Alternate Option To Sharding

[Lucarocks92]

Alexensual suggested a great way to have a Classic launch without Sharding

Let's say the server is Archimonde, there will be 10 Archimonde servers named Archimonde 1 through to 10

All of these servers will be merged into one Archimonde server after the initial launch when the playerbase has stabilised and the number of players is consistent after let's say 1-2 weeks

So initially there will only be one tenth of the population of the total realm at launch not to have too much traffic in leveling zones and still keeping the community alive and seeing the same players around without them phasing out

It doesn't necessarily have to be 10 versions of a server it could be any number really just to keep the numbers stable on a server for the levelling experience

This has been the best solution I have heard so far while not having to use Sharding on launch which no doubt blizzard will have to manage the launch in some way or another to reduce player numbers in zones

[Mullet Man]

I like the idea more that sharding, but...
Merging servers after a few weeks breaks the initial realm community.
You go from having names of players that you know, to a server full of anonymous players again.
And it will take time to rebuild the community.
This isn't the vanilla experience.

[Deleted]

The alternate option is to have the servers crash and not be able to play classic, storm the forums and complain that Blizzard is incompetent.

[Rapti]

Alexensual suggested a great way to have a Classic launch without Sharding

Let's say the server is Archimonde, there will be 10 Archimonde servers named Archimonde 1 through to 10

All of these servers will be merged into one Archimonde server after the initial launch when the playerbase has stabilised and the number of players is consistent after let's say 1-2 weeks

You for serious? This is exactly what sharding is, but automatic.

What close to what you describe would be, just have some servers and later in a longer time spawn where you see dead servers then you merge them.

[huth]

You for serious? This is exactly what sharding is, but automatic.

What close to what you describe would be, just have some servers and later in a longer time spawn where you see dead servers then you merge them.

You mean the same as sharding, but manual. Sharding does the same thing automatically and on demand, except you can also effortlessly switch between servers to form groups.

Either way, it doesn't solve anything, and at worst, introduces additional problems.

[Pronto787]

The issue is at the end of the day sharding and this is pretty much the same concept.

[Rapti]

You mean the same as sharding, but manual. Sharding does the same thing automatically and on demand, except you can also effortlessly switch between servers to form groups.

Either way, it doesn't solve anything, and at worst, introduces additional problems.

Yeah, meant that sharding is automatic, phrased it wrong.
Yup, exactly. More problems and useless extra manual work especially if the tech is there (which I do not like, nor want, but for launch I understand it being there - as in the most likely will go with it).

As I've said, best is to let the entire boom cool down and then merge as needed some of the servers.
Communities will not be a problem - big free migration in the past prove it. And if they don't want any issues with X server devouring Y - just merge two and give it a new name.

[KaPe]

So what happens when you create a character with same name on Archimonde-9 as someone already did on Archimonde-2? You cannot? Why, these are supposedly separate servers. You can? Then what happens during the merge? You keep the "-9" part? Then how is that better for "server community" if there's already a split in place.

[oleander89]

This is worse than sharding. I understand the hate for sharding. It is awful on live servers, but if we take the assumption that Blizz will only shard the starting zones and only for the first few weeks, you effectively have all these different servers, but the difference is, with sharding, you get the merge as soon as you leave the starting zone and now you have access to all those servers months before you would with the mass planned merger plan.

- - - Updated - - -

So what happens when you create a character with same name on Archimonde-9 as someone already did on Archimonde-2? You cannot? Why, these are supposedly separate servers. You can? Then what happens during the merge? You keep the "-9" part? Then how is that better for "server community" if there's already a split in place.

One would assume that names are exclusive across all the Archimonde servers.

[~Valen~]

This is similar but worse than sharding, for real. Instead of 'merging' servers sharding does it automatically on the spot - at X point you'll still see unknown people (in a wide sense of the word).

If something must happen, I would opt for sharding for levels 1-10 strictly and for 1-2 weeks.

[lollerlaban]

So..... Sharding? Wtf

[Rapti]

This is similar but worse than sharding, for real. Instead of 'merging' servers sharding does it automatically on the spot - at X point you'll still see unknown people (in wide sense of the word).

If something must happen, I would opt for sharding for levels 1-10 strictly and for 1-2 weeks.

I think it will be more 1-20 and for 2-3 weeks more likely (to get rid of sharding completely), but tbh I am curious of how Blizz will handle it. And yeah in this scenario sharding will be the least of all evil (when you want people to advance without major issues).
I think BFA will be without content at the time of Classic launch and people will simply go "give it a shot" out of boredom and then ditch it once new expac is close to release or new content.

[Seranthor]

Alexensual suggested a great way to have a Classic launch without Sharding

Let's say the server is Archimonde, there will be 10 Archimonde servers named Archimonde 1 through to 10

All of these servers will be merged into one Archimonde server after the initial launch when the playerbase has stabilised and the number of players is consistent after let's say 1-2 weeks

So initially there will only be one tenth of the population of the total realm at launch not to have too much traffic in leveling zones and still keeping the community alive and seeing the same players around without them phasing out

It doesn't necessarily have to be 10 versions of a server it could be any number really just to keep the numbers stable on a server for the levelling experience

This has been the best solution I have heard so far while not having to use Sharding on launch which no doubt blizzard will have to manage the launch in some way or another to reduce player numbers in zones

So sharding, without calling it sharding, but its sharding with a different name.

[KaPe]

One would assume that names are exclusive across all the Archimonde servers.

Which is exactly why this whole idea makes no sense. It's all downsides of sharding and none of the benefit. Well, the only "benefit" is that zone will not switch around if you invite someone to your group... but then again, you couldn't invite them at all if they accidentally rolled on Server-7 instead of Server-8.

I've seen this suggested by another youtuber as well and thought it just as stupid back then. It's like they conveniently forget about any issues simply because they hate sharding this much.

[caervek]

The alternate option is to have the servers crash and not be able to play classic, storm the forums and complain that Blizzard is incompetent.

Well that's completely untrue.

Classic isn't going to have anywhere near the same sub levels as Vanilla (obviously, hell BFA only has half the subs), and not having sharding didn't make the TBC launch unplayable, in fact that was arguably the best expansion launch due to the amount of people rushing into the first zone.

[Crillam]

Okay, sounds like a lot of work for nothing. Because there will start as 10 indevidual servers that later get merged. What happens if ppl share the same character name?
Is character name a BIG deal, no. But ppl would rage if they would need to change name because some1 else more or less "took" it from you when the servers merged.

[Deleted]

Well that's completely untrue.

Classic isn't going to have anywhere near the same sub levels as Vanilla (obviously, hell BFA only has half the subs), and not having sharding didn't make the TBC launch unplayable, in fact that was arguably the best expansion launch due to the amount of people rushing into the first zone.

Are you kidding? The zone was so full, it led them to create Wrath of the Lich King with two starting zones. It was awful.

[Puri]

What's the difference? You would just manually shard instead of automatical. And people want to play with friends, so server 1-3 will be "full" while the rest stays pretty much untouched.
And it has the drawback that it somehow has to deal with same names.

Why not have a server archimonde, and when there are 5000 player playing simultaneously it has 5 shards, if there are 2000 player online it has two shards. Everything automatic, competely transparent for the player. And you still see the same people around.

[KaPe]

Well that's completely untrue.

Classic isn't going to have anywhere near the same sub levels as Vanilla (obviously, hell BFA only has half the subs), and not having sharding didn't make the TBC launch unplayable, in fact that was arguably the best expansion launch due to the amount of people rushing into the first zone.

Vanilla also didn't launch all at once, but had people slowly joining in and new servers being opened constantly. Despite that, it was still a complete mess.

With Classic, you're getting all that mass of people all at once. There's no staggered release, no gradual influx. If anything, it will be the opposite, with tons of people leaving very quickly, which means opening lots of servers isn't really an option.

[Deleted]

Okay, sounds like a lot of work for nothing. Because there will start as 10 indevidual servers that later get merged. What happens if ppl share the same character name?
Is character name a BIG deal, no. But ppl would rage if they would need to change name because some1 else more or less "took" it from you when the servers merged.

Just make the names exclusive across all archimonde servers. I mean come on...