, neither I nor any of my colleagues have been remiss in their duties with respect to this issue.

With that said, most of this work—this work, specifically; that of relaying information and documenting trends—goes on behind the scenes. It also gives way to grace periods while resources are mustered and decisions considered. During such time, yes, I am going to answer other queries within this forum—because that's my job.

Q u o t e:
*cough* Free gametime *cough* *ugh* *cough*

That, however, is not. Should reimbursement of any sort be considered, it'll be posted within General or simply added to your payment history.



We are all working diligently on this matter; in fact, I dare say quite a few of us have invested ourselves personally. We will not, however, compromise other forms of support we are able to provide in the meanwhile. Please appreciate this sentiment. :)

Q u o t e:
Alas, Syndri, I find it serves only to illustrate my point that you responded to my nit-picking within the hour (although I appreciate that it's your job to do so) whilst the real concerns at hand here seem to be reaching no concrete solution.

How? I cannot expedite the work of our realm technicians, despite how much I may poke and prod. That said, simply because I am doing my job does not mean that there not others doing theirs. In point of fact, it should illustrate that we are a working body over here and not just a mass of button-pushing gamers.

Well, we are that. But not during open office hours. :)

Q u o t e:
As you see, if the answer to these questions does infact confirm the problems are solely restricted to the servers in question, why are they not resolved sooner?

We've determined further—that while Bloodlust does lead the way, its latency issues are either affecting additional battlegroups or simply experiencing a more concentrated cluster of side-effects. I've been assured that the matter is under investigation, but I've not been privy to the actual discovery process, thus I've no new information to communicate. Should anything change in the slightest, you will be made aware.

Such things invariably take time, though. And while time is the commodity in dispute right now, I spoke truthfully that I am truly unable to expedite resolution. While I'm sure it offers little to no comfort, please know that we are working quite diligently...and have, rather to our chagrin, become personally involved.

With that in mind, understand that when you chastise or degrade the "customer service" that you have received, you are invariably snubbing those of us within this forum. Though it likely feels somewhat gratifying given your current dissatisfaction (and thus I empathize completely), just know that asking me or Aredek or Reythur to not take this (or your opinions or observations) personally is a bit moot. :)

We're going to be with you guys for the long run.

Q u o t e:
Allthough in all fairness, if your car becomes sluggish you take it in, few days later its fixed.

Our network of realms and corresponding databases, I dare say, are more complicated than one's average working vehicle. This is why I prefaced the analogy you've cited with a statement to actual credibility.

Q u o t e:
They dont just say "Well its not that important, and your thoughts are very helpfull, have some ACSII Smilies, you adicted fiends"

You selectively read through this entire thread, didn't you? =/




That all said, the latency spikes witnessed both today and two days past have been significantly less severe. While, yes, the lag associated with cast time and loot is still enough to interrupt some facets of game play (specifically raiding), it's definitely evidence that our first step towards resolution has made a difference—a difference which many of you will deem negligible, but a difference nonetheless. Regardless, we're still tackling this matter.

Q u o t e:
Lag bad.
People stop playing on server.
Server load reduces.
Lag better.

Clever—and perhaps reasonable—but no. :)

We modified a particular process that was running in the early AM hours and noticed an immediate change. This occurred two days ago—no one immediately spoke (neither Aredek or I) because we wanted to give it at least another cycle to sink in; we didn't want to address a matter before we could confirm that it wasn't coincidence. That said, I'm not going to state what that process is, though, (as it's irrelevant) so please don't inquire to that effect. (Just saving you guys some time and sanity here.)

Q u o t e:
Two days ago or Monday night for AEST there was no positive effect... I would be prepared to say that these threads started to take off about then.

Aye. There actually was—from a technical standpoint. As stated in my primary update, the difference may have been negligible or hard to notice from the player-end, but we definitely saw an improvement internally. That situations have not turned 180 completely is why we're still putting the nose to the grind.

I felt the update worth nothing, as it's what I promised. "Should anything change," I said, "you will be made aware." Something changed, so there you go. It's not ideal, but it's something I feel you guys should know. :)

Q u o t e:
By this we mean not run maintenace processes during peak hours.

Oceanic realms are connected and synced with North American counterparts, thus maintenance at this time need occur identically. Here's a more lengthy explanation, actually:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5591099504&sid=1&pageNo=5#96

Q u o t e:

...you're assuming that all Oceanic realms are isolated, and that bringing such offline during US off-peak hours wouldn't hinder other populations. Technically speaking, we would not be able to influence only Oceanic realms without influencing US-supporting time zones, as well. More so, population statistics have been examined numerous times; and, through research, it's been consistently concluded that the wee morning hours to noon PST (on Tuesday, if we're discussing maintenances) support the smallest concurrency overall.

For three, if we do not bring all realms offline for extended—or, heck, even minute—periods of time, population will imbalance. Players are wont to play when they want to play. Should we bring US realms offline and leave Oceanic up, we risk inundating Oceanic realms with US players—something which could threaten the stability and functionality of these locations.

I know you're frustrated. I know it's take time and consideration to balance both raiding and casual play schedules. Life sometimes doesn't make relaxation easy, so it's a cherished thing to log in and melt some faces. I know. We all realize that maintenances and restarts will inconvenience our player base, and it's not something we treat lightly. Should another time frame or method present itself to be more feasible and statistically ideal, we'll go with that. For now, however, our established schedule is the best route.

Edit: Adding a bit for more clarity—

Emeriss, I'm not entirely certain whether or not rescheduling specific processes is feasible, to be honest. While I'm not privy to the exact nature or responsibility of the process we modified, it may not even relate directly to battlegroup maintenance. I fear that I may not be able to delve too far into this particular topic with you, as it's not a matter we Game Masters address or hold any sort of purview over. I'll do my best, though, to communicate what's been given to me and vice versa.

Okay. I know you're frustrated. Really. I know. I've attempted to raid during horrible latency. It sucks. No one—not I, not Aredek, not our realm technicans...nor anyone else you claim to apparently disregard the whole of Oceania—is attempting to belittle this situation.

On the contrary, it's quite likely that many of us are actually biting our nails to the wick and pulling at hairs more frequently and with much more fervor. Why? Because we, at our heart of hearts, want you to be able to play, and we want you to be able to do so without grievance.

Q u o t e:
" oh there seems to be a slight issue..."

This. This has never been said. I realize that amidst the vitriol and the frustration and clamour it's easy for one to perceive something differently than it truly is, and I respect this confusion. To assuage your concern, I'll clarify:

We know ongoing latency has affected the whole of Bloodlust for an extended period of time. We, too, know that Bloodlust houses the majority of Oceanic realms and the time frames during which such latency occurs is wholly inconvenient if not crippling to raid progression.

We also know that battlegroups Ruin, Shadowburn, Rampage, and Vengeance are suffering nigh identical conerns. These battlegroups are not overwhemling populated with Oceanic players; nevertheless, we are paying equal attention to these realms, as well.

This is a primary point of interest. This is something both Aredek and I track daily. This is a matter that we both will follow and nod till some form of resolution is met. That we noticed lower latency levels after modifying a process is good, but it's not ideal, as players within each affected realm still have hindered game play; thus, we have not abandoned investigation.

By all means, vent your concerns and experiences herein; that's what this thread is here for. But don't—and I do ask this sincerely—ignore the attention that this matter has truly received. Understand that we are not turning a blind eye or downplaying anything in any capacity. Yes, there may be gaps in communication and, yes, updates may be slow, but such is the nature of more complicated, global issues. I assure you, if this were easily resolved, we wouldn't be having this discussion. :)

In short: We haven't overlooked your pleas, Oceania; please don't overlook our sincerity. It's rough, we know, and you're commendable individuals for sticking it through.

I'm glad Barthilas went more smoothly last evening for you, Cutehammer; it's good to hear. Hopefully with our continued involvement, other realms will witness an identical leveling. Until then, I'm sure my colleagues and I will ensure that this thread is not lost. :)

Q u o t e:
We'd just like to be able to enjoy to the extent that our friends in the US and Europe do every day.

That's our desire—everyone's desire—too, despite how muddled the sentiment may be at this time, amidst the schedule balancing and the nervous anticipation. That a particular facet has imparied this ability for nightime and Oceanic players is of great import. Always will be.

I'm not privy to the actual nature of what our technicans have surmised, so I'm going to avoid indulging any speculation. Talks amongst yourself as you wish, but know it's likely not as simple or switch-flicky as it might appear.

That said, thanks for the constructive feedback, guys. I wasn't just referencing we Blues, though; a lot of people are working harder than us on the matter.

And, Fausty, all of our internal clocks are set to Greenwich Meridian Time. :)

Q u o t e:


they didn't get 5 pages of whining last night so it's probably "fixed" in there eyes.

Actually, Payne, we are aware that this issue is still persisting.

I would like to make a quick note that a lack of updates or progress should not be taken to indicate that we do not care about the issue. Several members of various Blizzard teams are currently reviewing the recent influx in latency. Unfortunately, it can take time to find an affective solution to stymie an issue. I can assure you that our realm technicians are doing everything in their power to end the latency as quickly as possible.

The minute we, the moderators of the Customer Service Forum, are provided with any additional information we will provide you with an update. I would like to reiterate, however, that we do not have any updates to provide at this time.

I appreciate you remaining calm despite the frustration, Teggon.

Unfortunately, however, the Game Master department is not responsible for providing players reimbursement for lost gametime. I am sorry to say that we will be unable to provide the answers you are looking for.

To ensure that your feelings regarding compensation are heard, I recommend posting on the Suggestions Forum. This forum is moderated by countless Blizzard employees in several different departments who make these sorts of decisions. This would be the best place to discuss the possibility of reimbursement.

Again, thank you for your patience.

Q u o t e:


I have my doubts as to wether the suggestion forum is regularily moderated at all, purely on the lack of blue posts.

You will find one blue post on the Suggestions Forum, Irepic. In this singular post you are provided with the following information:

Q u o t e:
While the designers and community team do scan through this forum, we're unable to provide responses on the suggestions that you're posting, but rest assured that we appreciate your input both on what's currently in the game and on what other things you might like to see added to the game.

Please do not take the lack of blue posts to indicate that this forum isn't perused by the appropriate parties. :)

Q u o t e:
12 days later .. still no fix ?

Aye. I fear not—not yet, at least. There's quite a bit of commotion surrounding this particular matter in all sorts of departments herein. Although assistance and involvement may seem minimal, there are a plethora of people presently attempting to deduce the most beneficial way to resolve this matter. It's truly not as straightforward an issue as is likely imagined (and first believed), so it's indeed taking a bit of time to resolve fully.

This extra time is not laziness or a sign of a lack of caring; we all know how inconvenient this ongoing latency has been and, as such, wish the situation addressed ASAP, as well. Given specific complexities, though— which I'm unable to delve into (I apologize)—there's no real "quick fix." It's going to take planning, something which is already underway.

Aredek and I will keep you all as up to date as possible. That much I can definitely swear by.

Q u o t e:
Is it a policy that Blizzard has that prevents its employees to give any information on what the issue is and what is being done...even if its minute?

Completely valid question.

Given the sheer breadth of players these forums appeal and cater to, it's absolutely imperative that those of who communicate via its features—Aredek and I, for example—only communicate fact. Conjecture and speculation is cool for the one-on-one conversations we sometimes enter herein, but when it's a serious matter of this nature, one that affects likely hundreds of thousands, the updates we provide must needs be solid and tangible. Given the fluidity of technical investigations, resolutions or sources of issues may change as the investigation progresses, rendering explanations previously given incorrect. When there's a massive audience involved, the idea of something turning out to be incorrect is devastating, and typically only serves to further frustrate those affected.

We'll provide details where and when possible and permitted (like the acknowledgment of modifying a particular process, for example), but it's not always a luxury. Sometimes, even, we CSF posters aren't even privy to exactly what's occurring, only that investigation or resolution implementation is underway.

I hope that explains this a bit more, Melganine. You've my apologies, though, if things are still fuzzy. Let me know if that's the case; I'll definitely try to say it better. :)

Q u o t e:
I agree, the lag on Oceanic servers is rediculus and unfair :(

No one is disagreeing with that, Ininja. Various methods of resolving this are being proposed and discussed as we speak.

Q u o t e:
Belfaire, your reply came after you locked my second thread (after the deletion of the first), so apologies for the third.

The question I was posing to you remains the same however:

Why are your techical staff unable to give you some information about the issues affecting our server? Someone from your customer service team should inform them that the lack of information from them looks very much like a lack of concern on their part.

We are aware that you are only able to tell us what comes from your technical department. What I am trying to point out is that the interface between customer service and technical seems to be broken.

The answers I receive from our technical staff would provide no benefit to you, ergo I'm not providing them. Do you really mean to tell me that, at this point, you'd accept anything more than "the issue is resolved" from that team, or even from us?

Q u o t e:


Would like an ETA... account needs more money in over a week, want to know if its worth while getting a game card.

Do you honestly think that if I had an ETA, I wouldn't provide it to you and the Oceanic legion?

Q u o t e:

"Free game time"

Not our decision.

Q u o t e:
"Free Xfers"

Not our decision.

Q u o t e:
"New Server"

Not our decision.

Q u o t e:
"Rerolled to 2.3"

Impossible.

Q u o t e:
"We think its this issue, it will take around this long"

I and we will not provide an ETA unless we consider it rock-solid.

Q u o t e:

"We are giving Australians there own server group"

Not plausible at this time for a number of reasons.

Q u o t e:


Yes, I'm sure everyone would feel a bit happier if you kept us abreast of what the technicians are actually doing to resolve the issue. Providing more information than "they're working on it" would give us some indication of thier progress. Some time frames for fixing the issue wouldn't go amiss either.

Also, can you please address why this even occured in the first place? Why would you schedule background processes to run during our peak hours of play? This really does suggest that the oceanic realms are really at the very bottom of your priority.

You're aware that we've had to cope with honour updates, and maintenance during our peak play time since the inception of our servers? Now this on top of it, with the lack of feedback from your technical staff is seriously making me question my loyalty to this game, and I've been playing for 3 years.

Here's the problem.

Providing detailed technical information like what you're requesting does nothing but invite armchair technician talk, insults about the quality of our hardware/process/technicians because they couldn't solve x problem in y time, etc. It benefits no one at all. I would much rather that the techs work on actually addressing the issue than give me esoteric information which will mean at best a gloating sense of superiority by players who "know a thing or two about servers" and at worst absolutely nothing for the common player.

If we provided an ETA and it didn't end up being correct, we'd be eaten alive even more than we are now.

Please understand here. I am behind you guys 100% on this. I want you to be able to play, and not just so the forum will stop having threads about it. The team and I, we're doing absolutely everything we can given the information and limitations and PR sensibilities we have to give you information and help along a speedy resolution. What you're asking for will not help this.

Q u o t e:

Can you illucidate? SoE will be hosting PotBS servers in Australia soon. What makes this impossible for Blizzard?

Surely you can see why we feel like second class citizens - you're providing servers for Europe, China, and soon Latin America. Why not Oceania?

We have established support centers in all of those regions save for Latin America which, as I understand, will have servers located in the US as well. Speaking strictly from a business perspective, I can't see how setting up an another entirely new server farm with support staff, technicians, amenities, etc, across the globe from here is possible financially. It requires a lot more than you think.

Q u o t e:

Group Oceania servers to one Battlegroup. It sucks being INSIDE your target & being told you are to far away, on any of my melee toons. Or a personal favourite of mine "Bookham gains blink, Bookham is hit xxxxdmg, you die, Blink fades from Bookham.

As far as I'm acutely aware, only Jubei'Thos is in a different Battlegroup. It's not like the entire Oceanic group is cleft in twain.

Q u o t e:


Hmmm will have to check this? If that is the case, why i poor old Jubei or what we lovingly refer to as Lagbei'Thos (yes thats before the current issue) all on it's own?

Wasn't good at playing kickball, I imagine.

Q u o t e:
Hopefully sooner rather than later.

People have every right to be upset and I refuse to begrudge them that.

If they feel that quitting is their only recourse, that's a pretty awful outcome, but an assurance isn't enough for some people.

Q u o t e:
I don't see how hosting Oceanic servers in Oceania isn't economically feasible when the game has been translated into Spanish. When I go to the wow-europe site I see 9 Spanish realms. There are 8 Oceanic realms I believe, so about the same number of people.

Surely a full translation into another language (which has to be updated and QA'ed for every shred of new content) is more expensive than hosting the servers in another building.

The difference being that we already have data- and support centers in Europe, ergo providing easy training and transition into a new data- and support center for what we need to do there. We don't have any of that in Australia, New Zealand, or other Oceanic areas.

I'm admittedly not in charge of this sort of thing, and I'm not privy to every detail regarding why and why not, but that should provide a bit of perspective.

Q u o t e:
only oceanic players should be here
/agree

if it does not affest you, please refrain from posting.

Good thing I'm an Oceanic player.

Q u o t e:

I'm curious about the following, and how realistic it would be to expect them, and if possible, an ETA:

1) An option for Oceanic players to get Free Character Transfers to an Oceanic realm (Yes i know, i know...)

2) A fix to alleviate the post 2.4 latency problem.

The first isn't really our purview. Obviously we pass information along about realm population et al, but I wouldn't be able to give you the foggiest idea as to the odds of this happening.

The second, however, is being actively pursued, and I've verified as much tonight. I've tasked myself with a certain amount of information-gathering tonight, and here's how you can help me.

Please describe--as detailed and unbiased as possible (read: no trolling/flaming), let me know about what happens when you log in and the lag hits. Are there are things that you feel "trip" the lag switch? Does it happen in combat, when receiving mail, when looting? Any information that you haven't provided that you feel may help in any way may do just that.

Thanks in advance. This should benefit everyone.

Q u o t e:
From what i understand, the laggers are mostly users of certain ISPs like Telstra in Australia and Starhub in Singapore.

What i can personally tell you is that we normally start our raid time an hour after the dailies reset on our server. When we zone into Sunwell at the time, we experience warlocks having shard lag, i loot an item on a corpse 3 minutes after i click on it, and server crashes in general.

Felmyst in SWP also seems to disconnect people should anyone get Mind Controlled in phase 2, but we're working on it to not have anyone MCed anyway! i don't know if this is related.

That's all i can help you with at the moment. Thanks for the response.

P.S the Killers are awesome, but that particular song is played to death:p

You're welcome. And yeah, you're right about that. My favorite Killers song is actually Sam's Town, even though I don't like the rest of that album.

BUT ANYWAY OCEANIC ISSUES

Thank you for those who've provided the feedback I'm requesting.

I'd like this thread to be a repository for that information, so I'll be fairly mercilessly culling non-constructive posts. The more info I get, the likely faster the issue will be resolved, and anything else won't help the cause.

With the above in mind, notifying us of continuing Oceanic realm issues here is perfectly fine.

Q u o t e:


Belfaire - please note that.
Reythur - Blizzard Poster asked us for similar info back on page 16
Syndari - on page 17 asked us to stop. as this type of information was no longer required

Why as for it again Belfaire. (it has not changed or gone away just read the forum, random dc's during our peak playtimes)

I think we are all due for a better answer than the increasingly meaningless assurances and statments that we are important so please wait while we rack up another charge on your credit card, and give you unplayable servers for your money.

Tonight I was asked specifically to gather as much extra information as I could here.

If you don't want to pay us, then don't. You've been posting for days about not paying. This is your prerogative. I'm sorry that it's come to that for you, but attacking me when I'm doing my job to help you guys does not help you guys.

Baelthazor, it's neither your connection nor your ISP. Nor, specifically, your location. This is most certainly on our end, and, yes, is likely a systemic byproduct of changes made recently to the game itself. At present, our Database Administrations are attempting to establish the best way to mitigate the influence these changes have had on our Oceanic realms without completely going "RAWR! BLIZZARD SMASH!" on the system's entirety. I know at this point you folks likely wouldn't mind further (or even lengthy) interruption if it meant latency-free nights, but we're trying to avoid that, if it all possible. This is what's ultimately requiring all this investigation.

That probably means very little in the long run, I know. At this point, you just want to see results. And that's totally cool. That's honest-to-token deity what we want, too. You're welcome to not believe that sentiment (because, hey, actions do speak louder than words, and you guys can't really see what's going on down here). Regardless, we are going to take care of you all. One way or another. I don't have an ETA, though, so I'm afraid I can't oblige you there. =/

As for compensation? I am really not sure. That's not a topic of conversation that ever officially crosses the Game Master department, so I genuinely cannot weigh in either way. These sorts of things are reviewed all the time, though, and if it's going to happen, it'll be announced publicly.


I do have a quick question for those folks who aren't on Bloodlust (and who aren't classified as an "Oceanic" realm), if you're willing. This is for battlegroups Ruin, Rampage, Shadowburn, aaaannnd...Vengeance, I believe. We've tracked latency spikes for your realms at the same time as Bloodlust. Are you guys seeing the same effect in-game, as well?

You're right, Khallah. Mitigation isn't enough, and it was definitely the wrong word. We want you guys playing without any form of interruption. And we're going to work until that happens.

Q u o t e:
That being said however, who made the decision to schedule database/background processes during our peak play time?

They've always been there. Those processes aren't new by any means. To my knowledge, our DBAs are working right now to isolate what additional component specifically may be working in tandem or against them (or even on its own) to create visible latency for you guys. The hitch is attempting to remedy the situation fully for Oceania while not affecting any other facet of normal game play (mechanics, etc).

Whatever the resolution is, though, we're going to reach it. The unfortunate thing is that, since this whole situation is incredibly complicated, it's going to require precious time, something which you've all already given in spades and something we which haven't taken for granted. We know you guys have been waiting, and waiting patiently, at that.

Q u o t e:
Lying, uncaring scum.

Read the thread again. All of it. Or, at the very least, the marked "Blue" posts. No one is lying. No one is covering anything up. No one is trying to dismiss or downplay your concerns. Everything that we've stated herein has been a "thank you," or a "we're so sorry for this continued frustration," or "please help us out a little bit more guys." The only person really being hostile here, or attempting to segregate You from Us, is, well...you.

This resolution is going to require time. More time, I should say, as the whole of Oceania has been incredibly patient these weeks past. It's one thing, however, to stipulate a source. It's another to find it. And it's yet another to remedy it in full without compromising any integral aspect of the game. Think of it as spinal surgery—you want to "fix" whatever is ailing your patient without crippling them in the process.

Where this differs from surgery, though—beyond the obvious—is in tangible results. Our technicians have tried a few theories, and while, internally, we noticed a drop in latency, the effect did not carry over to our actual realms. This is why Aredek, Reythur, Belfaire, and I are still here, and our DBAs and technicians still in their respective offices working, as well. You folk are still suffering, so we still have our nose to the grind.

I realize none of this is likely satisfying, but it's worth explaining. It's also worth noting that this is not an American vs. Oceania conflict, as your realms are located in the US.

http://blue.cardplace.com/cache/wow-general/5383638.htm

Thanks, Gallius. It's much appreciated.

Q u o t e:
Simple questions, have you tried timing these processes diferantly? even on just oceana servers? put them ahead four/five hours maybe?

Fair and equal counter: Have you considered that perhaps this has been a consideration, but not easily executed? The maintenance processes running during your peak hours have been in effect for quite some time; they're well established. So, not only are they really not the primary cause (a contributing factor, likely, but not the point of true blame), but they're an aspect which is not effortlessly modified. I'm sure our Technicians have mulled over this possibility—in addition to many, many others—but may have not yet determined 1) whether or not it's truly feasible or 2) how best to achieve such an end.

And I was reminding a specific person that the Oceanic time zone realms are housed in the US, as this point seemed to be in contention. There's no sort of "out of sight, out of mind thing" happening. :)

Hey guys—

Can you give me a rundown of your experiences last night as compared to these weeks past? Specifically, was anything better? Did anything appear worse? Did you notice any spikes—and if so, at what time (server)?

Try to place it in relation to prior events noted herein. :)

Were any spikes of note these few hours past? I'm tracking one about...2am, 2:30am PST (GMT -7), on both Frostmoure and Barthilas (your posting realm and the realm you noted within). Does that sound about right?

What else did you witness beyond just latency? Any disconnections? Any failed mob populations? Did any instances drop or reset on you?

Sorry for the all the questions, Irian. I'm just trying to establish a connection/cause and effect. :)

Cool. Thank you so much, Irian. Our Technicians have been trying a few things to improve stability and were curious about the external effects of these measures. :)

I'll relay your reports right now.

Ugh. I'm a Californian at heart, so my mental time zone is stuck there.

When I say "last night," I mean the most recent evening for you folk, occurring roughly 3 to 6 hours ago. Sorry about that. :)

Yeah. We definitely noticed that both Jubei'Thos and Spinebreaker had a much more difficult time than those players within Oceanic realms on Bloodlust. Already documented and brought to the attention of our Technicians. :)

Head's up, guys—

As I mentioned, our Technicians are presently working out various strategies to best resolve the ongoing latency issue. They're approaching this matter from different angles in attempt to both ensure optimal play time for you overnight folk, as well as guarantee that all the necessary maintenance processes are run.

Because our Technicians are trying these "different angles," you guys may see varying results for the next few evenings. Last evening one tactic; tonight we're trying another. In order for our Technicians to truly understandd the benefits/side-effects, though, we need your imput.

During your peak play times, please report what you experience—good and bad. No latency? Let us know. Latency spike? Let us know. Instance crash? Let us know. Multiple disconnections? Let us know. Vendors non-responsive? Let u—

You get the picture.

Your reports are key here, as they'll give external value to internal data. We'd be greatly appreciative if you would continue to work with us on this. Like, a lot a lot. :)

Thanks, guys. :)

Thursday night's experiences were likely smooth due to the fact that our Technicians disabled all the normal scripting processes that run in the AM (PDT) hours; similarly, Jubei'Thos continued to see the same pattern, since all testing is presently only occurring on Bloodlust (as a control).

While latency did indeed improve, it's absolutely necessary that those processes are run at some point during the day. Our Realm Techs are working with this concept currently, attempting to decipher a workable solution that neither impedes your progress, Oceania, nor interferes with any other scheduling. It's trickier than it may sound, so it'll likely take a few nights of trial-and-error before something solid is established—a fact for which I really do apologize. The only way to conclusively know whether or not the potential resolutions on the table will work is to see what happens when Oceanic population peaks.

That said, thank you so much for your continued feedback. I'll send it over immediately.


(Next "Blue" post: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5640976872&postId=59734823813&sid=1#802 )