What about the Australian/US playerbase?

[JollyRoger1516]

This question is primarily directed at the devs/admin hwoever if people got a good idea feel free to post it below!

 

What about the Australian/US playerbase?

 

Currently since the last patch their main playtime has become utterly useless as any action taken during the times of roughly 3-9 (nearly 6 hours) isn't being taken into account in terms of hostility generation or even the availability for port battles. While I understand that due to the US and Britain at least on PvP1 being allied this created a bit of an unfair RvR advantage I consider it completely unacceptable to simply ignore part of the playerbase! In addition this also forms at least on the British side about 25% of the PvP active faction which has now been eliminated.

 

Any comments, plans or ideas concerning this problem? Or will this become a common practice to just cut out part of the playerbase or content to deal with a problem?!

 

P.S.: I am living in Europe so personally I am not affected apart from losing part of my nation however I don't think the devs are doing themselves any favours with this kind of practice and the reason I am so frank about it is simply that such a behaviour should have never occured in the very first place especially after already being able to see the problem of a part of the playerbase being left behind when Danes set all their timers to EU prime time!

[Anolytic]

First of all: There is a US server, so the game is absolutely not ignoring the US/Australian playerbase. Second, I do think/agree that there should be content for Australian/US playerbase on the EU server. Third, devs have stated a few times already that raids are in the works, and that they will add interesting RvR-content that applies also to US/Australian playerbases and may specifically address this issue.

[JollyRoger1516]

First of all: There is a US server, so the game is absolutely not ignoring the US/Australian playerbase. Second, I do think/agree that there should be content for Australian/US playerbase on the EU server. Third, devs have stated a few times already that raids are in the works, and that they will add interesting RvR-content that applies also to US/Australian playerbases and may specifically address this issue.

That still excludes them from a major part of the game + the servers decision is made by ping choice. I know several Australian palyers who had a better ping on the EU server then on the US one so naturally they join this one - it is an international server on which everybody should get full access to all content!

[CeltiberoCaesar]

As far as I know, players from those timezones have an advantage to othe players.

1-The PvP is still the same, you force other people to stay awake or they can't deffend those timers, so there will be very few players from europe. Like it was before the patch.

2-Since the admin has already said that a region hostility should be able to reach 100% in 4h +- if the nation organize itself and bring 25+- players to that zone, you will be capable to do it in almost region/port they want without resistance -> if you organize your self you can conquer all the map.

3-PvE is the same for everyone.

4-You can carry the materials from all the map with... lets say 1/5 of the risk. 

Edited October 30, 2016 by CeltiberoCaesar

[Mrdoomed]

This has been a huge problem many of us have brought up. Even with a merger pvp1 is not going to gain hardly any US AUS players because pings will be to bad.

The easy solution is to let all US AUS players tranfer to pvp2 but how many players would switch and give up thier friendships with people they have know for a year?

If there is a merger Europe will decide what happens in the game because more people play from all of Europe and Russia than from US AUS.

I am glad im not in thier shoes.

[Chimera]

First of all: There is a US server, so the game is absolutely not ignoring the US/Australian playerbase. Second, I do think/agree that there should be content for Australian/US playerbase on the EU server. Third, devs have stated a few times already that raids are in the works, and that they will add interesting RvR-content that applies also to US/Australian playerbases and may specifically address this issue.

This first argument has been nullified by devs and mods over and over, but its just not getting out of some players heads. PVP2 US is not meant to be the server for US/Aus players it is just the second server that happens to be situated on a server in the US

 

it does seem to be a close to impossible task though to make it right for everybody. im very interested in what ideas the devs come up with

 

we might only see how it all turns out, if there is only 1 server and the overall population is higher.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Chimera

[Helbent]

As far as I know, players from those timezones have an advantage to othe players.

1-The PvP is still the same, you force other people to stay awake or they can't deffend those timers, so there will be very few players from europe. Like it was before the patch.

2-Since the admin has already said that a region hostility should be able to reach 100% in 4h +- if the nation organize itself and bring 25+- players to that zone, you will be capable to do it in almost region/port they want without resistance -> if you organize your self you can conquer all the map.

3-PvE is the same for everyone.

4-You can carry the materials from all the map with... lets say 1/5 of the risk.

Please don't offer opinions if you don't understand the issue. None of those things are true when it comes to RvR. Maybe 4 because trading is less risk. But the current mechanics after the patch make anything related to RvR done in the US prime time meaningless, and PBs will never happen in time slots that allow US players to join them other than if they stay up very late or don't have work or school and can play during the day.

In this particular case, server pop is irrelevant and having 2 servers in different time zones actually offers potential solutions that a single server wouldn't have.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Helbent

[Mrdoomed]

Please don't offer opinions if you don't understand the issue. None of those things are true when it comes to RvR. Maybe 4 because trading is less risk. But the current mechanics after the patch make anything related to RvR done in the US prime time meaningless, and PBs will never happen in time slots that allow US players to join them other than if they stay up very late or don't have work or school and can play during the day.

In this particular case, server pop is irrelevant and having 2 servers in different time zones actually offers potential solutions that a single server wouldn't have.

Thena merger will just kill off any US player who like port battles then.

They need to figure out how to deal with this problem.

[Chijohnaok]

Please don't offer opinions if you don't understand the issue. None of those things are true when it comes to RvR. Maybe 4 because trading is less risk. But the current mechanics after the patch make anything related to RvR done in the US prime time meaningless, and PBs will never happen in time slots that allow US players to join them other than if they stay up very late or don't have work or school and can play during the day.

In this particular case, server pop is irrelevant and having 2 servers in different time zones actually offers potential solutions that a single server wouldn't have.

My bold emphasis above.

 

Players in the United States nation on the PvP 1EU server have been driving hostility and generating port battles for times convenient to players based out of North America.

 

We had a port battle a couple days ago that occurred last Friday evening at 8:42 pm EST 

We have another one tonight scheduled for 8:40pm EST.

These are prime time hours for players in North America.

 

Furthermore, last Friday's port battle included members from the British nation (most of whom helped screen but several did participate in the PB).

I presume most of these "British nation" players actually live in North America (but I could be wrong).  

 

So yes, many players in North America cannot participate in Port Battles that occur during Europe primetime (daytime on weekdays @ North America), but this is no different now than it was pre-patch.  If your nation has a good mix of players from both Europe and North America, your Euro players can drive up hostility during their prime hours, and then your North American players can be the ones that tip it to 100% (and thereby generate a PB during North America prime time).  It just takes a little bit of planning and managing your hostility generation. 

 

North American players in the US nation have also been able to help mitigate hostility points that have been driven up in British counties in the Bahamas.  We comes online as the Euro players are going to sleep.  We look to see where the hostility was driven up, then send squads of players to those regions to run anti-hostility missions to drive it down.  

Edited October 30, 2016 by Chijohnaok

[Chijohnaok]

I am a player living in the United States.  

 

I have no real ping issues playing on a European server.

 

I have been playing this game since late February 2016.

 

While I have characters on multiple servers, my primary character that I play most on is in the US Nation on PvP 1 EU.

 

I am in a clan.  I sail with clan mates as these are my friends in the game.  I have no desire to migrate my focus of playing from PvP 1 to PvP 2.

 

So for me "having 2 servers in different time zones actually  DOES NOT offers potential solutions " 

[Helbent]

The current PB window locks out from 0247-0800 UTC. So yes some players on the east coast can get some RVR in before that window closes. But it still blocks out a significant portion of the North American prime time. And when daylight savings ends it will get worse.

Having 2 servers allows for server reset to be localized with the servers timezone, something they don't have flexibility with if they only have 1 server.

If you choose to stay where you are on PvP1, that's fine. I'm not suggesting they force anyone to do anything. Simply stating they have the flexibility to give players choices with 2 servers.

[CeltiberoCaesar]

Please don't offer opinions if you don't understand the issue. None of those things are true when it comes to RvR. Maybe 4 because trading is less risk. But the current mechanics after the patch make anything related to RvR done in the US prime time meaningless, and PBs will never happen in time slots that allow US players to join them other than if they stay up very late or don't have work or school and can play during the day.

In this particular case, server pop is irrelevant and having 2 servers in different time zones actually offers potential solutions that a single server wouldn't have.

Mmm alright... I still think what I said

And... I still think 25 of you guys can trigger a PB between 4-8am when you have you player base.

[Rhodry Heidenrich]

I am a player living in the United States.  

 

I have no real ping issues playing on a European server.

 

I have been playing this game since late February 2016.

 

While I have characters on multiple servers, my primary character that I play most on is in the US Nation on PvP 1 EU.

 

I am in a clan.  I sail with clan mates as these are my friends in the game.  I have no desire to migrate my focus of playing from PvP 1 to PvP 2.

 

So for me "having 2 servers in different time zones actually  DOES NOT offers potential solutions " 

 

I am a player living in the United States.

I have no real ping issues playing on a European server. (Because I have excellent internet, which not everybody does)

 

I have been playing this game (off and on) since it was released on Steam. (Honestly, who cares when each of us started playing. It has no bearing on much of anything)

 

While I have characters on multiple servers, my primary character that I play most on is a Pirate on PvP2 US.

 

I am in a clan. I sail with clan mates as these are my friends in the game. I have no desire to migrate my focus of playing from PvP2 to PvP1.

 

So for me "having 2 servers in different time zones DOES offer potential solutions because I'll play where I feel I'm going to get the most enjoyment of the game"

 

Look...

I copied your format because it's easy for us to be egocentric which honestly doesn't add a whole lot to the conversation. What works best for you isn't the same as what works best for others. Like I said above, options are good for allowing everyone to have fun with the game. Be it having lower pings, staying with friends and community they've been with for months, game events happening during times they can participate etc. etc. etc.

 

 

 

First of all: There is a US server, so the game is absolutely not ignoring the US/Australian playerbase.

 

For now. Don't forget there was a "threat" of a PvP1/2 merge a few months ago which caused some preemptive switching by some of the PvP2 population to PvP1, and helped create the lower population we have. It's been posted in the development road map and been some talk elsewhere recently that the Devs are going to re-open the possibility of a merge, and if that merge happens the point quoted will be rendered moot.

 

Instead of just deciding to shut down/merge a server because of low population (especially during alpha/beta), maybe there needs to be some other attempts to grow the population on PvP2. Even if that means just waiting until the game is out of the "sweeping change" development phase and in a more polished "release" stage to see how populations rise/fall and stabilize. If after a few months of "post-release", PvP2 remains very small, then bring back merger talks because it'll be clear the game truly doesn't have the interest/player base to support two PvP servers plus one PvE server.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Rhodry Heidenrich

[Helbent]

Mmm alright... I still think what I said

And... I still think 25 of you guys can trigger a PB between 4-8am when you have you player base.

If we were allowed to, yes we could. The problem is that we literally are blocked by the server from doing so. From 0247-0800 we cannot trigger a PB no matter how much hostility we generate.

[Sir Texas Sir]

 

For now. Don't forget there was a "threat" of a PvP1/2 merge a few months ago which caused some preemptive switching by some of the PvP2 population to PvP1, and helped create the lower population we have. It's been posted in the development road map and been some talk elsewhere recently that the Devs are going to re-open the possibility of a merge, and if that merge happens the point quoted will be rendered moot.

 

 

Dev's aren't helping when they only offer the chance to transfer to PvP1 from PvP2.  If they want to make the numebers better than they should offer the transfers both ways not just one way.  I started on PvP1 cause at the time it had the best population but when the population on PvP2 went up and they split EU server I came over to PvP2 and started from scratch.  I think one thing that will solve a lot of this is just do a soft wipe and than no one can complain about having stuff on one server or the other.  Than they can just pick which one is best for them and there friends to play on.

 

Another thing is why is the US server even on the east coast.  It should of been found a location on the west coast.  That would put both servers about the same distance from each other and give the players a better ping option all around.  Still don't know why they even have a PvE server, if anything that is a waste of resources right now.  I though the Pacific coast thing was pretty good concept for them, sorry Devs just don't have time to make content for just one server that has the smallest population of them all.   Hell they could even make PvE only zones on the game like they have with the Newbie Zone.  I'm sure as big as the map is they could have a zone for those players that don't want to every get tagged and dragged into PvP.   Hell PvP2 has been pretty much that cause folks just don't want to fight.

 

So yah if we are going to do a merger lets set it for when the game switches to Beta stage and do a soft wipe to put every one on an equal playing field.   

 

Not to mention if I play a National on one server and a Pirate on another than what do I have to do when they merge?  Pick on char or the other?  Some of us like to play both and by having them on different servers we aren't doing cross nation alts.  If you merge the servers it's going to get people to buy more accounts and have alts than they all ready do.  Yah this isn't bad for your sales, but as most other games tend to have multi servers to give you options to play different faction on them.

[Bach]

You gents are still arguing this backwards. 

 

There are relatively 200-300 USA time zone players on PVP1 most days.  There are 150-200 players USA time zone on PvP2 most days.  That's 350-500 players that could be all playing together.

You keep arguing solutions for two servers that really just keeps the USA players as a whole held back from their potential. If you could get the entire game onto one server with good enough ping for everyone that increases the most fun and generates the most possibilities of play.  You should be arguing to get a main server with better world wide ping instead of figuring out ways to keep us divided.

[Mrdoomed]

You gents are still arguing this backwards.

There are relatively 200-300 USA time zone players on PVP1 most days. There are 150-200 players USA time zone on PvP2 most days. That's 350-500 players that could be all playing together.

You keep arguing solutions for two servers that really just keeps the USA players as a whole held back from their potential. If you could get the entire game onto one server with good enough ping for everyone that increases the most fun and generates the most possibilities of play. You should be arguing to get a main server with better world wide ping instead of figuring out ways to keep us divided.

I think you keep missing what is being said my friend.

Lets make it simple the game forces you to join the server closest to your ip address.

Done. Jk that will never happen.

But Bach i do think you are missing what they are softly suggesting just what you keep saying.

[Sir Texas Sir]

You gents are still arguing this backwards. 

 

There are relatively 200-300 USA time zone players on PVP1 most days.  There are 150-200 players USA time zone on PvP2 most days.  That's 350-500 players that could be all playing together.

You keep arguing solutions for two servers that really just keeps the USA players as a whole held back from their potential. If you could get the entire game onto one server with good enough ping for everyone that increases the most fun and generates the most possibilities of play.  You should be arguing to get a main server with better world wide ping instead of figuring out ways to keep us divided.

 

I actually don't mind the concept of one server while in testing stage, but it would be nice if they put the serve in a better place.  I'm sorry while 140 ping isn't a deal breaker for me it's the PING SPIKES to 300-400 that hurts and it's not just me that gets them.  I don't get them in the PvP2 server only on PvP1.  I haven't been in a big battle on PvP1 in ages since they split it for the Mirror server, but back than the ping would spike and pretty much I couldn't tell what I was hitting or not cause of the delay.  You can' follow through shots when you don't see the shots hit until a good second or two later as the ships with waves won't be in the same place.  I pretty much stop showing up for any big battles and it was why I switched to PvP2.  PvE and PvP1 have been down almost twice as much as PvP2 so they aren't the most stable servers.  If they take the cost of the three servers and put the game on one good better hosted server than we would all see lower pings too.  I play other games that run about 100 ping on there over seas servers and I rarely get the ping spikes like I do on NA.

 

Thought I'll be honest I wouldn't be against the merger cause I'm sick of none of the Nations fighting and every one carebearing on the PvE2  server...Oh I mean PvP2.

[Blackjack Morgan]

This has been a huge problem many of us have brought up. Even with a merger pvp1 is not going to gain hardly any US AUS players because pings will be to bad.

 

 

I'm right in the middle of the US and have never experienced an issue with ping....not even in slightest.

[Guest]

You gents are still arguing this backwards. 

 

There are relatively 200-300 USA time zone players on PVP1 most days.  There are 150-200 players USA time zone on PvP2 most days.  That's 350-500 players that could be all playing together.

You keep arguing solutions for two servers that really just keeps the USA players as a whole held back from their potential. If you could get the entire game onto one server with good enough ping for everyone that increases the most fun and generates the most possibilities of play.  You should be arguing to get a main server with better world wide ping instead of figuring out ways to keep us divided.

 

So if as you say there's potential for 350-500 US players, if you'd chuck the Aussies on top of that (assuming that they'd prefer a ~6 hour time difference to the US over the ~10 hour time difference to the EU) you'd have a decent-sized server going. Then the devs would just have to migrate the server location to Hawaii, set the hostility generation/RvR blocker to prohibit EU primetimes, provide a one-off free transfer + nation selection, and presto!

 

The global server experiment has already gone on long enough, the last time it worked fine was in spring, ever since then it's been players defecting to pirates to fight vacuums, sitting behind timer iron curtains or stacking allied nations while wondering why there's no RvR left.

[Mrdoomed]

I'm right in the middle of the US and have never experienced an issue with ping....not even in slightest.

So am i, and i have.

Your point?

[squedage]

the only thing i can think of to fix this is to change the US server to be based on US time zones and not EU time zone like the EU server is. 

[squedage]

My bold emphasis above.

 

Players in the United States nation on the PvP 1EU server have been driving hostility and generating port battles for times convenient to players based out of North America.

 

We had a port battle a couple days ago that occurred last Friday evening at 8:42 pm EST 

We have another one tonight scheduled for 8:40pm EST.

These are prime time hours for players in North America.

 

Furthermore, last Friday's port battle included members from the British nation (most of whom helped screen but several did participate in the PB).

I presume most of these "British nation" players actually live in North America (but I could be wrong).  

 

So yes, many players in North America cannot participate in Port Battles that occur during Europe primetime (daytime on weekdays @ North America), but this is no different now than it was pre-patch.  If your nation has a good mix of players from both Europe and North America, your Euro players can drive up hostility during their prime hours, and then your North American players can be the ones that tip it to 100% (and thereby generate a PB during North America prime time).  It just takes a little bit of planning and managing your hostility generation. 

 

North American players in the US nation have also been able to help mitigate hostility points that have been driven up in British counties in the Bahamas.  We comes online as the Euro players are going to sleep.  We look to see where the hostility was driven up, then send squads of players to those regions to run anti-hostility missions to drive it down.  

 

well if the fights were EST then that really isnt prime time for half the US and all the west coast will miss out. 8pm EST is only 4pm west coast and last time i check we were still at work/school

[Chijohnaok]

well if the fights were EST then that really isnt prime time for half the US and all the west coast will miss out. 8pm EST is only 4pm west coast and last time i check we were still at work/school

 

 

It's been a balancing act trying to drive hostility to generate the best port battle times. (timing).

 

Last Thursday the US on PvP 1 hit 100% hostility at Grand Bahamas at something after 1am EST (so late Thursday night/early Friday morning) in the hopes of a PB Saturday @ 11pm-ish EST/10pm CST/8pmPST---trying for the best of all worlds for North American time zones).  However when it hit 100% hostility there was no PB triggered.  We ran another mission and also attacked an AI fleet (thinking that maybe the hostility had rounded up to 100% and just needed a small nudge).  Still no PB (it was F11'd by multiple people). So we ended up with no Saturday PB for the US.  

[HardyKnox]

If you could get the entire game onto one server with good enough ping for everyone that increases the most fun and generates the most possibilities of play.  You should be arguing to get a main server with better world wide ping instead of figuring out ways to keep us divided.

This is elementary 'network economics' ...

 

Metcalfe's law states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system (n²). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfe%27s_law

 

Put in more simple terms, a single network with 2000 users has much, much greater utility than that of two separate networks, each with 1000 users.

 

- HK -

Edited October 31, 2016 by HardyKnox