So why has blizzard stopped connecting servers togheter?

[Kazgrel]

You know there is a difference between connected servers and CRZ? No mega pop server is going to be connected.

Which is exactly why I started that post with the words "With CRZ at least"...

Even without linking the super populated servers with others, they can still be part of the CRZ pool.

There should be enough server connects/links/whatever (since they don't want to use the M word to describe servers) to where CRZ isn't needed anymore. The only "other servers" you encounter people from are the ones you're linked to.

Now it's entirely possible they are doing that now, for all I know. I played WoW for all of 4 months since WoD released.

[Tomana]

Steamwheedle Cartel EU is connected to the RP realms Moonglade and The Sha'tar.
Argent Dawn has too many players for the realm to get connected to any other realm at all.

Oops my bad, I messed up Moonglade and Argent dawn.

What Blizzard should have done was connecting all RP realms(excluding Argent Dawn) to each other. This is also something several players told them, but they didn't listen.

Yes, this was my point too

[Spl4sh3r]

Garrisons are a convenient excuse, but the realms in questions don't have thousands of players hiding in there. One doesn't need to look much further than WowProgress for general raiding situation and see that some servers have dozens, some have one or two. Or just check the auction house and notice zero high end epics being put there.

I like how you are using raiding as a check to see how many there are on a realm. Of course if you are a raider you want the raiding crowd, but that isn't all of the realm. That is the minority of players.

[alturic]

Not sure I understand you correctly, but connected(not CRZ) realms are only one realm/server after they are connected - not several different servers.
The only thing still telling you it's not just one server is the name, but that's that.

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This thread once again really shows how clueless people are about realms and population numbers.
Even if they connected more realms, the possible flood of players returning for Legion would only have an effect on extremely few realms(talking about possible queue timers here).

The realms with low populations would need a really big increase(double their numbers to the least) in players to even come near the big realms such as Silvermoon, Draenor, Twisting Nether, Kazzak, etc(EU realms).
This together with the fact that they in WoD increased the population capacity for /all/ realms means there's very little chance connecting more realms would cause queue timers.

Oh, I'm totally talking about CRZ.

However, you're 100% positive that "connected realms" simply mean "your character resides on a seperate server, but EVERYTHING else is all on one server"?

[darklogrus]

I like how you are using raiding as a check to see how many there are on a realm. Of course if you are a raider you want the raiding crowd, but that isn't all of the realm. That is the minority of players.

CencusPlus told me there was 121 people on the other night on my realm vs my buddies 2700. Or I can look at the AH website and see 8mil transactions vs 90million. I don't need to look at WowProgress to know theres a trend..

[Tharkkun]

Which is exactly why I started that post with the words "With CRZ at least"...

Even without linking the super populated servers with others, they can still be part of the CRZ pool.

There should be enough server connects/links/whatever (since they don't want to use the M word to describe servers) to where CRZ isn't needed anymore. The only "other servers" you encounter people from are the ones you're linked to.

Now it's entirely possible they are doing that now, for all I know. I played WoW for all of 4 months since WoD released.

Only previous expansions have their zones CRZ'd. So right now WOD content has no CRZ zones at all. The only exception is if you join a group from another server you will be switched to that servers zone. You won't just be running around and suddenly see people from other servers phase into your zone.

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Read the last page's worth of replies which pretty clearly outlined them?



That's a hyperbolic way of looking at the same information and interpreting it differently. I don't think Blizzard likes to merge realms nor do they like connecting realms. I mentioned them simply because they're the most common solutions offered when players discuss dwindling realm populations.

Anyway, I personally think the best solutions might be the ones I offered a few pages back. One easy solution which I do not think will negatively impact players is a free realm xfer on a resetting cooldown. Another is to allow character services to be purchased with WoW gold. I have a sneaking suspicion sometime shortly after Legion's release they'll readdress the issue and potentially offer their own solutions. Regardless, at some point in the indeterminate future Blizzard will have to make tough decisions about realms since it's clear there will come a point in the game's life cycle where the number of individual realms it has will no longer be sustainable.

Blizzard created specific tech to create the "connected servers". It was an extension of the CRZ tech they created in MOP. They like offering players a somewhat full server experience like they originally had in Vanilla. But at the same time many players rolled on low pop for a reason so Blizzard chose not to completely destroy that feeling by connecting servers.

Blizzard won't offer free transfers because everyone will just jump to the high pop servers. The price is the only thing keeping that from happening right now. If anything they'll connect more low and medium pop servers to make a new high pop.

I doubt they'll offer gold for purchasing in game services. The reason the token works is because someone is buying a service (higher priced I might add) and reselling it for gold. I can't see people paying $30 or $40 for a realm transfer token and trading it for gold. Most people will just re-roll or pay the full amount for a boost.

[Kazgrel]

Only previous expansions have their zones CRZ'd. So right now WOD content has no CRZ zones at all. The only exception is if you join a group from another server you will be switched to that servers zone. You won't just be running around and suddenly see people from other servers phase into your zone.

Right. I am aware of that nuance to CRZ. It was far more prevalent prior to WoD, though, because leveling up professions hadn't been reduced to faceroll status, or at least they weren't nearly as faceroll as they were once WoD hit. Farming old mats like fel iron ore in TBC (or just about any TBC mat for that matter) and stuff from WoTLK zones was the a giant pain in the ass.

I suppose that's one silver lining to how faceroll WoD made profession leveling, heh.

[Relapses]

Blizzard created specific tech to create the "connected servers". It was an extension of the CRZ tech they created in MOP. They like offering players a somewhat full server experience like they originally had in Vanilla. But at the same time many players rolled on low pop for a reason so Blizzard chose not to completely destroy that feeling by connecting servers.

I understand the why and how of connected realms. The point was that not every connected realm lived happily ever after when Blizzard condensed them. The fact that most connected realms are still dead now is further proof the entire process was not nearly as successful as Blizzard may have intended.

Blizzard won't offer free transfers because everyone will just jump to the high pop servers. The price is the only thing keeping that from happening right now. If anything they'll connect more low and medium pop servers to make a new high pop.

An exodus from dead or dying realms would probably be better for the game, anyway. As I mentioned, at some point Blizzard will have to admit the number of realms which exist for this game cannot be supported by the number of people who actually play it. Offering tools to alleviate an issue which isn't really the fault of the players' isn't a bad thing, though I admit free transfers are unlikely to become a reality until much later in this game's life cycle.

I doubt they'll offer gold for purchasing in game services. The reason the token works is because someone is buying a service (higher priced I might add) and reselling it for gold. I can't see people paying $30 or $40 for a realm transfer token and trading it for gold. Most people will just re-roll or pay the full amount for a boost.

As long as there are items/services in game which can be purchased with gold, I think there will be a market for tokens. Tokens aren't exactly designed for people with not a lot of disposable income anyway. Much like "freemium" games you find on your cell phone, it's a service mainly for people with a lot of cash and not a whole lot of intelligence/impulse control. The only real negative I can see is that people may consider the game "pay to win," a claim I wouldn't necessarily agree with as long as the tokens are restricted to realm services.

[Vineri]

Or am i missing something?
Back at Mists of Pandaria they actively tried to solve the dead realm issue and they were working hard on it, almost weekly an announcement of servers mergconnecting and now in Warlords of Draenor they just dropped the ball and stopped connecting even 1 realm togheter.

What is their excuse?

It's cheaper if you do not freely merge, but then you pay $$ for the same service they should have offered.

My guess. Blizzard accountants feel as though more people would pay, opposed to people who would leave. Go figure, I would think more paying accounts are important - but Blizzard thinks immediate income is more important. I guess they don't see the future very good .. only what people can pay right now.